LA Times Crossword 19 Sep 23, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Zach Moore
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: That’s the Spirit!

Themed answers are common phrases, and each includes a synonym of “SPIRIT”:

• 52A I like your attitude!, and what can be said about the starts of 20-, 25-, and 47-Across? : THAT’S THE SPIRIT!

• 20A Ability to keep cool under pressure : PRESENCE OF MIND
• 25A Small beards : SOUL PATCHES
• 47A Chile that’s among the hottest in the world : GHOST PEPPER

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

Bill’s time: 5m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Activist Thunberg who is the youngest Time Person of the Year : GRETA

Greta Thunberg is an environmental activist from Sweden who came to national attention in her homeland when she was just 15 years old. In 2018, she went on strike from school and paraded with placards in front of the Swedish parliament to pressure the government to take stronger action to address climate change. She then took part in demonstrations across Europe, and became a regular speaker at such events. She addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit at the UN headquarters, opting to sail to New York from Sweden, rather than fly. When she was named “Time” Person of the Year in 2019 at 16 years old, Thunberg was the youngest person ever to be so honored.

15 Eggplant __: Italian entree, briefly : PARM

Parmigiana (familiarly “parm”) is a dish from southern Italy. The original parmigiana was made with an eggplant filling, with cheese and tomato layers and then baked. Versions originating outside of Italy have replaced the eggplant with breaded cutlets of chicken or veal.

17 Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA

Rosa Parks was one of a cadre of brave women in days gone by who refused to give up their seats on a bus to white women. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.

23 __ la vie! : C’EST

“C’est la vie” is French for “that’s life”.

24 Labor Day mo. : SEPT

Labor Day is a federal holiday observed every year on the first Monday in September. The tradition of honoring workers with a holiday started in Boston in 1878, when a day of observance was organized by the Central Labor Union, the major trade union at the time. There was a bloody dispute in 1894 between labor unions and the railroads called the Pullman Strike, which led to the death of some workers when the US Military and US Marshals were instructed to maintain order. President Grover Cleveland submitted a “Labor Day” bill to Congress which was signed into law just six days after the end of the strike. The introduction of a federal holiday to honor the worker was a move designed to promote reconciliation between management and unions after the bitter conflict.

25 Small beards : SOUL PATCHES

A soul patch is a small patch of facial hair worn especially by jazz musicians, located just below the lower lip and above the chin. The actor and comedian Howie Mandel has been sporting a soul patch for many years, I believe.

29 Org. whose annual awards are presented at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena : CMA

Country Music Association (CMA)

The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee opened for business in 1996, when it was known as the Nashville Arena. The facility’s primary tenant is the city’s NHL team, the Nashville Predators. Due to its location near Nashville’s historic Music Row, the arena also hosts country music events, such as the CMA Awards and the AMT Music Awards.

32 Spare in a trunk : TIRE

In North America we use the word “trunk” for the storage space in the back of a vehicle as that space is reminiscent of the large traveling chest called a “trunk”. Such trunks used to be lashed onto the back of automobiles before storage was integrated. On the other side of the Atlantic, a trunk is known as a “boot”. The original boot was a built-in storage compartment on a horse-drawn carriage on which a coachman would sit.

38 Sr.’s nest egg acronym : IRA

A nest egg is an amount of money laid down as a reserve. This is the figurative use of “nest egg” that originally described an artificial egg left in a nest to encourage a hen to lay real eggs in that spot. So our financial nest egg is set aside in anticipation of continued growth, more eggs being laid.

43 Roxy Music co-founder Brian : ENO

Roxy Music is a British band formed by Bryan Ferry, who also served as the lead singer. One of the group’s more famous former band members was Brian Eno, someone who turns up in crosswords far too often …

46 Surname in the freezer aisle : EDY

Edy’s is a brand of premium ice cream that was founded in 1928 in Oakland, California. The company’s two signature brands, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and Edy’s Grand Ice Cream, are named after its founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

47 Chile that’s among the hottest in the world : GHOST PEPPER

The ghost pepper is also known as the “bhüt jolokia” or Bhutanese pepper. The term “bhüt” somehow morphed into the similar-sounding “ghost”, hence the English name. Guinness World Records declared the ghost pepper the world’s hottest chili pepper in 2007, although the Carolina reaper was given that honor in 2017.

58 Gaggle members : GEESE

A collection of geese is referred to as a “gaggle” when on the ground. When geese are in V-formation in flight, they are referred to collectively as a “skein”.

59 Greek aperitif : OUZO

Ouzo is an apéritif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to French pastis and Italian sambuca. All three liqueurs turn cloudy with the addition of water.

61 Clear kitchen wrap : SARAN

What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. The brand name “Saran” is often used generically in the US, while “Glad” wrap is common down under. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

62 South American country with most of the world’s alpacas : PERU

Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.

65 __ on the roof / And kicked off the moss: lyrics in Elton John’s “Your Song” : I SAT

“Your Song” is another wonderful composition by Elton John, with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was released in 1970, and was John’s first international hit. Back then, John was an opening act for the rock band Three Dog Night. John gave them “Your Song”, and they released the original version as a track on their album “It Ain’t Easy”.

