LA Times Crossword Answers 1 Mar 15, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Prohibition specifics TABOOS
The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

7. Embodiment EPITOME
The more common meaning of “epitome” is a perfect example of a group, quality, type etc. An “epitome” is also an abstract or summary of a book or article.

19. Yukon neighbor ALASKA
Alaska was never a profitable colony for Russia, so the empire was probably glad to receive the $7.2 million forked out by the US in 1867. The US military ran Alaska for a while, until it was made officially into a territory in 1884.

Canada’s federal territory known as Yukon takes its name from the Yukon River. “Yukon” means “Big Stream” in the local Gwich’in language.

20. Supermodel Schiffer CLAUDIA
Claudia Schiffer is a model from Rheinberg in Germany who was at the height of her modeling career in the 1990s. For five years during the same period, Schiffer was engaged to illusionist David Copperfield.

24. Causes for pauses COMMAS
Our word “comma” comes into English via Latin from the Greek “komma” meaning “clause in a sentence”.

25. Bordeaux bud AMI
A male friend in France is “un ami”, and a female friend is “une amie”.

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine-production capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the German’s took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.

27. Worldwide cultural org. UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is better known by the acronym “UNESCO”. UNESCO’s mission is help build peace in the world using programs focused on education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The organization’s work is aimed in particular at Africa, and gender equalization. UNESCO also administers a World Heritage Site program that designates and helps conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to humanity across the world.

29. Adams and Grant AMYS
Amy Adams is an American actress. although she was actually born in Vicenza, Italy while her father was a US serviceman stationed on an Italian base. My favorite Amy Adams film so far is the outstanding “Julie & Julia” in which she acted alongside Meryl Streep. I highly recommend this truly delightful movie.

Amy Grant is known as “The Queen of Christian Pop” and her most famous songs are Gospel and Contemporary Christian works. Grant recorded two songs that made it to number one in the commercial charts: “The Next Time I Fall” (1981, duet with Peter Cetera) and “Baby Baby” (1991).

30. Fish order SOLE
The group of flatfish known as soles take their name from “solea”, the Latin word for “sandal”.

32. Exeter exams A-LEVELS
The UK’s education system was reformed in the fifties with the introduction of the General Certificate of Education (GCE). There were two levels of certification that could be awarded in most subjects. The Ordinary Level (O-Level) was a much less rigorous standard of examination than the Advanced Level (A-Level).

Exeter is a historic city in the county of Devon in the southwest of England. The city takes its name from the river on which it lies, the River Exe.

35. 1986 rock autobiography I, TINA
“I, Tina” is the 1986 autobiography of Tina Turner. The book was so successful it was adapted into a movie called “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” The film version was released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina Turner.

37. “Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1931” LIFE SENTENCE
Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents in his name in the US, and 2,332 patents worldwide.

46. ’80s IBM models XTS
The IBM XT was IBM’s follow-on model to the original IBM PC. It was released in 1983, and had a whopping 128kB of RAM, a 5¼ floppy drive and a huge 10MB hard drive. I remember it so well …

47. Eagle-eyed raptors ERNES
The ern (also erne) is also called the white-tailed eagle or sea-eagle.

“Raptor” is a generic term for a bird of prey, one that has talons to grip its victims.

51. C-ration successors MRES
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) comes in a lightweight package that’s easy to tote around. The MRE replaced the more cumbersome Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1981, a meal-in-a-can. In turn, the MCI had replaced the C-ration in 1958, a less sophisticated meal-in-a-can with a more limited choice.

58. Tries to buy, on eBay BIDS ON
eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb as part of a computer programmer’s personal website. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer collected broken laser pointers …

61. Bach choral works CANTATAS
The term “sonata” comes from the Latin and Italian word “sonare” meaning “to sound”. A sonata is a piece of music that is played, as opposed to a cantata (from Latin and Italian “cantare” meaning “to sing”), a piece of music that is sung.

Johann Sebastian Bach raised a very large family. He had seven children with his first wife, who died suddenly. He had a further thirteen children with his second wife. Of his twenty youngsters, there were four sons who became famous musicians in their own right:

– Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (aka “the Halle Bach”)
– Carl Philipp Bach (aka “the Hamburg Bach”)
– Johann Christoph Bach (aka “the Buckeberg Bach”)
– Johann Christian Bach (aka “the London Bach”)

66. Govt. assistance program SSI
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is federal program that provides financial relief to persons with low incomes who are 65 or older, or who are blind or disabled. The SSI program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) even though the the Social Security trust fund is not used for the SSI payments. The SSI payments come out of general tax revenue.

70. Econ. yardstick GNP
A country’s Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.

73. North of Nogales NORTE
Nogales (properly called “Heroica Nogales”) is a city in the Mexican State of Sonora. Nogales lies right on the Mexico-US border, opposite the city of Nogales, Arizona.

75. Hammer sites EARS
The middle ear is the portion of the ear immediately behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body. The ossicles’ job is to transmit sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The shape of the bones gives rise to their common names: the hammer, anvil and stirrup.

78. They’re deliberately broken so they can be fixed EGGS
You’ve got to break some eggs in order to fix (cook) eggs for breakfast, say.

82. Vicious and others SIDS
Sid Vicious was a famous English musician, the best-known member of the seventies punk rock group called the Sex Pistols. In 1978, Vicious woke up out of a drugged stupor in his hotel room in New York, to find his girlfriend stabbed to death in the bathroom. Vicious was charged with the murder, and ten days later sliced his wrist in a suicide attempt. Vicious made bail a few months later and at a celebratory party his own mother supplied him with heroin on which Vicious overdosed and died, at the age of 21.

84. Kitchen toppers TOQUES
A toque was a brimless style of hat that was very fashionable in Europe in the 13th to 16th centuries. Nowadays we associate toques with chefs, as it is the name given to a chef’s hat (called a “toque blanche” in French, a “white hat”). A chef’s toque is quite interesting. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats, often said to signify the number of ways that an egg can be cooked.

86. Gator tail? -ADE
Gatorade was developed at the University of Florida by a team of researchers at the request of the school’s football team. And so, Gatorade is named after the Gators football team.

87. Hairy “pet” CHIA
Chia is a flowering plant in the mint family. Chia seeds are an excellent food source and are often added to breakfast cereals and energy bars. There is also the famous Chia Pet, an invention of a San Francisco company. Chia Pets are terracotta figurines to which are applied moistened chia seeds. The seeds sprout and the seedlings become the “fur” of the Chia Pet.

89. R&B group __ Hill DRU
Dru Hill is an R&B singing group from Baltimore, Maryland. Dru Hill was formed in 1992, and is still going strong today. The name “Dru Hill” comes from Druid Hill Park which is found on the west side of Baltimore.

90. Start to foam? STYRO-
Styrofoam is an extruded polystyrene foam made by The Dow Chemical Company. Styrofoam has loads of applications, including home insulation and use as a buoyancy aid.

92. White wine apéritif KIR
Kir is a French cocktail, made by adding a teaspoon or so of creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to a glass, and then topping it off with white wine. The drink is named after Felix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, who used to offer the drink to his guests. My wife (expensive tastes!) is particularly fond of a variant called a Kir Royale, in which the white wine is replaced with champagne.

93. FDR and JFK INITS
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the only child of Sara Delano and James Roosevelt Sr. The Delano family history in America goes back to the pilgrim Philippe de Lannoy, an immigrant of Flemish descent who arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The family name “de Lannoy” was anglicized here in the US, to “Delano”.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was the son of Joe Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald, hence the president’s double-barreled name.

100. Farm call SOOEY!
“Sooey!” is a shout used to call pigs.

102. StubHub offerings TICKETS
StubHub! is an online ticket exchange business that is owned by eBay. StubHub! acts as the middleman between buyers and seller of event tickets, whether those buyers and sellers are individuals or large organizations.

103. Actress Gilbert of “The Big Bang Theory” SARA
The actress Sara Gilbert really grew up playing Darlene on the sitcom “Roseanne” from 1988 to 1997. Today Gilbert appears fairly often on another hit sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory”. You can also see her on the daytime talk show called “The Talk”, a show that she actually created herself.

107. Riga resident LETT
Latvia is one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics. People from Latvia are called Letts.

Riga is the capital city of Latvia. The historical center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared as such because of the city’s magnificent examples of Art Nouveau architecture.

112. “Let __ There”: Newton-John hit ME BE
Olivia Newton-John is an Australian singer and actress, although she was born in Cambridge, England. Newton-John’s father was an officer in the British Security Services and worked on the Enigma code-breaking project during WWII. Through her mother, Olivia is also the granddaughter of Max Born, the atomic physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

115. Panini cheese ASIAGO
Asiago is a crumbly cheese, named after the region in northeastern Italy from where it originates.

In Italy, a sandwich made from sliced bread is called a “tramezzino”, while sandwiches made from non-sliced breads are called “panini” (singular “panino”). We’ve imported the term “panini” into English to mean a pressed and toasted sandwich.

122. Control on a wing AILERON
In traditional aircraft designs, pitch is controlled by the elevator and roll is controlled by the aileron. On some newer aircraft these two functions are combined into single control surfaces called “elevons”.

124. Ecclesiastical council SYNOD
The word synod comes from the Greek word for assembly, or meeting. A synod is a church council, usually in the Christian faith.

126. City where the Alcázar is located TOLEDO
The Alcázar of Toledo is a stone fortress and former palace located at the highest part of the Spanish city. “Alcázar” is the name given to Spanish and Portuguese castles that were used as primary residences by kings. The term comes from the Arabic “al-qasr” meaning “fort, palace”.

Down
1. Salamanca snacks TAPAS
“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”, and there is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

Salamanca is a city and province in the commune of Castile and León in northwestern Spain. The University of Salamanca is the oldest university in the country, having been founded in 1218.

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

3. Pho soup garnish BASIL
“Pho” is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food.

4. Org. that employed Julia Child during WWII OSS
Julia Child was the American chef who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public. During WWII, Julia Child joined the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services), the predecessor to the CIA. She worked for the OSS in Washington, Ceylon and China. While in the OSS, she met her husband Paul Child who was also an OSS employee. Paul joined the Foreign Service after the war, and it was his posting to France that created the opportunity for Julie to learn about French cuisine. If you haven’t seen it, I highly, highly recommend the movie “Julie & Julia”, one of the best films of 2009. Meryl Streep does a fabulous job playing the larger-than-life Julia Child.

5. Steinbeck’s Tom Joad, e.g. OKIE
Tom Joad is a character in the John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”. The role of Joad was played by Henry Fonda in the 1940 film adaptation directed by John Ford. Ford’s movie has a place in history, as it was one of the first 25 movies selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

6. Capital east of Gallup SANTA FE
Santa Fe is New Mexico’s capital, and the fourth most-populous city in the state (after Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho). Sitting at 7,199 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the US. The city’s name translates from Spanish as “Holy Faith”. The full name of the city when it was founded in 1607 was “La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís”, meaning “the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi”.

The city of Gallup, New Mexico was founded in 1881 as a railroad town. It was named for a paymaster named David Gallup, who worked for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. Gallup is located on the historic US Route 66.

7. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” source: Abbr. ECCLES
Ecclesiastes is a book in the Hebrew Bible and in the Old Testament. The term “ecclesiastes” is usually translated as “teacher” or “preacher”, although a more literal translation is “gatherer”.

There aren’t many pop hits that have lyrics taking almost entirely from the Bible. Pete Seeger took some words from the Book of Ecclesiastes, and set them to music in 1959, using the title “To Everything There Is a Season”. He recorded the song in 1962 for one of his albums. It wasn’t until it was recorded by the Byrds as “Turn! Turn! Turn!” that the song climbed the charts. It’s a nice contemplative song, I always think …

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

9. “Who __”: 2001 #1 country hit I AM
“Who I Am” is a 2000 single released by Jessica Andrews that made it to the top of the country charts in 2001.

11. Danish seaport ODENSE
Odense is a city in Denmark, named after the Norse god Odin. One of the most famous sons of Odense was Hans Christian Anderson, the author of children’s stories.

12. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” possessive MINE
In 1856 William Steffe wrote the tune that was eventually used for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Before long it was one of the most popular tunes of the day, sung with a number of different lyrics. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Thomas Bishop composed lyrics to a famous abolitionist version of the tune, “John Brown’s Body”. The word’s to “John Brown’s Body” became less remembered than the strident melody, so Julia Ward Howe wrote the famous patriotic lyrics that spread through the ranks of the Union forces under the title of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.

14. Pvt. address APO
Army Post Office (APO)

15. It’s often grated ROMANO
“Romano” is actually an American term, and is used for a selection of hard and salty cheeses that are typically grated. One of these cheeses is the Italian Pecorino Romano, from which we get the more generic term “Romano”.

17. Anthem opener O SAY
“O say can you see by the dawn’s early light” us the opening line of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key.

18. Prohibition notable NESS
Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

21. Alexander Graham Bell, e.g. SCOT
Alexander Graham Bell was an inventor and scientist from Edinburgh, Scotland who later lived in Canada and the US. Both his wife and his mother were deaf, a fact that led to Bell spending much of life researching hearing and speech. Bell’s work on hearing devices led to the invention of the telephone. Paradoxically, Bell hated the telephone and refused to have one in the study of his home where he worked. I am with him on this one, as I hate the phone myself …

28. Diez squared CIEN
In Spanish, ten (diez) squared is one hundred (cien).

34. Frodo’s forest friends ENTS
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”.

Frodo Baggins is a principal character in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Frodo is a Hobbit, and was charged with the quest of destroying Sauron’s Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

36. Words before many words IN SO
Not in so many words …

38. Texting shrug IDK
I don’t know (IDK)

39. Space __ NEEDLE
The famed Seattle landmark called the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. It stands at a height of 605 feet, and was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.

40. Increasingly rare screens CRTS
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

43. Shopping club SAM’S
Sam’s Club is owned and operated by Walmart and is named after the company’s founder, Sam Walton.

48. Causes of unusual weather EL NINOS
When the surface temperature of much of the Pacific Ocean rises more that half a degree centigrade, then there is said to be an El Niño episode. That small temperature change in the Pacific has been associated with climatic changes that can stretch right across the globe. El Niño is Spanish for “the boy” and is a reference to the Christ child. The phenomenon was given this particular Spanish name because the warming is usually noticed near South America and around Christmas-time.

50. Tic __ TACS
Tic Tacs aren’t American candy (as I always mistakenly believed). Tic Tacs are made by the Italian company Ferrero, and were introduced in 1969.

52. ’60s secretary of state RUSK
Dean Rusk was Secretary of State in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Rusk served for eight years, making him the second-longest serving Secretary of State in US history.

53. Leaves painfully JILTS
To “jilt” someone with whom you have a relationship is to drop them suddenly or callously. “Jilt” is an obsolete noun that used to mean “harlot” or “loose woman”.

55. LSAT cousin GRE
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been around since 1948.

57. Supporter of a strong, centralized government STATIST
Statism is the political philosophy that the state should control economic and social policy. The belief that the state should not be involved in either policy is known as anarchism.

58. What a sports star may sport BEARD
Decades ago, the wearing of beards were prohibited in many sports. In recent years, it seems to have become fashionable for players to wear beards throughout a season, or until a tournament has ended.

59. Company founded by Gem State brothers ORE-IDA
Ore-Ida frozen foods are all made with potatoes. The company was founded by two brothers from Idaho in 1952, and is located in Oregon, just across the border from Idaho. “Ore-Ida” is a melding of the two state names.

Idaho has the nickname the Gem State, mainly because almost every known type of gemstone has been found there. Idaho is also sometimes called the Potato State as potatoes are such a popular crop in the state.

62. Condensed, condensed ABR
Abridged (abr.)

65. Paper size: Abbr. LTR
Letter (ltr.)

71. Some iPods NANOS
The iPod Nano is the successor to the iPod Mini and was introduced to the market at the end of 2005. There have been seven versions of the Nano to date and the current Nano as well as playing tunes is an FM player, records voice memos, has a pedometer and can connect with external devices (like a heart monitor, maybe) using Bluetooth technology.

74. The Cowboys of the Big 12: Abbr. OSU
The athletic teams of Oklahoma State University are called the Cowboys, and the Cowgirls.

77. March followers APRILS
The exact etymology of “April”, the fourth month of our year, seems to be uncertain. The ancient Romans called it “mensis Aprilis”, which roughly translated as “opening month. The suggestion is that April is the month in which fruits, flowers and animals “open” their life cycles.

78. SFO postings ETDS
Estimated time of departure (ETD)

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) serves as the main base of operations for Virgin America, and is also the maintenance hub for United Airlines. SFO was the site of a crash of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that resulted in three fatalities. My wife and I had flown into SFO 24 hours earlier. That tends to be sobering …

79. Quayle follower GORE
Former Vice President Al Gore was a joint recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 in recognition for his work in climate change activism. He also won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for his book on climate change called “An Inconvenient Truth”. The documentary of the same name that was spawned by the book won an Academy Award. In addition, Gore won an Emmy as co-owner of Current TV, an independent news network.

Dan Quayle served as both a US Representative and a US Senator from Indiana before becoming the 44th Vice President, under President George H. W. Bush. Quayle refused to run for office in 1996, going up against the Clinton/Gore ticket, but entered the fray again in 2000 seeking the Republican nomination for president. Ironically, he was defeated by the son of his former Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush.

81. Vocalist Vikki CARR
Vikki Carr is the stage name of singer Florencia Bisenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona, born in El Paso. Most of Carr’s success came with songs released in Spanish, but also had a big hit in 1967 with the English-language song “It Must Be Him”.

82. Green 2001 title hero SHREK
Before “Shrek” was a successful movie franchise and Broadway musical, it was a children’s picture book called “Shrek!” authored and illustrated by William Steig. The title “Shrek!” came from the German/Yiddish word Schreck, meaning “fear” or “terror”.

85. Canadian pump name ESSO
The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

87. Pub. concern CIRC
A publisher (pub.) is concerned with circulation (circ.).

88. “Bird-Wire” link ON A
“Bird on a Wire” is a fun film released in 1990, starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn. The movie title comes from the Leonard Cohen song “Bird on the Wire”.

91. It has a string attached YO-YO
Would you believe that the first yo-yos date back to 500 BC? There is even an ancient Greek vase painting that shows a young man playing with a yo-yo. Centuries later Filipinos were using yo-yos as hunting tools in the 1500s. “Yo-yo” is a Tagalog (Filipino) word meaning “come-come” or simply “return”.

92. Big name in stunt jumping KNIEVEL
Daredevil Evel Knievel contracted hepatitis C from the many blood transfusions that he needed after injuries incurred during stunts. He had to have a liver transplant as a result, but his health declined after that. Knievel eventually passed away in 2007.

97. Number one Hun 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.

99. Column couple ITEM
An unmarried couple known to be involved with each other might appear in the gossip columns. This appearance as “an item” in the papers, led to the use of “item” to refer to such a couple, but only since the very early seventies.

101. Tar Heel State campus ELON
Elon is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, close to the city of Burlington. Elon University is a private liberal arts school founded in 1889.

Tar Heel is a nickname for anyone living in, or from, the state of North Carolina. As such, it is the nickname also of the athletic teams of the University of North Carolina. No one seems to know for sure where the term “Tar Heel” originated, but it is thought to be related to the historical importance of the tar, pitch and turpentine industries that thrived in the state due to the presence of vast forests of pine trees.

108. Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, e.g. ESPY
“Jimmy V” was the nickname of basketball player, coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano. Valvano made a memorable speech at the first ESPY awards ceremony in 1993, which included the words:
To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.
Jimmy V passed away from bone cancer less than two months later.

110. Bk. reviewers? CPAS
Certified public accountant (CPA)

111. Singer India.__ ARIE
India.Arie is an American soul and R&B singer, born India Arie Simpson.

113. Old Bruin nickname ESPO
Phil “Espo” Esposito is a former professional hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

116. Word on U.S. coins GOD
“In God we trust” was adopted as the official motto of the US in 1956. The phrase apparently originated in the national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, the words of which were written during the War of 1812. The actual wording in the anthem is “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust’”. Over time, these words evolved to “In God we trust”.

118. Celestial altar ARA
The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.

120. Muppet monkey Minella SAL
Sal Minella is a Muppet character, the bodyguard for fellow muppet Johnny Fiama that is modeled after Frank Sinatra.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Prohibition specifics TABOOS
7. Embodiment EPITOME
14. Bad flareup? ARSON
19. Yukon neighbor ALASKA
20. Supermodel Schiffer CLAUDIA
21. Ring bearer, often SPOUSE
22. “I got a C” PASSING COMMENT
24. Causes for pauses COMMAS
25. Bordeaux bud AMI
26. End of a series, briefly ET AL
27. Worldwide cultural org. UNESCO
29. Adams and Grant AMYS
30. Fish order SOLE
32. Exeter exams A-LEVELS
35. 1986 rock autobiography I, TINA
37. “Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1931” LIFE SENTENCE
41. Bases for deviation NORMS
44. Put up with ABIDE
46. ’80s IBM models XTS
47. Eagle-eyed raptors ERNES
49. Word from a pro YEA
50. Rig TRUCK
51. C-ration successors MRES
53. __ set JET
54. Obstacle to progress LOGJAM
56. Atmospheric prefix AERI-
57. French for “under” SOUS
58. Tries to buy, on eBay BIDS ON
60. Arrivals at home? RUNS
61. Bach choral works CANTATAS
63. Market order SELL
64. Worked (up) RILED
66. Govt. assistance program SSI
67. “This is my fishing spot–please find your own” BANK STATEMENT
70. Econ. yardstick GNP
73. North of Nogales NORTE
75. Hammer sites EARS
76. Grade school exhibits DIORAMAS
78. They’re deliberately broken so they can be fixed EGGS
80. Oft-swiped item ID CARD
82. Vicious and others SIDS
83. Little houses on the prairie PENS
84. Kitchen toppers TOQUES
86. Gator tail? -ADE
87. Hairy “pet” CHIA
88. “Ready __ … ” OR NOT
89. R&B group __ Hill DRU
90. Start to foam? STYRO-
92. White wine apéritif KIR
93. FDR and JFK INITS
94. Moves very slowly SEEPS
96. “Heart, liver, kidneys, … ” ORGAN RECITAL
100. Farm call SOOEY!
102. StubHub offerings TICKETS
103. Actress Gilbert of “The Big Bang Theory” SARA
107. Riga resident LETT
109. Pinpoint LOCATE
112. “Let __ There”: Newton-John hit ME BE
114. Price __ WAR
115. Panini cheese ASIAGO
117. “I survived boot camp!” PRIVATE MESSAGE
121. Exactly right SPOT ON
122. Control on a wing AILERON
123. Just-in-case items SPARES
124. Ecclesiastical council SYNOD
125. Weatherproofing application SEALANT
126. City where the Alcázar is located TOLEDO

Down
1. Salamanca snacks TAPAS
2. Memorable shrine ALAMO
3. Pho soup garnish BASIL
4. Org. that employed Julia Child during WWII OSS
5. Steinbeck’s Tom Joad, e.g. OKIE
6. Capital east of Gallup SANTA FE
7. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” source: Abbr. ECCLES
8. Gaza Strip gp. PLO
9. “Who __”: 2001 #1 country hit I AM
10. Uproars TUMULTS
11. Danish seaport ODENSE
12. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” possessive MINE
13. Wolfs down EATS
14. Pvt. address APO
15. It’s often grated ROMANO
16. “That’s the worst synopsis I’ve ever read!” SUMMARY JUDGMENT
17. Anthem opener O SAY
18. Prohibition notable NESS
21. Alexander Graham Bell, e.g. SCOT
23. Major blow GALE
28. Diez squared CIEN
31. Draw out ELICIT
33. Aggravates VEXES
34. Frodo’s forest friends ENTS
36. Words before many words IN SO
38. Texting shrug IDK
39. Space __ NEEDLE
40. Increasingly rare screens CRTS
42. Average MEAN
43. Shopping club SAM’S
44. Gray ones are debatable AREAS
45. “Do you know how to copy this disk?” BURNING QUESTION
48. Causes of unusual weather EL NINOS
50. Tic __ TACS
51. Sounded like the wind MOANED
52. ’60s secretary of state RUSK
53. Leaves painfully JILTS
55. LSAT cousin GRE
57. Supporter of a strong, centralized government STATIST
58. What a sports star may sport BEARD
59. Company founded by Gem State brothers ORE-IDA
62. Condensed, condensed ABR
63. Gawk STARE
65. Paper size: Abbr. LTR
68. Salt SEA DOG
69. 16th-century date MDII
71. Some iPods NANOS
72. Head-turner of a sort PSST!
74. The Cowboys of the Big 12: Abbr. OSU
77. March followers APRILS
78. SFO postings ETDS
79. Quayle follower GORE
81. Vocalist Vikki CARR
82. Green 2001 title hero SHREK
85. Canadian pump name ESSO
87. Pub. concern CIRC
88. “Bird-Wire” link ON A
91. It has a string attached YO-YO
92. Big name in stunt jumping KNIEVEL
93. “We did the right thing” IT’S BEST
95. Chip source POTATO
97. Number one Hun ATTILA
98. Binding material CEMENT
99. Column couple ITEM
101. Tar Heel State campus ELON
104. Tuned in AWARE
105. Flowed furiously RAGED
106. Sandbox rebuttal ARE SO!
107. Girl LASS
108. Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, e.g. ESPY
110. Bk. reviewers? CPAS
111. Singer India.__ ARIE
113. Old Bruin nickname ESPO
116. Word on U.S. coins GOD
118. Celestial altar ARA
119. Gross __ TON
120. Muppet monkey Minella SAL

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