LA Times Crossword 17 May 24, Friday

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Constructed by: Michael Torch
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Literally Before

Themed answers are all common phrases that include the word “BEFORE”, which is represented “LITERALLY” in the grid by the relative position of the remaining words in each phrase:

• 17A Give unappreciated gifts, literally : CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
• 25A Pre-chaos moment, literally : THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
• 43A 48 hours ago, literally : THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY
• 57A Overconfidence is dangerous, literally : PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL

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

Bill’s time: 12m 24s

Bill’s errors: 2

• BUNTS (punts!)
• BETTA (petta)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Johnny Chase’s nickname on “Entourage” : DRAMA

I haven’t seen the HBO series “Entourage”, but will have to take a look one day as I am a huge fan of HBO productions. “Entourage” is the story of a young movie star from New York City learning about life in Los Angeles. The show is co-produced by the actor Mark Wahlberg and so the storyline is somewhat autobiographical, based on a few of Wahlberg’s own experiences.

Johnny “Drama” Chase is the younger brother of Vincent Chase, the central character in the TV show “Entourage”. “Drama” is portrayed by actor Kevin Dillon.

14 Land east of the Urals : ASIA

The eastern side of the Ural Mountains in Russia and Kazakhstan is generally regarded as the natural divide between the continents of Europe and Asia.

15 Scout’s task, briefly : RECON

A reconnaissance (recon) is a preliminary survey carried out to gather information. The term “reconnaissance” came into English in the early 19th century from French, from which language it translates literally as “recognition”.

17 Give unappreciated gifts, literally : CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

To cast or throw pearls before swine is to offer something valuable to someone who does not appreciate the value. The phrase comes from the Bible. According to the Book of Matthew, Jesus states in the Sermon on the Mount:

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

24 Emmy nominee Lucy : LIU

Lucy Liu is an actress from Queens, New York. Liu’s big break came when she was chosen to play the Ling Woo character in “Ally McBeal”. I liked her in the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” but as I am no fan of Quentin Tarantino, I did not enjoy the movie “Kill Bill”. I do enjoy one of Liu’s more recent projects in which she plays Joan Watson, one of the two lead characters in the TV crime drama “Elementary”.

34 “Boléro” composer : RAVEL

Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” is a remarkable piece of music that has a very insistent theme that just builds and builds, with instruments being added to the mix as the piece develops. Famously, “Boléro” played a significant role in the 1979 film “10” starring Bo Derek, Dudley Moore and Julie Andrews. Not a bad movie …

36 Highlands refusal : NAE

The Scottish Highlands are that part of the country not classified as the Lowlands(!). The Highlands make up the north and west of Scotland.

38 Snide remarks : SNARK

“Snark” is a term that was coined by Lewis Carroll in his fabulous 1876 nonsense poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. Somehow, the term “snarky” came to mean “irritable, short-tempered” in the early 1900s, and from there “snark” became “sarcastic rhetoric” at the beginning of the 21st century.

42 Modest hits? : BUNTS

To bunt in baseball is to barely hit the ball, just enough to have it roll slowly in front of the infielders.

57 Overconfidence is dangerous, literally : PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL

The phrase “pride comes before a fall” has its roots in the Bible’s Book of Proverbs: “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

60 Middle East capital : RIAL

The rial is the currency of Iran (as well as Yemen, Oman and Tunisia). Generally, there are 1,000 baisa in one rial.

63 Bulldog’s home : YALE

The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Yale University. The Yale school mascot is “Handsome Dan”, the Yale bulldog. The Bulldogs’ logo features a bulldog in front of a letter Y.

Down

1 Birria option : TACO

Birria is a meat stew from Mexican cuisine. What is essential to the dish is that the meat be marinated in an adobo before being cooked in a broth. The traditional meat used in the stew is goat. Goats were brought to Mexico by the Conquistadors, even though they viewed goat meat as an inferior food. As such, they gave the goats to the locals, who learned to make the meat papatable by marinating and stewing it. The Spanish referred to the resulting dish as “birria”, meaning “worthless”. The name stuck.

