Day: September 20, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
18. Parlement français division SENAT
The French parliament (Parlement français) is divided into the Senate (Sénat) and the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale).

21. Rice of Gothic fiction ANNE
Anne Rice is an American author of erotic and Gothic novels. She was born Howard Allen O’Brien (no wonder she changed her name!). Her famous series of novels “The Vampire Chronicles” centers on her character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman who was turned into a vampire in the 18th century. One of the stories, “Interview with the Vampire”, was adapted for the big screen in 1994 and features Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and others in a star-studded cast. Not my kind of movie though, as I don’t do vampires …

22. Novelist whose works were banned in his native land from 1968-’89 FRANZ KAFKA
Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, then part of Bohemia and today the capital of the Czech Republic. Kafka is known as one of the greatest novelists who worked in the German language, and even has an adjective named after him. Something that is “kafkaesque” is senseless, disorienting and may have menacing complexity. As it was for many great artists, Kafka’s fame came after his death when much of his work was published. In fact, Kafka’s works were banned in his native Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) until 1989.

24. Time’s 1977 Man of the Year ANWAR SADAT
Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt right up to the time of his assassination in 1981. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for the role played in crafting the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1978 at Camp David. It was this agreement that largely led to Sadat’s assassination three years later.

“Time” magazine started naming a “Man of the Year” in 1927, only changing the concept to “Person of the Year” in 1999. Prior to 1999, the magazine did recognize four females as “Woman of the Year”: Wallis Simpson (1936), Soong May-ling a.k.a. Madame Chiang Kai-shek (1937), Queen Elizabeth II (1952) and Corazon Aquino (1986). “Time” named Albert Einstein as Person of the Century in 1999, with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi as runners-up.

26. Bit of trivia FACTOID
Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

35. WWII Enigma machine user U-BOAT
U-boat stands for the German “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). Notably, a U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania in 1915, an event that helped propel the US into WWI.

An Enigma machine was cipher device developed at the end of WWI by German engineer Arthur Scherbius. The machine was used by Nazi German in the run-up to and during WWII. The Enigma codes used by the Germans were first broken by three Polish mathematicians who subsequently designed mechanical devices for automated deciphering of Enigma-coded messages. Polish Military Intelligence handed over the decryption technology to the French and British just before the outbreak of war.

37. Call lead-in ROBO-
Political calls, including robocalls, are exempt from regulation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), so we can’t stop them by putting our phone numbers on the “Do Not Call Registry”.

40. TV host who was an Army DJ in Vietnam PAT SAJAK
Pat Sajak took over the hosting of “Wheel of Fortune” from Chuck Woolery back in 1983 and has been doing the job ever since. Sajak had a short run as a talk show host in 1989/1990 and used to sub quite often for Larry King and Regis Philbin. Earlier in his career, Sajak served as a disk jockey on Armed Forces Radio while serving a tour of duty in Vietnam.

42. Pizza chain SBARRO
The Sbarro chain of pizza restaurants was founded by Italian immigrants, Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro.

43. Old court org. ABA
The American Basketball Association (ABA) merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. The ABA used a ball with the colors red, white and blue. The NBA uses a more traditional orange ball.

44. Pres. Carter’s alma mater USNA
President Jimmy Carter is a graduate of the US Naval Academy (USNA). Carter served in the Navy on surface ships and submarines, and chose to pursue a career in the submarine service as he was interested in nuclear power and believed it had a great future in submarine design. As a result, he became an expert in nuclear propulsion. In 1952, the Navy sent the young Carter to the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada to lead the US effort to shutdown the reactor after an accident and partial meltdown of a reactor core. He and his team had to be lowered into the leaking reactor core for mechanical disassembly, staying there for only seconds at a time to minimise exposure to radiation. Decades later as US President, it was this experience that influenced Carter’s decision not to complete the development of the neutron bomb.

