LA Times Crossword 6 Jul 24, Saturday

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Constructed by: Carolyn Davies Lynch
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 9m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Warby Parker array : FRAMES

Warby Parker is a seller of glasses and contact lenses that was founded in 2010 as an online retailer. The founders were Wharton School students Jeffrey Raider, Andrew Hunt, Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa. The first letters of each of their given names were used for the company’s official corporate name: JAND Inc. The name “Warby Parker” comes from two characters mentioned in one of Jack Kerouac’s journals: Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker.

13 Wine gadget : AERATOR

A wine aerator is usually a device inserted into the top of a bottle. As the wine pours out, through the aerator, it mixes air with the wine. This process is an alternative to opening a bottle and letting it breathe. Aerating wine, especially young reds, is said to give it a smoother taste by softening tannins.

16 Like many Basquiat works : UNTITLED

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an artist active in the 1980s, participating in the neo-expressionism movement. Sadly, he passed away at a very young age, in 1988 from a heroin overdose. His 1982 depiction of a skull, labeled “Untitled”, sold for over $110 million dollars in 2017. At the time, that was the highest price paid at auction for a work by an American artist.

18 Swahili for “trouble” : MATATA

“Hakuna matata” is a Swahili phrase, with a literal translation of “there are no worries”, or more colloquially perhaps, “no problem”. The phrase is used as the title for a hit song from the musical “The Lion King”.

19 Baby gear that allows safe snuggling : CO-SLEEPER

A co-sleeper is a bassinet with a drop-down side that can be positioned next to an adult bed. The term “co-sleeper” is perhaps a little misleading, as it suggests an adult and baby sleeping in the same bed. That’s not recommended.

21 Booking.com option : MOTEL

Booking.com is an online travel agency that was founded in 1996 by a student at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Today, the company is headquartered in Amsterdam.

22 Some farm ruminants : EWES

Ruminants are animals that “chew the cud”. They eat vegetable matter but cannot extract any nutritional value from cellulose without the help of microbes in the gut. Ruminants collect roughage in the first part of the alimentary canal, allowing microbes to work on it. The partially digested material (the cud) is regurgitated into the mouth so that the ruminant can chew the food more completely, exposing more surface area for microbes to do their work. We also use the verb “to ruminate” in a figurative sense, to mean “to muse, ponder, chew over”.

25 “In order to be, never try to __”: Camus : SEEM

Albert Camus was a French author, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. Sadly, Camus died in a car accident just two years after he received the prize, at only 46 years of age.

26 Bang-up stuff : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. It was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

27 Product with a leprechaun mascot : LUCKY CHARMS

Lucky Charms is a General Mills breakfast cereal that first hit the shelves in 1964. The initial idea was to produce a cereal that brought to mind charms on a charm bracelet. The cereal’s mascot is a leprechaun whose original name was L. C. Leprechaun, then Sir Charms, and finally Lucky the Leprechaun.

A leprechaun is a mischievous fairy of Irish folklore. Traditionally, they spend their days making shoes and hide all their money in a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Our word “leprechaun” comes from the Irish name for such a sprite, i.e. “leipreachán”.

33 Figure on Sweden’s 100-krona note : GARBO

Swedish krona banknotes include the images of some famous Swedes, including Astrid Lindgren (and Pippi Longstocking), Greta Garbo, Ingmar Bergman and Dag Hammarskjöld.

35 Refuse to help in the garden? : COMPOST PILE

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter to make the soil conditioner known as “compost”. The term “compost” ultimately comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “ponere” (to place). Compost is best made by “putting together” green waste that is rich in nitrogen, with brown waste that is rich in carbon, all in the presence of water and air.

40 Make sound : HEAL

Someone or something described as sound is free from injury, or free from defect. The term “sound” comes from the Old English “gesund”, which has the same meaning. “Gesund” has the same root as the German “gesundheit” meaning “health”, an interjection used after someone sneezes.

