LA Times Crossword 30 Aug 25, Saturday

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Constructed by: Brian Callahan & Matthew Luter

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 9m 39s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Jimmy who plays Senator Bail Organa : SMITS

Jimmy Smits’ most noted acting roles are probably Victor Sifuentes on “L.A. Law” and President Matt Santos on “The West Wing”. Smits is very fond of playing jai alai in a local league in his hometown of Los Angeles.

In the “Star Wars” universe, Bail Organa is the adoptive father of Princess Leia Organa. The adoption comes about on the death of Leia’s mother Padmé, and the transition of Leia’s father Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader.

In the “Star Wars” universe, Padmé Amidala is the Queen of the planet Naboo. Played very ably by Natalie Portman, Padmé becomes the secret wife of Anakin Skywalker, later revealed to be Darth Vader. As such, Padmé is also the mother of Luke Skywalker and his sister, Princess Leia Organa.

6A Luge, e.g. : SLED

“Luge” is a French word meaning “sled”. It describes a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head-first. Yikes!

10A Focus of a theme park that began in Billund, Denmark : LEGO

There are currently six Legoland theme parks in the world, with two here in North America. One of the US parks is in Winter Haven, Florida and the other is in Carlsbad, California (which is the one that I’ve visited … a fun place).

Billund is a town in the Jutland peninsula of Denmark. It is home to the head office of the Lego company, and also home to Denmark’s second-largest airport.

14A Like the Igbo language : TONAL

The Igbo (also “Ibo”) people are an ethnic group living in southeastern Nigeria.

18A One reading supertitles, maybe : OPERAGOER

Surtitles (also “supertitles”) at an opera are similar to subtitles in a film. Translations of the libretto are projected above the stage for the benefit of the audience.

20A “Voyage to India” singer : ARIE

“Voyage to India” is a 2002 studio album released by singer India Arie. The album’s title is the name of an instrumental written and released by Stevie Wonder, a performer much admired by Arie.

21A Aggressive headspace : BEAST MODE

“To go beast mode” means “to unleash your inner beast”. It’s about tapping into a primal, aggressive energy to achieve a goal, usually in a competitive or challenging situation. The phrase is often used in sports and fitness, but it can apply to any situation where someone is giving it their all and dominating.

22A Places for boxers to be washed : PET SPAS

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.

25A One who is a pro at getting into people’s heads? : ENT

Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

28A Currency of Ont. : CAD

Canadian dollar (CAD)

29A Emotion that leads to suffering, per Yoda : HATE

Yoda’s iconic line, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering”, is a pearl of wisdom from the “Star Wars” universe. It comes from “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”. The idea of one negative emotion inevitably leading to another finds strong parallels in real-world philosophical traditions. Ancient Stoic philosophers taught that destructive emotions like fear and anger stem from faulty judgments and that cultivating virtue and rational thought is essential to achieving a state of inner tranquility. Listen to the Stoics or the Jedi: up to you …

33A “What bizarre behavior!” : WHO EVEN DOES THAT?!

“Bizarre” is a French word, one with the same meaning in English. However, back in the 16th century, “bizarre” used to mean “handsome, brave” in French. I guess that’s what my wife means when she refers to me as “bizarre” or “bizarro” …

38A Flap on a zebu : DEWLAP

A dewlap is a flap of skin that hangs below the neck of some creatures. Dewlaps are found on anything from dogs to iguanas.

Zebu cattle are most often seen on the Indian subcontinent. They’re the sub-species with the fatty hump on their shoulders, droopy ears and a large dewlap (flap of skin under the neck).

39A “The Demon of Unrest” author Larson : ERIK

“The Demon of Unrest” is an example of Erik Larson’s ability to pen narrative non-fiction. He is known for meticulously researching historical periods (in this case, the tense five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the bombardment of Fort Sumter the following April) and creating a narrative that reads more like a novel than a history book.

41A Plagiarizes : CRIBS

A crib is plagiarism. It is most commonly the copying of an answer in an examination.

44A Winter libation : NOG

The word “libation” comes from the Latin verb “libare” meaning “to pour”, often “to pour as an offering”. Back in the 14th century, “libation” referred specifically to the ritualistic act of pouring wine in honor of a god. Nowadays, we tend to use “libation” as a somewhat more formal or even ornate way to simply refer to any drink.

45A “Yo te __” : AMO

In Spanish, one might say “yo te amo” (I love you) “con flores” (with flowers).

51A New York stadium namesake : ASHE

Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York opened in 1997, and is the largest outdoor, tennis-only venue in the world. The stadium was often criticized for not having a retractable dome to protect the playing surface from inclement weather. Well, that changed in 2016 when the stadium debuted its new retractable roof, a $150 million investment in the facility.

