LA Times Crossword 28 Jul 26, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Kevin Shustack

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Inner Saboteur

Themed answers each include a potential SABOTEUR hidden INSIDE:

• 53A Psychological cause of personal failure, or a feature of 19-, 24-, 38-, and 45-Across : INNER SABOTEUR

19A “Gravity’s Rainbow” novelist : THOMAS PYNCHON (inner SPY)

24A Art technique also known as French embossing : GLASS ETCHING (inner ASSET)
38A “That’s my intention” : I PLAN TO (inner PLANT)
45A Act with chivalry : BE A GENTLEMAN (inner AGENT)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 31s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Ginger cookie : SNAP

Ginger snap cookies are known as ginger nut biscuits back in Ireland where I come from …

5A Cyan shade : AQUA

“Cyan” is short for “cyan blue”. The term comes from the Greek word “kyanos” meaning “dark blue, the color of lapis lazuli”.

13A Document with an executor : WILL

In general terms, an executor is a person responsible for the execution of some task. Most commonly, it is the person who has been designated to carry out the directions called out in someone’s will after the person is deceased. So, the executor has the necessary authority to distribute assets, pay bills etc. The executor usually works alongside the attorney for the estate.

16A Drag Defense Fund org. : ACLU

The Drag Defense Fund is an initiative launched in 2023 through a partnership between the ACLU and the producers of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. It was created as a resource to combat a wave of state-level legislation aiming to restrict or criminalize drag performances.

19A “Gravity’s Rainbow” novelist : THOMAS PYNCHON (inner SPY)

“Gravity’s Rainbow” is a complex novel by Thomas Pynchon that centers on the design and use of V-2 rockets by Germany towards the end of WWII.

23A Chapel Hill sch. : UNC

The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill started enrolling students way back in 1795, making it the first public university in the country to open its doors to students.

24A Art technique also known as French embossing : GLASS ETCHING (inner ASSET)

French embossing, or “glass etching”, is the creation of a design on the surface of glass, by using either a caustic or abrasive technique. Apparently, the method exploded in popularity during the Victorian pub-building boom because prudish magistrates refused to allow clear glass in drinking establishments. Pub landlords used etched glass in the lower panes of windows in order to shield patrons from the judgmental eyes of pedestrians passing by in the street.

35A Bert who played the Cowardly Lion : LAHR

Bert Lahr’s most famous role was the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz”. Lahr had a long career in burlesque, vaudeville and on Broadway. Remember the catchphrase made famous by the cartoon character Snagglepuss, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!”? Snagglepuss stole that line from a 1944 movie called “Meet the People” in which it was first uttered by none other than Bert Lahr.

36A Everglades wading bird : HERON

Herons are birds with long legs that inhabit freshwater and coastal locales. Some herons are routinely referred to as egrets, and others as bitterns. Herons look a lot like storks and cranes, but differ in their appearance in flight. Herons fly with their necks retracted in an S-shape, whereas storks and cranes have their necks extended.

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.

37A Chuckle in a DM : LOL

Direct message (DM)

41A Photo book : ALBUM

The Latin word “album” translates as “white”. In Ancient Rome, public notices and lists of names were written on a board painted white. Back in the 17th century, the term was revived for a souvenir book with white pages known as an “albo” (from “album”). Over time, the term “album” came to be used in English for a blank book created to collect signatures or other mementos. By the end of the 19th century, albums were used to collect photographs. The term “album” was applied to long-playing gramophone records as early as 1909, because the record sleeves resembled large photographic albums.

45A Act with chivalry : BE A GENTLEMAN (inner AGENT)

The ideal qualities found in a knight are collectively described as chivalry, and include courtesy, generosity, valor and skill with a sword. The term “chivalry” comes into English via the Old French “chevalier” meaning “knight”.

48A Energizer size : AAA

We are all fairly familiar with the Energizer Bunny, I am guessing. It was introduced in 1989 to promote Energizer batteries, by parodying the Duracell Bunny that made its debut in 1973.

49A Stuffed grape leaf : DOLMA

Dolmas are stuffed vegetable dishes from the Middle East. Strictly speaking, dolmas are made by hollowing out some vegetables before adding a stuffing. The derivative dish called “sarma” is made by wrapping vine or cabbage leaves around a filling. In many cuisines, the name “sarma” has been dropped in favor of “dolma”.

53A Psychological cause of personal failure, or a feature of 19-, 24-, 38-, and 45-Across : INNER SABOTEUR

There is a story that disgruntled textile workers would kick their wooden shoes, called “sabots”, into the looms in order to disable them so that they didn’t have to work. This act of vandalism was named for the shoe, an act of … “sabotage”.

58A Pop icon Lauper : CYNDI

If you’ve ever heard Cyndi Lauper speaking, you’d know that she was from Queens, New York. She is the daughter of divorced parents, and strongly influenced by a supportive mother. Lauper was always a free spirit, and even as a young teen in the mid-sixties she dyed her hair different colors and wore outlandish fashions. She was a young woman who wanted to “find herself”, and to that end she once spent two weeks alone in the woods up in Canada, well, just with her dog.

60A Irish currency : EURO

The “punt” (also “Irish pound”) was the currency of Ireland until the euro went into circulation in 2002.

63A MC or Visa alternative : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

65A Midday : NOON

Our word “noon”, meaning “midday”, comes from the Latin “nona hora” that translates as “ninth hour”. Back in ancient Rome, the “ninth hour” was three in the afternoon. Over the centuries, traditions such as church prayers and “midday” meals shifted from 3 p.m. to 12 p.m., and so “noon” became understood as 12 noon.

