LA Times Crossword Answers 7 Apr 13, Sunday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Don Gagliardo & Barbie Gagliardo
THEME: PC Connections … each of today’s theme answers is two words, the first starting with P and the second with C. Each of the across PC answers is “connected” to a down PC answer as they cross in the grid:

23A. Track team PIT CREW
25A. Betty Boop feature PIN CURL
34A. Where to see a guest’s name PLACE CARD
70A. Solo product PLASTIC CUP
73A. Restaurant specialist PASTRY CHEF
106A. Burgess’s “I’d rather see than be one” critter PURPLE COW
118A. It has a tip, a shaft and a butt POOL CUE
122A. Talladega leader PACE CAR
3D. Vet visitor’s burden PET CRATE
10D. Part of JFK’s legacy PEACE CORPS
15D. Fir coat feature? PINE CONE
49D. Makeshift storage container PAINT CAN
51D. Statistical circle PIE CHART
77D. Movies, hit songs, TV, etc. POP CULTURE
86D. Head of the world? POLAR CAP
89D. Office owie PAPER CUT

COMPLETION TIME: 26m 13s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … CASCA (Casia!), SHOEPAC (shoepai!)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
8. Bond phrase AT PAR
Stocks, and other financial vehicles, may be sold “at par”, meaning at the original price, not discounted nor at a premium.

21. Vatican City statue PIETA
The Pietà is a representation of the Virgin Mary holding in her arms the dead body of her son Jesus. The most famous Pietà is probably the sculpted rendition by Michelangelo which is located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. In some depictions of Mary with Jesus in her arms, mother and son are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament. These depictions are known as “Lamentations”.

24. __-foot oil NEATS
Neatsfoot oil made by rendering and purifying fat from the shin bones and feet of cattle. “Neat” is an old word for cattle. Neatsfoot oil is mainly used for preserving and conditioning leather. The fat from the lower extremities of the animal is chosen because it does not solidify at room temperature.

25. Betty Boop feature PIN CURL
Betty Boop made her first appearance on the screen in 1930, in a cartoon called “Dizzy Dishes”. Her character was modeled on the the It-girl, the sexy Clara Bow of movie fame. Back then Betty Boop was a sexy poodle and it wasn’t until 1932 that she morphed into completely human form. Betty was quite the risqué figure, but her vampish ways only lasted a few years. When the Production Code of 1934 came into force, Betty started to dress more modestly and toned down her behavior.

27. Wonderland visitor ALICE
Lewis Carroll wrote “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” in 1865, and the sequel called “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There” in 1871. Because in the second adventure Alice went through a looking glass, the themes were deliberately chosen to be mirror images of the themes in “Wonderland”. Whereas “Wonderland” begins indoors, is set in summer, and uses playing card imagery, “Looking Glass” begins out of doors, is set in winter and uses images from the game of chess.

29. White House title: Abbr. CIC
Commander in Chief (CIC).

37. Actor Firth COLIN
Colin Firth is an English actor who came to prominence playing Mr Darcy in the fabulous television adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” that came out in 1995 (I cannot recommend that six-episode drama enough). More recently, Firth won the Best Actor Oscar for playing King George VI in “The King’s Speech”.

41. __ volente DEO
“Deo Valente” is Latin for “God willing”. If you read letters or emails from Ireland, you might come across “D.V.” in the text, as it is a common abbreviation that we Irish use to mean “God willing” or “Please God”.

42. City in Florida’s horse country OCALA
The city of Ocala, Florida was founded near a historic village with the same name. In the local Timucua language “Ocala” means “Big Hammock”. Thoroughbred horse farming in Florida started in Ocala, back in 1943. Some folks today call Ocala the “Horse Capital of the World”, but I bet that’s disputed by others …

44. “Rain Man” subject AUTISM
“Rain Man” is an entertaining and thought-provoking film released in 1988 starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. It’s all about a self-possessed yuppie (Cruise, appropriate casting!) who discovers he has a brother who is an autistic savant (Hoffman). Hoffman won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and “Rain Man” won the Best Picture award.

46. __ Alto PALO
The city of Palo Alto, California takes its name from a specific redwood tree called El Palo Alto (Spanish for “the tall stick”) that is located within the bounds of the city. The tree is 110 feet tall and over a thousand years old.

50. Jenny Craig suggestion, e.g. DIET TIP
The weight control company called Jenny Craig was started in 1983 by Jenny and Sidney Craig in Melbourne, Australia. Jenny Craig came to North American two years later, and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.

