LA Times Crossword Answers 16 Jan 16, Saturday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Showy display RAZZMATAZZ
Razzmatazz is a flashy maneuver designed to perhaps deceive or just bedazzle. “Razzmatazz” perhaps came from the similar term “razzle-dazzle”, and has been around since the end of the 19th century.

11. 2010 CFDA Fashion Icon Award recipient IMAN
Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid is a supermodel from Somalia who goes simply by the name “Iman” these days. “Iman” is an Arabic word for “faith”. Iman is smart cookie. Imam has a degree in Political Science and is fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, French and English. Iman was married to English rock star Daivd Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)

15. Last Tudor monarch ELIZABETH I
The Wars of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought for the throne of England between the rival Houses of Lancaster and York. Ultimately the Lancastrians emerged victorious after Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry was crowned King Henry VII, and so began the Tudor dynasty. Henry Tudor united the rival houses by marrying his cousin Elizabeth of York. Henry VII had a relatively long reign of 23 years that lasted until his death, after which his son succeeded to the throne as Henry VIII. Henry VIII ruled from 1509 until his death in 1547, followed by his son Edward VI, and then his daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I. When Elizabeth I died childless, the Scottish King James VI succeeded to the throne as James I of England and Ireland, ending the rule of House of Tudor. James I was the first English monarch of the House of Stuart.

18. “__ Death”: Grieg work ASE’S
“Ase’s Death” is a movement in Edvard Grieg’s beautiful “Peer Gynt” suite. The suite is a collection of incidental music that Grieg composed for Ibsen’s play of the same name. Ase is the widow of a peasant, and the mother of Peer Gynt.

Edvard Grieg is Norway’s best known composer, active in the Romantic Era. Grieg’s most famous works are the gorgeous “Piano Concerto in A minor:”, and his incidental music for the play “Peer Gynt” by Henrik Ibsen.

20. Assisting in the kitchen? SOUS
The “Sous-Chef de Cuisine” is the “under-chef of the kitchen”, the second-in-command.

21. Fröbe of “Goldfinger” GERT
Gert Fröbe was a German actor, best known to us in the English-speaking world as the man who played Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film “Goldfinger”. Fröbe had been a member of the Nazi Party before WWII and as a result of this, “Goldfinger” was banned in Israel for a while. But then the family of two German Jews came forward and explained that Fröbe had helped with their escape during the war by hiding them from the Gestapo. They formally thanked the actor, and the film was released.

22. Trepidation cause PERIL
Our word “trepidation”, meaning “fear”. comes from the Latin verb “tridare” meaning “to tremble”.

24. Qatari currency RIYAL
The Saudi riyal is currency of Saudi Arabia, and the Qatari riyal is the currency of Qatar.

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to who the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

25. Influential D.C. group PAC
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that PACS that did not make direct contributions to candidates or parties could accept unlimited contributions. These “independent-expenditure only committees” are commonly referred to as “super PACs”.

28. Even TIE
Even up, tie up.

29. Cargo capacity TONNAGE
“Cargo” is freight carried by some vehicle. The term comes into English via Spanish, ultimately deriving from the Latin “carricare” meaning “to load on a cart”.

31. Player in a pit OBOIST
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”. When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you’ll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

35. ’70s-’90s Angola neighbor ZAIRE
The African nation once called Zaire is a neighbor of Rwanda. The genocide and war in Rwanda spilled over into Zaire in 1996, with the conflict escalating into what is now called the First Congo War. As part of the war’s fallout there was a regime change, and in 1997 Zaire became the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Angola is a country in south-central Africa, on the west coast. Angola is the fourth largest diamond exporter in Africa, after Botswana, the Congo and South Africa. Such a valuable export hasn’t really helped the living standard of the country’s citizens as life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the poorest on the continent.

37. Color in a Spanish sunset ROJO
“Rojo” is Spanish for “red”.

43. Angle: Abbr. POV
Point of view (POV)

44. Mil. title GEN
General (Gen.)

45. Cat-tails bridge? -O’-NINE-
The cat-o’-nine-tails was a vicious instrument of punishment, particularly popular in the Royal Navy. The “cat” was made up on nine cord thongs and at the end of each thong was a knot. The specialty knot was aptly called a blood knot, and was designed to bite into the skin and draw blood. It was these “claws” at the end of the thongs, along with the nine “tails” that gave the name to the whip, the “cat-o’-nine-tails”.

48. B’way Joe’s alma mater BAMA
The legendary quarterback Joe Namath played most of his professional football games with the New York Jets. He was dubbed “Broadway Joe” in 1965 by offensive tackle Sherman Plunkett, a reference to Namath’s appearance on the cover of “Sports Illustrated”. Namath had played college football with the University of Alabama but left school without finishing his degree, to play professionally. Many years later he enrolled in Alabama’s External Degree program, and graduated with a BA in December 2007, at 64 years of age. Well done, Joe!

