LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Jan 15, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Gareth Bain
THEME: General Assembly … each of today’s themed answers starts with a word that often is seen following GENERAL:

61A. UN organ … or what the first words of 17-, 28- and 46-Across comprise? GENERAL ASSEMBLY

17A. Military bed-making features HOSPITAL CORNERS (giving “General Hospital”)
28A. Classic jazz vocal group originally composed of four siblings, with “The” MILLS BROTHERS (giving “General Mills”)
46A. “Special” lobbying faction INTEREST GROUP (giving “general interest”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 02s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Pod used to thicken gumbo OKRA
Gumbo is a type of stew or soup that originated in Louisiana. The primary ingredient can be meat or fish, but to be true gumbo it must include the “holy trinity” of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers and onion. Okra used to be a requirement but this is no longer the case. Okra gave the dish its name as the vernacular word for the African vegetable is “okingumbo”, from the Bantu language spoken by many of the slaves brought to America.

9. “24” superagent Jack BAUER
Jack Bauer is the main character in the television show “24”. Bauer is played by the actor Kiefer Sutherland.

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

15. Jacob’s twin ESAU
Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother Rebekah gave birth to the twins “the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)”. As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father’s wealth (it was his “birthright”). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a “mess of pottage” (a meal of lentils).

17. Military bed-making features HOSPITAL CORNERS (giving “General Hospital”)
I was taught how to make my bed using “hospital corners” by an old girlfriend of mine who was a nurse. The trick is to tuck the sheet under the bottom end of the mattress first.

The daytime soap opera “General Hospital” is the longest running such drama still in production in the US, and is second-longest running soap in the world (the UK’s famous “Coronation Street” heads the list).

20. Rose pest APHID
Aphids are called “greenfly” back in the British Isles where I come from. The most effective way to control aphids in my experience is to make sure there are plenty of ladybugs in the garden (called ladybirds in Ireland!).

23. Civil rights activist Parks ROSA
Rosa Parks was one of a few brave women in days gone by who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.

26. Chancellor von Bismarck OTTO
Germany first became a country of her own in 1871 when the Princes of the various independent German states met at Versailles outside Paris to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as the Emperor of the German Empire. The man behind this historic development was Wilhelm’s Ministerpräsident, Otto von Bismarck. Von Bismarck was a powerful figure in Prussia and indeed on the world stage, earning him the nickname of the “Iron Chancellor”.

28. Classic jazz vocal group originally composed of four siblings, with “The” MILLS BROTHERS (giving “General Mills”)
The Mills Brothers were a vocal quartet who had number-one hits in the thirties, forties and fifties. The group formed as a barbershop quartet called the Four Kings of Harmony back in 1928, and the lineup was indeed four brothers. And, the four boys’ father did own a barbershop. The group’s members did change over the years, which is understandable as the Mill Brothers continued to perform for sixty years, from 1928 until 1982.

33. Financial claim LIEN
A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid.

35. Sport __: versatile wheels UTE
A utility vehicle is often called a “ute” for short. Nowadays one mainly hears about sports utes and crossover utes.

36. OB/GYN test AMNIO
Amniocentesis is the prenatal test which involves the removal of a small amount of the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus using a hypodermic needle. The fluid naturally contains some fetal cells, the DNA of which can then be tested to determine the sex of the child and to check for the presence of genetic abnormalities.

38. Comic strip with Snoopy PEANUTS
Charles M. Schulz was a cartoonist best known for his comic strip “Peanuts” that featured the much-loved characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy. “Peanuts” was so successful, running daily in over 70 countries and 21 languages, that it earned Schulz an estimated 30-40 million dollars annually.

41. Md. neighbor DEL
The state of Delaware takes its name from Virginia’s first colonial governor, Englishman Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. Delaware is known as “The First State” as it was the first to ratify the US Constitution, in 1787. It is also the second smallest state in the union, after Rhode Island. Delaware is the state with the fewest counties (3), followed by Hawaii and Rhode Island (5).

