LA Times Crossword 2 Jul 26, Thursday

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Constructed by: Ella Dershowitz

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Lift Weights

Themed answers each contain a WEIGHT hidden within, but it has been LIFTED into the up-direction:

• 11D Engage in some strength training, or what this puzzle’s circled letters do : LIFT WEIGHTS

• 7D Skeptical remark : YOU’RE NOT SERIOUS (lift STONE)
• 9D Key influencers? : PIANO TEACHERS (lift TON)
• 18D Cartesian concept that questions the reality of waking life : DREAM ARGUMENT (lift GRAM)
• 24D “Can you believe this scam?” : WHAT A RACKET! (lift CARAT)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 55s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5A Taylor-Joy of “The Queen’s Gambit” : ANYA

Actress Anya Taylor-Joy had quite the international upbringing. She was born in Miami, and raised in Buenos Aires and then London. She is perhaps best known for playing the title character in the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, and the lead role in the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”.

“The Queen’s Gambit” is a wonderful 2020 miniseries based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. Anya Taylor-Joy plays a young chess prodigy who has a tough upbringing in an orphanage, and who then struggles with alcohol and drug dependency. The series was so popular with viewers that it sparked a renewed interest in the game of chess, with sales of chess sets and chess books increasing dramatically.

14A Bird on the Canadian dollar coin : LOON

The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.

19A High cost for the Super Bowl : AD FEE

The Super Bowl is used for high-profile advertising because of the high viewership numbers. For example, Super Bowl XLIX (2015) had an average audience of 114 million viewers, making it the most-watched American TV program in history, until it was surpassed by Super Bowl LVII in 2023.

21A Dame introduction? : NOTRE

Notre-Dame de Paris is the spectacular Gothic cathedral that sits on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the middle of the River Seine in Paris. Notre-Dame is home to many beautiful and significant artifacts, the most famous of which is the Crown of Thorns supposedly worn by Jesus Christ at his execution, acquired by King Louis IX in 1239 and later moved to the cathedral in 1806. It’s also home to some magnificent gargoyles on the roof, and you can climb up to the roof and take a very close look at them. Well, you used to be able to, until the tragic fire of 2019. The cathedral re-opened at the end of 2024, but I’m not sure about the tour of the roof …

22A “Parks and Recreation” town : PAWNEE

The sitcom “Parks and Recreation” is set in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The show’s creators wanted the cast and crew invested in the location, and so created a 50-page “Pawnee Primer” detailing everything from the town’s founding in 1817 to its long-standing rivalry with the wealthy neighboring town of Eagleton.

25A Red friend of Cookie Monster : ELMO

Cookie Monster is a beloved Muppet on the TV show “Sesame Street”. He is a big eater and is especially fond of cookies, which he eats while grunting out “Om nom nom nom”.

29A Yemen port that faces the Somaliland port Berbera : ADEN

Aden is a seaport in Yemen that is located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1839 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.

Berbera is the main commercial seaport in Somaliland, the partially recognized state in the Horn of Africa. The city has a rich history as a port, welcoming ships from around the world. The airport at Berbera was also prepared to welcome a different kind of ship during the 1980s. The Soviet Union built a runway at the airport in the mid-1970s that was almost 15,000 feet long, and so the US leased the concrete strip as an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle.

31A “I am in this meme” : IT ME

“It me” is a slang phrase used mainly on the Internet to indicate that one identifies with something. Usually, the phrase is used somewhat humorously.

33A Checkpoint for the terminally on line? : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

34A Banh mi spread : MAYO

The French introduced the baguette into Vietnam in the days the country was a French colony. Today, a single-serving baguette is known in Vietnam as “bánh mì” (meaning “wheat bread”). The term has been extended, particularly here in the US, to describe a Vietnamese sandwich.

48A Meaty sauce : RAGU

Bolognese is a meat-based sauce originating from Bologna in Italy, hence the name. The recipe is usually referred to as “ragù alla bolognese” in Italian, or simply “ragù”. Note that the Ragú brand of sauces introduced in North America in 1937 takes its name from the same source (pun … sauce!). However, the brand name uses the wrong accent (“Ragú” instead of “Ragù”), which drives a pedant like me crazy …

55A Ocean escapades? : HEISTS

“Ocean’s 11” is a great film from 1960, starring Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean. The original storyline is updated for the excellent 2001 remake, with George Clooney playing the lead. In the 1960 movie, the love interest is a character called Beatrice Ocean, played by Angie Dickinson. In the 2001 version, the love interest gets a new name, Tess Ocean, and is played by Julia Roberts. The 2001 remake (titled “Ocean’s Eleven”, note the spelling) spawned two sequels: “Ocean’s Twelve” in 2004 and “Ocean’s Thirteen” in 2007.

57A Command to attack : SIC ‘EM

“Sic ’em” is an attack order given to a dog, one instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

59A Middle-distance runners : MILERS

The 4-minute barrier for the mile run was first broken in 1954 by Roger Bannister, when he finished in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. If you plan on running a 4-minute mile, you should probably be warned that this means you have to run the whole race at an average speed of over 15 mph (do the math!).

62A Potbelly that needs constant feeding? : COAL STOVE

Potbelly stoves are a type of coal-burning stove that were commonly used for heating and cooking in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The name “potbelly” refers to the stove’s shape, with a distinctive bulging midsection that resembles a potbelly. This design allowed the stoves to hold more fuel and burn it more efficiently.

66A Oktoberfest souvenir : STEIN

A stein is a type of beer glass. The term “stein” is German in origin, and is short for “Steinkrug” meaning “stone jug”. “Stein” is German for “stone”.

Oktoberfest is a 16-day beer festival in Munich that actually starts in September. About six million people attend every year, making it the largest fair in the world. I’ve attended twice, and it really is a remarkable party …

70A “The Pat McAfee Show” network : ESPN

Pat McAfee is a former NFL player, and a former professional wrestler, who turned to sportscasting. He was also a Guinness World Record holder for a couple of years when he kicked a 40-yard field goal blindfolded.

71A Turow book set at Harvard : ONE L

Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

Down

4D Refrigerant trademark since the 1930s : FREON

Freon is a DuPont trade name for a group of compounds used as a refrigerant and as a propellant in aerosols. Freon is used in the compressors of air conditioners as a vital component in the air-cooling mechanism. Freon used to contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which had a devastating effect on the Earth’s ozone layer. Use of CFCs is now banned, or at least severely restricted.

5D Tree-lined walkway : ALAMEDA

“Alameda” is Spanish for “a place full of poplars”, and is a word we use in English to describe a walkway lined with trees. There are a number of locations in the US and elsewhere with the name “Alameda”, including the county of Alameda, California where I lived for decades. Alameda County is home to the city of Alameda, located on Alameda Island.

6D NYC nabe below Union Square : NOHO

“NoHo” is short for “North of Houston (street)”, and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston, both of which are neighborhoods in New York City.

New York City’s Union Square opened to the public in 1839. It was so named because it was located where the two major thoroughfares crossing Manhattan were “united”: Broadway and Bowery Road (now Park Avenue).

7D Skeptical remark : YOU’RE NOT SERIOUS (lift STONE)

We used pounds and stones in Ireland as units of mass/weight, for all my life there. However, such measures no longer have any “official” status in the country, as the Irish made the conversion to the metric system. Having said that, many folks still tend to measure body weight in stones and pounds. One stone is equal to fourteen pounds.

12D First page of el calendario : ENERO

In Spanish, the “primer mes del calendario” (first month of the calendar) is “enero” (January).

18D Cartesian concept that questions the reality of waking life : DREAM ARGUMENT (lift GRAM)

The dream argument states that because dreams can perfectly simulate waking life, our physical senses are inherently untrustworthy tools for proving reality. René Descartes used this paradox in his 1641 treatise “Meditations on First Philosophy”, before concluding “I think, therefore I am”.

23D Portfolio piece : ASSET

Our word “portfolio” comes from the Italian “portafoglio” meaning “case for carrying loose papers”. The Italian term comes from “porta” meaning “carry” and “foglio” meaning “sheet, leaf”.

24D “Can you believe this scam?” : WHAT A RACKET! (lift CARAT)

The carat is a unit of mass equal to 200 mg (0.2 grams). It is used in sizing gemstones.

32D Umami enhancer, briefly : MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring, non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines, intensifying the umami flavor. Whether or not MSG is harmful seems to be still under debate.

36D Dane introduction? : GREAT

The Great Dane breed of dog isn’t actually from Denmark, and rather is from Germany. They were originally bred to hunt wild boar, and were also used for protection and as guard dogs.

39D Actress Vardalos : NIA

Nia Vardalos is an actress and screenwriter whose biggest break came with the 2002 film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, which she wrote and in which she starred. The film tells the story of a Greek-American woman marrying a non-Greek Caucasian American who converts to the Greek Orthodox Church to facilitate the marriage. The storyline reflects the actual experiences of Vardalos and her then-husband, actor Ian Gomez. Vardalos and Gomez appeared together as hosts for two seasons of the reality competition “The Great American Baking Show”.

46D Level of authority : ECHELON

We use the word “echelon” (ech.) to describe a rank or level, particularly in the military. The term comes from French, in which language it has the same meaning, although the original meaning in Old French is “rung of a ladder”.

51D Spots for education? : PSAS

Public service announcement (PSA)

58D Director Kazan : ELIA

Elia Kazan won Oscars for best director in 1948 for “Gentleman’s Agreement” and in 1955 for “On The Waterfront”. He was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when he was given the 1998 Academy Honorary Award citing his lifetime achievement in the industry. Kazan also directed “East of Eden”, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, and “Splendor in the Grass” that included Warren Beatty in his debut role.

60D Take part in an outdoor fantasy game : LARP

Live action role-playing (LARP)

65D Nigiri topper never served raw : EEL

Anyone going to a sushi restaurant can order all types of raw fish (known collectively as “sashimi”). However, eel is always served cooked, and that’s because the blood of eels contains a protein that cramps muscles if eaten. If the heart muscle “cramps”, the result can be death. The protein is easily rendered harmless by applying heat, i.e. by cooking.

Nigiri is a type of sushi consisting of a small, hand-pressed mound of vinegared rice with a topping, typically a thin slice of raw fish or seafood. The name “nigiri” means “hand-pressed” in Japanese, which refers to the way the rice is shaped.