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Constructed by: Julian Kwan
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Getting in the Way

We have some PHOTOBOMBING in today’s grid. Themed answers are all common phrases with two letters inserted. Collectively, those two letters spell out PHOTOBOMBING, as we descend the grid:

• 23A Ode to a much-loved Galaxy? : SOME PHONE LIKE YOU (PH + “someone like you”)
• 40A Magical ottoman? : ENCHANTED FOOTREST (OT + “enchanted forest”)
• 58A Constantly thinking about escaping? : BREAKOUT OBSESSION (OB + “breakout session”)
• 80A Intention of one without morals? : DOOM THE RIGHT THING (OM + “do the right thing”)
• 98A Must-haves for a fashion doll? : BARBIE NECESSITIES (BI + “bare necessities”)
• 116A Converse with one more party guest? : GO THE EXTRA MINGLE (NG + “go the extra mile”)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 15m 41s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Aural danger for Odysseus : SIREN

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were seductive bird-women who lured men to their deaths with their song. When Odysseus sailed close to the island home of the Sirens he wanted to hear their voices, but in safety. He had his men plug their ears with beeswax and then ordered them to tie him to the mast and not to free him until they were safe. On hearing their song Odysseus begged to be let loose, but the sailors just tightened his bonds and the whole crew sailed away unharmed. We sometimes use the term “siren” today to describe a seductively charming woman.

18 Edge or Firefox alternative : OPERA

Opera is a web browser that was developed in Oslo, Norway. It is a multi-platform browser that today is based on the Chromium engine maintained by Google (as is Google’s Chrome browser).

19 Camembert kin : BRIE

Camembert cheese is named after the place it was first produced, the commune of Camembert in Normandy in the north of France.

20 Penn State’s Nittany __ : LIONS

The athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University (PSU) are called the Nittany Lions, or in the case of the female teams, the Lady Lions. The Nittany Lion was introduced as a mascot way back in 1904 and is modeled after mountain lions that used to roam Mount Nittany located near the school’s campus.

22 Fabled second-place finisher : HARE

“The Tortoise and the Hare” is perhaps the most famous fable attributed to Aesop. The cocky hare takes a nap during a race against the tortoise, and the tortoise sneaks past the finish line for the win while his speedier friend is sleeping.

23 Ode to a much-loved Galaxy? : SOME PHONE LIKE YOU (PH + “someone like you”)

The Galaxy is a series of mobile computing devices made by Samsung that was introduced in 2009. Almost all of the Galaxy devices have used Google’s Android operating system, until a Windows 10 Galaxy device was introduced by Samsung in 2016.

26 Actress Kurylenko : OLGA

Olga Kurylenko is a Ukrainian actress and model. Kurylenko played the Bond girl Camille Montes in the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace”.

33 Political cartoonist Thomas : NAST

Thomas Nast was an American caricaturist and cartoonist. He was the creator of the Republican Party elephant, the Democratic Party donkey, Uncle Sam and the image of the plump and jocular Santa Claus that we use today.

36 Had tea, to a Brit : ATE

In countries historically influenced by Britain, the term “tea” is often used to describe several meals usually taken in the mid-afternoon to early evening. Afternoon tea is a light meal in the mid- to late afternoon. Typical fare served at an afternoon tea are sandwiches followed by cakes. A cream tea is a snack, one associated with the West Country of England. It usually consists of scones served with clotted cream, jam and a cup of tea. High tea is an evening meal typically eaten in the early evening, This is a meal historically associated with the working classes. When I was growing up, we had “dinner”, our main meal, in the middle of the day. Our evening meal was called “(high) tea”.

38 “Cat __ your tongue?” : GOT

The phrase “cat got your tongue?” is used to ask someone why he or she isn’t saying something. There are theories about the idiom’s etymology, and most favor an explanation that does involve our feline friends at all. Rather, the reference is to the cat o’ nine tails, a whip used in the past as a punishment on British naval vessels. The mere threat of the “cat” would render sailors speechless.

The cat o’ nine tails was a vicious instrument of punishment, particularly popular in the Royal Navy. The “cat” was made up of nine cord thongs and at the end of each thong was a knot. The specialty knot was aptly called a blood knot, and was designed to bite into the skin and draw blood. It was these “claws” at the end of the thongs, along with the nine “tails” that gave the name to the whip, the “cat o’ nine tails”.

