LA Times Crossword 27 Aug 25, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Aaron Ullman

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Mini Splits

Themed answers each include The word “MINI” hidden within, but SPLIT into two pieces:

• 58A Zoned climate control options, and what this puzzle’s circled letters form : MINI SPLITS

17A Traditional social group : FAMILY UNIT
23A Historic hockey game at Lake Placid : MIRACLE ON ICE
36A Dress blues, e.g. : MILITARY UNIFORM
48A Setting for amateur hour : OPEN MIC NIGHT

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

Bill’s time: 8m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Tropical flora : PALMS

Palms are perennial flowering plants that take many forms, some as shrubs and some as vines, for example. Some take on a tree-like shape, with a woody stem topped by a crown of leaves. Such palms are usually referred to as “palm trees”. The coco de mer palm tree has the largest seeds of any plant on the planet. We are more familiar with the coconut palm tree, which has the second-largest plant seeds known.

10A Lhasa __ : APSO

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

14A Word after solar or lens : FLARE

A solar flare is a sudden energy release from the surface of the Sun that can be perceived as a flash of brightness and an eruption of magnetic energy. That magnetic energy reaches the Earth about two days after the event, and can disrupt long-range radio communications on our planet. The location of solar flares has been strongly linked to sunspot groups, groups of dark spots on the Sun’s surface.

Lens flare is an optical effect where light scatters within a camera lens, often from a bright source like the sun. Such scattering can reduce image contrast, making it look “washed out”, and create visible artifacts like rings or starbursts.

21A Prima __: at first sight : FACIE

“Prima facie” is Latin for “first encounter” or “at first sight”. In the world of the law, a prima facie case is one in which the evidence is deemed to be sufficient for a judgment to be made unless the evidence is contested.

23A Historic hockey game at Lake Placid : MIRACLE ON ICE

Team USA won the gold medal in men’s hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. The victory was a surprising one given the decades-long dominance of the USSR team. The “big result” for the American team was the epic victory against the Soviets, a victory often referred to as the “Miracle on Ice”. The US went on to defeat Finland in the final and secured the gold medal. The moniker “miracle” comes from words uttered by sportscaster Al Michaels, who was calling the game for ABC. He declared, in the final seconds, “Do you believe in miracles?! Yes!”

25A “Love is __, love is kind … ” : PATIENT

The phrase “Love is patient, love is kind” comes from the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 4. It is one of the most widely quoted and popular scriptures, particularly in Western wedding ceremonies.

30A What Diaper Genie filters trap : ODORS

A Diaper Genie is a container that accepts used diapers, seals them using a scented film, and holds them for disposal when the container is full. When the diapers are removed, they are enclosed in a string of film that some folks call a “diaper sausage”.

33A Long of “The Best Man Holiday” : NIA

Nia Long is an actress who is probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

“The Best Man” is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Malcolm D. Lee, cousin of celebrated filmmaker Spike Lee. It stars Taye Diggs and Nia Long, and follows a group of college friends who reunite for the wedding of one of their own. The movie’s success led to a 2013 sequel titled “The Best Man Holiday”.

36A Dress blues, e.g. : MILITARY UNIFORM

Dress blues are a formal type of military uniform worn by various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. While the specific shades of blue and details vary by service, these uniforms are typically worn for ceremonial occasions, parades, and other formal events.

41A Genesis : ONSET

“Genesis” is a Greek word meaning “origin, creation” that was absorbed into Latin, and then into English. We use the Latin plural “geneses”.

43A Deer dad : HART

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and the females called cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

53A Starr on the skins : RINGO

Richard Starkey, better known as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Known for his unique drumming style and genial personality, he also had a successful solo career after the band’s breakup, with hits like “It Don’t Come Easy” and “Photograph”. I was lucky enough to see Ringo live, with his All-Starr Band, and what a great concert that was …

“Skins” is a slang or informal term describing drums. It specifically refers to the drumheads, which were historically made from animal skins.

54A Distracted driving awareness TV spot, e.g. : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

58A Zoned climate control options, and what this puzzle’s circled letters form : MINI SPLITS

Central air conditioning relies on extensive ductwork to transport cool air from an outdoor compressor/condenser. A ductless mini-split system consists of one or more indoor air-handling units, connected by a small conduit to the outdoor compressor/condenser. This latter design is efficient for heating and cooling individual rooms or “zones”.

62A Alternative to a fidget spinner : POP IT!

Pop It! is a popular fidget toy with “poppable bubbles” similar to bubble wrap. It saw a massive surge in popularity in the spring of 2021, thanks in part to TikTok influencers and the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mechanical design was originally invented in 1975 by Theo and Ora Coster, a married couple behind games like Guess Who? and Zingo!.

64A Maritime hazard : BERG

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that is floating freely after having broken away from a glacier or ice shelf. Our use of “iceberg” comes from the Dutch word for the same phenomenon “ijsberg”, which translates literally as “ice mountain”.

65A Calendario starter : ENERO

In Spanish, we start “el año” (the year) in “enero” (January) as noted on a “calendario” (calendar).

Down

3D Prop in “Aladdin” : LAMP

“Aladdin” is a famous tale in “Arabian Nights”, also called “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights”. However, there is no evidence at all that the story was in the original collection. It is generally believed that one Antoine Galland introduced the tale when he translated “Arabian Nights” into French in the early 1700s.

4D 3D diagnostic tool : MRI

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

5D Pic taken at arm’s length : SELFIE

A selfie is a self-portrait, one usually taken with a digital camera or cell phone. A “group selfie” is sometimes referred to as a “groufie” or “wefie”. A “couple selfie” is known as an “usie” or “ussie”, although those terms are sometimes also used for a group picture.