58. Piano lesson subject ARPEGGIO
An arpeggio is a technique in which the notes of a chord are played in sequence, one after the other. “Arpeggio” can be translated from Italian as “broken chord”

61. Zoo channel MOAT
Moats are sometimes used in zoos to keep animals aways from the public.

63. “Green Eggs and Ham” narrator SAM
You know, I probably should read a Dr. Seuss book some day. They weren’t big where I grew up. I understand that the character called Sam in the book “Green Eggs and Ham” is also known as “Sam-I-Am”.

70. Solo product PLASTIC CUP
The Solo Cup was introduced in 1930, created by a former employee of the Dixie Company. The first Solo Cup was a paper cone that founder Leo Hulseman made at home and sold to companies that distributed bottled water.

75. A, to Aristotle ALPHA
Aristotle was actually a student of Plato in Ancient Greece (and in turn, Plato was a student of Socrates). Aristotle’s most famous student was Alexander the Great.

76. Ruin, as a scene HAM UP
The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is apparently a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

79. Buckeyes’ sch. OSU
The athletic teams of Ohio State University (OSU) are called the Buckeyes, named after the state tree of Ohio. In turn the buckeye tree gets its name from the appearance of its fruit, a dark nut with a light patch thought to resemble a “buck’s eye”.

80. Short court plea NOLO
“Nolo contendere” is a legal term that translates from Latin as “I do not wish to contend”. It’s the plea of “no contest” and is an alternative to “guilty” or “not guilty”, meaning that one doesn’t admit guilt but nor does one dispute the charge.

85. Keeper’s counterpart? WEEPER
Finder keepers, losers weepers.

87. Graf __ SPEE
Maximilian Graf von Spee was actually born in Denmark, but of a noble German family. By the time WWI started, Spee had risen to the rank of Rear Admiral in the German Navy. He was killed in the Battle of the Falkland Islands (the original 1914 version!). Of course he gave his name to the powerful pocket battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee, which was damaged in the Battle of the River Plate during WWII. The Graf Spee took refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo and when the boat was expelled by the government of Uruguay, the captain scuttled her rather than face the Allied flotilla waiting for her just outside the port.

88. It’s directly behind the three NINE-PIN
Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.

92. “The Merchant of Venice” heroine PORTIA
In William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Portia is the formidable heroine who takes on the guise of a male lawyer and calls herself “Balthasar”. Portia does this to save the life of Antonio, the play’s title character. Portia makes a famous speech that gives us an oft-quoted phrase, “the quality of mercy”:

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…

95. Parking spot border CURB
“Curb” is another of those words that I had to learn when I came to the US. We park by the “kerb” on the other side of the Atlantic. Oh, and the “pavement”, that’s what we call the “footpath” (because the footpath is “paved”!). It’s very confusing when you arrive in this country from Ireland, and a little dangerous when one has been taught to “walk on the pavement” …

97. Ace-queen, e.g., in bridge TENACE
In the wonderful card game of bridge, a tenace is a broken sequence of honor cards, like AQ or KJ.

105. Caesar’s first attacker CASCA
Julius Caesar was assassinated on the 15th (the ides) of March, 44 BC. He was attacked by a group of sixty people in the Roman Senate, and was stabbed 23 times. The first to strike a blow was Servilius Casca, who attacked Caesar from behind and stabbed him in the neck.

106. Burgess’s “I’d rather see than be one” critter PURPLE COW
Gelett Burgess was a poet and author who was noted for writing nonsense verse. One of his most famous verses was:

I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.

However, Burgess was a little tired of the amount of praise he earned from these four lines, so he wrote a rebuttal of sorts:

Ah, yes, I wrote the “Purple Cow”—
I’m Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I’ll Kill you if you Quote it!

108. Civic border? CEE
There is a letter C (cee) on either end (border) of the word “civic”.

113. German camera LEICA
Leica is a German optics company, famous for production of lenses and cameras. The 1913 Leica was the first practical camera that could use 35mm film, a size chosen because it was already the standard for film used in motion pictures.

115. Tach readout RPM
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

120. Hot spot SAUNA
As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word, and is correctly pronounced “sow-nah” (with “sow” as in the female pig).

