LA Times Crossword Answers 12 Feb 13, Tuesday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Melanie Miller
THEME: Start Directly … synonyms of the word “direct” provide the start to today’s themed answers:

17A. Club used as a weapon, say BLUNT INSTRUMENT
29A. Kid-friendly comfort food FRANK AND BEANS
48A. Tests during which checking notes is allowed OPEN-BOOK EXAMS
64A. Candid sort STRAIGHT SHOOTER

COMPLETION TIME: 5m 57s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Fried Cajun veggie OKRA
Cajun cuisine is named for the French-speaking Acadian people who were deported from Acadia in Canada to Louisiana in the 18th century.

The great explorer Verrazzano gave the name “Arcadia” to the coastal land that stretched from north of present day Virginia right up the North American continent to Nova Scotia. The name Arcadia was chosen as it was also the name for a part of Greece that had been viewed as idyllic from the days of classical antiquity. The “Arcadia” name quickly evolved into the word “Acadia” that was used locally here in North America. Much of Acadia was settled by the French in the 1600s, and then in 1710 Acadia was conquered by the British. There followed the French and Indian War after which there was a mass migration of French Acadians, often via the French colony of Saint-Dominique (present-day Haiti) to the French colony of Louisiana. The local dialectic pronunciation of the word “Acadian” was “Cajun”, giving the name to the ethnic group for which Louisiana has been home for about 300 years.

9. WWII conference site YALTA
The Yalta Conference was a wartime meeting between WWII leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Held in February of 1945, the conference is most remembered for decisions made on the post-war organization of Europe. To a large extent, the three leaders made decisions carving up influence around the world that has had implications to this day.

15. Steady guy BEAU
“Beau” is the French word for “beautiful”, in the male sense.

16. He hunted with a club in the “Odyssey” ORION
In Homer’s epic “The Odyssey”, at one point Odysseus sees the shades of dead heroes in the Underworld. He says:

Next I discerned huge Orion, driving wild beasts together over the field of asphodel, the very ones that he once had killed on lonely mountains, he grasped in his hands a mace of bronze, never to be broken.

20. Nonagenarian actress White BETTY
The actress Betty White has been at the top of her game for decades. White started her television career with an appearance with high school classmates on a local Los Angeles show back in 1939. Her most famous TV run was co-hosting the Tournament of Roses Parade, a gig she had for nineteen years in the sixties and seventies. Given her long career, White holds a number of records in the world of entertainment. For example, she is the oldest person to host “Saturday Night Live” (at 88) and she is the oldest woman to win a Grammy (at 90).

21. Yeats or Keats POET
Irish poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for “inspired poetry” that gave “expression to a whole nation”. Yeats was Ireland’s first Nobel laureate.

The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called “1819 Odes”, a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to Psyche”.

24. Dorm VIPs RAS
RAs are resident assistants or resident advisers, the peer leaders found in residence halls, particularly on a college campus.

27. Where Lux. is EUR
Luxembourg is a relatively small country in the middle of Europe, just 100 square miles in area with a population of over half a million. The country is a representative democracy (just like the United Kingdom) and it has a constitutional monarch, namely Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. As such, Luxembourg is the only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy in the world.

36. Soothing additive ALOE
Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

38. River through Sudan NILE
Depending on definition, the Nile is generally regarded as the longest river on the planet. The Nile forms from two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which join together near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From Khartoum the Nile flows north, traveling almost entirely through desert making it central to life for the peoples living along its length.

39. Country rocker Steve EARLE
Steve Earle is an American songwriter and performer, with a reputation as a man who has lived a hard life. Earle’s brushes with the law and drug addiction problems have earned him the nickname “the hardcore troubadour”.

40. Sable maker, briefly MERC
The Mercury Sable is basically the same car as the very successful Ford Taurus.

44. Former Portuguese territory in China MACAO
Macau (also Macao) was a Portuguese colony, the first European colony in China, which was established in the 16th century. Macau was handed back to the Chinese in 1999, two years after Hong Kong was returned by the British. That made Macau the last European colony in China. Today Macau’s economy is driven by tourism and gambling.

