LA Times Crossword 15 Feb 25, Saturday

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Constructed by: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 13m 04s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Trap : YAP

“Yap” and “trap” are slang terms meaning “mouth”.

4 DOMS symptoms : ACHES

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the muscle pain and stiffness one feels 12 to 72 hours after strenuous exercise. While the exact cause isn’t fully understood, it’s believed to be related to microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, which trigger an inflammatory response as the body repairs the damage. DOMS is different from the immediate muscle soreness you feel during exercise, which is usually due to lactic acid buildup.

14 Address on a business card : URL

Uniform resource locator (URL)

18 Low member of a quartet : CELLO

A standard string quartet is made up of two violins, a viola and a cello. A string quintet consists of a standard string quartet with the addition of a fifth instrument, usually a second viola or cello.

20 Frying medium : CANOLA

Canola is a type of rapeseed, and Canola oil is made from the seeds. The particular cultivar used in oil production was developed in Canada, and the name Canola in fact comes from “CANadian Oil, Low Acid”.

22 Like art with hazy provenance, perhaps : UNDATED

Something’s provenance is its place of origin or derivation. The use of the term can be extended to mean the history of ownership of some object, such a valuable painting or antique.

24 Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical whose cast consists of Usher and his Thoughts : A STRANGE LOOP

“A Strange Loop” is a Pulitzer-winning 2019 musical by Michael R. Jackson. The main character works at a theater showing “The Lion King”. His name is Usher, and he works as an usher. If that’s not confusing, there’s also the storyline: Usher is a Black queer man writing a musical about a Black queer man writing a musical.

27 Tactic that fails to deliver the goods : BAIT-AND-SWITCH

The term “bait-and-switch” describes a kind of fraud engaged in by disingenuous retailers. Customers are drawn in (baited) by advertising products at an extremely attractive price. Once the customer visits the store in search of the deal, he or she discovers that the advertised goods aren’t in fact available. A deceptive salesperson then guides (switches) the customer to a similar and higher-priced item.

31 Frying medium : PALM OIL

Palm oil and coconut oil are two vegetable oils that aren’t very good for our health. Both are high in saturated fat.

32 “Huzzah!” : YAHOO!

“Huzzah” is a cheer, originally a sailor’s interjection, possibly accompanying the hoisting of a sail.

47 Slowest competitive swimming style : BREASTSTROKE

The breaststroke is a style of swimming that is extremely popular with infrequent swimmers as they can keep their heads out of the water for much of the time. It might also be referred to as the “frog stroke”, as the movement of the arms and legs resembles the movements of a frog swimming.

53 Gadgets in Yondr pouches : PHONES

The Yondr pouch is a soft, fabric-lined pouch designed to lock cell phones away during events like concerts, conferences, and school classes. Using a simple locking mechanism, the pouch seals the phone inside, rendering it unusable until it’s unlocked at a designated unlocking station. Quite interesting …

60 Mushroom variety : MOREL

A morel is a mushroom with a honeycomb-like structure on the cap. They are highly prized, especially in French cuisine. Morels should never be eaten raw as they are toxic, with the toxins being removed by thorough cooking.

61 Polish brand : OPI

Opi (originally “Odontorium Products Inc.”) is a manufacturer of nail polish based in North Hollywood, California. One of Opi’s marketing coups was the introduction of a line of Legally Blonde 2 polishes, which featured in the film.

62 En __ : MASSE

“En masse” is a French term, one that best translates as “as a group”

63 Mate’s response? : I LOSE

In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.

Down

1 Joshua tree, e.g. : YUCCA

“Joshua tree” is the common name for the plant species more correctly called Yucca brevifolia. One of the best places to see Joshua trees is in the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The plant was named by Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-1800s. The name was chosen as the shape of the tree reminded the settlers of Joshua reaching his hands to the sky in prayer.

