Month: December 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. PC core CPU
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the main component on the “motherboard” of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

4. NYC airport LGA
Fiorello La Guardia was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945, racking up three full terms in office. The famous airport that bears La Guardia’s name was built at his urging, stemming from an incident that took place while he was in office. He was taking a TWA flight to “New York” and was outraged when the plane landed at Newark Airport, in the state of New Jersey. The Mayor demanded that the flight take off again and land at a small airport in Brooklyn. A gaggle of press reporters joined him on the short hop and he gave them a story, urging New Yorkers to support the construction of a new commercial airport within the city’s limits. The new airport, in Queens, opened in 1939 as New York Municipal, often called “LaGuardia” as a nickname. The airport was officially relabeled as “LaGuardia” in 1947.

7. Shia holy man IMAM
Followers of Shia Islam believe that Ali was the rightful successor to Muhammad.

18. __ Tin Tin RIN
The original Rin Tin Tin was an actual dog, a puppy discovered by a GI in a bombed-out kennel in France during WWI. The soldier named the pup Rin Tin Tin, the same name as a puppet given to American soldiers for luck. On returning to the US, “Rinty” was trained by his owner and was spotted doing tricks by a film producer. Rinty featured in some films, eventually getting his first starring role in 1923 in the silent movie “Where the North Begins”. Legend has it that this first Rin Tin Tin died in the arms of actress Jean Harlow. Not a bad way to go …

19. Its “Concise” version has more than 1,700 pgs. OED
The “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) contains over 300,000 “main” entries and 59 million words in total. It is said it would take a single person 120 years to type it out in full. The longest entry for one word in the second edition of the OED is the verb “set”. When the third edition was published in 2007, the longest entry for a single word became the verb “put”. Perhaps not surprisingly, the most-quoted author in the OED is William Shakespeare, with his most quoted work being “Hamlet”. The most-quoted female author is George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans).

20. Orkan sign-off half NANU
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams, of course) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

22. Uncommon size EEE
C, D and EEE are shoe widths.

23. Nine-circles literary locale INFERNO
In Dante’s “Inferno”, Hell is represented as nine circles of suffering. The nine circles of Hell are:

– Limbo
– Lust
– Gluttony
– Greed
– Anger
– Heresy
– Violence
– Fraud
– Treachery

28. Oregon’s Douglas fir, e.g. STATE TREE
Various species of Douglas fir are native to North and Central America, and to Asia. The tree gets its name from the Scottish botanist David Douglas, who introduced the species into Europe.

31. General __ chicken TSO’S
General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zontang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

35. “Dead parrot” sketch actor CLEESE
The magnificent actor and comedian John Cleese came to the public’s attention as a cast member in the BBC’s comedy sketch show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. Cleese then co-wrote and starred in the outstanding comedy “Fawlty Towers”. He even had a role in two “James Bond” films.

The “Dead Parrot Sketch” is perhaps the most famous sketch from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. Stars of the piece are the great John Cleese and Michael Palin.

37. London’s __ Modern TATE
The museum known as “the Tate” is actually made up of four separate galleries in England. The original Tate gallery was founded by Sir Henry Tate as the National Gallery of British Art. It is located on Millbank in London, on the site of the old Millbank Prison, and is now called Tate Britain. There is also the Tate Liverpool in the north of England located in an old warehouse, and the Tate St. Ives in the west country located in an old gas works. My favorite of the Tate galleries is the Tate Modern which lies on the banks of the Thames in London. It’s a beautiful building, a converted power station that you have to see to believe.

39. Roman naturalist PLINY
Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger were important figures in Ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder was a scientist and historian, the author of “Naturalis Historia”, commonly referred to as “Pliny’s Natural History”. Pliny the Younger was the nephew and adopted son of Pliny the Elder. Pliny the Younger was a noted Roman statesman, orator and writer.

42. Tennis legend ASHE
Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

51. Oncle’s mate TANTE
In French, an uncle (oncle) is married to an aunt (tante).

53. “Telephone Line” gp. ELO
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) is a symphonic rock group from the north of England. The band’s manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

54. Vatican masterpiece PIETA
Michelangelo’s “Pietà” can be seen in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Like all images known as the “Pietà”, the sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Michelangelo inscribed his signature along a sash worn by the Virgin, the only time the artist is known to have signed his work.

55. Cute cases ETUIS
An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui” from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui”, using the term to depict a case for carrying CDs.

58. White hat, in oaters HERO
The term “oater”, used for a western movie, comes from the number of horses seen in a cowboy movie, and horses love oats!