48. They may be French HORNS
The brass instrument known as a horn is sometimes informally called a “French horn”. But, the French horn isn’t French at all, and in fact originated in Germany. Very confusing …

50. Pitchers’ deliveries SPIELS
A spiel is a lengthy speech or argument designed to persuade, like a sales pitch. “Spiel” comes to us from German, either directly (“spiel” is the German for “play”) or via the Yiddish “shpil”.

56. Field METIER
One’s métier is one’s area of expertise, one’s profession. “Métier” is the French for “trade, profession”.

58. Maritime raptor ERNE
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.

59. Voice of the title character in “Kung Fu Panda” JACK BLACK
The actor Jack Black was born in Santa Monica, California and is the son of two satellite engineers who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope program.

“Kung Fu Panda” is a 2008 animated film from DreamWorks. It’s all about a panda who is expert in kung fu, as you might guess …

61. Old Detroit brewer STROH
Bernard Stroh was the son of a German brewer. Stroh immigrated to the US in 1848 and set up his own brewery in 1850 in Detroit. Years later, the Stroh Brewing Company introduced a European process called fire-brewing. This results in higher temperatures at a crucial stage in the brewing process, supposedly bringing out flavor. Stroh’s is the only American beer that still uses this process. By the way, even though the American Stroh’s brewery was set up in 1850, the label bears the words “since 1775”. This is a reference to the date that the Stroh family started brewing back in Germany.

65. 91, at the Forum XCI
The Roman forum was the public space in the middle of a city, taking it’s name from the Latin word “forum” meaning “marketplace, town square”. “The Roman Forum” is most famous example of such a space. The Forum is at the heart of the city of Rome, is surrounded by the ruins of several ancient government buildings, and has been referred to as the most celebrated meeting play in the world.

68. “Burnt” shade SIENNA
The shade known as “sienna” or “burnt sienna” was originally a pigment made from earth found around Siena in Tuscany.

73. Cast lead-in POD-
A podcast is basically an audio or video media file that is made available for download. The name comes from the acronym “POD” meaning “playable on demand”, and “cast” from “broadcasting”. So, basically a podcast is a broadcast that one can play on demand, simply by downloading and opening the podcast file.

74. Model Mendes EVA
I best know the actress Eva Mendes as the female lead in the movie “Hitch”, playing opposite Will Smith. Mendes was known off the screen for dating actor Ryan Gosling from 2011 to 2013.

77. Rival of Djokovic NADAL
Rafael “Rafa” Nadal is a Spanish tennis player, noted for his expertise on clay courts, earning him the nickname “The King of Clay”.

Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis player, currently the world No. 1. Djokovic is quite the character off the court it seems and he is very popular on the talk-show circuit, all around the world. It also helps that Djokovic is fluent in several languages.

79. Neil deGrasse Tyson mentor CARL SAGAN
Carl Sagan was a brilliant astrophysicist and a great communicator. Sagan was famous for presenting obscure concepts about the cosmos in such a way that we mere mortals could appreciate. He also wrote the novel “Contact” which was adapted into a fascinating 1997 film of the same name starring Jodie Foster.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist who is noted for his ability to communicate science to the masses. Tyson is well known for his appearances on the great PBS show “Nova”.

85. Photo-sharing website PICASA
I use Picasa to create the image of the crossword grid each evening. All those images that you see are stored in Picasa Web Albums, Picasa’s online image storage site.

88. Crustacean used in Cajun cuisine CRAWDAD
“Crawdad” is another name for the crayfish, with “crawdad” being more common in the south of the country.

92. Gunpowder is a type of it TEA
Gunpowder tea is a Chinese green tea in which the leaves are rolled into small pellets. Apparently the resulting grains of tea resemble black powder, giving the name “gunpowder tea”.

93. Former “60 Minutes” debater Alexander SHANA
Shana Alexander was the first female staff writer for “Life” Magazine, and a participant in the “Point-Counterpoint” debate segment of the news program “60 Minutes”. Alexander was the daughter of Milton Ager, the Tin Pan Alley composer who wrote the famous song “Happy Days Are Here Again”.