122. Talladega leader PACE CAR
The Talladega Superspeedway is the longest oval on the NASCAR circuit with a length of 2.66 miles. It also has seating for a whopping 175,000 spectators. The track opened in 1969, built on an abandoned airfield north of the city of Talladega, Alabama. The circuit is renowned for its supposed Talladega Jinx, which is said to have caused a number of accidents and incidents over the years. There has been a relatively high number of fatalities and crashes, including the death of driver Larry Smith in what was apparently a minor wreck, and the death of driver Davey Allison in a helicopter crash in the raceway’s infield. In another strange occurrence, driver Bobby Isaac left his car on the 90th lap of a race as he claims he heard voices that told him to park and get out of his vehicle.

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

127. Poker-faced DEADPAN
The term “deadpan” is slang for an impassive expression and comes from “dead: (expressionless) and “pan” (slang for “face”).

Down
1. Bob with jokes HOPE
I remember my first non-business visit to Los Angeles. I was a typical tourist and bought a map showing the homes of the stars and drove around Beverly Hills absorbing all the glitz. At one point I drove past a Rolls Royce that was stopped in oncoming traffic, waiting to make a left turn. The window was down, and the driver was puffing away on a big cigar. It was none other than Bob Hope. Seeing him there right beside me, that was a big thrill …

4. Great Basin cap. SLC
Salt Lake City (SLC) was of course founded by Brigham Young, in 1847. The city takes its name from the Great Salt Lake on which it sits, and indeed was known as “Great Salt Lake City” up until 1868.

5. Holy scroll TORAH
The Torah ark is found in a synagogue, and is the ornamental container in which are stored the Torah scrolls.

6. Sinister-sounding daredevil name EVEL
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. He eventually passed away in 2007.

8. Sleep disruption APNEA
Sleep apnea can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.

10. Part of JFK’s legacy PEACE CORPS
The Peace Corps is an organization of American volunteers that is run by the US government. The Peace Corps was established by President Kennedy in 1961, and has a three-part mission:

1. Providing technical assistance
2. Helping people outside the US to understand American culture
3. Helping Americans to understand the culture of other countries

11. Historic Greek region ATTICA
Greece is divided into 13 peripheries, regional administrative divisions. The capital of Greece, Athens, is located in the periphery of Attica.

16. Former trucking regulatory agcy. ICC
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was set up in 1887 to regulate the railroads and later the trucking industry. The ICC was abolished in 1995 and its functions were absorbed by the Surface Transportation Board.

19. Acrylic fiber ORLON
Orlon is the brand name used by the DuPont Corporation for the acrylic fibers the company developed in 1941.

33. Japanese spitz AKITA
The Akita breed of dog is named for its point of origin, the Akita Prefecture in Japan. When Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937, she asked for and was given an Akita breed of dog, with the name of Kamikaze-go. Sadly, the dog died within a year from distemper. The following year the Japanese government officially presented Keller with a replacement dog. Supposedly Keller’s dogs were the first members of the breed to be introduced into the US.

Spitz-type dogs are those with long thick fur that is usually white. Most spitz-type dogs seem to have originated in the Arctic and/or East Asia. Examples of breeds described as spitz-type are the Alaskan Malamute and the Canadian Eskimo Dog.

36. “This Is India” novelist Santha Rama __ RAU
Santha Rama Rau was a travel writer from India who lived much of her life in the US. As well as writing her own books, Rau also adapted  for the stage the E. M. Forster novel “A Passage to India”.

40. French consent OUI
“Oui” is “yes” in French, and “non” is “no”.

41. “The Comedians” composer Kabalevsky DMITRI
Dmitri Kabalevsky was a Russian composer. Outside of Russia, Kabalevsky’s most famous piece is the “Comedian’s Galop”, a movement from his “Comedians” Suite.

47. Shakespearean calls to battle ALARUMS
“Alarum” is a spelling often used by William Shakespeare for “alarm”.

53. Sparrow portrayer DEPP
Captain Jack Sparrow is the protagonist in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series of movies. Sparrow is of course played by Johnny Depp. Depp has said that he based his portrayal of Sparrow partly on the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. I can see that …

55. Honolulu-born jet pilot/pop singer DON HO
The Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho apparently had a pretty liberal arrangement with his wife. When Ho was touring with his two backing singers, Patti Swallie and Elizabeth Guevara, all three of them shared a room together. He had two children with each of his roommates, giving a total of ten kids including the six he had with his wife. The arrangement was quite open, it seems, with all ten kids visiting each other regularly. To each his own …

62. Soy stuff TOFU
Tofu is another name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has “curdled”. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife, she hates it …

67. USAFA part: Abbr. ACAD
The US Air Force Academy (USAFA) is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I had the privilege not too long ago of visiting the Academy, and what an impressive campus it is. When the USAF Academy graduated its first class in 1959, it became the youngest of the five service academies to do so. Significantly, female candidates were first accepted by the academy in 1976, and today the graduating classes include over 20% women.

