LA Times Crossword 3 Dec 25, Wednesday

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Constructed by: John Harrington

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Warm-Up Stretches

Themed answers each contain the letter sequence “WARM”, but STRETCHED out within, and written in the UP-direction:

• 7D Routine before a race, or what can be found in this puzzle’s circled letters : WARM-UP STRETCHES

5D The Guess Who song covered by Lenny Kravitz : AMERICAN WOMAN

10D Principle that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong : MURPHY’S LAW

19D Comedian’s self-deprecating assurance : I’M HERE ALL WEEK

29D Unseen collective character on “The Office” : CAMERA CREW

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

Bill’s time: 5m 46s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A __ lines: mysterious geoglyphs in Peru : NAZCA

The Nazca civilization thrived in southern Peru between 100 BCE and 800 CE. Their most famous legacy is the Nazca Lines, a vast collection of geoglyphs etched into the desert floor. The Nazca people also developed sophisticated irrigation systems and underground aqueducts to sustain life in the arid environment.

13A Geometry class statement : AXIOM

In the world of mathematics, an axiom is a proposition, one that is taken as basic and self-evident. The term “axiom” extends beyond mathematics with a similar meaning, an established or self-evident truth.

27A TV network based in Central London : BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the world’s oldest national broadcasting organization and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It was founded in 1922 and initially broadcast radio only, with television broadcasting beginning in 1932.

30A Complain : CARP

The word “carp” used to mean simply “talk” back in the 13th century, with its roots in the Old Norwegian “karpa” meaning “to brag”. A century later, the Latin word “carpere” meaning “to slander” influenced the use of “to carp” so that it came to mean “to find fault with”.

31A “Claws” actor Jack : KESY

Jack Kesy is an American actor who studied drama in London. He is perhaps best known for playing drug dealer Roller Husser in the TV series “Claws”. He also played the title role in the 2024 horror film “Hellboy: The Crooked Man”, becoming the third actor to take on the part, after Ron Perlman and David Harbour.

“Claws” is a comedy-drama show that first aired in 2017. It’s all about a group of five manicurists who branch out into organized crime.

34A Sailor’s “Halt!” : AVAST!

“Avast” is a nautical term used to tell someone to stop or desist from what they are doing. The word comes from the Dutch “hou vast” meaning “hold fast”.

39A Instant noodles option : RAMEN

Ramen is a noodle dish composed of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish broth flavored with soy or miso sauce. Ramen is usually topped with sliced pork and dried seaweed. The term “ramen” is also used for precooked, instant noodles that come in single-serving, solid blocks.

42A Razzle-dazzle : ECLAT

“Éclat” can describe a brilliant show of success, as well as the applause or accolade that one receives for that success. The word “éclat” derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.

43A “Sullivan’s Crossing” channel : THE CW

The WB Television Network was launched in 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and Tribune Broadcasting. The WB (for “Warner Bros.”) was shut down in 2006 and replaced by the CW (for “CBS” and “Warner Bros.”).

“Sullivan’s Crossing” is a romantic drama TV show, based on a series of novels of the same name by author Robyn Carr (who also penned “Virgin River”). It is about a neurosurgeon who returns to her estranged father’s campground in rural Nova Scotia.

44A Caribbean island near Venezuela : ARUBA

Aruba is one of the so-called ABC islands located off the northern coast of Venezuela. “ABC Islands” is a name given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

46A Blackjack card : ACE

In the card game blackjack, an ace has the point value of one or eleven. When one of the two cards dealt to a player is an ace, the hand is called “soft”. This means that the player cannot go bust by taking another card, as the ace can be revalued at “one” if necessary in order to stay under 21.

47A Crucifix : ROOD

A rood is a crucifix that specifically symbolizes the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

In many of the Christian traditions, a crucifix is a representation of Jesus on the cross. The term “crucifix” comes from the Latin “cruci fixus” meaning “fixed to a cross”.

49A Track legend Zátopek : EMIL

Emil Zátopek was a long-distance runner from Czechoslovakia who is best-remembered for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He had trained for the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter events, and won both of them. He then decided to run the first marathon of his life, and won that too! I guess that explains his nickname: the Czech Locomotive.

51A AIT scanner org. : TSA

The AIT (Advanced Imaging Technology) full-body scanners at airports are “millimeter wave” scanners. They get their name because they use safe, non-ionizing radio waves, with wavelengths measured in millimeters (between 1 and 10 mm), to see if anything is hidden under your clothes.

53A Spaghetti topper : MEATBALL

The term “spaghetti” is a plural diminutive form of the Italian word “spago”, which means “thin string, twine”.

56A “Monsters, __” : INC

The animated feature “Monsters, Inc.” was released in 2001, and was Pixar’s fourth full-length movie. It’s about cute monsters, and that’s all I know other than that the voice cast included the likes of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi.

58A Dives like a hawk : SWOOPS

Hawks are birds of prey known for their sharp talons, keen eyesight, and powerful flight. They represent a remarkably diverse group of raptors, a wide array of species that have adapted to nearly every terrestrial habitat. Several birds commonly referred to as hawks are actually kites, buzzards, or even eagles.

62A Taylor Swift hit that aptly spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 : FORTNIGHT

I had to drop my usage of the term “fortnight” when I came to the US. “Fortnight” describes a period of 14 days or 2 weeks, and is a word used in Britain and countries in which Britain has had influence over the centuries.

“Fortnight” was the lead single from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department”. It held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for exactly two weeks, a “fortnight”. When “Fortnight” hit the charts, it led to Taylor Swift holding all of the Top 14 spots on the Hot 100 chart simultaneously. A fortnight is 14 days, so, spooky …!

65A Easy-to-spot jigsaw pieces : EDGES

Jigsaws are saws designed for the cutting of irregular curves by hand. The original jigsaw puzzles were created by painting a picture on a sheet of wood and then cutting the picture into small pieces using a jigsaw, hence the name. Today, almost all jigsaw puzzles are pictures glued onto cardboard. The puzzle pieces are now die-cut, and so there’s no jigsaw involved at all.

68A Everglades wading bird : EGRET

Egrets are a group of several species of white herons. Many egret species were faced with extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s due to plume hunting, a practice driven by the demand for egret plumes that could be incorporated into hats.

The Everglades are tropical wetlands that cover much of southern Florida. The area was named “River Glades” by a British surveyor in 1773, and it is suggested that poor transcription of the word “river” led to the use of “ever”. The southern 20% of the Everglades is a protected region that we know as Everglades National Park. The park is the third-largest National Park in the lower 48 states, after Death Valley NP (the largest) and Yellowstone NP.

70A Form 1099 fig. : SSN

There is a series of IRS 1099 forms used to report various types of income, other than wages, salaries and tips that are reported on Form W-2. Examples are Form 1099-INT used to report interest income, 1099-DIV used to report dividend income, and 1099-MISC used to report miscellaneous income.

71A Falls (over) : KEELS …

To keel over is to capsize, to turn a boat over so that her keel lies up from the surface. We also use the phrase “keel over” figuratively to mean “collapse, faint”.

Down

3D Multivitamin element : ZINC

The metal zinc is an essential trace element in the human diet. There are 2-4 grams of zinc in the body typically, with the highest concentrations in the eyes and the male prostate gland.

4D Drinkable chocolate : COCOA

The beverages hot cocoa and hot chocolate differ from each other in that the latter contains cocoa butter, whereas the former does not.

5D The Guess Who song covered by Lenny Kravitz : AMERICAN WOMAN

1970’s “American Woman” was a big hit for the Canadian band The Guess Who. It holds the distinction of being the first song by a Canadian group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Lenny Kravitz is a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter from New York City. More recently Kravitz is making quite a name for himself as an actor. He plays the character Cinna in the 2012 hit film “The Hunger Games”.

8D One of a geographic quintet : OCEAN

The interconnected system of oceanic waters around our planet is known as the World Ocean. Comprising almost 71% of the Earth’s surface, the World Ocean is divided into, from largest to smallest:

1. The Pacific Ocean
2. The Atlantic Ocean
3. The Indian Ocean
4. The Southern (Antarctic) Ocean
5. The Arctic Ocean

10D Principle that anything that can go wrong will go wrong : MURPHY’S LAW

Murphy’s Law can be stated as, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. The concept behind the “law” has been around for eons, but the first association with the name “Murphy” appeared in print in 1952.

11D “Tosca,” for one : OPERA

Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca” is famous for its dramatic plot and unforgettable arias, but it’s also notable for its compressed, real-time setting: the entire opera unfolds over less than 24 hours in Rome, during events related to the Battle of Marengo on June 14, 1800. The plot centers on the tempestuous opera singer Floria Tosca, her lover Mario Cavaradossi, and the sadistic Chief of Police Baron Scarpia, who lusts after Tosca. The opera includes intense scenes of torture, attempted rape, assassination, and suicide. Be warned …

21D Chiefs star Kelce, to fans : TRAV

NFL tight end (TE) Travis Kelce was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 draft. Kelce’s life off the field garners as much attention as his playing career. He is quite an accomplished golfer, and participates regularly in celebrity tournaments. Oh, and he started dating Taylor Swift in 2023.

25D Sanskrit for “life force” : PRANA

In Hindu philosophy, “prana” is a Sanskrit word meaning “life force”, a universal energy believed to flow through all living things. It’s often associated with the physical breath, but it’s more accurately the energy behind the breath.

27D Oldest Simpson kid : BART

Bart Simpson is the main character in television’s “The Simpsons”. His name was chosen by the writers as it is an anagram of “brat”. Bart is voiced by actress and comedian Nancy Cartwright.

29D Unseen collective character on “The Office” : CAMERA CREW

The excellent sitcom “The Office” is set in a branch of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. If you haven’t seen the original UK version starring Ricky Gervais, I do recommend you check it out. Having said that, the US cast took the show to a whole new level. Great television …

32D Min. fraction : SEC

We use base-10, the decimal system for our numbers. Base-60, the sexagesimal system, was used by the ancient Babylonians. This ancient usage gives rise to our 60 seconds in a minute, and 360 (6 x 60) degrees in a circle.

48D New Jersey NHL player : DEVIL

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark. The club was founded in 1974 in Kansas City, originally as the Mohawks, and then quickly renamed the Scouts. The franchise moved to Denver in 1976, becoming the Colorado Rockies. The move to Newark happened in 1982, when the team was renamed the New Jersey Devils.

54D Protection : AEGIS

Someone is said to be under the aegis (also “egis”) of someone else if that other person provides protection, or perhaps sponsorship. The word “aegis” comes from the Greek word for a goat (“aigis”). The idea is that the goatskin shield or breastplate, worn by both Zeus and Athena, gave some measure of protection.

61D Retired jets, briefly : SSTS

The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. The Concorde routinely broke the sound barrier, and cruised at about twice the speed of sound. Above Mach 2, frictional heat would cause the plane’s aluminum airframe to soften, so airspeed was limited.

63D Royal flush card : TEN

The poker hand called a royal flush is the highest-ranking hand possible. It consists of a run of 10, jack, queen, king and ace, with all in the same suit.

64D Winery vat : TUN

A tun is a barrel, often a large barrel used in winemaking. The term “tun” came to be a measure of volume, originally 252 gallons of wine. The weight of such a volume of wine was referred to as a “tun”, which evolved into our contemporary unit “ton”.