LA Times Crossword 25 May 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: 9m 24s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Goddess symbolized by the peacock : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

9 Folks who are totes inseparable : BFFS

Best friend forever (BFF)

13 Ropeless climbs : FREE SOLOS

When free solo climbing, a climber ascends the rock face without the use of protective equipment such as ropes or harnesses. If you’d like to spend a couple of terrifying hours in the comfort of your family room, I recommend viewing the 2018 Oscar-winning documentary film “Free Solo”.

18 “The Secret Life of Bees” novelist : KIDD

Sue Monk Kidd’s first novel is probably her most famous, namely “The Secret Life of Bees”, published in 2002. Said novel was adapted into a 2008 movie of the same name starring Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning. Kidd also wrote a 2020 novel titled “The Book of Longings” that tells the story of a woman who marries Jesus Christ.

19 Nonsense : BLATHER

Our term “blather” meaning “nonsensical talk” probably came to us via Scottish, and ultimately perhaps from an Old Norse word for “mutter”.

21 Times Square abundance : ADS

Times Square in New York City isn’t a square at all, but rather a triangle. When the New York Times newspaper opened new headquarters in the area in 1904, the city agreed to the name “Times Square”, changing it from Longacre Square.

33 Ortiz of “Love, Victor” : ANA

The breakthrough role for actress Ana Ortiz was playing the title character’s older sister in the TV series “Ugly Betty”.

“Love, Victor” is a teen comedy drama TV series that serves as a sequel to the 2018 film “Love, Simon”. The movie is based on the 2015 novel by Becky Albertalli, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda”. The title character in the movie, Simon, is a closeted gay teenage boy being blackmailed at high school. The title character in the TV show, Victor, attends the same high school and suffers under pressures similar to those experienced by Simon. Michael Cimino plays Victor in the show, and Nick Robinson plays Simon in the show and the film.

36 Ferret kin : MINK

There are two species of mink extant: the European Mink and the American Mink. There used to be a Sea Mink which was much larger than its two cousins, but it was hunted to extinction (for its fur) in the late 1800s. American Minks are farmed over in Europe for fur, and animal rights activists have released many of these animals into the wild when raiding mink farms. As a result the European Mink population has declined due to the presence of its larger and more adaptable American cousin.

38 “The Marvels” actor Park __-joon : SEO

“Park Seo-joon” is the stage name of South Korean actor Park Yong-kyu. His first role in a Hollywood movie was playing Prince Yan in the 2023 superhero film “The Marvels”.

“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.

39 “Allow Me to Retort” writer Mystal : ELIE

Elie Mystal is an attorney, author and political commentator. He penned “Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution”, a 2022 book that made it onto The New York Times Best Seller list.

40 Alabama’s state nut : PECAN

The pecan is the state nut of Alabama, Arkansas and California. Also, the pecan is the state tree of Texas.

43 Post in a studio : MALONE

“Post Malone” is the stage name of rap artist and singer Austin Post from Syracuse, New York. His stage name is simply his family name followed by the word “Malone” that he unearthed using a “rap name generator”.

45 Inspiring device : SNORKEL

Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an air-shaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

52 Pained cry : UNCLE!

To say uncle is to submit or yield. This peculiarly American use of “uncle” dates back to the early 1900s, but nobody seems to know how “uncle!” came to mean “stop!”

58 “To Kill a Mockingbird” narrator : SCOUT

Atticus Finch is the protagonist in Harper Lee’s great novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Atticus is the father of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, the narrator of the piece, and of Scout’s older brother Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch.

59 PEBKAC issue : USER ERROR

Tech support folks encounter user errors all the time, errors attributed to the ignorance of the user rather than to a failure of software or hardware. Techs like to use some humor to describe label user errors, including:

• PEBKAC (problem exists between keyboard and chair
• PICNIC (problem in chair not in computer)
• ID-10-T (idiot!)

60 Gas company known for its toy trucks : HESS

Hess Corporation is an oil company based in New York City. In 1964, the company started selling toy trucks with the Hess logo on them, in Hess gas stations. The company has been selling them ever since, bringing out new models just before Christmas. Hess toy trucks have become quite collectible and the old ones can fetch a pretty penny.

Down

1 Commanders’ org. : NFL

The Washington Commanders NFL team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves. The name was changed to the Boston Redskins in 1933, which was followed by a move to Washington, DC in 1937. The racially insensitive name persisted for decades, until “Redskins” was dropped in 2020. The “Washington Football Team” played for the following two seasons, becoming the Commanders in 2022.

2 Word in Montana’s motto : ORO

“Oro y Plata” means “gold and silver”, and is the state motto of Montana. The motto was written in Spanish, apparently because “it had a nice ring to it”.

3 From overseas? : DES

The word “some” (and “from?) translates into French as either “du” with masculine nouns or “de la” with feminine nouns. That said, both masculine and feminine nouns in the plural use “des”. Further, both masculine and feminine nouns that start with a vowel use “de l’”.

7 Skin care brand started in Paris in 1957 : ROC

RoC is a manufacturer of skincare products that was founded by a Parisian pharmacist in 1957.

11 Treat similar to tostones : FRIED BANANA

Tostones are a dish found in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine. They are prepared using slices of plantain that are fried, patted free of excess oil, pounded flat, and then fried again.

32 Food source for grizzly bears : SALMON RUN

“Salmon run” is the name given to the “run” that salmon make annually from the ocean, upstream to spawn in freshwater. Even though the mature salmon have wandered huge distances throughout the ocean, they return to the very same spawning ground where they themselves were hatched. Remarkable …

The North American brown bear is usually referred to as the grizzly bear. The name “grizzly” was given to the bear by Lewis and Clark. The term “grizzly” might mean “with gray-tipped hair”, or “fear-inspiring”. Both definitions seem to be apt …

37 Taylor Swift’s “I __ You Were Trouble” : KNEW

“I Knew You Were Trouble” is a 2012 song co-written and recorded by Taylor Swift. In the lyrics, Swift is blaming herself for a bad relationship that just ended.

40 Residence that’s fit for a queen : PALACE

Our word “palace” ultimately comes from the name of Rome’s Palatine Hill, “Mons Palatinus” in Latin. The original “palace” was the house of Augustus Caesar, which stood on the Palatine Hill.

46 Carpenter with pipes : KAREN

Karen Carpenter was an accomplished drummer, although she only started playing drums in high school, as a member of the school band. After she graduated she started playing jazz with her brother, Richard, and a college friend. Later, she and Richard played with a group called Spectrum, and submitted many demo tapes to recording companies, but all were unsuccessful. Finally, Karen and Richard got a recording contract with A&M Records, and when they had Karen take the lead on their songs, they hit the big time and toured as the Carpenters. Sadly, Karen passed away at only 32-years-old, dying from heart failure brought on by anorexia.

“Pipes” is a slang term describing a singing voice.

51 Quarters near a quad : DORM

A university often features a central quadrangle (quad).

54 Sparky the Sun Devil’s sch. : ASU

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

56 Adèle ou Céline : NOM

In French, one might look up a “nom” (name) in “un annuaire” (a directory).

In French, accents over the letter E can be acute (é, “accent aigu”) or grave (è, “accent grave”).

57 Cheap tix option : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)