LA Times Crossword 24 Oct 26, Saturday

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Constructed by: Rafael Musa

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 11m 24s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15A Ancient Egypt’s “plant of immortality” : ALOE VERA

Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. Ancient Egyptians knew it as the plant of immortality, and Native Americans called it the wand of heaven.

16A How donburi is served : ON RICE

Donburi is a popular Japanese dish that consists of a bowl of rice topped with various ingredients, typically meat or fish, and vegetables. It was originally a meal for peasants in the late 1800s, as it was a cheap and convenient meal that could be made with leftover ingredients.

18A Umami-rich snack : TEA EGG

The tea egg is a dish from Chinese cuisine made by boiling an egg in water, cracking the shell, and then reboiling the egg in tea or a spiced sauce. Often sold as a snack food, the tea egg is also called a marble egg, referring to the marbled appearance of the cracked shell after boiling in a colored liquid.

19A Audrey Tautou film : AMELIE

“Amélie” is a 2001 French film, a romantic comedy about a shy waitress in Montmartre, Paris played by Audrey Tautou (who also played the female lead in “The Da Vinci Code”). The movie was originally released under the French title, “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain” (“The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain”).

French actress Audrey Tautou is perhaps most famous in North America for playing the title role in 2001’s “Amélie”, and the female lead in 2006’s “The Da Vinci Code”. In 2009, Tautou replaced Nicole Kidman as spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5.

22A RSVP part : S’IL

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

23A Chaps whose business is picking up? : BUSMEN

We use the term “bus” for a mode of transportation as it is an abbreviated form of the original “omnibus”. We imported “omnibus” via French from Latin, in which language it means “for all”. The idea is that an omnibus is a carriage “for all”.

24A Habitat for some gnomes : LAWN

In English folklore, the fairy’s anti-hero is the diminutive gnome, an evil ugly character. Although the characteristics of gnomes vary in folklore, typically they are described as diminutive humanoids who live underground. Over the centuries, the gnome has become more lovable. We now have garden gnomes, and even the Travelocity Gnome.

33A Billboard entries : SINGLES

“Billboard” was founded way back in 1894 as a trade magazine for the advertising and bill posting industry. The editorial focus gradually moved towards music as phonographs, radios and the recorded music business took off in the early part of the 20th century. “Billboard” published its first “music hit parade” in 1936, and is now famous for its collection of lists that track music sales.

36A Proceeds without a pause : SEGUES

A segue is a transition from one topic to the next. “Segue” is an Italian word that literally means “now follows”. It was first used in musical scores directing the performer to play into the next movement without a break. The oft-used term “segway” is given the same meaning, although the word “segway” doesn’t really exist. It is a misspelling of “segue” that has been popularized by its use as the name of the personal transporter known as a Segway.

37A Common tamale ingredient : LARD

The hard fat extracted from the loins and kidneys of beef and mutton is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered, purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.

39A Ephemeral post, colloquially : INSTA STORY

Instagram Stories launched in 2016 as a direct response to the popularity of Snapchat’s disappearing content. The feature allows users to post photos and short videos that vanish after exactly 24 hours.

“Ephemera” was originally a medical term used to describe a fever that only lasted a day. The use of the term was expanded in the 17th century to include insects that were short-lived. By the end of the 18th century, ephemera were any items of transitory existence.

41A Terrarium growth : MOSS

A terrarium (plural “terraria”) is a contained environment used to house land animals. The term “terrarium“ comes from the equivalent “aquarium”, a tank for holding mainly fish. In general, a contained environment for keeping live animals or plants is known as a “vivarium”.

44A Porowski of “Queer Eye” : ANTONI

Antoni Porowski is the food and wine expert on the reboot of the show “Queer Eye”. Before joining the show’s cast, he worked as the personal chef for Ted Allen, the food and wine expert on the original, mid-2000s “Queer Eye”.

45A Place to enter a security code : PIN PAD

Personal Identification Number (PIN)

52A Preferring platonic connections, for short : AROACE

Someone described as aromantic asexual (AROACE, for short) is an individual who experiences little to no sexual or romantic attraction to others.

The Greek philosopher Plato wrote a philosophical treatise on the nature of love called “Symposium”. “Symposium” is the source of the contemporary phrase “Platonic love”.

53A University founded by Booker T. Washington : TUSKEGEE

Tuskegee University was established in Alabama in 1881 as the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, with a young (25-year-old) Booker T. Washington serving as its founding principal. The school cemented its place in military history during World War II when its civilian pilot training program gave rise to the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.

Down

1D Isabel Allende’s “La __ de los espíritus” : CASA

“The House of the Spirits” (“La casa de los espíritus” in Spanish) is a 1982 novel penned by Isabel Allende. It was her first book to be published, and it became a best-seller that launched her career as an author. “The House of Spirits” is one of the books targeted by book-banners, who object to some explicit content and violent images.

5D “Complicated” singer Lavigne : AVRIL

2002’s “Complicated” was the debut single released by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was a huge hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending sixteen weeks in the top ten. Lavigne was only 17 years old at the time.

7D Maven : PRO

I’ve always loved the term “maven”, which is another word for “expert”. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” describing someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.

8D Korean company whose name means “three stars” : SAMSUNG

Samsung is a huge multinational company based in Seoul, South Korea. We tend to think of Samsung as a supplier of consumer electronics perhaps, but the company is into so much more. For example, Samsung Heavy Industries is the world’s second-biggest shipbuilder. The name “Samsung” means “three stars” in Korean.

11D Low-quality internet content : BRAIN ROT

“Brain rot” was named the 2024 Word of the Year by Oxford University Press. It’s what can set in after spending hours of doomscrolling through digital content that is presented to one by those oh-so-helpful algorithms …

13D Diagnostic test, for short : ECG

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

24D Drink that may be topped with cardamom : LASSI

Lassi is a yogurt-based drink from India. Popular variants are namkeen lassi (which is salty), sweet lassi and mango lassi. There is even a bhang lassi, which is infused with a liquid derivative of cannabis.

The spice known as cardamom comes from the seeds of several plants that are native to India. Those plants were introduced to Guatemala in the early 20th century, and now Guatemala produces and exports more cardamom than any other country in the world, even India. Cardamom is the third-priciest spice on the market today by weight, after vanilla and saffron.

27D “Gaycation” co-host : ELLIOT PAGE

Canadian actor Elliot (formerly “Ellen”) Page came to prominence playing the female lead in the 2007 hit film “Juno”. Page also played the female lead in one of my favorite films of recent time, namely 2010’s “Inception”. Elliot came out as a gay woman in 2014, and then as a transgender man in 2020.

“Gaycation” is a documentary TV series hosted by actor Elliot Page and his close friend Ian Daniel that premiered in 2016. The show follows the pair as they explore the diverse experiences, triumphs, and struggles of LGBTQ cultures in countries ranging from Japan and Brazil to Jamaica and Ukraine. A notable episode from the first season featured a tense and highly publicized on-camera confrontation with then-presidential candidate Ted Cruz regarding employment discrimination at the Iowa State Fair.

34D “Yo!” de Cologne? : GUTEN TAG!

“Guten Tag” is German for “hello, good day”. “Guten Morgen” means “good morning” and “guten Abend” means “good evening”.

Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany, and is known as “Köln” in German. It is situated on the Rhine, and has a rich history stretching back to Roman times. Its most iconic landmark is the magnificent medieval Cologne Cathedral, which was the world’s tallest building from 1880 to 1890. The cathedral, though damaged, remarkably survived the bombings of WWII that destroyed 80% of the city center.

40D “Saving Fish From Drowning” novelist : TAN

“Saving Fish From Drowning” is a 2005 novel by Amy Tan about twelve American tourists traveling through China and Burma.

41D __ oath : MINCED

The verb “to mince” can mean “to make light of”, and more specifically “to criticize using polite language”. William Shakespeare used the term in such a sense in a couple of his plays, although the derivative expression “mince words” was first used in print in Benjamin Disraeli’s first novel “Vivian Grey”, published in 1826:

Your Lordship’s heart is very warm in the cause of a party, which, for I will not mince my words, has betrayed you.

So, to mince words is to moderate one’s language while still giving criticism. The related phrase “minced oath” describes a euphemistic phrase used to replace a more profane phrase, e.g. “gosh” for “God”, “heck” for “hell”.

43D Like flan : SILKY

Flan (also “crème caramel”) is a delicious dessert comprising a molded custard topped with a clear caramel sauce. The related crème brûlée is a dessert made from molded custard with a hard, burnt caramel layer on top.

44D Six-time MLB All-Star Moisés : ALOU

Moisés Alou played Major League Baseball, as did his father Felipe and his uncles Matty and Jesús.

45D Tuscan city known for a campanile : PISA

Pisa sits 10-12 kilometers inland from the Italian coast, on the River Arno. The city is perhaps most famous for its Leaning Tower. The tower is the campanile (bell tower) of the city’s cathedral, and it has been leaning since 1178, during construction of the second floor. Just shows you how important good foundations are …

47D Sacred animals in Nara, Japan : DEER

According to local folklore, the deity Takemikazuchi arrived in the Japanese city of Nara on a magical white deer to protect the city. As a result, sika deer roam freely through Nara Park today, and have been considered sacred messengers of the gods in Shinto belief for over a thousand years. For centuries, killing one of the revered animals was a capital offense punishable by death, a law strictly enforced until 1637.

49D Pop singer Rita : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

51D North Sea bird : AUK

Auks are penguin-like sea birds that live in colder northern waters including the Arctic. Like penguins, auks are great swimmers, but unlike penguins, auks can fly.

The North Sea is an offshoot of the Atlantic Ocean that is located between Britain and Scandinavia.