2 Artistic displays at the Met : ARIAS

The Metropolitan Opera (often simply “the Met”) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

3 Like a diet rich in phytonutrients : PLANT-BASED

Phytonutrients, also known as phytochemicals, are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. The name itself derives from the Greek word “phyto,” meaning “plant”. These compounds, while not essential for survival like vitamins and minerals, are believed by many to offer a range of potential health benefits.

5 Social media hashtag for nourishing one’s inner neatnik : CLEANTOK

#CleanTok is a popular social media hashtag, particularly on TikTok, dedicated to cleaning tips, tricks, and before-and-after transformations. Users share videos showcasing their cleaning routines, product recommendations, and organizational hacks.

6 Sparks of “Queer as Folk” : HAL

Hal Sparks is an American actor, comedian, and TV personality. He gained prominence as the host of MTV’s “Talk Soup” and for his role as Michael Novotny in the TV series “Queer as Folk”.

“Queer as Folk” is a British and later American television series that explored the lives of a group of gay men and their friends in urban settings. The show tackled a range of issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, including relationships, sexuality, family dynamics, and social discrimination.

7 Subj. for some refugees : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL)

8 “Auld Lang Syne” opener : SHOULD …

The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet
For days of auld lang syne

10 Warmwater fish : TILAPIA

The name “tilapia” is used for almost a hundred species of related fish, most of which are found in freshwater. Tilapia are found in many fish farms as they grow very quickly and are popular in restaurants.

13 “Wednesday” werewolf : ENID

“Wednesday” is a dark and comedic supernatural mystery TV series, and part of the classic “Addams Family” franchise. The show follows Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, during her time as a student at Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts.

29 Female whales : COWS

Male whales are referred to as bulls, females are cows, and the young are calves.

39 Vlogging equipment : WEBCAMS

A video blog is perhaps what one might expect, i.e. a blog that is essentially a series of video posts. The phrase “video logging” is often shortened to “vlogging”.

40 Maker of Perfect Pairings pies : SARA LEE

In 1935, businessman Charles Lubin bought a chain of three bakeries in Chicago called Community Bake Shops, and soon expanded the operation into seven stores. Lubin introduced a cream cheesecake that he named after his daughter who was only 8-years-old at the time, Sara Lee Lubin. The cheesecake was a hit and he renamed the bakeries to Kitchen of Sara Lee. The business was bought out by Consolidated Foods in 1956, but the brand name Sara Lee persists to this day, as does Ms. Sara Lee herself who now goes by the name Sara Lee Schupf.

42 Cause of a bumpy ride : POTHOLE

Back in the early 1800s, the term “pothole” only applied to relatively small cylindrical cavities in rock and glaciers. We extended the usage to holes in roads at the start of the 20th century.

43 Nice bit of cash? : EURO

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera. Something described as “à la niçoise” is “of Nice”.

45 Drag queen Bianca __ Rio : DEL

“Bianca Del Rio” is the stage name of drag queen and comedian Roy Haylock. Del Rio won the sixth season of the reality competition “RuPaul’s Drag Race”.

46 Charcuterie slice : SALAMI

“Salame” (note the letter E at the end) is an Italian sausage that is traditionally associated with the peasant classes. The meat in the sausage is preserved with salt, and it can be hung and stored for as long as ten years. The name “salame” comes from “sale”, the Italian word for salt, and “-ame”, a suffix indicating a collective noun. Our English word “salami” is actually the Italian plural for “salame”.

In French, a “charcutier” is a pork butcher, although the term “charcuterie” has come to describe a genre of cooking focused on prepared meats such as bacon, ham, sausage and pâté. Although these meats often feature pork, it is not exclusively so. The word “charcuterie” comes from the French “chair” meaning “flesh” and “cuit” meaning “cooked”.

49 Polish brand : ESSIE

Essie Cosmetics is a company that was founded by Essie Weingarten, and which is now owned by L’Oreal. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II would only wear Essie’s Ballet Slippers color nail polish. Well, that’s what Wikipedia claims …

50 Emollient : BALM

An emollient is a moisturizer. The term “emollient” comes from the Latin “mollire” meaning “to soften”.