Day: February 8, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
19. Contemporary of Burns BENNY
The comedic great Jack Benny’s real name was Benjamin Kubelsky. Benny was born in 1894 and passed away in 1974 at the age of 80. Although, when Benny was on stage he always claimed to be just 39 years old!

George Burns was the stage name of comedian and actor Nathan Birnbaum. Famously, Burns was married to Gracie Allen, who initially acted as “straight man” in their double act. The duo found that they got more laughs with Gracie acting as “Dumb Dora”, an arrangement that Burns and Allen stuck to for decades.

20. Central __ AMERICA
The definition of the term “Central America” varies, depending on who is using it. Here in North America, we usually define Central America as the lower part of the North American continent, comprising the seven countries south of Mexico and north of Colombia.

21. Red choice CLARET
“Clairet” is a dark rosé wine. Although it is uncommon today, clairet used to be the most common wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. For centuries now, English consumers have used the derivative term “claret” to describe all red wine from Bordeaux.

22. Movie about a second-place swordsman? BLADE RUNNER-UP (“Blade Runner” & “runner-up”)
“Blade Runner” is a cult classic, a sci-fi film made in 1982 loosely based on the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick. It was directed by Ridley Scott who regards “Blade Runner” as his most “complete” film. There is a phenomenon known as the “‘Blade Runner’ Curse”. An inordinate number of companies behind products that were displayed prominently in the movie found themselves in financial trouble soon after the movie’s release. Included in the list of troubled concerns are Atari, Cuisinart, Pan Am and the Bell System.

26. Fifth-century invader ATTILA
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.

27. As above, in footnotes IDEM
Idem is usually abbreviated as “id.” and is the Latin word for “the same”. In research papers idem is used in a list of references, in place of citations “already mentioned above”.

28. Logan of “60 Minutes” LARA
Lara Logan is a South African newswoman, and is currently the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for CBS News. CBS placed Logan on a forced leave of absence at the end of 2013 for comments that she made about the US Government’s culpability in the Benghazi attack and for inaccuracies in her reporting of the story.

The marvelous news magazine program “60 Minutes” has been on the air since 1968. The show is unique among all other regularly-scheduled shows in that it has never used theme music. There is just the ticking of that Aristo stopwatch.

29. Con opening NEO-
By definition, a neoconservative supports the use of American power and military to bring democracy, liberty, equality and human rights to other countries.

32. Syria’s most populous city ALEPPO
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and is located not far from Damascus, the nation’s capital. Aleppo owes it size and history of prosperity to its location at the end of the Silk Road, the trade route that linked Asia to Europe (and other locations). The Suez Canal was opened up in 1869 bringing a new route for transport of goods, and so Aleppo’s prosperity has declined over the past one hundred years or so.

35. Stupefyin’ Jones creator CAPP
Stupefyin’ Jones is a character in AL Capp’s famous comic strip “Li’l Abner”. Stupefyin’ was just that, a stunning-looking young lady who stupefied all males who caught sight of her.

39. Movie about a case of brilliance? THE SHINING EXAMPLE (“The Shining” & “shining example”)
In the 1980 film “The Shining”, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, the action takes play at the Overlook Hotel. Some of the scarier scenes takes place in the hedge maze that grows on the hotel’s grounds. “The Shining” was directed by Stanley Kubrick and stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. “Here’s Johnny!”

44. “Finale Ultimo” chorus in “The Sound of Music” NUNS
In the musical “The Sound of Music”, the “Finale Ultimo” (Grand Finale) is sung by a group of nuns. That last musical number is a reprise of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”.

47. Actress Vardalos NIA
Not only is the delightful Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn’t make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn’t a blockbuster but rather a so-called “sleeper hit”, a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, “My Big Fat Greek Life”. It ran for only 7 episodes.

48. Mudville dud CASEY
“Casey at the Bat” is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer, first published in the San Francisco Examiner. The poem became very popular due to repeated live performances in vaudeville by DeWolf Hopper. Casey played for the Mudville Nine, and the last line of the poem is “But there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.”

49. Per se AS SUCH
“Per se” is a Latin phrase, and it translates as “by itself”. We use “per se” pretty literally, meaning “in itself, intrinsically”.