65. Oolong or souchong TEA
The name for the Chinese tea “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon”.

Lapsang souchong is a black tea originally from the Chinese province of Fujian. Lapsang is also called “smoked tea” as the leaves are smoke-dried to give a nice smoky flavor. I am going to have to try Lapsang …

67. Subway opposites ELS
The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The “L” is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

82. Capital affected by typhoons TAIPEI
“Taipei” translates from Chinese as “Northern Taiwan City” and indeed is situated at the northern tip of the island of Taiwan.

85. “The Highwayman” daughter BESS
Alfred Noyes was an English poet best known for his narrative poem “The Highwayman”, published in 1906. The highwayman in the poem is in love with an innkeeper’s daughter named Bess. Bess dies trying to warn her lover about an ambush, and then the highwayman dies when trying to exact revenge for her death. The highwayman and Bess meet up as ghosts on winter nights.

86. Theta preceder ETA
Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.

The Greek letter theta is the one that looks like a number zero with a horizontal line in the middle.

88. Powerful god TITAN
The Titans were a group of twelve older deities in Greek mythology. In the celebrated Battle of the Titans, they were overthrown by the Olympians, who were twelve younger gods.

89. Classic Pearl Jam album TEN
Pearl Jam is an alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington.

90. “Inside the NBA” analyst O’NEAL
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the heaviest players ever to have played in the NBA (weighing in at around 325 pounds). Yep, he’s a big guy … 7 foot 1 inch tall.

92. ‘Tis the season YULE
“Yule” celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

97. Latin trio word AMAS
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

99. Psalm 23 comforter ROD

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

100. “Under the Redwoods” author HARTE
Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York.

101. AMD rival INTEL
Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is a derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”.

112. Cub with records SOSA
Sammy Sosa was right in the public eye in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire were vying to be the first to surpass the home run record held by Roger Maris. McGwire fell out of public favor due to stories of steroid abuse (stories which he later admitted were true) while Sosa fell of out favor when he was found to be using a corked bat in a 2003 game.

115. One-legged ballet pose ARABESQUE
In the ballet position known as “arabesque”, the dancer stands on one leg, with one leg extended behind the body.

121. Old MGM rival RKO
The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO acronym then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.

124. Vague time frame indicator ERE
“Ere” is a poetic word meaning “before”, which I guess is a vague time indicator.

125. Sargasso swimmer EEL
The Sargasso Sea is an area within the Atlantic Ocean and is famous for being home to many species of Sargassum, the algae floating on the surface that gives the area its name. The Sargasso Sea is also where both the European and American eels lay their eggs and hatch their young. The young eels (or “elvers”) then head east or west, depending on the species.

128. Beethoven’s nine: Abbr. SYMS
Beethoven wrote nine symphonies. He also left fragments of music that were assembled into a tenth symphony by Barry Cooper, although the use of the fragments in this way is somewhat controversial. There are two recordings of the tenth symphony available for those interested.

129. First name in comics villains LEX
Lex Luthor is the arch-nemesis of Superman in comics. Luthor has been portrayed in a number of guises in the comic world as well in movies and on the small screen. For example, he appeared as Atom Man in the 1950 film series “Atom Man vs. Superman” and was played by actor Lyle Talbot, opposite Kirk Alyn’s Superman. More recently, Lex Luthor was played by Gene Hackman in the “Superman” series of movies that starred Christopher Reeve in the title role.

Down
2. Patchy horse PINTO
A “pinto” is a horse with patchy markings of white mixed with another color. “Pinto” means “painted” in American Spanish.

4. Sissy’s Oscar-winning role LORETTA
“The Coal Miner’s Daughter” is a 1980 film that tells the life story of country music star Loretta Lynn. Sissy Spacek plays the title role, and won herself a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Lynn was indeed a coal miner’s daughter, born into poverty in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky.

8. Egyptian __: spotted cat MAU
The Egyptian Mau is an ancient breed of cat. Illustrations of Egyptian Mau cats have been found in artwork that is over 3,000 years old. Maus can run at over 36 mph, making them the fastest breed of domestic cat.

12. 1979 Afghanistan invader: Abbr. USSR
The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted from 1979 to 1989. Famously, the Soviets got bogged down in the conflict and so it is sometimes referred to as “the Bear Trap”.

14. Lao Tzu principle TAO
Lao Tse (also Lao-Tzu) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism.

15. British Invasion genre named for Liverpool’s river MERSEYBEAT
The River Mersey in the northwest of England runs through the city of Liverpool. The river gave its name to the musical genre of “Merseybeat” which was exemplified by the Beatles, the most famous of the bands from Liverpool. The best known song to feature the river is the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit “Ferry Cross the Mersey”.

