LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Jan 15, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
7. Ann’s sister ABBY
The advice column “Dear Abby” first appeared in 1956. Pauline Phillips was Abby back then, but now the column is written by Jeanne Phillips, her daughter. The full name of the “Abby” pen name is Abigail Van Buren, which Pauline Philips came up with by combining “Abigail” from the biblical Book of Samuel, and “Van Buren” after the former US president.

“Ask Ann Landers” was an advice column written by Eppie Lederer from 1995 to 2002. Eppie was the twin sister to Pauline Phillips, the person behind “Dear Abby”. Eppie took over the “Ask Ann Landers” column from Ruth Crowley who started it in 1943.

14. Tennis star Gibson ALTHEA
Althea Gibson was known as “the Jackie Robinson of tennis” as she broke the “color barrier” and became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title, in France in 1956. She was quite the athlete and was a great golfer as well as tennis player. She was the first African-American woman to play in the Ladies PGA tour, although she never had a win. Outside of sport, she sang a little and recorded an album, and even appeared in a movie (“The Horse Soldiers”) with John Wayne and William Holden. Sadly, towards the end of her life she ended up destitute and on welfare. When her plight was made known in a tennis magazine, well-wishers from all over the world sent her gifts of money, a total of nearly one million dollars. Quite a story …

24. “We __ Family”: 1979 hit ARE
“We Are Family” is a fabulous 1979 song released by Sister Sledge. The song was written specifically for Sister Sledge, a group that back then was actually “family”, comprising four sisters from Philadelphia.

31. Org. where weight matters WBA
World Boxing Association (WBA)

36. Capp and Capone ALS
Al Capp was a cartoonist from New Haven, Connecticut who is best remembered for cartoon strip “Li’l Abner”. Capp created “Li’l Abner” in 1934 and drew it himself until 1977. Capp passed away two years after “Li’l Abner” was retired.

When Al Capone was a young man, he worked as a bouncer in nightclubs and saloons. He was working the door of a Brooklyn night spot one evening when he apparently insulted a woman, sparking off a fight with her brother. In the tussle, Capone’s face was slashed three times. Capone wasn’t too proud of the incident, nor the “Scarface” moniker. He always hid the scars as best he could when being photographed, and was also fond of telling people that the scars were from old war wounds.

37. Syr. neighbor ISR
Israel (Isr.) shares a border with Syria (Syr.).

38. Jueves, por ejemplo DIA
In Spanish, a day (día) might be Thursday (jueves), for example (por ejemplo).

In Spanish (Span.), the days of the week are masculine (masc.) nouns. Unlike in English, the days of the week in Spanish are not capitalized when used in the middle of a sentence:

lunes – Monday
martes – Tuesday
miércoles – Wednesday
jueves – Thursday
viernes – Friday
sábado – Saturday
domingo – Sunday

42. Vibrater in a wind REED
A double-reed instrument is one in which two pieces of cane vibrate against each other to produce sound. In a single-reed instrument, just one piece of cane vibrates the mouthpiece. The best-known examples of double-reed instruments are the oboe and the bassoon.

43. Like Gen. Powell RET
Colin Powell was the first African American to serve as US Secretary of State. Earlier in his career, Powell had been a four-star general in the US Army, as well as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. Even though Colin Powell has retired from public service, he is one of the most noted moderate Republicans, often advocating support for centrist and liberal causes.

47. __ Men: “Who Let the Dogs Out” band BAHA
The Baha Men are so called because they hail from … the Bahamas. Their big hit was “Who Let the Dogs Out?” which has been ranked as third in a list of the world’s most annoying songs!

49. Edible Asian shoot UDO
Udo is a perennial plant native to Japan known taxonomically as Aralia cordata. The stems of udo are sometimes boiled up and served in miso soup.

50. Greek mount OSSA
Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mt. Pelion in the south, and the famed Mt. Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

56. Burns poem that starts, “Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie” TO A MOUSE
The famous Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” describes the little creature as a “wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie” (Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast). There’s another oft-quoted line later in the poem, “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft agley” (The best-laid schemes of mice and men, go often awry). John Steinbeck used this line as inspiration for the title of his 1937 novel “Of Mice and Men”.

61. Marching band instrument SIDE DRUM
“Side drum” is an alternative name for the snare drum.

Snare drums are so called because they have a set of wire strands (called snares) stretched across the bottom surface of the drum. When the drum is struck, the snares vibrate against the bottom drumhead producing a unique sound.