97. ”Evita” narrator CHE
“Evita” was the followup musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Weber and Time Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). For the original album’s cast they chose Irish singer Colm Wilkinson (or C. T. Wilkinson, as we know him back in Ireland) to play “Che”, the narrator of the piece.

101. “The Aviator” Oscar nominee ALAN ALDA
Alan Alda has had a great television career, especially of course on “M*A*S*H”. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He won his most recent Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

“The Aviator” is a great film from 2004, a biographical piece about much of the life of aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the title role, with Cate Blanchett playing a very credible Katharine Hepburn, Hughes’ lover with whom he lived for quite some time. Blanchett won a very much deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Alan Alda received an Oscar nomination as a supporting actor, playing Senator Owen Brewster, a thorn in the side for Howard Hughes.

103. Ref’s calls TKOS
In boxing, a knockout (KO) is when one of the fighters can’t get up from the canvas within a specified time, usually 10 seconds. This can be due to fatigue, injury, or the participant may be truly “knocked out”. A referee, fighter or doctor may also decide to stop a fight without a physical knockout, especially if there is concern about a fighter’s safety. In this case the bout is said to end with a technical knockout (TKO).

104. General Assembly member UN REP
The Charter of the United Nations was signed by the member states in San Francisco June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945. October 24 was chosen as United Nations Day in 1971, with the intent that UN Day become a public holiday in all UN member states.

105. Surprises in bottles GENII
“Genii” is an accepted plural of two related words: “genius” and “genie”.

The “genie” in the bottle takes his or her name from “djinn”. “Djinns” were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book “The Thousand and One Nights” was translated into French, the word “djinn” was transformed into the existing word “génie”, because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This “génie” from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived “genius”, a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the “djinn” that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …

107. Lincoln was one LAWYER
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the US, elected in 1860 as the first president from the Republican Party. Lincoln’s electoral support came almost exclusively from the north and west of the country, winning only two out of 996 counties in the Southern slave states. Lincoln led the country through Civil War, and then was assassinated in 1865 just a few days after Robert E. Lee surrendered his army of Northern Virginia. President Lincoln was succeeded in office by Vice President Andrew Johnson.

109. Hilo keepsake LEI
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

Hilo is the largest settlement on the big island of Hawai’i, with a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …

114. Sci-fi memoir I, ASIMOV
Isaac Asimov was a wonderful science fiction writer, and a professor of biochemistry. He was a favorite author as I was growing up and I must admit that some hero worship on my part led me to study and work as a biochemist for a short while early in my career. My favorite of his works is the collection of short stories called “I, Robot”. Asimov wrote three autobiographies, the last of which was called “I, Asimov”, which was published in 1994, two years after his death.

118. Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee GRAHAM NASH
Graham Nash is a singer-songwriter from England. Nash is famous as one of the founders of the Hollies, and as a member of the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash was inducted twice in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: in 1997 as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and in 2010 as a member of the Hollies.

121. Three-time Oscar-winning director FRANK CAPRA
I can’t tell you how many of Frank Capra’s movies are on my list of all-time favorites. He directed such classics as “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “Lost Horizon”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Meet John Doe”, “Arsenic and Old Lace” and the holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Capra was the first person to win three directorial Oscars: for “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” and “You Can’t Take It With You”. Capra also did his bit during WWII, enlisting just a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Given his great talent, and the fact that he enlisted at the relatively advanced age of 44, the US Army put him to work directing 11 documentary war films in the “Why We Fight” series, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

123. Wafflers maker EGGO
Wafflers are a brand of waffles produced by Eggo.

Eggo is the brand name of a line of frozen waffles made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced the original name chosen, which was “Froffles”, created by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

Down
1. Remove politely DOFF
One doffs one’s hat, usually as a mark of respect. To doff is to take off, with “doff” being a contraction of “do off”. The opposite of “doff” is “don” meaning “to put on”.

