LA Times Crossword 6 Apr 24, Saturday

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Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 14m 40s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Squad whose Double-A affiliate is the Rumble Ponies : METS

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies baseball team is an AA-affiliate of the New YorkMets. The Binghamton franchise started out life in 1976 as the Williamsport Bills in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and eventually ended up in Binghamton in 1992 as the Binghamton Mets. The team name was changed to the Rumble Ponies after a name-the-team contest in 2016. “Rumble Ponies” is a reference to ponies on a carousel. Binghamton is nicknamed “The Carousel Capital of the World”.

14 Rink leap : AXEL

An axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. The maneuver was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

16 Shoyu dish : RAMEN

Shoyu ramen is a noodle soup with a clear brown broth. “Shoyu” is Japanese for “soy sauce”.

25 Seattle hrs. : PST

The Washington city of Seattle was founded on a site that had been occupied by Native Americans for over 4,000 years before the first Europeans arrived in the area. The name “Seattle” was chosen in honor of the Suquamish and Duwamish Chief Seattle, who had a reputation for welcoming white settlers.

26 Political network : C-SPAN

C-SPAN is a privately-funded, nonprofit cable channel that broadcasts continuous coverage of government proceedings.

27 Media company that claims to be the largest producer of Spanish-language content : TELEVISA

Televisa is a mass media company headquartered in Mexico City. It was founded in 1955 as Telesistema Mexicano. The company adopted the Televisa name in 1973, with “Televisa” being an acronym standing for “Televisión Via Satélite”.

33 Chorizo, por ejemplo : CARNE

Chorizo is a type of pork sausage that is made with different recipes around the world. The term “chorizo” originated in the Iberian Peninsula.

39 Ingredient in some exfoliators : ACID

In the world of botany, to exfoliate means to lose leaves. The term “exfoliate” comes from the Latin “ex” (off) and “folium” (leaf). In the world of cosmetology, to exfoliate is to remove dead cells from the surface of the skin.

48 Pastry choice : ECLAIR

The name for the pastry known as an “éclair” is clearly French in origin. The French word for lightning is “éclair”, but no one seems to be too sure how it came to be used for the rather delicious bakery item.

52 Fisher of “Shameless” : NOEL

Canadian actor Noel Fisher’s big break came with playing the gay thug named Mickey Milkovich on the excellent TV show “Shameless”.

53 TripTik org. : AAA

“TripTik” is the brand name for customized travel maps provided by AAA for its members.

58 Poet on some 36-Across coins : DANTE
[36A Italian bread : EURO]

Dante Alighieri, the Italian poet famous for writing his “Divine Comedy”, is known in his native Italy as “the Supreme Poet” (il Sommo Poeta), or simply “il Poeta”.

60 Treat for one’s dogs? : PEDI

Apparently, the phrase “my dogs are barking” meaning “my feet are hurting” originated in America in the 1920s. From there evolved the use of the term “dogs” for “feet”.

Down

1 Atole ingredient : MASA

Atole is a hot drink of Mexican origin that is based on masa, a maize dough. Common flavorings include vanilla, cinnamon, guava and chocolate.

2 Trattoria request : EXTRA SAUCE

A trattoria is an Italian restaurant. In Italian, a “trattore” is the keeper of said eating house.

5 Not permanent : AD HOC

The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”. An ad hoc committee, for example, is formed for a specific purpose and disbanded after making its final report.

7 Infinitive of suis, sommes, etc. : ETRE

The French for “to be” is “être”.

9 “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” novelist : BRONTE

Anne was the youngest of the three sisters in the literary Brontë family. Her older sisters wrote novels that are more recognized, but Anne’s two novels do have a following. “Agnes Grey” is based on her own experiences working as a governess. Her other novel, “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” is written as a long letter from a young man describing the events leading up to his first meeting with his wife-to-be. Anne Brontë’s writing career was cut short in 1849, when she died of pulmonary tuberculosis, at only 29 years of age.

11 Vellani of “The Marvels” : IMAN

Iman Vellani is a Pakistani-born Canadian actress who is best known for playing the title character (aka Kamala Khan) in the superhero miniseries “Ms. Marvel”.

“The Marvels” is a 2023 superhero film, and a sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel”. Brie Larson reprises the role of Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. Unusually for superhero movies, this one didn’t do too well at the box office and actually lost money after its run in theaters.

12 Successor to Claudius : NERO

Nero was Emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 CE, and towards the end of his reign participated in the Olympic Games in the year 67. The Roman leader raced in a ten-horse chariot, of which he lost control and nearly perished after being thrown from the vehicle. Acting and singing were Olympic events back then, and Nero also took part in those competitions. By all accounts, Nero performed badly in every event in which he vied, and yet somehow still managed to win Olympic crowns that he paraded around Rome on his return from Greece. Just before he died, Nero reportedly declared, “What an artist the world is losing in me!”

I find Claudius to be the most fascinating of all the Roman Emperors. He had a lot going against him, as he walked with a limp and was slightly deaf. Claudius was put in office by the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s bodyguards) after Caligula was assassinated. Claudius had very little political experience and yet proved to be very forward-thinking and capable.

25 Rasta pasta pasta : PENNE

Rasta pasta is a dish that melds traditional Italian cuisine with Jamaican overtones. The most common ingredients are penne pasta, heavy cream, jerk seasoning and bell peppers.

28 Trio in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 : VIOLAS

The six, beautiful Brandenburg Concertos were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and presented to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721.

30 One who may face an up-Hill climb : SENATE AIDE

The designer of Washington D.C., Pierre L’Enfant, chose the crest of a hill as the site for the future Congress House. He called the location “Jenkins Hill” and “Jenkins Heights”. Earlier records show the name as “New Troy”. Today, we call it “Capitol Hill”.

43 Birds that often nest with spoonbills : IBISES

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

The spoonbill is a wading bird with a distinctively-shaped bill. That bill is flat and wide at the end, like a spoon, that facilitates feeding while wading in shallow water.

44 “Holy __!” : MOLY

The mild expletive “Holy moly!” is a euphemism for “Holy Moses!”

49 Masala __ : CHAI

Masala chai is an Indian drink made with black tea (the “chai) and mixed spices (the “masala”, a mixture known as “khara”).

50 “Constant Craving” singer : LANG

“Constant Craving” is a 1992 song co-written and recorded by Canadian singer k.d. Lang. The accompanying music video features lang singing backstage at a pretty surreal production of Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot”.

54 Continent with nine island nations : ASIA

Asia has nine island countries:

1. The Philippines
2. Sri Lanka
3. The Maldives
4. Japan
5. Singapore
6. Indonesia
7. East Timor
8. Taiwan
9. Brunei Darussalam

56 “True Detective” network : HBO

“True Detective” is a crime drama made by HBO that has an interesting format. Each series has its own narrative and cast. The show seems to be attracting some great actors. The first season was led by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and the second by Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams.

57 Dogfish Head’s Notorious H.O.P., for one : IPA

Dogfish Head is a brewery in Milton, Delaware that set up shop in 1995. The brewery is named for Dogfish Head in Maine, where the founder spent summers as a child.