LA Times Crossword 22 Jul 25, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Ed Sessa

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: A Piece of Cake

Themed answers each start with a kind of CAKE. One letter in each of those CAKES (A PIECE) is circled, and together spell out “CAKE”:

51A “Nothing to it!,” and what each circled letter literally is? : A PIECE OF CAKE

20A Indonesian archipelago now known as the Moluccas : SPICE ISLANDS (spice cake)
27A Thorny garden flowers : TEA ROSES (tea cake)
35A Shake, rattle, and roll at a concert : ROCK OUT (rock cake)
45A Absorb, as spilled milk : SPONGE UP (sponge cake)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 42s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Marx brother known for silent gags : HARPO

Harpo Marx was the second-eldest of the Marx brothers. His real name was Adolph, and he earned his nickname because he played the harp. Famously, Harpo didn’t speak on screen, a routine that he developed after reading a review that he performed really well when he just didn’t speak! He would usually whistle or toot a hand-held horn instead of speaking.

14A “Rush Rush” singer Paula : ABDUL

“Rush Rush” was Paula Abdul’s first ballad released as a single, marking a significant stylistic departure from the uptempo dance-pop hits that defined her debut album. The song’s music video recreated scenes from the classic film “Rebel Without a Cause”, with Keanu Reeves playing the James Dean role, and Abdul the role played by Natalie Wood.

16A Walesa of Poland’s Solidarity movement : LECH

Lech Walesa worked as an electrician in the Gdansk Shipyards in Poland. He was active in the trade union movement in the days when unions were not welcome behind the Iron Curtain. His efforts resulted in the founding of Solidarity, the first independent trade union in Soviet-controlled territory. For his work, Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and in 1990 he became the first democratically elected President of Poland. He has lost support in Poland in recent years, but he is a very popular booking on the international speaking circuit.

19A Draft category : ONE-A

The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

20A Indonesian archipelago now known as the Moluccas : SPICE ISLANDS

The name “Spice Islands” refers to the Moluccas, an archipelago in Indonesia, which historically were the only source of valuable spices like cloves, nutmeg, and mace. This made them a crucial hub in global trade routes, attracting European colonial powers for centuries.

23A “Fiddlesticks!” : OH DARN!

We’ve been using “fiddlesticks” to mean “nonsense” since the early 17th century. Prior to that time, “fiddlestick” just referred to the bow of a fiddle.

27A Thorny garden flowers : TEA ROSES

The first tea roses were so called because they had a fragrance reminiscent of Chinese black tea.

30A Mardi Gras, for one : FEST

“Mardi Gras” translates from French as “Fat Tuesday”, and the holiday gets its name from the practice of eating rich foods on the eve of the fasting season known as Lent. Lent starts on the next day, called Ash Wednesday.

31A Alpo rival : IAMS

Iams dog food was introduced by animal nutritionist Paul Iams. He felt that household pets were suffering somewhat by being fed a diet of table scraps, so he developed dry dog food that he felt was more nutritious and suitable for pet dogs. He founded the Iams company, now part of Procter & Gamble, in 1946.

32A Tire inflation abbr. : PSI

Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.

33A Currency of Montreal and Toronto: Abbr. : CAD

Canadian dollar (CAD)

34A Fuel additive brand : STP

STP is a brand name of automotive lubricants and additives. The name “STP” is an initialism standing for “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

40A Vietnamese New Year : 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.

41A Move like a kangaroo : HOP

The word “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “Kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

42A “Enchanted” girl in a fantasy comedy : ELLA

“Ella Enchanted” is a fantasy novel written by Gail Carson Levine, and published in 1997. It is a retelling of the story of Cinderella, with lots of mythical creatures added. A film adaptation was released in 2004 that features Anne Hathaway in the title role.

43A Lab container : VIAL

A vial is a small vessel, usually closed or closable, used to hold liquids. The term “vial” is derivative of the older “phial” that has the same meaning and is still used.

50A Hybrid big cats : LIGERS

The tiger is the largest species in the cat family. Tigers have been known to breed with lions. A liger is a cross between a male lion and female tiger. A tigon is a cross between a female lion and a male tiger.

60A Teen sleuth Nancy : DREW

I loved the “Nancy Drew” mysteries as a kid. They were written by a number of ghost writers, all of whom went by the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The character was introduced by publisher Edward Stratemeyer in 1930. Nancy Drew’s boyfriend is Ned Nickerson, a college student from Emerson.

62A Sculpture trunk : TORSO

“Torso” (plural “torsi”) is an Italian word meaning “trunk of a statue”, and is a term that we imported into English.

