LA Times Crossword 16 Dec 25, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Sala Wanetick & Emily Biegas

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Now Ear This!

Themed answers are all kinds of EARS:

• 17A Dog ears? : BOOK MARKS
• 26A Bunny ears? : SHOELACE KNOT
• 42A Elephant ears? : CARNIVAL FOOD
• 56A Mouse ears? : MICKEY HAT

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

Bill’s time: 6m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14A Most populous city in Can. : TOR

Beautiful Toronto, Ontario is the largest city in Canada, and the fourth most populous city in North America (after Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles).

16A Inter Miami captain Lionel : MESSI

Lionel “Leo” Messi is a soccer player from Argentina. Before becoming a global superstar, a 13-year-old Messi was so impressive during a tryout that FC Barcelona’s sporting director immediately drew up his first contract on a paper napkin because no other paper was available. That napkin was later auctioned off for nearly $1 million.

The professional soccer club Inter Miami CF joined the MLS league as an expansion franchise in 2020, having been established in 2018. The club’s president and co-owner is former soccer star David Beckham. One of Inter Miami’s big signings is Lionel Messi, who joined in 2023.

17A Dog ears? : BOOK MARKS

The folded-down corner of the page of a book, a temporary placeholder, is known as a “dog-ear”. I suppose that’s because it looks like the ear of a dog …

19A Windshield sticker : DECAL

A decal is a decorative sticker. “Decal” is a shortening of “decalcomania”. The latter term is derived from the French “décalquer”, the practice of tracing a pattern from paper onto glass or perhaps porcelain.

20A Smoothie bowl berry : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

22A Beefsteak, for one : TOMATO

The beefsteak tomato is so named because of its large, meaty size, giving a tomato slice comparable to a slice of beef. It is one of the largest cultivated varieties and is the most common “slicing tomato”, used extensively for sandwiches, burgers, and salads because of its size and dense flesh. The mammoth size of these tomatoes is actually due to a genetic mutation that arose hundreds of years ago, which cultivators selectively bred for.

26A Bunny ears? : SHOELACE KNOT

The bunny ears is one of the two main methods taught to children for tying a bow in a shoelace. The name comes from the two loops created in the loose ends, which are visually likened to rabbit ears.

30A Like walruses and wild boars : TUSKED

Tusks are the front teeth of certain animals that grow continuously. The tusks of wild pigs, hippos and walruses are elongated canine teeth. The tusks of elephants are elongated incisors.

Walruses are large marine mammals with very prominent tusks. Their natural habitat is in and around the northern hemisphere’s Arctic Ocean.

The wild boar might be described as a matriarchal beast. Fully-grown males live a solitary life, except during mating season. Fully-grown females live together in groups called sounders, along with their offspring.

33A Mo. with a spooky finale : OCT

All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year. The day before All Saints’ Day is All Hallows’ Eve, better known by the Scottish term “Halloween”.

37A New York mascot with a baseball for a head : MR MET

Mr. Met is the mascot of the New York Mets. He is a guy with a large baseball as a head. There’s also a Mrs. Met, a mascot who was previously known as Lady Met.

39A “Geaux Tigers!” sch. : LSU

The Tigers are the sports teams of Louisiana State University (LSU). They are officially known as the Fightin’ Tigers, and the school mascot is “Mike the Tiger”. The name comes from the days of the Civil War, when two Louisiana brigades earned the nickname the “Louisiana Tigers”. Given the French/Cajun history of Louisiana, the LSU fans use the cheer “Geaux Tigers” instead of “Go Tigers”.

40A Four-time WNBA MVP Wilson : A’JA

Professional basketball player A’ja Wilson was the first pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, after which she signed for the Las Vegas Aces. She won Olympic Gold at the 2020 Olympics, and captained the Aces in 2022 when the team won their first league championship title.

41A Creamy chocolate dessert : MOUSSE

Our word “mousse” is an Old French term meaning “froth”.

42A Elephant ears? : CARNIVAL FOOD

Elephant ears are (usually) sweet snacks much associated with carnivals and seaside resorts. They are made from dough that has been deep-fried and sprinkled with toppings such as cinnamon, maple syrup or perhaps even cheese.

51A Not all __ wear capes : HEROES

The phrase “not all heroes wear capes” usually refers to someone who performs a selfless act. The idea is that one doesn’t have to be someone like Superman in order to be a hero. The phrase gained some traction on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was often used in praise of the marvelous healthcare and frontline workers who served our communities.

54A Actress Headey : LENA

English actress Lena Headey is best known for playing Cersei Lannister on the fantasy series “Game of Thrones”. Headey was born in Bermuda, where her father was stationed as a police officer.

55A Greek alphabet ender : OMEGA

Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and is the one that looks like a horseshoe (Ω) when in uppercase. The lowercase omega looks like a Latin W. The word “omega” literally means “great O” (O-mega). Compare this with the Greek letter Omicron, meaning “little O” (O-micron).

56A Mouse ears? : MICKEY HAT

The Mickey Mouse Ears hat was introduced in the 1950s on the Mickey Mouse Club. The Mouseketeers would wear them in each episode. Years later, the hats were offered to sale to the public, and today are the most popular item purchased at Disney resorts.

60A Royal flush card : ACE

The poker hand called a royal flush is the highest-ranking hand possible. It consists of a run of 10, jack, queen, king and ace, with all in the same suit.

61A Knighted women : DAMES

The title “Dame” in the British system of honors is the female equivalent to “Sir”, as used to address a knight. In days of old, the wife of a knight was given the title of Dame. Since the 17th century, the wife of a knight has been called “Lady”. So now, anyone with the title of Dame has earned the honor in her own right and not through marriage.

62A The Jetsons dog : ASTRO

“The Jetsons” is an animated show from Hanna-Barbera that had its first run in 1962-1963, and then was recreated in 1985-1987. When it debuted in 1963 on ABC, “The Jetsons” was the network’s first ever color broadcast. “The Jetsons” is like a space-age version of “The Flintstones”. The four Jetson family members are George and Jane, the parents, and children Judy and Elroy. Residing with the family in Orbit City are their household robot Rosie and pet dog Astro.

63A “Dynamite” K-pop group : BTS

“Dynamite” is a 2020 song released by the boy band BTS from South Korea. It was a huge success internationally and hit number-one in the US charts. “Dynamite” was the first song that BTS fully recorded in English.

Down

1D Moonshine : HOOCH

In the Klondike gold rush, a favorite tipple of the miners was “Hoochinoo”, a liquor made by the native Alaskans. Soon after “hooch” (also “hootch”) was adopted as a word for cheap whiskey.

4D Minnesota governor Walz : TIM

Tim Walz is a former high school social studies teacher and football coach who retired from the Army National Guard as a Command Sergeant Major after 24 years of service. He served six terms in the US House of Representatives before becoming the 41st Governor of Minnesota in 2019. In 2024, Walz was selected as the Democratic nominee for Vice President, on the ticket with Kamala Harris.

6D “Semper fi” shouter : MARINE

“Semper Fidelis” (often abbreviated to “Semper Fi”) is the motto of the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The phrase is Latin and means “Always Faithful”. The US Marine Corps isn’t the only military unit using “Semper Fidelis” as a motto. It’s also used by the Portuguese Marine Corps, the Republic of China Marine Corps and the Swiss Grenadiers.

8D Jardin __ Tuileries: public space near the Louvre : DES

The Tuileries Garden (“Jardin des Tuileries”) is a Parisian public park located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. It takes its name from the tile factories (“tuileries” in French) that originally occupied the site before Queen Catherine de’ Medici began construction of the Tuileries Palace and Garden in 1564. The palace itself burned down in 1871, and was never rebuilt.

12D Future esq.’s exam : LSAT

The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK, “esquire” is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So, a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank, say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.

13D Rural storage tower : SILO

“Silo” is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English. The term ultimately derives from the Greek “siros”, which described a pit in which one kept corn.

18D Mall stalls : KIOSKS

Our word “kiosk” came to us via French and Turkish from the Persian “kushk” meaning “palace, portico”.

25D Spice in pumpkin spice, often : MACE

Cloves are the flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum. Until a couple of centuries ago, clove trees were only found in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Because they were a rich source of cloves, mace and nutmeg, the Moluccas were referred to historically as the Spice Islands.

Pumpkin spice is a blend of spices that is a common ingredient in pumpkin pies. It is mainly found in American stores, and is roughly equivalent to the blend referred to as “mixed spice” in other English-speaking parts of the world. The main spices included are cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

31D Latin for “bear” in constellation names : URSA

Ursa Minor (Latin for “Smaller Bear”) sits right beside the constellation Draco (Latin for “Dragon”). Ursa Minor used to be considered the wing of Draco, and was once called “Dragon’s Wing”. The tail of the “Smaller Bear” might also be considered as the handle of a ladle, and so the constellation is often referred to as the Little Dipper.

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of the resemblance of its main stars to a ladle or dipper. Those stars also resemble a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland the “Plough”.

32D Common substitute for Greek yogurt : SOUR CREAM

Greek yogurt is made by straining regular yogurt to remove excess liquid whey, resulting in its characteristic thick, dense, and creamy texture. Straining concentrates the yogurt, giving it a tangier flavor and a higher protein content than regular yogurt. The term “Greek yogurt” was widely adopted in the US when a Greek dairy company branded its exported strained yogurt as “Greek” in the 1990s, to emphasize its origin and differentiate it on American shelves. I’m a big fan …

36D Slightly open : AJAR

Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

37D Electronic music pioneer Robert : MOOG

One of the first commercial music synthesizers was invented by Robert MoogMoog, and it was brought to mainstream popularity by Wendy Carlos’s 1968 album “Switched-On Bach”. The album reinterpreted the works of Johann Sebastian Bach using the synthesizer, and became an unlikely hit. It won three Grammy Awards, and is credited by many with launching the electronic music genre.

43D Painful head rub : NOOGIE

A noogie is a childish move in which someone rubs his (and it’s always a guy!) knuckles into a person’s head to create a little soreness.

45D Sink fixture : FAUCET

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

52D Jane Austen novel that inspired the movie “Clueless” : EMMA

Jane Austen’s novel “Emma” is the tale of Emma Woodhouse and the wonderful George Knightley. At the end of the story, Emma marries Knightley and her young friend Harriet marries Robert Martin, who had been trying to get Harriet’s attention practically from page one of the novel. Emma interfered in that troubled courtship.

The 1995 movie “Clueless” is based on Jane Austen’s “Emma”, which is a favorite novel of mine. The film? Not a favorite …

56D Iowa Writers’ Workshop deg. : MFA

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is located at the University of Iowa.vIt is housed within the Department of English, and the graduate degree it grants is an MFA (Master of Fine Arts). It is the oldest creative writing program in the US to offer an MFA degree, established in 1936.

57D That, in Tijuana : ESO

Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.