LA Times Crossword 24 Feb 24, Saturday

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Constructed by: Guilherme Gilioli
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 17m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

13 Particles in the Fermi theory of beta decay : ANTINEUTRINOS

In the world of particle physics, antimatter is made up of particles that have the same mass as particles of ordinary matter, but with the opposite charge and quantum spin. Mixing matter and antimatter causes the annihilation of both, with a release of energy equal to the mass of the particles according to Einstein’s equation E=mc².

15 Rent, pension, etc. : UNEARNED INCOME

A pension is a fund into which people make payments, usually during their working lives. In return, anyone who contributed receives periodic payments after retirement. In the US, Social Security is the most widely available pension.

17 “There’s no wrong way to eat a __”: candy tagline : REESE’S

Harry Burnett “HB” Reese founded Reese’s Candy Company in 1923. Prior to forming his own company, Reese had worked as a dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Milton S Hershey, the founder of the Hershey Company. In 1928, Reese invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which were destined to become the top-selling candy brand in the US.

20 Bandmate of Dizzy and Duff : AXL

Guns N’ Roses (GNR) is a hard rock band founded in 1985 that is still going strong. The group was pulled together by Axl Rose, the lead vocalist. The lead-guitar player back then was Tracii Guns, and it was the combination of Axl and Tracii’s “family” names that led to the band being called Guns N’ Roses.

Duff McKagan played bass guitar with the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses (GNR). Above and beyond his musical career, McKagan is a writer and a businessman. He writes regular columns for online publications like ESPN.com, Playboy.com and SeattleWeekly.com. He went back to school to study business and finance, and in 2011 he founded the wealth management company Meridian Rock, which focuses on helping musicians handle their money.

Keyboard player Dizzy Reed is best known as a member of the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses (GNR). He is the second-longest serving member of the band, after founder Axl Rose.

24 Comedian Radner : GILDA

Gilda Radner was a comedian and actress, and one of the original cast members of the hit television show “Saturday Night Live”. Radner left her first husband to marry comedic actor Gene Wilder, whom she met while they were both filming the Sidney Poitier movie “Hanky Panky”.

25 Nectar eaters : WASPS

The sugary liquid known as nectar is produced by plants to attract animals needed for the plant’s survival. The classic example is the nectar produced in flowers that attracts insects needed to facilitate pollination. Some plants produce nectar in leaves that attracts favorable insects that in turn prey on insects that can harm the plants.

30 Actress Jessica : ALBA

Actress Jessica Alba got her big break when she was cast in the Fox science fiction show “Dark Angel”. Alba had a tough life growing up as she spent a lot of time in hospital and so found it difficult to develop friendships. As a youngster she twice had a collapsed lung, frequently caught pneumonia, suffered from asthma, had a ruptured appendix and a tonsillar cyst. On top of all that, Alba acknowledges that she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child.

32 N-everlasting thing : FAD

Fads never last …

33 Ishikawa __: visual component of root-cause analysis : DIAGRAM

Kaoru Ishikawa was a professor in the engineering department of the University of Tokyo who was greatly involved in initiatives that established Japanese manufacturers as producers of quality goods. Here in the West, he is best known for introducing the fishbone diagram, which is more correctly referred to as the Ishikawa diagram. Such diagrams are useful tools in identifying potential factors causing a particular effect.

38 __ Souls College, Oxford : ALL

All Souls is one of the constituent colleges that make up the University of Oxford in England. The school was founded way back in 1438 by Henry Chichele, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. He established All Souls to commemorate those who had died in the series of conflicts now known as the Hundred Years’ War (fought between England and France). The official name of the school is “College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed”.

41 Vegan-friendly organic brand : AMY’S

Amy’s Kitchen is a company making organic and easy-to-prepare frozen food, all of which is vegetarian. The company was founded in 1987 by Andy and Rachel Berliner, and Amy is their daughter.

47 Forest moon where C-3PO was worshipped as a god : ENDOR

The fictional forested moon of Endor features prominently in the “Star Wars” movie “Return of the Jedi”. The moon is home to the race of furry aliens known as Ewoks. Filming for the forest scenes actually took place in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Northern California.

C-3PO (or “Threepio”) is the protocol droid that appears in the “Star Wars” movie franchise.

49 Walks, in stats : BBS

On a baseball scorecard, a walk is recorded as “BB”, which stands for “base on balls”.

