L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday March 8, 2023 Beth Rubin and Will Nediger

Theme:  Spilled Milk.  Let's see how it works.  Different types of "milks" are spelled out in a diagonal array of letters, slanting down from left to right. They are RICE, from the R of 1A, OAT from the O of 9A,  ALMOND, from the A at the 24A-25D cross,  COCONUT from the C of 27A, and SOY from the S of 55A. Hope I didn't miss any.  If you didn't have the circles in your grid, this theme would be impossibly opaque - or, at least, turbid.  I can't imagine how Beth and Will put this together.

Hi, Gang.  JzB here to be milkman for the day.   Given the unusual nature of the theme, I posted the graphic here instead of at the bottom of the post.

I intend to MILK this puzzle for all it's worth.  Grab your buckets and let's see what we can squeeze out.

Across:

1. Roughly: OR SO.  An approximation, not a coarse surface or action.

5. Skin blemish: WART.   A small, usually painless growth on the skin. Most of the time, they are harmless. They are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus 

9. Poetic contraction: O'ER.  Over.

12. Inheritance recipients: HEIRS.  Person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

14. Slurpee-like drinks: ICEES.   A frozen carbonated beverage available in fruit and soda flavors. 

16. Astronaut Jemison: MAE.  Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. Jemison joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1987 and was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, during which the Endeavour orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12–20, 1992.

17. Parade with strict precision: MARCH IN STEP.  Left-right-left, etc.

19. Body shop fig.: EST.   Estimate of expected cost for the repair.

20. __ Lanka: SRI.    Formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the south-west and India in the north-west.

21. Conclusion: END.  Termination.

22. One providing misguided support: ENABLER.  A person who encourages or enables negative or self-destructive behavior in another.

24. Milan opera house: LA SCALA.    Abbreviation in Italian of the official name Teatro alla Scala is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta.

26. Pull up stakes for one's co.: RE-LO.   Move to another city. Relocate.

27. Hint: CLUE.   Crosswords are full of them.

30. Starbucks size: TALL.   The 4 are Short, TALL, grande and venti.

31. Gains a lap: SITS.   You lose it when you stand up;

32. "Stay right there!": DON'T MOVE.  

34. Fuel economy meas.: MPG.   Miles per gallon.

35. Tropical storm: CYCLONE.   A rapid rotating storm originating over tropical oceans from where it draws the energy to develop. It has a low pressure centre and clouds spiraling towards the eyewall surrounding the "eye", the central part of the system where the weather is normally calm and free of clouds.

36. More inclusive: BROADER.

40. See red?: OWE.   To be in debt.  A bit of a stretch,  but OK. 

41. Sorting factor in some directories: LAST NAME.  Family name, then given name.

42. Blessing: BOON.   A favor.

44. British noble: EARL.   A British nobleman ranking above a viscount and below a marquess.  Know your place.

45. "Saving Private Ryan" event: D-DAY.   On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops.

46. Medical pros: DOCS.  Doctors, Physicians.

47. Opens, as a gift: UNWRAPS.  Tears off the paper.

49. Sound bite, e.g.: EXCERPT.   A short extract from a film, broadcast, or piece of music or writing.

51. Sked info: ETA.   A schedule might include an Estimated Time of Arrival.

52. April 15 payment: TAX.   A compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, 

55. Original Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.   Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a Scottish painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist of the English rock band the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a painter, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art. Sutcliffe and John Lennon are credited with inventing the name "Beatles" 

56. Metaphor for something that can't be changed, and what's found five times in this puzzle?: SPILLED MILK.  Don't cry over it.

59. Keystone figure: KOP.    Fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917.

60. Lofty nest: AERIE.   A large nest of a bird of prey, especially an eagle, typically built high in a tree or on a cliff.

61. Shrub that may be toxic: SUMAC.   A shrub or small tree of the cashew family, with compound leaves, fruits in conical clusters, and bright autumn colors.

62. Informer, maybe: SPY.   A person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor.

63. Saxophone insert: REED.     A thin piece of flat material that is held to the instrument's mouthpiece by a ligature. The reed vibrates when a musician blows air between it and the mouthpiece, producing a certain tone.

64. Repair: MEND.  Fix

Down:

1. Electrical units: OHMS.   The SI unit of electrical resistance, expressing the resistance in a circuit transmitting a current of one ampere when subjected to a potential difference of one volt.

2. Caboose: REAR.   A railroad car with accommodations for the train crew, typically attached to the end of the train.   By analogy,  a person's back side. 

3. Virtual assistant on Apple devices: SIRI.  Apple's virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence 

4. Goblinlike fantasy creature: ORC.   (In fantasy literature and games) a member of an imaginary race of humanlike creatures, characterized as ugly, warlike, and malevolent.   The concert originated by J.R.R.Tolkein in his Lord of the Rings novels.

5. South Dakota national park known for its air currents: WIND CAVE.    Wind Cave National Park is an American national park located 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established on January 3, 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the sixth national park in the U.S. and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its calcite formations known as box work, as well as its frostwork.

6. Rm. coolers: ACS.   Air Conditioners.

7. Share again, as a joke: RETELL.  

8. "Ooo La La La" singer __ Marie: TEENA.  Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the stage name Teena Marie and later acquired the nickname Lady T, given to her by her collaborator and friend, Rick James.