24. Sicilian high point ETNA
Mt. Etna is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy. Mt Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius.

27. Spork, for one UTENSIL
Spork is the more common name for the utensil that is a hybrid between a spoon and a fork. It is less commonly referred to as a “foon”.

29. Reputed Dead Sea Scrolls transcribers ESSENES
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered over a period of years, between 1947 and 1956, in eleven caves on the shores of the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed to have been written by an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, although this has been called into question recently. Many of the texts are copies of writings from the Hebrew Bible.

34. Ryder Cup team USA
The Ryder Cup trophy was donated to the game of golf by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf when he was in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast and eventually donated the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas.

36. Imitates Daffy LISPS
Daffy Duck first appeared on the screen in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” in 1937. In the original cartoon, Daffy was just meant to have a small role, but he was a big hit as he had so much sass. Even back then, Daffy was voiced by the ubiquitous Mel Blanc.

39. Arafat’s org. until 2004 PLO
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964. The PLO’s early stated goal was the liberation of Palestine, with Palestine defined as the geographic entity that existed under the terms of the British Mandate granted by the League of Nations back in 1923. The PLO is recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people by over one hundred countries, and was granted observer status (i.e. no voting rights) at the United Nations in 1974.

45. Bird that migrates from the Arctic to Antarctica TERN
Terns are seabirds that are found all over the world. The Arctic Tern makes a very long-distance migration. One Arctic Tern that was tagged as a chick in Great Britain in the summer of 1982, was spotted in Australia just three months later. The bird had traveled over 14,000 miles in that time, an average of about 150 miles a day. Remarkable …

46. Sci-fi people ELOI
In the 1895 novel by H. G. Wells called “The Time Machine”, there were two races that the hero encountered in his travels into the future. The Eloi are the “beautiful people” who live on the planet’s surface. The Morlocks are a race of cannibals living underground who use the Eloi as food.

47. __ Reader: eclectic magazine UTNE
The “Utne Reader” is known for aggregation and republishing of articles on politics, culture and the environment from other sources in the media. The “Utne Reader” was founded in 1984, with “Utne” being the family name of the couple that started the publication.

52. Noir hero TEC
The expression “film noir” has French origins, but only in that it was “created” by a French critic in describing a style of Hollywood film. The term, meaning “black film” in French, was first used by Nino Frank in 1946. Film noir often applies to a movie with a melodramatic plot and a private eye or detective at its center. Good examples would be “The Big Sleep” and “D.O.A”.

56. City NW of Santa Barbara, to locals SLO
The city of San Luis Obispo is one of the oldest communities in California. The name “San Luis Obispo” translates as “Saint Louis, the Bishop of Toulouse”. In 1990, San Luis Obispo was the first municipality in the world to ban smoking in all indoor public areas.

58. “__ Kitchen”: Gordon Ramsay show HELL’S
Gordon Ramsay is a celebrity chef from Scotland who appears more on US television now than he does on British TV. Personally, I think the man is pretty obnoxious.

62. Comprehensive, gradewise ELHI
“Elhi” is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from grades 1 through 12, i.e. elementary through high school.

69. RSA ruling party ANC
The ANC started out as the South African Native National Congress in 1912 with the goal of improving the lot of Black South Africans. After years of turmoil the ANC came to power in the first open election in 1964.

72. “What a Piece of Work Is Man” musical HAIR
The full name of the famed stage show from the sixties is “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”. This controversial work outraged many when it was first performed in the sixties as it attacked many aspects of life at the time. For example, the song “Air” is a satirical look at pollution, sung by a character who comes onto the stage wearing a gas mask. The opening lines are “Welcome, sulfur dioxide. Hello carbon monoxide. The air … is everywhere”. I’ve never had the chance to see “Hair” in a live production, but it’s on “the bucket list” …

75. Explorer Tasman ABEL
Tasmania is the large island lying off the southeast coast of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to sail past the island, in 1642. Tasman named his discovery Van Dieman’s Land after the Governor of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony van Dieman. The name was officially changed to Tasmania, after the discoverer himself, in 1856. In Australia a more familiar name used is “Tassie”.

76. Nevada casino city RENO
Reno, Nevada was named in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War. The city has a famous “Reno Arch”, a structure that stands over the main street. The arch was erected in 1926 to promote an exposition planned for the following year. After the expo, the city council decided to keep the arch and held a competition to decide what wording should be displayed, and the winner was “The Biggest Little City in the World”.

