LA Times Crossword 14 Mar 25, Friday

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Constructed by: Matt Revis
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Air Fresheners

Themed answers all sound like common phrases starting with “AIR”. That “AIR” has been FRESHENED, replaced with a homophone:

• 57A Car wash freebies, or an apt title for this puzzle: AIR FRESHENERS

• 15A Time when everyone woke up achy and sore?: ERE MATTRESSES
• 22A “Reader, I married him,” “I would always rather be happy than dignified,” etc.?: EYRE QUOTES
• 35A Key component of a royal line of succession?: HEIR POWER
• 48A Eligible bachelors in Berlin?: HERR SUPPLY

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

Bill’s time: 8m 30s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Some tech support agents: CHATBOTS

Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate human conversation. They interact with users through text or voice interfaces, answering questions, providing support, or simply engaging in casual dialogue. Originally, these programs were often referred to as “chatterbots,” a term that highlights their conversational nature.

9 Director Peter recognized with an Academy Honorary Award in 2023: WEIR

Peter Weir is a retired, Australian film director who first gained international attention with films like “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and “Gallipoli”, both of which had an Australian storyline. His later films were mostly set in the US, such as “Witness”, “Dead Poets Society”, and “The Truman Show”.

14 River through Florence: ARNO

The Arno is the principal river in the Tuscany region of Italy, and passes through the cities of Florence and Pisa. Famously the Arno flooded in 1966, the worst flood in the region for centuries. There were numerous deaths and extensive destruction of priceless art treasures, particularly in Florence.

17 Like venison, compared to beef: GAMIER

Venison is the meat of a deer. In days of yore, the term “venison” applied not just to deer, but to any large game. The word ultimately derives from the Latin “venare” meaning “to hunt”.

21 “__ go bragh!”: ERIN

“Erin go bragh!” is an anglicization of the Irish phrase “Éirinn go brách!”, which translates as “Ireland forever!”

22 “Reader, I married him,” “I would always rather be happy than dignified,” etc.?: EYRE QUOTES

“Jane Eyre” is a celebrated novel written by Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name Currer Bell. The love story is perhaps represented by the oft-quoted opening lines of the last chapter, “Reader, I married him”. There is a wonderful 4-hour television adaptation made by the BBC that I highly recommend to fans of the novel …

28 Western treaty gp.: OAS

The Organization of American States (OAS) was founded in 1948, and has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Not all of the independent states in the Americas are members. Cuba was barred from participation in the organization after a vote in 1962. Honduras had her membership suspended after the country’s 2009 coup.

29 Credit card giant: VISA

VISA doesn’t actually issue any credit or debit cards. The company just sells the electronic systems and infrastructure to banks which then put the VISA logo on their own cards. Seeing the logo, both customer and merchant know to use the VISA system when making a transaction.

33 Picks up the tab: TREATS

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

37 Mediterranean capital: ATHENS

Athens is the capital city of Greece and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with a history that goes back around 3,400 years. In its heyday, Classical Athens was a remarkable center for the arts and philosophical debate, and was home to Plato and Aristotle. Athens is often called “the cradle of Western civilization” and “the birthplace of democracy”. The city was named for the Greek goddess Athena.

44 Home of the Mets from 1964 to 2008: SHEA

Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York was named after William A. Shea, the man credited with bringing National League baseball back to the city in the form of the New York Mets. Shea Stadium was dismantled in 2008-2009, and the site now provides additional parking for the new stadium nearby called Citi Field.

46 Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU

The Uhuru Movement is an organization that works for the cause of all native Africans and their descendants around the world. While focused mainly on the welfare and development of native Africans on the continent itself, another goal is the release of all African-American prisoners in US prisons. “Uhuru” is the Swahili word for “freedom”.

48 Eligible bachelors in Berlin?: HERR SUPPLY

In German, a “Herr” (Mr.) is married to a “Frau” (Mrs.), and they live together in a “Haus” (house).

52 Deep purple berry: ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

53 Antidiscrimination letters: EEO

“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

54 1950s political moniker: IKE

When the future president was growing up, the Eisenhowers used the nickname “Ike” for all seven boys in the family, as “Ike” was seen as an abbreviation for the family name. “Big Ike” was Edgar, the second oldest boy. “Little/Young Ike” was Dwight, who was the third son born. Dwight had no sisters.

61 Crabby mood: SNIT

We’ve been describing grouchy people as crabby since the 1700s, mainly in North America. The term “crabby” possibly arose from the perceived combative nature of “crabs”.

64 Playground game similar to hide-and-seek: SARDINES

Sardines is a variant of the classic game of hide-and-seek. Instead of everyone hiding and one person seeking, one person hides, and everyone else searches for them. As each person finds the hidden player, they join them in the hiding spot, packing in like sardines in a can.

