LA Times Crossword 17 Jan 26, Saturday

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Constructed by: Emily Biegas

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 13m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10A Streetcars : TRAMS

Trams were a common form of transport in London starting with horse-drawn versions in 1860. They were gradually replaced by diesel buses after WWII, with the last tram running in 1952. Even though trams disappeared in the early fifties, many of the rails that carried the trams remained in some streets for many years afterwards (I remember them well, as a child). A new generation of tram, a so-called light-rail system, was introduced in London in 2000.

16A Swiss namesake of an international series of art fairs : BASEL

Art Basel is an annual art fair that was founded in the Swiss city of Basel in 1970 by a trio of local gallery owners. Over time, it has come to be considered the premier international art fair for modern and contemporary work. It has also expanded into a global franchise with additional annual editions in Miami Beach (since 2002), Hong Kong (since 2013), Paris (since 2022) and Qatar (since 2025).

19A “__ Is Betta Than Evvah!” : ETTA

“Etta Is Betta Than Evvah!” is a 1976 studio album released by American singer Etta James.

20A C-section docs : OBS

In Latin, the word for midwife is “obstetrix”. “Obstetrix” translates more literally as “one who stands opposite” i.e. the one opposite the woman giving birth. The Latin term gives rise to our modern word “obstetrics” used for the branch of medical science concerned with childbirth.

The story that Julius Caesar was born via caesarean section (C-section) seems to be unfounded. Although such procedures were indeed carried out in ancient Rome, there are no reports of the mother surviving (and Julius Caesar’s mother did raise her child). The term “cesarean” comes not from (Julius) Caesar, but rather directly from the Latin “caedere” meaning “to cut”.

23A Primary fig. : POL

The US is one of just a few countries that uses primary elections, selections of party candidates by popular vote. In the runup to most national elections outside of the US, political parties select their own candidates. Indeed, primaries weren’t introduced into the US until relatively recently. The first presidential primary took place in 1920, in New Hampshire.

24A Hosp. gear : PPE

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

26A Actress Hayek Pinault : SALMA

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. She was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, earning that nomination with her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”. Hayek married French billionaire François-Henri Pinault in 2009.

28A Israeli airline : EL AL

El Al, Israel’s national airline, takes its name from a Hebrew phrase that translates to “To the Skies” or “Heavenwards.” This phrase appears in the biblical Book of Hosea, specifically Hosea 11:7 — “And My people are in suspense about returning to Me; and though they call them upwards, none at all will lift himself up”.

38A Skirt in a Degas painting : TUTU

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.

Edgar Degas was a French artist who was famous for both his paintings and his sculptures. Some of Degas’ most beautiful works feature female ballet dancers, and others depict women bathing.

42A Percolate : LEACH

Percolation leaching is a process used to remove a mineral from a mass of material containing that mineral. A suitable solvent is chosen, and it is allowed to seep (percolate) through the mass, dissolving (leaching) the mineral as it goes. The mineral is then extracted from the collected solvent.

44A Supplementary medical benefit: Abbr. : HSA

Health savings account (HSA)

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a savings account that offers a “triple tax advantage”: contributions are tax-deductible, investment growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free. Unlike an Flexible Savings Account (FSA), the funds roll over year to year, allowing it to serve as a long-term investment vehicle.

46A 17-Across pro : CPA
(17A Scheduled delivery? : TAX RETURN)

Certified public accountant (CPA)

48A Big name in pasta sauce : RAO

Rao’s Italian restaurant opened in East Harlem in New York City in 1896. Rao’s also sells a small line of Italian foodstuffs in supermarkets, such as pasta, sauces and olive oil.

51A Comic Margaret : CHO

Margaret Cho is a very successful stand-up comedian, and also a fashion designer with her own line of clothing. Cho acts as well, and you might have seen her in the John Travolta/Nicolas Cage movie “Face/Off” in which she played John Travolta’s FBI colleague.

52A Prefix with -core for a style inspired by hiking : GORP-

Gorpcore is a fashion trend often described as “camping chic”. Functional outdoor gear, like fleece vests and Gore-Tex jackets, is worn as trendy streetwear. The name “gorpcore” was coined in 2017 and comes from the hiker acronym GORP (“Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts,” or trail mix).

54A Spot where sharks gather : POOL TABLE

A pool shark is a player who hustles others in a pool hall with the goal of making money unfairly in competition. The term “pool shark” used to be “pool sharp”.

56A Vessel implant : STENT

In the world of surgical medicine, a stent is an artificial tube inserted inside a vessel in the body, say an artery, in order to reduce the effects of a local restriction in the body’s conduit.

58A Redfin listings : HOMES

Redfin is a real estate company founded in 2004 and based in Seattle.

59A Smudging ceremony tool : PALO SANTO

Palo santo (Spanish for “holy wood”) is a wild tree native to South America that has a sweet, piney aroma. It is widely used in smudging ceremonies, in which the smoke is believed to clear negative energy and purify the spirit.

Down

4D “Hava Nagila” dance : HORA

“Hava Nagila” is a Hebrew folk song, with the title translating into “Let Us Rejoice”. The melody is from a Ukrainian folk song. The words to “Hava Nagila” were composed in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during WWI.

7D Natural structure? : DOUBLE HELIX

Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA had a double-helix, chain-like structure, and published their results in Cambridge in 1953. To this day the discovery is mired in controversy, as some crucial results collected by fellow researcher Rosalind Franklin were used without her permission or even knowledge. In 1962, along with molecular biologist Maurice Wilkins, Watson and Crick were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

12D Bagel option : ASIAGO

Asiago is a cheese that is named for the region in northeastern Italy from where it originates. It comes in varying textures depending on its age. Fresh Asiago is very smooth, while aged Asiago can be very crumbly.

14D “When a Man Loves a Woman” singer : SLEDGE

Percy Sledge is an R&B singer who is most famous for recording the great song “When a Man Loves a Woman” in 1966.

23D “Slam Diego” player : PADRE

“Slam Diego” is a nickname earned by the San Diego Padres team during the 2020 season after they became the first team in major league baseball history to hit a grand slam in four consecutive games.

24D Dubious label from The Princeton Review until 2022 : PARTY SCHOOL

The Princeton Review used to publish a list of the “Best Party Schools”. The controversial ranking was quietly dropped in 2022, after suggestions that it contributed to the problem of excessive drinking on campus.

27D __ Islands: archipelago in the East China Sea : MATSU

The Matsu Islands lie in the Taiwan Strait just off the coast of mainland China. The archipelago is named for Mazu, a goddess who is said to protect seafarers.

32D “Fool Us” co-host : TELLER

“Penn & Teller: Fool Us” is a TV show in which magicians compete to “fool” celebrated illusionists Penn & Teller. The idea is to perform an illusion in front of Penn & Teller, without the pair working out how the trick is done. Despite the setting in Las Vegas, the show was commissioned by British network ITV. ITV canceled the show after one season, and so it was taken up by the American network The CW. The show was originally hosted by English TV personality Jonathan Ross, with American actress Alyson Hannigan taking over at the start of season three.

33D One of three national forests in Florida : OCALA

Ocala National Forest is a large protected area covering over 600 square miles of Central Florida. Included in the bounds of the forest is the US Navy’s Pinecastle Bombing Range. Navy planes drop about 20,000 bombs annually at Pinecastle, although only a few hundred are live munitions.

35D Bottom-feeding fish also called a gurnard : SEA ROBIN

Sea robins aren’t birds, and rather are bottom-feeding fish. They can have an orange color on the ventral surface, reminiscent of a robin’s red breast, hence the common name “sea robin”.

37D Shameful tone? : SCARLET

The main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” is Hester Prynne. After the birth of her illegitimate daughter Pearl, she is convicted by her puritanical neighbors of the crime of adultery. Hester is forced to wear a scarlet “A” (for “adultery”) on her clothing for the rest of her life, hence the novel’s title “The Scarlet Letter”.

38D Type of metal : THRASH

The Big Four of thrash metal are Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. I have no idea what thrash metal is …

40D Single file : TANDEM

Back in the mid- to late-1700s, a tandem was a horse-drawn carriage, one with the two horses harnessed one behind the other. A century later, we applied the term “tandem” to a bicycle with two seats, and the two riders one behind the other.

51D Fútbol prize : COPA

In Spanish, supporters might be heard yelling “ole!” (bravo!) at the “Copa Mundial” (World Cup) of soccer.

52D Pop star Lady __ : GAGA

“Lady Gaga” is the stage name of Stefani Germanotta. Germanotta is a big fan of the band Queen, and she took her stage name from the marvelous Queen song titled “Radio Ga Ga”.

54D Baby food : PAP

One use of the term “pap” is to describe soft or semi-liquid food for babies and small children. “Pap” comes into English, via French, from the Latin word used by children for “food”. In the 1500s, “pap” also came to mean “an oversimplified” idea. This gives us a usage that’s common today, describing literature or perhaps TV programming that lacks real value or substance. Hands up those who think there’s a lot of pap out there, especially on television …

55D Lean-__ : TOS

By definition, a lean-to is a building in which the rafters lean against the wall of another building. A lean-to shelter has a similar appearance, although it is free-standing. The shelter has a single-pitched roof and only three walls.