LA Times Crossword 27 Jun 26, Saturday

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Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 9m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11A Exam with a max score of 180 : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

15A Only shopped at farmers markets, perhaps : ATE ORGANIC

Organic farming emphasizes the use of natural substances, and eschews the use of synthetic chemicals. The term “organic farming” was coined in 1940 by Walter James, 4th Baron Northbourne, in his book “Look to the Land”. He thought of a farm as a complex, interconnected living organism rather than a biological factory.

18A “Educated: A Memoir” writer Westover : TARA

Tara Westover is a writer and historian whose 2018 memoir “Educated” topped “The New York Times” bestseller list. Westover has a PhD in intellectual history from Cambridge University in England, a pretty remarkable achievement given her upbringing. She was born into a family of Mormon survivalists, was homeschooled, taught to read by an older brother, and didn’t even have a birth certificate until she was 9 years old.

19A Homes for some queens : HIVES

A queen bee has a stinger, just like worker bees. When a worker bee stings, it leaves its stinger in its victim. The worker bee dies after losing its stinger as the loss rips out part of its insides. However, a queen bee can sting with impunity as her stinger’s anatomy is different.

20A Instrument invented by Hermes : LYRE

The lyre is a stringed instrument that is most closely associated with ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

21A Bamia or sambar : STEW

Bamia is a traditional stew found in several Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Characterized by the use of okra as its primary ingredient, bamia features a tomato-based sauce often seasoned with garlic, onions, and a blend of spices such as coriander and cumin. The stew’s texture is notable for the slightly viscous consistency produced by the okra. The name “bamia” translates as “okra”.

Sambar is a lentil stew from the cuisine of South India. It is a curry or spicy stew based on a tangy tamarind broth cooked with pigeon peas.

23A “Fore!” site : TEE

No one seems to know for sure where the golfing term “fore!” comes from. It has been used at least as far back as 1881, and since then has been called out to warn other golfers that a wayward ball might be heading their way. My favorite possibility for its origin is that it is a contraction of the Gaelic warning cry “Faugh a Ballagh!” (clear the way!) which is still called out in the sport of road bowling. Road bowling is an Irish game where players bowl balls along roads between villages, trying to reach the end of the course in as few bowls as possible, just like in golf!

28A Ending of “Oedipus” : SIGMA

The Greek letter sigma would be at the end of the Greek name “Oedipus”.

Sigma (Σ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is the one used for an “ess” sound, equivalent to our letter S. Sigma is used in mathematics to represent a summation, the adding together of a sequence of numbers.

39A Cannes Film Festival prize : PALME D’OR

The “Palme d’Or” (or “Golden Palm” in English) is the highest award given at the Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d’Or goes to the director of the film that is selected as the best shown at the festival that year. The palm was selected as an emblem for the award as there is a palm featured on the coat of arms of the Commune of Cannes.

Cannes is a city on the French Riviera that is noted as host of the Cannes Film Festival. The decision to host an annual film festival came just before WWII. However, the festival had to wait for the end of the war for its launch in 1946.

40A Prankster with opposable thumbs : MONKEY

Monkey species are found all over the world, except for Australia and Antarctica. Old World species, native to Africa and Asia, tend to have opposable thumbs, allowing them to use primitive tools and grasp objects with precision. New World monkeys, native to the Americas, generally lack fully opposable thumbs, relying instead on dexterous, prehensile tails that function as a built-in fifth limb.

41A Aisha of “Archer” : TYLER

Aisha Tyler is an actor and comedian who was a co-host on “The Talk” for several years starting in 2011. She began hosting a reboot of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” in 2013.

“Archer” is an adult animated sitcom that debuted in 2009. The main character is master spy Sterling Archer, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, who is a bit of a bumbling fool and surrounded by dysfunctional colleagues.

42A Oman neighbor : YEMEN

The Oman-Yemen border runs in NW-SE directions for just over 180 miles. One end of the border is the tripoint with Saudi Arabia, and the other end is at the Arabian Sea coast.

44A Go, to the dogs : MUSH!

Mushing is the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled. “Mush” is thought to come from the French “marche” meaning “go, run”.

47A Material for some biodegradable bags : HEMP

Hemp, also known as “cannabis”, is a hardy, fast-growing plant that has many uses mainly due to the strength of the fibers in the plant’s stalks. Hemp is used to make rope, paper and textiles. The term “hemp” is sometimes reserved for varieties of the plant grown for non-drug use.

53A St. __ Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub : IVES

St. Ives entered the skincare market in the 1980s, heavily touting a “Swiss formula”. Well, that formula actually originated in a California laboratory. The company name really took off with the launch of its Apricot Scrub, which utilized crushed walnut shells as a physical exfoliant.

55A “Brave” studio : PIXAR

“Brave” is an animated film released by Pixar studios in 2012. The movie has a great cast of voice actors that includes the talented Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. As you might guess from that cast, the story is set in Scotland, in the highlands in the tenth century.

Down

1D Paper used in origami : WASHI

Washi is a traditional, handmade paper from Japan. The manufacturing process and raw materials used result in paper that is exceptionally tough, and yet flexible. The term “washi” translates as “Japanese-paper” (wa-shi).

Origami is the traditional Japanese art form of paper folding. The best-known example of the craft is the paper crane (“orizuru“). The word “origami” is derived from “ori“ (folding) and “kami” (paper).

3D “Still Me” memoirist Christopher : REEVE

Actor Christopher Reeve was most associated with his portrayal of Superman in the late seventies and early eighties. Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down when he fell from a horse in a jumping event in 1995. He published a best-selling autobiography in 1998 called “Still Me”, and sadly passed away in 2004.

5D Addresses with dots : URLS

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com or LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).

6D Org. with many excellent drivers : PGA

The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was founded in 1916, and was based in New York City. It used to have its headquarters (unsurprisingly) in Florida, where so many golfers live. The HQ moved to Texas in 2022.

9D Huntington Beach landmark : PIER

The city of Huntington Beach in Southern California changed its name from Pacific City in 1903. The name change might be considered a “bribe”, as the following year railway magnate Henry E. Huntington extended his famous Pacific Electric Red Car line down to the sand. That linked “Huntington” Beach with the rapidly expanding metropolis of Los Angeles.

25D Running back Jeanty who was runner-up for the 2024 Heisman Trophy : ASHTON

Ashton Jeanty is an NFL running back who was a Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2024 before being selected in the 2025 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

32D Roland Garros surface : CLAY

Roland Garros was a French aviator who was noted as a fighter pilot during WWI. Garros is sometimes described as the world’s first fighter ace, but this isn’t true. He shot down four aircraft in total, and five kills are required in order to earn the name “ace”. He gave his name to the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, a sports complex that has hosted the French Open of tennis since 1928.

36D Fortnite streamer, e.g. : GAMER

Fortnite is a very, very popular online game that was released in 2017. There are several versions of the game, including the original Fortnite: Save the World.

38D Little dude : BOY

Our term “dude” arose as slang in New York City in the 1880s, when it was used to describe a fastidious man. In the early 1900s, the term was extended to mean “city slickers”, easterners who vacationed in the West. The first use of the term “dude ranch” was recorded in 1921.

43D Psychologist who created a notable hierarchy : MASLOW

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a concept proposed in 1943 by psychologist Abraham Maslow. The hierarchy is often portrayed as a pyramid, with the needs stacked on one another, the most fundamental at the base. The needs are ranked, starting with the most fundamental:

1. Physiological needs
2. Safety needs
3. Belongingness & love needs
4. Esteem needs
5. Self-fulfillment needs

54D VIP member? : VERY

Very important person (VIP)

58D Scan that may diagnose a torn ACL : MRI

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).