42. Pierre’s “There it is!” VOILA!
“Voilà” means “there it is”, and “voici” means “here it is”. The terms come from “voi là” meaning “see there” and “voi ici” meaning “see here”.

45. “Should __ acquaintance …” AULD
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

50. Mideast strip GAZA
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the boundaries of the strip of land on the Mediterranean around Gaza were fixed in the Israel-Egypt Armistice Agreement. The boundaries were specifically defined but were not to be recognized as an international border. From 1948, the Gaza Strip was occupied and administered by Egypt, until 1967 when Israel took over occupation following the Six-Day War. In 1993, Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords which handed over administration to the Palestinian Authority, but with Israel retaining control of the Gaza Strip’s airspace, some land borders and its territorial waters. The intent was to further this agreement, but discussions between the parties broke down. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

61. UN organ … or what the first words of 17-, 28- and 46-Across comprise? GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The United Nations was established right after the end of WWII, and was a replacement for the ineffective League of Nations that had been formed after the end of WWI. The US was at the forefront of the founding of the United Nations, led by President Franklin Roosevelt just prior to the start of WWII. The UN’s headquarters is in international territory in New York. There are three regional UN headquarters, also located in international territory, in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.

65. San Antonio battle site ALAMO
The famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission was founded in 1718 and was the first mission established in the city. The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, a thirteen-day siege by the Mexican Army led by President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Only two people defending the Alamo Mission survived the onslaught. One month later, the Texian army got its revenge by attacking and defeating the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, many of the Texian soldiers were heard to cry “Remember the Alamo!”.

66. Cookie added to a McFlurry OREO
The McFlurry is the ice cream dessert from McDonald’s. A McFlurry is made from soft-serve ice cream to which are added crushed candy bars or cookies. Cleverly, a McFlurry is mixed on a machine with the mixing blade then doubling as a spoon with which one eats it.

67. Banned fruit 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.

68. Make into confetti RIP UP
The word “confetti” is related to “confection”. The original confetti were small candies thrown during carnivals in Italy. This custom migrated to England, and eventually evolved into the practice of tossing small pieces of paper instead of confections.

69. Enjoy a Kindle, e.g. READ
I bought myself a Kindle Fire HD not that long ago. I’ve started reading e-books for the first time in my life, as well as enjoying other computing options available with the tablet device. I love it …

Down
1. Fed. workplace monitor OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

2. Surgeon general under Reagan KOOP
C. Everett Koop was the surgeon general from 1982-89, appointed by President Reagan. Koop was a somewhat controversial character and one who brought the position of Surgeon General into the spotlight more than was historically the case. Partly this was due to his pro-life position, his anti-tobacco stance and the fact that AIDS became a prominent issue while he was in office.

4. Pain-relieving pill ASPIRIN
Aspirin was a brand name for the drug acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin was introduced by the German drug company Bayer AG in the late 1800s. As part of the war reparations paid by Germany after WWI, Bayer AG lost the use of the trademark “Aspirin” (as well as the trademark Heroin!) and it became a generic term.

5. Jumbo __ JET
James Anthony Bailey collaborated with P. T. Barnum to establish Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. It was Bailey who negotiated the deal to buy a famous elephant from London Zoo in 1882, the one called “Jumbo”. It was the exposure that Jumbo got in the circus that brought into common usage our term “jumbo” meaning “huge”.

6. Stars and Stripes land: Abbr. USA
Legend has it that Betsy Ross made the first American flag for General George Washington. However, this story only surfaced during the centennial celebrations of 1876, and although Betsy Ross was indeed one of several flag makers in Philadelphia in the days of George Washington, sadly there’s no definitive evidence that Ross provided that first Stars and Stripes.

9. Italian pistols BERETTAS
Beretta is an Italian manufacturer of firearms. Beretta is an incredibly old company that has been selling firearms since 1526! The company got a big boost of sales in the US in the eighties, when it’s Beretta 92 pistol was selected by the US Army for use as its service handgun (although it was known as the “M9 pistol by the US Army”).

