LA Times Crossword 7 Oct 25, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Matthew Stock & Mark Valdez

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Take Five

Today’s FIVE themed answers each start with a synonym of “TAKE”:

• 63A Go on a break, or what the starts of 16-, 20-, 32-, 43-, and 57-Across can be called : TAKE FIVE

• 16A Replace a player on the basepath : PINCH RUN
• 20A Comedian who co-created the Netflix animated series “Big Mouth” : NICK KROLL
• 32A Ski resort pass : LIFT TICKET
• 43A “RuPaul’s Drag Race” segment featuring celebrity impressions : SNATCH GAME
• 57A Reject, on a dating app : SWIPE LEFT

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

Bill’s time: 6m 19s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Scrabble piece : TILE

The game of Scrabble has been produced in many international versions, and each of these editions has its own tile distribution to suit the local language. For example, in English we have two tiles worth ten points: one “Q” and one “Z”. If you play the game in French then there are five tiles worth ten points: one “K”, one “W”, one “X”, one “Y” and one “Z”.

12A Beyoncé, to the Beyhive : IDOL

Beyoncé Knowles established herself in the entertainment industry as the lead singer with the R&B group Destiny’s Child. She launched her solo singing career in 2002, after making her first appearance as an actor. In 2006 she played the lead in the very successful movie adaptation of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls”. Beyoncé is married to rap star Jay-Z. She is also referred to affectionately as “Queen Bey”, a play on the phrase “the queen bee”. Her fan base goes by the name “Beyhive”.

13A Caviar : ROE

Caviar is the roe of a large fish that has been salted and seasoned, and especially the roe of a sturgeon. Beluga caviar comes from the beluga sturgeon, which is found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It is the most expensive type of caviar in the world. 8 ounces of US-farmed beluga caviar can be purchased through Amazon.com for just over $850, in case you’re feeling peckish …

16A Replace a player on the basepath : PINCH RUN

Perhaps the most famous pinch runner in baseball history was Herb Washington, a world-class sprinter who was hired by the Oakland Athletics in 1974 to serve exclusively as a “designated runner”. Washington had a 13-month contract with the A’s, during which he played in 105 games without ever making a plate appearance or playing a defensive position.

19A Critical time : D-DAY

The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operation is to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

20A Comedian who co-created the Netflix animated series “Big Mouth” : NICK KROLL

Actor and comedian Nick Kroll appeared in the satire mockumentary show “Parks and Recreation” for several episodes, playing the obnoxious shock jock Howard Tuttle, better known as “The Douche”. A couple of years later, Kroll began a relationship with the star of the show, Amy Poehler. In her 2014 memoir, “Yes Please”, Poehler wrote about Kroll being the first man who could calm her down.

22A October birthstone : OPAL

Here is the “official” list of birthstones, by month, that we tend to use today:

• January: Garnet
• February: Amethyst
• March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine
• April: Diamond
• May: Emerald
• June: Pearl or Moonstone
• July: Ruby
• August: Sardonyx or Peridot
• September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli
• October: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
• November: Topaz or Citrine
• December: Turquoise or Zircon (also now, Tanzanite)

25A Bag-checking org. : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

26A Dana Bash’s channel : CNN

Journalist Dana Bash became co-host of CNN’s Sunday morning show “State of the Union” in 2021, alongside Jake Tapper. She was born Dana Schwartz, and was married to Jeremy Bash, a senior adviser in the Obama administration. She was also married to fellow CNN broadcast journalist John King.

40A Mama’s hermana : TIA

In Spanish, the “hermana” (sister) of your “madre” (mother) is your “tia” (aunt).

41A Iditarod town : NOME

Nome, Alaska has over 3,500 residents, the majority of whom are Native American. The next largest ethnic group in Nome is the white population. The origin of the name “Nome” isn’t well understood, it seems. One theory is that there was a misunderstanding of the local Inupiaq word meaning “Where at?”

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers an incredible 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. Finishing times range from over 8 days to 15 days or more. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

42A Prefix with watts : MEGA-

James Watt was a Scottish inventor. He figured prominently in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, largely due to the improvements he made to the fledgling steam engine. The SI unit of power is called the watt, and was named in his honor.

