LA Times Crossword 31 May 25, Saturday

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Constructed by: Stella Zawistowski
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 “Paradise Lost” figure: SATAN

“Paradise Lost” is an epic poem written by Englishman John Milton. It is indeed an epic work, published originally in ten volumes with over ten thousand lines of verse. The “paradise” that is “lost” is the Garden of Eden, from which Adam and Eve were expelled by God in the “Fall of Man”.

6 Hamburger __: MENU

The hamburger button (☰) is a an icon used in graphical user interfaces, typically to represent a menu. It gets its name from its resemblance to a hamburger, with the three horizontal lines suggesting the bun and patty.

14 Honolulu Marathon landmark: ALOHA TOWER

Aloha Tower is a lighthouse that sits at Pier 9 in Honolulu Harbor. Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii for many years, standing at 10 stories with a 40 foot flag mast on top.

18 Supermodel who wrote the kids book “What Are You Hungry For?”: EMME

Emme is the highest-paid plus-size model in the world. She was born Melissa Miller in New York City, and was raised in Saudi Arabia.

22 Renege (on): BAIL

To renege on something is to back out of it. It’s a verb commonly used in card games like bridge and whist. A renege is when a player doesn’t follow suit, even though there may be a card of the suit led in his/her hand.

27 “Inside the Actors Studio” host: LIPTON

“Inside the Actors Studio” is an incredibly successful show that ran for 23 from 1994 until 2019, with the vast majority of episodes hosted by James Lipton . At its essence, the show is an extremely comprehensive interview by Lipton of celebrities from the world of film. Over the years, 74 Oscar winners appeared, with the first broadcast featuring Paul Newman, and the last Lupita Nyong’o.

28 Rogan josh accompaniment: NAAN

Rogan josh is a curried, aromatic dish from Kashmiri cuisine that is made with red meat. The traditional Kashmiri recipe does not include tomatoes, but many western versions base the sauce on tomato.

29 Slow roller across the infield: TARPAULIN

Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

32 Word before mirabilis or horribilis: ANNUS …

“Annus mirabilis”, Latin for “year of wonders”, most famously refers to 1666, a year of remarkable calamity in England (the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London) and remarkable intellectual achievement, particularly for Isaac Newton. Despite the widespread devastation, Newton made groundbreaking discoveries during that time, in calculus, optics, and the law of universal gravitation. The term “Annus mirabilis” has since been used to describe other years marked by significant and contrasting events.

“Annus horribilis” a Latin phrase meaning “horrible year”, which complements the earlier phrase “annus mirabilis” meaning “wonderful year”. The former gained widespread recognition after Queen Elizabeth II used it in a speech in 1992 to describe a particularly difficult year for the British Royal Family. The queen’s 1992 was characterized by scandals, marital breakdowns, and a fire at Windsor Castle.

35 Miu Miu parent company: PRADA

Miu Miu is positioned as the more youthful sister brand owned by the fashion house Prada. It was founded in 1992 by Miuccia Prada, with the name “Miu Miu” coming from Ms. Prada’s own family nickname.

36 Versatile rides: TEN-SPEEDS

Ten-speed bikes are characterized by their two front chainrings and five rear cogs providing ten gears. They were also commonly referred to as derailleur bikes or simply road bikes during their heyday in the mid to late 20th century. The term “ten-speed” distinguishes the design from the simpler single-speed or three-speed “cruiser” bikes.

38 Avalon, for one: ISLE

Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legends. The name Avalon probably comes from the word “afal”, the Welsh word for “apple”, reflecting the fact that the island was noted for its beautiful apples. Avalon is where King Arthur’s famous sword “Excalibur” was forged, and supposedly where Arthur was buried.

40 Wasabi product: PASTE

Sometimes called Japanese horseradish, wasabi is a root used as a condiment in Japanese cooking. The taste of wasabi is more like mustard than a hot pepper in that the vapors that create the “hotness” stimulate the nasal passages rather than the tongue. Personally, I love the stuff …

42 “Grief Is for People” memoirist Crosley: SLOANE

Sloane Crosley is an American essayist and novelist known for her sharp wit and insightful observations. Beyond her writings, Crosley has also made appearances as herself in television shows. Notably, she appeared in an episode of the popular series “Gossip Girl” in 2011. Additionally, she had multiple appearances on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” between 2010 and 2014.

43 Short curls?: PERM

“Perm” is the common name given to a permanent wave, a chemical or thermal treatment of hair to produce waves or curls.

44 French greeting: SALUT!

In French, “salut” means “hi”, and is less formal than “bonjour”. The former term can also be used as a friendly toast.

