LA Times Crossword 24 Aug 26, Monday

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Constructed by: Janice Luttrell

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Soul Mates

Themed answers each end with a word that can precede (MATE with) “SOUL”:

• 66A Ideal partners, and what can be found at the ends of 17-, 24-, 40-, and 52-Across? : SOULMATES

• 17A Fix for torn jeans, perhaps : KNEE PATCH (giving “soul patch”)
• 24A Foil-wrapped chocolate drop : HERSHEY’S KISS (giving “soul kiss”)
• 40A Gets a single, double, triple, and home run in one game : HITS FOR THE CYCLE (giving “SoulCycle”)
• 52A Accept unintended consequences : FACE THE MUSIC (giving “soul music”)

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

Bill’s time: 4m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A “Dancing Queen” pop group : ABBA

“Dancing Queen” is a great, great song from 1976 that was released by the Swedish group ABBA. ABBA’s music has never been as popular in the US as it is in other countries, but “Dancing Queen” did make it to the number-one spot in the charts here. It was, in fact, ABBA’s only #1 hit in the US.

5A “Wish I was there!” anxiety, for short : FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO)

9A Department store chain headquartered in New York’s Herald Square : MACY’S

The original Macy’s store was opened by Rowland Hussey Macy in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1851. This store, and several others that Macy opened, all failed. Macy picked himself up though, and started over again in New York City. Those early New York stores all focused on the sale of dry goods, but added departments quickly as the clientele grew. The Macy’s red star logo has been around since the company was first established. Macy chose the star because it mimicked the star tattoo that he got as a teenager when he was working on a whaling ship out of Nantucket.

Herald Square in New York City is at the intersection of Broadway, Avenue of the Americas and 34th Street. It is famous as the end-point of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, as the square is home to the flagship Macy’s store. It was also home to the old New York Herald Building, hence the name “Herald Square”.

15A Not of the clergy : LAIC

Anything described as laic (or “laical, lay”) is related to the laity, those members of the church who are not clergy. The term “laic” ultimately comes from the Greek “laikos” meaning “of the people”.

17A Fix for torn jeans, perhaps : KNEE PATCH (giving “soul patch”)

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.

19A Dried beef snack : JERKY

Jerky is meat that has been trimmed of fat and dried. The term “jerky” comes into English via Spanish from the Incan Quechua “ch’arki” meaning “dried flesh”.

21A “Copperhead Road” singer Steve : EARLE

Steve Earle’s 1988 country-rock anthem “Copperhead Road” tells the story of a fictional Tennessee bootlegging family who transition into growing marijuana after the Vietnam War. The real-life Copperhead Road is located in Johnson County, Tennessee, and it became such a pilgrimage site for fans that local officials were forced to rename it “Copperhead Hollow Road” to stop people from repeatedly stealing the street signs.

24A Foil-wrapped chocolate drop : HERSHEY’S KISS (giving “soul kiss”)

The Hershey Company produces over 80 million chocolate Kisses each day, and has been making them since 1907.

A kiss that involves touching of tongues is known as a French kiss (also “soul kiss”), but no one seems to know why. Paradoxically, in Northern France, giving the same type of kiss is known as “baiser anglais”, i.e. English kissing!

32A Cartoon explorer with a talking backpack : DORA

In the “Dora the Explorer” cartoon series, Dora’s singing purple backpack is known as “Mochila”, the Spanish for “backpack”. It debuted in 2000 as a magical gift from her parents. It can instantly produce any oversized item needed to solve an episode’s puzzle.

40A Gets a single, double, triple, and home run in one game : HITS FOR THE CYCLE (giving “SoulCycle”)

SoulCycle is a fitness company that has been offering pay-as-you-go spin classes. It is headquartered in New York City, and operates all across North America.

44A Hay fever sound : ACHOO

The common term “hay fever” describes a type of seasonal allergic rhinitis, inflammation of the nose due to an immune reaction to airborne allergens. The term “hay fever” is quite the misnomer. It is not usually caused by “hay”, and there is no “fever”.