57 “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles,” for one : MNEMONIC DEVICE

We can rattle off the order of the planets in our solar system (from the Sun outwards) using a mnemonic: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).

Down

1 “The Glass Menagerie” girl : LAURA

The Tennessee Williams play “The Glass Menagerie” is somewhat autobiographical. The main characters are Amanda Wingfield, a woman abandoned by her husband raising her two children. The children are Laura and Tom, with the latter character based on Williams himself. Laura is Tom’s mentally fragile elder sister. It is Laura who has a collection of animal figurines, “The Glass Menagerie”.

3 __ drum : STEEL

Steel drums (also “steelpans”) are musical instruments that originated in Trinidad and Tobago. They were an evolution of similar drums made using bamboo. That evolution started in the early 1940s, when the base material for the drums became 55-gallon oil drums.

4 Mulheres da família : TIAS

In Portuguese, some “mulheres da família” (family women) are “tias” (aunts).

6 2030 event : CENSUS

The taking of the nationwide census every ten years is a requirement specified in Article 1, Section 2 of the US Constitution. The first US census was taken in 1790. As stated in the Constitution, the main purposes of the census are to ensure fair representation by population, and fair assessment of direct taxes.

8 Weather-sensitive fig. : ETD

Estimated time of departure (ETD)

9 “Mindfreak” magician Angel : CRISS

Criss Angel is the stage name of Chris Sarantakos, an illusionist from New York. He has a big show in Las Vegas and also gets a lot of airtime on TV (including a TV show “MINDFREAK”).

10 Idiosyncrasy : KINK

The prefix “idio-” indicates something peculiar, as in “idiosyncrasy”, a peculiarity exhibited by an individual or a group.

12 The __ Brothers: “Listen to the Music” band : DOOBIE

The Doobie Brothers are a rock band from San Jose, California, and aren’t brothers at all. Apparently, the band took their name from their fondness for “doobies”, a slang term for marijuana cigarettes.

14 Shaver : SMALL FRY

Juvenile fish that have just grown to the point where they can feed themselves are known as “fry”. By the end of the 17th century, the phrase “small fry” was common, when referring to such fish. More recently, the phrase was applied figuratively to insignificant people, and then to little children.

“Shaver” is a slang term for a “fellow”, from the sense of “one who shaves”. Hence, a “little shaver” is a boy, a youngster.

23 Continuing ed course : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL)

27 Muñoz Ryan who wrote the Newbery Honor Book “Echo” : PAM

Pam Muñoz Ryan is a prolific author of books for children and young adults.

29 Legendary attendants of Charlemagne : PALADINS

The paladins were warrior attendants of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks. Also called the Twelve Peers, the paladins often feature in fictional tales of heroism about the period.

33 Doesn’t want the truth, say : DARES

The party game truth or dare has been around a long time. A variant from the early 1700s as attested as a “Christmas game”, under the name “questions and commands”.

36 Japanese title of respect : SAN

The Japanese honorific “-san” is added to the end of names as a title of respect, and can be translated as “Mr.” or “Ms.” The usage is wider than it is in English, though. Sometimes “-san” is added to the name of a company, for example.

40 2023 WNBA Finals MVP Wilson : A’JA

Professional basketball player A’ja Wilson was the first pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, after which she signed for the Las Vegas Aces. She won Olympic Gold at the 2020 Olympics, and captained the Aces in 2022 when the team won their first league championship title.

44 Pulitzer-winning McCullough presidential biography : TRUMAN

HIstorian David McCullough was an award-winning author. Two of his books won Pulitzers: “Truman” and “John Adams”. Both were adapted for the small screen. I thoroughly recommend the miniseries “John Adams” starring Paul Giamatti, and am anxious to see the TV movie “Truman” starring Gary Senise …

50 Bowling game : BOCCE

The Italian bowling game of bocce (often anglicized as “bocci” or “boccie”) is based on a game played in ancient Rome. “Bocce” is the plural of the Italian word “boccia” meaning “bowl”.

53 Seating level : LOGE

In most theaters and stadiums today, “loge” is the name given to the front rows of a mezzanine level. Loge can also be used for box seating.

55 Shape of a baklava, sometimes : NEST

Baklava is a very sweet and rich (and delicious) dessert pastry made from layers of filo dough filled with nuts and sweetened with honey or syrup. The name “baklava” comes from the Ottoman Turkish name for the pastry.

