LA Times Crossword 30 Oct 25, Thursday

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Constructed by: Betsy Ochester & Andrew Gutell

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Snap, Crackle, Pop

Three of our themed answers are defined, in turn, by SNAP, CRACKLE and POP:

• 51A Breakfast cereal trio, and what 20-, 31-, and 38-Across are : SNAP CRACKLE POP

• 20A See 51-Across : SIMPLE FASTENER (SNAP)
• 31A See 51-Across : FIREPLACE SOUND (CRACKLE)
• 38A See 51-Across : GRAMMY CATEGORY (POP)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Fennellike herb : ANISE

The essential oil in the anise plant is anethole. Anethole has a licorice-like flavor, and is used extensively in cooking and to flavor several distilled alcoholic drinks.

Fennel is a hardy perennial plant species in the celery family that is used as a herb. It also goes by the name “sweet anise”. Personally, I can’t stand the stuff …

6A __ Jam Recordings : DEF

Def Jam is a US record label, one focused on hip hop music.

9A Talent, informally : CHOPS

The slang term “chops”, meaning “skill, talent”, originated with brass and wind musicians. Strong facial muscles and jaws, their “chops”, were essential for playing well.

14A Crow’s-feet treatment : BOTOX

Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin is a protein that can cause botulism, an extremely dangerous illness in humans and animals. Botulinum toxin is sold under the trade name “Botox”. Botox is used therapeutically and in cosmetic applications to weaken muscles, perhaps muscles that are in an uncontrollable spasm. The cosmetic application involves the paralyzing of facial muscles in order to eliminate or reduce wrinkles, at least for a few months.

15A Food label fig. : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

22A Anniversary pair? : ENS

There is a pair of letters N (ens) in the word “anniversary”.

23A Acai bowl grain : OAT

Açaí na tigela is a dish made from the frozen, mashed fruit of the açaí palm and served as a smoothie. Often topped with granola, banana, other berries and syrup, the dish is a specialty in much of Brazil. There’s even a savory version of açaí na tigela (“açaí in the bowl”) that includes shrimp or dried fish and tapioca. Açaí bowls are becoming very popular in North America, especially as a health food.

24A Progressive business: Abbr. : INS

Progressive is a popular auto insurance company, the one that uses the perky character named “Flo” as a spokesperson. Flo is played by comedian and actress Stephanie Courtney.

28A Blokes : MEN

“Bloke” is British slang for “fellow”. The etymology of “bloke” seems to have been lost in the mists of time.

35A Bear whose porridge was too cold : MAMA

The story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was first recorded in 1837 in England, although the narrative was around before it was actually written down. The original fairy tale was rather gruesome, but successive versions became more family-oriented. The character that eventually became Goldilocks was originally an elderly woman, and the three “nameless” bears became Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

37A Miss Piggy, for one : DIVA

The Muppet named Miss Piggy has a pretentious air, and so refers to herself as “moi”. In 1998, Miss Piggy even released her own perfume called “Moi”.

38A See 51-Across : GRAMMY CATEGORY (POP)

The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959 and focused on recognizing outstanding achievement in the recording industry. The idea of a Grammy Award came up when recording executives were working on the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the fifties. These executives concluded that there were many people in the recording industry deserving of accolades but who would probably never make it to the Walk of Fame. As a result, they founded the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Academy considered naming the award the “Eddies” after Thomas Edison, but then opted for “Grammy” after Edison’s invention: the gramophone.

43A Possible reason for a TV-MA rating : SEX

TV Parental Guidelines (TV-PG, TV-MA, etc.) were introduced in the US in 1997. Use of the rating system by broadcasters is entirely voluntary.

46A Agcy. created by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 : NRC

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (NRDA). The NRDA was merged with the Federal Energy Administration in 1977 to form the Department of Energy.

47A Sun, in Seville : SOL

The city of Seville (“Sevilla” in Spanish) is the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain. Seville is a favored setting for many operas including “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini, “Fidelio” by Beethoven and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and “The Marriage of Figaro”.

48A Texting letters : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

51A Breakfast cereal trio, and what 20-, 31-, and 38-Across are : SNAP CRACKLE POP

Snap, Crackle and Pop are three elves employed as the mascots for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies. The trio first appeared in an ad campaign in 1933, although the phrase “snap, crackle and pop” had been used for the cereal for some time in radio ads. By the way, the elves are selling “Rice Bubbles” in Australia, and the elves have different names in other parts of the world (like “Cric!, Crac! and Croc!” in Québec).

57A Zinc __ : OXIDE

Zinc oxide is a popular ingredient in sunscreens as it blocks both UVA and UVB components of ultraviolet light.

60A Solar energy collector : PANEL

Solar panels are arrays of solar cells that make use of what’s known as the photovoltaic effect. We are more likely to have learned about the photoelectric effect in school, in which electrons were ejected from the surface of some materials when it was exposed to light or other forms of radiation. The photovoltaic effect is related but different. Instead of being electrons ejected from the surface, in the photovoltaic effect electrons move around in the material creating a difference in voltage.

61A Was a straphanger, say : STOOD

“Straphanger” is a slang term for someone who rides the subway or a bus, i.e. stands in the vehicle hanging onto a strap to maintain balance.

Down

4D Italian wedding __ : SOUP

Wedding soup consists of meat and green vegetables in a broth, and is found on the menus of many Italian restaurants in the US. The name “wedding soup” is really a misnomer, a mistranslation of the “minestra maritata”. The Italian name translates as “married soup”, a reference to the pairing of meat and vegetables.

7D “Cimarron” novelist Ferber : EDNA

“Cimarron” is a 1929 novel by Edna Ferber that was adapted into a film of the same name two years later. The novel is all about the Oklahoma Land Rush. Unsettled land back then was known as Cimarron Territory, a familiar name used by settlers, giving the title to the novel. There is a 1931 film adaptation that won three of that season’s Oscars, including the award for Outstanding Production.

8D Helpful pgs. : FAQS

Most websites have a page listing answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Even this blog has one!

21D O.K. Corral surname : EARP

The famous Earp brothers of the Wild West were Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan. All three brothers participated in what has to be the most famous gunfight in the history of the Old West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Strangely enough, the fight didn’t happen at the O.K. Corral, but took place six doors down the street in a vacant lot next to a photography studio.

25D “The Lair of the White Worm” novelist Stoker : BRAM

Bram Stoker’s final novel was 1911’s “The Lair of the White Worm”, a horror story that some critics have called one of the worst novels of all time. It was adapted into a 1988 cult classic film starring a young Hugh Grant.

27D Vier plus vier : ACHT

In German “vier und vier” (four and four) adds up to “acht” (eight).

28D “ABC World News Tonight” anchor David : MUIR

Journalist and TV anchor David Muir started hosting the show “ABC World News Tonight with David Muir” in 2014, and co-anchoring “20/20” in 2013. Apparently, Muir’s reporting received more airtime than any other American journalist in 2012 and 2013. Muir also made it onto “People” magazine’s list of Sexiest Men Alive in 2014.

29D One of the seven deadly sins : ENVY

The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven sins are:

• Wrath
• Greed
• Sloth
• Pride
• Lust
• Envy
• Gluttony

30D Confidentiality doc : NDA

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

32D Big name in movies : IMAX

The IMAX Corporation, which is behind the IMAX film format, is a Canadian company. The impetus for developing the system came after Expo ’67 in Montreal. Back then large format screenings were accomplished using multiple projectors with multiple screens, with images basically stitched together. The team behind the IMAX technology set out to simplify things, and developed a single-camera, single-projector system.

33D French bodies of water : LACS

In French, a “lac” (lake) is a body of “eau” (water).

35D Some British sports cars : MGS

My neighbor used to keep his MG Midget roadster in my garage (away from his kids!) back in Ireland many moons ago. The Midget was produced by the MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1961 to 1979, with the MG initialism standing for “Morris Garages”.

40D Flowering desert plant with swordlike leaves : YUCCA

Yuccas are a genus of shrubs and trees that live in hot and dry areas of North and South America. One of the more famous species of Yucca is the Joshua tree. Yuccas has a unique pollination system, with moths transferring pollen from plant to plant. New Mexico adopted the yucca as its state flower in 1927. By the way, the yucca is in the asparagus family.

41D Furry critter who lives 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.

46D __ chips : NACHO

The dish known as “nachos” was supposedly created by the maître d’ at a restaurant called the Victory Club in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The name of the maître d’ was Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya.

48D Porcupine quill : SPINE

Porcupines are rodents with coats of sharp quills that afford protection against predators. The name “porcupine” comes from the Latin “porcus” meaning “pig”, and “spina” meaning “spine”.

51D Stock exchange membership : SEAT

The term “seat” for a membership on the New York Stock Exchange is a literal one, dating back to the 1870s when members conducted business from assigned chairs. The cost of a seat varied wildly, from a peak of $625,000 in 1929 (just before the crash) to a low of just $17,000 in 1942. The era of owning and trading their valuable seats ended in 2006, when the exchange became a public company.

52D Org. with an alphabet : NATO

The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

53D Grand slam quartet, briefly : RBIS

In baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with runners on all three bases, leading to a score of four runs.

54D Flowering desert plant with fleshy leaves : ALOE

Aloe vera is considered a useful houseplant largely due to its ability to remove toxins from the air. It is especially useful in absorbing formaldehyde and benzene, chemicals found in some cleaning products. Also, aloe vera absorbs carbon dioxide at night, which can help with sleep.

56D “Dinner and a Movie” airer : TBS

The TBS show “Dinner and a Movie” features hosts who cook a meal themed to a film being shown, with recipes bearing punny titles like “When Harry Met Salad” for “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Can’t Go To School, I Falafel” for “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. Cute …