LA Times Crossword 15 Mar 25, 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: 12m 55s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Waldorf salad morsel: GRAPE

As one might expect, the Waldorf salad was created at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City (now the Waldorf=Astoria), back in the 1890s. The classic version of the Waldorf salad is made from apples, celery and walnuts dressed in mayonnaise and served on a bed of lettuce. Anyone who is a fan of the BBC sitcom “Fawlty Towers” will remember how much trouble Basil Fawlty had coming up with a Waldorf salad for an American guest, as the kitchen was “out of Waldorfs” …

17 “Healthier happens together” insurance company: AETNA

When the healthcare management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mount Etna, the Italian volcano.

21 Athenian lawmaker remembered for severity: DRACO

Constitutional law was brought to Athens and ancient Greece by a legislator called Draco. The legal code that Draco developed was relatively harsh, which is why we use the term “draconian” to describe unforgiving rules.

29 Badly misinformed: FULL OF BEANS

The idiom “full of beans” is often used to mean “full of energy”. The same phrase can be used to mean “telling lies”.

32 Pvt. trainer: SGT

The lowest military rank of soldier is often a private (pvt.). The term “private” comes from the Middle Ages when “private soldiers” were hired or conscripted by noblemen to form a “private army”. The more generic usage of “private” started in the 1700s.

35 Some Kias: RIOS

The Kia Rio is a subcompact that has been in production since 1999, and has undergone several updates and redesigns over the years. The Rio was designed by Kia’s chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, who previously worked for Audi and is credited with designing the iconic Audi TT.

36 Chaps: GENTS

“Chap” is an informal term meaning “lad, fellow” that is used especially in England. The term derives from “chapman”, an obsolete word meaning “purchaser” or “trader”.

37 Kallax seller: IKEA

IKEA’s KALLAX shelving units are named for the village of Kallax in northern Sweden.

42 Drives a team: MUSHES

Mushing is the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled. “Mush” is thought to come from the French “marche” meaning “go, run”.

43 Reptile that can weigh 650 pounds: GIANT TORTOISE

Giant tortoises are among the largest living reptiles on Earth. Found primarily on isolated islands, such as the Galapagos Islands, these gentle creatures can weigh hundreds of pounds and live for over a century. Their slow metabolism and herbivorous diet contribute to their long lifespans.

48 Home to the University of Jordan: AMMAN

Amman is the capital city of Jordan, and one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world. It has been occupied by a number of different civilizations over the centuries, including the Greeks. The Greeks called the city “Philadelphia”, a name retained by the Romans when they occupied the city just after 100 AD.

49 Arctic diving bird: AUK

Auks are penguin-like sea birds that live in colder northern waters including the Arctic. Like penguins, auks are great swimmers, but unlike penguins, auks can fly.

56 Florida city where Jane Castor is mayor: TAMPA

The Florida city of Tampa has been known as “the Big Guava” since the seventies. The term is imitative of New York’s “Big Apple”, and refers to the unsuccessful search for the reported wild guava trees that were once hoped to be the basis of a new industry for the area. Tampa has also been called “Cigar City”, a reference to the cigar industry that fueled the area’s growth starting in the 1880s.

Down

3 “Memory” and “I Dreamed a Dream”: ALTO SOLOS

“Memory” is a show-stopping song from the stage musical “Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn, with lyrics based on poems by T.S. Eliot. It is a powerful ballad about loss and longing that tells the story of Grizabella, a once-glamorous cat who has fallen on hard times. She sings of her memories of the past and her hopes for a better future.

“I Dreamed a Dream” is an emotional ballad from the musical “Les Misérables”, composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg. Sung by the character Fantine, it expresses her despair and regret as she reflects on her lost youth and shattered dreams. Originally written in French, the lyrics were revised extensively for the English production of the show. “Les Misérables” was revived in French in 1991, premiering in Montreal. The revived version of “I Dreamed a Dream” was a loose translation of the English lyrics. So, there are two very different French versions of the song floating around.

