LA Times Crossword Answers 11 Jan 15, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Pam Amick Klawitter
THEME: D-Activated … each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase, but with a letter D added to the start of one word:

23A. Excavation that went on and on? SEVEN-YEAR DITCH (from “seven-year itch”)
44A. One-way chauffeur? DRIVER OF NO RETURN (from “River of No Return”)
69A. Board game expert? DART HISTORIAN (from “art historian”)
94A. Required course for stunt performers? DANGER MANAGEMENT (from “anger management”)
117A. Stanley Cup filler? ICE HOCKEY DRINK (from “ice hockey rink”)
15D. Effort to get pop elected? DAD CAMPAIGN (from “ad campaign”)
68D. Moon-based cattleman? LUNAR DROVER (from “lunar rover”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 20m 41s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. “__ and Son”: storytelling segment on “The Bullwinkle Show” AESOP
“Aesop & Son” was a segment in “The Bullwinkle Show” featured Aesop teaching his son a lesson by way of a fable.

6. Racetrack letters STP
STP is a brand name for automotive lubricants and additives. The name STP comes from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

9. Chihuahua cheer OLE!
Chihuahua is a state in northern Mexico that shares a border with Texas and New Mexico. Chihuahua is the largest state in the country, so has the nickname “El Estado Grande”. The state takes its name from the Chihuahuan Desert which lies largely within its borders. And of course the Chihuahua breed of dog takes its name from the state.

19. Pad __: stir-fried noodles THAI
The delicious dish called Pad Thai is a meld of stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind juice, red chili pepper plus a mix of vegetables and possibly tofu, meat or fish. It is usually topped with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime. The name “Pad Thai” translates as “fried Thai style”.

21. O’Hare initials UAL
United Airlines (UAL)

O’Hare International is the fourth busiest airport in the world. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII. As an aside, Butch O’Hare’s father Edward was a lawyer friend of Al Capone who eventually worked undercover for the IRS and helped get the famous gangster convicted on tax evasion. Some years later, Edward was shot to death while driving his car.

22. Parish priest’s subordinate CURATE
A curate is a clergyman in certain churches, someone who is focused on the care of the souls of the parish members. The term “curate” comes from the Latin “curare” meaning “to take care of”.

23. Excavation that went on and on? SEVEN-YEAR DITCH (from “seven-year itch”)
The phrase “seven year itch” had been used by psychologists to describe declining interest in staying monogamous after seven years of marriage.

28. Small-capped mushrooms ENOKIS
Enokitake (also known as enoki) is a long and thin white mushroom often added to soups or salads.

30. Accessory for Beau Brummell ASCOT
An Ascot tie is that horrible-looking (I think!) wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

Beau Brummell was a friend of the future King George IV of England, and established himself as the arbiter of men’s fashions at the time. He claimed that it took him five hours to get dressed properly, and that he had his boots polished with champagne. It was Brummell who popularized the fashion of wearing a fitted jacket and pants with a knotted cravat. So, we guys have Brummell to thank/blame for us having to wear business suits with ties.

31. St. Thomas hours AST
Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The list of locations that use AST includes Puerto Rico and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

32. Tips to a lady, perhaps DOFFS
One doffs one’s hat, usually as a mark of respect. To doff is to take off, with “doff” being a contraction of “do off”. The opposite of “doff” is “don” meaning “to put on”.

33. “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” musical EVITA
“Evita” was the follow up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). “Evita” was made into a film in 1996, with Madonna playing the title role and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce playing her husband Juan Perón.

35. C, D and E, perhaps DO RE MI
The solfa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

39. First name in folk ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

41. L.A. commuter org. MTA
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is known as the MTA or Metro.

44. One-way chauffeur? DRIVER OF NO RETURN (from “River of No Return”)
“River of No Return” is a 1954 Western starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. Apparently director Otto Preminger had a lot to deal with on the shoot. Monroe’s acting coach accompanied her, and got in between Preminger and the actress way too often. Also, Monroe also injured her ankle and ended up in a cast. On top of all that, Preminger had to deal with Mitchum hitting the bottle way too often.

