LA Times Crosswords December 21, 22, Wednesday - LAXCrossword.com (2023)

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Edited by:Patti Varol

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Across

1 part peony: PETAL

The flowering plant called peony is named after Paean, the mythical physician to the Greek gods.

6 Tools that can be musical instruments: SAWS

A hacksaw can be used like a musical instrument by holding the handle between your knees, bending the blade and using an arc along the unsharpened edge of the blade. The pitch of the sound produced varies by changing the curve of the blade.

14 Venue of main concerts: ARENA

Our term “arena” comes from the Latin “harena”, a place of combat. Originally, "harena" was used to describe sand or a sandy place. These ancient Roman battlegrounds were covered with sand to soak up the blood.

15 Discontinued Apple Gadget: IPOD

The iPod is Apple's exclusive line of portable media players. The iPod hit the market in 2001 as a hard drive-based device, now known as the iPod Classic. All subsequent models used flash memory, allowing for a smaller form factor. The smallest of the flash-based models is the iPod Shuffle, released in 2005.

16 SpongeBob SquarePants Bandage Covered Cut, p. :OWIE

SpongeBob SquarePants is a cartoon character from the Nickelodeon television series. SpongeBob first appeared in 1999 and "lives in a pineapple under the sea". The character was created by marine biologist, cartoonist and animator Stephen Hillenburg.

17 NHL players on loan from San Jose? : USERS

The San Jose Sharks hockey team plays their home games at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, a place we locals call the "Shark Tank".

19 bridge pose discipline: YOGA

"Asana" is a Sanskrit word that literally translates as "to sit". Asanas are the postures that a yoga practitioner assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

21 Tournament Final: SEMI

“Tournament” is another word for “tournament”. "Tournament" comes from the old French word "tornei" meaning "competition of armed men", from "tornoier" meaning "fair, plant".

22 Gingerbread person? : BAKER

The first documented use of gingerbread in the form of human figures was at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. She used to make figures to represent her important guests.

23 Call Los Angeles NFL Players? : PHONE CHARGERS

The Chargers were an AFL charter team, so the franchise was founded in 1959. The Chargers played one season in Los Angeles, before moving to San Diego in 1961, returning to Los Angeles in 2017.

27 Soothing Succulents : ALOES

Succulent plants are those with thick stems and/or leaves that have evolved to retain water. As such, succulents are often found where the climate is particularly dry. The term “succulent” comes from the Latin “sucus” which means “juice, sap”.

29 Raid: PARTIDA

A sortie is an attack by an armed unit and usually an escape by besieged forces. The term “surtida” comes directly from French and means “an exit”. “Sortie” is also used for a combat aircraft mission.

30 I love autumn: COLD

Here in the United States, we tend to refer to the season that follows summer as "autumn". This name is short for "leaf fall", referring to the loss of leaves by deciduous trees. The term "Autumn" is a more common name used in Britain and Ireland in place of "Autumn". However, before the mid-17th century, the term "fall" was in common use across the pond.

35 Start of the work week, for some: MONDAY

The day of the week called Monday is named after the moon. “Monday” comes from the Old English “monenday” which means “day of the moon”.

Minnesota Mining Strip 37: MESABI

The Mesabi Range has the largest iron ore deposit in the country and is located in Minnesota. Robert Allen Zimmerman (better known as “Bob Dylan”) grew up in the area and wrote a song called “North Country Blues” that talks about the decline of the mining industry in the Mesabi Range.

39 First Responder Group, abbreviated: EMS

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

44 "You Can Say That Again!" : A MAN!

The word "amen" translates as "so be it." "Amen" is said to be of Hebrew origin, but is also likely influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

47 Improve Los Angeles MLB Players? : PERFECT ANGELS

The Anaheim Angels baseball team is now more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (LAA). The name "Angels" dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the "City of Angels", Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965, they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and more recently the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Los Angeles is also known as “the Halos”.

52 Opportunity to roll the die, say: TURN

The numbers on the dice are arranged so that opposite faces add up to seven. Given this arrangement, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 are all on a common vertex. There are two ways to place the 1, 2 and 3 around the common vertex, the so-called right-handed data (clockwise 1-2-3) or left-handed data (counter-clockwise). 🇧🇷 Traditionally, dice used in Western cultures are right-handed, while Chinese dice are left-handed. Quite interesting…

53 __ Moines, Iowa: DES

The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa and is named after the Des Moines River. The river, in turn, takes its name from the French "Riviere des Moines", which means "River of the Monks". It seems that there is no "monastic" connection with the name of the city itself. “Des Moines” was just the name given to it by French merchants who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Native Americans from Illinois who lived along the river. However, others claim that French Trappist monks, who lived 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

56 Ancient France: GAUL

The Gauls were a Celtic race, with Gaul covering what is now known as France and Belgium. We use the term "Gallic" today when referring to something belonging to France or the French.

57 Miami NBA players caught on video? : HEAT REGISTRATION

The Miami Heat basketball team debuted in the NBA in the 1988-89 season. The name of the franchise was chosen in a competitive poll, with "Miami Heat" beating "Miami Vice".

61 Jacob's twin in the Book of Genesis: ESAU

Esau was the grandson of Abraham and the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When Esau was born to Isaac and Rebekah, the event was described thus: “And the first came out, all red as a hairy garment.” Esau is portrayed later in life as someone very different from his brother Jacob, as a hunter and someone who loves the outdoors.

64 Gen-__: post-boomers: XERS

The term "Generation X" originated in the United Kingdom, where it was the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book details the results of a study of British youth in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle with that of previous generations. Canadian author Douglas Coupland was responsible for popularizing the term, with his most successful publication, "Generation X: Tales for a fast-paced culture". By definition, Gen-Xers were born between 1961 and 1981.

