LA Times Crossword 24 May 26, Sunday

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Constructed by: Zachary Gallardo & Joe Marquez

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Track Records

Themed clues are common phrases ending in “RECORD”, and themed answers are matching musical TRACKS:

• 24A Permanent record? : TOGETHER FOREVER
• 32A Criminal record? : MACK THE KNIFE
• 51A Historical record? : BACK IN THE USSR
• 71A World record? : HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH
• 85A Broken record? : I FALL TO PIECES
• 108A Medical record? : LIKE A SURGEON
• 116A Fossil record? : WALK THE DINOSAUR

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

Bill’s time: 14m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Costco rival, informally : SAM’S

Sam’s Club is a warehouse club that is owned and operated by Walmart. It is named after the company’s founder Sam Walton. Walton opened the first Sam’s Club in 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

9A Morehouse, for one: Abbr. : HBCU

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are a group of higher education institutions that were established, mainly after the Civil War, primarily to serve the African American community.

Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia is one of only three all-male liberal arts colleges left in the US. The other two are Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and Wabash College in Indiana.

19A iPad assistant : SIRI

Siri was originally developed as a standalone app by a startup company of the same name. Apple acquired the company in 2010 and integrated the technology into their operating system.

24A Permanent record? : TOGETHER FOREVER

“Together Forever” is a 1988 song released by English singer Rick Astley. It was destined to become his second consecutive U.S. number-one hit, following 1987’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. If you listen to the two songs, they do sound very similar. Songwriter Stock Aitken Waterman intentionally mirrored the chord progressions and instrumentation of “Never Gonna Give You Up” to capitalize on Astley’s recent success.

27A Goddess often depicted with a throne headdress : ISIS

Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

29A __ nouveau : ART

Art Nouveau (French for “new art”) is a style that was popular from 1890 to 1910. Although the English-speaking world adopted the French name for the style, Art Nouveau was known as “Jugendstil” in Germany, “Modern” in Russia and “Stile Liberty” in Italy.

30A Megacity of India : DELHI

The metropolis of Delhi in India is the world’s second-largest urban area, trailing only Jakarta, after officially overtaking Tokyo’s built-up population in 2024. The term “urban area” refers to the continuous built-up land mass, and not the administrative city limits.

32A Criminal record? : MACK THE KNIFE

“Die Moritat von Mackie Messer” is the original name of the song “Mack the Knife”, which comes from “The Threepenny Opera”. “The Threepenny Opera” (“Die Dreigroschenoper”) is a musical written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill that first performed in Berlin in 1928, an adaptation of “The Beggar’s Opera” written by Englishman John Gay in the 18th century. “Mack the Knife” was introduced into the popular music repertoire by Louis Armstrong. He had a hit with it in 1956, but it was the Bobby Darin recording of 1959 that came to be known as the definitive, English-language version of the song. I love it …

39A Marvel’s Punisher, for one : ANTIHERO

The Punisher is an antihero who debuted in 1974 in an issue of Marvel’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” as a villainous assassin hired to eliminate the title character. “The Punisher” is the vigilante identity of Vietnam War veteran Frank Castle, who started on his “punishing” spree following the death of his wife and children at the hands of the mob.

40A Beltway Series ballplayer, familiarly : NAT

The Beltway Series (also “The Battle of the Beltways”) is a series of games played by MLB rivals the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. The series takes its name from the Baltimore and Capital Beltways (I-695 and I-495), two highways serving the Baltimore and Washington areas.

44A Community of flora and fauna : BIOME

I tend to think of “biome” as another word for “ecosystem”.

47A Gender prefix : CIS-

The term “cisgender” is used as the opposite of “transgender”. Cisgender people have a gender identity that matches the sex they were assigned at birth. A transgender person is someone with a gender identity that is different from that assigned at birth.

51A Historical record? : BACK IN THE USSR

By the time the Beatles recorded “Back in the U.S.S.R”, they were having a lot of problems working with each other. The song was recorded in 1968, with the band formally dissolving in 1970. Tensions were so great during the recording of “Back in the U.S.S.R” that Ringo Starr actually stormed out saying that he had quit, and the remaining three Beatles made the record without Ringo. Drums were played mainly by Paul McCartney, but there are also drum tracks on the final cut by both George Harrison and John Lennon. Interesting, huh?