78. Rickey Henderson, notably STEALER
Rickey Henderson is a former professional baseball player believed by many to have been the sport’s greatest baserunner. Henderson holds the major league record for career stolen bases, at 1,406. This compares with the second highest number of career stolen bases of “only” 938, by Lou Brock.

80. 1952 Olympics city OSLO
The 1952 Winter Olympic Games took place in Oslo, Norway. The games is remembered as the first time a purpose-built athletes’ village was constructed.

81. Oboe component REED
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”. Oh, and if you want to read a fun book (almost an “exposé”) about life playing the oboe, you might try “Mozart in the Jungle” by oboist Blair Tindall. I heard recently that the folks at HBO are working towards a pilot based on the book, and I can’t wait to see it!

84. Febrero preceder ENERO
In Spanish, February (febrero) is preceded by January (enero).

89. Mao __-tung TSE
Mao Zedong was born on December 16, 1893 in the Hunan Province of China. As Mao was the son of a peasant farmer, his prospects for education were limited. Indeed he left school at age 13 to work on the family farm but did eventually get to secondary school in Changsha, the provincial capital. In the years following, Mao continued his education in Beijing and actually turned down an opportunity to study in France.

96. Foe of Saruman, in Tolkien ENT
Ents are those tree-like creatures that live in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth in his series of books “The Lord of the Rings”. “Ent” is an Old English word for “giant”.

105. Space age toon dog ASTRO
Astro is the pet dog on the animated television show “The Jetsons”.

“The Jetsons” is an animated show from Hanna-Barbera that had its first run in 1962-1963, and then was recreated in 1985-1987. When it was debuted in 1963 by ABC, “The Jetsons” was the network’s first ever color broadcast.

106. Corner pieces ROOKS
It is believed that the game of chess originated in northwest India, evolving from a 6th-century game called “chaturanga”, a Sanskrit word meaning “four divisions”. These four (military) divisions were represented in the game:

– Infantry (now “pawns”)
– Cavalry (now “knights”)
– Elephants (now “bishops”)
– Chariots (now “rooks”)

107. First family before the Wilsons TAFTS
William Howard Taft may have been the 27th President of the United States, but his lifelong ambition was to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. President Taft was able to realize that dream in 1921, eight years after losing his bid for re-election as president. As Chief Justice, this former US President swore in two new presidents: Calvin Coolidge (in 1925) and Herbert Hoover (in 1929).

Woodrow Wilson was a professor at Princeton from 1890 to 1902 at which time he was promoted to president of the university. He had earned his PhD. at John Hopkins University in 1886, so that when Professor Wilson was elected 28th President of the United States in 1912, he became the only US President to hold a PhD.

108. Magic, on scoreboards ORL
The Orlando Magic were formed in 1989 as an NBA expansion team. A local paper was asked to run a competition to suggest names for the new team and the community came up with its four top picks of “Heat”, “Tropics”, “Juice” and “Magic”. A committee then opted for “Orlando Magic”. A good choice I think …

109. Saharan region SAHEL
The Sahel is a great swath of land in Africa lying south of the Sahara desert and stretching from the Atlantic in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Sahel is the region that separates the Sahara from the tropical savanna to the south.

