LA Times Crossword 28 May 25, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Sala Wanetick & Emily Biegas
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: It’s a Setup!

Themed answers are all SETUPS:

• 59A “We’ve been fooled!,” or what can be said about 17-, 26-, or 43-Across : IT’S A SETUP!

• 17A Potentially awkward encounter : BLIND DATE
• 26A Deceptive undercover ploy : STING OPERATION
• 43A “American Ninja Warrior” feature : OBSTACLE COURSE

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

Bill’s time: 6m 24s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Pod that may be pickled : OKRA

The plant known as okra is mainly grown for its edible green pods. The pods are said to resemble “ladies’ fingers”, which is an alternative name for the plant. Okra is known as “ngombo” in Bantu, a name that might give us the word “gumbo”, the name for the name of the southern Louisiana stew that includes okra as a key ingredient.

9 Barbershop sharpening tool : STROP

A strop is a strip of leather used to sharpen a razor.

14 Hall of Fame golfer Isao : AOKI

Isao Aoki is one of Japan’s greatest golfers. Aoki’s best finish in a major tournament was runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 US Open.

16 “Defying Gravity” singer Cynthia : ERIVO

British actress Cynthia Erivo’s big break came on the stage, when starred in the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple” from 2015 to 2017. Her Hollywood film breakthrough came with the title role in the 2019 biopic “Harriet”, portraying Harriet Tubman and earning herself a Best Actress nomination.

“Defying Gravity” is a song from the musical “Wicked”, famously sung by the character Elphaba. Aptly enough, it was chosen as a wake-up song for a Space Shuttle mission on the day that astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger was scheduled to carry out a spacewalk.

21 Stimulant in some soft drinks : CAFFEINE

Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that is found in several plants. The chemical serves as a natural pesticide by paralyzing and killing certain insects that would otherwise feed on the plant. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug that is consumed by humans across the world.

23 Jumbo suffix : -TRON

A Jumbotron is a big-screen television system that is often seen in sports stadiums. The brand name “JumboTron” was introduced by Sony in 1985. “Jumbotron” is used pretty generically now for any big-screen system in such venues as Sony exited the business in 2001.

26 Deceptive undercover ploy : STING OPERATION

A sting operation often involves a law enforcement officer operating undercover, and is designed to catch a person in the act of committing a crime.

34 Square-jawed canine : BOXER

The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. My wife and I also had a boxer/pug mix, and he was another gorgeous animal.

35 Supersecretive org. : NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense (DoD) since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization’s nickname … “No Such Agency”.

36 Chicago airport code : ORD

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which comes from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field (OR-D).

37 Gallivant : TRAIPSE

“Gallivant” is such a lovely word, and is probably a derivative of “gallant”. To gallivant is to gad about, to flirt, wander in search of pleasure or amusement. My mother was always accusing me of gallivanting when I was a youth …

39 Beanie, e.g. : CAP

A beanie is a knitted, close-fitting hat with no brim. The name probably comes from the slang term “bean” meaning “head”.

43 “American Ninja Warrior” feature : OBSTACLE COURSE

“American Ninja Warrior” is an entertaining, televised sports competition that is a spin-off of the very popular Japanese show “Sasuke”. Competitors have to navigate their way through a series of very challenging obstacles in the fastest time possible.

47 “C’est la __!” : VIE

“C’est la vie” is French for “that’s life”.

49 Musical place for a partridge : PEAR TREE

The fabulous Christmas carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.

54 Tennessee NFL team : TITANS

The Tennessee Titans football team is based in Nashville, having relocated to Nashville from Houston in 1997. The team was called the Tennessee Oilers for two seasons, before adopting the “Titans” moniker.

58 Frowned upon : TABOO

The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

65 Michigan’s __ Royale National Park : ISLE

Isle Royale in Michigan is the largest island in Lake Superior. The main island, along with over 400 smaller surrounding islands, is now part of Isle Royale National Park.

66 Chatted privately, briefly : DM’ED

Direct message (DM)

Down

1 Guitar player’s aid : TABS

Tablature (also “tab”) is a kind of musical notation that indicates instrument fingering, rather than musical notes.

2 Colorful Hindu festival : HOLI

Holi is a Hindu festival, one celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.

6 Hawaii’s Mauna __ : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

7 Campus mil. group : ROTC

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)

11 “SOS” singer, to fans : RIRI

“SOS” is a dance-pop song released by Rihanna in 2006.

12 Tandoor, for one : OVEN

A tandoor is a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cuisines from several Asian locales, including India.