53. Art on skin, slangily TAT
The word “tattoo” was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”.

62. Calf-roping gear RIATA
“Riata” is another name for a lariat or a lasso. “Riata” comes from “reata”, the Spanish word for lasso.

69. Diamond Head’s island OAHU
Diamond Head on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu was given its name by British sailors in the 1800s. These sailors found calcite crystals in the rock surrounding the volcanic tuff cone and mistook the crystals for diamonds.

73. Wine area near Turin ASTI
Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The region is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine.

Turin (“Torino” in Italian) is a major city in the north of Italy that sits on the Po River. Back in 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was formed, Turin was chosen as the first capital of the country .

Down
1. “Star Wars” gangster JABBA
Jabba the Hutt is the big blob of an alien that appears in the “Star Wars” movie “The Return of the Jedi”. Jabba’s claim to fame is that he enslaved Princess Leia and kitted her out in that celebrated metal bikini.

3. Xbox battle game BRUTE FORCE
“Brute Force” is one of those violent shooting games that is played on a computer, or in recent years on Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console.

5. Asian tie OBI
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

6. Barbie’s guy KEN
Barbie’s male counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken’s family name is Carson. Barbie’s full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. When Ken was introduced in 1959, it was as Barbie’s boyfriend. In 2004 it was announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up, and needed to spend quality time apart. Soon after the split, Barbie “met” Blaine, a boogie boarder from Australia.

9. Video-sharing website YOUTUBE
YouTube is a video-sharing website, launched in 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees. Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Yep, $1.65 billion … less than two years after it was founded …

10. Radius’s limb ARM
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.

12. Randall who played Felix Unger TONY
The actor Tony Randall was from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although Randal had a long and distinguished Hollywood career, he was best known for playing Felix Unger on the TV version of “The Odd Couple” by Neil Simon. Randall was married to his first wife for fifty years, before she passed away in 1993. A few years later, the 75-year old veteran actor married his second wife, who was 50 years his junior. The happy couple had two children together.

18. Supermodel Banks TYRA
Tyra Banks is a tremendously successful model and businesswoman. Banks hosts, and indeed created, the hit show “America’s Next Top Model “, and has her own talk show. She was also the first African American woman to make the cover of the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue.

25. Tolstoy’s Karenina ANNA
I have to admit to not having read Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina”, but I did see the excellent 1977 British television adaptation starring Nicola Pagett. Most regard the 1935 film starring Greta Garbo in the title role as the definitive big screen adaptation of the novel. I also went to see the 2012 version starring Keira Knightley. I went with some trepidation as I’ve been to a couple of Tom Stoppard plays and hated them. Sure enough, this Tom Stoppard screenplay irritated me and ruined the story for me. However, the cinematography was sensational, with beautiful and vibrant images from start to finish …

26. Snowmobile brand SKI-DOO
Ski-Doo is a brand name of snowmobile produced by the Canadian company, Bombardier Recreational Products. The first Ski-Doo went on sale in 1959 and was intended to be named a “Ski-Dog” as the marketing concept was that the personal snowmobile would replace the dogsleds used by hunters and trappers. A painter misread instructions and wrote “Ski-Doo” on the side of the vehicle instead of Ski-Dog, and the name stuck.

31. Smart guy? ALECK
Apparently the original “smart Alec” was Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

32. More like Felix Unger NEATER
Felix Unger is one of the main characters in the wonderful Neil Simon play “The Odd Couple”.

“The Odd Couple” is a play by the wonderfully talented Neil Simon first performed on Broadway, in 1965. This great play was adapted for the big screen in 1968, famously starring Jack Lemmon (as Felix Unger) and Walter Matthau (as Oscar Madison). The success of the play and the film gave rise to an excellent television sitcom that ran from 1970-1975, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. In 1985, Neil Simon even went so far as to adapt the play for an all-female cast, renaming it “The Female Odd Couple”. I’d like to see that one …

34. Mediation agcy. NLRB
The National Labor Relations Board was set up in 1935. It is an independent government agency, with the roles of conducting elections for labor unions, and investigating and rooting out labor practices that are deemed to be unfair.

37. “… one giant __ for mankind” LEAP
Neil Armstrong was the most private of individuals. You didn’t often see him giving interviews, unlike so many of the more approachable astronauts of the Apollo space program. His famous, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind” statement; that was something that he came up with himself while Apollo 11 was making its way to the moon.