2. Yamuna Expressway terminus AGRA
The Indian city of Agra is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

– The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
– Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
– Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.

India’s 165-kilometer Yamuna Express is the longest stretch of 6-lane highway in the nation. It connects the town of Greater Noida, which is one hour from New Delhi, with the tourist mecca of Agra.

3. Bric-a-__ BRAC
Bric-a-brac is a French phrase (actually “bric-à-brac”) that was used as far back as the 16th century. Back then it was a nonsense term meaning “at random” or “any old way”. Since Victorian times we have used the phrase in English to mean a collection of curios, statues and the like. In modern usage, bric-a-brac tends to be a selection of cheaper items.

5. Delivers à la Steven Wright DEADPANS
The term “deadpan”, slang for an impassive expression, comes from dead (expressionless) and pan (slang for “face”).

Steven Wright is a remarkably droll comedian from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wright is very, very quotable:

– What’s another word for Thesaurus?
– If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?
– I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
– When I was a little kid we had a sand box. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child… eventually.

6. Like Gershwin’s piano concerto IN F
George Gershwin had exceptional success with his beautiful, pseudo-classical work, “Rhapsody in Blue”. He followed up that piece the following year (1925) with his “Concerto in F”, written for piano and full orchestra. Later in his life, Gershwin would receive formal classical training from some of the greats of classical music composition, but back in 1925 he taught himself the basics of concerto form, harmony and orchestration, all from books. The Concerto in F was premiered at Carnegie Hall by the New York Symphony Orchestra, with Gershwin himself at the piano. He was a remarkable man, that’s all I can say …

10. Raft in an Oslo museum KON-TIKI
The Kon-Tiki was a raft used by Thor Heyerdahl in 1947 to cross the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands. The original raft used in the voyage is on display in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo, Norway (Heyerdahl was a native of Norway).

11. Hawkeye fan 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.

12. Not quite win PLACE
In a race, a horse finishing first, second or third is said to “place”. That said, the verb “to place” is often used to mean “to come in second in a race”.

20. __ Lankan SRI
The name Sri Lanka translates from Sanskrit into English as “venerable island”. Before 1970, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, a name given to the country during British rule.

23. Kravitz of “Divergent” ZOE
Zoë Kravitz is an actress and singer. Zoe has a couple of famous parents: musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet.

25. Ticket exchange giant STUBHUB!
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.

32. Tour de France stage ETAPE
“Étape” is the French word for stage, as in a “stage” in the Tour de France. It is used in English military circles to describe where troops halt overnight, but can also describe the section of the march itself. So, a march can be divided into stages, into étapes.

Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication “L’Auto” decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.

34. Pull-up targets LATS
The muscles known as the “lats” are the latissimi dorsi, the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is the Latin for “broadest” and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.

36. Roger Federer’s birth city BASEL
Roger Federer is a Swiss tennis player considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time. Federer is married to former tennis pro Mirka Vavrinec. The couple are parents to two sets of twins.

37. Chicago mayor Emanuel RAHM
The current Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, was an Illinois representative in the US House before resigning to take up President Obama’s offer to become the White House Chief of Staff.

39. The Packers retired his #15 in 1973 BART STARR
Bart Starr is a retired football player and coach who spent his whole career with the Green Bay Packers. Starr was quarterback for the Packers from 1956 to 1971. Starr was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the first two Super Bowls.

41. Plans for chairs AGENDAS
“Agenda” is a Latin word that translates as “things to be done”, coming from the verb “agere” meaning “to do”.

42. Prince Albert’s prov. SASK
The Canadian province of Saskatchewan takes its name from the Saskatchewan River. The river in turn takes its name from the Cree name, which translates as “swift flowing river”. The capital of Saskatchewan is Regina, although the biggest city in the province is Saskatoon.

