LA Times Crossword 21 Mar 24, Thursday

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Constructed by: Robin Stears
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Upside-Down Cakes

Themed answers are all in the down-direction. Each includes “CAKE” as a hidden word, but written UPSIDE DOWN:

  • 10D Desserts flipped after baking, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : UPSIDE-DOWN CAKES
  • 3D *Act the mediator : SEEK A COMPROMISE
  • 8D *Illinois alma mater of Ronald Reagan : EUREKA COLLEGE
  • 17D *”Malcolm in the Middle” actress : JANE KACZMAREK

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 8m 15s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Software glitches : BUGS

Back in 1947, famed computer programmer Grace Hopper noticed some colleagues fixing a piece of equipment by removing a dead moth from a relay. She remarked that they were “debugging” the system, and so Hopper has been given credit for popularizing the term “bug” in the context of computing.

14 Slacks, slangily : TROU

The term “slacks” was introduced in the early 1800s with the meaning “loose trousers”. Those early slacks were part of a military uniform.

15 Fall birthstone : OPAL

Here is the “official” list of birthstones, by month, that we tend to use today:

  • January: Garnet
  • February: Amethyst
  • March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine
  • April: Diamond
  • May: Emerald
  • June: Pearl or Moonstone
  • July: Ruby
  • August: Sardonyx or Peridot
  • September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli
  • October: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
  • November: Topaz or Citrine
  • December: Turquoise or Zircon (also now, Tanzanite)

17 Wag : JOKER

A very amusing person might be referred to as a card, stitch, wag or riot.

19 Watering hole where servers may wear leis : TIKI BAR

The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). The bar became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.

21 Animal Planet’s “Crikey! It’s the Irwins” co-star : TERRI

“Crikey! It’s the Irwins” is a reality show from Australia that follows the family of the late Steve Irwin, the conservationist and zookeeper. Stars of the show are Terri Irwin, Steve’s widow and owner of Australia Zoo, her daughter Bindi and son Robert.

23 Dead __ Scrolls : SEA

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered over a period of years, between 1947 and 1956, in eleven caves (the Qumran Caves) on the shores of the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed to have been written by an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, although this has been called into question recently. Many of the texts are copies of writings from the Hebrew Bible.

24 “The Memory of Trees” singer : ENYA

“The Memory of Trees” is a 1995 studio album released by Irish singer/songwriter Enya. On the album, she sings in several languages: English, Irish, Spanish and Latin.

31 Linguist Chomsky : NOAM

Noam Chomsky is a former professor of linguistics at MIT. He is known as one of the fathers of modern linguistics.

33 Org. concerned with “forever chemicals” : EPA

The term “forever chemicals” has been used to describe PFAs: per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are man-made chemicals used widely in consumer goods, and which are extremely toxic at very low concentrations. The chemical structure of PFAs makes them difficult to break down, both in our bodies and in the environment, hence the moniker “forever chemicals”.

34 Language related to Czech : SLOVAK

Slovak is one of the slavic languages, and the official language of the nation of Slovakia. It is very closely related to Czech, so Czech and Slovak speakers can usually understand each other.

Czechoslovakia existed as a sovereign state in Europe from 1918, at which time it declared itself independent from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The country went through much turmoil through the days of Nazi and Soviet occupation, but democracy was restored in 1989 after the nonviolent Velvet Revolution that overthrew the communist government. Nationalist tendencies did develop over time, leading to a peaceful dissolution of the country in 1993, and the creation of the two independent states of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic (aka “Slovakia”).

37 Yemeni port : ADEN

Aden is a seaport in Yemen that is located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.

41 F-150 maker : FORD

The F-Series is a line of light-duty trucks manufactured by Ford. The first generation F-series was produced from 1948 to 1952, with sizes ranging from the F-1 (½ ton pickup) to the F-8 (commercial truck). A new naming scheme (F-100 to F-250) was introduced with the second generation series, produced from 1953 to 1956. The most popular model today is the F-150, which was introduced in 1975.

43 Spy-fi org. : CIA

Spy-fi is spy fiction that includes elements of science fiction.

44 Breathing room : LEEWAY

Our word “leeway” meaning “spare margin” is nautical in origin. A vessel’s leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.

47 Policy pro : CZAR

The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time. We tend to use the “czar” spelling, as opposed to “tsar”, when we describe a person today with great power or authority, e.g. “Drug Czar”.

49 President __ : PRO TEM

“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior. The President pro tempore of the US Senate is the person who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President of the US. It has been tradition since 1890 that the president pro tem is the most senior senator in the majority party. The president pro tem ranks highly in the line of succession to the presidency, falling third in line after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

53 Saturn or Mercury : CAR

Saturn was a brand of automobile introduced by General Motors (GM) in 1985. The Saturn line was GM’s response to the increase in sales of Japanese imports, and was initially set up as a relatively independent division within the company. Saturn had its own assembly plant, and its own network of retailers.