4 Hair that may be clipped: PIN CURLS

Pin curls are the result of small sections of hair being carefully rolled and secured close to the scalp using hair pins or clips.

8 Agcy. that investigates telemarketing fraud: FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was established in 1914, with the mission of protecting consumers.

10 Big kahunas: TOP DOGS

Like many words in Hawaiian, “kahuna” has several English translations, everything from a priest to an expert in some profession. The expression “the Big Kahuna” comes from the 1959 movie “Gidget”. The Big Kahuna was the leader of one of the surfing gangs in the film, and was played by Cliff Robertson.

16 Keto concerns: CARBS

A ketogenic (also “keto”) diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. When a body consumes insufficient carbohydrates to meet the need for energy, then the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies in order to make up the energy deficit. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the bloodstream is known as “ketosis”, a term that gives rise to the name “ketogenic diet”. Medical professionals sometimes prescribe a ketogenic diet in order to control epilepsy in children. A condition of ketosis can reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures.

23 Dileep of the “Avatar” films: RAO

Dileep Rao is an actor known for his roles in films such as “Avatar”, “Inception”, and “Drag Me to Hell”. Beyond his film work, Rao is also known for his trivia prowess, having competed on “Jeopardy!” and having jousted with Will Shortz while playing NPR’s “Weekend Edition” Sunday puzzle.

24 “Dear Evan Hansen” Tony winner: PLATT

Actor and singer Ben Platt’s biggest break came when he originated the title role in the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen”. He played the same role in the 2021 big-screen adaptation, which was co-produced by Ben’s father Marc Platt.

“Dear Evan Hansen” is a 2015 stage musical about a young man with awkward social skills and his efforts to make friends. The show was inspired by real-life events: The show’s writer, Steven Levenson, was inspired to write the musical after the suicide of a high school student in his hometown.

25 Goes wild: RUNS AMOK

The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had a good reason for that frenzy …

27 “20/20” co-anchor: MUIR

Journalist and TV anchor David Muir started hosting the show “ABC World News Tonight with David Muir” in 2014, and co-anchoring “20/20” in 2013. Apparently, Muir’s reporting received more airtime than any other American journalist in 2012 and 2013. Muir also made it onto “People” magazine’s list of Sexiest Men Alive in 2014.

30 Box that might contain tamagoyaki and tonkatsu: BENTO

Tamagoyaki is a Japanese omelet that is prepared by layering thin sheets of seasoned egg in a rectangular pan, and then rolling the sheets into a layered cylinder. “Tamagoyaki” translates as “grilled egg”.

Tonkatsu is a dish from Japanese cuisine consisting of a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet. It originated in the late 1800s, and is based on côtelette de veau, a veal cutlet coated in breadcrumbs and fried from French cuisine.

33 Unit that might be edited: GENE

A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

34 Makes out, in a way: TAGS

That could be baseball, for example …

40 Fashion designer Anna: SUI

Anna Sui is an American fashion designer. Born in Detroit to Chinese immigrant parents, Sui moved to New York to attend Parsons School of Design, where she befriended photographers like Steven Meisel and began designing for sportswear companies.

41 Reptile not found in Iceland or Ireland: SNAKE

One of the more commonly known facts about my native Ireland is that there are no snakes in the country (outside of politics, that is). A lesser known fact is that there are no moles either. There are plenty of snakes and moles in Britain, just a few miles away. Over a pint, we tend to give the credit to Saint Patrick, but the last ice age is more likely the responsible party …

46 Crashes a Twitch stream: RAIDS

Twitch is a live-streaming platform used primarily by gamers. Folks playing games can broadcast their game play live to an audience.

51 Moonfish or sunfish: OPAH

“Opah” is the more correct name for the fish also known as the sunfish, moonfish or Jerusalem haddock. I’ve seen one in the Monterey Aquarium. It is one huge fish …

56 Network that airs many RKO films: TCM

The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.