4 Dennings of the MCU’s “Thor” films : KAT

Kat Dennings is the stage name of actress Katherine Litwack, who is noted today for her co-starring role on CBS’s sitcom “2 Broke Girls”. On the big screen, she plays the somewhat humorous character Dr. Darcy Lewis in the “Thor” series of films. Dennings is an avid blogger, and you can check out her video blog on YouTube.

5 School that’s home to the Dragons : DREXEL

The athletic teams of Drexel University in Philadelphia are known as the Drexel Dragons. The Dragons’ mascot is Mario the Magnificent Dragon. The mascot’s name was adopted in 1997, and recognizes Drexel alumnus Mario V. Mascioli. Mascioli was a superfan of the university’s men’s basketball team, and attended every single game for over 20 years.

8 Defoe’s “__ Flanders” : MOLL

“Moll Flanders” is a novel written by Daniel Defoe in 1722, three years after he achieved fame with “Robinson Crusoe”. The book’s full title gives a lot of insight into the storyline:

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born In Newgate, and During a Life of Continu’d Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her Childhood, Was Twelve Year a Whore, Five Times a Wife [Whereof Once To Her Own Brother], Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon In Virginia, At Last Grew Rich, Liv’d Honest, and Died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums.

12 Golfer Nordqvist : ANNA

Anna Nordqvist is a professional golfer from Sweden who plays on the LPGA tour as well as the Ladies European Tour. Nordqvist won the LPGA Championship in 2009, the Evian Championship in 2017, and the Women’s British Open in 2021.

18 Elliptical part : PEDAL

The elliptical trainer exercise machine entered the market in the nineties. It is intended to provide a cardiovascular workout with very little impact on the body. The low impact motion is achieved because the movement of the pedal ensures that the heels stay in contact with the pedals. At the same time, the elliptical motion of the pedals allow the foot to roll from toe to heel, just as if the user is running.

19 Reuben cheese : SWISS

There are conflicting stories about the origin of the Reuben sandwich. One such story is that it was invented around 1914 by Arnold Reuben, an immigrant from Germany who owned Reuben’s Deli in New York.

23 Las Vegas team : ACES

The Las Vegas Aces women’s basketball team was formed in Salt Lake City in 1997 as the Utah Starzz. The team became the San Antonio (Silver) Stars in 2002, before moving to Las Vegas as the Aces in 2018.

28 Third baseman Machado with two Gold Gloves : MANNY

Manny Machado is a baseball player who started his professional career with the Baltimore Orioles. Although he was born in Miami, Machado opted to play for the Dominican Republic in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. His defensive play during that competition earned him the nickname “El Ministro de la Defensa”.

32 Condiment in Indian cuisine : RAITA

Raita is a condiment served in Indian restaurants that is made from yogurt flavored with coriander, cumin, mint and cayenne pepper.

39 Bass player? : LURE

The freshwater and marine species of fish called bass resemble perch. The word “bass” comes from the Middle English “bars” meaning “perch”.

41 Fitness program that incorporates ballet, yoga, and Pilates : BARRE

Barre is a form of exercise that uses a ballet barre and incorporates classical moves from the world of ballet. The barre program dates back to 1959 when ballerina Lotte Berk introduced it in London.

Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

42 Siamese fighting fish : BETTA

The betta is a small freshwater fish. It is quite colorful, and so is a popular fish for an aquarium. Bettas are aggressive little creatures, and are commonly called Siamese fighting fish. Apparently, housing two males in a relatively small aquarium will result in the death of one.

49 Covent Garden solo : ARIA

Covent Garden in London’s West End is associated with the Royal Opera House that is located in the area, and with the former fruit and vegetable market that used to sit right at the center of the district. The name “Covent Garden” comes from the fact that there once was a walled garden in the area owned by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Peter in Westminster. The abbey rented out the walled garden calling it “Convent Garden”, and this morphed into the area’s current name.

53 Artist Magritte : RENE

Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work may be “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in a great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

59 Lab coat? : FUR

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.