58 IDs of PCs : IPS

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to every device on a computer network. The device that you’re using to read this blog post on has been assigned a unique IP address, as has the computer that I’m using to make this post …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “If memory serves … ” : LAST I CHECKED …
13 Particles in the Fermi theory of beta decay : ANTINEUTRINOS
15 Rent, pension, etc. : UNEARNED INCOME
17 “There’s no wrong way to eat a __”: candy tagline : REESE’S
18 Madness, e.g. : SKA BAND
20 Bandmate of Dizzy and Duff : AXL
21 Functions : USES
24 Comedian Radner : GILDA
25 Nectar eaters : WASPS
27 Skinned : PEELED
28 Prep for a bout : SPAR
30 Actress Jessica : ALBA
32 N-everlasting thing : FAD
33 Ishikawa __: visual component of root-cause analysis : DIAGRAM
35 “Come again?” : I’M SORRY?
38 __ Souls College, Oxford : ALL
39 Shortly, shortly : ASAP
41 Vegan-friendly organic brand : AMY’S
42 Responds to 52-Across : REACTS
45 Durable garb : JEANS
47 Forest moon where C-3PO was worshipped as a god : ENDOR
48 Pub pals : LADS
49 Walks, in stats : BBS
52 Cues : STIMULI
54 Straight : IN A ROW
57 “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles,” for one : MNEMONIC DEVICE
60 Star quality : STAGE PRESENCE
61 Comfortable : ON EASY STREET

Down

1 “The Glass Menagerie” girl : LAURA
2 Add-on : ANNEX
3 __ drum : STEEL
4 Mulheres da família : TIAS
5 About : IN RE
6 2030 event : CENSUS
7 Peach or plum : HUE
8 Weather-sensitive fig. : ETD
9 “Mindfreak” magician Angel : CRISS
10 Idiosyncrasy : KINK
11 Put behind bars : ENCAGE
12 The __ Brothers: “Listen to the Music” band : DOOBIE
14 Shaver : SMALL FRY
16 Creates a soft spot? : ENDEARS
19 Pops : DADDY
22 Abuses an email list, say : SPAMS
23 Continuing ed course : ESL
25 Go to and fro : WAG
26 Flight board abbr. : ARR
27 Muñoz Ryan who wrote the Newbery Honor Book “Echo” : PAM
28 Part of 57-Across : SILENT M
29 Legendary attendants of Charlemagne : PALADINS
31 Yeti, e.g. : BIPED
33 Doesn’t want the truth, say : DARES
34 Juice sources? : AAS
36 Japanese title of respect : SAN
37 Chanting sounds : OMS
40 2023 WNBA Finals MVP Wilson : A’JA
43 Arrive at : COME TO
44 Pulitzer-winning McCullough presidential biography : TRUMAN
46 Muttered remarks : ASIDES
48 Form opener : LINE-A
49 Preservative : BRINE
50 Bowling game : BOCCE
51 “Cool!” : SWEET!
53 Seating level : LOGE
55 Shape of a baklava, sometimes : NEST
56 Profess : AVER
58 IDs of PCs : IPS
59 Let it out, in a way : CRY

21 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 24 Feb 24, Saturday”

  1. “Line A” for the clue “form opener” is a first for me. I guess I need to do more crosswords.
    Doesn’t “lad” mean specifically a young boy? Would young boys be “pub pals?” I feel like I’m missing something there.
    What is the purpose of the hyphen in “N-everlasting” here? I get that a fad never lasts, and is therefore never lasting.

    1. “What is the purpose of the hyphen in “N-everlasting” here? I get that a fad never lasts, and is therefore never lasting.”

      I asked this question on a different crossword blog and the answer was:
      “I think it’s meant to be a pun, ‘neverlasting’.”

      Honestly this still doesn’t make sense to me. OED has “never-lasting” as an adjective. Why not just use that as a clue? I don’t think the pun works and it stumped me – I had to get the answer from crosses.

  2. Big fat DNF.

    had a couple of lookups.

    Started off in the middle hoping to gain some foothold. Got the middle and then ….. stuck.

    Like someone in this blog always says, “the answers look easy after you’re done!”

    I’m really mad I didn’t pick up that mnemonic for the planets. That would have been a big help.

    I’m blaming it on too much guiness last night and I’m dehydrated… yeah that’s it!

  3. I NEVER thought the “m” in mnemonic was silent. I always pronounce it…
    Anyway, two of us working together took an hour and 20 minutes. The only word check was for wont, which we had for idiosyncracy. I liked it better than kink.