41 Water choice : EVIAN

Évian-les-Bains (or simply “Évian”) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …

42 “Wipeout” host John : CENA

John Cena is a professional wrestler turned rapper and actor. Although wrestling, rapping and “Cena-style” movies wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I have to admire Cena’s philanthropic record. He holds the title for the most wishes granted by a single individual for the Make-A-Wish Foundation that benefits children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“Wipeout” is a game show featuring contestants working through an obstacle course. The 2021 version of the show is a reboot of an earlier “Wipeout” series that aired from 2008 to 2014.

Down

1 Moen product : FAUCET

The common “faucet” in an American house is almost always referred to as a “tap” on the other side of the pond.

The Moen line of faucets was started in 1956 by inventor Alfred M. Moen. It was Moen who invented the first single-handed mixing faucet.

6 Raison d’être : SOLE PURPOSE

“Raison d’être” is a French phrase meaning “reason for existence”.

7 Old film channel : TCM

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels as it delivers just what its name promises, i.e. classic movies.

20 “Video Games” singer Lana Del __ : REY

“Video Games” is a 2011 song recorded by Lana Del Rey that served as her debut single. According to Del Rey, the title refers to the “World of Warcraft” video game.

27 Italian ride, casually : LAMBO

Ferruccio Lamborghini was in the business of manufacturing tractors back in the late forties. Almost two decades later, he founded Automobili Lamborghini to produce high-end sports cars. That’s quite a target market shift …

28 “The Little Mermaid” star Bailey : HALLE

Singer and actress Halle Bailey started her singing career as a young girl on a YouTube channel with her sister, performing cover songs as “Chloe x Halle”. In 2019, Halle was given her first lead role as an actress, playing Ariel in the 2023 live-action remake of 1989’s “The Little Mermaid”.

“The Little Mermaid” is a live-action adaptation of the 1989 animated Disney film of the same name. Both films are loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale with the same title that was penned by Hans Christian Anderson.

29 Dessert ingredient also called ube : PURPLE YAM

Ube is a species of yam that is purple in color. I’m a big fan of ube ice cream. Potato-flavored ice cream; what’s not to like?!

31 One of the two major Sanskrit epics in Hinduism : RAMAYANA

The Ramayana is one of the two important epic texts of Hinduism, the other being the Mahabharata. It describes the life of Rama, a major Hindu deity.

32 __ nerve : SCIATIC

Sciatica is pain caused by compression and inflammation of one or both of the sciatic nerves that run from the lower back down to the lower legs.

34 All over the lino, perhaps : SPILT

The milk I spilled when I was growing up in Ireland was “spilt”, whereas the milk I spilled here in the US was “spilled” …

Lino (short for “linoleum”) was originally made by coating canvas with solidified linseed oil. The product’s inventor, Englishman Frederick Walton, gave it the name “linoleum” from “linum” and “oleum”, the Latin for “linen” and “oil”.

36 FDR power project : TVA

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has to be one of America’s great success stories when it comes to economic development. Created in 1933, the TVA spearheaded economic development in the Tennessee Valley at the height of the Great Depression. Central to the success was the federally-funded construction of flood-control and electricity-generation facilities.

37 Meals that tell a story of liberation : SEDERS

The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

39 Tacos al __ : PASTOR

A taco al pastor is a popular street food from Mexico that can also be found in parts of the US. The key ingredient in al pastor is sliced, spit-grilled pork. The cooking method, using a vertical spit, is one introduced into Mexico by Lebanese immigrants in the 1800s. The term “al pastor” translates from Spanish as “shepherd style”).

42 More likely to win the annual Gerber Photo Search, perhaps : CUTER

The Gerber Baby is a famous baby food logo that was introduced in 1928. The manufacturer of Gerber baby foods held a contest in the summer of that year to find a suitable baby face for a planned campaign. The winning entry was an unfinished charcoal drawing by Dorothy Hope Smith of Westport, Connecticut. Her model was Ann Turner Cook, who was a baby of the artist’s neighbor. Young Ann grew up to be a teacher cum mystery novelist. She passed away in 2022, at the age of 95.

48 Like some reno projects : DIY

“Reno” is short for “renovation”.