49. Old apple spray ALAR
The chemical name for Alar, a plant growth regulator and color enhancer, is daminozide. Alar was primarily used on apples but was withdrawn from the market when it was linked to cancer.

51. One of two for Linus Pauling NOBEL
Being a chemist myself by training, I have nothing but admiration for Linus Pauling, perhaps America’s greatest chemist of all time. Pauling is the only person to have individually been awarded two Nobel Prizes (for Chemistry in 1954, and the Peace Prize in 1962). During WWI he worked on military research & development, but after the war he adopted the pacifist views of his wife and led a campaign to ban above-ground nuclear testing, for which he was awarded his Peace Prize.

55. The Santa Monica Fwy. is part of it I-TEN
I-10 is the most southerly of the interstate routes that cross from the Atlantic right to the Pacific. I-10 stretches from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. Various stretches of the route have been given different names, for example, the Rosa Parks Freeway, the Santa Monica Freeway, the San Bernardino Freeway and the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway.

58. Paar’s successor’s successor LENO
“The Tonight Show” has had six hosts so far:

– Steve Allen (1954-57)
– Jack Paar (1957-62)
– Johnny Carson (1962–92)
– Jay Leno (1992–2009, 2010–14)
– Conan O’Brien (2009–10)
– Jimmy Fallon (2014–present)

60. Arrival times, usually: Abbr. ESTS
Estimate (est.)

Down
1. Stonewallers? REBS
Manassas, Virginia was the site of two major battles during the Civil War, the First and Second Battles of Bull Run (also known as the Battles of Manassas). In the first battle, one of the southern brigades was led by Brigadier General Thomas Jackson. His brigade was well-trained and disciplined, so much so that as the Union troops made advances, a fellow-general encouraged his retreating men to hold their positions yelling “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer”. There are reports that the actual quote was less complimentary, but regardless, from that day on Jackson was known as “Stonewall”.

3. 2002 A.L. Cy Young Award winner Barry ZITO
Barry Zito is a professional baseball pitcher with the Oakland Athletics, who formerly turned out for the San Francisco Giants. Barry’s father was Joe Zito, who arranged music for Nat King Cole in the sixties. Barry also composes music and co-wrote a song that was used in an Eddie Murphy film. Barry’s uncle is the actor Patrick Duffy, who played Bobby Ewing in “Dallas”.

Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. Young is remembered for pitching the first perfect game of baseball’s modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created and is presented to the best pitcher in each baseball season.

4. Band with the Diamond album “Eliminator” ZZ TOP
In the blues rock band ZZ Top, the hairy guitar players are Billy F. Gibbons and Dusty Hill. The relatively clean-shaven drummer is, wait for it … Frank Beard.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifies an album or single as “diamond” if it sells 10 million copies or more.

5. Croquet clubs MALLETS
The very genteel game of croquet is played on lawns all over the world. It’s the game where mallets are used to hit wooden balls through hoops embedded in the grass. The name “croquet” is from French dialect and means “hockey stick”. The game originated in Brittany in France, and was popularized in Ireland in the 1830s.

6. Japanese prime minister since 2012 ABE
Shinzo Abe first became Prime Minister of Japan in 2006, at which time he was the youngest person to hold the post since WWII and was the first PM born after the war. Abe was in office for less than a year, but was voted in again in 2012. Abe is usually characterized as a right-wing nationalist.

7. Singer/actress O’Shea TESSIE
Tessie O’Shea was a Welsh actress and entertainer. Famously, she was a heavy woman, and made use of the fact by singing as her theme song “Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee”. She appeared in the Noel Coward musical “The Girl Who Came to Supper” in 1963, for which she picked up a Tony Award.

8. Dramatist Fugard ATHOL
Athol Fugard was born in South Africa. Fugard became involved in the theater, writing plays that opposed apartheid, many of which had to be produced outside of South Africa given the political climate at home. Fugard now lives in San Diego, California.

9. Mao contemporary ZHOU
Zhou Enlai (also Chou En-Lai) was the first government leader of the People’s Republic of China and held the office of Premier from 1949 until he died in 1976. Zhou Enlai ran the government for Communist Party Leader Mao Zedong, often striking a more conciliatory tone with the West than that of his boss. He was instrumental, for example, in setting up President Nixon’s famous visit to China in 1972. Zhou Enlai died just a few months before Mao Zedong, with both deaths leading to unrest and a dramatic change in political direction for the country.

10. Compresses, in a way ZIPS
A .ZIP file is one that has been compressed. The ZIP file format was co-developed and introduced by programmer Phil Katz in 1989.

24. Bout div. RND
A bout of boxing, say, is divided into rounds (rnds.)

25. St. Peter’s Square wheels POPEMOBILE
The “popemobile” is actually a whole fleet of vehicles used since the days of Pope John Paul II. The popemobiles used on foreign visits are often manufactured locally and then stay in the country after the visit has been concluded. The British-built popemobile used for a 2006 visit to the UK was ultimately sold for over $70,000 at auction.