9. Brunch dish: OMELET.   A dish of beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan until firm, often with a filling added while cooking, and usually served folded over.

10. Stands in a studio: EASELS.   A self-supporting wooden frame for holding an artist's work while it is being painted or drawn.

11. Nostalgia-inducing: RETRO.  Imitative of a style, fashion, or design from the recent past.

13. "__ Butter Baby": Ari Lennox/J. Cole song: SHEA.  

15. Hydrotherapy spot: SPA.   A mineral spring considered to have health-giving properties.

18. Not negotiable: IN STONE.   Used to emphasize that something is fixed and unchangeable.

23. Bandits: BRIGANDS.    A gang that ambushes and robs people in forests and mountains.

24. Live it up: LET LOOSE.   Spend one's time in an extremely enjoyable way, typically by spending a great deal of money or engaging in an exciting social life.

25. Pub choice: ALE.  A type of beer with a bitter flavor and higher alcoholic content.

27. Public health agcy.: CDC.   Center for Disease Control.   A U.S. federal government agency whose mission is to protect public health by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. 

28. Poet Mina or actress Myrna: LOY.  Mina Loy [1882-1966] poet and painter, was a charter member of the generation that—beginning in 1912 with the founding of Poetry magazine—launched the modernist revolution in poetry in the United States. Loy was too radical for Poetry's editor Harriet Monroe, who published her poetry only in a review article, but the generation's more innovative members admired her defiant honesty of subject and applauded the new directions she advanced for poetry.

Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; 1905 – 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. As a performer, she was known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner's acting style.

29. Chapel Hill sch.: UNC.  University of North Carolina.  

31. Ad: SPOT.  The 30-, 40- or 60-second ads that appear in a television or radio commercial schedule,

33. Like freshly cut lawns: MOWN.  

34. Fred Flintstone's boss: MR. SLATE.    Fred's boss at the Bedrock Quarrel and Gravel Company (later known as Slate Rock and Gravel Company) and a fictional character of the original series, The Flintstones and the rest of the franchise, 

36. Raced (along): BARRELED.   Moved very quickly, perhaps in a turbulent or uncontrolled manner. 

37. Family man: DAD.  A father.

38. Horvath of "The Rings of Power": EMA.   Ema Horvath (b.1994) is an American actress. She has appeared in the films Like.Share.Follow. (2017), The Gallows Act II and The Mortuary Collection (both 2019), and What Lies Below (2020). Since 2022, she has played Eärien, the sister of Isildur, in the Amazon Prime fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

39. Marina del __, California: REY.    (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The port is North America's largest man-made small-craft harbor and is home to approximately 5,000 boats. 

41. Bar code?: LAW.   Clever clue. The bar is the legal profession as an institution. The term is a metonym for the line (or "bar") that separates the parts of a courtroom reserved for spectators and those reserved for participants in a trial such as lawyers.  Code is a body of law.

42. Cereal eater's proof of purchase: BOX TOP.   A boxtop, in the context of being a proof of purchase, is understood to be the upper portion of a product box, detached, and mailed as part of a claim for a radio premium or other advertising offer. During the 1930s through 1960s, cereal boxtops were usually the most common proofs of purchase used to claim such premiums.

43. Keep busy: OCCUPY.   Fill one's time, hopefully with something useful.

44. Unabridged: ENTIRE.   Not cut or shortened.

46. Secretaries, e.g.: DESKS.   A writing desk with a top section for books

47. __ Peninsula: Michigan home of Yoopers: UPPER.  AKA, the U.P. - hence the phonetic designation Yoopers.  Those of us who live in the L.P. - below the Macinac [pronounced Mackinaw - don't ask me why] Bridge are known as trolls.

48. Cushions: PADS.   A pillow or similar item stuffed with a mass of soft material, used as a comfortable support for sitting or leaning on.

50. Pretoria's land: Abbr.: RSA.  Republic of South Africa.  Read abut it here.

52. Umpire's cry: TIME.  Indicating a time out - a halt in the play. This allows the coaches of either team to communicate with the team, e.g., to determine strategy or inspire morale, as well as to stop the game clock.

53. Mathematician Turing: ALAN.   Alan Mathison Turing OBE FRS (1912 – 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general-purpose computer. He is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.

54. Randall Munroe's webcomic of "romance, sarcasm, math, and language": XKCD.   Well - this is an unlikely letter grouping to appear  in anX-word, so kudos for making it work.  Munroe states on the comic's website that the name of the comic is not an initialism but "just a word with no phonetic pronunciation".The subject matter of the comic varies from statements on life and love to mathematical, programming, and scientific in-jokes. Some strips feature simple humor or pop-culture references. It has a cast of stick figures,[3][4] and the comic occasionally features landscapes, graphs, charts, and intricate mathematical patterns such as fractals.   You can read it here.

57. Two truths and a __: icebreaker game: LIE.   To play, everyone sits or stands in a circle. One by one, each person in the circle says three statements about him/herself. Two of these statements must be facts, or "truths," and one must be a lie. The other members then try to guess which statement is the lie.

58. Autumn flower, for short: MUM.   Chrysanthemums.  They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center of diversity is in China. Countless horticultural varieties and cultivars exist.

A picture I took in October, 2014

That's all we have.  Hope you found this puzzle to be tasty and nutritious, regardless of your lactose tolerance.

Cool regards!

JzB