71. Waterproof boot SHOEPAC
A shoepac (also “shoepack”) is a heavy, waterproof boot that is laced up.

74. Albino, for one RARITY
“Albino”, meaning an organism lacking normal pigmentation, comes from “albus” Latin for “white”.

81. Ernie’s pal BERT
I’ve always believed that the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie were named after two roles played in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the movie, the policeman’s name is Bert and his taxi-driving buddy is named Ernie. However, the “Sesame Street” folks have stated that the use of the same names is just a coincidence.

90. Milieu for axels ICE
An Axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. It was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

93. Site for serious treatment, briefly ICU
Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

94. Slugging teammate of Bob Feller AL ROSEN
Al Rosen is a former Major League baseball player who played his whole career with the Cleveland Indians. As one of the best all-time players of the game with a Jewish heritage, his fans gave him the nickname “the Hebrew Hammer”.

Bob Feller was a major league baseball player who turned out for the Cleveland Indians for all of his playing career. Feller played for the Indians from 1936 to 1956, with a four year interruption for military service as a Chief Petty Officer on the USS Alabama during WWII.

96. Fraternal gp. since 1868 BPOE
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868 and is a social club that has about a million members today. The Elks started out as a group of men getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The club took on a new role as it started to look out for poor families of members who passed away. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome.

98. Singer Vic DAMONE
Vic Damone is a singer from Brooklyn, New York. As a young man Damone started taking voice lessons, inspired by his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra. Decades later, Sinatra said that Damone had “the best pipes in the business”.

99. Señor’s wife ESPOSA
“Esposa” is Spanish for “wife”.

105. God with a bow CUPID
Cupid, the Greek god of desire, was also known as Amor. “Cupido” is Latin for “desire” and “amor” is Latin for “love”.

108. Chocolate source CACAO
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are very bitter and the traditional drink made with the seed was called “xocolatl” by the Aztecs, meaning “bitter water”. That’s how our “chocolate” got its name.

111. “Hollywood Squares” semi-regular __ Lee RUTA
Ruta Lee is a Canadian actress and dancer who is best known for playing one of the brides in the 1954 movie “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”.

117. Steed who could read MR ED
“Mister Ed” first aired in 1961 and ran for almost five years. It was a very successful show (and even made it to Ireland!). Mister Ed, the talking horse, was a palomino that had the real name of Bamboo Harvester. Mister Ed’s “voice” was that of actor Allan “Rocky” Lane, a star of a lot of B-movie westerns from the forties and fifties. In the show, Mister Ed would only talk to the lead (human) character Wilbur, played by Alan Young, leading to some hilarious situations. Mister Ed had a stunt double and stand-in for the show, another horse called Pumpkin. Pumpkin later played the horse that made frequent appearances on the show “Green Acres”.

119. Old Ford LTD
There has been a lot of speculation about what the acronym LTD stands for in the car model known as “Ford LTD”. Many say it stands for Luxury Trim Decor, and others that it is an abbreviation for “limited”. Although the car was produced in Australia with the acronym actually meaning Lincoln Type Design, it seems LTD was originally chosen as just three meaningless letters that sound well together.