53A Plagiarize : STEAL

To plagiarize is to pass off the writings of another as one’s own. The term comes from the Latin “plagiare” meaning “to kidnap”.

55A “Crying in H __”: Michelle Zauner memoir : MART

Singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner began releasing music as the front person of the band Japanese Breakfast in 2013. The group’s third album, “Jubilee”, made it into the Billboard 200, and was grammy nominated. Zauner released an acclaimed memoir, ‘Crying in H Mart”, that spent 60 weeks on “The New York Times” hardcover non-fiction bestseller list.

Down

7D “”New Rules” singer Dua : LIPA

“New Rules” is a 2017 song released by English singer Dua Lipa. The lyrics are about the singer setting new rules for herself to help get over an ex-boyfriend. The success of the song is attributed by some to the popularity of the accompanying music video. It shows Lipa in a hotel room with very supportive friends who are encouraging her to be strong, and not get back together with her ex.

11D Phase of self-surrender in Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey : EGO DEATH

Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” posits that the archetypal heroes in many of the world’s myths follow similar paths through their lives. It has been described as a landmark work, and its conclusions have been cited as influencing the likes of George Lucas when writing his “Star Wars” epics.

12D Mochi option : GREEN TEA

Mochi is a sweet rice cake in Japanese cuisine. Special versions of mochi are produced for certain times of the year or holidays, e.g. New Year, spring time, Children’s Day and Girls’ Day.

13D Whitman’s “Gliding __ All” : O’ER

Here is the text of Walt Whitman’s poem “Gliding o’er all”, published in collection “Leaves of Grass: Book XX”:

Gliding o’er all, through all,
Through Nature, Time, and Space,
As a ship on the waters advancing,
The voyage of the soul—not life alone,
Death, many deaths I’ll sing.

19D Acker of “The Gifted” : AMY

Actress Amy Acker is probably best known for her roles on TV, on “Angel”, “Alias”, “Person of Interest” and “The Gifted”.

“The Gifted” is a superhero TV series inspired by the X-Men characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The show presents an alternate timeline to the “X-Men” series of films, one in which the X-Men have disappeared. Two non-mutant parents take their kids on the run when they discover that the youngsters have mutant powers.

23D Head outside? : PRIVY

“Privy” is slang for “outhouse, toilet”, and is a term that presumably comes from “private”.

In old sailing ships, the toilet area for the regular sailors was located in the forward part (the head) of the ship. As a result, the term “head” has been used since then for any toilet on board a boat.

26D __ cricket : TEST

Test matches are played between international teams in the sport of cricket, although the teams have to be ranked as “first-class” in order to play. A test match can take up to five days to produce a result.

29D Baking exercise? : HOT PILATES

Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

32D Pre-1917 rulers : TSARS

Imperial Russia was a period of Russian history that lasted from 1721 to 1917, when Russia was ruled by a series of Emperors known as tsars. The Russian Empire was officially claimed by Emperor Peter I, known as Peter the Great, after the defeat of the Swedish Empire and the end of the Great Northern War. The tsars lost their power when the Bolsheviks executed Tsar Nicholas II and his family in 1918 during the Russian Civil War. When the war ended in 1923, the Bolsheviks established the Soviet Union, which covered most of the territory occupied by the Russian Empire.

33D Architect Christopher : WREN

Sir Christopher Wren is known today as one of England’s most celebrated architects, responsible for rebuilding dozens of London churches after the Great Fire of London in 1666, including his masterpiece, St Paul’s Cathedral. He was initially a distinguished scientist. highly regarded as an astronomer, mathematician, and physicist. His scientific work even earned the admiration of Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal. Wren was also a founder and president of the prestigious Royal Society (the UK’s national academy of sciences).

36D Castilian hero : EL CID

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080, after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast in 1094, making it his headquarters and home. He died in Valencia, quite peacefully, in 1099.

The Kingdom of Castile was one seven medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. The name “Catile” comes from the large number of castles that were built across the kingdom.

43D Bogart film set in the desert : SAHARA

“Sahara” is a great desert war film starring Humphrey Bogart. There was a notable incident during filming where actor Kurt Kreuger, who played the stereotypical Nazi Captain von Schletow, nearly suffocated. During a scene where his character was being pressed into the sand, director Zoltán Korda reportedly forgot to yell “cut,” and co-star Rex Ingram became so immersed in his role that he kept pressing harder, causing Kreuger to lose consciousness.

45D Knee pt. : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).

46D Like brown ale : MALTY

Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried. The cereal is germinated by soaking it in water, and then germination is halted by drying the grains with hot air.

49D Hieroglyphic animals : ASPS

The prefix “hiero-” comes from the Greek word “hieros” meaning sacred or holy. The classic use of the prefix is in the term “hieroglyph” (meaning “sacred carving”), the writing system that uses symbols and pictures.