18 “Marriage Story” Oscar winner Laura : DERN

Actress Laura Dern is the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Among her many notable roles, Laura Dern played the Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the 2008 movie “Recount”, and Dr. Ellie Sattler in the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park”.

“Marriage Story” is a 2019 movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple going through a messy divorce. The critics loved this one. Me, not so much …

22 Kayak listing : FARES

KAYAK is a travel search engine that was founded in 2004 and has been owned by the Priceline Group since 2012.

24 Goal of some criminal justice reform efforts : NO BAIL

In most states in the US, it is legal for a bail bond agent to post bail for someone facing trial. Bail bond agencies are commercially driven enterprises, and are peculiar to the United States. In the rest of the developed world, posting a defendant’s bond for profit is considered illegal.

27 Gravitational phenomena : TIDES

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

30 Quechua speakers : INCAS

Quechua was the Native-American language adopted by the Incan Empire and favored over other dialects. Today, Quechua is one of the official languages in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, alongside Spanish.

31 “August: __ County”: Meryl Streep film : OSAGE

“August: Osage County” is a dark comedy play by Tracy Letts that won a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I saw the 2013 movie adaptation that has a great cast including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, and Benedict Cumberbatch. I really enjoyed it …

32 Area hidden by a turtleneck : NAPE

The garment that we know as a “turtleneck” here in North America, is called a “polo neck” or “roll-neck” on the other side of the Atlantic, and a “skivvy” in Australia and New Zealand.

33 American tennis phenom Gauff : COCO

Coco Gauff is a professional tennis player from Atlanta whose career really got a boost when she beat Venus Williams in the opening round of Wimbledon in 2019. Ironically, Venus, and her sister Serena, were the players who inspired Gauff to take up tennis as a girl.

37 Turncoats : TRAITORS

Back in the mid-1300s, a coat of arms was literally a coat, a tunic embroidered with heraldic symbols that was often worn over armor. This usage also gave us the term “turncoat”, which described someone who turned his coat inside-out in order to hide his badge of loyalty.

50 “Tombstone” character Wyatt : EARP

The legendary Western gunfighter and lawman Wyatt Earp has been portrayed on the big and small screen many, many times. Kevin Costner played the title role in 1994’s “Wyatt Earp”, and Val Kilmer played Earp in 2012’s “The First Ride of Wyatt Earp”. Joel McCrea had the part in 1955’s “Wichita”, and Kurt Russell was Earp in 1993’s “Tombstone”. James Garner played Earp twice, in 1967’s “Hour of the Gun” and 1988’s “Sunset”.

“Tombstone” is a 1993 Western movie that has a storyline centered on the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and its aftermath. The cast includes Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, and Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp. “Tombstone” was released six months before the ostensibly competing movie “Wyatt Earp” starring Kevin Costner. If there was a competition between the two films, then “Tombstone” won, both in terms of ticket sales and critical response.

51 “SOS” singers : ABBA

The palindromic band “ABBA” recorded the palindromic song “SOS”. Crazy …

52 Cash gift given on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha : EIDI

Eidi is a tradition in Muslim cultures, particularly during the festive celebrations of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Typically given as a cash gift, often to children by older relatives, Eidi is a symbol of joy, generosity, and the spirit of sharing during these important religious holidays.

53 Waze figs. : ETAS

Waze is a navigation app that is similar to Google Maps and Apple Maps. Waze was developed in Israel, and was acquired by Google in 2013.

55 Basic particle : ATOM

Atomism is a philosophical concept based on the idea that the physical world is composed of atoms, indivisible fundamental units, pieces of matter. The term “atom” comes from the Greek “a-” (not) and “tomos” (cutting), giving the “atomos” meaning “uncut, indivisible”. The pioneers of ancient Greek atomism were Leucippus and his pupil Democritus in the 5th century BCE.

56 Like a streaker : NUDE

People have been running around naked for an awfully long time, but the application of the word “streaking” to the phenomenon only dates back to 1973. A journalist was reporting on a mass nude run of 533 people at the University of Maryland in 1973, and used the words “they are streaking (i.e. moving quickly) past me right now. It’s an incredible sight!”. The Associated Press picked up the story the next day, and interpreted “streaking” as the term to describe “running naked”, and we’ve been using it that way ever since.

60 Marcello Hernández’s show, for short : SNL

Marcello Hernández is best known for his work as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). Making his debut during the 48th season in 2022, Hernández holds the distinction of being the first Gen-Z cast member to join the iconic sketch comedy series.