LA Times Crossword 26 Mar 24, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Ed Sessa
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Modus Operandi

Themed answers all comprise two words, starting with the letters M and O:

  • 36A Plan of action, as “initially” found in the answers to the starred clues? : MODUS OPERANDI
  • 17A *Consider carefully : MEDITATE ON
  • 21A *Transformative beauty treatment : MAKEOVER
  • 54A *Talk back (to) : MOUTH OFF
  • 59A *Divvy up : MEASURE OUT

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

Bill’s time: 5m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15 Jazz great Earl “__” Hines : FATHA

Earl “Fatha” Hines is considered one of the greats in the history of jazz. Hines played his piano twice at the White House, and once even played solo for the Pope.

23 Fancy timepieces : ROLEXES

My most-prized possession is a beautiful stainless steel Rolex watch that my uncle bought while serving with the RAF in Canada during WWII. Rolex watches were made available to the Canadian servicemen at that time as they were shipping overseas. My uncle brought his Rolex home to Ireland after the war. He needed money one weekend and so sold the watch to my Dad, for five pounds. My Dad gave it to me just before he died, as he knew I loved the watch, and my brothers weren’t interested in it all. Not so long ago I had the watch appraised ($3,000), and my brothers suddenly took a liking to it! Still, it’s not something that will ever be sold, that’s for sure …

26 Luthor of DC Comics : LEX

Lex Luthor is the nemesis of Superman in comics. Luthor has been portrayed in a number of guises in the comic world as well in movies and on the small screen. For example, he appeared as Atom Man in the 1950 film series “Atom Man vs. Superman”, and was played by actor Lyle Talbot, opposite Kirk Alyn’s Superman.

32 Maytag sister brand : AMANA

The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa. Today, the Amana name is very much associated with household appliances. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.

36 Plan of action, as “initially” found in the answers to the starred clues? : MODUS OPERANDI

“Modus operandi” (plural “modi operandi”) is the Latin for “mode of operating”, a term we’ve been using since the mid-1600s. It’s often used by the police when referring to the methods typically employed by a particular perpetrator of a crime, and is usually abbreviated to “M.O.”

40 Writer Sir Arthur __ Doyle : CONAN

Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is most closely associated with his wonderful character Sherlock Holmes. Doyle also wrote a series of science fiction stories featuring the character Professor Challenger. The first book in which Challenger appears is the famous “The Lost World”, a story about prehistoric creatures that are found living in the modern age on an isolated plateau in South America.

42 GOP gp. : RNC

National leadership of the Republican Party is provided by the Republican National Committee (RNC). Only one former chairperson of the RNC has been elected to the office of US president, and that was George H. W. Bush.

43 Bearded spring blooms : IRISES

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

46 Many an email attachment : PDF

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format introduced by Adobe Systems in 1993. PDF documents can be shared between users and read using many different applications and platforms, making them more universally accessible than documents saved by one particular program.

57 Garlicky mayonnaise : AIOLI

Aioli is a French sauce made from garlic, egg yolks, and olive oil. The word “aioli” comes from “alh”, the Provençal word for garlic, and “oli”, a Catalan word meaning “oil”.

62 Rae of “Insecure” : ISSA

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

63 Industry honcho : BARON

“Honcho” is a slang term meaning “leader”. The word comes to us from the Japanese military, in which language a “hancho” is a “squad” (han) “leader” (cho).

Down

1 Chevrolet that will be discontinued in 2024 : CAMARO

The Chevrolet Camaro is a car produced by General Motors from 1966 to 2002, and reintroduced in 2009. The Camaro shared much of its design with the Pontiac Firebird, and was introduced as a potential competitor to the Ford Mustang.

3 Brain-breaking question : RIDDLE

There’s an old English nursery rhyme that goes:

Riddle-me riddle-me riddle-me-ree,
Perhaps you can tell what this riddle may be:
As deep as a house, as round as a cup,
And all the king’s horses can’t draw it up.

And the answer is …

… a well!

5 Curator’s deg. : MFA

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

The term “curator” is Latin and applies to a manager, guardian or overseer. In English, the original curators were the guardians and overseers of minors and those with mental disease. Today, we use the term “curator” particularly for someone in charge of a museum, zoo or other exhibition.

7 Women in __: educational advocacy org. : STEM

The acronym “STEM” stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology.

Women in STEM (WiSTEM) is an organization focused on addressing attitudes to women working in the STEM disciplines, as well as the relatively limited educational opportunities for girls in high schools who are interested in pursuing STEM careers. WiSTEM was founded in 2017 at the University of Chicago Lab Schools.

8 Sandbars : SHOALS

A shoal is an underwater ridge or bank that is covered with a material such as sand or silt.

9 Big Apple MLB player : YANKEE

Today’s New York Yankees baseball team started out in Baltimore in 1901 as the Orioles. The Orioles moved to New York in 1903 and became the New York Highlanders. The “Yankees” name was adopted officially in 1913.

Apparently, the first published use of the term “Big Apple” to describe New York City dates back to 1909. Edward Martin wrote the following in his book “The Wayfarer in New York”:

Kansas is apt to see in New York a greedy city. . . . It inclines to think that the big apple gets a disproportionate share of the national sap.

Over ten years later, the term “big apple” was used as a nickname for racetracks in and around New York City. However, the concerted effort to “brand” the city as the Big Apple had to wait until the seventies and was the work of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau.

10 Paul of “The Batman” : DANO

Paul Dano is an actor and musician from New York City. I best know him for playing Brian Wilson in “Love & Mercy”, a fascinating film about the Beach Boys.

“The Batman” is a 2022 film, and a reboot of the “Batman” film franchise. It stars Robert Pattinson as the title character (aka Bruce Wayne), and Paul Dano as the Riddler, the antagonist of the piece.

