LA Times Crossword 6 Jun 26, Saturday

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Constructed by: August Miller

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 12m 39s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A App on the half shell : CLAMS CASINO

The dish known as clams casino comprises clams served on the halfshell with breadcrumbs and bacon, broiled to a golden brown. The recipe originated in Rhode Island, apparently developed by the staff in a hotel in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The dish was named for the hotel, the Little Casino.

15A Online scale with a green splat icon : TOMATOMETER

Rotten Tomatoes is a website that mainly provides reviews and ratings of movies, although it now covers TV shows as well. The site was launched in 1998 and takes its name from the practice of audience members throwing rotten tomatoes at an unappreciated performer on stage.

16A __ culpa : MEA

Many Roman Catholics are very familiar with the Latin phrase “mea culpa” meaning “my fault”, as it is used in the Latin Mass. The additional term “mea maxima culpa” translates as “my most grievous fault”.

18A Chic bag monogram : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) was an Algerian-born French fashion designer. Saint Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 18 or 19. Dior died just two years later, and as a very young man Saint Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. In 1960, Saint Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from hospital, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

20A Bean in frijoles de la olla : PINTO

Pinto beans are so-called because their skins have a mottled (“pinto”) appearance.

“Frijoles de la olla” is a basic recipe from Mexican cuisine, with the name translating literally as “beans from the pot”. The beans are traditionally simmered in a deep, unglazed earthenware vessel known as an olla, hence the name.

21A Calculator brand : CASIO

Casio is a Japanese manufacturer of mainly electronic products, including calculators, watches and electronic keyboards. It was Casio that produced the first portable and compact all-electric calculator, way back in 1957.

24A Luray feature : CAVERN

The Luray Caverns are located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The cave system features a remarkable musical instrument called the Great Stalacpipe Organ. This organ produces sounds when electrically-activated rubber mallets strike stalactites of varying sizes.

25A Trampoline sound : BOING!

The first modern trampoline was developed in 1936. The apparatus was given its name from the Spanish “trampolín” meaning “diving board”. Trampolines were used during WWII in the training of pilots, to give them exposure to some spatial orientations that would be encountered during flight. Trampolines were also used by astronauts training in the space flight program. The sport of trampolining became an Olympic event starting in the 2000 Games.

27A Pride event : PARADE

The first gay pride parades were held all on the same weekend in 1970, in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

28A Maker of Sinatra Select whiskey : JACK DANIEL’S

I used to live in Tennessee, and one weekend took a tour of the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. After watching all the whiskey being produced, we were brought to a room for “refreshments”. We were given lemonade and no samples of the whiskey were offered, because the distillery is located in Moore County, Tennessee, a dry county …

The Sinatra Select label of Jack Daniel’s whiskey is named for Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra. The label reflects Frank’s fifty-year loyalty to the drink. He was famously buried in 1998 with a flask of Jack Daniel’s in his pocket.

31A Galoot : APE

“Galoot” is an insulting word describing an awkward or boorish man, an ape. The term comes from the nautical world, where it was originally what a sailor might call a soldier or marine.

34A __ compression: information technology method : LOSSY

Data compression is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than in the original file. Lossless compression outputs a new file without the loss of any information, such as grouping “20 blue pixels” together in an image file, rather than listing them individually. The alternative, lossy compression, relies on the limitations of human perception to permanently discard “redundant” data that the brain simply doesn’t register. This “perceptual coding” allows formats like JPEGs and MP3s to shrink to a fraction of their original size by stripping away details the human eye (and ear, perhaps, for an audio file) are biologically incapable of processing.

35A Door opening? : TRAP

A trapdoor is a sliding or lifting door set flush in an opening such as a ceiling, roof or floor. In Elizabethan theater, these openings were known as “grave traps”, used to launch ghosts from an under-stage area symbolically referred to as “hell”.

36A Schedule abbr. : TBA

To be advised/announced (TBA)

37A Comedic interludes on some 47-Across albums : HIP-HOP SKITS
[47A GloRilla genre : RAP]

A skit is a brief, non-musical comedy scene included in many hip-hop albums. Skits are used to build an album’s narrative between songs. They became a fundamental hip-hop element in 1989 with the release of De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising”, in which producer Prince Paul introduced them for the first time.

39A Moonstruck : IN LOVE

Someone who is moonstruck has been metaphorically “struck” or physically altered by the moon’s influence, is perhaps dazed, romantically sentimental, or even mentally unbalanced.

41A Wee bit : SKOSH

“Skosh” is a slang term meaning “a little bit”. It was originally military slang that came out of the Korean War. “Skosh” derives from the Japanese word “sukoshi” which translates as “few, little, some”.

42A Dress rack label : PETITE

“Petite” is the French word for “small”, when applied to a feminine noun.

43A Cinq moins deux : TROIS

In French, “cinq moins deux” (five minus two) is “trois” (three).

45A Amino __ : ACIDS

Amino acids are essential to life in many ways, not least of which is their use as the building blocks of proteins. Nine amino acids are considered “essential” for humans. These nine must be included in the diet as they cannot be synthesized in the body.

46A Models whose names typically started with 9 : SAABS

“SAAB” stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. Although we usually think of SAAB as an auto manufacturer, it is mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automotive division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, who then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011. The assets were acquired in 2012 by NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden), a new company that used the SAAB name on its vehicles for several years.

47A GloRilla genre : RAP

“GloRilla” is the stage name of rapper Gloria Hallelujah Woods from North Memphis. Her unique middle name “Hallelujah” reflects her upbringing in a church choir, from which she transitioned into the city’s rap scene.

56A Berlioz’s “__ Troyens” : LES

“Les Troyens” (The Trojans) is a grand opera by Hector Berlioz based on Virgil’s epic poem the “Aeneid”. It is considered Berlioz’s magnum opus, but sadly, he never got to see it performed.

Down

1D R&D execs : CTOS

Chief technology officer (CTO)

3D Black Card co. : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

7D Revise : AMEND

The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.

9D “__, am America”: Hughes : I TOO

Langston Hughes was a poet active in the Harlem Renaissance, and someone who helped develop the literary form known as “jazz poetry”. His poem “I, Too” was published in 1926.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–

I, too, am America.

10D Kelly who narrates Peter Carey’s “True History of the Kelly Gang” : NED

Ned Kelly was an Irish-Australian outlaw who is regarded by many as a symbol of resistance against the British ruling class in Australia in the 19th century. There have been two famous films made of his life story. “The Story of the Kelly Gang” was released in 1906, and is recognized today as the first feature film ever made. We might be more familiar with the film called “Ned Kelly” released in 1970, as it starred Mick Jagger in the title role.

“True History of the Kelly Gang” is a novel released in 2000 by author Peter Carey. The story is inspired by the real-life gang of Australian outlaws led by Ned Kelly. Kelly is said to have dictated a 56-page manifesto called the “Jerilderie Letter”, while on the run to justify his defiance of colonial authorities. The novel reflects the format of the “letter” by using practically no commas.

11D Entities that carry rock and roll : ORE CARS

Ore cars are heavy-duty, narrow-gauge rail wagons designed to haul raw minerals from the subterranean face of a mine to the processing plant above.

12D Comedian who voices Princess Carolyn in “BoJack Horseman” : AMY SEDARIS

The actress, author and comedian Amy Sedaris plays a character called Jerri Blank on the television series “Strangers with Candy”. Amy is the younger sister of the humorist and author David Sedaris.

The animated series “BoJack Horseman” centers on its titular character, a washed-up anthropomorphic horse who was once the star of a popular 1990s sitcom. BoJack attempts to make a comeback in “Hollywoo” (the letter D was stolen from the famous Hollywood sign), while trying to deal with depression and addiction. Sounds like a right bundle of laughs …

13D Unplanned shortcut : DESIRE PATH

A desire path is an unplanned trail that is created by animal or human traffic trampling the ground. Some say that the oldest desire path in the US originated as the Wickquasgeck Path made by Native Americans, which connected settlements on Manhattan Island, avoiding swamps and hills. That path developed into the thoroughfare that we now call Broadway.

22D Hannah’s “Hacks” role : AVA

“Hacks” is a comedy-drama TV series featuring Jean Smart as legendary stand-up Deborah Vance, and Hannah Einbender as young comedy writer Ava Daniels. The show premiered on HBO Max in 2021.

23D Sweet rice cake from the Philippines : BIKO

Biko is a dessert, a sweet rice cake from Filipino cuisine. It is made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar, and topped with caramelized coconut milk

24D Group of Caribbean islands? : CALYPSO BAND

The musical style known as calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.

25D Hot pink aesthetic : BARBIECORE

“Barbiecore” is a fashion trend that really took off with the release of the 2023 film “Barbie”. Central to the aesthetic is the use of a hot pink hue known as Pantone 219 C.

27D Mexican bar tender : PESO

The peso is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.

32D Some indie releases : EPS

An extended-play (EP) record, CD or download contains more music than a single, but less than a long-play (LP) record.

35D MMA calls : TKOS!

Technical knockout (TKO)

Mixed martial arts (MMA)

42D __ bull : PAPAL

A bulla (also “bull”) is a type of seal impression. A papal bull is a formal document from the Vatican that has such a seal attached, hence the name of the document.

43D “Nonnas” actress Shire : TALIA

Actress Talia Shire is best-known for playing Rocky’s wife Adrian in the “Rocky” series of movies. She also played Connie, the daughter of Don Corleone, in “The Godfather” films. Shire is the sister of movie director Francis Ford Coppola and the aunt of actor Nicolas Cage. Her son is the actor Jason Schwartzman.

The 2025 film “Nonnas” stars Vince Vaughn as Joe Scaravella, a real-life New Yorker who opened the Staten Island restaurant Enoteca Maria, in honor of his late mother. He staffed the restaurant entirely with local grandmothers (“nonnas”) rather than professional chefs. The cast playing the grandmothers is impressive, and includes Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro and Susan Sarandon.

44D Lustrous synthetic : RAYON

Rayon is a little unusual in the textile industry in that it is not truly a synthetic fiber, but nor can it be called a natural fiber. Rayon is produced from naturally occurring cellulose that is dissolved and then reformed into fibers.

46D Chica’s title: Abbr. : SRTA

In Spanish, a “niña” is a young girl, a child. The term “chica” applies to an older girl or perhaps a young woman. The term “muchacha” applies to girls in general, I think …

47D Cassowary kin : RHEA

The rhea is a flightless bird that is native to South America. It takes its name from the Greek Titan Rhea. That’s an apt name for a flightless bird as “rhea” comes from the Greek word “éra” meaning “ground”.

The cassowary is a large, flightless bird found mainly in New Guinea. One species of cassowary is the third tallest bird on the planet, second only to the ostrich and the emu.

52D Serena slam? : ACE

Serena Williams is the younger of the two Williams sisters playing professional tennis. Serena has won more prize money in her career than any other female athlete.

53D Classic Pontiac : GTO

The initialism “GTO” was used on several touring cars (including a famous Pontiac) and stands for “Gran Turismo Omologato”. Italian car manufacturers started the tradition of calling their luxury performance cars “Gran Turismo”, and calling those cars they approved for racing “Gran Turismo Omologato”. The phrase “gran turismo omologato” translates as “grand touring homologated”, “homologated” being a technical term signifying official approval.