Down

1 Wyatt of the Old West : EARP

The legendary Western gunfighter and lawman Wyatt Earp has been portrayed on the big and small screen many, many times. Kevin Costner played the title role in 1994’s “Wyatt Earp”, and Val Kilmer played Earp in 2012’s “The First Ride of Wyatt Earp”. Joel McCrea had the part in 1955’s “Wichita”, and Kurt Russell was Earp in 1993’s “Tombstone”. James Garner played Earp twice, in 1967’s “Hour of the Gun” and 1988’s “Sunset”.

5 Subwindow in a browser : OPEN TAB

A web browser is a piece of software used to access the World Wide Web. The first web browser was called “WorldWideWeb” and was invented in 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the World Wide Web. The browser known as Mosaic came out in 1993, and it was this browser that drove so much interest in the World Wide Web, and indeed in the Internet in general. Marc Andreessen led the team that created Mosaic, and he then set up his own company called Netscape. Netscape created the Netscape Navigator browser that further popularized the use of the Web starting in 1994. Microsoft responded by introducing Internet Explorer in 1995, which sparked the so-called “browser war”, a war that Microsoft clearly won. As Netscape floundered, the company launched the open-source Mozilla project which eventually led to the Firefox browser. Apple then came out with its own Safari browser in 2003. Google’s Chrome browser, introduced in 2008, is by far the most popular way to view the Web today.

11 Genesis garden : EDEN

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden in order to prevent them from eating the fruit of the tree of life. Cherubim were assigned to guard the garden, and a flaming sword was installed to protect the path to the tree of life.

12 Frog kin : TOAD

Toads are a type of frog. The main difference between them is that toads have dry, warty skin, while frogs have smooth, moist skin.

13 __ Taylor Loft : ANN

The owners of the Ann Taylor chain of clothing stores established the Ann Taylor Loft chain of stores as an extension to their brand. The original stores offered women’s clothing considered suitable for the workplace. Ann Taylor Loft offers clothing that is lower priced, and more relaxed in style.

29 Rock band known for the power ballad “The Flame” : CHEAP TRICK

Cheap Trick is a rock band from Illinois that was formed in 1973. Such is the band’s popularity that the Illinois Senate in 2007 declared that April 1 every year would be Cheap Trick Day.

30 Novelist Binchy : MAEVE

Maeve Binchy was a fabulous Irish novelist, and in my day a famous newspaper columnist whose column I would read daily. A few of her novels have made it to the big screen, including two I would recommend: “Circle of Friends” starring Chris O’Donnell and Minnie Driver, and “Tara Road” starring Andie MacDowell.

35 Political treatise by Machiavelli : THE PRINCE

Niccolo Machiavelli’s political treatise entitled “The Prince”, and the philosophical opinions expressed therein, gave rise to the term “Machiavellian” meaning “cunning and devious”, especially at the level of state politics. Indeed, it is said that the reception of Machiavelli’s work was such that he lent his name “Niccolo” to the language as the derivation of the term “Old Nick”, meaning “the Devil”,

39 Aardvark’s morsel : ANT

The aardvark is the oddest looking of creatures, and a nocturnal burrowing animal that is native to Africa. Even though it is sometimes called the African ant bear, the name “aardvark” is Afrikaans for “earth pig”. Aardvarks are noted, among other things, for their unique teeth. Their teeth have no enamel and wear away quite readily, but continuously regrow. The aardvark feeds mainly on ants and termites.

48 Squid kin : OCTOPI

The term “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural. Language does evolve, even though it drives me crazy …

Squids are cephalopods with large eyes, two tentacles and eight arms. They can move very rapidly through the water, using jet propulsion. Very commonly, squid is served as a food under the name “calamari”.

49 The Raven poet’s monogram : EAP

The first verse of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

50 Homes in Havana : CASAS

Havana is the capital of Cuba. The city was founded by the Spanish in the early 1500s after which it became a strategic location for Spain’s exploration and conquest of the Americas. In particular, Havana was used as a stopping-off point for treasure-laden ships on the return journey to Spain.

53 Olympian queen who cursed Echo : HERA

In Greek mythology, was an Oread, a mountain nymph, who was often consorting with Zeus. Because of this, Zeus’ wife Hera cursed Echo, making her only able to repeat the last words spoken to her (hence our use of the term “echo”). Subsequently, Echo became infatuated with the young Narcissus. Sadly, Echo could only “echo” the words spoken to her, and so she was unable to convey her love to Narcissus. Echo eventually died, and all that remains of her is the sound of her voice.

55 Vampire Weekend lead singer Koenig : EZRA

Ezra Koenig is best known as one of the founders of the indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He is also the creator of the Netflix animated show “Neo Yokio” that features an impressive voice cast including Jaden Smith, Jude Law and Susan Sarandon. Koenig has been in a relationship with actress Rashida Jones since 2015.

57 Bill & __ Excellent Adventure : TED’S

“Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” is a 1989 comedy sci-fi film, starring Alex Winter as Bill and Keanu Reeves as Ted. It’s about two lazy students traveling through time in preparation for a history assignment, with a lot of “Dude!” and “Excellent!” scattered throughout the dialog. Reading the plot, this isn’t a movie that I’d normally go for, but somehow, I enjoyed it …

58 Govt. property overseer : GSA

The US Government’s General Services Administration (GSA), as the name suggests, provides general services to other federal agencies. So for example, the GSA manages office space for the other agencies, and transportation.