50 Nutrient in shellfish: IRON

Iron is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in numerous bodily functions, most notably in the transport of oxygen. It is a key component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

53 Brie feature: RIND

Brie is a soft cheese that is named for the French region in which it originated. Brie is similar to the equally famous (and delicious) Camembert. Brie is often served baked in puff pastry with fig jam.

55 Winged goddess: ISIS

Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

Down

1 Flip response: SASS

The adjectives “flip” and “flippant” mean the same thing, namely “frivolously disrespectful, lacking in seriousness”.

2 Purina brand: ALPO

Alpo is a brand of dog food introduced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo dog food in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

Purina began business in 1894 as an operation for producing feed for farm animals. A few years later, in 1902, the Ralston name was introduced when Webster Edgerly joined the business. Edgerly was the founder of a controversial social movement called Ralstonism. Central to the movement was personal health, with RALSTON standing for Regime, Activity, Light, Strength, Temperation, Oxygen and Nature. Ralston Purina was acquired by Nestlé in 2001.

5 Capital on New Providence: NASSAU

Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas, and used to be called Charles Town. Located on the island of New Providence, the original settlement was burnt to the ground by the Spanish in 1684. It was rebuilt and named Nassau in honor of King William III of England (“William of Orange”), a Dutchman from the House of Orange-Nassau. Nassau is a favored location for the James Bond series of movies. The city and surroundings feature in “Thunderball”, “Never Say Never Again”, “Casino Royale” and “For Your Eyes Only”. Bond portrayer Sean Connery lived for many years at Lyford Cay, which is just a 30-min drive from the center of Nassau.

7 Tree hut dweller on Endor: EWOK

The fictional forested moon of Endor features prominently in the “Star Wars” movie “Return of the Jedi”. The moon is home to the race of furry aliens known as Ewoks. Filming for the forest scenes actually took place in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Northern California.

8 Up-to-the-minute media: NEWSWIRES

A news agency (also “newswire, wire service”) is an agency that collects news reports and sells them on to other news organizations. The big three news agencies are Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP), and Reuters.

12 Shakespearean Athenian: TIMON

Timon of Athens was noted for renouncing society, for being someone who despised mankind. Timon started out life as a wealthy man, but he lost all his money by pandering to the needs of his friends. Without money, Timon’s friends deserted him. Timon became rich again when he found a pot of gold, and so his friends sought him out once more. Timon was very embittered and so drove everyone away and lived the rest of his life as a hermit. Centuries after he died, Timon of Athens was to become the title character in “Timon of Athens”, a play by William Shakespeare

26 Mexico : enchiladas :: Italy : __: CANNELLONI

Cannelloni differs from manicotti, even though both are essentially tubes of pasta. Manicotti (Italian for “sleeves”) are pre-shaped tubes. Cannelloni (Italian for “large reeds”) are rectangular sheets of pasta that are rolled into tubes after having been stuffed with some filling.

“Enchilada” is the past participle of the Spanish word “enchilar” meaning “to add chili pepper to”. An enchilada is basically a corn tortilla rolled around some filling and then covered in chili pepper sauce. The term “big enchilada” is used in the same way as we would use “big cheese” i.e. to refer to the top dog. The phrase was popularized in the sixties when John Ehrlichman refers to Attorney General John Mitchell as “the big enchilada” on one of the Watergate Tapes. Similarly, the term “whole enchilada” emerged in the early sixties, used alongside such phrases as “whole nine yards”, “whole shebang” and “whole ball of wax”.

28 2019 W.S. champ: NAT

The 2019 World Series was played between the American League’s Houston Astros and the National League’s Washington Nationals. The Nationals emerged victorious, and were crowned champions for the first time. The last time a D.C. team won the world series was back in 1924, when the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants.

33 Lean cuisine consumer of yore: SPRAT

“Jack Sprat” is a nickname given in the 16th century to people of small stature. Jack featured in a proverb of the day:

Jack will eat not fat, and Jull doth love no leane. Yet betwixt them both they lick the dishes cleane.

Over time, this mutated into a nursery rhyme that is still recited in England:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. And so between them both, you see, they licked the platter clean.

42 Garments that may feature gota patti embroidery: SARIS

Gota patti, also known as “gota work”, is a traditional. intricate form of embroidery that originated in Rajasthan, in northern India. It employs an appliqué technique where small pieces of zari ribbon, often gold or silver, are sewn onto the fabric to create elaborate and decorative patterns.

44 Speaker on some devices: SIRI

Siri was originally developed as a standalone app by a startup company of the same name. Apple acquired the company in 2010 and integrated the technology into their operating system.