63A Canadian gas brand : ESSO

The Esso brand has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

64A Glaswegian, e.g. : SCOT

Glasgow sits on the River Clyde, and is the largest city in Scotland and. Back in the Victorian Era, Glasgow earned a reputation for excellence in shipbuilding and was known as “Second City of the British Empire”. Glasgow shipyards were the birthplaces of such famous vessels as the Lusitania, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. People from Glasgow are known as Glaswegians.

Down

1D “Everything __ Changed”: Taylor Swift song : HAS

“Everything Has Changed” is a duet by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran from Swift’s 2012 album, “Red”. The pair wrote the song while sitting on a trampoline in Swift’s backyard.

3D Food stat : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

4D Some neutron stars and analog watches : PULSARS

A pulsar is a rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation. As the beam is not emitted in all directions, it is only seen from Earth when at particular rotations, hence creating a cycle of pulsed gamma rays known as the lighthouse effect.

The watch brand Pulsar gained prominence in 1972 with the launch of the world’s first electronic digital watch. The innovative timepiece, initially priced at a hefty $2,100 (equivalent to over $14,000 today!), used a red LED display that required the wearer to push a button to see the time, due to the high power consumption. I remember my first digital watch. When I pressed that button beside a radio, the watch emitted some annoying interference signal.

7D Jiffy __: chain that specializes in oil changes : LUBE

Jiffy Lube is an automotive service chain that specializes in quick oil changes. The Jiffy Lube slogan is “The Well-Oiled Machine”.

9D Artist’s primer : GESSO

“Gesso” is the Italian word for “chalk” and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. Gesso is mixed with glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.

11D Reddish brown dyes used in body art : HENNAS

Henna has been used for centuries as a dye, for leather and wool as well as hair and skin. In modern days, henna is often used for temporary tattoos.

23D R&B legend Redding : OTIS

Otis Redding is often referred to as the “King of Soul”, and what a voice he had. Like so many of the greats in the world of popular music it seems, Redding was killed in a plane crash, in 1967 when he was just 26 years old. Just three days earlier he had recorded what was to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”.

29D Many Punjabis : SIKHS

Sikhism is a religion that was founded in the Punjab region, which straddles the India-Pakistan border. Even though Sikhism was established relatively recently, it is now the fifth-largest organized religion in the world. Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak.

33D Rounded roof : CUPOLA

A cupola is a small dome-like structure on the top of a building. “Cupola” comes from the Latin “cupula” meaning “small cup”.

35D Artifact : RELIC

A relic is something that has survived from the past, reminding us of that past. In the world of religion, a relic is an object revered due to its association with a saint or martyr.

36D Alley-__ pass : OOP

An alley-oop is a play in basketball in which one player lobs the ball close to the basket for a teammate who usually scores with a slam dunk.

37D Not aweather : ALEE

Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather. The sheltered side of an island, for example, might be referred to as the “lee” side.

44D Spring blooms with beards : IRISES

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

46D Soviet premier Khrushchev : NIKITA

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev only ever made two visits to the United States. The second visit was in September 1960 without an invitation, when he appointed himself temporary head of the USSR delegation to the United Nations. The US responded to his unannounced visit by limiting his travel to the island of Manhattan and visits to a Soviet-owned estate on Long Island. During one of the debates at the UN, Khrushchev became outraged at a statement made by the Filipino delegate who called the Soviets two-faced for decrying colonialism while forcibly dominating and occupying Eastern Europe. Khrushchev demanded the right to reply immediately, and when the Filipino delegate refused to yield, the Soviet leader famously took off his shoe and began to pound it on his desk.

47D “Hoarders” airer : A AND E

“Hoarders” is a documentary show on the A&E channel that tells the stories of real-life people who suffer from compulsive hoarding. The show ran for six seasons before being canceled in 2013.

48D Aquatic barkers : SEALS

There are three families of seals. The first is the walrus family, the second the eared seals (like sea lions), and thirdly the earless seals (like elephant seals).

49D Hedgehog mascot of Sega : SONIC

Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega, the computer game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot Mario.

53D Gadget reviews site : CNET

CNET is a technology website, with the acronym “CNET” standing for “computer network”. It started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a CNET show.

57D Unit of energy : ERG

An erg is a unit of mechanical work or energy. It is a small unit, with one joule comprising 10 million ergs. It has been suggested that an erg is about the amount of energy required for a mosquito to take off. The term comes from “ergon”, the Greek word for work.

58D Biblical beast : ASS

The ass or donkey is mentioned several times in the Bible. One of the most-quoted biblical stories involving an ass is the story of Balaam. Balaam was a diviner who appears in the Book of Numbers in. In one account, Balaam is held to task by an angel for particularly cruel treatment of an ass.