121. “… tears __ prayers shall purchase out abuses”: Shakespeare NOR
“… tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses” is a line from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bebop aficionado HIPSTER
8. Bond phrase AT PAR
13. Harness TAP INTO
20. Soul mate ONE LOVE
21. Vatican City statue PIETA
22. Landlord, at times EVICTOR
23. Track team PIT CREW
24. __-foot oil NEATS
25. Betty Boop feature PIN CURL
26. Subst. for unnamed things ETC
27. Wonderland visitor ALICE
29. White House title: Abbr. CIC
30. Suffix with cyan- -IDE
31. Unlike cons PRO
32. Bit of fan support RAH
34. Where to see a guest’s name PLACE CARD
37. Actor Firth COLIN
39. Gouge SOAK
41. __ volente DEO
42. City in Florida’s horse country OCALA
43. Bounded LOPED
44. “Rain Man” subject AUTISM
46. __ Alto PALO
48. Prone’s opposite SUPINE
50. Jenny Craig suggestion, e.g. DIET TIP
52. Lady’s man LORD
54. Changes for the better AMENDS
57. Drawing for beginners ART I
58. Piano lesson subject ARPEGGIO
61. Zoo channel MOAT
63. “Green Eggs and Ham” narrator SAM
66. Toward the back AREAR
68. Soup __ SPOON
69. “You got it!” BINGO
70. Solo product PLASTIC CUP
73. Restaurant specialist PASTRY CHEF
75. A, to Aristotle ALPHA
76. Ruin, as a scene HAM UP
78. Like the main point FOCAL
79. Buckeyes’ sch. OSU
80. Short court plea NOLO
81. Sore loser BAD SPORT
83. Droughty ARID
85. Keeper’s counterpart? WEEPER
87. Graf __ SPEE
88. It’s directly behind the three NINE-PIN
92. “The Merchant of Venice” heroine PORTIA
95. Parking spot border CURB
97. Ace-queen, e.g., in bridge TENACE
98. Gave out cards DEALT
100. Name derived from Nicholas CLAUS
102. College subj. in which 44-Across would be discussed PSY
104. Eject SPEW
105. Caesar’s first attacker CASCA
106. Burgess’s “I’d rather see than be one” critter PURPLE COW
108. Civic border? CEE
109. Call the game UMP
110. Basic ed. trio RRR
112. Go (for) OPT
113. German camera LEICA
115. Tach readout RPM
118. It has a tip, a shaft and a butt POOL CUE
120. Hot spot SAUNA
122. Talladega leader PACE CAR
124. Cheaper for residents, as a college IN-STATE
125. Jetson son ELROY
126. Sign of an error ERASURE
127. Poker-faced DEADPAN
128. D-backs and Cards NLERS
129. Like a leopard moth’s wings SPOTTED

Down
1. Bob with jokes HOPE
2. Still alive IN IT
3. Vet visitor’s burden PET CRATE
4. Great Basin cap. SLC
5. Holy scroll TORAH
6. Sinister-sounding daredevil name EVEL
7. Use another dustcloth on REWIPE
8. Sleep disruption APNEA
9. Neck wrap TIE
10. Part of JFK’s legacy PEACE CORPS
11. Historic Greek region ATTICA
12. Imps RASCALS
13. So-so TEPID
14. Like a real go-getter AVID
15. Fir coat feature? PINE CONE
16. Former trucking regulatory agcy. ICC
17. Sequence of unspecified size, in math N-TUPLE
18. Steamy TORRID
19. Acrylic fiber ORLON
28. Every other horse sound? CLOP
33. Japanese spitz AKITA
35. It may be part of a code COLOR
36. “This Is India” novelist Santha Rama __ RAU
38. Amateur night feature, briefly OPEN MIC
39. Bummed SAD
40. French consent OUI
41. “The Comedians” composer Kabalevsky DMITRI
43. It might be a stretch LIMO
45. Layers STRATA
47. Shakespearean calls to battle ALARUMS
49. Makeshift storage container PAINT CAN
51. Statistical circle PIE CHART
53. Sparrow portrayer DEPP
55. Honolulu-born jet pilot/pop singer DON HO
56. Wise guys SAGES
59. Not let get away GO AFTER
60. “I would __ far as to say …” GO SO
62. Soy stuff TOFU
63. Bridge stat SPAN
64. Permit ALLOW
65. Syrup source MAPLE
67. USAFA part: Abbr. ACAD
69. Print credit BYLINE
71. Waterproof boot SHOEPAC
72. Little yippers PUPS
74. Albino, for one RARITY
77. Movies, hit songs, TV, etc. POP CULTURE
81. Ernie’s pal BERT
82. Waste not REUSE
84. Thick DENSE
86. Head of the world? POLAR CAP
89. Office owie PAPER CUT
90. Milieu for axels ICE
91. Fresh NEW
93. Site for serious treatment, briefly ICU
94. Slugging teammate of Bob Feller AL ROSEN
96. Fraternal gp. since 1868 BPOE
98. Singer Vic DAMONE
99. Señor’s wife ESPOSA
101. Shock APPALL
103. Slides through a reader SWIPES
105. God with a bow CUPID
106. Clean, bird-style PREEN
107. Pottery sources CLAYS
108. Chocolate source CACAO
111. “Hollywood Squares” semi-regular __ Lee RUTA
114. Nitpick CARP
116. Cut the skin from PARE
117. Steed who could read MR ED
119. Old Ford LTD
121. “… tears __ prayers shall purchase out abuses”: Shakespeare NOR
123. Approx. number EST


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