LA Times Crossword 23 May 23, Tuesday

Advertisement

Constructed by: Juliana Tringali Golden
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Rightly So

Themed answers each have “SO” at the end, on the RIGHT:

  • 60A For good reason, and a hint to five answers in this puzzle : RIGHTLY SO
  • 17A Good dog? : LHASA APSO
  • 25A Good shot? : ESPRESSO
  • 37A Good condition? : PROVISO
  • 40A Good measures? : CALYPSO
  • 48A Good character? : TED LASSO

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

1 Disaster relief org. : FEMA

Federal emergency management has been structured for over 200 years, but what we know today as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created in 1979 in an Executive Order issued by President Jimmy Carter.

5 Kimchi containers : JARS

Kimchi is a traditional dish from Korea. The original kimchi is made from fermented vegetables, and is pretty strong stuff …

15 Grades K thru 6 : ELEM

Elementary (elem.)

16 Año Nuevo month : ENERO

In Spanish, in “enero” (January), one wishes someone “un prospero año nuevo” (a happy new year).

17 Good dog? : LHASA APSO

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

25 Good shot? : ESPRESSO

Espresso is made by forcing extremely hot water, under pressure, through finely ground coffee beans. The result is a thick and concentrated coffee drink that contains quite a lot of solids and a lot of foam. An espresso machine was first patented in 1884 in Italy, although it was a machine to make the beverage in bulk. The first patent for a machine that made individual measures was applied for in 1901, also in Italy.

27 Terra-__ tiles : COTTA

The tem “terra cotta” comes to us from Latin via Italian and means “baked earth”. Terra-cotta is a ceramic made from clay which is left unglazed. Maybe the most famous work in terra-cotta is the Terracotta Army, the enormous collection of life-size figures that was buried with Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China around 210 BC. I had the privilege of seeing some of this collection when it toured the US a few years ago, and even the few pieces on display were very impressive.

30 Rift : SCHISM

A schism is a split or division, especially in a religion.

40 Good measures? : CALYPSO

The musical style known as calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.

Musical scores are divided into measures, although on the other side of the Atlantic the term “bar” is used instead of “measure”.

43 “Xanadu” band, for short : ELO

The title song of the 1980 movie “Xanadu” was performed by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and Olivia Newton-John (who starred in the film). Despite the popularity of ELO around the world, the song “Xanadu” was the band’s only number-one hit back in their homeland of the UK.

48 Good character? : TED LASSO

“Ted Lasso” is a marvelous sports-comedy TV show about an American college football coach who moves to the UK to manage an English soccer team. The title character is played very admirably by Jason Sudeikas. Sudeikas first played Lasso in a series of TV commercials commissioned to promote NBC’s coverage of the British Premier League. The character became so popular that he inspired a whole TV series. Great stuff, and highly recommended …

51 Cheer at a fútbol match : OLE!

In Spanish, a “fútbol” (football, soccer) supporter might shout “olé!” (bravo!).

54 Monopoly token worn by Mr. Monopoly : TOP HAT

Mr. Monopoly is also known as Rich Uncle Pennybags, and is the mascot of the game Monopoly. For years, we could spot Mr. Monopoly reaching out of the “O” in the word Monopoly on the game board.

58 Rhythm of daily life? : PULSE

One’s pulse is the rhythmic throbbing of arteries that is usually detected at the wrist or the neck. The contraction of the heart creates a pressure wave in the blood that moves the arterial walls, which is detected as the pulse.

62 Ibuprofen brand : ADVIL

The anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen is sold under the brand names Advil and Motrin.

64 Orangutans, e.g. : APES

Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, and live in rainforests. Like most species in rainforests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.

65 Far from posh : SEEDY

No one really knows the etymology of the word “posh”. The popular myth that “posh” is actually an acronym standing for “port out, starboard home” is completely untrue, and is a story that can actually be traced back to the 1968 movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. The myth is that wealthy British passengers traveling to and from India would book cabins on the port side for the outward journey and the starboard side for the home journey. This trick was supposedly designed to keep their cabins out of the direct sunlight.