The Mercury brand of car was made by Ford from 1938 until 2011. Mercury was introduced by Henry Ford’s son Edsel Ford. Mercury vehicles were positioned as being more luxurious that the regular Ford models, and more economical than Ford’s high-end Lincoln models.

56 Asia’s __ Peninsula : MALAY

The Malay Peninsula is a long, thin land mass that forms the southernmost part of the Asian mainland. On the peninsula are the countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore (an island nation off the southern tip of the peninsula). People of the Malay ethnic group are mainly found on the Malay peninsula.

58 Verification tool for online alcohol retailers, e.g. : AGE GATE

“Age gate” is a term used to describe any age verification system.

64 Furniture retailer that sells FIXA tool kits : IKEA

IKEA sells a whole range of tools under the “FIXA” name. Believe it or not, “fixa” is the Swedish word for “to fix”.

68 __ of life : TREE

In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This went against the bidding of God, and was at the urging of the serpent. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them from becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

69 “Clue” actress Madeline : KAHN

Madeline Kahn was an actress best known for her comedic roles, especially those directed by Mel Brooks. Kahn also had her own TV sitcom, called “Oh Madeline”. But, it only lasted one season, in 1983.

“Clue” is a 1985 comedy mystery film that is based on the board game of the same name. This film did poorly at the box office, but I found it to be very entertaining and cleverly written. One unique feature of the movie is that it has three different endings.

Down

4 Interstate rig : SEMI

A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

6 Craft for the first couples cruise? : ARK

Genesis 6:19-20 states that Noah was instructed to take two animals of every kind into the ark. Later, in Genesis 7:2-3 Noah was instructed to take on board “every clean animal by sevens … male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth”. Apparently, “extras” (7 rather than 2) were needed for ritual sacrifice.

7 Chandon’s partner : MOET

Moët & Chandon is a French winery, and one of the world’s largest producers of champagne. The company was founded by wine trader Claude Moët in 1743. The name was changed to Moët & Chandon in the 1830s when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon, an in-law to the Moët family, was given co-ownership. Moët & Chandon owns the famous Dom Pérignon brand name, honoring the Benedictine monk who did so much to improve the quality of champagne.

8 *Illinois alma mater of Ronald Reagan : EUREKA COLLEGE

Eureka College is a private school in Eureka, Illinois that was founded in 1848 as the Walnut Grove Academy. Notably, it was only the third school in the country to educate women on an equal basis with men. Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, graduated with a BS degree from Eureka College in 1932, with a joint major in economics and sociology.

9 Scrabble surface : BOARD

The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, and is the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts was born on April 13th, and we now celebrate National Scrabble Day on April 13th each year in his honor.

10 Desserts flipped after baking, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : UPSIDE-DOWN CAKES

An upside-down cake is one baked in a single pan, with the topping at the bottom. When cooked, it is served the right way up, as it were. I think that the most popular version here in the US is a pineapple upside-down cake. Its popularity is largely due to a contest and subsequent ads by the Dole Pineapple Company in the 1920s. Another version of upside-down cake, that is particularly common in France, is the Tarte Tatin (which has a topping of caramelized apples).

17 *”Malcolm in the Middle” actress : JANE KACZMAREK

Actress Jane Kaczmarek is best known for playing Lois, the mother on the TV show “Malcolm in the Middle”. Kaczmarek was married to actor Bradley Whitford (who played Josh Lyman on “The West Wing”) from 1992 to 2009.

I’ve never actually sat down and watched the TV comedy “Malcolm in the Middle”. It ran on Fox from 2000 to 2006. Malcolm was played by Frankie Muniz, who gave up acting to pursue a career in motor racing.

25 Like the Dada movement : ANTI-ART

Dadaism thrived during and just after WWI, and was an anti-war, anti-bourgeois and anti-art culture. The movement was launched in Zurich, Switzerland by a group of artists and writers who met to discuss art and put on performances in the Cabaret Voltaire. The same group frequently expressed disgust at the war that was raging across Europe.

27 Judith Weir composition : OPERA

British composer Jusith Weir was appointed Master of the King’s Music in 2014, making her the first woman to be so honored. The post can be compared to that of poet laureate.

30 Tony winner Judith : IVEY

Judith Ivey is an actress from El Paso, Texas. Ivey is perhaps best known for playing B. J. Poteet in the last season of the TV show “Designing Women”.

40 Soccer star Hamm : MIA

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player. She played as a forward on the US national team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm scored 158 international goals, which was more than any other player in the world, male or female, until the record was broken in 2013. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

47 Cartoon frame : CEL

Animation cels are transparent sheets made of celluloid acetate that were used in traditional hand-drawn animation to create animated films. They were first introduced in the 1930s and were widely used in animation production until the late 1990s, when digital animation techniques began to dominate the industry.