7D Viking garment : TUNIC

Norse explorers, often referred to as Vikings, were remarkable for their long-distance voyages. Around 1000 CE, they established a settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, making them the first Europeans known to have reached North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

8D Sales pitch : SPIEL

A spiel is a lengthy speech or argument designed to persuade, like a sales pitch. “Spiel” comes to us from German, either directly (“spiel” is the German for “play”) or via the Yiddish “shpil”.

10D “Crazy Rich ___”: Jon M. Chu rom-com : ASIANS

“Crazy Rich Asians” is a 2018 rom-com based on a 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan. The film garnered a lot of attention and accolades, not only for the quality of the script and performances. It was the first major Hollywood movie to feature a principal cast of Asian descent since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club”.

Jon M. Chu is a movie and television director who is perhaps known for directing 2018’s highly-acclaimed film “Crazy Rich Asians”. Chu’s firstborn child is named “Willow”, after the 1998 film “Willow”. His second-born child is named “Jonathan Heights”, after the 2021 movie “In the Heights”.

11D Tacky method of communication? : POST-IT NOTE

The Post-it note was invented at 3M following the accidental discovery of a low-tack, reusable adhesive. The actual intent of the development program was to produce a super-strong adhesive.

12D Video game character who attacks by rolling into a ball : 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.

18D Michaels purchase, perhaps : YARN

Michaels is North America’s largest arts and crafts retail chain. It was founded in 1973 in Dallas, by Michael J. Dupey, when he transformed a struggling five-and-dime store into an arts and crafts shop.

22D “Scandal” actress Portia de __ : ROSSI

Portia de Rossi is an actress from Australia who played Nelle Porter on “Ally McBeal” and Lindsay Bluth/Fünke on “Arrested Development”. Off the screen, de Rossi is famous as the wife of Ellen DeGeneres, whom she married in 2008.

“Scandal” is a political drama TV show centered on a former White House Communications Director named Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington. Pope has a complicated relationship with her ex-boss President Fitzgerald Grant, and therefore a complicated relationship with the First Lady. I haven’t seen this one …

23D “Bosch” actress Rogers : MIMI

Mimi Rogers is a favorite actress of mine, although she hasn’t really had the starring roles in big movies. Off screen. Rogers is famous for her association with her second husband, Tom Cruise. It was Mimi who introduced Tom to Scientology. Mimi Rogers can also be seen playing a lot of so-called “celebrity poker”, and she is on the board of directors of the World Poker Tour.

“Bosch” is a well-written police drama series produced by Amazon Studios. The title character, detective Harry Bosch, is portrayed by Titus Welliver. Harry Bosch features in a series of novels by Michael Connelly, who is also the TV show’s creator.

25D Soft, strong cotton : PIMA

Pima is a soft cotton that is very durable and absorbent. It is named for the Pima Native Americans who first cultivated it in this part of the world.

34D Element that makes blood red : IRON

Heme (also “haem”) is an organic structure containing iron, and is a component of hemoglobin, the protein that transports primarily oxygen around the body. It is the “heme” in “hemoglobin” that binds the oxygen atoms. A plant-derived version of heme is the magic ingredient in the famous Impossible Burger that has become so popular on vegetarian menus.

37D “The Christmas Song” composer Mel : TORME

The Christmas classic known as “The Christmas Song”, which starts out with the line “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, was written in 1944 by Bob Wells and singer Mel Tormé. According to Tormé, the song was actually written on a very hot summer day, with Wells providing the lyrics. Apparently without the intention of writing a song, Wells jotted down four “Christmassy” phrases in an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool”. Those phrases were:

• Chestnuts roasting
• Jack Frost nipping
• Yuletide carols
• Folks dressed up like Eskimos

“The Christmas Song” is now the most-performed Christmas song in the world.

38D Body prefix : ANTI-

Antibodies are y-shaped proteins that recognize antigens on foreign bodies in the body such as bacteria and viruses. The antibodies combine with those foreign bodies and neutralize them.

39D Like Formula One cars : FAST

In motor racing, the designation “formula” is a set of rules that all participants and cars must abide by. The definition of “Formula One” was agreed back in 1946, with the “one” designating that it is the most advanced of the “formulae”, and the most competitive.

44D Places for spats : ANKLES

Spats are footwear accessories that cover the ankle and instep. Spats were primarily worn by men, and originally had the purpose of protecting shoes and socks from mud or rain. Eventually, spats became a feature in stylish dress. The term “spats” is a contraction of “spatterdashes”.

47D “Ye Olde” boutique : SHOPPE

The word “olde” wasn’t actually used much earlier than the 1920s. “Olde” was introduced to give a quaint antique feel to brand names, shop names etc. as in “Ye Olde Shoppe”.

50D Focus of forensics shows : CRIME

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

51D Brock Purdy, for one : NINER

San Francisco 49er quarterback Brock Purdy had a remarkable start in the NFL. He was the
very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, earning him the title of “Mr. Irrelevant”. Despite this, due to injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy unexpectedly became the 49ers’ starter midway through his rookie season. He then led the team on an impressive winning streak, helping them reach the NFC Championship game.

54D Half-___: skate park element : PIPE

Half-pipes and quarter-pipes are ramped structures used in extreme sports, such as skateboarding, snowboarding and freestyle BMX.

58D Group of meerkats : MOB

The meerkat (also called “suricate”) is a mongoose-like mammal that is native to parts of Africa including the Kalahari and Namib Deserts

59D Chaney of old films : LON

Lon Chaney, Sr. played a lot of crazed-looking characters in the days of silent movies. He did much of his own make-up work, developing the grotesque appearances that became his trademark, and earning himself the nickname “the man of a thousand faces”. Most famous were his portrayals of the title characters in the films “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925).