Down

3 Honey-based beverage : MEAD

Mead is a lovely drink that’s made from fermented honey and water.

5 Dungarees : JEANS

“Dungarees” is an alternative name for “overalls”. Dungaree was a cheap and poorly woven fabric used by the lower classes. Dungaree originated in the port city of Dongri near Mumbai, India, hence the name.

6 Many a mountain whose name ends in “horn” : ALP

Many Alpine mountains have German names that end with “-horn”. Examples are Weisshorn and Matterhorn. “Horn” is German for “peak”.

7 Word spelled out in an Aretha Franklin hit : RESPECT

“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”.

10 Sea urchin, at a sushi bar : UNI

Sea urchins are globular, spiny creatures found just about everywhere in the ocean. The “roe” of a sea urchin is eaten as a delicacy in several cuisines around the world. In a sushi restaurant, the sea urchin roe is called “uni”. The term “roe” normally means “fish eggs”, but in the case of the sea urchin it refers to the gonads of both the male and female.

12 La Scala solos : ARIAS

La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its Italian name “Teatro alla Scala”. Because of bomb damage in WWII, La Scala had to be rebuilt, and reopened in 1946.

13 Mega Millions, e.g. : LOTTO

The Mega Millions lottery game is available in most states of the US, as is its major rival called Powerball.

22 “This Is __ Tap” : SPINAL

“This Is Spın̈al Tap” is a rock musical mockumentary about the fictional band Spinal Tap, directed by the great Rob Reiner. I love Rob Reiner’s work, but this movie … not so much …

26 “Abbott Elementary” award : EMMY

“Abbott Elementary” is a sitcom in the mockumentary genre. The show was created by and stars Quinta Brunson as a cup-half-full second-grade teacher in a Philadelphia public school. The premise of “Abbott Elementary” is that a film crew is making a documentary about the lives of teachers working in underfunded schools.

27 Starbucks stack : CUPS

Starbucks is a coffee company based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest coffeehouse company in the world and has over 19,000 stores. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening one new store every single day! Starbucks is named after the chief mate on the Pequod in Herman Melville’s book “Moby Dick”.

28 Monster in a magic forest : OGRE

An ogre is a hideous monster of legend. There is a suggestion that “ogre” is French in origin and comes from “Orcus”, the name of an Etruscan underworld god who fed on human flesh. Nice guy …

29 “Ragnarok” superhero : THOR

“Thor: Ragnarok” is a 2017 superhero film in the “Thor” series. Not my cup of tea …

30 Phillipa of “Hamilton” : SOO

Phillipa Soo is an actress and singer who is perhaps best known for portraying Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the title character’s wife in the original Broadway production of “Hamilton”.

32 Dangerous tropical fly : TSETSE

The tsetse fly is responsible for the transmission of sleeping sickness, a disease that is more correctly called African trypanosomiasis. The disease is only observed in humans who have been bitten by a tsetse fly that is infected with the trypanosome parasitic protozoan.

34 Sword for an Olympian : EPEE

There are three fencing events in the modern Olympics, with each distinguished by the weapon used:

  • Foil
  • Épée
  • Sabre

35 __ Mujeres, Mexico : ISLA

Isla Mujeres is an island located about 8 miles off the Yucatán Peninsula coast in Mexico. The island was dedicated by the Mayan people to Ixchel, the goddess of childbirth and medicine. The Spanish arrived in the 1500s. They noted the many images of goddesses, and so named it “Isla Mujeres” meaning “Island of Women”.

40 Tuna holder : CAN

There are 15 species of tuna, the size of which varies greatly. The smallest is the bullet tuna, which can grow to about 4 pounds in weight and just over 1½ feet in length. The Atlantic bluefin tuna can weigh over 1,500 pounds, and reach about 15 feet in length. That’s a lot of tuna …

42 “Pinkie swear?” : PROMISE?

