LA Times Crossword 7 Nov 25, Friday

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Constructed by: Joseph A. Gangi

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: In the Zone

Themed answers come in pairs, with both on the same line of the grid. The pair is placed inside a kind of ZONE (shown in circled letters):

• 56A Focused and feeling unstoppable, or an apt description of the answers to the starred clues : IN THE ZONE

• 17A *Comments : [TI]REMARKS
• 19A *Seasonal malady : FLU[ME] (in the TI-ME zone)

• 26A *Kinda-sorta : [DAN]ISH
• 29A *Blacken on the grill : CHAR[GER] (in the DAN-GER zone)

• 42A *Mimic’s talent : [DR]APERY
• 44A *American Girl buy : DOLL[OP] (in the DR-OP zone)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 32s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A __ committee : AD HOC

The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”. An ad hoc committee, for example, is formed for a specific purpose and disbanded after making its final report.

14A Statement of beliefs : CREDO

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

15A Homer’s tee : TAU

Homer was a famous poet of ancient Greece who is believed to be the author of the two classic epic poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. However, some scholars believe that Homer did not actually exist, but rather he is the personification of oral tradition that was passed down through the ages.

19A *Seasonal malady : FLU[ME] (in the TI-ME zone)

Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks, and other virus pandemics …

22A Sacred object : TOTEM

“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature, and often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

36A Zero, for Aryna Sabalenka : LOVE

Aryna Sabalenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player known for her powerful serve and aggressive baseline game. She has achieved a career-high ranking of No. 1 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won multiple Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles, including the 2021 US Open, and captured her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 Australian Open.

40A Archaeologist’s find : SHARD

A shard is a small piece, especially a fragment, of broken ceramic or glass.

“Archaeology” is a word that looks like it’s British English, and one might be forgiven for using the spelling “archeology” in American English. Even though the latter spelling has been around for a couple of hundred years, the former is the standard spelling on both sides of the Atlantic.

44A *American Girl buy : DOLL[OP] (in the DR-OP zone)

American Girl is a line of dolls introduced in 1986. The dolls were originally young girls dressed in clothes that evoked various periods of American history.

46A The “S” of NSFW : SAFE

The abbreviation “NSFW” stands for “not safe/suitable for work”. It’s Internet slang used to describe online content that is best not viewed at work.

47A Home of Himeji Castle : JAPAN

Himeji Castle is located in the Japanese city of Himeji, about 50 miles west of Osaka. It is known as the “White Heron Castle”, with its elegant white exterior. The structure seen today was completed in 1609, and unlike many other Japanese castles, it has survived for over 400 years without ever being destroyed by war or natural disasters. Its iconic look has led to its use in many films, most famously as the ninja training school for James Bond in the 1967 movie “You Only Live Twice”.

55A Only coastal city in Jordan : AQABA

The coastal city of Aqaba is the only seaport in the country of Jordan. It lies at the very northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is off the Red Sea.

58A Staff writing : MUSIC

The sets of five horizontal lines and four spaces that are used in musical notation are known as staves. The singular of “staves” is “staff” in American English, but “stave” in British English.

63A “Hello” and “Bye Bye Bye” : SONGS

“Hello” is a 2015 song by English singer Adele that won her three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. It was the first song to sell over one million digital copies in a single week in the US.

“Bye Bye Bye” is a 2000 hit song recorded by the boy band NSYNC. It was originally written for another boy band, the English group 5ive, but they passed on it.

Down

2D Faucet annoyance : DRIP

The common “faucet” in an American house is almost always referred to as a “tap” on the other side of the pond.

3D Goddess whose symbol is a peacock : HERA

According to myth, the “eyes” on a peacock’s tail are a tribute from the goddess Hera to her faithful watchman, the giant Argus Panoptes. After Argus was slain by Hermes, Hera preserved his 100 eyes forever by placing them on the tail of the peacock.

5D Company whose symbol is a peacock : COMCAST

Comcast is the largest cable company in the United States. It was founded in 1963 as American Cable Systems. Comcast provides many of its services under the brand name “Xfinity”.

9D Roof supports : RAFTERS

Rafters are the beams that slope from the ridge of a roof down to the tops of the supporting walls.

10D Like plum tomatoes : OBLONG

Plum tomatoes are named for their oval or cylindrical shape. They are often the tomato used for making tomato paste as they have a higher solid content than standard round tomatoes.

13D Acronym on some educational toys : STEM

The acronym “STEM” stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology. The acronym STEAM adds (liberal) arts to the STEM curriculum.

25D Steenburgen of “Parenthood” : MARY

Mary Steenburgen is a celebrated American actress discovered by Jack Nicholson, who cast her in his 1978 Western “Goin’ South”. Her career quickly took off, and she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for only her third film, “Melvin and Howard” (1980). She has been married to actor Ted Danson since 1995. After undergoing a minor arm surgery in 2009, Mary Steenburgen awoke with what she describes as a brain that was “only music”. She took lessons, and began writing songs obsessively. Despite having no prior musical career, her newfound passion and talent led her to sign a contract as a songwriter with Universal Music.

26D “Hi-ho, the derry-o” setting : DELL

“The Farmer in the Dell” is a nursery rhyme and singing game that probably originated in Germany. The first verse is:

The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

The last verse is:

The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The cheese stands alone

29D B-baller Steph : CURRY

Basketball great Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and former volleyball player Sonya Curry. Off the court, Curry is an avid golfer, playing off a low handicap. He regularly participates in celebrity golf tournaments, and has played alongside President Barack Obama.

33D Pork slab on the grill : SPARE RIBS

Spare ribs are so called because “spare” can indicate the absence of fat.

38D Moscow __: ginger beer drink : MULE

A Moscow mule is a cocktail made from vodka, ginger beer and lime. I like the occasional Moscow mule, mainly because ginger beer was my soda of choice as a kid. Vodka … not so much …

40D À la Florentine green : SPINACH

Catherine de’ Medici was an Italian noblewoman who became Queen consort of France in 1547 as wife of King Henry II. Catherine was very fond of spinach, and so had it served at every meal. Catherine hailed from Florence, and to this day dishes that are made with spinach are referred to as “Florentine”, reflecting Catherine’s city of birth.

47D Door __ : JAMB

A door jamb or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.

54D A minor and A major : KEYS

Experts, unlike me, can wax lyrical on the technical differences between major and minor keys and scales. To me, music written in major keys is very strident, often very joyful and “honest”. Music written in minor keys (usually my favorite) is more feminine, more delicate and often quite sad.

57D Where the wild things are : ZOO

The world’s first zoo opened in Britain in 1820. Now known as “London Zoo”, the facility was referred to back then as the “Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London”. The term “zoo” is a shortening of “zoological”.