LA Times Crossword 6 Dec 24, Friday

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Constructed by: Joseph A. Gangi
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: T-Square

Today’s grid includes crossing answers that form four SQUARES of four letters T together:

• 40A Drafting tool, and a feature found four times in this puzzle : T-SQUARE

• 17A Small brawl : SET-TO
• 20A Glib pitch : PATTER
• 3D On the fence : NOT TOO SURE
• 4D Mini mewlers : KITTENS

• 18A Folded fare : SOFT TACOS
• 22A Rare-earth element whose atomic number is 39 : YTTRIUM
• 9D Comic book writer? : LETTERER
• 10D Wrap up : SETTLE

• 58A Web-integrated den fixture : SMART TV
• 64A Destined : MEANT TO BE
• 50D Second of a pair : LATTER
• 41D Sugary Southern brew : SWEET TEA

• 62A Intermission follower, perhaps : ACT TWO
• 67A Swimming mammal in Native American totems : OTTER
• 48D Somewhat : A LITTLE
• 31D Score for Comaneci and Retton : PERFECT TEN

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

Bill’s time: 9m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 2023 title role for Chalamet : WONKA

“Wonka” is 2023 musical fantasy film that serves as a prequel to Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” exploring Willy Wonka’s younger years before he opened his iconic factory. Timothée Chalamet takes on the role of the young inventor, and interestingly, Hugh Grant plays an Oompa Loompa, a departure from his usual roles.

Actor Timothée Chalamet played two notable roles in the early 2020s. He portrays Paul Atreides in the two-part film adaption of the sci-fi novel “Dune”. He also plays the title character in the musical fantasy film “Wonka”. Chalamet is bilingual, in English and French. Born in New York City to an American mother and French father, he spent many summers as a youth with his grandparents just outside Lyon.

14 How zeppole are fried : IN OIL

A zeppola (plural “zeppole”) is an Italian pastry comprising a deep-fried ball of dough filled with something sweet like custard or pastry cream. Over in Italy, zeppole are traditionally served on Saint Joseph’s Day (“Festa di San Giuseppe”).

16 Fútbol cheer : OLE!

In Spanish, a “fútbol” (football, soccer) supporter might shout “olé!” (bravo!).

22 Rare-earth element whose atomic number is 39 : YTTRIUM

Yttrium is one of the rare earth elements, and has the symbol Y. It takes its name from the mineral ytterbite, which in turn was named from the Swedish village of Ytterby, where ytterbite was discovered.

Rare earth elements are so called because they are rarely found in mineral form in a sufficient concentration for exploitation.

23 Blackthorn : SLOE

The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. A sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually much more tart in taste.

27 Tree with serrated leaves : ELM

Elm trees have a unique ability to tolerate urban environments, making them a popular choice for city planners looking to add greenery to their landscapes. They have a high tolerance for air pollution, compacted soil, and other stresses commonly found in urban areas, which allows them to thrive in these environments where other tree species might struggle.

34 Western band? : POSSE

Our word “posse” comes from an Anglo-Latin term from the early 15th century “posse comitatus” meaning “the force of the county”

36 French friar : ABBE

“Abbé” is a French word meaning “abbot”, although it is also used in France as a title for lower-ranking clergymen in the Roman Catholic faith.

39 Part of a valedictorian’s address : EDU

The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

• .com (commercial enterprise)
• .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
• .mil (US military)
• .org (not-for-profit organization)
• .gov (US federal government entity)
• .edu (college-level educational institution)

A valediction is an act of taking one’s leave, from the Latin “vale dicere”, to say farewell. An example of a valediction would be the words “yours truly” at the end of a letter. And, the valedictorian (here in the US anyway) is the student in a graduating class that is chosen to say the final words at the graduation ceremony, a farewell to the classmates.

40 Drafting tool, and a feature found four times in this puzzle : T-SQUARE

A T-square is a technical drawing instrument used for drawing horizontal lines. You can also get a drywall T-square, which is used in measuring and cutting drywall.

46 Like a schnauzer’s coat : WIRY

The schnauzer breed of dog originated in Germany in the 1600s. The name “schnauzer” is a colloquial term meaning “mustache”, derived from the German for “snout”. The name is apt, given the breed’s distinctive snout.

49 Cactus bump : AREOLE

Areoles are bumps on the side of cacti from which grow clusters of spines. These areoles are one of the features of cacti that distinguish them from other succulent plants.

53 Federation in OPEC : UAE

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

54 __-dried tomatoes : SUN

Tomatoes can be placed in the sun for 4-10 days in order to dry out. They lose about 90% of their weight to become “sun-dried” tomatoes.

67 Swimming mammal in Native American totems : OTTER

“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature, and often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

69 “__ Meenie”: 2010 pop single : EENIE

“Eenie Meenie” is a 2010 dance-pop song co-written and recorded by Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston. Apparently, Canadian Bieber brings R&B vocals to the song, and American-Jamaican gives it a reggae vibe.

