LA Times Crossword 30 Dec 23, Saturday

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Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 10m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Carne __ : ASADA

The name of the dish called “carne asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.

10 __-relief : BAS

In bas-relief, an image projects just a little above the background, as in perhaps a head depicted on a coin.

13 Short-lived business : POP-UP STORE

A pop-up store is one that is temporary. The idea is that a pop-up store opens in empty retail space for a limited period of time, often to meet the needs of a particular season or holiday. Examples of the genre might be Halloween stores or Christmas stores.

15 Minesweeper unit : CELL

The relatively simple computer game called Minesweeper has been included in releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from 1992. The first version of Windows to include Minesweeper was Windows 3.1, but the last version was Windows 7. Windows 8 didn’t include Minesweeper by default, but you could pick up a copy in the Windows Store.

16 Delicious desserts? : APPLE TARTS

The first Golden Delicious tree was found in a pasture field on a farm in West Virginia in the late 1800s. There were no other apple trees growing nearby, so the farmer left it to grow. The fruit proved to be popular and the farmer sold the tree to a local nursery. The nursery named the apple Golden Delicious to go along with the existing line of Red Delicious apples, even though the two varieties aren’t very closely related. The Golden Delicious is now the official fruit of West Virginia.

17 Della Warrior’s heritage : OTOE

Della Warrior served as the chairperson and chief executive officer of the Otoe-Missouria tribe from 1989 to 1992, and was the first female to hold those offices. In 2007, She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame.

18 Romeo or Juliet : ROLE

William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is all about the love between the two title characters, which is forbidden as the pair come from two families who are sworn enemies. Early in the play, Romeo (a Montague) sneaks into a masquerade ball being held by the Capulets in the hope of meeting a Capulet girl named Rosaline. Instead, he meets and falls for Juliet, also a Capulet. Tragedy ensues …

19 Group originally called the “Jolly Corks” : ELKS

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868, and is a social club that has about a million members today. It started out as a group of minstrel performers called the Jolly Corks getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The club took on a new role as it started to look out for poor families of members who passed away. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome. The list of US presidents that have been members of the BPOE includes Presidents Eisenhower, Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Ford.

21 Rugby score : TRY

In the game of rugby, a try is scored by grounding the ball behind the opposition’s goal line. A try is similar to a touchdown in American football, although in rugby the ball must be manually placed on the ground by the player making the score. The term “try” is used as originally that act of touching the ball to the ground simply qualified a team for a “try at goal”, an opportunity to kick the ball at goal to make the score.

27 Word with ring or swing : MOOD …

Mood rings were invented relatively recently, in 1975, and became a bit of a fad for a few years. A mood ring is one containing a “stone” that changes color with temperature, although the color change is touted as being dependent on the wearer’s mood. The part of the ring that changes color is actually a liquid crystal that responds to temperature changes.

30 [I know this is wrong] : [SIC]

[Sic] indicates that a quotation is written as originally found, perhaps including a typo. “Sic” is Latin for “thus, like this”. The term is more completely written as “sic erat scriptum”, which translates as “thus was it written”.

35 Short chats? : IMS

Even though instant messaging (sending and receiving IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.

36 1936 Cooperstown inductee : COBB

Baseball player Ty Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia and died 74 years later in Atlanta, Georgia. He was nicknamed “The Georgia Peach”. Cobb was one of the richest baseball players of all time. When he retired, Cobb was a major stockholder of the Coca-Cola Corporation. By the time he passed away in 1961, Cobb had an even bigger investment in General Electric. He left an estate after his death worth about $86m (in 2008 dollars). The most common nickname associated with Cobb during his career was “the Georgia Peach”.

44 Rough positions : LIES

That would be golf.

48 Witherspoon of “The Morning Show” : REESE

“The Morning Show” is a powerful drama TV series that is based on the 2013 book “Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV” by CNN’s Brian Stelter. The show stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as two anchors for “The Morning Show”, one very experienced, and one new to the job. Steve Carell plays a former anchor who is ousted due to a sexual misconduct scandal.