The city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan once went up against the city of Saskatoon, competing to be the home of either the University of Saskatchewan or the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary. Saskatoon got the university, and Prince Albert got the pen …

44. Geek Squad callers USERS
Best Buy is a retailer specializing in the supply of consumer electronics. Best Buy services include the famous “Geek Squad”, a band of technical experts that will help solve your computer and other consumer electronic problems.

46. Romanov royals TSARS
The House of Romanov was the second and last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia, after the Rurik dynasty. The reign of the Romanov’s ended when Emperor Nicholas II abdicated following the February Revolution of 1917. Famously, Nicholas II and his immediate family were murdered soon after he stepped down, and other members of the Romanov Dynasty were sent into exile by the Bolsheviks.

54. Quantum theory pioneer MAX PLANCK
Max Planck was a theoretical physicist from Germany who developed quantum theory. Planck won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.

There has always been a conflict between the theory of relativity and quantum theory. Basically, the theory of relativity works for “big stuff” but breaks down when applied to minute things like subatomic particles. On the other hand, quantum theory was developed to explain behavior at the subatomic level, and just doesn’t work on the larger scale. One of the reasons physicists are so excited about string theory is that it works at the macro and micro levels. According to string theory, all particles in the universe are really little “strings”, as opposed to the points or ball-shaped entities assumed by the other theories.

55. Maker of Golf Street shoes ECCO
I have to say, after owning several pairs, ECCO shoes are the most comfortable in the world …

57. Dauphin’s father ROI
“Roi” is the French word for “king”.

The heir apparent to the throne of France used to be called the “Dauphin”. “The word “dauphin”, with a lowercase D, is the French for “dolphin”. The first heir to use the title “le Dauphin” was the future Charles V of France who ruled from 1364 to 1380.

62. Hägar’s wife HELGA
“Hagar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hagar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons.

64. Desert partly in Arizona SONORAN
Sonora is the state in Mexico lying just south of the borders with Arizona and New Mexico. The Sonoran Desert actually straddles the US-Mexico border, covering 120,000 square miles in parts of the states of Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Arizona and California.

66. Upper bod muscle PEC
“Pecs” is the familiar term for the chest muscle, more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is a the Latin word for “breast, chest”.

76. Flier to Shiraz IRAN AIR
Iran Air was founded in 1944 as Iranian Airways Company, and so is the oldest airline operating today in the Middle East.

The Iranian city of Shiraz has long been associated with wine, but there is no proven link between the city and the wine/grape we know today as “Shiraz” (also called “Syrah”). Having said that, some clay jars were found just outside of the city of Shiraz that contained wine; wine that was 7,000 years old!

80. __ art: barista’s creation LATTE
Latte art is the name given to the designs that can be drawn on the surface of coffee drinks. Some of those designs can be quite intricate.

The person who serves coffee in a coffee shop is often called a “barista”. “Barista” is the Italian for “bartender”.

81. Kid in the 1941 cartoon “Child Psykolojiky” SWEE’PEA
Originally Popeye used the nickname “Swee’pea” to address his girlfriend Olive Oyl. Then along comes a baby, found on Popeye’s doorstep. Popeye adopts the little guy and raises him, calling him “Swee’Pea”.

82. Month before Nisan ADAR
Nisan is the first month in the Hebrew ecclesiastical calendar, the month in which Passover falls. Adar is the last month in the same calendar.

84. One-eyed “Futurama” character LEELA
“Futurama” is a Fox animated sci-fi show that was co-created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who also created “The Simpsons”. I simply don’t understand either show …

86. TriBeCa neighbor SOHO
The Manhattan neighborhood known today as SoHo was very fashionable in the early 1900s, but as the well-heeled started to move uptown the area became very run down and poorly maintained. Noted for the number of fires that erupted in derelict buildings, SoHo earned the nickname “Hell’s Hundred Acres”. The area was then zoned for manufacturing and became home to many sweatshops. In the mid-1900s artists started to move into open loft spaces and renovating old buildings as the lofts were ideal locations in which an artist could both live and work. In 1968, artists and others organized themselves so that they could legalize their residential use of an area zoned for manufacturing. The group they formed took its name from the name given to the area by the city’s Planning Commission i.e “South of Houston”. This was shortened from So-uth of Ho-uston to SoHo as in the SoHo Artists Association, and the name stuck.

