Thursday, November 7, 2024, Simon Marotte, Trenton Lee Stewart

 

Making Ends Meet

 

As near as I can tell today's constructors Simon Marotte and Trenton Lee Stewart are both making their debuts in the LA Times, although they have previously published with the NYT here and here.  Their 4 themers remind us that even famous people had to take odd jobs to make ends meet when they were starting out.  Each clue consists of two famous people, tells us what their (fictional) side hustle was, and plays on it to give us a punny two word fill ...

17A. Earnhardt and Andretti work as ushers?: DRIVERS SEAT.  Ralph Dale Earnhardt (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series.  Sadly, Earnhardt died in a racing accident in 2001.

Dale Earnhardt

Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an American former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from 1968 to 1982.

Mario Andretti

27A. Gerwig and DuVernay work at the barbershop?: DIRECTOR'S CUT.  Greta Celeste Gerwig (born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director.  She is most famous for directing the 2023 film Barbie, from which we featured a brief clip with Issa Rae as President Barbie just last week.

Greta Gerwig

Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee for an Academy Award and Golden Globe.

Ava DuVernay

44A. Austen and Morrison choreograph a play?: WRITERS BLOCK.  I started off on the wrong track trying to determine what "choreography" had to do with plays and sent an SOS to C.C. who discovered that     blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera.  Jane Austen and Toni Morrison are not well known for their plays, but did in fact write some. 

Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was of course the famous English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century.

Jane Austen

Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (née Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon (1977) brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987); she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993

Toni Morrison

59A. Hook and Kirk haul timber?: CAPTAINS LOG.  In this case not only is the side hustle fictional, but our famous people are as well.  Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. 

Captain Hook

James Tiberius Kirk, commonly known as Captain Kirk, is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in Star Trek serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise as captain. Kirk leads his crew as they explore new worlds and "boldly go where no man has gone before". 

Captain Kirk

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Mobile app for staying mobile: UBER.  Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and operates in approximately 70 countries and 10,500 cities worldwide.

5. "In your face!": BOOYA.  This fill was not the first thing that popped into my mind for this clue.  It's really an expression of enthusiasm or exuberance.  In fact my researches didn't uncover any connection between the clue and the fill.  What I did uncover was this homophonic recipe and this (automated) exclamation by the famous financial adviser Jim Cramer ...

10. Draw: TIE.

13. __-gazing: NAVEL.  Pejorative slang for meditation.  OTOH NAVAL-gazing is something done by ship captains.

15. "Funeral Blues" poet: AUDEN.  An expression of profound grief by W. H. Auden.

16. Short expression of surprise: OMG.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Snub-nosed dog: PUG.  

Pug puppy

20. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA.  Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century. With George, he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love", and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess.  Here's Ella Fitzgerald singing Embraceable You ...

Lyrics

21. Assays: TESTS.

22. Mispronounces esses, maybe: LISPS.

24. "Gracias" response: DENADA.  Today's Spanish lesson: "Thank you!"; "You're welcome!"

26. Parcel (out): METE.

27. [Theme clue]

33. "We are not amused" type: PRUDE.  The story behind the song.

36. Potential queens: PAWNS.  Yes, but they're the cannon fodder of  chess board and have many obstacles to overcome (being sacrificed, en passant capture, etc.) before they can ascend to the throne. Here's how it works ... 

37. Sorority letter: RHO.

38. Texted titters: LOLS.  Laughing Out Louds.

39. Eyelashes, anatomically: CILIA.  Cilia is the plural form of  cilium (from the Latin for 'eyelid'), a short hair-like membrane protrusion from many types of eukaryotic cell. (Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea) The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike projection that extends from the surface of the much larger cell body. The cilia lining the lungs provide an important function in keeping them free of microbes and debris ...

40. Cry of pain: YEOW.

41. Açai  bowl grain: OAT.  Açaí na tigela (lit. 'Açaí in the bowl') is a sweet Brazilian snack food from Pará and Amazonas. It is a dish made with the frozen and mashed fruit of the açaí palm, described as having an "earthy" or creamy taste. Its texture is granular before blending and it has a tartness from a high acidity content, making its taste appealing. It is served as a smoothie in a bowl, usually mixed with guaraná syrup, and is commonly topped with granola and banana.

Açaí bowl

42. Daytona entry: RACER.

43. Swear words: OATHS. 

44. [Theme clue]

47. Surrounds in a rush: MOBS.  Being surrounded by a MOB can be a scary thing, but these people were unexpectedly delighted by one ...

48. Fools (with): MESSES.

52. Chihuahua, for one: STATE.  A state of Mexico that is ...

Chihuahua, Mexico

The Chihuahua dog breed is named for this state.

54. "Haters __ hate": GONNA.  "Haters gonna hate" is slang for expressing consolation, voicing encouragement, or dismissing criticism. The phrase implies that criticism says more about the critic, or “hater,” than the person being criticized, i.e., that they are making judgements out of jealousy or their own negativity.  -- Dictionary.com.  It's also the title of this song by the band Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! (presumably inspired by Jackson Pollack 😀) ...

57. Pop star Rita: ORA.  Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she was featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Right Now", which peaked atop the UK singles chart.  Here's her 2023 hit You & I ...