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2 archer of love: EROS

As always seems to be the case with the Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, and Eros was the god who aroused male passions. Aphrodite's Roman equivalent was Venus, and Eros's equivalent was Cupid.

4 Patchett, romancista de “The Dutch House”: ANN

Ann Patchett is an author based in Nashville, Tennessee. Patchett's most famous work is probably her novel “Bel Canto”, published in 2001. In 2012, “Time” included her in the magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

5-String Rodeo: TIRED

Our English word “lace” comes from the Spanish “lazo” and finally from the Latin “laqueum” which means “rope, loop”.

“Rodeo” is a Spanish word that is usually translated into English as “round up”.

6 blue-eyed cat:

The exact origins of the Siamese cat are unclear, but it is believed to be from Southeast Asia. The Siamese takes its name from the sacred temple cats of Thailand (a nation that was once called "Siam").

7 Yellow-orange fruit: Apricot

Although the apricot originated in Central Asia and China, the fruit is commonly associated with Armenia, where it has been cultivated for centuries. Therefore, the most common cultivar has the Latin name “Prunus armeniaca”.

8 Frying pan: WORK

"Wok" is a Cantonese word and is the name of the frying pan now used in many Asian cuisines.

GP of the "New Left" of the 9's of the 60's. :SDS

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist group in the 1960s. The SDS organized the largest student strike in US history on April 26, 1968, with an estimated one million students skipping classes that day. The name “Students for a Democratic Society” was revived in 2006 with the founding of a new US-based student organization with leftist beliefs. Today's SDS was founded by a couple of high school students from Greenwich Village, New York.

12 Detroit Baseball Player: TIGER

The origins of the Detroit Tigers baseball team's name seem a little hazy. One story is that it was taken from the Detroit Light Guard military unit known as "Los Tigres". The Light Guard fought with distinction during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. Sure enough, when Detroit's baseball team entered the major leagues, they received formal permission from the Detroit Light Guard to use the name "The Tigers".

13 Pioneer of the postal order: SEARS

Richard Sears was a station agent on the railroad. In the late 1800s he bought a shipment of unwanted watches left in his warehouse and sold the watches to other agents along the line. He was so successful that he ordered more watches and then came up with the idea of ​​using a catalog to promote more sales. Sears hired its first employee in 1887, a watchmaker named Alvah Curtis Roebuck, who was hired to repair returned watches. Sear and Roebuck co-founded Sears Roebuck & co. in 1895. By the middle of the 20th century, Sears was the nation's largest retailer.

22 Corned Beef Solution: BRINE

Corned beef is meat that has been cured with salt. “Corn” is a term that describes a grain of salt and gives the dish its name. Corned beef is also known as "salted meat" and "meat" if it is stored in cans (from the French "bouilli" meaning "cooked").

27 Tippy-top: ACME

The summit is the highest point. The term “acme” comes from the Greek word “akme” which has the same meaning.

28 Knitting machine: LOOM

There are many types of looms used to weave fabric, but they all hold parallel threads in tension in one direction, while allowing interweaving of threads in the perpendicular direction. The threads that are held under tension are the warp threads and the "woven" threads are the "filling" threads.

32 “Rebel Without a Cause” Star: JAMES DEAN

In his short life, James Dean starred in three major films: "East of Eden", "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant", for which he received two posthumous Academy Award nominations for Best Actor (the only person to do so). On a fateful day in September 1955, Dean set off in a Porsche for a race in Salinas, California. While driving to the race, he received a speeding ticket. Two hours later, Dean was involved in a near head-on collision and was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital in Paso Robles, California.

"Rebel Without a Cause" is a 1955 drama film starring actor James Dean, who died shortly before the film's release. The title comes from a 1944 book by psychiatrist Robert M. Lindner "Rebel Without a Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath", although the content of the book has nothing to do with the plot of the film. The film's three main actors died tragically, and when they were relatively young:

• James Dean (24), in a car accident in 1955
• Sal Mineo (37), stabbed in 1976
• Natalie Wood (43), in a drowning in 1981

33 App-based car service: UBER

Uber is a ride-sharing service that was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco. The service is somewhat controversial and has been described as an illegal taxi operation. The heart of Uber's service is the company's mobile app, which can use a customer's GPS location to help find the closest available ride. Uber's main competitor is Lyft.

34 Containers Altoids: CANS

Altoids mints have been around since 1780 when they were introduced to Great Britain. The famous tin Altoids are sold in is often reused for other purposes. The most famous use is as a container for a mini survival kit.

41 Misty Copeland Dance Group: Abbr. : ABT

The American Ballet Theater (ABT) was founded in New York City in 1939. ABT was officially recognized by the United States Congress as "America's National Ballet Company" in 2006.

In 2015, ballet dancer Misty Copeland became the first African American principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater. Copeland began studying ballet at age 13, and just a year later, she won a national ballet competition.

55 Hip ou tip end: -STER

In the early 1940s, hipsters were just people who were "in".

The term "hip" is a slang term used in the 1930s and 1940s to mean "cool, informed about the latest ideas and styles". In the late 1940s, "hipsters" were "cool" people, jazz aficionados, and people who embraced the lifestyle of jazz musicians at the time. In the 1960s, the term "hippie" developed from "hipster" to describe a member of the youth counterculture that emerged in the United States.

57 Dinosaur Voiced by Wallace Shawn in the "Toy Story" movies: REX

In Pixar's excellent film "Toy Story", Rex is a Tyrannosaurus, and a clumsy one at that. He is voiced by actor Wallace Shawn, whose name is perhaps less familiar than his face. Shawn played the neighbor on "The Cosby Show" as well as many, many other supporting characters on television and the big screen.