The use of “pinkie” or “pinky” for the little finger or toe comes into English from “pinkje”, the Dutch word for the same digit. Who knew …?

48 Spanish dishes that are good for sharing : TAPAS

“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”. There is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

57 Horseshoes turn : TOSS

In the game of horseshoes, a ringer is scored when the tossed shoe lands around the target stake. A leaner is almost as good as a ringer, and is scored when a horseshoe lands upright or leans against the stake.

59 “Toy Story” kid who is terrible to his toys : SID

In the 1995 Pixar hit “Toy Story”, the toys are owned by a boy named Andy Davis. Andy’s neighbor is a not-so-nice boy named Sid Phillips. Sid gets a big kick out of destroying and torturing his own toys, and those owned by others.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Disaster relief org. : FEMA
5 Kimchi containers : JARS
9 Out in the sticks : RURAL
14 Finishes a cake, say : ICES
15 Grades K thru 6 : ELEM
16 Año Nuevo month : ENERO
17 Good dog? : LHASA APSO
19 Temporary stay : VISIT
20 Up-to-date : MODERN
21 Prepare to be photographed : POSE
23 Skin pic : TAT
24 Low-__: indistinct, as computer graphics : RES
25 Good shot? : ESPRESSO
27 Terra-__ tiles : COTTA
30 Rift : SCHISM
31 “Aw, not again!” : UGH!
32 Little one : TOT
33 “Ask and you shall receive!” : NAME IT!
37 Good condition? : PROVISO
40 Good measures? : CALYPSO
41 Calm and collected : SERENE
42 Buddy : PAL
43 “Xanadu” band, for short : ELO
44 One after another : IN TURN
46 Bit of luck : BREAK
48 Good character? : TED LASSO
51 Cheer at a fútbol match : OLE!
52 Logger’s tool : AXE
53 Abound (with) : TEEM
54 Monopoly token worn by Mr. Monopoly : TOP HAT
58 Rhythm of daily life? : PULSE
60 For good reason, and a hint to five answers in this puzzle : RIGHTLY SO
62 Ibuprofen brand : ADVIL
63 “That makes sense” : I SEE
64 Orangutans, e.g. : APES
65 Far from posh : SEEDY
66 Unwelcome garden grazers : DEER
67 Congressional assents : YEAS

Down

1 Movie : FILM
2 Canyon phenomenon : ECHO
3 Honey-based beverage : MEAD
4 State as fact : ASSERT
5 Dungarees : JEANS
6 Many a mountain whose name ends in “horn” : ALP
7 Word spelled out in an Aretha Franklin hit : RESPECT
8 Mash down : SMOOSH
9 Changeabout : REVERSAL
10 Sea urchin, at a sushi bar : UNI
11 Takes a breather : RESTS
12 La Scala solos : ARIAS
13 Mega Millions, e.g. : LOTTO
18 Cabinetmaker’s calculation : AREA
22 “This Is __ Tap” : SPINAL
26 “Abbott Elementary” award : EMMY
27 Starbucks stack : CUPS
28 Monster in a magic forest : OGRE
29 “Ragnarok” superhero : THOR
30 Phillipa of “Hamilton” : SOO
32 Dangerous tropical fly : TSETSE
34 Sword for an Olympian : EPEE
35 __ Mujeres, Mexico : ISLA
36 Nabbed : TOOK
38 Wedding accessory : VEIL
39 By nature : INNATELY
40 Tuna holder : CAN
42 “Pinkie swear?” : PROMISE?
45 Password preceder : USER ID
46 Inky image : BLOT
47 Sportscast’s second look : REPLAY
48 Spanish dishes that are good for sharing : TAPAS
49 Give off, as a vibe : EXUDE
50 Dig deeply (into) : DELVE
51 “None of the above” category : OTHER
55 Excessive publicity : HYPE
56 Riding the waves : ASEA
57 Horseshoes turn : TOSS
59 “Toy Story” kid who is terrible to his toys : SID
61 “Isn’t that something” : GEE