52. Cocktail word for “strained” COLADA
“Piña colada” is a Spanish term which translates into “strained pineapple”. The Piña colada cocktail was introduced in the Caribe Hilton San Juan in 1954, and since 1978 it has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico. Yum …

54. “12 Angry Men” actor Cobb LEE J
Lee J. Cobb’s most famous film roles were in “12 Angry Men” released in 1957, and “On the Waterfront” released in 1954. Cobb found himself caught up in the net cast by the dreadful House Un-American Activities Committee and was blacklisted for two years as he refused to testify. Finding himself penniless and with five children to support, he eventually did appear in front of the committee and named twenty former members of the Communist Party USA, just to survive.

56. Movie about a morning mixer? THE BREAKFAST CLUB SODA (“The Breakfast Club” & “club soda”)
“The Breakfast Club” is a fabulous teen drama film (a genre which I usually avoid like the plague) released in 1985. It is directed by John Hughes, and stars Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy as the students at a Saturday school detention class.

61. Rembrandt van __ RYN
The celebrated Dutch painter’s full name was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (sometimes Ryn). Rembrandt is perhaps most appreciated for his portraits, and left the world a remarkable collection of self-portraits.

63. Some “MIB” characters ETS
“Men in Black” are said to have appeared in the past whenever there have been reports of UFO sightings. Supposedly, these men are government agents whose job it is to suppress reports of alien landings. The conspiracy theorists got their day in the movies with the release of a pretty good sci-fi comedy in 1997 called “Men in Black” (sometimes “MIB”), starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

64. Prefix with metric ISO-
The word “isometric” comes from Greek, and means “having equal measurement”. Isometric exercise is a resistance exercise in which the muscle does not change in length (and the joint angle stays the same). The alternative would be dynamic exercises, ones using the joint’s full range of motion.

67. 1977 Steely Dan album AJA
Steely Dan’s heyday was in the seventies when they toured for a couple of years, although the group mainly focused on studio work. The band was formed in 1972 and broke up in 1981. The core of the band reunited in 1993 and they are still going strong today.

68. Fisher daughter on “Six Feet Under” CLAIRE
Lauren Ambrose is an actress from New Haven, Connecticut who is perhaps best known for playing Claire Fisher on the HBO drama “Six Feet Under”.

“Six Feet Under” is reportedly a great TV drama aired on HBO, one that I fully intend to take a look at one day. The “six feet under” is a reference to the show’s storyline which features a family funeral business.

70. Eur. peak on the Decade Volcanoes list MT ETNA
There are 11 so-called “Decade Volcanoes” in the world. These volcanoes were listed as part of the UN-sponsored program called the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. A Decade Volcano is one that is deemed to deserve close study due to its history of eruptions and proximity to population centers. There is just one Decade Volcano on the North American continent, namely Mount Rainier in Washington.

73. Slammer PEN
“Slammer” and “pen” are slang terms for “prison”.

74. Milkweed features PODS
Common milkweed is a perennial herb that is found growing wild in much of North America. The plant’s name comes from the white latex sap that exudes when almost any part of the plant is cut or broken. The fruit of the common milkweed is a green pod, which dries out and turns brown before bursting open to disseminate fluffy seeds.

76. 911 responder, for short EMT
Emergency medical technician (EMT)

The first use of an emergency phone number nationally was in the UK in 1937, where the number 999 was introduced to call emergency services. If you need emergency services in the UK or Ireland to this day, you have to dial 999. It’s not really clear why 911 became the emergency number in the US. The most credible suggestion (to me) is that when it was introduced by the FCC in 1967, it was a number that “fit” with the numbers already used by AT&T for free services (211-long distance; 411-information; 611-repair service).

77. Game-winning line OOO
When I was growing up in Ireland we played “noughts and crosses” … our name for the game tic-tac-toe.