45. Washington Monument, for one OBELISK
An obelisk is a rectangular column that tapers to the top and is capped by a pyramid shape.

Completed in 1885, the Washington Monument was the world’s tallest structure, but only for a few years. The Washington Monument lost its “world title” in 1889, on the completion of the Eiffel Tower.

49. Universal blood type, for short O-NEG
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a “universal donor”.

55. Foot bones TARSI
The tarsals (also “tarsi”) are the ankle bones, equivalent to the carpals in the wrist.

56. Letter carrier’s org. USPS
The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government’s right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.

58. Marine eagle ERNE
The ern (also erne) is also called the white-tailed eagle, and the sea-eagle.

61. Kindergartner’s reward STAR
“Kindergarten” is of course a German term, literally meaning “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.

63. Tiny bit IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

66. Sailor’s pronoun SHE
In the English language, the convention is to refer to a ship as “she”.

67. Attila, notably HUN
In his day, Attila the Hun was the most feared enemy of the Roman Empire, until he died in 453 AD. Attila was the leader of the Hunnic Empire of central Europe and was famous for invading much of the continent. However, he never directly attacked Rome.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Employment agency listings JOBS
5. Fried Cajun veggie OKRA
9. WWII conference site YALTA
14. Billion extension -AIRE
15. Steady guy BEAU
16. He hunted with a club in the “Odyssey” ORION
17. Club used as a weapon, say BLUNT INSTRUMENT
20. Nonagenarian actress White BETTY
21. Yeats or Keats POET
22. Color, as Easter eggs DYE
23. Summer quencher ADE
24. Dorm VIPs RAS
27. Where Lux. is EUR
29. Kid-friendly comfort food FRANK AND BEANS
36. Soothing additive ALOE
38. River through Sudan NILE
39. Country rocker Steve EARLE
40. Sable maker, briefly MERC
41. Turn __ ear A DEAF
43. Pub projectile DART
44. Former Portuguese territory in China MACAO
46. Prefix with -pus OCTO-
47. Abates EBBS
48. Tests during which checking notes is allowed OPEN-BOOK EXAMS
51. Gymnast’s goal TEN
52. Deli bread RYE
53. Art on skin, slangily TAT
56. Draw upon USE
59. Not as much LESS
62. Calf-roping gear RIATA
64. Candid sort STRAIGHT SHOOTER
68. Street toughs PUNKS
69. Diamond Head’s island OAHU
70. Aromatic drinks TEAS
71. Go on tiptoe SNEAK
72. Small songbird WREN
73. Wine area near Turin ASTI

Down
1. “Star Wars” gangster JABBA
2. No longer squeaky OILED
3. Xbox battle game BRUTE FORCE
4. Told to go SENT
5. Asian tie OBI
6. Barbie’s guy KEN
7. Grating voice RASP
8. One might get stuck in a jam AUTO
9. Video-sharing website YOUTUBE
10. Radius’s limb ARM
11. Committed perjury LIED
12. Randall who played Felix Unger TONY
13. Chip in a chip ANTE
18. Supermodel Banks TYRA
19. Marsh stalk REED
25. Tolstoy’s Karenina ANNA
26. Snowmobile brand SKI-DOO
28. “__ and weep!”: poker winner’s cry READ ‘EM
30. Take back RECANT
31. Smart guy? ALECK
32. More like Felix Unger NEATER
33. African countries on the Mediterranean, e.g. ARAB STATES
34. Mediation agcy. NLRB
35. Congeals SETS
36. Target practice supply AMMO
37. “… one giant __ for mankind” LEAP
42. Cunning FOXY
45. Washington Monument, for one OBELISK
49. Universal blood type, for short O-NEG
50. Related to flying AERO
54. Had lunch in ATE AT
55. Foot bones TARSI
56. Letter carrier’s org. USPS
57. Leave speechless STUN
58. Marine eagle ERNE
60. Vegas event SHOW
61. Kindergartner’s reward STAR
63. Tiny bit IOTA
65. Wanted-poster letters AKA
66. Sailor’s pronoun SHE
67. Attila, notably HUN

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