12 GranTurismo automaker : MASERATI

Maserati is a manufacturer of luxury cars in Italy. The company was founded in Bologna in 1914 by five brothers: Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati. The company uses a trident logo that is based on the trident depicted in the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna.

13 Bird with a powerful kick : OSTRICH

The ostrich is a flightless bird that is native to Africa. It is extensively farmed, mainly for its feathers but also for its skin/leather and meat. Famously, the ostrich is the fastest moving of any flightless bird, capable of achieving speeds of over 40 mph. It is also the largest living species of bird, and lays the largest eggs.

22 Celeb who’s no longer in the limelight : EX-STAR

Limelight was an early form of stage lighting that was also known as Drummond Light. The illumination came from the burning of quicklime (calcium hydroxide), hence the name. Although limelights are a thing of the past, the term “in the limelight” is still used when describing someone in the public eye.

25 Chinese: Pref. : SINO-

The prefix “Sino-” is used to refer to things Chinese. It comes from the Latin word “Sinae” meaning … “Chinese”!

32 Oral health org. : ADA

The American Dental Association (ADA) is the largest and oldest national dental association in the world. Today the ADA is based in Chicago, but the association was founded in Niagara Falls, New York in 1859. The ADA started out as a group of 26 dentists, and it now has more than 152,000 members.

33 German city that hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics : MUNICH

Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria, and is the third-largest city in the country (after Berlin and Hamburg). The city is called “München” in German, a term that derives from the Old German word for “by the monks’ place”, which is a reference to the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city in 1158.

35 Napkin corners? : ENS

The word “napkin” starts and ends with a letter N (en).

36 Ferretlike carnivore : MONGOOSE

The mongoose has no relationship with the “goose” as such, as “mongoose” is derived from “mangus”, an Indian name for the beast. The mongoose does indeed eat snakes as part of its diet, along with other small creatures. However, it usually avoids the dangerous cobra, although humans have used the mongoose to fight cobras for sport and entertainment. The mongoose fares well against poisonous snakes because it is agile and wily, and has a thick skin, literally.

44 Saucer-shaped vacuum : ROOMBA

The Roomba vacuum cleaner is a cool-looking device that navigates its way around a room by itself, picking up dirt as it goes. Like I said, it’s cool-looking, but I am not sure how effective it is …

45 With trepidation : IN FEAR

Our word “trepidation”, meaning “fear”. comes from the Latin verb “tridare” meaning “to tremble”.

48 Steak __: bistro dish : FRITES

The dish called steak frites (literally “steak fries” in French) consists simply of a piece of steak served with French fries. Some cite it as Belgium’s national dish, and claim that is where it was introduced.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Goal of much medical research : CURE
5 Like a baby with pudding, probably : MESSY
10 Floor model, e.g. : DEMO
14 “That’ll be the day!” : AS IF!
15 Jazz great Earl “__” Hines : FATHA
16 Woeful word : ALAS
17 *Consider carefully : MEDITATE ON
19 Home in the sticks : NEST
20 Fluster : ADDLE
21 *Transformative beauty treatment : MAKEOVER
23 Fancy timepieces : ROLEXES
26 Luthor of DC Comics : LEX
27 Stand-up comedian Shaffir : ARI
28 Undivided : ONE
29 Removes soap from : RINSES
31 Tic-__-toe : TAC
32 Maytag sister brand : AMANA
34 Tusks, e.g. : TEETH
36 Plan of action, as “initially” found in the answers to the starred clues? : MODUS OPERANDI
40 Writer Sir Arthur __ Doyle : CONAN
41 Still-life pitchers : EWERS
42 GOP gp. : RNC
43 Bearded spring blooms : IRISES
46 Many an email attachment : PDF
49 Earlier : AGO
50 Intentionally mislead : CON
51 “Don’t let that woman get away!” : STOP HER!
54 *Talk back (to) : MOUTH OFF
57 Garlicky mayonnaise : AIOLI
58 Angry : SORE
59 *Divvy up : MEASURE OUT
62 Rae of “Insecure” : ISSA
63 Industry honcho : BARON
64 Surrender, as territory : CEDE
65 __-do-well : NE’ER
66 “You __ sweet!” : ARE SO
67 Potato buds : EYES

Down

1 Chevrolet that will be discontinued in 2024 : CAMARO
2 Applied to : USED ON
3 Brain-breaking question : RIDDLE
4 Paperless option for taxpayers : E-FILE
5 Curator’s deg. : MFA
6 Take in : EAT
7 Women in __: educational advocacy org. : STEM
8 Sandbars : SHOALS
9 Big Apple MLB player : YANKEE
10 Paul of “The Batman” : DANO
11 Like some beachside homes : ELEVATED
12 GranTurismo automaker : MASERATI
13 Bird with a powerful kick : OSTRICH
18 __-Mex cuisine : TEX
22 Celeb who’s no longer in the limelight : EX-STAR
24 Important ages : ERAS
25 Chinese: Pref. : SINO-
30 Kitten-lifting spots : NAPES
32 Oral health org. : ADA
33 German city that hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics : MUNICH
35 Napkin corners? : ENS
36 Ferretlike carnivore : MONGOOSE
37 Proceeding as planned : ON COURSE
38 Lambs’ moms : EWES
39 Take a break : REST
40 Adds to an already full suitcase, say : CRAMS IN
44 Saucer-shaped vacuum : ROOMBA
45 With trepidation : IN FEAR
46 “Nuts!” : PHOOEY!
47 Intentionally mislead : DELUDE
48 Steak __: bistro dish : FRITES
52 Rowboat blade : OAR
53 Component : PIECE
55 Run like heck : TEAR
56 Cab charge : FARE
60 Letters sent in emergencies : SOS
61 Game with colorful cards : UNO