78. Austrian article EIN
“Ein” is an indefinite article in German.

80. Movie about remedial grammar? BACK TO THE FUTURE TENSE (“Back to the Future” & “future tense”)
In the fun 1985 movie “Back to the Future”, Marty McFly finds himself back in 1955, and is trying to get BACK to his FUTURE, which is 1985. But on the other hand, 1985 is really Marty’s present, before he went back in time. Why does time travel have to be so complicated …

86. River islets AITS
Aits are little islands found in a river. Aits aren’t formed by erosion, but by the deposition of silt over time. As a result, aits often have a long and narrow shape running parallel to the banks as the sediment builds up with the flow of the water. Many of the islands in the River Thames in England have been given the name “Ait”, like Raven’s Ait in Kingston-upon-Thames, and Lot’s Ait in Brentford.

92. “Selena” star, to fans J.LO
J.Lo is the nickname of singer and actress Jennifer Lopez. “J.Lo” is also the title of her second studio album, released in 2001.

Singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, known professionally simply as “Selena”, was murdered in 1995 by the president of her own fan club at the height of her career. In a 1997 biopic about Selena’s life, Jennifer Lopez played the title role.

95. Paper or plastic alternative TOTE
Because of local ordinances, folks around here mainly use tote bags instead of “paper or plastic” at the grocery store.

96. Movie about a gabfest getting out of hand? RAGING BULL SESSION (“Raging Bull” & “bull session”)
I just do not like boxing, nor movies about boxing, but I certainly accept that “Raging Bull” is true cinema classic. It is a biopic released in 1980, with Robert De Niro starring as Jake LaMotta, and ably directed by Martin Scorsese. Famously, De Niro gained about 70 pounds in weight to lay LaMotta in his early years, showing true dedication to his craft.

The phrase “bull session” was popularized by American college students in the 1920s. The term refers to a discussion, particularly between male friends.

104. It had a big part in “The Ten Commandments” RED SEA
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.

“The Ten Commandments” is an epic movie directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and released in 1956. The cast is as epic as the film, with Charlton Heston playing the lead role of Moses. Also appearing are Yul Brynner as Rameses, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Vincent Price as Baka and Anne Baxter as Nefretiri.

105. Tater SPUD
The word “spud” is used as a slang term for a potato and was first recorded in the mid-1800s, in New Zealand would you believe?

107. Denver winter hrs. MST
Mountain Standard Time (MST)

117. Naval attire PEA COAT
A pea coat is a heavy woolen outer jacket originally associated with sailors. Nowadays anyone wears them (they’re very comfortable and warm). The female equivalent of a pea coat is often called a Jackie O Jacket, apparently.

119. Movie about a Brownie coming of age? GONE GIRL SCOUT (“Gone Girl” & “girl scout”)
“Gone Girl” is a thriller novel written by Gillian Flynn that was first published in 2012. The story tells of a man whose wife has disappeared, with the reader not being certain if the husband is involved in the disappearance. The book was adapted into a movie of the same name released in 2014, starring Ben Affleck.

123. Like the Empire State Building ART DECO
New York City’s Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building from 1931, the date of its completion, until 1970 when the North Tower of the World Trade Center surpassed it in height in 1970. The Empire State Building was constructed in less than 15 months, handily beating the planned 18-month schedule.

124. Helped by the jet stream, as a flight EARLY
Jet streams are narrow air currents high in the atmosphere that move very quickly around the earth. The major jet streams surrounding our planet move in a westerly direction.

125. ATM part TELLER
Automated teller machine (ATM)

“To tell” can mean “to count”, as in “telling one’s blessings” and “there are 16, all told”. This usage of the word “tell” gives us the term “bank teller”.

127. Inscribed pillar STELE
Stelae (singular “stele” or “stela”) were used all over the world, sometimes as territorial markers and sometimes to commemorate military victories. In later times stelae were commonly erected as commemorative markers in graveyards or other religious sites.

Down
1. Group whose logo looks the same in a mirror ABBA
I am an unapologetic fan of ABBA’s music. ABBA was of course the Swedish group who topped the charts in the seventies and eighties. The name ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of the given names of each of the band members, namely: Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid. The logo used by ABBA has an axis of mirror symmetry between the two letters B, as the first B is written in reverse.

2. Shoemaker’s strip WELT
The welt of a shoe is a strip, often made of leather, that runs along the perimeter of the outsole. It is used to attach the shoe’s upper to the outsole.