49 Dough for pupusas : MASA

“Masa” is the Spanish word for “dough”, with the term often used as an abbreviated form of “masa de maíz”. Masa is used to make tortillas and tamales, for example.

A pupusa is a thick flatbread from the cuisine of El Salvador and Honduras. It is usually served with ingredients such as cheese, squash or refried beans, and served with a fermented cabbage called curtido. It is the national dish of El Salvador, and even has its own day of celebration.

54 Those, in Toledo : ESOS

Toledo is a city in central Spain that is located just over 40 miles south of the capital Madrid. Toledo is sometimes called the “City of Three Cultures”, due to the historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions.

57 Eclipse, in the ancient world : OMEN

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the shadow cast by the Earth from the light of the Sun, in other words when the Earth is positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon. The more spectacular solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, so that the Earth falls into the shadow cast by the Moon.

58 Gig for a model : SHOOT

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.

Down

2 Lethargy : SOPOR

“Sopor” is a Latin word that we’ve absorbed into English. It translates as “deep sleep” or “lethargy”.

4 Hill of “The Wonder Years” : DULE

Dulé Hill is an actor from East Brunswick, New Jersey who these days is best-known for playing Gus on the fun TV show “Psych”. Prior to “Psych”, Hill played the marvelously written Charlie Young, the President’s “body man” on “The West Wing”. Hill actually opted to leave “The West Wing” before the who ended its run in order to take the starring role in “Psych”.

“The Wonder Years” is a comedy drama that originally ran on television from 1988 to 1993. Star of the show was 13-year-old Fred Savage who played Kevin Arnold. Kevin’s love interest was Winnie Cooper, played by Danica McKellar. The show was remade almost 30 years later under the same title, with EJ Williams playing young Dean William as he grows up in Montgomery, Alabama. The remake ran for just two seasons, from 2021 to 2022.

5 Dr. Zaius, for one : APE

Dr. Zaius and General Thade are characters in “Planet of the Apes” movies. Both are apemen.

The “Planet of the Apes” franchise of films is based on a French novel by Pierre Boulle called “La Planète des singes”. The book was published in English as “Monkey Planet”, but was re-released as “Planet of the Apes” when Hollywood had made its choice for a movie title.

8 Part of STEAM : ARTS

The acronym “STEM” stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology. The acronym STEAM adds (liberal) arts to the STEM curriculum.

12 The American Dog Derby, for one : SLED RACE

Idaho’s American Dog Derby dates back to 1917, and is the oldest dog sled race in the lower 48 states. It was held annually until the early 1950s, and then revived in 1993.

25 Spanish infinitive : SER

The verb “to be” is “ser” in Spanish and “être” in French.

27 “Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?” : MOM, PLEASE?

No, no, no, well, okay …

32 Zip : NONE

The use of the words “zip” and “zippo” to mean “nothing” dates back to the early 1900s, when it was student slang for being graded zero on a test.

33 Hashtag for retro pics : TBT

#TBT is a hashtag that stands for Throwback Thursday that is often used on Thursdays by social media users who post nostalgic images. If you miss Thursday, you can do the same thing on Flashback Friday, #fbf.

34 Place for new calves : POD

Male whales are referred to as bulls, females are cows, and the young are calves. A group of whales can be called a gam, as well as a pod.

40 Slide whistle part : PISTON

A slide whistle (also “swanee whistle”) looks like a recorder at the top, where one blows, but has a piston inside the main tube of the instrument, rather than holes like a recorder. The pitch of the note played is controlled by moving the piston up and down, inside the tube.

41 Sliced pieces on top of bibim naengmyeon : PEARS

Naengmyeon is a noodle dish from North Korean cuisine. It comes in many varieties, and the noodles can be made using flour and starch from buckwheat, potatoes and even kudzu and seaweed.

45 Texas home of Frito-Lay : PLANO

Plano, Texas is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Settlers chose the name “Plano” in the 1840s. “Plano” is Spanish for “flat”, a reference to the terrain in the area.

The manufacturers of Frito and Lay potato chips merged to form Frito-Lay in 1961. Frito-Lay then merged with Pepsi-Cola in 1965 to form PepsiCo.

47 Seize by force : WREST

The verb “to wrest” can mean to obtain by violent twisting and pulling. The term comes from the Middle English “wresten” meaning “to twist”. Our word “wrestling” has the same etymology.

52 Exec concerned with network security : CTO

Chief technology officer (CTO)

53 Nonprofit that administers Praxis assessments : ETS

In about half of the states in the US, someone wanting to become a professional teacher must pass the Praxis test. Administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a Praxis test measures a candidate’s general and subject-specific knowledge, as it relates to the profession of teaching. The Praxis test replaced the National Teacher Examination (NTE).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Carne __ : ASADA
6 Pull : SWAY
10 __-relief : BAS
13 Short-lived business : POP-UP STORE
15 Minesweeper unit : CELL
16 Delicious desserts? : APPLE TARTS
17 Della Warrior’s heritage : OTOE
18 Romeo or Juliet : ROLE
19 Group originally called the “Jolly Corks” : ELKS
20 Magnificent : GRAND
21 Rugby score : TRY
22 Orange coat : PEEL
23 One paying a flat rate : RENTER
24 Sings again : REPRISES
26 Fig. affected by traffic : ETA
27 Word with ring or swing : MOOD …
29 Achievement : FEAT
30 [I know this is wrong] : [SIC]
31 “I have more to say” : DON’T INTERRUPT ME
35 Short chats? : IMS
36 1936 Cooperstown inductee : COBB
37 Obeyed a court order : ROSE
38 Place with soothing music : SPA
39 Like some potential : UNTAPPED
42 Magnetism : ALLURE
44 Rough positions : LIES
45 Punch sound : POW!
48 Witherspoon of “The Morning Show” : REESE
49 Dough for pupusas : MASA
50 Background for a portrait : BLUR
51 Locks in the zoo? : MANE
52 “Never been in that situation myself” : CAN’T RELATE
54 Those, in Toledo : ESOS
55 Shell stations? : TACO STANDS
56 Drops in the morning : DEW
57 Eclipse, in the ancient world : OMEN
58 Gig for a model : SHOOT

Down

1 Split up : APART
2 Lethargy : SOPOR
3 Put on : APPLY
4 Hill of “The Wonder Years” : DULE
5 Dr. Zaius, for one : APE
6 Not as newsworthy : STALER
7 Professional challenge? : WORK-LIFE BALANCE
8 Part of STEAM : ARTS
9 No other choice? : YES
10 Trials for errors : BETA TESTS
11 Solo stretch : ALONE TIME
12 The American Dog Derby, for one : SLED RACE
14 Brew : STEEP
15 Ear pieces? : CORN
20 Waves, say : GESTURES
22 Digital service : PEDICURE
23 Nurture : REAR
24 Spoil : ROT
25 Spanish infinitive : SER
27 “Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?” : MOM, PLEASE?
28 Spot line : ON SALE NOW!
31 Turned off, in a way : DISARMED
32 Zip : NONE
33 Hashtag for retro pics : TBT
34 Place for new calves : POD
40 Slide whistle part : PISTON
41 Sliced pieces on top of bibim naengmyeon : PEARS
43 Purposes : USES
45 Texas home of Frito-Lay : PLANO
46 Better or best : OUTDO
47 Seize by force : WREST
49 Address with an apostrophe : MA’AM
50 Vanilla : BLAH
52 Exec concerned with network security : CTO
53 Nonprofit that administers Praxis assessments : ETS