  4. It took me about 30-40 minutes off and on. I though it was a bit ridiculous hard at first and almost threw in the towel, but I persisted and finished with no errors or look-ups. Well, I had a few corrections (I solve on paper using ink) like 52A I had “prompts” instead of stimuli, since 43D “cometo” the m was working. The Northwest was the last to fall. Kind of heavy on the proper names, but the long strings top and bottom were rewarding when figured out.

  5. DNF again…when I couldn’t even come close on the first 3 across clues the handwriting was on the wall…are crosswords supposed to be fun or are they ego contests? Either way I lose👎👎
    Stay safe😀

  6. 43:49 – no errors or lookups. False starts: DRE>AXL (had to start with something), ASSISTS>STIMULI, TIER>LOGE, AVOW>AVER.

    New or forgotten: “Madness” BAND, “Dizzy and Duff,” “N-everlasting,” AMYS,
    CRISS Angel, PAM Munoz Ryan, “Echo” book, NEST shape for baklava (yes to rectangles, triangles, and squares, but don’t recall seeing a nest shape).

    Was able to fill in DIAGRAM, but had forgotten that Ishikawa’s was a fishbone construction. I decided that 57A was a mnemonic (didn’t recognize for what), but first had to get past TIER in 53D. Clever intersection with 28D and 57A.

    I was going to gripe about the “-” in 2D “Add-on” because to annex is to “add on” (no hyphen); however, there is also the noun form, so an annex is an add-on.

    Had to figure out which meaning to consider on several clues: madness, star, cues, peach and plum, shaver, pops, form. A “form opener” could be something like [uni]form or [cunei]form bit those didn’t “fit.”

    In general, I sort of dreaded seeing so many white squares (typical for Saturdays these days), but “dove in” anyway. Initially got a few fills in the upper-middle and SE sections and worked out from those. Getting some partial fills (e.g., ___INCOME, ___BAND, ___DEVICE, ___NEUTRINOS) also helped complete things.

  7. Since when is a pension unearned? You have to work to get one. Too much obscurity today for any enjoyment.

  8. One second longer to complete this grid than Bill, and no errors, but needed Check Grid help to point to the ONE square I didn’t have right.

    This puzzle was pretty tough, but a fair challenge for a Saturday. A few more names than I’d like to see, but otherwise a good test. And, anyone who can work Madness into a grid (as well as Guns ‘N Roses in the same puzzle) is OK by me!!!

  9. 23 mins and 58 secs. No lookups. Did not enjoy that puzzle. Terrible and somewhat inane clues. Never heard of “Madness” ska band. I don’t consider a pension an unearned income because you have to earn money being employed before getting one.

  10. A couple of you seem to be upset that a pension is considered “unearned income”. Take your complaint to the IRS; it’s not the fault of this constructor.

  11. Tough but finally very fun and doable Saturday; took 49:03 with 1 dumb error. Sigh, I apparently don’t know how to spell mNEMONIC DEVICE.

    Got DOOBIE (local band): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCpI645baoU and immediately noticed Madness as one of my favorite SKA BANDs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwIe_sjKeAY Then, made some headway in the middle and a few strands in each quadrant. Slowly brought it all together and finished in the NW, where I had some difficulties – switched out snare for STEEL, on or for INRE and guessed on TIAS and LAURA to then get AXL to finish.

    Very fun, since I was able to finish, even with the dumb error 🙂

  12. Tough puzzle. Had to do 3 lookups (I obviously don’t speak Portuguese, and as I’ve said before here, I don’t think obscure foreign language words belong in an American crossword puzzle). Finished, but it took longer than others here. Not my best effort.

  13. 5D should have indicated it was asking for an abbreviation.
    1A clue and answer don’t match. ‘If I remember correctly’ is not the same thing as ‘This is how it was the last time I verified it’. One is indicating a possible issue with memory, the second a potential issue with something having changed since the last check.
    32A the hyphen makes no sense.
    14D clue should have been ‘little shaver’, not just ‘shaver’.
    4D I guess in addition to Spanish and French, we need to know Portuguese as well now.
    8D clue should be ‘possibly weather sensitive figure’.
    33D clue is wrong. The person who dares the other in the game doesn’t choose the truth or dare. The person who wants to tell the truth (or not) chooses.

    They need to just drop it with the WNBA clues. Nobody is going to start watching the WNBA to be able to solve crosswords.

    What a mess…

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