3. Flying pest GNAT
Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and to vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.

6. Start of ancient Troy? TAU
The word “Troy” would start with the letter tau, if written in Greek.

Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, the letter which gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

The ancient city of Troy figures in the Trojan War of Greek mythology. The war started when Paris of Troy took the beautiful Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The history of the war is recounted in Homer’s “Iliad” (“Ilium” was the name used by the Greek for Troy). Despite the myth surrounding the city, Troy did exist, and was located in what is now part of Turkey, on the Aegean coast.

7. Upscale hotel chain OMNI
Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Irvine, California and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

9. First Nations tribe CREE
“First Nations” is a term used in Canada describing the ethnicity of Native Americans who are neither Inuit nor Métis people.

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US most of the Cree nation live in Montana on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

11. Horned Frogs’ sch. TCU
The athletic teams of Texas Christian University (TCU) are known as the TCU Horned Frogs. The Texas horned lizard is known colloquially as the “horned frog”.

12. Flower in trees? SAP
Sap flows (is a “flower”) through trees.

14. Laundry brand CLOROX
Clorox bleach was first produced by a business called the Electro-Alkaline Company in 1913, just a few miles from where I live here on the east side of San Francisco Bay. I use a generic version of Clorox as the source of chlorine for my swimming pool. It’s the same chemical solution as that sold for pools, just half as concentrated and a lot cheaper!

15. Pro __ RATA
“Pro rata” is a Latin phrase meaning “in proportion”.

16. The Gay ’90s, e.g. ERA
When looking back at the 1890s, here in America we sometimes refer to the era as the Gay Nineties. The term is associated with a time of emerging wealth in the days before income taxes were permanently levied on citizens. Back in the British Isles, the same decade is known as the Naughty Nineties, days of society scandals and the outrageous antics of the likes of Oscar Wilde.

25. Grumpy companion DOPEY
In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

– Doc (the leader of the group)
– Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
– Happy
– Sleepy
– Bashful
– Sneezy
– Dopey

28. Evian Championship co-sanctioning org. LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 lady golfers, and today it is the oldest ongoing women’s sports professional organization in the US.

The Evian Championship is an LPGA event held annually in Évian-les-Bains, France, home to Évian mineral water. The Evian Championship is one of two major championships on the Ladies European Tour and just about ties with the US Women’s Open as the richest event in women’s golf.

31. CNN founder Turner TED
Ted Turner’s big initiative in the world of business was the founding of CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel. Turner never graduated from college as he was expelled from Brown University for having a female student in his dormitory room. Years later, in 1989, Brown awarded him an honorary B.A.

33. Godiva competitor LINDT
The delicious Swiss chocolate sold under the Lindt brand name has its origins in a small confectionery store in Zurich in the 1840s. Lindt purchased our local chocolate company here in San Francisco (Ghirardelli) back in 1998.

Godiva is a brand of chocolates that was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1926. The founder chose the brand name in honor of the legend of Lady Godiva.

In the legend of Lady Godiva, a noblewoman rode naked through the streets of Coventry in England, basically as a dare from her husband in return for relieving the taxes of his tenants. Lady Godiva issued instructions that all the town’s inhabitants should stay indoors while she made her journey. However, a tailor in the town named Tom disobeyed the instructions by boring holes in the shutters on his windows, and “peeped”. As a result, Peeping Tom was struck blind, and the term “peeping Tom” has been in our language ever since.

34. “Giant Brain” introduced in 1946 ENIAC
The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for “Computer”). ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was designed to calculate artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it’s not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

35. Key of 20 Haydn symphonies C MAJOR
Josef Haydn was an Austrian composer, often called the “Father of the Symphony” due to his prolific output of symphonies that helped define the form. This is one of the reasons that he was known, even in his own lifetime, as “Papa Haydn”. Haydn was also the father figure among “the big three” composers of the Classical Period: Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Hayden was a good friend to Mozart, and a teacher of Beethoven.

38. Baja city ENSENADA
Ensenada is a city in Baja California, Mexico which sits on the coast about 80 miles south of San Diego. Ensenada is noted as a cruise ship destination, and is also a producer of outstanding wine.

41. Bojangles, e.g. HOOFER
“Hoofer” is an American slang term for a “dancer”.

Bill Robinson was a tap dancer and actor who often went by the nickname “Bojangles”. It was Bojangles who often danced with child star Shirley Temple in a whole series of films from the 1930s. He also starred in 1943’s “Stormy Weather”, a movie that was loosely based on Robinson’s own life.

45. Hero SUB
“Hero” is another name for a submarine sandwich. The hero originated in New York City in the 1800s among Italian immigrants who wanted an Italian sandwich that reminded them of home. The name “hero” was coined in the 1930s, supposedly by a food critic in the “New York Herald Tribune” when he wrote that “one had to be a hero” to finish the gigantic sandwich. Hero is a prevalent term to this day in New York City, reserved for a submarine sandwich with an Italian flavor.

50. Gator relative CROC
Crocodiles and alligators do indeed bear a resemblance to each other, although they belong to distinct biological families. One of the main ways used to distinguish them is by their teeth and jaws. Both the upper and lower sets of teeth of a crocodile are visible when its mouth is closed, whereas only the upper teeth of an alligator are visible with the mouth shut.

51. Computer company co-founder Bill HEWLETT
The giant multinational called HP (originally Hewlett-Packard) was founded in 1939 with an investment of $538, in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The company name would have been Packard-Hewlett if Dave Packard had won a coin toss!

55. Piano keys not played in a 35-Down scale EBONIES
The traditional materials used for manufacture of piano keys were ebony (black) and ivory (white).

57. Los __ ALAMOS
The town of Los Alamos, New Mexico takes its name from the Spanish for “the poplars” or “the cottonwoods”. Famously, it is home to Los Alamos National Laboratory which was founded during WWII to work on the Manhattan Project, the development of the first atomic bomb. The town of Los Alamos didn’t exist as such, until it was planned and constructed to support the employees working on development of the bomb.

58. A bad one can raise one’s score LIE
A golf ball with a bad lie (ball position) could cause a high score.

69. Hairy sitcom cousin ITT
In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family had a frequent visitor called Cousin Itt. Itt is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Cousin Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

70. Airy dessert MOUSSE
Our word “mousse” is an Old French term meaning “froth”.

72. Hold ’em opener ANTE
The official birthplace of the incredibly popular poker game of Texas hold ’em is Robstown, Texas where the game dates back to the early 1900s. The game was introduced into Las Vegas in 1967 by a group of Texan enthusiasts including Doyle Brunson, a champion often seen playing on TV today. Doyle Brunson published a poker strategy guide in 1978, and this really helped increase the popularity of the game. But it was the inclusion of Texas hold ’em in the television line-up that really gave the game its explosive surge in popularity, with the size of the prize money just skyrocketing.

75. Colleague of Thomas SCALIA
Antonin Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1986, and is now the longest serving member of the court. Justice Scalia’s minority opinions are known for the scathing language that he uses to criticize the Court’s majority.

Clarence Thomas is the second African American to serve on the US Supreme Court. Thomas replaced Thurgood Marshall who was the first American with African heritage to serve. Thomas is generally regarded as the most conservative member of the court. He doesn’t have a lot say, verbally anyway. Thomas made a joking remark in January 2013 during oral argument, the first time he had spoken at all during oral argument for almost seven years.

83. Paris’ __ des Beaux-Arts ECOLE
In France, an “École des Beaux-Arts” is a school of fine arts. The most famous such school is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts located on the left bank of the Seine in Paris, across the river from the Musée du Louvre.

85. Otolaryngology doc ENT
The branch of medicine known as “ear, nose and throat” (ENT) is more correctly called otolaryngology.

89. Lady’s friend TRAMP
“Lady and the Tramp” is a classic animated feature from Walt Disney, released in 1955. Who can forget the scene where the Tramp and Lady are “on a date” and together eat that one strand of spaghetti? So cute!

92. Patron saint of lost causes JUDE
Saint Jude was one of the twelve apostles, who also went by the name Thaddeus. In the Roman Catholic tradition, Jude is the patron saint of lost causes and desperate cases.

94. “America’s Dairyland”: Abbr. WIS
The state of Wisconsin is a leading producer of dairy products, and is particularly known for its cheese. The state’s licence plates have borne the motto “America’s Dairyland” since 1940.

99. Superdome team SAINTS
The New Orleans Saints football team takes its name from the jazz song “When the Saints Go Marching In”, a tune that is very much associated with the city. The team was founded in 1967, on November 1, which is All Saints’ Day in the Roman Catholic tradition.

The New Orleans Superdome was opened in 1975, and is the largest, fixed-dome structure in the world, covering 13 acres. The seating capacity varies depending on the event being staged, but the Rolling Stones attracted a crowd of more than 87,500 people in 1981. The primary purpose of the structure is to host home games for the New Orleans Saints football team. Famously, in 2005, the Superdome became a shelter of last resort for about 30,000 refugees in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

100. GM subsidiary OPEL
Adam Opel founded his company in 1863, first making sewing machines in a cowshed. Commercial success brought new premises and a new product line in 1886, namely penny-farthing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, leaving his two sons with a company that made more penny-farthings and sewing machines than any other company in the world. In 1899 the two sons partnered with a locksmith and started to make cars, but not very successfully. Two years later, the locksmith was dropped in favor of a licensing arrangement with a French car company. By 1914, Opel was the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Germany. My Dad had an Opel in the seventies, a station wagon (we’d say “estate car” in Ireland) called an Opel Kadett.

101. Drinks on a 90-Down NURSES
One might “nurse” one’s drink, drink it very slowly.

106. Old Venetian coin DUCAT
“Ducat” is a slang term for an item of money or for an admission ticket. The original ducat was a coin introduced by the Republic of Venice in 1284. Famously, at the climax of William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Antonio goes on trial because he cannot repay a loan to Shylock of 3,000 ducats. Faced with non-payment, Shylock demands his legal right to “a pound of flesh”.

108. Mustang that just arrived FOAL
A mustang is a free-roaming horse, a descendent from a once-domesticated animal. The English term comes from the Spanish “mesteño“ meaning “stray livestock animal”.

110. Mani go-with PEDI
Manicure & pedicure (mani-pedi)

115. Eponymous 18th-century agriculturist Jethro __ TULL
Jethro Tull was an Englishman who was a pioneer in the use of efficient techniques in farming. Tull’s contributions helped bring about the British Agricultural Revolution that dramatically increased the productivity of land between 1690 and 1700. And yes, the British rock band from the sixties named themselves after Jethro Tull.

118. Animation still CEL
In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Shucks!” AW GEE!
6. Alley roamers TOMCATS
13. Relatives of bolts SCREWS
19. Contemporary of Burns BENNY
20. Central __ AMERICA
21. Red choice CLARET
22. Movie about a second-place swordsman? BLADE RUNNER-UP (“Blade Runner” & “runner-up”)
24. Went around ROTATED
26. Fifth-century invader ATTILA
27. As above, in footnotes IDEM
28. Logan of “60 Minutes” LARA
29. Con opening NEO-
30. It might include problems TEST
32. Syria’s most populous city ALEPPO
35. Stupefyin’ Jones creator CAPP
36. Rocks, maybe ICE
39. Movie about a case of brilliance? THE SHINING EXAMPLE (“The Shining” & “shining example”)
44. “Finale Ultimo” chorus in “The Sound of Music” NUNS
46. Dire destiny DOOM
47. Actress Vardalos NIA
48. Mudville dud CASEY
49. Per se AS SUCH
52. Cocktail word for “strained” COLADA
54. “12 Angry Men” actor Cobb LEE J
56. Movie about a morning mixer? THE BREAKFAST CLUB SODA (“The Breakfast Club” & “club soda”)
61. Rembrandt van __ RYN
62. One who gives a hoot OWL
63. Some “MIB” characters ETS
64. Prefix with metric ISO-
65. Guns REVS
67. 1977 Steely Dan album AJA
68. Fisher daughter on “Six Feet Under” CLAIRE
70. Eur. peak on the Decade Volcanoes list MT ETNA
73. Slammer PEN
74. Milkweed features PODS
76. 911 responder, for short EMT
77. Game-winning line OOO
78. Austrian article EIN
79. Bard’s preposition ERE
80. Movie about remedial grammar? BACK TO THE FUTURE TENSE (“Back to the Future” & “future tense”)
86. River islets AITS
87. Steps in for ACTS AS
88. One might get a return SENDER
89. Pre-Little League game T-BALL
92. “Selena” star, to fans J.LO
93. Ton SLEW
95. Paper or plastic alternative TOTE
96. Movie about a gabfest getting out of hand? RAGING BULL SESSION (“Raging Bull” & “bull session”)
102. Agree silently NOD
103. Solo often in Italian ARIA
104. It had a big part in “The Ten Commandments” RED SEA
105. Tater SPUD
107. Denver winter hrs. MST
108. Big do FETE
109. Popular tablet IPAD
113. Blows ERUPTS
117. Naval attire PEA COAT
119. Movie about a Brownie coming of age? GONE GIRL SCOUT (“Gone Girl” & “girl scout”)
122. Laid-back AT EASE
123. Like the Empire State Building ART DECO
124. Helped by the jet stream, as a flight EARLY
125. ATM part TELLER
126. “Ah, it’s clear now!” YES, I SEE!
127. Inscribed pillar STELE

Down
1. Group whose logo looks the same in a mirror ABBA
2. Shoemaker’s strip WELT
3. Flying pest GNAT
4. Call the whole thing off END IT
5. Lace hole EYELET
6. Start of ancient Troy? TAU
7. Upscale hotel chain OMNI
8. Heal MEND
9. First Nations tribe CREE
10. Aviator AIRMAN
11. Horned Frogs’ sch. TCU
12. Flower in trees? SAP
13. Pickle SCRAPE
14. Laundry brand CLOROX
15. Pro __ RATA
16. The Gay ’90s, e.g. ERA
17. Messy-meal handouts WETNAPS
18. Church feature STEEPLE
23. Impetuous RASH
25. Grumpy companion DOPEY
28. Evian Championship co-sanctioning org. LPGA
31. CNN founder Turner TED
33. Godiva competitor LINDT
34. “Giant Brain” introduced in 1946 ENIAC
35. Key of 20 Haydn symphonies C MAJOR
36. Caught IN A TRAP
37. Plum position CUSHY JOB
38. Baja city ENSENADA
40. Put (away), as money SOCK
41. Bojangles, e.g. HOOFER
42. “Sorry, can’t stop to chat” I’M LATE
43. Whizzes ACES
45. Hero SUB
50. Gator relative CROC
51. Computer company co-founder Bill HEWLETT
53. Braying beast ASS
54. Sheen LUSTER
55. Piano keys not played in a 35-Down scale EBONIES
57. Los __ ALAMOS
58. A bad one can raise one’s score LIE
59. Trust DEPEND ON
60. Put off by AVERSE TO
66. Showed disdain SNEERED
69. Hairy sitcom cousin ITT
70. Airy dessert MOUSSE
71. Bottom lines TOTALS
72. Hold ’em opener ANTE
75. Colleague of Thomas SCALIA
77. O’er and o’er OFT
81. Brickmaking tool KILN
82. Lecture sites HALLS
83. Paris’ __ des Beaux-Arts ECOLE
84. Doesn’t allow to gather dust USES
85. Otolaryngology doc ENT
89. Lady’s friend TRAMP
90. Stool, often BAR SEAT
91. Inflame AGITATE
92. Patron saint of lost causes JUDE
94. “America’s Dairyland”: Abbr. WIS
97. Washday challenge GREASE
98. Outdo BETTER
99. Superdome team SAINTS
100. GM subsidiary OPEL
101. Drinks on a 90-Down NURSES
106. Old Venetian coin DUCAT
108. Mustang that just arrived FOAL
110. Mani go-with PEDI
111. A long time AGES
112. Rollers for high rollers DICE
114. Tiny sweater? PORE
115. Eponymous 18th-century agriculturist Jethro __ TULL
116. Eye sore STYE
118. Animation still CEL
119. Lively GAY
120. Vein contents ORE
121. Anagram of 120-Down ROE

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