62. Mill around LOITER
“To mill around” is loiter, to move around aimlessly in a crowd. The term originally applied to a herd of cattle, back in the 19th century. The notion is that such a movement resembles the action of a mill wheel.

64. Egyptian symbols of royalty ASPS
The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in Ancient Egypt.

Down
2. Symphonic rock gp. ELO
ELO stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. ELO’s manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

3. Cadillac sedan XTS
The Cadillac XTS is a luxury sedan that went into production in 2012. The XTS is assembled in two GM locations, in Oshawa, Ontario and in Shanghai, China.

4. Store to “fall into,” in old ads THE GAP
“Fall into the Gap” was a marketing campaign by the Gap clothing retailer that ran in the mid-seventies.

The Gap is a San Francisco-based clothing retailer founded in 1969. The name “the Gap” is a homage to the popular sixties term “the generation gap”.

6. First word of the chorus of “The Sidewalks of New York” EAST
“The Sidewalks of New York” is a song composed in 1894 by Charles B. Lawlor. It is sometimes referred to as “East Side, West Side”, which are the first words of the chorus:

East Side, West Side, all around the town
The tots sang “ring-a-rosie,” “London Bridge is falling down”
Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O’Rourke
Tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York

8. Dark-haired guy BRUNET
A “brunet” is a dark-haired male, and a “brunette” is a dark-haired female. “Brunet” is an Old French word meaning “brownish, brown-haired”.

10. Safecracker YEGG
“Yegg” is a slang word for a burglar and often for a safe-cracker. The origin of the term appears to be unknown.

11. Some Cannes films MOVIE SHORTS
Cannes is a city on the French Riviera, noted as host of the Cannes Film Festival. The idea of the annual film festival was adopted by the city just before WWII. However, the festival had to wait for the end of the war for its launch in 1946.

13. Cold-water hazards BERGS
An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that is floating freely after having broken off (“calved”) from a glacier or ice shelf. Our use of “iceberg” comes from the Dutch word for the same phenomenon “ijsberg”, which translates literally as “ice mountain”.

20. Perp subduer TASER
Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym TASER stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

Perpetrator (perp.) … of a crime.

21. Egyptian dam ASWAN
From ancient times right up to 1970, the annual flooding of the Nile was a significant event in Egypt. The flooding allowed the deposition of fertile silt far beyond the banks of the river, helping the region’s agriculture. However, the flooding was unpredictable. So the Aswan Dam was built in the sixties and from 1970 the flooding was brought under control.

22. 100 kopecks RUBLE
The ruble (also “rouble”) is the unit of currency in Russia, as well as several other countries of the former Soviet Union. One ruble is divided into one hundred kopecks.

23. Parts opposite points ERASER HEADS
Eraser heads are shaped rubber erasers that can be applied to the blunt end of a pencil.

27. First name in women’s boxing LAILA
Laila Ali is the daughter of the great Muhammad Ali and is a very capable boxer in her own right. Laila is not a bad dancer either, coming in third place in the fourth season of “Dancing with the Stars”.

28. Racing family name UNSER
The Unser family seems to have racing cars in its blood. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 on four occasions. Al’s brother Jerry was the first of the Unsers to compete at Indianapolis. Al’s other brother Bobby, won the Indy three times. Al’s son, Al Junior, won the Indy twice. Al Junior’s son is also a racing driver who competes at the Indy Speedway.

29. Bay window ORIEL
An oriel window is a bay window that projects from a wall, but does not reach all the way to the ground.

30. Aptly named novelist READE
Charles Reade was an English author who came to public attention with a two-act comedy play called “Masks and Faces”. Reade turned the play into a prose story in 1852 that he called “Peg Woffington”. Reade also wrote a historical novel called “The Cloister and the Hearth” about a married man who becomes a Dominican friar on hearing that his wife has died. Years later he discovers that his wife is in fact still living and a struggle develops between the man’s obligation to family and his obligation to the Roman Catholic Church.

35. Betta tankmate TETRA
The neon tetra is a freshwater fish, native to parts of South America. The tetra is a very popular aquarium fish and millions are imported into the US every year. Almost all of the imported tetras are farm-raised in Asia and very few come from their native continent.

The betta is a small freshwater fish. It is quite colorful, and so is a popular fish for an aquarium.

38. “Colonel Jack” novelist DEFOE
Daniel Defoe is most famous today as an author, of the novel “Robinson Crusoe” in particular. Defoe was also a trader, and a spy for King William III.