40 Magical ottoman? : ENCHANTED FOOTREST (OT + “enchanted forest”)

The piece of furniture known as an ottoman can be a couch, usually one with a head but no back or sides. Here in the US, the term more commonly applies to a padded and upholstered seat or bench that can also be used as a footrest. The original ottoman couch came from the Ottoman Empire, hence the name.

48 Restrain, as one’s enthusiasm : BATE

To bate is to restrain, as in “with bated breath” meaning “with restrained breath”. “Bate” can also mean “lessen”, and is a shortening of “abate”.

51 Traditional fare of Japanese New Year : MOCHI

Mochi is a sweet rice cake in Japanese cuisine. Special versions of mochi are produced for certain times of the year or holidays, e.g. New Year, spring time, Children’s Day and Girls’ Day.

53 Rockefeller Center’s “American Progress” muralist : SERT

Catalan artist Josep Maria Sert was commissioned to paint a large mural for the west wall of the Grand Lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The work is titled “American Progress”, and features likenesses of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

57 Division symbols : OBELI

The division symbol consists of a horizontal line with a dot above and below. It is called an “obelus” (plural “obeli”). “Obelus” is the Greek word for “sharpened stick, pointed pillar”. Prior to 1659, the obelus was used as the symbol for subtraction, and not division.

62 HIIT unit : REP

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

63 “The Idol” star Lily-Rose : DEPP

French-American actress Lily-Rose Depp is the daughter of actors Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp. Lily-Rose’s godfather is rock musician Marilyn Manson.

“The Idol” is a drama TV show that aired for just one season in 2023. It stars Lily-Rose Depp in the title role, a pop idol trying to reclaim her reputation as a sexy pop star after she suffers a nervous breakdown. This one wasn’t received well, not well at all …

64 Scrooge outburst : BAH!

The classic 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has left us with a few famous phrases and words. Firstly, it led to popular use of the phrase “Merry Christmas”, and secondly it gave us the word “scrooge” to describe a miserly person. And thirdly, everyone knows that Ebenezer Scrooge uttered the words “Bah! Humbug!”.

66 Computer clickers : MICE

The computer mouse was invented at the Stanford Research Institute in 1963, by one Douglas Engelbart. Sadly for him, his patent ran out before mice became standard equipment on computers, so he never made any money from his amazing invention.

69 Give guidance : EDIFY

To edify is to provide instruction in order to improve spiritually, morally or intellectually. The intent is to “build up” someone’s faith or morality, and so “edify” comes from the Latin “aedificare” meaning “to build, construct”. This Latin root also gives us our word “edifice”, meaning “massive building”.

77 Easter preceder? : NOR’-

A nor’easter is a storm that blows from the northeast.

78 Upper arm muscles, briefly : TRIS

The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle’s name translates from Latin to “three-headed arm muscle”, fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.

79 Football stat : ATT

In football, a quarterback’s (QB’s) performance can be measured by attempts (ATT), a statistic (stat).

86 “The Cloister and the Hearth” author : READE

Charles Reade was an English author who came to public attention with a two-act comedy play called “Masks and Faces”. Reade turned the play into a prose story in 1852 that he called “Peg Woffington”. Reade also wrote a historical novel called “The Cloister and the Hearth” about a married man who becomes a Dominican friar on hearing that his wife has died. Years later he discovers that his wife is in fact still living and a struggle develops between the man’s obligation to family and his obligation to the Roman Catholic Church.

91 Avenue next to Reading Railroad : ORIENTAL

Oriental Avenue, Connecticut Avenue and Vermont Avenue are examples of properties in the US version of the game of Monopoly. The street names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The four railroad (RR) properties in the Monopoly board game are:

• Reading Railroad
• Pennsylvania Railroad
• B&O Railroad
• Short Line

95 Tennis great with a namesake stadium : ASHE

Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York opened in 1997, and is the largest outdoor, tennis-only venue in the world. The stadium was often criticized for not having a retractable dome to protect the playing surface from inclement weather. Well, that changed in 2016 when the stadium debuted its new retractable roof, a $150 million investment in the facility.

97 Kid’s cry : MAA!

Male goats are bucks or billies, although castrated males are known as wethers. Female goats are does or nannies, and young goats are referred to as kids.

98 Must-haves for a fashion doll? : BARBIE NECESSITIES (BI + “bare necessities”)

The famous Barbie doll was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler and first appeared on store shelves in 1959. Barbie was based on a German fashion doll called Bild Lilli that was introduced in 1955. Lilli had been a German cartoon character before taking on a three-dimensional form. Prior to the introduction of Bild Lilli and Barbie, children’s dolls were primarily representations of infants.

101 Raiding org. : ATF

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today is part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

102 Screening org. : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

105 Unit of speed that’s approximately 1.15 mph : KNOT

A nautical mile (sometimes “sea mile”) is a distance measurement that is about a one-minute arc of longitude at the equator. A nautical mile is also equal to about a one-minute arc of latitude along any meridian. The accepted length today is 1,852 meters. The unit of speed known as a “knot” is equal to one nautical mile per hour.

111 Gingerbread __ : MAN

The first documented use of gingerbread shaped in the form of human figures was in the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She used to have figures made to represent her important guests.

115 One side of a sports bet : OVER

An over-under bet is a wager that a number will be over or under a particular value. A common over-under bet is made on the combined points scored by two teams in a game.

123 SEC athlete in orange and blue : GATOR

The Florida Gators are the sports teams of the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. Sometimes the female teams are called the “Lady Gators”, and all of the fans make up the “Gator Nation”.

Down

1 “Mamma Mia!” duet for Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep : SOS

The ABBA 1975 song “SOS” was originally titled “Turn Me On”. In the movie “Mamma Mia!”, “SOS” is performed by Meryl Streep (brilliantly) and by Pierce Brosnan (terribly).

2 Stock market debut letters : IPO

An initial public offering (IPO) is a significant event for a company as it marks the first time it becomes a publicly traded company. IPOs are often accompanied by a so-called “lock-up period.” This is a period of time, typically 90 to 180 days after the IPO, during which company insiders, such as executives and early investors, are not allowed to sell their shares on the open market. The purpose of the lock-up period is to prevent a flood of shares from hitting the market and potentially driving down the price of the stock.

6 “The Last of Us” network : HBO

“The Last of Us” is a post-apocalyptic drama TV show that is based on a video game of the same name. The apocalypse in the storyline is caused by mass fungal infection that developed into a pandemic. Those infected turn into zombie-like creatures. Ugh …

8 Cinco de Mayo celebration : FIESTA

The celebration known as Cinco de Mayo is observed all over the US and in parts of Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is not, as some believe, Mexico’s Independence Day. Independence is celebrated on September 16, whereas Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5th. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

10 State animal of Utah : ELK

The legislature of Utah made the Elk the State Animal in 1971. Utah is the only state that has so honored the elk.

12 Spinning toy on a string : 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”.

13 Frosty’s makeup : SNOW

“Frosty the Snowman” is a song that was first recorded by Gene Autry, in 1950. The song was specifically written in the hope that it would become a follow-up hit to Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” that topped the charts the previous year.

15 Bamako’s country : MALI

Bamako is the capital of the African country of Mali. It is the fastest growing city on the whole continent. Located on the Niger River, the name “Bamako” translates from the local language as “crocodile river”.

21 Apollo or Ra : SUN GOD

In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of the goddess Artemis. Among other things, Apollo was worshiped as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, archery, as well as healing and plague.

Ra (sometimes “Re”) was the ancient Egyptian sun god. He was associated with the falcon, and was often depicted as a man with a falcon’s head.

24 Temporary tattoo medium : HENNA

Henna has been used for centuries as a dye, for leather and wool as well as hair and skin. In modern days, henna is often used for temporary tattoos.

30 Second wedding anniversary material : COTTON

Some traditional gifts for wedding anniversaries are:

• 5th: wooden
• 10th: tin
• 15th: crystal
• 20th: china
• 25th: silver
• 30th: pearl
• 40th: ruby
• 50th: gold
• 60th: diamond

35 Linen closet item : SHEET

The textile known as linen is made from flax fibers. The name “linen” probably comes from “linum”, which is Latin for both “flax” and “textile made from flax”.

42 Inflict (upon) : FOIST

The word “foist”, meaning “to pass off fraudulently as genuine”, comes from the Dutch word meaning “take in hand”. The original concept came from playing dice, in which one die was held surreptitiously in one hand.

43 Skateboard stunt : OLLIE

An ollie is a skateboarding trick invented in 1976 by Alan “Ollie” Gelfand. Apparently it’s a way of lifting the board off the ground, while standing on it, without touching the board with one’s hands. Yeah, I could do that …

44 Chef Lagasse : EMERIL

Emeril Lagasse is an American chef who was born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved celebrity as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

46 Absolute rubbish : TRIPE

“Tripe” is an informal term meaning “rubbish, of little value”. Tripe is actually the rubbery stomach lining of an animal such as a cow. Tripe is a traditional dish in British cuisine that is prepared by poaching it with onions in milk.

52 Underworld king : HADES

Hades was the god of the underworld to the ancient Greeks. Over time, Hades gave his name to the underworld itself, the place where the dead reside. The term “Hades” was also adopted into the Christian tradition, as an alternative name for hell. But, the concept of hell in Christianity is more akin to the Greek “Tartarus”, which is a dark and gloomy dungeon located in Hades, a place of suffering and torment.

54 Julia of “Leave the World Behind” : ROBERTS

Hollywood actress Julia Roberts is from Smyrna, Georgia. Roberts got her big break after starring opposite Richard Gere in the 1990 romantic comedy “Pretty Woman”. She was paid $300,000 for her performance in “Pretty Woman”, a little less than the $25 million paycheck she was to earn for appearing in 2003’s “Mona Lisa Smile”. Roberts was married for a couple of years to country singer Lyle Lovett, and her older brother is actor Eric Roberts.R

“Leave the World Behind” is a 2023 apocalyptic movie that is based on a 2020 novel of the same name by Remaan Alam. It stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke. I saw this one, and it held my attention, but didn’t really deliver in the end …

56 Mesopotamian civilization : ASSYRIA

Assyria was an ancient kingdom located on the Upper Tigris river in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), named for its capital city of Assur. According to the Bible, of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel, Ten Tribes “disappeared” when the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 720 BCE.

61 Moving image? : OP ART

Op art is also known as optical art, and puts optical illusions to great effect.

66 Baryshnikov nickname : MISHA

Mikhail “Misha” Baryshnikov started his dancing career with the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad before defecting to Canada in 1974. The only time my wife ever lined up to get an autograph was when she did so outside the stage door after seeing Baryshnikov dance in Syracuse, New York many moons ago. In her eyes, the man is a god …

67 Latin for “the rest” : CETERA

The Latin phrase “et cetera” translates as “and other things”. The term is usually abbreviated to “etc.”

72 Mr. and Mrs. : TITLES

“Mr.” is an abbreviation for “mister”, and “Mrs.” an abbreviation for “mistress”.

73 Ingredient in some vegan brownies : CAROB

The carob is a tree or shrub in the pea family that is mainly grown for its seed pods. The carob seeds are dried or roasted, and when powdered or chipped make a good substitute for chocolate.

75 Hawkeye : IOWAN

Iowa is nicknamed the Hawkeye State in honor of Chief Black Hawk, a leader of the Sauk people during the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War.

76 Novelist Zola : EMILE

The most famous work by French writer Émile Zola is his 1898 open letter “J’Accuse!” written to French president Félix Faure. The letter was published on the front page of a leading Paris newspaper, and accused the government of anti-Semitism in its handling of the trial of Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus was a Jewish military officer in the French army, falsely accused and convicted of spying for Germany. Even after the error was discovered, the government refused to back down and let Dreyfus rot away on Devil’s Island rather than admit to the mistake. It wasn’t until 1906, 12 years after the wrongful conviction, that Dreyfus was freed and reinstated, largely due to the advocacy of Emile Zola.

80 Fitness instructor Austin : DENISE

Fitness instructor Denise Austin was the chairperson of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition from 2002 until 2009. Denis is married to former tennis player Jeff Austin, brother of former world number-one tennis pro Tracy Austin.

81 Jon of “Napoleon Dynamite” : HEDER

Actor Jon Heder is probably best known for playing the title role in the 2004 comedy movie “Napoleon Dynamite”, as well as voicing the same character in the spinoff, animated TV series that goes by the same name.

“Napoleon Dynamite” is a comedy film released in 2004 that stars Jon Heder in the title role. The movie was a commercial success above and beyond expectations. “Napoleon Dynamite” was made on the relatively low budget of about $400,000, and yet grossed almost $45 million within a year. The title character is a nerdy high school student who spends much of life living in his fantasy world.

82 Persona non __ : GRATA

A persona non grata (plural “personae non gratae”) is someone who is not welcome. The phrase is Latin for “an unacceptable person”. The opposite phrase is “persona grata”, meaning “acceptable person”.

83 Head of servers? : IT MANAGER

In the world of computer science, a computer accessing a service is called a “client”. The service is provided on a computer called a “server”. These days, clients and servers often communicate via the Internet. I am typing up this blog post on my laptop (the client) and am connected via the Internet to the Google Drive service that resides on a computer somewhere (the server).

85 Obtain illegally : GRAFT

Grift is money made dishonestly, especially as the result of a swindle. The term is perhaps an alteration of the word “graft”, which can have a similar meaning.

87 Ideal way to graduate : DEBT FREE

That’s what I did, thanks to free university education back in Ireland. Just a thought …

92 Asian snack steeped in spices : TEA EGG

The tea egg is a dish from Chinese cuisine made by boiling an egg in water, cracking the shell, and then reboiling the egg in tea or a spiced sauce. Often sold as a snack food, the tea egg is also called a marble egg, referring to the marbled appearance of the cracked shell after boiling in a colored liquid.

99 Sonic waiter : CARHOP

Carhops are servers who bring food to customers in their cars at drive-in restaurants. The first carhops were seen at the Pig Stand restaurant in Dallas, Texas in 1921. These male employees would “hop” onto the running boards of cars as they entered the restaurant’s parking lot in order to quickly take the customer’s order, hence the name “carhop”.

SONIC Drive-In is a fast-food restaurant chain that is noted for its carhops who serve patrons on roller skates. SONIC was founded in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1953 as Top Hat Drive-In. The restaurant introduced curbside speakers to hasten the ordering process. This led to the adoption of the slogan “Service at the Speed of Sound”, and renaming of the chain to SONIC.

105 Tanzania neighbor : KENYA

Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, right on the equator. The country takes her name from Mount Kenya, the second-highest peak on the continent (after Kilimanjaro). The official languages of Kenya are English and Swahili.

Tanganyika was a former British colony that gained its independence from the UK in 1961. Three years later, Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar to form a new nation that soon adopted the name of Tanzania. “Tanzania” is a portmanteau of “Tanganyika” and “Zanzibar”.

107 Shape of a powerful office : OVAL

Although there have been several “oval” offices used by US presidents in the White House, the current Oval Office was designed and constructed at the bequest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The room has four doors. One door opens onto the Rose Garden; a second door leads to a small study and dining room; a third opens onto the main corridor running through the West Wing; the fourth door opens to the office of the president’s secretary.

109 Full house, in poker slang : BOAT

In early versions of poker, straights and flushes had no value as the game was focused on two, three, four-of-a-kind etc. Two-of-a-kind and three-of-a-kind in the same hand was “special” in those days as it was the only hand in which all five cards were of value. This hand was therefore called a “full” hand, which eventually became a “full house”.

110 Flour for some flatbread : ATTA

Atta is a whole-wheat flour used to make flatbreads in South Asian cuisine, such as chapati and naan. “Atta” is the Hindi or Urdu word for “dough”.

114 “That one’s mine!” : DIBS!

The phrase “to have dibs on” expresses a claim on something. Apparently, the term “dibs” is a contraction of “dibstone”, which was a knucklebone or jack used in a children’s game.

117 Triage ctrs. : ERS

Triage is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on the battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “sorting”.

118 Québec street : RUE

The name of the province Québec comes from an Algonquin word “kebec” meaning “where the river narrows”. This refers to the area around Quebec City where the St. Lawrence River narrows as it flows through a gap lined by steep cliffs.

120 Streaming annoyance : LAG

In Internet terms, lag is a delay in response caused by network latency. We might notice lag when streaming a video, for example.