LA Times Crossword 25 Dec 25, Thursday

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Constructed by: Katie Hale

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Christmas Bonus

Merry Christmas, everyone! Themed answers are common phrases, but with N-O-E-L added to the ends:

• 61A End-of-year perk, and what this puzzle’s circled letters form : CHRISTMAS BONUS

• 16A Produces apian-themed bedroom decor? : MAKES A BEE LINEN (makes a beeline + N)
• 23A Brand stylization such as camel case? : BUMP ON A LOGO (bump on a log + O)
• 40A Creates cabernet with mallets? : HAMMERS OUT A WINE (hammers out a win + E)
• 51A English noble with an eyebrow ring? : PIERCED EARL (pierced ear + L)

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

Bill’s time: 9m 02s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Extract in some dog treats, briefly : CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical extracted from cannabis plants that is used as a herbal drug. It does not contain the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the marijuana “high”.

Some dog foods and dog treats are infused with hemp oil. Supposedly, the included CBD (cannabidiol) aids digestion, promotes joint health, and has a calming effect on the animal.

8A Blue Ribbon beer : PABST

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is the most recognizable brand of beer from the Pabst Brewing Company. There appears to be some dispute over whether or not Pabst beer ever won a “blue ribbon” prize, but the company claims that it did so at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The beer was originally called Pabst Best Select, and then just Pabst Select. With the renaming to Blue Ribbon, the beer was sold with an actual blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle until it was dropped in 1916 and incorporated into the label.

14A Tech gift-guide site : CNET

CNET is a technology website, with the acronym “CNET” standing for “computer network”. It started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a CNET show.

16A Produces apian-themed bedroom decor? : MAKES A BEE LINEN (makes a beeline + N)

To make a beeline for somewhere or something, one takes a direct route. The term derives from the excellent homing instinct of bees.

19A Jessica of “The Better Sister” : BIEL

Jessica Biel is an actress who was known by television audiences for portraying Mary Camden on “7th Heaven”. Biel’s first film role was playing Peter Fonda’s granddaughter in “Ulee’s Gold”. Biel married singer and actor Justin Timberlake in 2012.

“The Better Sister” is a 2025 limited TV series starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks as estranged sisters who are forced to reunite after Biel’s character’s husband is murdered. This show is based on a 2019 bestselling book of the same name by crime novelist Alafair Burke.

20A London’s prov. : ONT

The city of London, Ontario lies about halfway between Detroit and Toronto. Just like the city’s better known namesake in England, Canada’s London is located on the Thames River.

21A Step up from amateur night : GIG

Musicians use “gig” to describe a job, a performance. The term originated in the early 1900s in the world of jazz. The derivative phrase “gig economy” applies to a relatively recent phenomenon where workers find themselves jumping from temporary job to temporary job, from gig to gig.

22A Cal. column : MON

The day of the week called Monday is named for the Moon. “Monday” comes from the Old English “monenday” meaning “day of the moon”.

23A Brand stylization such as camel case? : BUMP ON A LOGO (bump on a log + O)

Someone who is idle, inactive might be said to be “like a bump on a log”.

The practice of writing compound words with capital letters and no space between, or using a lowercase letter prior to an uppercase letter, is known as “CamelCase”. Examples of words using CamelCase are “PowerPoint”, “MySpace”, “iPhone”, “eBay” and “CamelCase” itself. The idea behind the moniker is that such words have a “humpy” appearance, like the humps of a camel.

31A PG Tips and Barry’s : TEAS

PG Tips is a well-known brand of tea sold primarily in the UK. When I was growing up in that part of the world, PG Tips ran a very famous series of TV advertisements featuring chimpanzees dressed in human clothes. The campaign helped PG Tips become the best-selling tea in the nation,

Barry’s is perhaps Ireland’s most popular tea brand, founded in Cork in 1901. It is certainly my personal favorite …

48A “Tinker Bell” voice actress Whitman : MAE

Actress Mae Whitman played “the daughter” in some successful movies early in her career. She was Meg Ryan’s daughter in “When a Man Loves a Woman”, George Clooney’s daughter in “One Fine Day” and Bill Pullman’s daughter in “Independence Day”. More recently, she voiced the title character in Disney’s “Tinker Bell” series of animated films.

50A Actress Mendes : EVA

I am most familiar with actress Eva Mendes as the female lead in the movie “Hitch”, in which she played opposite Will Smith. Mendes started a relationship with fellow actor Ryan Gosling in 2011, and the couple have two children together.

57A One point in gin rummy : ACE

Gin rummy is a faster variant of standard rummy. It was introduced in 1909 by one Elwood Baker and his son.

58A DC villain Luthor : LEX

Lex Luthor is the nemesis of Superman in comics. He has been portrayed in a number of guises in the comic world as well in movies and on the small screen. For example, he appeared as Atom Man in the 1950 film series “Atom Man vs. Superman”, and was played by actor Lyle Talbot, opposite Kirk Alyn’s Superman.

66A Actor/director Waititi : TAIKA

Taika Waititi is a very successful New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian who has directed a variety of successful films, including “Thor: Ragnarok”, “Jojo Rabbit,” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”. Waititi has also acted in several of his films, including taking on the role of Adolf Hitler in the satirical drama movie “Jojo Rabbit”. That film earned Waititi an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2022, Waititi married British singer Rita Ora.

67A Beauty aisle brand : OLAY

Oil of Olay was developed in South Africa in 1952. When Oil of Olay was introduced internationally, it was given slightly different brand names designed to appeal in the different geographies. In Ireland we know it as Oil of Ulay, for example, and in France it is Oil of Olaz.

Down

3D Hockey feint : DEKE

A deke, also known as a dangle, is a technique used to get past an opponent in ice hockey. “Deke” is a colloquial shortening of the word “decoy”.

5D “Ballerina” actress de Armas : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. There, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

“Ballerina” is a 2025 action-thriller film that is a spinoff of the “John Wick” series of movies. It stars Ana de Armas as a ballerina-assassin who seeks revenge for the murder of her family. The film is set between the events of “John Wick 3” and “John Wick 4”, and Keanu Reeves makes a few appearances, reprising his role as John Wick. An entertaining film, I thought …

6D “__-a-Lula”: classic Gene Vincent hit : BEBOP

“Be-Bop-A-Lula” is an early rock-and-roll song, recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps. The unusual title is probably related to the song “Be-Baba-Leba” recorded just over ten years earlier, in 1945 by Helen Humes. Both these titles derive from a similar sounding phrase common in jazz circles in the forties, which gave the name to the “bebop” style of music. And the original jazz term “bebop” probably came from “Arriba! Arriba!”, words of encouragement from Latin American bandleaders to their musicians.

7D Real-time record-keeper, for short : STENO

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

9D Form 1040 amt. : AGI

Adjusted gross income (AGI)

Form 1040, issued by the IRS, is the “US Individual Income Tax Return”. It was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?

11D “Doctor De Soto” writer/illustrator William : STEIG

William Steig had two distinct major careers. He was a very successful and celebrated cartoonist for “The New Yorker” starting in 1930, and began his second career as a children’s book author at the age of 61. He is now most famous for his 1990 picture book “Shrek!”, which was the basis for the blockbuster film series of the same name.

12D Dance with figure-eight steps : TANGO

The dramatic tango dance originated in the late 1800s in the area along the border between Argentina and Uruguay. A popular variant of the ballroom tango is the Argentine tango, which emerged in the late 1800s in Buenos Aires. The Argentine tango is danced to a greater variety of music, and is considered to be more technically demanding. It is also described as being more sensual and intimate. I wish I could dance …

17D Idris of “Hijack” : ELBA

Idris Elba is a British actor whose most celebrated TV roles are perhaps Stringer Bell in “The Wire”, DCI John Luther in “Luther”, and the lead in the 2023 series “Hijack”. On the big screen, he has played the Norse god Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”. While best known for acting, Elba is also a successful musician and DJ, performing at major clubs and festivals under the moniker DJ Big Driis.

18D Volcano where Bronte pistachios are grown : ETNA

Bronte pistachios are grown on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. They are very hard to find, and expensive. “Pistacchio di Bronte” (pistachios from the town of Bronte) are harvested by hand only every two years.

22D Wool-loving pests : MOTHS

The larvae of several types of moth are noted for eating fabrics made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton. Many people store woolens in cedar chests believing that the scent of the wood prevents a moth infestation. In fact, the only known effective repellent is the naphthalene found in mothballs, which might be a health concern for humans. One way to kill moth larvae in fabric is to freeze the garment for several days at a temperature below -8 degrees celsius.

24D __ Eats : UBER

Uber Eats is a food-delivery platform offered by ride-sharing service Uber. For a delivery fee of a few bucks, users can order food from local restaurants using an app. That food might be delivered by car, bike or foot, depending on the city and courier.

25D Society for smarties : MENSA

If you ever learned Latin, “mensa” was probably taught to you in lesson one as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization, for folks with high IQs, was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member, you have to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.

26D Taj Mahal city : AGRA

“Mahal” is the Urdu word for “palace”, as in “Taj Mahal” meaning “crown of palaces”. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum holding the body of Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The name “Mumtaz Mahal” translates as “the chosen one of the palace”.

27D Luxury hotel chain : LOEWS

Loews Hotels is a luxury chain of about 25 hotels across North America. One of its better known amenities is the “Loews Loves Pets” program.

34D Sleepy housemate : DOC

In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

• Doc (the leader of the group)
• Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
• Happy
• Sleepy
• Bashful
• Sneezy
• Dopey

35D __ cum laude : SUMMA

When an academic degree is awarded, a level of distinction can be noted depending on the degree of success achieved by the student. There are three types of honor, each with a Latin name:

• cum laude: meaning “with honor” (literally “with praise”)
• magna cum laude: meaning “with great honor”
• summa cum laude: meaning “with highest honor”

39D Brunch date hr. : TEN AM

Our word “brunch” is a portmanteau of “breakfast” and “lunch”. The term was coined as student slang in Oxford, England in the late 1890s. However, “brunch” described a combined meal closer to the breakfast hour, and the term “blunch” was used for a meal closer to lunchtime.

49D Furry red Muppet : ELMO

The “Sesame Street” character named Elmo has a birthday every February 3rd, and on that birthday he always turns 3½ years old. The man behind/under Elmo on “Sesame Street” for many years was Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

60D Pull felt on Earth : ONE G

The force of gravity (g-force) that we all feel is referred to as “one G”. As gravity is an accelerating force, acceleration is measured relative to that force of gravity. So, if we are sitting in a vehicle that accelerates at 3G, then we are experiencing a force that is three times that which we feel from the gravitational pull of the earth. Zero G is weightlessness that is experienced when in space, and outside the influence of the earth’s gravity. And yes, I know that gravity is really NOT a force, according to the Theory of General Relativity, We’re Newtonian here …

62D 1950s prez : IKE

“I Like Ike” was a political slogan that originated with the grassroots movement to get Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) to run for president in the 1952 presidential election.

63D Sucker : SAP

“Sap” is slang for “fool, someone easily scammed”. The term arose in the early 1800s in Britain when it was used in “saphead” and “sapskull”. All these words are derived from “sapwood”, which is the softwood found in tree trunks between the bark and the heartwood at the center.