LA Times Crossword 30 Nov 25, Sunday

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Constructed by: Rafael Musa & Rebecca Goldstein

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Think Hard

Themed answers all use only the letters in a HARD GEMSTONE cited in the corresponding clues:

• 117A Cold-hearted, or an apt description of the answers to the starred clues : MADE OF STONE

• 22A *Kitchen gadget fashioned from pearl? : APPLE PEELER
• 24A *Orange jam produced with emerald? : MARMALADE
• 36A *Latin cornerstone phrase etched by diamond? : ANNO DOMINI
• 45A *Approach bearing garnet? : GET NEAR
• 68A *Knockout competition formed with tourmaline? : ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT
• 90A *Gym amenity filled with opal? : LAP POOL
• 100A *Newspaper figure who works with peridot? : OP-ED EDITOR
• 115A *Hockey puck drop spot composed of citrine? : CENTER ICE

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

Bill’s time: 17m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6A Courts : WOOS

To court someone is to woo them, to offer homage. One might do something similar at a royal court, hence the use of the term.

14A Laura of “Marriage Story” : DERN

Actress Laura Dern is the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Among her many notable roles, Laura Dern played the Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the 2008 movie “Recount”, and Dr. Ellie Sattler in the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park”.

18A Alternative to finger pointing : LASER

eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer was a collector of broken laser pointers …

19A Polo or tee : SHIRT

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing. The Lacoste line of clothing features a crocodile logo, because René was nicknamed “The Crocodile”.

21A Peppa Pig’s baby sister : EVIE

“Peppa Pig” is a children’s animated show that is produced in the UK and airs all over the world. There’s even a Peppa Pig World theme park located in Hampshire, England.

24A *Orange jam produced with emerald? : MARMALADE

Marmalade is my favorite fruit preserve. The essential ingredients in a marmalade are fruit juice and peel, and sugar and water. “Marmalade” comes from the Portuguese “marmelada” meaning “quince jam”.

26A Texter’s “Speak soon” : TTYL

Talk to you later (TTYL)

27A Paramore’s “___ It Fun” : AIN’T

“Ain’t It Fun” was a huge single for Paramore, released in 2014. The accompanying music video set an official Guinness World Record for “Most World Records Set in a Music Video”, which included such feats as “Fastest time to smash 30 clocks with guitars” and “Longest time spinning a vinyl record on a finger”. Quite interesting …

28A Primatology focus : APES

Primatology is the study of primates, especially non-human primates.

33A ___ Ababa : ADDIS

Addis Ababa, which means “new flower” in Amharic, is the capital city of Ethiopia and one of the highest capital cities in the world, situated at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level. It is also home to the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and other international organizations.

35A Mulligans : DO-OVERS

There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “mulligan”, which is most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect that one of them may be true …

36A *Latin cornerstone phrase etched by diamond? : ANNO DOMINI

The designations Anno Domini (AD, “Year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

42A Start to stop? : ESS

The word “stop” starts with a letter S (ess).

44A Bout-ending letters : TKO

Technical knockout (TKO)

50A Text scam portmanteau : SMISH

“Smishing” is a portmanteau of “SMS” (Short Message Service, the technology behind texting) and “phishing”. It’s exactly like a classic email phishing scam, but it happens over a text message.

Phishing is the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PINs, etc.”

52A Conductor Zubin : MEHTA

Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music, from Mumbai. Mehta studied music in Vienna, where he made his conducting debut in 1958. In 1961 he was named assistant director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating a fuss with the music director designate of the orchestra, Georg Solti. Solti resigned as a protest, and Mehta took his job. In 1978 Mehta took over as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, eventually becoming the longest holder of that position. In 2019, the Los Angeles Philharmonic bestowed on Mehta the title of Conductor Emeritus.

56A Scale button : TARE

Tare is the weight of a container that is deducted from the gross weight to determine the net weight, the weight of the container’s contents.