43A “RuPaul’s Drag Race” segment featuring celebrity impressions : SNATCH GAME

In the reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, the “Snatch Game” is a direct parody of the classic 1970s TV game show “Match Game”. “Match Game” featured a panel of six celebrities who were asked to fill in the blanks in a funny sentence. RuPaul’s version spoofs this format, with the drag contestants impersonating celebrities on the panel.

46A Bread served with biryani : ROTI

Biryani is a mixed rice dish found on the menu in many Indian restaurants. It typically features basmati rice layered with marinated meat (like chicken, goat, or lamb), aromatic spices, and often vegetables or eggs.

50A Orbiting facility: Abbr. : ISS

The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular facility that comprises components launched into space by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and by American Space Shuttles. The station has been occupied by astronauts and scientists continually since November, 2000.

53A __ de gallo : PICO

Pico de gallo is a condiment in Mexican cuisine made from tomato, onion and chili peppers. “Pico de gallo” is Spanish for “beak of rooster”. Apparently this name was given as eating of the condiment with the thumb and forefinger resembled the pecking of a rooster. An alternative name for pico de gallo is “salsa fresca”, which translates literally as “fresh sauce”.

57A Reject, on a dating app : SWIPE LEFT

Many apps on phones are now using “swipe right” and “swipe left” actions to indicate “like” and dislike”. I suppose that the Tinder dating app is the most famous “swipe right/swipe left” app in use today.

67A Younger “ManningCast” host : ELI

“Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli”, also known as “ManningCast”, is an alternate, live broadcast of Monday Night Football hosted by brothers Peyton and Eli Manning. It is produced by Peyton’s production company Omaha Productions. And airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The show premiered in 2021, and In its first season averaged 1.1 million viewers, which was more than double the viewership of the traditional Monday Night Football broadcast on ABC. The Manningcast was also the most-watched program on ESPN+ in its first season.

71A Loch with a legend : NESS

Scotland’s Loch Ness is famous for its fabled “monster”, referred to affectionately as “Nessie”. The loch is the second-largest lake in the country (Loch Lomond is the largest). Loch Ness takes its name from the River Ness that flows from the loch’s northern end.

Down

3D Drink made with Earl Grey tea and steamed milk : LONDON FOG

Despite its name, the tea-based drink called a London fog has no connection to the British capital. It was actually invented in the 1990s in Vancouver, British Columbia. The accepted origin story is that a pregnant customer at the Buckwheat Cafe requested a caffeinated, non-coffee alternative, and the resulting concoction of Earl Grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla syrup was created for her. In a nod to its true origins, the drink is sometimes called a Vancouver Fog, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The use of the term “fog” is a reference to the appearance of the steamed milk.

4D Yosemite Valley landmark, for short : EL CAP

El Capitan is a stunning vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California. The top of El Capitan has been used as the take-off point for many BASE jumps, parachute jumps made by diving off the top of the rock face. The National Park Service put a stop to the practice in 1999. Soon afterwards, a BASE jumper made an illegal jump to protest the ban. She died …

5D Use bleach on a load of colored laundry, say : ERR

The name “bleach” applies to any chemical used to remove color or stains from a fabric. The most common version that we encounter is probably liquid bleach, a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite.

7D Jeans fabric : DENIM

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”.

9D Posh neckwear : ASCOT

An ascot is a wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings or part of a dress uniform. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

11D Unit of magnetic flux density : TESLA

The tesla unit measures the strength of a magnetic field, or more precisely the magnetic flux density. It is named for the physicist Nikola Tesla. He was born in a village in modern-day Croatia, then part of the Austrian Empire, and later moved to the US. His work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.

14D Belly dancer’s jewelry : ANKLET

The Middle Eastern dance referred to in Arabic as “Raqs Sharqi” was known in French as “danse du ventre” meaning “belly dance”. The English and French name is a reference to the abdominal movements used, and the tradition of performing with a bare midriff.

17D Luxury hotel chain : HYATT

The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, i.e. Hyatt House at the Los Angeles International Airport that was purchased in 1957. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

21D Warnings : CAVEATS

A caveat is a warning or a qualification. “Caveat” is the Latin for “let him beware”.