47A __ Angeles Sparks : LOS

The Los Angeles Sparks (LAS) women’s basketball team was founded just before the WNBA opened its doors for business in 1997. The team is one of the eight original founding franchises, and made a little bit of history by hosting the league’s inaugural game, against the New York Liberty.

52A Accept unintended consequences : FACE THE MUSIC (giving “soul music”)

To face the music is to confront the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions. The exact origins of the phrase are disputed, but my favorite etymology comes from theater historians. They suggest that a nervous actor stepping out from the wings had to “face the music”, turn toward the orchestra pit to deliver a performance regardless of stage fright.

Soul music originated in the US and was born out of gospel music and rhythm & blues. I read one quotation that describes soul as “music that arose out of the Black experience in America”.

58A Abbreviation on a toothpaste box : ADA

American Dental Association (ADA)

59A Mexican coins : PESOS

The peso is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.

60A Many a Chopin piano piece : ETUDE

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

Frédéric Chopin wrote three sets of études. His 1833 “Études Op. 10” were dedicated to fellow-composer and friend Franz Liszt. His 1837 “Études Op. 25” were dedicated to Marie d’Agoult, Franz Liszt’s mistress.

64A Phi Beta __ : KAPPA

Phi Beta Kappa was the first collegiate Greek fraternity in the US, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. The organization served as a model for future collegiate fraternities and sororities, although in the 19th century Phi Beta Kappa distanced itself from the fraternal focus and transformed into the honor society that it is today, recognizing academic excellence. The initials Phi Beta Kappa stand for “philosophia biou kybernētēs”, which translates into “philosophy is the guide of life”. The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key.

68A Everglades wader : 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.

69A Jai __: fast-moving court game : ALAI

Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball, golf balls usually get going at a greater clip. That said, as a blog reader once pointed out to me, you don’t have to catch a golf ball …

72A Ivy League school in New Haven : YALE

Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest university in the US. Originally called the Collegiate School, it was renamed to Yale University in honor of retired merchant Elihu Yale, who made generous contributions to the institution. Yale University’s nickname is “Old Eli”, in a nod to the benefactor.

The city of New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1638 by Puritan immigrants from England. Famously, it is home to Yale University. The city also initiated the first public tree planting program in the country. The large elms included in the program led to New Haven being called “the Elm City”.

73A Baby-voiced red Muppet : ELMO

The “Sesame Street” character named Elmo has a birthday every February 3rd, and on that birthday he always turns 3½ years old. The man behind/under Elmo on “Sesame Street” for many years was Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

Down

4D “Respect” singer Franklin : ARETHA

I think that Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 12 years old, and her second at 14. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one on its list of the greatest singers of all time.

“Respect” is a song by Otis Redding, and one that he recorded himself in 1965. It became a hit when Aretha Franklin made her famous cover version in 1967. The Redding and Franklin versions have different storylines though, and different musical “feels”.

5D St. Pete’s st. : FLA

St. Petersburg, Florida is often referred to as “St. Pete” by locals and visitors alike. Located on a peninsula lying between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, St. Pete was founded in 1888 and named for Saint Petersburg in Russia. The co-founders were Russian immigrant Peter Demens and Detroit native John C. Williams. The pair tossed a coin for the privilege of naming the new city, and Demens won. Williams lost, but did get to name the city’s first hostelry “The Detroit Hotel”.

6D Hall’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame partner : OATES

The rock duo Hall & Oates comprises Daryl Hall and John Oates. The roots of the partnership go back to a bizarre incident in 1967. Both musicians were leading their own respective bands at a record hop in Philadelphia’s Adelphi Ballroom when a violent gang fight broke out in the crowd. Fleeing gunfire, the two young men jumped into the same service elevator to escape to the street below. Realizing they were both attending Temple University, they struck up a conversation while fleeing, which eventually led to a six-decade musical collaboration.

7D Old Testament book after Jonah : MICAH

The Book of Micah is one of twelve books in the Bible written by the so-called minor prophets. Famously, it identifies the minor village of Bethlehem Ephrathah as the future birthplace of a ruler of Israel. This became a cornerstone of Christian theology when it was later cited in the Gospel of Matthew.