“Colonel Jack” is a 1722 novel by Daniel Defoe (of “Robinson Crusoe” fame). Defoe reveals the plot of the novel in it’s very snappy full title:

“The History and Remarkable Life of the truly Honourable Col. Jacque, commonly call’d Col. Jack, who was Born a Gentleman, put ‘Prentice to a Pick−Pocket, was Six and Twenty Years a Thief, and then Kidnapp’d to Virginia, Came back a Merchant; was Five times married to Four Whores; went into the Wars, behav’d bravely, got Preferment, was made Colonel of a Regiment, came over, and fled with the Chevalier, is still abroad compleating a Life of Wonders, and resolves to dye a General.”

47. LPGA great Rawls BETSY
Betsy Rawls is a former professional golfer who grew up in Arlington, Texas. Rawls won eight major championships and was the LPGA’s leading money winner in 1952 and again in 1959. She also served as the LPGA’s president from 1961 to 1962.

52. “The boy you trained, gone he is” speaker YODA
Yoda is one of the most beloved characters of the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice was provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

55. Blackthorn fruit SLOE
The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin.

58. QB’s stat ATT
In football, one statistic (stat) used to track the performance of a quarterback (QB) is attempts (ATT).

59. Turn right GEE
“Haw!” is a command given to a trained animal that is hauling something (like a horse or an ox). “Haw!” is used to instruct the animal to turn to the left. The equivalent command for a right turn is “Gee!” Just to confuse things, the same commands are used in the British Isles but with the opposite meanings. That must be pretty unsettling for jet-setting plow horses …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Modern “Keep in touch!” TEXT ME!
7. Ann’s sister ABBY
11. Extras may comprise one MOB
14. Tennis star Gibson ALTHEA
15. The real thing, so to speak TRUE LOVE
17. Riddles POSERS
18. Regretting a wild night, maybe HUNG OVER
19. *Beginning GETTING GOING
21. Field of study AREA
24. “We __ Family”: 1979 hit ARE
25. Tamper MESS
26. *They carry remainders SURPLUS STORES
31. Org. where weight matters WBA
32. Without __: riskily A NET
33. On a streak RED-HOT
36. Capp and Capone ALS
37. Syr. neighbor ISR
38. Jueves, por ejemplo DIA
39. Natural resource ORE
40. Tease NEEDLE
42. Vibrater in a wind REED
43. Like Gen. Powell RET
44. *Bike safety device REAR REFLECTOR
47. __ Men: “Who Let the Dogs Out” band BAHA
49. Edible Asian shoot UDO
50. Greek mount OSSA
51. *The rest EVERYONE ELSE
56. Burns poem that starts, “Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie” TO A MOUSE
57. Time of your life OLD AGE
61. Marching band instrument SIDE DRUM
62. Mill around LOITER
63. Passing stat. YDS
64. Egyptian symbols of royalty ASPS
65. Both words in each answer to a starred clue begin and end with the same one LETTER

Down
1. Keep time, in a way TAP
2. Symphonic rock gp. ELO
3. Cadillac sedan XTS
4. Store to “fall into,” in old ads THE GAP
5. Scant MERE
6. First word of the chorus of “The Sidewalks of New York” EAST
7. Parched ATHIRST
8. Dark-haired guy BRUNET
9. Cask stopper BUNG
10. Safecracker YEGG
11. Some Cannes films MOVIE SHORTS
12. They have hoods and racks OVENS
13. Cold-water hazards BERGS
16. Was impending LOOMED
20. Perp subduer TASER
21. Egyptian dam ASWAN
22. 100 kopecks RUBLE
23. Parts opposite points ERASER HEADS
27. First name in women’s boxing LAILA
28. Racing family name UNSER
29. Bay window ORIEL
30. Aptly named novelist READE
34. Easily crumbled cookies OREOS
35. Betta tankmate TETRA
38. “Colonel Jack” novelist DEFOE
41. “Oh, my!” DEAR ME!
42. Uses, as credit card rewards REDEEMS
45. Amasses RUNS UP
46. Work on together, in a way COEDIT
47. LPGA great Rawls BETSY
48. Stay clear of AVOID
52. “The boy you trained, gone he is” speaker YODA
53. Sharing word OURS
54. Relax LOLL
55. Blackthorn fruit SLOE
58. QB’s stat ATT
59. Turn right GEE
60. Go wrong ERR

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