48. Work OPUS
The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”.

49. Carte postale mountains ALPES
In French, the Alps (Alpes) mountain range might appear as the picture on a postcard (carte postale).

50. Promote aggressively, in slang FLOG
“To flog” is a slang term meaning “to sell, to promote vigorously”.

51. Expected 2015 Sue Grafton title starter X IS
Sue Grafton writes detective novels, and her “alphabet series” features the private investigator Kinsey Millhone. She started off with “A Is for Alibi” in 1982 and is working her way through the alphabet, most recently publishing “’W’ is for Wasted” in 2009. Apparently Ms. Grafton is working on her “X is for …” novel, and has already decided that “Z is for Zero” will be the final title in the series. What a clever naming system!

52. Mystery awards EDGARS
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (the Edgars) are presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America.

54. Revolution period? YEAR
A calendar year is the time taken for the Earth to orbit the sun one time.

55. Fiscal VIP CFO
Chief financial officer (CFO)

63. Carlsbad Cavern critter BAT
Carlsbad Cavern is the show cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico. The chamber called the Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern is the fifth largest underground chamber in North America. It is estimated that a million bats live in the park’s cave systems.

64. Goes back (on) RENEGES
To renege on something is to back out of it. It’s a word commonly used in card games like bridge and whist. A renege is when a player doesn’t follow suit, even though there may be a card of the suit led in his/her hand.

69. Board game expert? DART HISTORIAN (from “art historian”)
Darts is a wonderful game often played in English and Irish pubs, even over here in America. The scoring in a traditional game of darts is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but the game of darts called “Round the Clock” is simply hitting the numbers 1 through 20 in sequence.

72. Gov. Cuomo’s domain NYS
Andrew Cuomo won the gubernatorial election for the State of New York in 2010. Andrew is the son of former Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo. Andrew was also married for 13 years to Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of Robert F. Kennedy.

76. Jaguar filler PETROL
Petrol is the same thing as gasoline. “Petrol” comes via French from the Latin “petroleum”, itself derived from “petra” meaning “rock” and “oleum” meaning “oil”.

78. Dancer de Mille AGNES
Agnes de Mille was a dancer and choreographer from New York City. She was the niece of famous director Cecil B. DeMille, and the daughter of William C. deMille who was also a Hollywood director. Agnes turned to dance after she was told that she was “not pretty enough” to pursue her first love, which was acting …

83. O’Neill’s daughter OONA
Oona O’Neill dated J. D. Salinger and Orson Welles in her teens, but ended up marrying Charlie Chaplin. Oona was still pretty young when she married Chaplin, much to the dismay of her famous father, the playwright Eugene O’Neill. After the marriage Eugene disowned Oona as he was pretty upset about 54-year-old Chaplin marrying his 18-year-old daughter.

89. Bass tail? -OON
Our modern bassoon first appeared in the 1800s and has had a place in the concert orchestra ever since.

90. New York county whose seat is Buffalo ERIE
Buffalo is the second most-populous city in the state of New York. The city takes its name from Buffalo Creek that runs through the metropolis (although the waterway is called Buffalo River within the city). The source of the name Buffalo Creek is the subject of much speculation, but one thing is clear, there were never any bison in the area.

92. That is TO WIT
The verb “to wit” means “to know”. The verb really isn’t used anymore except in the phrase “to wit” meaning “that is to say, namely”.

93. Pie shortening LARD
Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called “suet”. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be “rendered” or purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call “lard”. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as “tallow”.

99. Brief missives? LTRS
Letter (ltr.)

100. NASA approvals A-OKS
Our term “A-OK” is supposedly an abbreviation for “A(ll systems are) OK”, and arose in the sixties during the Space Program.

102. “Still Me” memoirist REEVE
The actor Christopher Reeve was most associated with his portrayal of Superman in the late seventies and early eighties. Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down when he fell from a horse in a jumping event in 1995. He passed away in 2004.

104. “Warrior” Oscar nominee NOLTE
The actor Nick Nolte got his big break playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, released in 1976. Prior to that he had worked as a model, and in fact appeared in a magazine advertisement for Clairol in 1972 alongside fellow model Sigourney Weaver.

“Warrior” is a 2011 film about martial arts. I am not really into martial arts films, but Nick Nolte did get an Oscar nomination for his role in the movie.

106. Stewart of “The Daily Show” JON
Jon Stewart is a political satirist and the current host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. Stewart started out as a stand-up comic, and took over “The Daily Show” from Craig Kilborn in 1999. Stewart is a great fan of the New York Times Crossword, and appears in the fabulous movie about the puzzle called “Wordplay” (if you love this crossword, you will love this fantastic film!). Stewart actually proposed to his wife using a personalized crossword that he created with the help of Will Shortz!

107. Fabled extraction THORN
In the story of Androcles and the lion, a runaway slave named Androcles takes shelter in a cave. Inside he finds a wounded lion. Androcles removes a thorn from the pad of the lion’s foot, and bandages the injured limb. Years later, Androcles is captured and is condemned to be devoured by wild animals in the Circus Maximus of Rome. The lion that he faces turns out to be the lion that he befriended, and so he is able to demonstrate to the crown in the Circus that he can tame the beast. As a result, the Roman Emperor pardons Androcles.

109. Shrimp dish SCAMPI
The Italian dish known as “scampi” is a serving of shrimp in garlic butter and dry white wine.

111. Soaps, say SERIALS
The original soap operas were radio dramas back in the fifties. Given the structure of society back then, the daytime broadcasts were aimed at housewives working in the home. For some reason the sponsors of those radio shows, and the television shows that followed, were soap manufacturers like Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Lever Brothers. And that’s how the “soap” opera got its name …

115. Caribbean metropolis HAVANA
Havana is the capital city of Cuba. The city was founded by the Spanish in the early 1500s after which it became a strategic location for Spain’s exploration and conquest of the Americas. In particular, Havana was used as a stopping-off point for treasure-laden ships on the return journey to Spain.

117. Stanley Cup filler? ICE HOCKEY DRINK (from “ice hockey rink”)
The Stanley Cup is named for Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Lord Stanley’s sons became avid fans of ice hockey while in Canada, and so he donated the trophy in 1909, originally as a challenge cup for the country’s best amateur club.

120. Pickup capacity ONE TON
A pickup is a small truck used to carry light loads. The term “pickup” probably comes from the use of the vehicle to “pick up” goods and then deliver them.

121. Piece of work? ERG
An erg is a unit of energy or mechanical work. “Erg” comes from the Greek word “ergon” meaning “work”. A dyne is a unit of force. The name “dyne” comes from the Greek “dynamis” meaning “power, force”. Ergs and dynes are related to each other in that one erg is the amount of energy needed to move a force of one dyne over a distance of one centimeter.

122. Film __ NOIR
The expression “film noir” has French origins, but only in that it was coined 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”.

124. It’s a wrap SARONG
Sarong is the Malay word for “sheath”, and a sarong was originally the garment worn by Malay men and women around their waists. The Malay sarong is actually a tube of fabric, about a yard wide and two-and-a-half yards “long”. Many variations of the sarong are worn all over South Asia and the Pacific Islands. I had occasion to wear one in Hawaii many years ago, and found it very … freeing!

126. Whitney and others: Abbr. MTS
Mount Whitney in California has an elevation of 14,505 feet making its peak the highest spot in the contiguous United States. Mt. Whitney was given its name in 1864 by members of the California Geographical Society who named it after Josiah Whitney, the State Geologist at the time.

Down
4. City on Utah Lake OREM
Orem, Utah was originally known as “Sharon” (a Biblical name), then “Provo Bench”, and in 1914 it was given the family name of a local railroad operator called “Orem”. Orem gave itself the nickname “Family City USA” and sure enough in 2010, “Forbes” rated Orem the 5th best place in the country to raise a family.