23D “Lilo & Stitch” costume accessory : LEI

“Lilo & Stitch” was released by Disney in 2002. Compared to other Disney feature-length cartoons, “Lilo & Stitch” was relatively cheaply produced, using the voices of lesser-known actors. One interesting change had to take place in the storyline during production, when Lilo was meant to fly a Jumbo Jet through downtown Honolulu in one sequence. This was replaced with a sequence using a spaceship instead, as the producers were sensitive to public sentiment after the September 11 attacks.

26D Chowder morsel : CLAM

Clams can live up to about 500 years. The oldest recorded clam was a quahog clam found in Iceland, which lived to be 507 years old. To determine the clam’s age, the researchers opened it up. By doing so, they ended the life of the oldest living animal ever found …

The type of soup known as “chowder” is possibly named for the pot in which it used to be cooked called a “chaudière”, a French term.

27D Cairo’s river : NILE

Cairo is the capital city of Egypt. It is nicknamed “The City of a Thousand Minarets” because of its impressive skyline replete with Islamic architecture. The name “Cairo” is a European corruption of the city’s original name in Arabic, “Al-Qahira”.

33D Origami slipup : TEAR

Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She was exposed to the radiation and developed leukemia ten years later. While she was in the hospital, she began folding origami cranes. A Japanese folktale says that if a person folds 1,000 cranes (“senbazuru”), they will be granted a wish. Sadako hoped that by folding the cranes, she would be cured of her leukemia. She folded over 1,000 cranes before she died in 1955 at the age of 12.

34D Korean automaker : KIA

Kia Motors is the second-largest manufacturer of cars in South Korea, behind Hyundai (and Hyundai is a part owner in Kia now). Kia was founded in 1944 as a manufacturer of bicycle parts, and did indeed produce Korea’s first domestic bicycle. The company’s original name was Kyungsung Precision Industry, with the Kia name introduced in 1952.

37D Actress Thompson : EMMA

Emma Thompson is one of my favorite English actresses, and someone who has appeared in many of my favorite films. She probably first came to attention in the US when she won an Oscar for her role in “Howards End”, which she followed up with “Remains of the Day” and “In the Name of the Father”. Perhaps my favorite production of hers is her own adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility”, which won her Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress. Emma Thompson went to Cambridge University and was good friends with a host of successful British actors and entertainers, including her ex-boyfriend Hugh Laurie who is famous in the US for playing the title role in television’s “House”.

43D Tall circus performer’s pair : STILTS

The Circus Maximus was an ancient stadium used for chariot racing in Rome. It was the first such stadium built by the Romans, and was the largest ever to be built in the whole of the Roman Empire. The Circus Maximus was over 2,000 feet long and just under 400 feet wide, and could house about 15,000 spectators. There is very little of the original structure remaining and the site is now used as a major park. It was the Circus Maximus and similar “circa” that gave rise to our contemporary word “circus” describing an arena used by clowns, acrobats, etc.

47D Works the first shift at a café, say : OPENS

In a three-shift working system, the shifts are known by various names:

1. First shift, day shift
2. Second shift, swing shift
3. Third shift, night shift, graveyard shift

51D Shrek’s home : SWAMP

Before “Shrek” was a successful movie franchise and Broadway musical, it was a children’s picture book called “Shrek!” that was authored and illustrated by William Steig. The title “Shrek!” came from the German/Yiddish word Schreck, meaning “fear” or “terror”.

52D Lion hoisted skyward during “Circle of Life” : SIMBA

Rafiki, a character in “The Lion King”, is a mandrill-baboon hybrid that lives in a baobab tree. He is the old and wise character in the film/musical, and often serves as the narrator. In the movies, Rafiki is a male character, voiced by Robert Guillaume. In the follow-on musical version, Rafiki is a female character, and sings one of the great songs from “The Lion King”, namely “Circle of Life”.

58D Laborer : PEON

A peon is a lowly worker who has no real control over his/her working conditions. The word “peon” comes into English from Spanish, in which language it has the same meaning.

64D Baby fox : KIT

Kits are the young of several mammalian species, including the ferret and fox. “Kit” is probably a shortened form of “kitten”.

65D Lip balm brand : EOS

eos Products is a company that was founded in 2006 in New York City. eoS sells beauty products such as lotions and creams, and is most famous for its lip balm. The initials “eos” stand for “Evolution of Smooth”.