Saint Peter’s Square is the huge plaza that sits in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The square was designed in the mid-1600s by Italian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The intent was to provide an open space where the greatest number of people could see the Pope and receive his blessing.

29. Apron covering TAR
The apron is the paved area around airport terminals and hangars.

30. Like many an easy grounder ONE-HOP
That would be in baseball.

32. Gadgets originally available only in black or white IPOD NANOS
The iPod Nano is the successor to the iPod Mini and was introduced to the market at the end of 2005. There have been seven versions of the Nano to date and the current Nano as well as playing tunes is an FM player, records voice memos, has a pedometer and can connect with external devices (like a heart monitor, maybe) using Bluetooth technology.

36. __ nouveau ART
Art Nouveau (French for “new art”) is a style that was popular from 1890 to 1910. Although the English-speaking world adopted the French name for the style, Art Nouveau was known as “Jugendstil” in Germany, “Modern” in Russia and “Stile Liberty” in Italy.

39. Little piggy’s word WEE

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none,
And this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home.

43. Stout relative PORTER
Porter is a dark beer that originated in London in the 1700s and is named for the street and river porters with whom it was very popular. Porter is a well-hopped beer made using brown malt, which gives it the dark color.

The term “stout” was first used for a type of beer in the 1600s when was used to describe a “strong, stout” brew, and not necessarily a dark beer as it is today.

46. Milano meal PASTO
“Pasto” is Italian for “meal”.

Milan (“Milano” in Italian) is Italy’s second largest city, second only to Rome. Milan is a European fashion capital, the headquarters for the big Italian fashion houses of Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada and others. Mario Prada was even born in Milan, and helped establish the city’s reputation in the world of fashion.

49. Isaiah contemporary AMOS
Amos is one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible.

52. North American tire franchise BIG O
Big O Tires is the nation’s largest chain of franchised tire retailers. Big O has been around since 1962.

57. Slots feature ARM
Slot machines earned the nickname “one-armed bandits” simply because they have “one arm”, the handle pulled to operate the machine, and they rob you of all your money!

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Showy display RAZZMATAZZ
11. 2010 CFDA Fashion Icon Award recipient IMAN
15. Last Tudor monarch ELIZABETH I
16. Chess action MOVE
17. Wine seller BOTTLE SHOP
18. “__ Death”: Grieg work ASE’S
19. One standing at a counter STOOL
20. Assisting in the kitchen? SOUS
21. Fröbe of “Goldfinger” GERT
22. Trepidation cause PERIL
24. Qatari currency RIYAL
25. Influential D.C. group PAC
28. Even TIE
29. Cargo capacity TONNAGE
31. Player in a pit OBOIST
33. Walking on the beach, maybe SANDALED
34. Showy display POMP
35. ’70s-’90s Angola neighbor ZAIRE
37. Color in a Spanish sunset ROJO
38. Delegates EMPOWERS
40. “Wait just a darn minute!” HEY NOW!
42. Most temperate MILDEST
43. Angle: Abbr. POV
44. Mil. title GEN
45. Cat-tails bridge? -O’-NINE-
46. Surprise at the door POP IN
48. B’way Joe’s alma mater BAMA
49. Old apple spray ALAR
51. One of two for Linus Pauling NOBEL
55. The Santa Monica Fwy. is part of it I-TEN
56. Trading category MOST ACTIVE
58. Paar’s successor’s successor LENO
59. Borders OUTER EDGES
60. Arrival times, usually: Abbr. ESTS
61. Screen holders STORM DOORS

Down
1. Stonewallers? REBS
2. Plenty A LOT
3. 2002 A.L. Cy Young Award winner Barry ZITO
4. Band with the Diamond album “Eliminator” ZZ TOP
5. Croquet clubs MALLETS
6. Japanese prime minister since 2012 ABE
7. Singer/actress O’Shea TESSIE
8. Dramatist Fugard ATHOL
9. Mao contemporary ZHOU
10. Compresses, in a way ZIPS
11. Unreal IMAGINARY
12. Head out on the trail MOSEY ALONG
13. Man on the street AVERAGE JOE
14. Get cozy at bedtime NESTLE DOWN
23. Classes (up) RITZES
24. Bout div. RND
25. St. Peter’s Square wheels POPEMOBILE
26. Much more than dislikes ABOMINATES
27. Paid item COMPLIMENT
29. Apron covering TAR
30. Like many an easy grounder ONE-HOP
32. Gadgets originally available only in black or white IPOD NANOS
33. Household nickname SIS
36. __ nouveau ART
39. Little piggy’s word WEE
41. Made manifest EVINCED
43. Stout relative PORTER
46. Milano meal PASTO
47. Skip NOT DO
49. Isaiah contemporary AMOS
50. Awkward sort LOUT
52. North American tire franchise BIG O
53. In any case EVER
54. What to eat to lose weight? LESS
57. Slots feature ARM

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