114. In __: truly ESSE
The Latin term “in esse” is used to mean “actually existing”, and translates as “in being”.

117. Group decision-making challenge EGO
An individual’s ego can stand in the way of a group decision.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. PC core CPU
4. NYC airport LGA
7. Shia holy man IMAM
11. Short CURT
15. Driver’s economy meas. MPG
18. __ Tin Tin RIN
19. Its “Concise” version has more than 1,700 pgs. OED
20. Orkan sign-off half NANU
21. Sailing, say ASEA
22. Uncommon size EEE
23. Nine-circles literary locale INFERNO
25. Coward’s path? GUTLESS COURSE (gut course)
28. Oregon’s Douglas fir, e.g. STATE TREE
30. Uncertain LEERY
31. General __ chicken TSO’S
32. Sleeping watchman, say? POINTLESS GUARD (point guard)
35. “Dead parrot” sketch actor CLEESE
37. London’s __ Modern TATE
38. Secret supply STASH
39. Roman naturalist PLINY
40. Letters for a British princess HRH
42. Tennis legend ASHE
44. Bro who cracks insensitive jokes? TASTELESS BUD (taste bud)
49. Clumsy types OAFS
51. Oncle’s mate TANTE
53. “Telephone Line” gp. ELO
54. Vatican masterpiece PIETA
55. Cute cases ETUIS
57. Grasp SEE
58. White hat, in oaters HERO
60. Skewed ASLANT
61. Chores done altruistically? SELFLESS CLEANING (self-cleaning)
65. Oolong or souchong TEA
66. Jam cause, maybe TOLL
67. Subway opposites ELS
68. Like much lore ORAL
71. “That’s refreshing!” AHH
74. Cruel school assistant? HEARTLESS MONITOR (heart monitor)
82. Capital affected by typhoons TAIPEI
85. “The Highwayman” daughter BESS
86. Theta preceder ETA
87. Like a good guess CLOSE
88. Powerful god TITAN
89. Classic Pearl Jam album TEN
90. “Inside the NBA” analyst O’NEAL
92. ‘Tis the season YULE
93. Naive Romeo? ARTLESS LOVER (art lover)
97. Latin trio word AMAS
99. Psalm 23 comforter ROD
100. “Under the Redwoods” author HARTE
101. AMD rival INTEL
103. Kitten’s plaything YARN
105. Playground retort ARE TOO!
107. Pixie whose dust lacks potency? TOOTHLESS FAIRY (tooth fairy)
112. Cub with records SOSA
113. Necklace gem PEARL
115. One-legged ballet pose ARABESQUE
116. Stairway to heaven? TOPLESS FLIGHT (topflight)
120. Is connected HAS PULL
121. Old MGM rival RKO
122. Meat GIST
123. Put a handle on NAME
124. Vague time frame indicator ERE
125. Sargasso swimmer EEL
126. German sunrise direction OST
127. Small bills ONES
128. Beethoven’s nine: Abbr. SYMS
129. First name in comics villains LEX
130. QB’s coups TDS

Down
1. Like fresh lettuce CRISP
2. Patchy horse PINTO
3. Not true UNFAITHFUL
4. Sissy’s Oscar-winning role LORETTA
5. Least violent GENTLEST
6. Love ADORE
7. Put away INGEST
8. Egyptian __: spotted cat MAU
9. Army unit ANT
10. Muslim theologians MULLAHS
11. Examined, as a joint CASED
12. 1979 Afghanistan invader: Abbr. USSR
13. Use color-coded cans, say RECYCLE
14. Lao Tzu principle TAO
15. British Invasion genre named for Liverpool’s river MERSEYBEAT
16. Mexican change PESOS
17. Honkers GEESE
24. Sicilian high point ETNA
26. Ballad’s end? -EER
27. Spork, for one UTENSIL
29. Reputed Dead Sea Scrolls transcribers ESSENES
33. Concert receipts GATE
34. Ryder Cup team USA
36. Imitates Daffy LISPS
39. Arafat’s org. until 2004 PLO
40. Breaks ground HOES
41. Assign stars to RATE
43. Annoyance HASSLE
45. Bird that migrates from the Arctic to Antarctica TERN
46. Sci-fi people ELOI
47. __ Reader: eclectic magazine UTNE
48. Facts and figures DATA
50. Baker’s verb SIFT
52. Noir hero TEC
56. City NW of Santa Barbara, to locals SLO
58. “__ Kitchen”: Gordon Ramsay show HELL’S
59. No trouble at all EASE
60. Farming prefix AGRO-
62. Comprehensive, gradewise ELHI
63. “Shall we?” reply LET’S?
64. Polite reply NO, MA’AM
69. RSA ruling party ANC
70. Showy bloom LILY
71. “__ girl!” ATTA
72. “What a Piece of Work Is Man” musical HAIR
73. Fulfill an urgent desire HIT THE SPOT
75. Explorer Tasman ABEL
76. Nevada casino city RENO
77. Cong. member SEN
78. Rickey Henderson, notably STEALER
79. Ambulance bandage TOURNIQUET
80. 1952 Olympics city OSLO
81. Oboe component REED
83. Like tongue-against-roof-of-the-mouth consonants PALATAL
84. Febrero preceder ENERO
89. Mao __-tung TSE
90. Surg. branch ORTH
91. Exposes LAYS BARE
94. Makes a call STOPS IN
95. Orchestra section VIOLINS
96. Foe of Saruman, in Tolkien ENT
98. Controversial high school health lesson SAFE SEX
102. Makes happy ELATES
104. Throaty sound RASP
105. Space age toon dog ASTRO
106. Corner pieces ROOKS
107. First family before the Wilsons TAFTS
108. Magic, on scoreboards ORL
109. Saharan region SAHEL
110. Held power RULED
111. Cheerleaders’ repertoire YELLS
114. In __: truly ESSE
117. Group decision-making challenge EGO
118. In high spirits GAY
119. “Let me think …” HMM

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