LA Times Crossword 27 May 26, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Sala Wanetick

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Fault Lines

Themed answers are all LINES admitting FAULT:

• 56A Fractured spots in the earth’s crust, or what 17-, 23-, and 49-Across are : FAULT LINES

• 17A “I messed up” : THAT’S MY BAD
• 23A First words in a confession booth, often : FORGIVE ME, FATHER
• 49A “I totally did that, yep” : GUILTY AS CHARGED

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

Bill’s time: 6m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6A Shred the __: crush a black diamond run, say : GNAR

“Shredding the Gnar” is a slang phrase used by snowboarders. The term doesn’t seem to have a precise definition, but “shredding” seems to translate simply as “snowboarding”, as best I can tell. As for the “Gnar”, I have no idea …

In North America, ski runs are given a standardized rating in terms of skiing difficulty. The ratings are:

• Green circles: easy to ski, often termed “bunny slopes”.
• Blue squares: medium difficulty
• Black diamond: steep and challenging terrain
• Double black diamond: experts only (I’ve never braved one!)

10A Bikini tops : BRAS

The origin of the word “bikini”, describing a type of bathing suit, seems very uncertain. One story is that it is named after the Bikini Atoll, site of American A-bomb tests in the forties and fifties. The name “bikini” was chosen for the swim-wear because of the “explosive” effect it had on men who saw a woman wearing the garment …

19A Writer Wiesel : ELIE

Elie Wiesel was a holocaust survivor, and is best known for his book “Night” that tells of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He was also the first recipient of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Award, which was later renamed the Elie Wiesel Award in his honor.

23A First words in a confession booth, often : FORGIVE ME, FATHER

A member of the Roman Catholic church can participate in the sacrament of confession. A penitent confesses to a priest, starting with the words, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been [time period] since my last confession …”

29A Oft-pickled taco topper : RADISH

Radishes are edible root vegetables that are commonly grown for use in salads. Gardeners also use radishes as companion plants as the odor given off can deter pests such as aphids, ants and cucumber beetles. I do enjoy eating a spicy radish …

30A “Fiddler on the Roof” milkman : TEVYE

The enduring musical “Fiddler on the Roof” is based on a collection of stories by Sholem Aleichem about Tevye, a milkman living in Tsarist Russia. The musical version of the tales first opened on Broadway in 1964. “Fiddler on the Roof” had such a long run that it became the first musical to reach 3,000 performances.

31A Kylo of “Star Wars” : REN

Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” universe. The character’s birth name was Ben Solo. He was trained as a Jedi knight by his uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Ben came to embrace the Dark Side, and changed his name to Kylo Ren. Ren is played by actor Adam Driver.

37A Piper Cub, e.g. : PLANE

The name “Piper Cub” is used for a family of light aircraft that were built in the 1930s and 1940s, most of which were the Piper J-3 Cub design. The Cub was produced in high volume, and was very affordable. It is a two-seater plane, with the pilot usually sitting in the rear seat when flying solo (for better balance).

40A Pasta topper, for short : PARM

Genuine Parmesan cheese is made in and around the province of Parma in northern Italy, which province gives the cheese its name.

42A “Star Trek” captain Jean-__ Picard : LUC

When Gene Roddenberry was creating the “Star Trek” spin-off series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, I think he chose a quite magnificent name for the new starship captain. “Jean-Luc Picard” is imitative of one or both of the twin-brother Swiss scientists Auguste and Jean Felix Piccard. The role of Picard was played by the wonderful Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart.

43A “Alfie” star Michael : CAINE

Actor Maurice Micklewhite adopted the stage name “Michael Caine” in 1954 after spotting a cinema marquee for “The Caine Mutiny” while speaking to his agent from a London phone booth. Ironically, perhaps, he didn’t legally change his name to “Michael Caine” until 2016, due to the increasing frustration of explaining his dual identity to airport security guards.

There have been two versions of the movie “Alfie”. The original, and for my money the best, was made in 1966 with Michael Caine. The remake came out in 2004 and stars Jude Law in the title role. The theme song was performed by Cher in the US version of the 1966 movie, and Cilla Black recorded it for the UK release of the film. But, it was Dionne Warwick’s cover version from 1967 that was the most successful in the charts.

45A Poses such as happy baby and humble warrior : ASANAS

“Ananda Balasana”, literally “blissful child pose”, is the Sanskrit name for the Happy Baby pose in yoga. The name is a reference to the instinctive way a baby reaches for its feet to stretch the lower back.

“Baddha Virabhadrasana” is the Sanskrit name for the Humble Warrior pose in yoga. It involves bending low over the front leg, and raising the arms vertically above the back, with the fingers interlaced. “Virabhadrasana” is the name given to the Warrior series of asanas (poses), and “baddha” translates to “bound”, referencing the interlaced hands.

53A Historic Harlem theater : APOLLO

The Apollo Theater in the Harlem district of Manhattan, New York opened in 1914 as Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater. The original facility was a whites-only venue. When it was opened to African Americans in 1934, the name was changed to “The Apollo”.

56A Fractured spots in the earth’s crust, or what 17-, 23-, and 49-Across are : FAULT LINES

In geology, a “fault” is a fracture in the Earth’s crust resulting from the action of plate tectonic forces. The fault manifests itself at the surface of the Earth as a “fault line”.

63A Military flute : FIFE

A fife is a small flute that is often used in military and marching bands. The name “fife” comes from the German “Pfeife” meaning “pipe”.

64A __-bouche: bite-size freebie : AMUSE

Amuse-bouche is a small, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre served at the start of a restaurant meal. The item is served free, and is not found on the menu. Rather, it is an item selected by the chef, perhaps to show off his or her cooking style, or to prepare the guests for the meal. The term “amuse-bouche” is French, and translates literally as “mouth amuser”.

Down

1D Clock-setting std. : GMT

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the time at the Prime Meridian, the meridian that runs through Greenwich in London.

A meridian is a line of longitude, and the Prime Meridian is that line of longitude defined as 0 degrees. The Prime Meridian is also called the Greenwich Meridian as it passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in southeast London. Of course the line of longitude that is used to represent 0 degrees is an arbitrary decision. 25 nations formally decided in 1884 to use the Greenwich Meridian as 0 degrees as it was already a popular choice. That is all except the French, who abstained from the vote and used the Paris Meridian as 0 degrees on French charts for several decades.

3D Olympic ice hockey gold medalists: Abbr. : USA

The US achieved a historic Olympic sweep in 2026, as both the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams captured gold in the same Games for the first time in history. The men’s victory in Milan marked their first championship since the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice”. On the women’s side, the 2026 title was their third since the sport’s debut in the 1998 Olympics.

5D Like a Jack and Jill bathroom : EN SUITE

A Jack and Jill bathroom is a shared facility positioned between two separate bedrooms, granting both occupants private access through individual internal doors.

6D Old Faithful, e.g. : GEYSER

Old Faithful is a geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Its eruptions are relatively predictable, because the geyser’s underground “plumbing” is relatively independent, earning it the “Faithful” moniker. In the early days of Yellowstone’s existence as a park, the geyser was used as a laundry. Dirty linen clothing was placed in the geyser’s crater during the quiet period. The clothing was ejected during the eruption, thoroughly washed.

8D Director DuVernay : AVA

Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker who became the first African American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a feat she achieved in 2012 for her feature film “Middle of Nowhere”. “Middle of Nowhere” tells the story of a woman who drops out of medical school to focus on her husband when he is sentenced to 8 years in prison. DuVernay also directed the 2014 film “Selma” about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

11D Actor Fiennes : RALPH

English actor Ralph Fiennes comes from a very aristocratic family, as one might guess from his full name, Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes. He is in fact an eighth cousin of King Charles III. Fiennes has played some nasty characters in his time, including the commandant of the concentration camp in “Schindler’s List” and the dreaded Lord Voldemort in the “Harry Potter” movies.

12D Sambuca flavor : ANISE

Sambuca is an Italian liqueur that is flavored with anise. It is often served straight up with three coffee beans floating on the surface. The beans are said to represent health, happiness and prosperity. A more “saucy” representation for the beans is husband, wife and mistress.

18D “RuPaul’s Drag Race” network : MTV

RuPaul is a famous drag queen who has developed a diverse career beyond performing on stage. He works as an actor, model, author and a recording artist. Famously, RuPaul doesn’t mind whether one addresses him as “he” or as “she” …

You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.

He currently hosts his own reality TV show called “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, which is billed as a search for “America’s next drag superstar”.

22D __ Vegas Aces : LAS

The Las Vegas Aces women’s basketball team was formed in Salt Lake City in 1997 as the Utah Starzz. The team became the San Antonio (Silver) Stars in 2002, before moving to Las Vegas as the Aces in 2018.

23D Camera setting that affects depth : F-STOP

Varying the f-stop in a lens varies how big the lens opening (the aperture) is when a photograph is taken. Smaller apertures (higher f-stop values) admit less light, but result in a greater depth of field (more of the photograph is in focus).

24D Rossini work : OPERA

Gioachino Rossini was a prolific and very successful composer from Pesaro, Italy. During his lifetime, Rossini was lauded as the most successful composer of operas in history. His best-known opera today is probably “The Barber of Seville”. His best-known piece of music is probably the finale of the overture from his opera “William Tell”.

25D App that connects pet sitters and pet owners : ROVER

Rover is an “online matchmaking service” that links up pet owners with pet sitters, dog boarders and dog walkers. The service went live in 2011, and clearly filled a need. Today, a service is booked about every four seconds, and over 20 million pet photos have been sent through the app to reassure owners while they are away.

26D Musical rattles : MARACAS

Maracas are percussion instruments that are native to Latin America. They are constructed from dried shells, like those of a coconut, to which handles are attached. The shells are filled with dried seeds or beans, and played by shaking.

33D Flashy accessories : BLING

Bling-bling (often simply “bling”) is the name given to all the shiny stuff sported by rap stars in particular i.e. the jewelry, watches, metallic cell phones, even gold caps on the teeth. The term comes from the supposed “bling” sound caused by light striking a shiny metal surface.

38D Moon goddess : LUNA

“Luna” is the Latin word for “moon”, and is the name given to the Roman moon goddess. The Greek equivalent of Luna was Selene. Luna had a temple on the Aventine Hill in Rome but it was destroyed during the Great Fire that raged during the reign of Nero. She also had a temple on the Palatine Hill in which a lamp remained lit, illuminating the night.

41D Whac-a-Mole whackers : MALLETS

The Whac-A-Mole arcade game was invented in 1976. Players use a mallet to force five plastic moles back into their holes. Whacking the moles can be so frustrating that we sometimes use the term “whac-a-mole” to describe a repetitive and futile task.

43D Rosh Hashanah bread : CHALLAH

Challah is a special braided bread that is eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath. The bread is served to commemorate the manna that fell from the heavens as the Israelites wandered around the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.

Rosh Hashanah is loosely referred to as “Jewish New Year”. The literal translation from Hebrew is “head of the year”.

46D Letters on a Cardinal : STL

The St. Louis Cardinals were originally called the “Brown Stockings”, changing their name to the “Perfectos” in 1899. That obviously didn’t go down well with the locals, as the owners changed it one year later to the Cardinals.

47D Inconvenient trip : SCHLEP

Our word “schlep” (sometimes “schlepp”) means “carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.

49D Croc kin : GATOR

There are two species of alligator in the world today: the Chinese alligator that is native to China, and the American alligator that is native to the Southeastern US. The term “alligator” likely comes from the Spanish “el lagarto” meaning “the lizard”. The Spanish used the name “el lagarto” for the American alligator when they were settling what is now Florida.

51D Like some chemical bonds : IONIC

An ionic bond is formed between two oppositely-charged ions. A common example is the bond between positively-charged sodium ions and negatively-charged chlorine ions to form table salt (NaCl). A covalent bond, on the other hand, is formed when two atoms share electrons. Atoms sharing electrons tend to be stable, so they prefer to stay together rather than apart.

58D Blurry craft in tabloid pics : UFO

“Tabloid” is the trademarked name (owned by Burroughs Wellcome) for a “small tablet of medicine”, a name that goes back to 1884. The word “tabloid” had entered into general use to mean a compressed form of anything, and by the early 1900s was used in “tabloid journalism”, which described newspapers that had short, condensed articles and stories printed on smaller sheets of paper.