57A Shahidi of “Black-ish” : YARA

Yara Shahidi began her career as a child model for Disney and Ralph Lauren at age six before becoming a child actress, appearing in films like “Alex Cross” when she was twelve. She hit the big time when she landed the role of oldest daughter on the sitcom “Black-ish”, which parlayed into a leading role in the spinoff sitcom “Grown-ish”. Shahidi graduated from Harvard University in 2022 with a degree in Sociology and African American Studies, famously securing a recommendation letter from Michelle Obama for her application.

58A Jedi foe : SITH

The Sith are characters in the “Star Wars” universe who use the “dark side” of “the Force”, and as such are the antithesis of the Jedi Knights. Members of the Sith use the title “Darth” before their name, as in “Darth Vader”. The sixth “Star Wars” movie is titled “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.

59A Curly coif : AFRO

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

63A High-level perfidy : TREASON

Perfidy is a deliberate breach of trust. The term originated with the Latin phrase “per fidem decipere”, meaning “to deceive through trustingness”.

67A Mineral once used in baby powder : TALC

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is mainly made from cornstarch.

71A World record? : HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH

Released in 1987, “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” is Belinda Carlisle’s signature song. The accompanying music video was directed by none other than actress Diane Keaton. It features Carlisle dancing in a flowing white dress, and there’s an appearance by Carlisle’s husband Morgan Mason, son of English actors Pamela and James Mason.

77A Newcastle upon __ : TYNE

Newcastle upon Tyne in the North of England used to be home to a lot of coal, and now is home to the famous Newcastle Brown Ale.

78A Vampire squid’s habitat : DEEP SEA

The vampire squid is a small cephalopod that lives at extreme depths of the ocean. Its scientific name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, translates literally to “vampire squid from hell”, a moniker inspired by its deep red color and the cloak-like webbing connecting its arms. Rather than using ink for defense, like most cephalopods, it ejects a cloud of glowing, bioluminescent mucus to startle predators in the absolute darkness of the deep sea.

79A Largest loch by volume : NESS

Loch Ness is one of the two most famous lakes in Scotland. Loch Ness is famous for its “monster”, and Loch Lomond is famous for the lovely song “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”. Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road …

84A Astrological big cat : LEO

The constellation named Leo can be said to resemble a lion. Others say that it resembles a bent coat hanger. “Leo” is the Latin for “lion”, but I’m not sure how to translate “coat hanger” into Latin …

85A Broken record? : I FALL TO PIECES

“I Fall to Pieces” is a 1961 song released by Patsy Cline that was to become her first #1 hit in the country charts. In a grim irony, just as the song began climbing the Billboard charts, Cline survived a near-fatal, head-on car collision that literally left her in pieces, with a fractured skull and a shattered hip.

92A Valuable violin : STRAD

Generations of the Stradivari family produced violins and other stringed instruments, the most famous of which were constructed by Antonio Stradivari.

96A WNBA great Bird : SUE

WNBA player Sue Bird is one of only two basketball players, male or female, to have won five Olympic gold medals. The other is fellow WNBA star Diana Taurasi. Bird became engaged to US soccer phenom Megan Rapinoe in 2020.

98A For a __ pittance : MERE

A pittance is a small amount, often a living allowance or remuneration. The term “pittance” came into English from Old French, and is basically an amount given out of a sense of “pity”.

99A Springsteen, to fans : THE BOSS

Bruce Springsteen earned the nickname “The Boss” early in his career, reportedly because he took on the responsibility of collecting money from the band after gigs.

104A Namesake of the AL batting title : ROD CAREW

Rod Carew is a former Major League Baseball player from Panama. Actually, Carew is a “Zonian”, meaning that he was born in the Panama Canal Zone, a political entity that existed for decades from 1903.

108A Medical record? : LIKE A SURGEON

“Like a Surgeon” is a 1985 “Weird Al” Yankovic song, a parody of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin”. Madonna herself came up with the idea for the parody, representing a rare exception to Yankovic’s usual process in which he avoids outside suggestions.

114A LBJ’s party : DEM

President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) is one of only four people to have held all four elected federal offices, namely US Representative, US Senator, US Vice-President and US President. As President he is perhaps best remembered for escalating involvement in the Vietnam War, and for his “Great Society” legislation.

115A __ colada : PINA

“Piña colada” is a Spanish term that translates into “strained pineapple”. The piña colada cocktail was introduced in the Caribe Hilton San Juan in 1954, and since 1978 it has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico. The mocktail version of the drink is known as a nada colada.

116A Fossil record? : WALK THE DINOSAUR

“Walk the Dinosaur” is a 1987 song released by the Detroit-based band Was (Not Was). It became their biggest hit, but not until two years after the original release. Apparently, success came when MTV chose to play the “Walk the Dinosaur” music video as part of its repeating lineup.

124A Asparagus unit : SPEAR

Asparagus is a perennial flowering plant that is grown mainly for its edible shoots (or “spears”). The shoots must be harvested when they are very young, as they become woody very quickly.

125A Totenberg of NPR : NINA

Nina Totenberg is a very able legal affairs correspondent who works for National Public Radio. Totenberg’s main focus is on the activities of the US Supreme Court. Famously, she was the journalist who uncovered the allegations of sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas made by Anita Hill.

129A Site with handmade goods : ETSY

Etsy.com was founded in 2005 as a way for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade goods online, and has since grown to include vintage items and crafting supplies as well.

130A Longtime “Jeopardy!” host Trebek : ALEX

Alex Trebek was the host of “Jeopardy!” from the launch of the syndicated version of the game show in 1984 until his passing in 2020. Trebek missed just one episode during that time, when he and host of “Wheel of Fortune” Pat Sajak swapped roles in 1997 as an April Fool’s joke. In 2014, Trebek picked up the Guinness World Record for hosting the most episodes of a game show.

131A Black gem : ONYX

Onyx is a form of quartz that comes in many different shades, but most often it’s the black version that’s used for jewelry. The name “onyx” comes from the Greek word for “fingernail”, as onyx in the flesh color is said to resemble a fingernail.

Down

2D “True Detective” actor Mahershala : ALI

Mahershala Ali is an actor and sometime rapper. Among the more memorable roles Ali has had are lobbyist Remy Danton in TV’s “House of Cards”, and Colonel Boggs in “The Hunger Games” series of movies. He also won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for playing Juan in the 2016 drama “Moonlight”, and Dr. Don Shirley in 2018’s “Green Book”.

“True Detective” is a crime drama made by HBO that has an interesting format. Each series has its own narrative and cast. The show seems to be attracting some great actors. The first season was led by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and the second by Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams.

5D Vancouver hrs. : PST

Vancouver in British Columbia is a major port in western Canada. It is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the nation (after Toronto and Montreal), and the country’s most densely populated city. Vancouver grew out of a settlement called Gastown named for “Gassy” Jack Deighton, a steamboat captain from Yorkshire, England who opened a saloon in the area in 1867. Gastown became the town of Granville, named for the British Colonial Secretary at the time, Lord Granville. Granville incorporated as a city in 1886, and was named “Vancouver” in honor of Royal Navy officer George Vancouver who explored and charted the northwestern Pacific Coast of North America.

6D Copacabana setting : RIO

Copacabana is a neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro that is home to a famous (and much-used) beach. The neighborhood is named for a chapel there, dedicated to the Virgen de Copacabana (Our Lady of Copacabana). The Virgen de Copacabana is the patron saint of Bolivia, with the original Copacabana being a Bolivian town located on the southeastern shore of Lake Titicaca.

7D Church pipes : ORGAN

The organ that we often see in churches, synagogues and concert halls is a pipe organ. Sound is produced by pressurized air driven through particular pipes selected by keys on a keyboard.

8D Guy who hosts Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” : FIERI

Guy Fieri is a restaurant owner and television personality. He is known as “the face of the Food Network” as several of his television series on that channel are very popular. Born Guy Ferry, he legally changed his surname back to the original Italian “Fieri” in 1995 to honor his grandfather, Giuseppe, who had anglicized the name upon immigrating to the US.

11D Shift+6 symbol : CARET

The character known as a caret (^) was originally a proofreading mark, one used to indicate where a punctuation mark was to be inserted. “Caret” is Latin for “it lacks”.

12D Old Glory : US FLAG

The person who coined the phrase “Old Glory” with reference to the American flag was Captain William Driver, a shipmaster from Salem, Massachusetts. As Driver was leaving on an 1831 voyage aboard the brig Charles Doggett, he unfurled the American flag that he had just been given by a group of friends. As the flag caught the breeze, he uttered the words, “Old Glory!”. That’s the story anyway. On that same voyage, Charles Doggett rescued the famous mutineers of the HMS Bounty, after he encountered them on Pitcairn Island.

13D “Young Frankenstein” actress : TERI GARR

Actress Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffered from multiple sclerosis, and was a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

I am not really a big fan of movies by Mel Brooks, but “Young Frankenstein” is the exception. I think the cast has a lot to do with me liking the film, as it includes Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein), Teri Garr (Inga), Marty Feldman (Igor) and Gene Hackman (Harold, the blind man).

14D Pacific Coast Highway’s route number : ONE

“Pacific Coast Highway” is the name given to several sections of California State Route 1, which runs along much of the state’s Pacific coastline.

15D African grassland : SAVANNA

A savanna (also “savannah”) is a grassland. If there are any trees in a savanna, by definition they are small and widely spaced so that light can get to the grasses allowing them to grow unhindered.

16D Like many shampoos : SCENTED

Back in the 1760s, the verb “to shampoo” was an Anglo-Indian word meaning “to massage”. A century later we started “to shampoo” our hair.

18D “We the Youth” muralist Haring : KEITH

“We the Youth” is a 1987 mural created by pop artist Keith Haring and a group of young people during a workshop in Philadelphia. The work was a commemoration for the bicentennial of the US Constitution, with “We the Youth “ echoing the words “We the people …” It covers the side of a three-story rowhouse, and was intended to be covered up as new dwellings were constructed. The city’s Mural Arts Program was able to preserve the work, and so it can still be viewed today.

22D Secret assignations : TRYSTS

In the most general sense, a tryst is a meeting at an agreed time and place. More usually we consider a tryst to be a pre-arranged meeting between lovers. The term “tryst” comes from the Old French “triste”, a waiting place designated when hunting. Further, a tryst taking place at lunchtime is sometimes referred to as a nooner.

25D “L8r g8r!” : TTFN!

Ta-ta for now (TTFN)

32D Sushi roll type : MAKI

When I’m thinking of sushi, I’m really picturing “makizushi” (also “maki”), which is fish, vegetables and sushi rice combined in layers and rolled up in seaweed. “Makizushi” translates from Japanese as “rolled sushi”.

33D Ballerina Pavlova : ANNA

Anna Pavlova was a Russian ballerina who performed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Pavlova became so successful that she was the first ballerina to pull together her own company and tour the world. Her most famous role was “The Dying Swan”, which she danced to the beautiful “Le cygne” from Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals”. Pavlova eventually left Russia for good and settled in England.

35D Outlandish : KOOKY

“Kooky” is a slang word meaning “out there, crazy”. The term has been around since the beatnik era, and it may be a shortened version of the word “cuckoo”.

38D Jeff Lynne’s band : ELO

Jeff Lynne is a singer-songwriter who is best known as the leader of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Lynne went on to form the Traveling Wilburys supergroup, along with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

45D Sporty Mazda model : MIATA

The Mazda MX-5 is sold as the Miata in North America, and as the Roadster in Japan. I’ve always liked the looks of the Mazda Miata, probably because it reminds me so much of old British sports cars. The Miata is built in Hiroshima, Japan. The name “Miata” comes from an Old High German word meaning “reward”.

62D Dept. of Labor div. : OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

64D Philosopher Descartes : RENE

The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”. Anything pertaining to the philosophy of Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.

66D Wafer name since 1967 : NILLA

As one might expect, “Nilla” is a shortened form of “vanilla”. However, you won’t find any vanilla in Nilla brand cookies or wafers. They have always been flavored with vanillin, which is synthetic vanilla. Is nothing sacred …?

68D Party nibble : CANAPE

A canapé is a finger food, something small enough to eat in just one bite. In French, “canapé” is actually the word for a couch or a sofa. The name was given to the snack as the original canapés were savories served on toasted or stale bread that supposedly resembled a tiny couch.

73D Singer Cruz known as the “Queen of Salsa” : CELIA

Celia Cruz was born and grew up in Cuba, but spent most of her working life in the United States, playing out her salsa singing career in New Jersey. Around the world, Cruz was known as the “Queen of Salsa”.

74D Unadon fillets : EELS

“Unadon” is the Japanese word for “eel bowl”. “Unadon” is actually a contraction of “unagi no kabayaki” (grilled eel) and “donburi” (rice bowl dish).

81D Fruit that may be crossed with apricot : PLUM

Hybrids of plums and apricots are known as plumcots and apriplums. The later generation hybrid known as a pluot is ¼ apricot and ¾ plum, in terms of genetics. An aprium is ¼ plum and ¾ apricot.

83D Aquarium fish : TETRA

The neon tetra is a freshwater fish that is native to parts of South America. The tetra is a very popular aquarium fish and millions are imported into the US every year. Almost all of the imported tetras are farm-raised in Asia and very few come from their native continent.

86D Jacksonville Jaguars color : TEAL

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been in the NFL since 1995. The team was named four years earlier, via a fan contest in 1991. The contest was a step in the plans to bring an NFL team to the city. The fans seemed to like the alliteration of “Jacksonville Jaguars”, or perhaps wanted to honor the oldest living jaguar in North America, then a resident of the Jacksonville Zoo.

94D Mardi Gras merrymaker : REVELER

“Mardi Gras” translates from French as “Fat Tuesday”, and the holiday gets its name from the practice of eating rich foods on the eve of the fasting season known as Lent. Lent starts on the next day, called Ash Wednesday.

95D Gp. of lawyers : ABA

American Bar Association (ABA)

98D Attractive guy in Marvel Comics? : MAGNETO

In the Marvel Comics universe, Magneto is a powerful mutant and an enemy of the X-Men. As his name implies, Magneto’s superhuman ability is that he can generate and control magnetic fields. Magneto has been portrayed on the big screen in the “X-Men” series of films by Sir Ian McKellen, and by Michael Fassbender.

103D Carthaginian queen in Virgil’s “Aeneid” : DIDO

Dido was the founder of Carthage, and the city’s first queen. Some sources use the name “Elissa” for the same person.

109D “Praying” singer : KESHA

“Praying” is a 2017 piano ballad co-written and recorded by Kesha. It is a powerful song, with lyrics inspired by suicidal thoughts that Kesha had to deal with in the past.

117D Actor Penn : KAL

Indian American actor Kal Penn made a name for himself in the “Harold & Kumar” series of comedy films. These so-called “stoner comedies” are not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed him playing his more mainstream roles on TV’s “House” and “24”. He left the world of acting when President Obama won the 2008 election to work as an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement (although he did leave the White House briefly to film the “Harold & Kumar” sequel).

119D Hawaiian chordophone, for short : UKE

String instruments are also referred to as chordophones. By definition, a chordophone produces sound via a vibrating string stretched between two points.

120D Film critic Reed : REX

Rex Reed is a film critic who used to co-host “At the Movies”, the show that originally featured Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

123D “Kama Sutra” topic : SEX

The “Kama Sutra” is renowned for its descriptions of positions that can be used for sexual intercourse, but the sutra includes many other texts that deal with various matters of a sexual nature, including how to woo a woman, the conduct of a “chief wife”, the conduct of “other wives”, how to make money as a courtesan, and much more.