Down

2 Loners: HERMITS

The Greek word for “uninhabited” is “eremos”, which is the root for “eremia” meaning both “desert” and “solitude”. The Greek word eremites then means “a person of the desert”. This was absorbed into Latin as “ermita”, meaning someone who lived in solitude or in an uninhabited area. We use “eremite” to mean the same thing, although the derivative term “hermit” is more common.

7 Lunar festival in Vietnam: TET

The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is “Tet Nguyen Dan” meaning “Feast of the First Morning”, with the reference being to the arrival of the season of spring. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

8 Word on some Emmy Awards: SERIES

The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars from the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras. The Emmy statuette was designed by television engineer Louis McManus in 1948, and depicts a woman holding up an atom. McManus used his wife as a model for the woman.

9 St. Louis sch.: WASHU

Washington University (WashU) in St. Louis is a private school that was founded in 1853, and named for President George Washington in 1854. The “in St. Louis” was added to the university’s name in 1976, in an attempt to avoid confusion over the school’s location.

16 Atty.’s title: ESQ

The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK, “esquire” is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So, a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank, say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.

17 Hanukkah chocolate: GELT

In the Jewish tradition, it is common to gift small amounts of money during the festival of Hanukkah. This money is referred to as Hanukkah gelt, or simply “gelt”. Recipients of the gelt are usually children, and perhaps teachers. “Gelt” is the Yiddish word for “money”.

20 Some ads: PSAS

Public service announcement (PSA)

32 Fleur-de-__: LIS

“Lys” (sometimes “lis”) is the French word for “lily” as in “fleur-de-lys”, the heraldic symbol often associated with the French monarchy.

33 Bygone airline: TWA

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan Am and TWA’s purchase by Howard Hughes, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the initialism “TWA”) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

34 Big name in saline: RENU

“ReNu” is a brand name of contact lens products sold by Bausch & Lomb.

36 Astra and Corsa automaker: OPEL

The Astra is a compact car that was launched by Opel in 1991. It was introduced as a replacement for the Opel Kadett. One of our family cars, when I was a teenager, was an Opel Kadett …

Opel introduced the Corsa in 1982. It is often classified as a supermini car in Europe, so it’s great for parking in those narrow streets. In 1998, there were more Opel Corsas sold in the world than any other car!

37 Tennis legend Arthur: ASHE

The great American tennis player Arthur Ashe spent the last years of his life writing his memoir called “Days of Grace”. He finished the manuscript just a few days before he passed away, dying from AIDS caused by a tainted blood transfusion.

38 Whence one Wicked Witch: THE EAST

In the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz after her farmhouse is swept up in a cyclone. The farmhouse comes to ground and kills the Wicked Witch of the East. The Wicked Witch of the West arrives to claim the magical ruby slippers worn by the Wicked Witch Witch of the East. The Good Witch of the North steps in and gives the ruby slippers to Dorothy instead.

39 Wonder Woman, for one: HEROINE

Superhero Wonder Woman first appeared in print in 1941, in a publication from DC Comics. As she was created during WWII, Wonder Woman’s first foes were the axis powers. In the less realistic world her biggest foe was and still is Ares, a “baddie” named after the Greek mythological figure. Wonder Woman had several signature expressions, including “Merciful Minerva!”, “Suffering Sappho!” and “Great Hera!”. She also has several devices that she uses in her quest for justice, e.g. the Lasso of Truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets and a tiara that can be used as a deadly projectile. Wonder Woman uses the name “Diana Prince” when “out of uniform”.

41 Swiss home of the rock relief known as the Lion Monument: LUCERNE

The Lion Monument, located in Lucerne, is a beautiful rock relief carved into a sandstone cliff face in the 1820s. Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen, the monument depicts a mortally wounded lion, and is dedicated to the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution while defending King Louis XVI. Mark Twain famously described the Lion Monument as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world”.

50 Kyiv’s country: Abbr.: UKR

Kyiv is located on the Dnieper River, and is the capital of Ukraine. We still seem to use the spelling “Kiev” sometimes, but the Ukrainian government decided in 1995 to refer to the city as “Kyiv” when using Roman/Latin script.

58 Narrow waterway: RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

59 “Unstoppable” singer: SIA

“Unstoppable” is a 2016 co-written and recorded by Australian singer Sia. It has been used in several different marketing campaigns. For example, Major League Baseball used “Unstoppable” to promote the 2016 season, Lancôme used it in ads featuring Zendaya promoting the Idôle fragrance, and Samusung used it in an ad for the Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone.