LA Times Crossword 10 Oct 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: 7m 36s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A “__ Supreme” : MARTY

“Marty Supreme” is a 2025 sports thriller film starring Timothée Chalamet as an eccentric, hustling table tennis champion. The title character, Marty Mauser, is loosely based on real-life New York ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, who won 22 major titles while playing for bets and hustling for money. Reisman famously supplemented his income by conning wealthy amateurs into high-stakes matches, routinely giving them a 19-point head start while playing seated in a chair or using a garbage-can lid instead of a paddle. I haven’t seen it, but it sounds interesting …

6A Hebrew name that means “who is like God” : MICAH

The Book of Micah is one of twelve books in the Bible written by the so-called minor prophets. Famously, it identifies the minor village of Bethlehem Ephrathah as the future birthplace of a ruler of Israel. This became a cornerstone of Christian theology when it was later cited in the Gospel of Matthew.

14A Like many John Cage compositions : ATONAL

John Cage was a classical composer from Los Angeles. One of Cage’s most famous works is his 1952 composition “4’33””. The musicians “playing” this piece just sit there for 4 minutes and 33 seconds, with the audience just taking in the ambient sounds present. Not my cup of tea …

15A Piece of crude machinery : OIL DRILL

Crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid mixture of hydrocarbons that is found in geological formations. Also known as “petroleum”, crude is usually accessed by drilling. Once collected, it is refined and separated into many, many chemicals, e.g. gasoline and asphalt as well chemicals used to make plastics, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals.

17A Drambuie cocktail : RUSTY NAIL

The rusty nail cocktail is a mixture of Drambuie and Scotch, and is usually served over ice. Without the ice, the drink is sometimes called a straight-up nail. There is also a Canadian version of a rusty nail that uses rye whiskey instead of Scotch and is called a Donald Sutherland, after the celebrated Canadian actor.

Drambuie is a Scottish liqueur, a blend of aged Scotch whisky, heather honey, herbs, and spices. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic phrase “an dram buidheach”, which translates to “the drink that satisfies”. Not so satisfying for me; too sweet …

22A Spanish dairy animal : VACA

“Vaca” is the Spanish word for “cow”, coming directly from the Latin “vacca” meaning the same thing.

23A Journalist Cabrera : ANA

Ana Cabrera is a journalist from Denver who joined CNN in 2013. She took over as anchor of CNN’s weekend show “CNN Newsroom” in 2017, and moved on to MSNBC in 2023.

31A Ankylosaurus, for one : ARMORED DINOSAUR

The ankylosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur that lived about 70 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period. It was essentially a living tank, covered from head to tail in thick, bony plates called osteoderms that were embedded directly into its skin. The name “ankylosaurus” translates from Greek as “fused lizard”.

33A “Au revoir, __ amis” : MES

“Au revoir” is a French phrase translating literally as “until seen again”, although the accepted usage is “goodbye”.

35A Sigur __: ethereal Icelandic band : ROS

Sigur Rós are a rock band from Reykjavik, Iceland. The lead singer is Jónsi Birgisson, and the band takes its name from Jónsi’s sister, Sigurrós Elin.

36A Zoë of “The Afterparty” : CHAO

Actress Zoë Chao played the lead character Isobel in the web series “Strangers”, which ran from 2017 to 2018. She broke into the world of mainstream TV with a leading role in the comedy murder mystery series “The Afterparty”, which premiered in 2022.

39A Need for some pan sauces : FOND

In the kitchen, fond is the collection of small, flavorful particles that adhere to the bottom of a pan, especially after the cooking of meat. It is often deglazed with a liquid to produce the basis of a sauce or stock. The term “fond” comes from the French “fonds de cuisine”, which can be translated as the “foundation of the food”.

40A Grand piano trio : LEGS

A grand piano is one with the frame supported horizontally on three legs. An upright piano has the frame and strings running vertically. Grand pianos come in many sizes. For example, the length of a concert grand is about 9 feet, a parlor grand is about 7 feet, and a baby grand is about 5 feet.

44A Hasbro toy that tests reaction speed : BOP IT!

Bop It! is a line of toys with a speaker that issues commands to activate input devices on the toy, devices such as handles, cranks, wheels and switches. The commands come in a series of increasing length, and at increasing speed. So, I guess Bop It! is a test of memory and dexterity.

49A “Be more here” hotel chain : HYATT

The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, i.e. Hyatt House at the Los Angeles International Airport that was purchased in 1957. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

Down

1D Hybrid genre : METALCORE

Nope, I am way too old …

4D Lift option : T-BAR

A T-bar is a ski lift on which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of a T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There’s also a J-bar, which is a similar device but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.

5D Couture initials : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)

7D Fedora-sporting hero, familiarly : INDY

A fedora is a lovely hat, I think. It is made of felt, and is similar to a trilby, but has a broader brim. “Fédora” was a play written for Sarah Bernhardt and first performed in 1882. Bernhardt had the title role of Princess Fedora, and on stage she wore a hat similar to a modern-day fedora. The play led to the women’s fashion accessory, the fedora hat, commonly worn by women into the beginning of the twentieth century. Men then started wearing fedoras, but only when women gave up the fashion …

10D Trope starter : HELIO-

Heliotrope is a pink-purple color that takes its name from the flowers of heliotrope plants. Many heliotrope plants turn their flowers and leaves to the sun, hence the name. “Heliotrope” comes from the Greek “helios” meaning “sun” and “tropos” meaning “turn, change”.

11D Plants used to make tapioca : CASSAVAS

The cassava (also “manioc” or “yuca”) plant is a woody shrub native to South America grown largely for its carbohydrate-rich tubers. In fact, cassava is the third largest food source of carbohydrates (for humans) in the world. Ordinarily, that carbohydrate is extracted from the plant and dried as flour, and is known as tapioca.

12D Sibilant warning : HISS

“Sibilant” is a lovely word that describes a sound of speech, i.e. the sound of an “s” or “z”, a hissing sound. The word “sissies”, for example, has three sibilant sounds.

13D Vogue rival : ELLE

“Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”. “Elle” is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.

17D Deal with bugs, say : RECODE

Back in 1947, famed computer programmer Grace Hopper noticed some colleagues fixing a piece of equipment by removing a dead moth from a relay. She remarked that they were “debugging” the system, and so Hopper has been given credit for popularizing the term “bug” in the context of computing.

22D Frost bit? : VERSE

The wonderful poet Robert Frost was a native of San Francisco, but lived most of his life in New England. He also spent a few years in England, just before WWI. Frost was well recognized for his work during his lifetime, and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was also Vermont’s first Poet Laureate, a position that he held from 1961 until his death in 1963.

23D “Frog and Toad” series writer Lobel : ARNOLD

The “Frog and Toad” series of books for young children was written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The books were the basis of a 2003 Broadway musical called “A Year with Frog and Toad”.

26D Modern dating phrase : COMMON ERA

The designations Anno Domini (AD, “Year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the birth of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

27D Herbal infusion : TISANE

“Tisane” is another word for herbal tea. “Tisane” comes into English via French from the Greek “ptisane”, the word for crushed barley.

28D Solution pages? : LAB REPORT

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture formed when a solute is completely dissolved within a solvent. The term “solution” comes from the Latin “solvere” meaning “to loosen, untie”. A solution is formed when a solvent “loosens, unties” a substance’s molecular bonds, resulting in even dispersal throughout the solvent.

29D Shares passing thoughts? : EULOGIZES

A eulogy is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone who has recently passed away or who is retiring. “Eulogy” comes from the Greek word “eulogia” meaning “praise”.

36D Some A.I. execs : CTOS

Chief technology officer (CTO)

46D Vaccination, to a Brit : JAB

An injection using a hypodermic needle might be termed a “shot” in North America, and a “jab” in Britain and Ireland.