5. Ayn Rand and Mark Twain PEN NAMES
Ayn Rand was the pen name of Russian-American novelist Alisa Rosenbaum. Rand’s two best known works are her novels “The Fountainhead” published in 1943 and “Atlas Shrugged” in 1957. Back in 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City. Soon after, she gathered a group of admirers around her with whom she discussed philosophy and shared drafts of her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged”. This group called itself “The Collective”, and one of the founding members was none other than future Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was the real name of the author Mark Twain. Twain wasn’t the only pen name used by Clemens. Early in his career he signed some sketches as “Josh”, and signed some humorous letters that he wrote under the name “Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass”. The name of Mark Twain came from the days when Clemens was working on riverboats on the Mississippi. A riverboatman would call out “by the mark twain” when measuring the depth of water. This meant that on the sounding line, according to the “mark” on the line, the depth was two (“twain”) fathoms, and so it was safe for the riverboat to proceed.

7. “Name __ Tune” THAT
“Name That Tune” is a TV game show that actually started out on radio, in 1952. The show was most popular in the mid-to-late seventies.

11. Pre-coll. ELHI
“Elhi” is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from grades 1 through 12, i.e. elementary through high school.

12. General MD, to insurers PCP
Primary care physician (PCP)

13. Café order AU LAIT
Café au lait (“coffee with milk”) is usually strong, drip coffee to which one adds steamed milk. At least that’s the way we tend to make in this country.

14. “Soon will __, yes, forever sleep”: Yoda I REST
Yoda is one of the most beloved characters in the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice was provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

17. Hair removal choice NEET
The hair removal product “Neet” was launched in Canada in 1901, and was also sold as “Immac”. Today it is sold under the name “Veet”.

24. He shared the peace prize with Shimon and Yitzhak YASIR
Yasser (also Yasir) Arafat was born in Cairo in 1929, the son of two Palestinians and the second-youngest of seven children. Arafat was beaten by his father as a child and so did not have a good relationship with him. Arafat did not attend his father’s funeral, nor did he visit his grave. The beatings were apparently administered because the young Arafat was repeatedly attending religious services in the Jewish quarter of Cairo. Arafat’s explanation was that he wanted to “study the mentality” of the Jewish people.

Shimon Peres is an Israeli statesman who was born in Poland. A former prime minister, Peres is the current President of the State of Israel. Born Szymon Perski in Poland, Peres is now the oldest head of state in the world.

Yitzhak Rabin was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, and the first Prime Minister to have been born in the relatively young state of Israel. Rabin was a signatory of the Oslo Accords in 1993, along with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and US President Bill Clinton. Sadly, this led to his death as he was assassinated two years later by a right-wing radical who opposed the Accords.

32. Crab Key villain DR NO
“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. No and Fu Manchu.

35. Time of reckoning D-DAY
The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operations are to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

36. Heraldic border ORLE
In heraldry, an orle is a decorative band that lies close to the edge of the front-surface of a shield. With such a design, the orle necessarily takes on the shape of the shield.

37. Big name in TV talk RIPA
When Kelly Ripa secured the co-host spot on morning television with Regis Philbin, she was still acting in “All My Children” in a role she had been playing for over ten years. After a year of holding down two jobs, she eventually gave up the acting job.

38. Six-time U.S. Open winner EVERT
Chris Evert is a former professional tennis player from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Evert has the best winning percentage in professional tennis, man or woman worldwide, losing fewer than 10% of all her matches.

53. TV booking agent? DANNO
Danny Williams is a character on the TV show “Hawaii Five-O”, both in the original version that first aired in 1968 and in the remake that was first broadcast in 2010. The original, “Danno” is played by James McArthur. In the remake, Danno is played by Scott Caan, son of Hollywood actor James Caan. Book him, Danno!

55. Pluto suffix -CRAT
A plutocracy is a society in which a small minority of wealthy citizens dominate. The term comes from the Greek “ploutos” meaning “wealth” and “-kratia” meaning “rule”.

57. “Peer Gynt” playwright IBSEN
Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright, considered by many to be the greatest playwright since William Shakespeare. Ibsen was famous for shocking his audiences by exploring subjects that offended the sensibilities of the day (the late 1800s).

Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” is based on a Scandinavian fairy tale “Per Gynt”. The incidental music to the play, written by Edvard Grieg, is some of the most approachable classical music ever written, at least in my humble opinion …

58. Land on the Red Sea ERITREA
Eritrea is a country located in the Horn of Africa, surrounded by Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea. Some scientists believe that the area now known as Eritrea was the departure point for the anatomically modern humans who first left Africa to populate the rest of the world.

The Red Sea (sometimes called the Arabian Gulf) is a stretch of water lying between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Suez (and the Suez Canal) lies to north, and the Gulf of Aden to the south. According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, God parted the Red Sea to allow Moses lead the Israelites from Egypt.

61. Shelley or Milton ODIST
Percy Bysshe Shelley was an English Romantic poet. Shelley had strong views on vegetarianism. He was dedicated to the cause of all sentient beings, believing that the slaughter of animals by humans for the use of food was a barbaric practice. He wrote a famous essay on the subject called “A Vindication of Natural Diet” in 1813.

English poet John Milton is best known for his epic poem “Paradise Lost”. Milton also wrote several sonnets, the most famous of which is probably “On His Blindness”. The poet developed glaucoma which rendered him completely blind so he had to dictate a lot of his work, including the whole of “Paradise Lost”.

62. What “it” is in Sandburg’s “It sits looking over harbor and city” THE FOG
Writer and editor Carl Sandburg was heading to an interview with a judge one morning when he was taken by a view of the fog lingering over the Chicago harbor. He had to sit waiting forty minutes for the judge to turn up, so he wrote a poem called “Fog” …

THE fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

67. Mediterranean arm AEGEAN
The Aegean Sea is the part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece and Turkey. Within the Aegean Sea are found the Aegean Islands, a group that includes Crete and Rhodes.

68. Moon-based cattleman? LUNAR DROVER (from “lunar rover”)
Three countries have sent lunar rovers to the Moon. Famously, the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (aka “moon buggy”) carried American astronauts across the Moon’s surface, on the last three missions of the Apollo program in the early seventies. Before the landing of the Apollo vehicles, the Soviet Union sent two unmanned, remote-controlled rovers to the Moon, called Lunokhod 1 & 2. Years later, in 2013, the Chinese landed a lunar rover called Yutu (or “Jade Rabbit”.

70. Castle of dance IRENE
Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-wife team of ballroom dancers who regularly performed on Broadway at the start of the 20th century. The Castles have been credited with creating or at least popularizing the dance called the “foxtrot”.

74. “The Big Bang Theory” type NERD
Jim Parsons is an actor from Houston, Texas who is best known for playing Sheldon Cooper on the television sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. As of 2014, Parsons and his costars Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco are earning one million dollars per episode of the show.

84. Is shy, in a way OWES
To be “shy” is to be short, lacking. The term originated as gambling slang, meaning to owe money to the pot.

85. Bogotá boy NINO
Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia. Noted for having many libraries and universities, Bogotá is sometimes referred to as “The Athens of South America”.

92. Tiger Beat subject TEEN IDOL
“Tiger Beat” is a fan magazine published by Laufer Media that is marketed mainly to adolescent girls. I haven’t even heard of it, amazingly enough …

95. Greek war god ARES
The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

96. Ed’s pal of classic TV RALPH
Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton are two characters in “The Honeymooners”, played by Jackie Gleason and Art Carney.

The classic sitcom “The Honeymooners” only aired for 39 episodes, with the last being broadcast in September of 1956. However, the sitcom itself was based on a recurring sketch that appeared on “Cavalcade of Stars” and then “The Jackie Gleason Show” from 1951-1955.

97. Morning __ GLORY
Morning glory is the familiar name for many species of flowering plants.

99. Sean with the album “Friendly Fire” LENNON
Sean Lennon is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Sean’s godfather is Elton John.