66A Little bouquet : POSY

“Poesy” was the name given to a line of verse engraved on the inner surface of a ring. The related word “posy”, for a bouquet of flowers, arose with the notion that giving a posy might be a message of love, just as a poesy inside a ring could have the same meaning.

“Bouquet” comes from the French word for “bunch” in the sense of “bunch of flowers”. In French, the term is derived from an older word describing a little wood or small grove of trees. We started using “bouquet” to mean “perfume from a wine” in the early 1800s.

Down

5D Singer-songwriter Tori : AMOS

Tori Amos is an American pianist and singer. She started playing the piano at two years old, and was composing piano pieces by age five. Amos was playing in piano bars (chaperoned by her father) when she was 14. I’m going to have to find some of her music …

9D Juliette of “The English Patient” : BINOCHE

The wonderful Juliette Binoche is a French actress and dancer. Binoche is perhaps most recognized in the US for her Oscar-winning portrayal of Hana in the 1996 movie “The English Patient”. I must say that a favorite Binoche film of mine is the lighter “Dan in Real Life” from 2007.

The excellent 1996 film “The English Patient” is a romantic drama adapted from a 1992 novel of the same name by Michael Ondaatje. The very strong cast of “The English Patient” includes two of my favorite actresses: Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche.

10D Cosmetics giant that started as the California Perfume Company : AVON

In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

11D “Jazz” documentarian Burns : KEN

“Jazz” is a 10-part, PBS documentary series by Ken Burns that was released in 2001. It serves as the final installment of Burns’ “American trilogy”, following “The Civil War” (1990) and “Baseball” (1994). “Jazz” was a massive undertaking, requiring six years of editing, a $13 million budget, and licensing rights to over 500 individual musical recordings.

15D Sulu player in recent “Star Trek” films : JOHN CHO

John Cho is an actor and musician who was born in Seoul, South Korea but has lived in the US since he was a young boy. Cho’s break in movies came in playing Harold Lee in the ”Harold & Kumar” films. He is now making a name for himself playing Mr. Sulu in the latest “Star Trek” movies.

20D Hartsfield-Jackson airport code : ATL

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest airport, as measured by passenger traffic. Atlanta has had that distinction almost every year since 1998, and was the world’s busiest in terms of take-offs and landings from 2005 until 2013. Over 50% of Atlanta’s traffic comes from Delta Air Lines.

26D Ritual prayer of Islam : SALAT

Salah (also “salat”) are daily prayers performed by the faithful in the Islamic tradition. Collectively, the prayers form the second of the Five Pillars of Islam.

27D “We __ Overcome” : SHALL

The exact origins of the protest song titled “We Shall Overcome” is a little unclear. Some say that it is based on an early gospel song “I’ll Overcome Someday”, but there doesn’t seem to be much similarity between the two works beyond the titles. Early performers of the song who helped to popularize its use were Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.

28D “Ghostbusters” actor Hudson : ERNIE

Actor Ernie Hudson is perhaps best known for playing Winston Zeddemore, the “fourth” member of the “Ghostbusters” team in the original 1984 movie.

29D Word after curling or waffle : IRON

There are three types of hair irons:

• Curling irons … make the hair curly
• Straightening irons … make the hair straight
• Crimping irons … create crimps in the hair

Believe it or not, this bald old man used to curl his hair in his teens …

Waffle irons have been around since the 1300s, in the Low Countries. The original version comprised two iron plates connected by a hinge, and two wooden handles. The plates were often cast with a pattern that left an image on the waffle. The waffles were baked in the iron over a fire in a hearth.

30D __ Scotia, Canada : NOVA

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.

31D Pest in a cloud : GNAT

Gnats have a relatively short lifespan of about 7-10 days.

34D Actor Idris : ELBA

Idris Elba is a British actor whose most celebrated TV roles are perhaps Stringer Bell in “The Wire”, DCI John Luther in “Luther”, and the lead in the 2023 series “Hijack”. On the big screen, he has played the Norse god Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”. While best known for acting, Elba is also a successful musician and DJ, performing at major clubs and festivals under the moniker DJ Big Driis.

39D Scottish cap : TAM

A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap worn traditionally by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam o’ Shanter”. A pom-pom adorning a tam is known as a toorie.

42D Kampala native : UGANDAN

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda. The airport that serves Kampala is in the town of Entebbe. Entebbe airport is well known for the daring hostage-rescue carried out by Israeli Defense Forces in 1976 following a hijacking.

53D The 411 : INFO

Several large US cities started using the telephone number “411” in the 1930s for local directory assistance. “411” was used in markets where the Bell System of telephone companies was prevalent. The number “113” served the same purpose in markets dominated by GTE and other telephone companies, with the last such usage of “113” disappearing in the 1980s. The term “4-1-1” is now used in North America as slang for “information”.

55D Japanese wrestling : SUMO

Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

56D Greek war god : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. He united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

57D Like the Honda Element : BOXY

The Honda Element is a compact crossover SUV with a rather unique design. It has four side doors, with the rear doors hinged at the back, providing a clear opening of over 55 inches in width. The design was originally intended to appeal to young drivers (surfer dudes!), but the accessibility of the cargo space made it very popular with an older demographic. The Element won the “Dog Car of the Year” award in 2007, after which Honda began offering a dog-friendly upgrade package for the vehicle. Cool!

58D “The Source With Kaitlan Collins” network : CNN

Kaitlan Collins made network history in 2021 when, at just 28 years old, she became the youngest Chief White House Correspondent in the history of CNN.