71 Natural __ : GAS

Natural gas that is piped into many of our homes is naturally odorless. A tiny amount of odorant is added to assist in the detection of leaks. A common additive is tert-Butylthiol, which is said to impart the smell of rotten eggs.

72 Kept going, as a sentence : RAN ON

A run-on sentence is one in which two separate clauses are linked without appropriate conjugation. Two examples would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, I can’t finish.

More acceptable sentences would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough. I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough; I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, so I can’t finish.

Down

2 Oscar winner Tatum : O’NEAL

Tatum O’Neal is the youngest actress to win a competitive Oscar. She won the Best Supporting Actress Award in 1974 when she was just 10 years old, for her role as Addie in “Paper Moon”. The youngest person to win an honorary Academy Award was Shirley Temple, who was only 5 years old when she was presented with an Oscar in 1934.

9 Comic book writer? : LETTERER

The traditional process for drawing a comic book involves a team of specialist artists. The penciller creates the initial drawing, the inker adds depth and shading to the drawing, the letterer adds text, and the colorist adds color.

12 Outfielder Matty who played 15 seasons in the MLB : ALOU

Matty Alou played major league baseball, as did his brothers Jesus and Felipe, and as did Felipe’s son Moises.

25 Najaf native : IRAQI

Najaf is an Iraqi city that lies about 100 miles south of Baghdad. It is home to the Imam Ali Mosque, which is an important holy site for Shia Muslims. According to the Shia tradition, the mosque is the burial site of Ali, the first Imam and cousin of Muhammad. Also according to Shia tradition, the remains of Adam and Noah are buried alongside Ali.

26 Writer/producer who frequently collaborates with David Simon : ED BURNS

Screenwriter and producer Ed Burns is very much associated with television that deals with law enforcement and crime. The list of shows that he has been involved in includes “The Corner”, “The Wire” and “We Own This City”. Burns turned to writing after retiring from the Baltimore Police Department, having served 20 years on the force.

29 Sauced up, to a pitmaster : WET

A pitmaster is someone skilled in the use of a barbecue.

31 Score for Comaneci and Retton : PERFECT TEN

Romanian Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.

Mary Lou Retton is a former Olympic champion gymnast from Fairmont, West Virginia. Retton won Olympic Individual All-Around gold in the 1984 games, making her the first female athlete to do so who wasn’t from Eastern Europe.

32 Actress Falco : EDIE

Actress Edie Falco won three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”. Falco also won an Emmy in 2010 for playing the title role in “Nurse Jackie”, an excellent black comedy.

34 “Ant-Man” actor Michael : PENA

Michael Peña is an actor from Chicago. He has had many supporting roles in hit movies, but is also known for playing the title character in “Cesar Chavez” (2014) and for heading the cast of “Narcos: Mexico” on Netflix.

In the Marvel universe, Ant-Man has been the superhero persona of three different fictional characters: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady. In the 2015 film “Ant-Man”, Michael Douglas plays Hank Pym, and Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang.

35 Distinctive feature of a corpse flower : ODOR

Corpse flowers are also known as carrion flowers and stinking flowers. They all emit an odor that resembles rotting flesh, hence the name of the group. The odor serves to attract scavengers like flies and beetles that serve as pollinators.

37 Ecosystem susceptible to eutrophication : BAYOU

A bayou is a marshy inlet or outlet of a lake or river, usually with stagnant or slow-moving water. The exact origins of the term “bayou” is uncertain, but it is thought perhaps to come from the Choctaw (a Native American people from the southeast) word “bayuk”, meaning “small stream”.

Eutrophication is a big problem in our waters. Essentially, it happens when too many nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers, end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans. This overload causes excessive growth of algae. This overgrowth blocks sunlight and ultimately depletes oxygen in the water, harming fish and other aquatic life.

42 Old French coin : ECU

The ecu is an Old French coin. When introduced in 1640, the ecu was worth three livres (an older coin, called a “pound” in English). The word “ecu” comes from the Latin “scutum” meaning “shield”. The original ecu had a coat of arms on it, a shield.

52 23andMe stuff : DNA

23andMe was the first company to offer direct-to-consumer genetic testing, doing so in 2007. Initially, 23andMe offered a test that determined a subject’s predisposition to a list of specific genetic traits, including baldness and blindness. The company now offers a cost-effective ancestry DNA test as well. The name “23andMe” is a reference to the 23 pairs of chromosomes in the cells of a human.

56 Dana Elaine __: Queen Latifah’s given name : OWENS

“Queen Latifah” is the stage name of the multitalented Dana Owens. The name “Latifah” is Arabic in origin and translates as “delicate, very kind”. Owens found the name and was attracted to it when she was just eight years old.

61 Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey : VONN

Lindsey Vonn is a World Champion alpine ski racer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is one of the few women to have won World Cup races in all five alpine racing disciplines: downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined. In fact, Vonn is the most successful US ski racer in history.