58A Wise biblical king : SOLOMON

According to the Bible, Solomon was the son of David and a king of Israel. Notably, Solomon is described as being very wise. In the story known as “the Judgment of Solomon”, Solomon was asked to decide which of two quarreling women was the mother of a baby. He suggested that they cut the baby in two with a sword, forcing one of the women to surrender the child rather than see it die. Solomon gave the child to the woman who showed compassion.

65A Asian ethnic group in “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” : HMONG

The Hmong people are an ethnic group from the mountains of China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is a 1997 nonfiction book by Anne Fadiman that documents the collision between two very different cultures. The main character is a young Hmong refugee girl with severe epilepsy. Her family believes her seizures are spiritual, and her American doctors see only a medical emergency.

81A Fashion house in “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” : DIOR

The 2022 movie “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” stars the great Lesley Manville in the title role. It is based on the 1958 novel “Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris” by American novelist Paul Gallico. Ada Harris is a widowed cleaning lady living and working in London in the 1950s. She sees a client’s couture Dior gown, and decides she must have one of her own. She scrimps, saves (and gambles) to fund a trip to Paris to buy a dress directly from the high-fashion house, and charms and disrupts the institution in the process. Recommended …

84A Blood component : SERUM

Blood serum (plural “sera”) is the clear, yellowish part of blood i.e. that part which is neither a blood cell nor a clotting factor. Included in blood serum are antibodies, the proteins that are central to our immune system. Blood serum from animals that have immunity to a particular disease can be transferred to another individual, hence providing that second individual with some level of immunity. Blood serum used to pass on immunity can be called “antiserum”.

85A With 96-Down, “My Way” singer : FRANK …
96D See 85-Across : … SINATRA

Frank Sinatra was the only child of Italian immigrants living in Hoboken, New Jersey. Like so many of our heroes, Sinatra had a rough upbringing. His mother was arrested several times and convicted of running an illegal abortion business in the family home. Sinatra never finished high school, as he was expelled for rowdy conduct. He was later arrested as a youth on a morals charge for “carrying on” with a married woman, which was an offense back then. But Sinatra straightened himself out by the time he was twenty and started singing professionally.

The song “My Way” has lyrics that were written by Paul Anka in 1969, but the tune itself was composed two years earlier by Claude François and Jacques Revaux. The song had been released with completely different lyrics in France as “Comme d’habitude” (“As Usual”). When Anka heard the song on television in Paris he sought out and obtained the rights to use it himself, for free. Supposedly, “Comme d’habitude” has been recorded in more languages, by more artists than any other song in the contemporary repertoire.

And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

87A Jeans cut : SLIM

Denim fabric originated in Nîmes in France. The French phrase “de Nîmes” (meaning “from Nîmes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.

Biloxi is a port city on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Prior to 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, it was the third-largest city in the state. Post-Katrina, it became the fifth-largest city, due to the number of people leaving the area permanently in response to the flooding and destruction.

95A Blue-green Muppet who plays the guitar : ROSITA

On the children’s television show “Sesame Street”, Rosita is a character who is fluent in both English and Spanish. Rosita is operated by Puppeteer Carmen Osbahr. Osbahr originally worked on “Plaza Sésamo”, which is the version of Sesame Street that is broadcast in Mexico.

97A Stage name of Park Jae-sang : PSY

“PSY” is the stage name of South Korean rapper Park Jae-sang. PSY became an international star when his 2012 music video “Gangnam Style” went viral on YouTube. That video had over 1 billion views on YouTube in about six months, making it the most viewed YouTube video clip of all time. The title of the song refers to a lifestyle experienced in the Gangnam District of Seoul.

99A Cookies with a Golden variety : OREOS

Golden Oreos were introduced in 2004. Instead of the black, chocolate-flavored wafers, they are made with two “golden” vanilla-flavored wafers, but still have the same white creme filling in the middle.

104A Pooh’s creator : MILNE

Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne was an English author who is best known for his delightful “Winnie-the-Pooh” series of books. He had only one son, Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920. The young Milne was the inspiration for the Christopher Robin character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear, one he called Winnie, who in turn was named after a Canadian black bear called Winnie that the Milnes would visit in London Zoo. The original Winnie teddy bear is on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York.

107A Soft wool : ANGORA

Angora wool comes from the Angora rabbit. On the other hand, the Angora goat produces the wool known as mohair. Both rabbit and goat are named for Turkey’s capital Ankara, which was known as “Angora” in many European languages.

108A Seller of Poäng chairs : IKEA

Ikea’s Poäng armchair was introduced in 1976 with its original name, Poem. Its name was changed in 1992, when it was redesigned to be flat-packed.

109A Red Muppet who plays the piano : ELMO

In 2002, The Muppet Elmo got to testify before a US House subcommittee. Elmo’s goal was to get an increase in funding for music education. In the transcript of the hearing, his statements are ascribed to “Elmo Monster” and “Mr. Monster”.

115A *Hockey puck drop spot composed of citrine? : CENTER ICE

Before wooden and rubber pucks were introduced in the late 1800s, ice hockey was played with balls. The first rubber pucks were made by cutting down rubber balls into the shape of discs.

121A Jet-black : INKY

The color jet black takes its name from the minor gemstone jet. The gemstone and the material it is made of takes its English name from the French name “jaiet”.

122A Many Wix sites : BLOGS

Wix is a cloud-based platform that allows users to build their own websites without needing to know how to code. It boasts a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface. I need to check it out …

124A HS safety gp. : SADD

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) was founded in Massachusetts in 1981. SADD’s aim is to prevent road traffic accidents by urging students to avoid potentially destructive decisions (such as driving under the influence of alcohol).

127A Official and authentic content : CANON

Back in the 15th century, the word “canon” was used to describe the whole collection of the books of the Bible accepted by the Christian church, the so-called “Scriptures”. In the 1930s, the term was adopted by fans of the “Sherlock Holmes” stories to describe all such works by Arthur Conan Doyle. Since then, the usage of “canon” has extended to cover an accepted body of related works by a particular author.

Down

1D Harsh trumpet note : BLAT

We get our word “trumpet”, describing the brass instrument, from the Old French word “trompe”. A “trompe” was a long, tube-like instrument, and a “trompette” was a smaller version.

4D Someone dealing with a lot of baggage? : BELLHOP

A bell captain supervises bellhops in a hotel. The term “bellhop” comes from the fact that the front desk clerk used to ring a “bell” to summon a porter, who then “hopped” to attention and received his or her instructions.

9D Prized violin, familiarly : STRAD

Generations of the Stradivari family produced violins and other stringed instruments, the most famous of which were constructed by Antonio Stradivari.

16D Bus customers : RIDERS

We use the term “bus” for a mode of transportation as it is an abbreviated form of the original “omnibus”. We imported “omnibus” via French from Latin, in which language it means “for all”. The idea is that an omnibus is a carriage “for all”.

23D Tiered temples : PAGODAS

Pagodas are tiered (“storied”) towers, found in various parts of Asia, that are usually built for religious purposes.

25D Unlikely to catch feelings, informally : ARO

Someone described as aromantic (“aro”, for short) experiences little or no romantic attraction. The opposite of aromanticism is alloromanticism.

29D Simplified speech : PIDGIN

A pidgin is a grammatically simplified language that develops between two or more groups that do not share a common language. It’s a “contact language” created out of necessity, often for situations like trade. The word “pidgin” is believed to be a Chinese corruption of the English word “business”, originating from the language used for trade in 19th-century China.

37D 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.

46D Compañeras : AMIGAS

In Spanish, one might have an “amiga y compañera” (female friend and companion).

51D VMA figure : MOON MAN

The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) have been presented annually since 1984, and honor the best in the world of music videos. The award itself is a statue featuring an astronaut on the moon, which was an image associated with MTV when it launched in the early 1980s. The statues are known colloquially as “moon men”.

59D Elevator innovator : OTIS

Elevators (simple hoists) have been around for a long time. What Elisha Otis did was come up with the “safety elevator”, a design that he showcased at the 1853 World’s Fair in New York. At the Fair, Otis would stand on an elevated platform in front of onlookers and order his assistant to cut the single rope holding up the platform. His safety system kicked in when the platform had only fallen a few inches, amazing the crowd. After this demonstration, the orders came rolling in.

60D “Because you’re worth it” brand : L’OREAL

L’Oréal is a French cosmetics company, the largest cosmetics and beauty company in the world. Here in the US, L’Oréal runs a “Women of Worth” program that honors women who volunteer in their communities. The phrase “Women of Worth” underlines the longstanding L’Oréal slogan “Because I’m worth it”, which evolved into “Because you’re worth it” and eventually “Because we’re worth it”.

61D Basketball Hall of Famer Meyers : ANN

Ann Meyers is a retired pro basketball player. She was the first woman to receive a full four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA, and the first (and only) woman to sign a contract with an NBA team (the Indiana Pacers in 1979).

68D Taylor Swift’s “The ___ Tour” : ERAS

The Eras Tour by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift began on Saint Patrick’s Day 2023. Having not toured for her studio albums “Lover”, “Folklore”, and “Evermore” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift pulled together the Eras Tour in support of all of her albums.

69D Guitarlike instrument : LUTE

The lute is a stringed instrument with a long neck and usually a pear-shaped body. It is held and played like a guitar, and was popular from the Middle Ages right through to the late Baroque era. A person who plays the lute can be referred to as a “lutenist”.

78D “Roger that” : DULY NOTED

The term “roger”, meaning “yes” or “acknowledged”, comes from the world of radiotelephony. The British military used a phonetic alphabet in the fifties that included “Roger” to represent the letter “R”. As such, it became customary to say “Roger” when acknowledging a message, with R (Roger) standing for “received”.

91D Ursa Minor star : POLARIS

Because the orientation of the Earth’s axis shifts, albeit very slowly, the position of north relative to the stars changes over time. The bright star that is closest to true north is Polaris, and so we call Polaris the “North Star” or “Pole Star”. Because of the relatively stable position of Polaris in the Northern Sky, it is a useful navigational tool. 14,000 years ago, the nearest bright star to true north was Vega, and it will be so again in about 12,000 year’s time.

We can locate the North Star using the constellation known familiarly as “the Big Dipper”. If we draw an imaginary line from the two outermost stars at the front of the dipper/ladle, that line passes through the North Star. The distance between the top of the dipper and the North Star is seven times the length of the front of the dipper. And, the North Star forms the outer tip of the handle of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor).

94D Swimwear in Fire Island Pines, often : SPEEDOS

Speedo brand swimwear was first produced in Australia, in 1928 by a hosiery company that wanted to diversify. The brand name was chosen after a slogan competition among employees was won by “Speed on in your Speedos”. It was a long time ago, I guess …

Fire Island is a barrier island on the south shore of Long Island, New York.

97D Franchise with a Crème Brûlée Latte : PANERA

Panera Bread is a chain of bakery/coffeehouses. A Panera restaurant is a good place to get online while having a cup of coffee. Back in 2006 and 2007, Panera was the largest provider of free Wi-Fi access in the whole of the US.

Crème brûlée is a classic French dessert consisting of a rich custard topped with a crusty layer of caramelized sugar. The name “crème brûlée” translates from French as “burnt cream”.

105D “The Silence of the ___” : LAMBS

“The Silence of the Lambs” is a 1991 psychological drama based on a novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. Jodie Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling, and Anthony Hopkins plays the creepy cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter. “The Silence of the Lambs” swept the Big Five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay) for that year, being only the third movie ever to do so. The other two so honored were “It Happened One Night” (1934) and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975).

116D “Barefoot Contessa” host Garten : INA

Ina Garten is an author as well as the host of a cooking show on the Food Network called “Barefoot Contessa”. She is a mentee of Martha Stewart, and indeed was touted as a potential “successor” to the TV celebrity when Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 after an insider trading scandal. Garten has no formal training as a chef, and indeed used to work as a nuclear policy analyst at the White House!

118D ___ plancha : A LA

The Spanish word “plancha” translates as “metal plate”. The term “a la plancha”, from Spanish cuisine, describes food cooked on a metal plate, i.e. a flattop grill.