11D Rapper __ B : CARDI

Rap artist Cardi B’s real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar. Her stage name is a diminutive of “Bacardi,” a nickname she was given because her sister is named Hennessy.

26D “Teenage Dream” singer Perry : KATY

“Teenage Dream” is a 2010 studio album released by Katy Perry. It was destined to become only the second album in history to spawn five number-one singles. Only Michael Jackson’s 1987 album “Bad” had achieved the same feat.

27D Capital of Qatar : DOHA

The Qatari capital Doha was established in the 1820s as an offshoot of an older settlement called Al Bidda. Its modern name comes from the Arabic word “dohat” meaning “roundness”, a reference to the curved bays along its Persian Gulf coastline. The city was officially designated as Qatar’s capital in 1971 following the nation’s independence from Britain. Today, Doha houses over 80% of the nation’s entire population within its metropolitan boundaries.

28D “The Little Mermaid” prince : ERIC

“The Little Mermaid” is a 1989 animated feature from Disney that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. It tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the human Prince Eric. Ariel’s father is chief merman King Triton. Her best friend is Flounder, who despite his name is not a flounder at all and is actually a tropical fish. Ariel is also friends with Sebastian, a red Jamaican crab whose full name is Horatio Thelonious Ignacius Crustaceous Sebastian.

29D “Little Women” sister of Meg, Jo, and Amy : BETH

“Little Women” is a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of “little women” comprises Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy, the main character in the story, and is based on Alcott herself.

35D “Eureka!” : AHA!

“Eureka” translates from Greek as “I have found it”. The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine volume (and density) of a crown, something he needed in order to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.

39D Sneaker brand since 1916 : KEDS

Keds is a brand of athletic shoe first introduced in 1916 by US Rubber. The shoe was originally marketed as a rubber-soled, canvas-topped sneaker. The company first opted for the brand name “Peds”, from the Latin “ped” meaning “foot”. That name was already taken by another product, and so a quick rebranding took place resulting in “Keds”. The brand celebrated its centennial with a “Ladies First Since 1916” campaign that focuses on female empowerment.

51D Eight-note interval : OCTAVE

I find that terminology in music can be confusing. My way of looking at an octave (my way … don’t shout at me!) is thinking of a piano keyboard. In the key of C, the seven notes of the octave are C, D, E, F, G, A, B (or “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti”). These are all white keys. Most of these “white notes” are separated by whole tones, so there is room to add a “semitone” in between most of them, and these are the black keys (C-sharp for example). There is room for five black keys in an octave, and 7 + 5 adds up to 12. I assume we use the term “octave” because we often add an eighth note on the end “to bring us back to do” as the song says (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do … or … C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C). That eighth note is really the first note in the next octave up.

54D “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank : CAPRA

I can’t tell you how many of Frank Capra’s movies are on my list of all-time favorites. He directed such classics as “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “Lost Horizon”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Meet John Doe”, “Arsenic and Old Lace” and the holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Capra was the first person to win three directorial Oscars: for “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” and “You Can’t Take It With You”. Capra also did his bit during WWII, enlisting just a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Given his great talent, and the fact that he enlisted at the relatively advanced age of 44, the US Army put him to work directing seven documentary war films in the “Why We Fight” series, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

The Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in 1946, and is a Frank Capra movie starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. The film’s screenplay was adapted from a short story called “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. Remember the famous swimming pool scene? That was shot in the Beverly High School gym, and the pool is still in use today.

56D Simoleons : MOOLA

Lettuce, cabbage, kale, dough, bread, scratch, cheddar, simoleons, clams and moola(h) are all slang terms for money.

63D Gas brand in Canada : ESSO

The Esso brand name is a phonetic spelling of “S.O.”, the initials of the original “Standard Oil” monopoly that was dismantled by the US government in 1911. Trademark disputes eventually forced the name to be replaced by Exxon in the US, but “Esso” persists internationally, particularly in Canada.