52 Like some granola : OATEN

The names “Granola” and “Granula” were trademarked back in the late 1800s for whole-grain foods that were crumbled and baked until crisp. Granola was created in Dansville, New York in 1894.

54 First-stringers : A-TEAM

We’ve been using the phrases “first string” and “second string” in athletics since the mid-19th century. The expressions come from archery, in which a competitor would carry a second bowstring in case the first broke.

57 Jedi with an unusual speech pattern : YODA

In the “Star Wars” series of films, the character named Yoda has a unique speech pattern. He often uses the word order object-subject-verb. For example:

  • Patience you must have …
  • Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
  • To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not.

59 Supermodel Hadid : GIGI

Gigi Hadid is a model from Los Angeles who started her career as a child model for the brand Baby Guess. Hadid has had an on-again, off-again relationship with British singer Zayn Malik since 2015, and they had a child together in 2020.

60 Small fry : TOT

Juvenile fish that have just grown to the point where they can feed themselves are known as “fry”. By the end of the 17th century, the phrase “small fry” was common, when referring to such fish. More recently, the phrase was applied figuratively to insignificant people, and then to little children.

61 “Ben-__” : HUR

The celebrated 1959 Charlton Heston movie “Ben-Hur” is a dramatization of a book published in 1880 by Lew Wallace titled “Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ”. The 1959 epic film won a record 11 Academy Awards, a feat that has been equaled since then but never beaten. The other winners of 11 Oscars are “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Puzzle (out) : SUSS
5 Synonymous : SAME
9 Software glitches : BUGS
13 Leg joint : KNEE
14 Slacks, slangily : TROU
15 Fall birthstone : OPAL
16 Thing : ITEM
17 Wag : JOKER
18 Like an unswept hearth : ASHY
19 Watering hole where servers may wear leis : TIKI BAR
21 Animal Planet’s “Crikey! It’s the Irwins” co-star : TERRI
23 Dead __ Scrolls : SEA
24 “The Memory of Trees” singer : ENYA
26 Youngsters : KIDDOS
29 Quote : CITE
31 Linguist Chomsky : NOAM
33 Org. concerned with “forever chemicals” : EPA
34 Language related to Czech : SLOVAK
36 SHO subsidiary : TMC
37 Yemeni port : ADEN
38 Residence : HOME
39 Pal : AMIGO
41 F-150 maker : FORD
42 Catch : ESPY
43 Spy-fi org. : CIA
44 Breathing room : LEEWAY
46 Unceasingly, in poetry : E’ER
47 Policy pro : CZAR
48 Home turf? : LAWN
49 President __ : PRO TEM
51 Pedicure targets : TOES
53 Saturn or Mercury : CAR
56 Asia’s __ Peninsula : MALAY
58 Verification tool for online alcohol retailers, e.g. : AGE GATE
60 Not that : THIS
62 Way to go : ROUTE
64 Furniture retailer that sells FIXA tool kits : IKEA
65 Remove from power : OUST
66 Lip : EDGE
67 Clockwork part : GEAR
68 __ of life : TREE
69 “Clue” actress Madeline : KAHN
70 Systems of principles : ISMS

Down

1 Funny sketches : SKITS
2 Loosen, as a bow : UNTIE
3 *Act the mediator : SEEK A COMPROMISE
4 Interstate rig : SEMI
5 Tale : STORY
6 Craft for the first couples cruise? : ARK
7 Chandon’s partner : MOET
8 *Illinois alma mater of Ronald Reagan : EUREKA COLLEGE
9 Scrabble surface : BOARD
10 Desserts flipped after baking, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : UPSIDE-DOWN CAKES
11 Exasperated cry : GAH!
12 Underhanded : SLY
17 *”Malcolm in the Middle” actress : JANE KACZMAREK
20 __ test : BETA
22 Lip : RIM
25 Like the Dada movement : ANTI-ART
27 Judith Weir composition : OPERA
28 Blondish : SANDY
30 Tony winner Judith : IVEY
32 Astonished letters : OMG!
34 Subject of a late-night countdown : SHEEP
35 Also-ran : LOSER
37 Three or four : A FEW
40 Soccer star Hamm : MIA
45 Let (up) : EASE
47 Cartoon frame : CEL
50 Officiate at a cook-off, say : TASTE
52 Like some granola : OATEN
54 First-stringers : A-TEAM
55 Brings up : REARS
57 Jedi with an unusual speech pattern : YODA
59 Supermodel Hadid : GIGI
60 Small fry : TOT
61 “Ben-__” : HUR
63 Exasperated cry : UGH!