58. Statues, paintings, etc.: ART.

59. [Theme clue]

62. Mirror image?: YOU.  A selfie that doesn't require a cell phone?

63. Word from the Greek for "chasm": CHAOS.  Also a homophone for the BAD GUYS in the Get Smart series ...

64. Fashion designer Kate: SPADE.  Katherine Noel Valentine Brosnahan Spade (born Katherine Noel Brosnahan; December 24, 1962 – June 5, 2018) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She was the co-founder and co-owner of the designer brand Kate Spade New York.

Kate Spade

65. Total: SUM.

66. Valuable one: ASSET.

67. Aphrodite's consort: ARES.   Here's the dish on this famous couple -- the love story of Ares & Aphrodite: their romance, affairs, children.

Ares and Aphrodite

Down:
 
1. Overturned: UNDID.

2. Dance studio rail: BARRE.  

Barre

3. Dasani alternative: EVIAN.

4. Fire (up): REV.

5. Barbershop quartet part: BASS .  Here's an update on an old classic.  I think the BASS is the third from the left ...

6. Boot from power: OUST.

7. Praiseful poems: ODES.  An ODE in praise of the tongue.
.
8. Affirmative vote: YEA.

9. Moose feature: ANTLERS.  All about moose antlers ...

Moose with antlers

10. Upper-level clearance level: TOP SECRET.  Here's the process for obtaining a TOP SECRET clearance.  For your eyes only!

11. Cry from the recently roused: I'M UP.  Good!  Don't cry about it -- get to work!

12. Spurs (on): EGGS.  -- "to incite, urge, encourage, instigate," c. 1200, from Old Norse eggja "to goad on, incite," from egg "edge". 

14. Allow to peter out: LET DIE.  A good way to clear out the gas in a lawnmower at the end of the summer -- let it run until the engine dies.  

18. Caboose: REAR.  Slang -- here are some other synonyms for "caboose".

23. "__ not for me to say": IT'S.  An old standard by Robert Allen and Al Stillman made famous by Johnny Mathis ... 

25. Puts in: ADDS.

26. Title at the Louvre: MONA.  Today's Italian lesson -- MONA is a contraction of MA DONNA, "My Lady", and is the title for the woman depicted in the most famous painting in the world.

Mona Lisa
Leonard Da Vinci

28. Heroic accounts: EPICS.  The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia is one of the oldest.  Some scholars believe may have been the origin of the Old Testament story of Noah's Flood.

The Deluge tablet
inscribed in in Akkadian

29. McLaughlin of "Stranger Things": CALEB.  Stranger Things is an American television series set in the 1980s.  The series centers on the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, as they are plagued by a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, after a nearby human experimentation facility opens a gateway between Earth and the Upside Down. 

Caleb McLaughlin
aka Lucas Sinclair 

30. Take for a spin?: TWIRL.

31. "Whoops!": UH OH.

32. Tugs along: TOWS.

33. Ground-breaking invention: PLOW.  Also spelled PLOUGH. 

Farmer ploughing a field

34. Crowd eruption: ROAR.

35. Demand that rarely ends in compromise: ULTIMATUM.  "OR ELSE" was too short.

39. Pixar film set in Radiator Springs: CARS.  Here's the original 2006 trailer ... 

40. Hairy beasts: YAKS.  We hear from YAKS frequently in crossword puzzles.

42. Only Hitchcock film to win Best Picture: REBECCA.  Rebecca is a 1940 American romantic psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay was based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier.  The film stars Laurence Olivier as the brooding, aristocratic widower Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as the young, never-named woman who becomes his second wife.  Maxim's first wife Rebecca, who died before the events of the film, is never seen. Her reputation and recollections of her, however, are a constant presence in the lives of Maxim, his new wife and the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers.  Here is the original trailer ...

43. Current locations?: OCEANS.  FJORDS fit but didn't perp.

45. Young'un: TOT.

46. Prefix with -vore: OMNI.  CARNI and HERBI didn't fit.

49. Geothermal alternative: SOLAR.  Geothermal resources are reservoirs of hot water that exist or are human-made at varying temperatures and depths below the earth's surface and the heat can be converted for use as energy sources.  Investment in SOLAR arrays has many advantages, but also has some disadvantages.

50. Wear away: ERODE.

51. Learned ones: SAGES.

52. Utters: SAYS.

53. Pants, informally: TROU.  Short for TROUSERS.  Hand up if you've ever heard anybody use this IRL?

54. College figs.: GPAS.  DEANS were too long.

55. Great Plains people: OTOE.  At one time the Otoes and Missourias, along with the Winnebago and Iowa Tribes, were once part of a single tribe that lived in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. In the 16th century the tribes separated from each other and migrated west and south although they still lived near each other in the lower Missouri River Valley.  This article on the history of the Otoe-Missouria tribe will tell you why their name in the native language is a CSO to Husker Gary.
 

The Seven Tribes

56. Cond __: NAST.  Condé Nast is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and now owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.

60. Sounds heard at a 61-Down: AHS.

61. Massage locale: SPA.

Cheers,

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley