LA Times Crossword 25 Feb 24, Sunday

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Constructed by: Ed Sessa
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Free Booze

Themed answers are common phrases, with “BOO” inserted:

• 22A Air freshener in the monkey house? : BABOON DEODORANT (from “Ban deodorant”)
• 31A Ready to take reservations? : FIT FOR A BOOKING (from “fit for a king”)
• 53A Container for firecracker flowers? : BOOMING VASE (from “Ming vase”)
• 69A Jump-start? : BOOSTING OPERATION (from “sting operation”)
• 88A Apparel for linksbabies? : GOLF BOOTEES (from “golf tees”)
• 102A (Soup or salad) and (chicken or fish), e.g.? : BOOLEAN CUISINE (from “Lean Cuisine”)
• 120A Train conductor’s “That’s the end of the ride for you!”? : GET OFF MY CABOOSE! (from “get off my case!”)

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

Bill’s time: 14m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 “Gracias a la vida” singer Mercedes : SOSA

Mercedes Sosa was a singer from Argentina who was hugely popular throughout Latin America and performed all over the world. She was so popular in her homeland that when she passed away in 2009 the Argentine president ordered three days of national mourning, and her body was placed on display at the National Congress building in Buenos Aires.

“Gracias a la vida” is a much-covered 1966 song written and recorded by Chilean musician Violeta Parra. The song falls into the genre known as “Nueva canción chilena” (New Chilean Song, in English), which at its heart is a renewal in traditional folk music from Chile. “Gracias a la vida” gained in popularity with a 1971 cover version by Mercedes Sosa, and 1974 cover version by Joan Baez in the US.

19 K-12 appropriate : ELHI

“Elhi” is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from kindergarten through grade 12, i.e. elementary through high school.

22 Air freshener in the monkey house? : BABOON DEODORANT (from “Ban deodorant”)

Baboons are ground-dwelling primates native to Africa that are found in open woodland and hills. A group of baboons is usually referred to as a “troop”.

Ban was the first roll-on deodorant, introduced in 1952. The formulation for Ban is the same as the brand called Mum, the first commercial deodorant, which dates back to the late 1800s.

25 Artist Matisse : HENRI

Henri Matisse was a French artist renowned for his contribution to modern art. In his early career, Matisse was classed as a “fauve”, one of the group of artists known as the “wild beasts” who emphasized strong color over realism in their works. He was a lifelong friend of Pablo Picasso, and the two were considered to be good-natured rivals so their works are often compared. One major difference between their individual portfolios is that Picasso tended to paint from his imagination, whereas Matisse tended to use nature as his inspiration.

27 Boxer Laila : ALI

Laila Ali is the daughter of the great Muhammad Ali and is a very capable boxer in her own right. Laila’s professional record is an impressive 24 wins, including 21 knockouts. Now retired, she never lost a fight, and nor did she ever draw. One of those victories was against Jackie Frazier-Lyde, daughter of her father’s nemesis Joe Frazier. Laila is not a bad dancer either, coming in third place in the fourth season of “Dancing with the Stars”.

29 “Game of Thrones” beast : DRAGON

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy television drama that is adapted from a series of novels by George R. R. Martin titled “A Song of Ice and Fire”. “Game of Thrones” was actually filmed in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland. I binge-watched the show’s first seven seasons, and enjoyed it. There’s no doubt that the production value of “Game of Thrones” is remarkable, but to be honest, I never became riveted by the storyline …

30 D or C, in D.C. : STREET

Famously, the layout of the streets in Washington was designed by French-born American architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant. The L’Enfant Plan called for a grid of east-west and north-south streets. This grid was crisscrossed with diagonal avenues. The avenues and streets met at circles and rectangular plazas. The east-west streets are generally named for letters, while the north-south streets are numbered. Later, many of the diagonal avenues were named for states of the union.

36 Jiffy : SEC

“Jiff”, or “jiffy”, meaning “short time, instant” is thought originally to be thieves’ slang for “lightning”.

53 Container for firecracker flowers? : BOOMING VASE (from “Ming vase”)

The Ming dynasty lasted in China from 1368 to 1644. It was a time of tremendous innovation in so many areas, including the manufacture of ceramics. In the late Ming period, a shift towards a market economy in China led to the export of porcelain on an unprecedented scale, perhaps explaining why we tend to hear more about Ming vases than we do about porcelain from any other Chinese dynasty.

57 Jiffy __ : LUBE

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

58 Pest in a cloud : GNAT

Gnats have a relatively short lifespan, of about 7-10 days.

59 The Mel-Tones lead singer : TORME

Crooner Mel Tormé fronted a vocal quintet in the 1940s called “Mel Tormé and his Mel-Tones”. Tormé set up the group as Frank Sinatra had been having success singing with the Hoboken Four as well as with the Pied Pipers.

60 Rooked : HAD

To rook is to cheat. The earlier use of “rook” as a noun was as a disparaging term describing a swindler or cheat. Somehow, it was insulting to refer to a person as a rook, as in the type of bird.

61 Add yeast to : LEAVEN

Leaven is a substance that causes bread to rise, perhaps yeast or baking powder. The term “leaven” comes into English via French from the Latin “levare” meaning “to rise”.

63 Broken mirror, for some : BAD OMEN

It was the ancient Romans who produced the first mirrors. They came to believe that the gods observed souls through mirrors. They also deemed it very disrespectful to damage a mirror, and that doing so would lead to bad luck. As the Romans also believed that the body renewed itself every seven years, the bad luck was said to last for seven years. And still today, some embrace the superstition that breaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck.

73 Tina Fey’s former show, for short : SNL

Comedian and actress Tina Fey was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Fey is perhaps best known to television viewers as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” (1997-2006), and as the creator and star of the sitcom “30 Rock” (2006-2013).

75 Hunter-gatherer period : STONE AGE

Ancient societies can be classified by the “three-age system”, which depends on the prevalence of materials used to make tools. The three ages are:

• The Stone Age
• The Bronze Age
• The Iron Age

The actual dates defined by each age depend on the society, as the timing of the transition from the use of one material to another varied around the globe.

76 Low bar? : GIN MILL

A “gin mill” is a neighborhood bar or saloon, often a disreputable establishment.

81 White Claw container : CAN

White Claw Hard Seltzer was introduced in 2016 by the same Canadian company that produces Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

82 __ seas : SEVEN

The phrase “the seven seas” has been used for centuries by many different peoples. The actual definition of what constitutes the collection of seven has varied depending on the period and the culture. Nowadays we consider the seven largest bodies of water as the seven seas, namely:

• The North Pacific Ocean
• The South Pacific Ocean
• The North Atlantic Ocean
• The South Atlantic Ocean
• The Indian Ocean
• The Southern Ocean
• The Arctic Ocean

87 One hanging around a cave : BAT

Bats are the only mammals that are capable of sustained flight. There are many, many different kinds of bats, and indeed they make up about 20% of all mammalian species.

88 Apparel for linksbabies? : GOLF BOOTEES (from “golf tees”)

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

92 Mushroom in miso soup : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

94 __ Jima : IWO

Iwo Jima is a volcanic island located south of Tokyo that today is uninhabited. The name is Japanese for “Sulfur Island”, referring to the sulfur mining on which Iwo Jima’s economy once depended. There were about a thousand Japanese civilians living on the island prior to WWII. In 1944, there was a massive influx of Japanese military personnel in anticipation of the inevitable US invasion. As the Japanese military moved in, the civilians were forced out and no one has lived there since. Control of the island was wrested from the Japanese in the five-week Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Said battle was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific theater in WWII.

96 Actress Thurman : UMA

Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name “Dbuma”. Uma’s big break in the movies came with her starring role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit “Pulp Fiction”. My favorite Uma Thurman film is the wonderful 1996 romantic comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”.

100 Brynner of “The King and I” : YUL

Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor. Brynner was well known for his great performances, but also for his shaved head and his deep rich voice. He first adopted the “hairstyle” while playing the King of Siam in the stage version of “The King and I”, and he stuck with it.

“The King and I” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam” first published in 1944. Landon’s book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king’s wives.

102 (Soup or salad) and (chicken or fish), e.g.? : BOOLEAN CUISINE (from “Lean Cuisine”)

Boolean logic is a logic system used in computers. The system takes its name from the man who devised it in 1854, George Boole. Boolean logic is used by many Internet search engines. Using Boolean logic in a search you can combine words into one search term “like this” by using quotation marks. You can also search for pages that contain “term one” but not “term two” by searching for “term one” – “term two”.

Lean Cuisine is a brand of frozen dinners that was created in 1981, introduced as a healthy, low-fat and low-calorie alternative to Stouffer’s frozen meals.

110 Ready for fresh paint : PRIMED

Primer is the first layer of paint, a coating on the base surface that serves as a sealant.

115 Smithy fixtures : ANVILS

A metalsmith (often just “smith”) is a metalworker, someone who fashions useful items out of various metals. The term “metalsmith” is often used to describe someone adept at working with many different metals. Other smiths tend to specialize, e.g. a blacksmith works mainly with iron and steel, a coppersmith works mainly with copper, a gunsmith builds and repairs firearms, and a locksmith works with locks.

116 Co. interested in net neutrality : ISP

Internet service provider (ISP)

The principle of Net neutrality holds that those entities managing the Internet should treat all data passing through equally. The term “Net neutrality” was coined in 2003 by Tim Wu, a media law professor at Columbia University.

117 Potassium-rich fruit : FIG

The fig is the fruit of a small tree in the mulberry family. Once picked, figs don’t travel very well, so the bulk of figs consumed have been preserved by drying.

118 Patti who won a Tony as Evita : LUPONE

Singer Patti LuPone won Tonys for playing Eva Peron in “Evita ” and Rose in “Gypsy”.

119 French royal : REINE

“La reine” (the queen) is the wife of “le roi” (the king), in French.

120 Train conductor’s “That’s the end of the ride for you!”? : GET OFF MY CABOOSE! (from “get off my case!”)

The word “caboose” originally came from Middle Dutch and was the word for a ship’s galley. When the last car in a train in North America was given a stove for the comfort of the crew, it took on the name “caboose”. The term has also become slang for a person’s backside.

125 “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” actor Omar : EPPS

Actor Omar Epps was originally a rapper and was a member of a group called “Wolfpack” before he pursued acting full-time. His really big break came in the form of a recurring role on the popular medical drama series “ER”, followed by a recurring role in the TV series “House” as Dr. Eric Foreman.

“Power Book III: Raising Kanan” is a TV crime show that first aired in 2021. It serves as a prequel to the show “Power”, which aired from 2014 to 2020. The title character, Kanan Stark, is played by Mekai Curtis. The same character was played by Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) in the original series.

127 Husky’s load : SLED

The Siberian Husky is one of the oldest breeds of dog, and originated in northern Asia. Siberian Huskies were imported into Alaska in great numbers in the early 1900s for use as sled dogs during the gold rush.

128 __ longlegs : DADDY

“Daddy longlegs” is a common term used to describe several species of insect, including harvestmen, cellar spiders and crane flies.

130 Bishoprics : SEES

In some Christian traditions, a district under the control of a bishop is a diocese, bishopric or see. Dioceses are in turn divided into parishes that are under the control of priests. A particularly significant diocese might be called an archdiocese, and falls under the control of an archbishop.

Down

1 “Identical Twins” photographer Diane : ARBUS

Diane Arbus was a photographer famous for producing black & white images of the unusual and less than savory aspects of life. The 2006 movie “Fur” presents a fictionalized account of her life and work, with Nicole Kidman playing Arbus.

“Identical Twins, Roselle, NJ” is a black and white photograph that Diane Arbus took in 1967. It is perhaps her most famous image. It shows two young sisters who were attending a Christmas party held specifically for twins and triplets. The photo is referenced in the 1980 horror movie “The Shining”, which featured in one scene two twins in similar dress and pose.

4 Fine English china : SPODE

Spode is a brand of pottery made in Stoke-on-Trent in the north of England. The company was founded by Josiah Spode in 1770. Spode is noted for its fine bone china, and indeed Josiah Spode came up with the first successful formulation for bone china. Bone china is so called because one of the main components is bone ash derived from animal bones.

8 Remoulade kin : AIOLI

Aioli is a French sauce made from garlic, egg yolks, and olive oil. The word “aioli” comes from “alh”, the Provençal word for garlic, and “oli”, a Catalan word meaning “oil”.

A remoulade is a mayonnaise-based sauce that is similar to tartar sauce. Classic French rémoulade includes vinegar, mustard, shallots, capers, chopped pickles and fresh herbs.

9 “All seats taken” sign : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

10 “The Sea, the Sea” novelist : MURDOCH

Dame Iris Murdoch was an Irish-born British author and philosopher. She was awarded the Booker Prize in 1978 for her novel “The Sea, the Sea”, although her best-known work is probably her first novel “Under the Net”, which was published in 1954.

13 Doc with a tongue depressor : ENT

The ear, nose and throat (ENT) branch of medicine is more correctly called “otolaryngology”.

14 Tuna cut : STEAK

There are 15 species of tuna, the size of which varies greatly. The smallest is the bullet tuna, which can grow to about 4 pounds in weight and just over 1½ feet in length. The Atlantic bluefin tuna can weigh over 1,500 pounds, and reach about 15 feet in length. That’s a lot of tuna …

15 Sound heard in libraries? : LONG I

The first letter I in the word “libraries” is a long letter I.

16 Ohio tire city : AKRON

For much of the 1800s, the Ohio city of Akron was the fastest-growing city in the country, feeding off the industrial boom of that era. The city was founded in 1825 and its location, along the Ohio and Erie canal connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio River, helped to fuel Akron’s growth. Akron sits at the highest point of the canal and the name “Akron” comes from the Greek word meaning “summit”. Indeed, Akron is the county seat of Summit County. The city earned the moniker “Rubber Capital of the World” for most of the 20th century, as it was home to four major tire companies: Goodrich, Goodyear, Firestone and General Tire.

23 Spots on a peacock feather : OCELLI

An ocellus (plural “ocelli”) is an eye-like marking, or eyespot. A good example of ocelli are the eyespots on the elaborate display feathers of a peacock.

33 Luggage : BAGS

The word “luggage” arose in the late 16th century, when it described something that was “lugged” about. More recently, the term is used mainly by English speakers on the other side of the Atlantic instead of “baggage”.

38 Legendary NYC punk club : CBGB

The music club known as CBGB opened in 1973 intending to feature country, bluegrass and blues music (hence the name “CBGB”, Country, BlueGrass and Blues). The club developed an association in the eighties with New York’s underground hardcore punk music.

39 Actress Chaplin : OONA

Oona Chaplin is an actress from Madrid in Spain. Chaplin is getting a lot of airtime these days as she plays Talisa Maegyr on HBO’s hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones”. Oona is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, and is named for her maternal grandmother Oona O’Neill, the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.

47 Four-time presidential candidate Ralph : NADER

Ralph Nader has run as a third-party candidate for the office of President of the United States four times now, in every election from 1996 to 2008. Nader’s name was first linked with the presidential race in 1971, when the famous Dr. Benjamin Spock offered to stand aside as a candidate in the 1972 race if Nader would agree to run, but he declined.

52 “The False Mirror” painter Magritte : RENE

“The False Mirror” (“Le faux miroir”) is a 1928 oil painting by French surrealist René Magritte. It shows a cloudy, blue sky framed by a human eye. The work was purchased by New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and it is now in the gallery’s permanent collection.

54 Arms treaty subjects, briefly : N-TESTS

Nuclear test (N-test)

55 One who avoids all animal products except fish : SEAGAN

A seagan is someone who eats a plant-based diet, but includes fish. A pescatarian is someone who eats a vegetarian diet (plant-based plus eggs and dairy), and also includes fish.

61 “__ USA”: NPR program hosted by Maria Hinojosa : LATINO

“Latino USA” is a radio show distributed nationally by NPR since 1992. It was groundbreaking in its early days, as it was a national radio show that was Latino-oriented, but broadcast in English. Today, it is the longest-running Latino-focused program on radio. Mexican-American journalist and broadcaster Maria Hinojosa has hosted the show from day one.

62 Environmentalist Brockovich : ERIN

Erin Brockovich is an environmental activist who is famous for the role she played in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric for contaminating drinking water. Her story was told in a 2000 film titled “Erin Brockovich” starring Julia Roberts in the title role. Brockovich herself actually appeared in the film, as she was given a cameo as a waitress in a restaurant scene.

66 Cranberry field : BOG

When early European settlers came across red berries growing in the bogs of the northern part of America, they felt that the plant’s flower and stem resembled the head and bill of a crane. As such, they called the plant “craneberry”, which evolved into “cranberry”.

67 Bobbed hairstyle : PAGEBOY

What we now know as the “pageboy” hairstyle was apparently one introduced and made famous by the fifties fetish model, Betty Page. Women’s magazines dissociated themselves from the connection with Ms. Page and sold the hairstyle to the public as one historically worn by English pageboys, hence the name. A pageboy hairstyle is sort of like a “long bob cut” I guess. But don’t listen to me; I get a “number one all over” at my local barber shop …

70 Like some Peruvian ruins : INCAN

The Inca people emerged as a tribe around the 12th century, in what today is southern Peru. The Incas developed a vast empire over the next 300 years, extending along most of the western side of South America. The Empire fell to the Spanish, finally dissolving in 1572 with the execution of Túpac Amaru, the last Incan Emperor.

74 Filmmaker Ephron : NORA

Nora Ephron had many talents, including writing film scripts and novels. Many of the movies that she wrote, she also directed. These would include some of my favorite movies of all time like “Sleepless in Seattle”, “You’ve Got Mail” and most recently, the wonderful “Julie & Julia”. And, did you know that Nora Ephron’s second marriage was to journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame? She wrote an autobiographical novel based on her life with Bernstein, which deals in particular with Bernstein’s affair with the daughter of British Prime Minister James Callaghan.

77 In __ of : LIEU

As one might imagine perhaps, “in lieu” came into English from the Old French word “lieu” meaning “place”, which in turn is derived from the Latin “locum” that also means “place”. So, “in lieu” translates as “in place of”.

80 “The Last Jedi” pilot Dameron : POE

Oscar Isaac is an actor from Guatemala who was raised in Miami. Before acting, Isaac played lead guitar in his own band called the Blinking Underdogs. Isaac portrayed X-wing pilot Poe Dameron in several of the “Star Wars” movies.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is a 2017 movie from the “Star Wars” film franchise, and the second installment of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. The title character is Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. Ah, but is Luke in fact the “last Jedi”?

83 New Haven Ivy Leaguer : ELI

The city of New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1638 by Puritan immigrants from England. Famously, it is home to Yale University. The city also initiated the first public tree planting program in the country. The large elms included in the program led to New Haven being called “the Elm City”.

84 Armed forces org. : VFW

The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization (VFW) is the largest association of US combat veterans in the US.

87 Burrito morsel : BEAN

A burrito is a common dish served in Mexican cuisine. It is a flour tortilla filled with all sorts of good stuff. The term “burrito” is Spanish for “little donkey”, the diminutive of “burro” meaning “donkey”. It’s thought that the name was applied as a burrito looks like a bedroll or pack that might be carried by a donkey.

88 Some image files : GIFS

The Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) is an image format developed in the 1980s by CompuServe (remember CompuServe?). GIF images are compressed, reducing the file size, but without losing information. So, the original image can be reconstructed perfectly from the compressed GIF version. But, and it’s a big but, GIF images use only 256 individual colors. This means that GIF is a relatively poor choice of compression for color photographs, while it is usually fine for logos with large blocks of single colors.

93 Water feature with ornamental fish : KOI POND

Koi are fish that are also known as Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

97 Some humanities degs. : MAS

The academic studies of human culture are collectively called the humanities. Subjects included in the humanities are languages, literature, philosophy, religion and music.

101 Batting ninth : UP LAST

In the early days of baseball, there was no rule calling out the number of players per team. Over time, it became customary for each team to field nine players. When a new rule book for baseball was published in 1857, it specified nine players per team, in effect codifying what was already the practice.

102 Medieval poets : BARDS

European history is often divided in three major periods: classical antiquity and the modern period, with the Middle Ages in between. Specifically, the Middle Ages are said to have begun in 476 CE, when the last Roman Emperor was deposed by a Germanic chieftain. The end date for the Middle Ages is less specific, but is about 1500 CE. The list of events signaling the end of the Middle Ages includes Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the New World (1492) and the Protestant Reformation (1517). The term “medieval” is used to describe something belonging to the Middle Ages.

103 “The Rookie” actress Melissa : O’NEIL

Melissa O’Neil is an actor and singer from Canada whose big break came when she won the third season of “Canadian Idol” in 2005. In 2018, she took one of the leading roles, Officer Lucy Chen, on the police drama show “The Rookie”.

104 Ewe-like : OVINE

The Latin word for “sheep” is “ovis”, giving us the adjective “ovine” meaning “like a sheep”.

106 Cutlass model : CIERA

Oldsmobile made the Cutlass Ciera from 1982 to 1996. The Ciera was the most successful model that bore the Oldsmobile badge.

108 City in southern France : NIMES

Nîmes is a lovely city in the south of France. One of the claims to fame of the city is the invention of denim fabric. The French phrase “de Nîmes” (from Nîmes) gives us the word “denim”.

109 Country in two continents : EGYPT

The nation of Egypt straddles the geographical border between Asia and Africa. That land border is the 75-mile-wide Isthmus of Suez, which is crossed by the Suez Canal. The bulk of Egyptian territory is in Africa. The part of Egypt that is in Asia is the Sinai Peninsula.

112 Julianne of “Still Alice” : MOORE

Actress Julianne Moore won her Best Actress Oscar for playing the title role in the 2014 film “Still Alice”, which deals with the subject of Alzheimer’s disease. As well as being a talented actor, Moore is a successful children’s author. Her 2007 book “Freckleface Strawberry” became a New York Times Best Seller, and was inspired by the teasing she received as a child for having freckles.

120 Josh of “Frozen” : GAD

Josh Gad is an actor and comedian who was born in Hollywood, although that would be Hollywood, Florida. Gads big break came on the stage, when he originated the role of Elder Cunningham in “The Book of Mormon”. On the big screen Gad played Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak in “Jobs” and Hector McQueen in the 2017 adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express”. Gad also voiced Olaf in the “Frozen” films.

121 Actress Wray : FAY

Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress who is best known for her starring role in the classic 1933 film “King Kong”. When Wray passed away at the age of 96 in 2004, the lights of the Empire State Building were extinguished for 15 minutes. That fine gesture was a nod to the celebrated Empire State Building scene in “King Kong”.