103. Sister of Clio ERATO
In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

– Calliope (epic poetry)
– Clio (history)
– Erato (lyric poetry)
– Euterpe (music)
– Melpomene (tragedy)
– Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
– Terpsichore (dance)
– Thalia (comedy)
– Urania (astronomy)

104. Shell lining NACRE
Mother-of-pearl is another name for nacre. Nacre is the strong iridescent material laid down by some mollusks on the inside of their shells, and it’s also what makes up pearls. The creature lays down nacre as a defensive mechanism, protecting the soft tissue of its body from the rough surface of the outer shell. Similarly, it uses nacre to encapsulate harmful debris or a parasite that penetrates the shell, and that’s how a pearl is formed.

105. Greek ending OMEGA
Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and is the one that looks like a horseshoe. The word “omega” literally means “great O” (O-mega). Compare this with the Greek letter Omicron meaning “little O” (O-micron).

107. Pres. Jefferson THOS
Thomas Jefferson was the US’s first Secretary of State (under George Washington), the US’s second Vice President (under John Adams), and the US’s third president. Jefferson is a personal hero of mine, I must admit. Anyone interested in biographies of US presidents might like to read Jon Meacham’s “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power”. I highly recommend it …

108. Juliette’s role in “The English Patient” HANA
The wonderful Juliette Binoche is a French actress and dancer. Binoche is perhaps most recognized in the US for her Oscar-winning portrayal of Hana in the 1996 movie “The English Patient”. I must say that a favorite Binoche film of mine is the lighter “Dan in Real Life” from 2007.

The excellent 1996 film “The English Patient” is a romantic drama adapted from a 1992 novel of the same name by Michael Ondaatje. The very strong cast of “The English Patient” includes two of my favorite actresses: Kristen Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche.

110. Where to see étoiles CIEL
In French, one can see stars (étoiles) in the sky (ciel).

112. “Alfred” composer ARNE
“Alfred” is a sung work for the stage with music by Thomas Arne. “Alfred” was first performed as a masque in 1740. Arne further developed the piece into an oratorio that debuted in 1745, and then an opera that opened in 1753. The finale of all three versions is the stirring song “Rule, Britannia!”.

116. “The Ice Storm” director Lee ANG
Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

“The Ice Storm” is a 1997 drama film based on a 1994 novel of the same name by Rick Moody. Set in the seventies, it’s the story of two dysfunctional families celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. The film was a flop at the box office, despite having a fabulous cast and positive reviews from the critics. The cast includes Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood. Based on that alone, I am putting “The Ice Storm” on my “to see” list ..

119. Some GI duties KPS
KP is a US military slang term, and stands for either “kitchen police” or “kitchen patrol”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “__ and Son”: storytelling segment on “The Bullwinkle Show” AESOP
6. Racetrack letters STP
9. Chihuahua cheer OLE!
12. Coughed up, so to speak PAID IN
18. In the loop AWARE
19. Pad __: stir-fried noodles THAI
21. O’Hare initials UAL
22. Parish priest’s subordinate CURATE
23. Excavation that went on and on? SEVEN-YEAR DITCH (from “seven-year itch”)
26. Frat newbie PLEDGE
27. Leftover REMNANT
28. Small-capped mushrooms ENOKIS
30. Accessory for Beau Brummell ASCOT
31. St. Thomas hours AST
32. Tips to a lady, perhaps DOFFS
33. “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” musical EVITA
35. C, D and E, perhaps DO RE MI
39. First name in folk ARLO
40. Remarkable deed FEAT
41. L.A. commuter org. MTA
44. One-way chauffeur? DRIVER OF NO RETURN (from “River of No Return”)
48. Work OPUS
49. Carte postale mountains ALPES
50. Promote aggressively, in slang FLOG
51. Expected 2015 Sue Grafton title starter X IS
52. Mystery awards EDGARS
54. Revolution period? YEAR
55. Fiscal VIP CFO
56. “Whee!” YIPPEE!
59. The same way ALIKE
60. Ripped into TORE AT
63. Carlsbad Cavern critter BAT
64. Goes back (on) RENEGES
66. Berkeley school, familiarly CAL
69. Board game expert? DART HISTORIAN (from “art historian”)
72. Gov. Cuomo’s domain NYS
73. Get the old gang together REUNITE
75. Afore ERE
76. Jaguar filler PETROL
78. Dancer de Mille AGNES
79. Stick up for DEFEND
82. H.S. VIPs SRS
83. O’Neill’s daughter OONA
87. Serious shortage DEARTH
89. Bass tail? -OON
90. New York county whose seat is Buffalo ERIE
92. That is TO WIT
93. Pie shortening LARD
94. Required course for stunt performers? DANGER MANAGEMENT (from “anger management”)
98. “Tight” NFL position END
99. Brief missives? LTRS
100. NASA approvals A-OKS
101. Bit of education LESSON
102. “Still Me” memoirist REEVE
104. “Warrior” Oscar nominee NOLTE
106. Stewart of “The Daily Show” JON
107. Fabled extraction THORN
109. Shrimp dish SCAMPI
111. Soaps, say SERIALS
115. Caribbean metropolis HAVANA
117. Stanley Cup filler? ICE HOCKEY DRINK (from “ice hockey rink”)
120. Pickup capacity ONE TON
121. Piece of work? ERG
122. Film __ NOIR
123. Like much beer ON TAP
124. It’s a wrap SARONG
125. Pastoral place LEA
126. Whitney and others: Abbr. MTS
127. Sudden transitions LEAPS

Down
1. Remote cells? AAS
2. Painting pitcher EWER
3. Set aside SAVE
4. City on Utah Lake OREM
5. Ayn Rand and Mark Twain PEN NAMES
6. Surgical tube STENT
7. “Name __ Tune” THAT
8. Scorecard number PAR
9. Giving rain checks for OUT OF
10. Wants for LACKS
11. Pre-coll. ELHI
12. General MD, to insurers PCP
13. Café order AU LAIT
14. “Soon will __, yes, forever sleep”: Yoda I REST
15. Effort to get pop elected? DAD CAMPAIGN (from “ad campaign”)
16. “Let __” IT GO
17. Hair removal choice NEET
20. Socialism, e.g. IDEOLOGY
24. He shared the peace prize with Shimon and Yitzhak YASIR
25. About to endure IN FOR
29. Psychic SEER
32. Crab Key villain DR NO
34. Rooftop spinner VANE
35. Time of reckoning D-DAY
36. Heraldic border ORLE
37. Big name in TV talk RIPA
38. Six-time U.S. Open winner EVERT
39. Solvent AFLOAT
40. Coalesce FUSE
42. Opposite of smash TURKEY
43. Value ASSESS
45. Put on the block OFFERED
46. Brief exile? EXPAT
47. Best of the best TIPTOP
48. Look in a bad way OGLE
53. TV booking agent? DANNO
55. Pluto suffix -CRAT
57. “Peer Gynt” playwright IBSEN
58. Land on the Red Sea ERITREA
61. Shelley or Milton ODIST
62. What “it” is in Sandburg’s “It sits looking over harbor and city” THE FOG
65. Corny cookout plateful EARS
66. Phone home? CRADLE
67. Mediterranean arm AEGEAN
68. Moon-based cattleman? LUNAR DROVER (from “lunar rover”)
70. Castle of dance IRENE
71. Pine products RESINS
74. “The Big Bang Theory” type NERD
77. Towers LOOMS
80. Long spans EONS
81. Involuntary downward movement DEMOTION
84. Is shy, in a way OWES
85. Bogotá boy NINO
86. FYI kin ATTN
88. Man cave centerpiece HDTV
91. Do a fall chore RAKE
92. Tiger Beat subject TEEN IDOL
95. Greek war god ARES
96. Ed’s pal of classic TV RALPH
97. Morning __ GLORY
99. Sean with the album “Friendly Fire” LENNON
103. Sister of Clio ERATO
104. Shell lining NACRE
105. Greek ending OMEGA
106. Taunts JEERS
107. Pres. Jefferson THOS
108. Juliette’s role in “The English Patient” HANA
110. Where to see étoiles CIEL
111. Satiric segment SKIT
112. “Alfred” composer ARNE
113. Words with match or fire LIT A
114. Selfie, e.g. SNAP
116. “The Ice Storm” director Lee ANG
118. Dot follower? COM
119. Some GI duties KPS

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