10. Cape NNW of Cod ANN
Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda in her memory.

19. Not hoodwinked by ONTO
“Hoodwink” has had the meaning “to deceive” since about 1600. Prior to that it meant simply “to blindfold”, a sort of portmanteau word from “hood” and “wink”.

24. Revolve on an axis SLUE
“To slue” (also “slew) is to turn sharply, or to rotate on an axis.

25. Nick and Nora’s dog ASTA
Asta is the wonderful little dog in the superb “The Thin Man” series of films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (as Nick and Nora Charles). In the original story by Dashiell Hammett, Asta was a female Schnauzer, but on screen Asta was played by a wire-haired fox terrier called “Skippy”. Skippy was also the dog in “Bringing up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, the one who kept stealing the dinosaur bone. Skippy retired in 1939, so Asta was played by other dogs in the remainder of “The Thin Man” films.

High on the list of my favorite movies of all time is “The Thin Man” series starring William Powell and the incredibly attractive Myrna Loy. Powell and Loy played the characters Nick and Nora Charles. The film series is based on “The Thin Man” novel by Dashiell Hammett.

27. Electrical unit OHM
The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.

29. Poet Stephen Vincent __ BENET
Stephen Vincent Benét was an author best known for his lengthy narrative poem “John Brown’s Body” which was first published in 1928 and for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Benét also wrote the story “The Sobbin’ Women” which was later adapted into the musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”.

31. Cambodian currency RIEL
The Cambodian riel was first introduced in 1953, and was taken out of circulation by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 when they completely abolished money on taking control of the country. After the Vietnamese invasion of 1978, money was reintroduced and the Cambodian people are still using the “second” riel.

32. Happy sign for a Realtor SOLD
Some helpful blog readers have educated me on the term “Realtor” and have pointed out why the word is capitalized. “Real estate agent” is a general, generic term. “Realtor” is the name given to a member of the trade association known as the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The NAR has gone so far as the trademark the term “Realtor” in the US.

33. Jeans maker Strauss LEVI
Levi Strauss was the founder of the first company in the world to manufacture blue jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. opened in 1853 in San Francisco. Strauss and his business partner were awarded a patent in 1873 for the use of copper rivets to strengthen points of strain on working pants.

38. Send down using chutes, as supplies PARADROP
The term “parachute” was coined by Frenchman François Blanchard, from “para-” meaning “defence against” and “chute” meaning “a fall”.

39. Fleecy footwear brand UGGS
Uggs are sheepskin boots that originated in Australia and New Zealand. Uggs have sheepskin fleece on the inside for comfort and insulation, with a tanned leather surface on the outside for durability. Ugg is a generic term down under, although it’s a brand name here in the US.

40. Injured, as a ligament TORE
A ligament is a band of tissue that connects bones. Ligaments are similar to tendons and fasciae. Tendons connect muscle to bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other muscles.

45. Quaint coin-op eatery AUTOMAT
An automat is a fast food restaurant that was popular in the first half of the 20th century. The original automat was established in Berlin, but the concept took off in the US. However, our modern fast food restaurants virtually wiped out automats starting in the fifties.

47. Poet Pound EZRA
Ezra Pound was an American poet who spent much of his life wandering the world, spending years in London, Paris, and Italy. In Italy, Pound’s work and sympathies for Mussolini’s regime led to his arrest at the end of the war. His major work was the epic, albeit incomplete, “The Cantos”. This epic poem is divided into 120 sections, each known as a canto.

52. Lab gel AGAR
Agar (also “agar-agar”) is a jelly extracted from seaweed that has many uses. Agar is found in Japanese desserts, and can also be used as a food thickener or even as a laxative. In the world of science it is the most common medium used for growing bacteria in Petri dishes.

53. Pastrami purveyor DELI
In the US, pastrami was originally called “pastrama”, a dish brought to America by Jewish immigrants from Romania in the second half of the the nineteenth century. The original name may have evolved from the Turkish word “pastirma” meaning “pressed”. “Pastrama” likely morphed into “pastrami” influenced by the name of the Italian sausage called salami.

59. High-five, e.g. SLAP
The celebratory gesture that we call a “high five” is said to have been invented by former baseball players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke when they were both playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the later 1970s.

60. Rookie TYRO
A tyro (also “tiro”) is a beginner or a novice. “Tyro” comes into English from Latin, in which “tiro” means “a recruit”.

62. Outback bird EMU
In Australia, the land outside of urban area is referred to as “the outback” or “the bush”. Although, I think that “outback” can also be used for the more remote parts of the bush.

63. Mediterranean __ SEA
The Mediterranean Sea is almost completely enclosed by land, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. The sea takes its name from the Latin “mediterraneus”, which means “in the middle of land”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Pod used to thicken gumbo OKRA
5. Moonshine containers JUGS
9. “24” superagent Jack BAUER
14. __-chef SOUS
15. Jacob’s twin ESAU
16. Happen next ENSUE
17. Military bed-making features HOSPITAL CORNERS
20. Rose pest APHID
21. Pimply breakout ACNE
22. On the __: precisely DOT
23. Civil rights activist Parks ROSA
26. Chancellor von Bismarck OTTO
28. Classic jazz vocal group originally composed of four siblings, with “The” MILLS BROTHERS
33. Financial claim LIEN
35. Sport __: versatile wheels UTE
36. OB/GYN test AMNIO
37. Goof ERR
38. Comic strip with Snoopy PEANUTS
41. Md. neighbor DEL
42. Pierre’s “There it is!” VOILA!
44. Bigheadedness EGO
45. “Should __ acquaintance …” AULD
46. “Special” lobbying faction INTEREST GROUP
50. Mideast strip GAZA
51. In the mail SENT
52. Magazine fillers ADS
55. Intravenous process DRIP
57. Ride without pedaling COAST
61. UN organ … or what the first words of 17-, 28- and 46-Across comprise? GENERAL ASSEMBLY
65. San Antonio battle site ALAMO
66. Cookie added to a McFlurry OREO
67. Banned fruit spray ALAR
68. Make into confetti RIP UP
69. Enjoy a Kindle, e.g. READ
70. Printed goof TYPO

Down
1. Fed. workplace monitor OSHA
2. Surgeon general under Reagan KOOP
3. Make haste RUSH
4. Pain-relieving pill ASPIRIN
5. Jumbo __ JET
6. Stars and Stripes land: Abbr. USA
7. Black-tie party GALA
8. Relief SUCCOR
9. Italian pistols BERETTAS
10. Cape NNW of Cod ANN
11. Second-hand USED
12. Franc replacement EURO
13. What’s leftover, with “the” REST
18. Revered star IDOL
19. Not hoodwinked by ONTO
24. Revolve on an axis SLUE
25. Nick and Nora’s dog ASTA
27. Electrical unit OHM
28. Be worthy of MERIT
29. Poet Stephen Vincent __ BENET
30. Turn out to be END UP
31. Cambodian currency RIEL
32. Happy sign for a Realtor SOLD
33. Jeans maker Strauss LEVI
34. Crease remover IRON
38. Send down using chutes, as supplies PARADROP
39. Fleecy footwear brand UGGS
40. Injured, as a ligament TORE
43. Table support LEG
45. Quaint coin-op eatery AUTOMAT
47. Poet Pound EZRA
48. Crew member SAILOR
49. A single time ONCE
52. Lab gel AGAR
53. Pastrami purveyor DELI
54. Lose it SNAP
56. Remove, as a peel PARE
58. With skill ABLY
59. High-five, e.g. SLAP
60. Rookie TYRO
62. Outback bird EMU
63. Mediterranean __ SEA
64. Clump of turf SOD

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