TriBeCa is a clever little acronym that expands into “TRI-angle BE-low CA-nal Street”. The name was developed by local residents who basically copied the naming technique used by residents of the neighboring area of SoHo, which is short for “SO-uth of HO-uston Street”.

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

89. Colombian city CALI
In terms of population, Cali is the third largest city in Colombia (after Bogotá and Medellin). Santiago de Cali (the full name for the city) lies in western Colombia. Apparently, Cali is a destination for “medical tourists”. The city’s surgeons have a reputation for being expert in cosmetic surgery and so folks head there looking for a “cheap” nose job.

90. Cabs, e.g. RED WINES
The Cabernet Sauvignon grape has been around since the 17th century, and is the result of a chance crossing in southwestern France of the Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc grapes.

96. Inuit craft KAYAKS
The umiak is a type of boat used by Eskimo people. The term “umiak” means “woman’s boat”, whereas “kayak” means “man’s boat”.

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

102. Philip Morris parent company ALTRIA
Philip Morris changed its name to Altria in 2003 as part of a reorganization. The reasons for the name change are the subject of speculation but industry commentators agree that the company wanted to distance itself from the historical negativity associated with the Philip Morris name due to the many legal and social issues created by its tobacco products.

105. “Our Lady of the Flowers” author GENET
Jean Genet was a French playwright and novelist. Before he turned to writing, Genet was a homeless person with a criminal record. His debut novel was 1943’s “Notre-Dame-des-Fleur” (Our Lady of the Flowers), which is largely autobiographical and tells of a man’s life in the underworld of Paris.

106. Maternally related ENATE
Something that is enate is growing outward, and “enate” is used to describe ancestors related on the mother’s side. Something that is agnate comes from a common source, and “agnate” is used to describe relatives on the father’s side of the family tree.

115. NC-17 issuing org. MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film-rating system (PG-13, R, etc.) is purely voluntary and is not backed by any law. Movie theaters agree to abide by the rules that come with the MPAA ratings in exchange for access to new movies.

117. Enterprise vehicles VANS
Enterprise Rent-A-Car was established in 1957 by Jack. C. Taylor in St. Louis, Missouri, where the company is still headquartered today. The company was originally called Executive Leasing Company. The name was changed in 1962 in honor of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise on which Taylor served during WWII.

119. Coal carrier HOD
A coal scuttle, sometimes called a hod, is a container rather like a bucket that is used for carrying coal and pouring it onto the fire. Coal scuttles were important features in every home that I grew up in …

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Applies gently DABS
5. Lowers in intensity DIMS
9. Record flaw SKIP
13. Intros may be brief ones BIOS
17. Folklore monster OGRE
18. Parlement français division SENAT
19. Sunning sites POOLS
21. Rice of Gothic fiction ANNE
22. Novelist whose works were banned in his native land from 1968-’89 FRANZ KAFKA
24. Time’s 1977 Man of the Year ANWAR SADAT
26. Bit of trivia FACTOID
27. “Yadda yadda yadda”: Abbr. ETC
29. Implied TACIT
30. Covert __ OPS
31. Mark of a hothead TEMPER
33. Dress with a flare A-LINE
35. WWII Enigma machine user U-BOAT
37. Call lead-in ROBO-
40. TV host who was an Army DJ in Vietnam PAT SAJAK
42. Pizza chain SBARRO
43. Old court org. ABA
44. Pres. Carter’s alma mater USNA
45. “I see” GOT IT
47. Sighs of content AHS
48. They may be French HORNS
50. Pitchers’ deliveries SPIELS
52. ”See if I care!” SO SUE ME!
56. Field METIER
58. