L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, September 20, 2025 Rebecca Goldstein

Theme:  Geography Lessons, and geography expansions.   As we travel through the locations, they get increasingly larger

16 A. Stop on a fall foliage tour?: LEAVES TOWN.  Ordinarily, this means departing from a TOWN.  Here, it suggests a TOWN with many colorful leafy trees.

30 A. Stop on a victory tour?: PARTY CITY.  This was a retail chain stocking a wide range of themed party supplies, plus costumes & holiday decorations.  It has gone out of business in the U.S., but is still active in Canada.  Here, though, it is a city full of revelry.  Note also, a city is larger than a town.

44 A. Stop on a wine tour?: DRY COUNTY.  This is a county in the United States where the sale and public consumption of alcohol is prohibited.   It's unclear why anyone on a wine tour would visit there, unless it's a place to stop drinking?  At any rate, a county is generally larger than a city.

58 A. Stop on an apology tour?: SORRY STATE.   This indicates being in a situation or condition that is poor, neglected, or unfortunate, often one that is deserving of pity or regret.  Here,  though, it is a place containing many counties where contrition is prominent.  

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here with a puzzling travelogue.  Let's embark, and see where it takes us.

Across:

1. Some cuff links: STUDS.  Formal jewelry worn at the shirt cuff in place of a button.  The stud portion is a short metal bar connecting a decoration to a fastener.

6. Passover mo., often: APR.  April.  Passover is a major Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

9. Genesis brother: ABEL.  He was murdered by his twin brother Cain.

13. Number of strands in a simple braid: THREE.  

14. Creative development: IDEA.   The thought before the brainstorm.

15. Proper partner: PRIM.  Stiffly formal and respectable; feeling or showing disapproval of anything regarded as improper.

18. Roman robe: TOGA.  A loose flowing outer garment worn by the citizens of ancient Rome, made of a single piece of cloth and covering the whole body apart from the right arm.

19. The upper crust: ELITES.   A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.   Or so they would have you believe.
 
20. Packers' pts.: TDS.  Touch downs.  The Packers are the team from Green Bay in the National Football League.

22. "Don't know her": WHO?   What or which person or people?

23. Shiny fender material: CHROME.  Chromium plate as a decorative or protective finish on motor-vehicle fittings and other objects.

25. "Critique of Pure Reason" philosopher: KANT.  Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central thinkers of the Enlightenment. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics have made him one of the most influential and highly discussed figures in modern Western philosophy.

27. "Well, shucks": AW, GEE.  Expressing genial self-deprecation or gratified embarrassment.

33. Epic battles: WARS.   A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.  In a war there may be many distict battles.

34. Section of a race: LEG.   A specific, defined part or section of the race. 

35. Call from a treehouse: UP HERE.  Telling you where to look
 
36. One day __ time: AT A.  To deal with each day's problems as they come instead of worrying about the future.

37. "Restore + Strengthen" shampoo brand: FINESSE.  Finesse shampoo, specifically the Finesse Restore + Strengthen Moisturizing Shampoo, is designed to rejuvenate dry, damaged, or stubborn hair by providing a moisturizing and strengthening treatment. 

39. Announcement makers in HS classrooms: PAS.  Public Address System, a system of microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers used to amplify speech or music in a large building or at an outdoor gathering..

40. Criticize harshly: REVILE.   Criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

42. "Uh-uh": NAH.  Nope, no way, aint gonna happen.

43. Treadmill setting: PACE.  Consistent and continuous speed in walking, running, or moving.

46. Los Angeles restaurant with hot dogs named for celebrities: PINKS.

47. Overnight recipe: STEW.   A stew is a hearty dish that consists of solid food ingredients, such as meat, seafood, and/or vegetables, cooked slowly in liquid and served in the resulting gravy or thickened broth. 

48. Talk and talk and talk: YAMMER.   Talk foolishly or incessantly.

50. Shutterbug's initials: SLR.  Single Lens Reflex, a camera design where the photographer views the scene through the lens itself, using a mirror and prism system to direct the image to the viewfinder. This allows for accurate framing and focus, as you see exactly what the lens sees. 

51. Mule on the Erie Canal: SAL.  A reference to the mule featured in the American folk song, "Low Bridge, Everybody Down," also known as "The Erie Canal Song". The song tells the story of a mule named Sal who works on the Erie Canal, hauling barges filled with various goods. She is portrayed as a reliable and hardworking animal, and the song highlights the close relationship between the mule and its driver.

53. De-lightful time?: OUTAGE.  A time period when electric power is disrupted.  This is often due to storm-related infrastructure damage.  But not always. 

56. One struggling to face facts, maybe: LIAR.   A teller of untruths.  My universal theory of why this happens is that the truth is not compatible with the LIAR's agenda.

61. All-father of the Norse gods: ODIN.   A prominent figure in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism, revered as a god associated with wisdom, magic, death, prophecy, and victory in battle. He is often depicted as an old, one-eyed man with a long beard, wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat, and carrying a spear. Odin is known for his insatiable thirst for knowledge, his role as the leader of the Aesir tribe of gods, and his connection to Valhalla, the hall where fallen warriors reside. 

62. Joint above an ankle: KNEE.   The largest and one of the most complex joints in the human body, connecting the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia). It's a hinge joint that allows for bending and straightening of the leg, and it's crucial for weight-bearing and movement. The knee joint is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, all working together to enable a wide range of motion and stability. 

63. Pamplona pooch: PERRO.   "Dog" en Español.  Pamplona is a city in Spain.

64. Implements in a lab coat pocket: PENS.  For copious note taking.

65. Vane dir.: SSW.  South, southwest, the compass point or direction midway between south and southwest.

66. Home to the annual Food & Wine Classic: ASPEN.  Aspen, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is a ski resort town and year-round destination for outdoor recreation. It's also known for high-end restaurants and boutiques, and landmarks like the Wheeler Opera House, built in 1889 during the area’s silver mining boom.  We missed this year's classic, but can try again next year.

Down:

1. Home of the Blues, for short: ST. L.  St. Louis, Mo. is home to the Blues, a professional hockey team.

2. You, once: THEE.  Archaic or dialect form of you, as the singular object of a verb or preposition.

3. Russian range: URAL.  A mountain range in western Russia that forms a traditional boundary between Europe and Asia. 

4. Tech gadgets: DEVICES.   Things made or adapted for a particular purpose, especially a piece of mechanical or electronic equipment.

5. Stay mad: SEETHE.   Be filled with intense but unexpressed anger, by analogy to a slow boiling liquid..

6. Big fuss: ADO.  A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.

7. Alloy in some costume jewelry: PEWTER.   A gray alloy of tin with copper and antimony (formerly, tin and lead).

8. South African currency: RAND.  The basic monetary unit of South Africa, equal to 100 cents.  The rand takes its name from the Witwatersrand ("white waters' ridge" in English, rand being the Afrikaans and Dutch word for 'ridge'), the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. 

9. Fitting: APT.  Appropriate or suitable in the circumstances.

10. Dessert tray?: BROWNIE PAN.    A type of baking pan specifically designed for making brownies. It's typically rectangular, with a non-stick surface, and often features a removable bottom or a divider to help with even baking and easy removal of the finished brownies.   The clue is a misdirection, since it usually refers to a collection of sweet treats, typically displayed on a tray or platter, served at the end of a meal as a final course. 

11. Format before cassettes: EIGHT TRACK.    A magnetic tape format popular for music distribution from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. It's characterized by a continuous loop of ¼-inch magnetic tape housed in a rectangular cartridge. Each tape contains eight tracks of audio, arranged in stereo pairs, allowing for four stereo programs on a single tape. 

12. "Ur hilarious!": LMAO.  Laughing My Ahem-buttocks Off, maybe.  Cf. 31D.

14. "Come on in": IT'S OPEN.  Open door invitation to enter.

17. __ and estar: Spanish 101 lesson: SER.  In Spanish, both "ser" and "estar" translate to "to be" in English, but they are used in different contexts. "Ser" is used for permanent or defining characteristics, while "estar" is used for temporary states or conditions, location, and actions. 

21. Service replaced by Microsoft Teams: SKYPE.   An online platform that enables users to make voice and video calls, send instant messages, and share files over the internet. The name "Skype" is derived from "sky" and "peer-to-peer," reflecting its initial design as a peer-to-peer communication tool. 

24. Fuchsia relative: MAGENTA.   A light purplish red that is one of the primary subtractive colors, complementary to green.  Fuchsia is a vivid purplish-red color like that of the sepals of a typical fuchsia flower.

26. "Bah," in Berlin: ACH.  Expressions of contempt or disagreement.

27. Oscar, but not Elmo: AWARD.  The "Oscar" is the common name for the Academy Award of Merit, a golden statuette awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievements in the film industry. It's one of the most prestigious awards in the world of cinema.  Also Oscar and Elmo are Sesame Street muppets.

28. Way to make an entrance at a pool party: WATER SLIDE.  A slide into a swimming pool, typically flowing with water and incorporating a number of twists and turns.

29. Source of easy money: GRAVY TRAIN.   Used to refer to a situation in which someone can make a lot of money for very little effort.

31. Bottom: TUSH.  The buttocks - either of the two round fleshy parts that form the lower rear area of a human trunk.  Cf. 12D.

32. Green lights: YESES.  Grants permission or approval.

34. Stead: LIEU.  The place or role that someone or something should have or fill (used in referring to a substitute).

37. Streams: FLOWS.    Moves along or out steadily and continuously in a current or stream.

38. "I'm listening": SAY MORE.  Yes, I'm interested.  Keep talking.

41. Apply a cold pack to, say: ICE.  Use cold therapy on an injury.

43. Home team at PNC Park: PIRATES.  The Pittsburg team in the National League of Major League Baseball.

45. Pantyhose: NYLONS.  Clothing for women made of thin material that fits closely over the feet and legs and goes up to the waist.  Do they even exist any more?

46. Spot's grooming spot: PET SPA.   A grooming service that offers more than just basic bathing and clipping. It provides a range of specialized treatments designed to pamper and relax pets, promoting their overall well-being. These services often include aromatherapy, calming music, and gentle handling techniques to create a stress-free environment. 

49. Very, in Venezuela: MUY.   Literal translation from English to Español.

50. Unappetizing plateful: SLOP.  A derogatory way to talk about food that doesn't look very tasty.

52. Requests: ASKS.  Says something in order to obtain an answer or some information.

54. Irving character: GARP.   Protagonist in The World According to Garp.  I read this book decades ago and have only vague recollections of a few scenes.

55. 17-Down, in French: ETRE.   To be [or not, I suppose] in any language.

57. Some ER staff: RNS.  Registered Nurses.

59. VCR button: REWind.   It winds a tape or film back to the beginning.

60. Geologic age: EON.   An indefinite and very long period of time.

So, after al that time, we've reached our destination.  Travel broadens one, it's said, and this trip did grow on me  Hope the journey enlarged your enjoyment.  See you in September, a definite and rather short time period way.

Cool regards!

JzB