L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Feb 23, 2021

Tuesday, February 23, 2021 Paul Coulter

Have a Seat and Stay Awhile. The circles spell out a type of chair.

17-Across. Holiday bloom: EASTER LILY. Easy Chair. An Easy Chair can come in all shapes and sizes. It is simply a chair that is generally large, soft and comfortable. Easter is less than 40 days away, so we will soon be seeing Easter Lilies.

26-Across. Taft's University of Cincinnati position: LAW SCHOOL DEAN. Lawn Chair. Lawn Chairs, too, can come in all shapes and sizes. We would take ours to the beach.

William Howard Taft (Sept. 15, 1857 ~ Mar. 8, 1930) had quite a career. In 1896, the University of Cincinnati established a Law Department. Taft, who was at the time a Federal District Judge, was named its Dean. He, of course, later went on to become the 27th President of the United States. After his term as President ended, he briefly became a law professor at Yale, until he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court. He served as the 10th Chief Justice from 1921 until his death 9 years later.

Taft in a Lawn Chair (chair circa 1900).

43-Across. UPS vehicle: DELIVERY TRUCK. Deck chair. These can also come in lots of shapes and sizes. As a kid, we had Adirondack chairs on our deck. At any rate, these chairs are used outside and not in the living room. The ice and snow storm has prevented many a UPS delivery this week.

And the unifier:

58-Across. Parlor pieces, and a hint to each set of circles: WING CHAIRS. My grandfather had a wing chair in his parlor. No one else could use that chair.

Across:

1. Some artists' quarters: LOFTS. Here's a list of famous artists and their lofts.

6. Come to a halt: STOP. Did you know Stop Signs weren't red until after 1950?

10. About, on a memo: IN RE. From the Latin meaning: In the Matter Of

14. All-__: versatile machine: IN ONE. You, too, can have your All-in-One Onesie.

15. Bizet's "Habanera," for one: ARIA. This aria is from the my favorite opera, Carman.

16. Handle roughly: MAUL.

19. Sketchbooks: PADS. You can also sketch on your iPad.

20. USO show audience: GIs. The origin of using the term GI for American soldiers.

21. All lathered up: SOAPY.

22. Magical lamp dweller: GENIE.

23. Jong and Durance: ERICAs. I am familiar with Erica Jong (b. Mar. 26, 1942), who is a writer, but am not familiar with the actress Erica Durance (b. June 21, 1978).

Erica Jong

Erica Durance

25. Oscar winner Kingsley: BEN. Ben Kingsley (né Krishna Pandit Bhanji; b. Dec. 31, 1943) won an Oscar for his portrayal of Gandhi in 1982 movie of the same name.

33. Things sometimes found under a tree: GIFTS.

35. Wolf cries: HOWLS.

36. 1959 folk hit with the line "Charlie couldn't get off of that train": MTA. Will he ever return?

37. Burden: ONUS. Also an obligation. See clue 85-Across in Sunday's puzzle.

38. Gave out cards: DEALT.

39. Animal house: LAIR.

40. Time of your life: AGE.

41. Prolonged battle: SIEGE. // Not to be confused with 1-Down: 1. Feudal lord: LIEGE.

42. Number that's part of a nap: FORTY. A possible theory on the origin of the term Forty Winks.

46. __ Plaines: DES. A city in Cook County, Illinois, just outside the Chicago area.

47. Familiarize: ORIENT.

50. Rice or wheat: GRAIN.

53. "Dilbert" creator Adams: SCOTT. Scott Raymond Adams (b. June 8, 1957) created the Dilbert cartoon in the 1990. Often his cartoons would almost exactly mirror what was happening in my workplace.

56. Day for voting: Abbr.: TUE. Tuesday is also the day that I provide commentary for this crossword. In Louisiana, voting is usually on a Saturday.

57. Sleek, in car talk: AERO.

60. Dryer trap target: LINT.

61. MLB Tiger, for one: ALER. The Detroit Tigers are in the American League in Major League Baseball.

62. Artist Max: ERNST. Max Ernst (Apr. 2, 1891 ~ Apr. 1, 1976) was a pioneer in the surrealism and Dada art movements.

63. Grandson of Adam: ENOS. A Biblical reference: Enos was the son of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. Sometimes his name is spelled Enosh. According to Genesis (5:6), Seth was 105 years old when Enosh was born.

64. Heap affection (on): DOTE.

65. Continues intensely, as a storm: RAGES.

Down:

2. Broadcasting: ON AIR.

3. Natural gas, coal, etc.: FOSSIL FUEL.

4. Atlanta-based station: TNT. As in the (Ted) Turner Network Television.

5. Goes up and down: SEE-SAWS.

6. Pamplona parlor: SALA. Today's Spanish lesson.

7. Vacation choice: TRIP.

8. Like a slippery garage floor: OILY.

9. Remit: PAY.

10. Be about to happen: IMPEND.

11. Palindromic bread: NAAN. You too, can make your own Naan.

12. Designer Gernreich: RUDI. Rudi Gernreich (née Rudolf Gernerich; Aug. 8, 1922 ~ Apr. 21, 1985) is not a Tuesday-friendly crossword guest. He was actually Austrian, but fled to the United States in the late 1930s to escape the Nazis. He became an iconic fashion designer in the 1960 and is best known for inventing the Thong.

13. "What __ can I do?": ELSE.

18. Singer Diana: ROSS. Diana Ross (b. Mar. 26, 1944) was the lead singer of The Supremes. Sadly, Mary Wilson (Mar. 6, 1944 ~ Feb. 8, 2021), one of the founding members of The Supremes, died earlier this month.

22. Hair products: GELS.

Hair Gel gone bad.

24. Lions and tigers: CATS. Oh, My!

25. Lightning flash: BOLT. Usain Bolt (né Usain St. Leo Bolt; b. Aug. 21, 1986) has been compared to a flash of lightning.

27. Support the team: CHEER.

28. Composer Carmichael: HOAGY. In addition to being a composer, Hoagy Carmichael (né Hoagland Howard Carmichael; Nov. 22, 1899 ~ Dec. 27, 1981) was also a singer, songwriter andactor.

29. Young hooter: OWLET.

30. Online advertising: E-MARKETING.

31. Arguing: AT IT.

32. __ a one: none: NARY.

33. Prod: GOAD.

34. "Bus Stop" playwright: INGE. William Inge (né William Motter Inge; May 3, 1913 ~ June 10, 1973) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. Sadly, he died by suicide at age 60. Bus Stop was adapted into a film, which starred Marilyn Monroe. The play takes place in a diner in the middle of no-where in middle America. Due to a massive snowstorm, a bus and its passengers are stranded at the diner and various impromptu romantic relationships are formed.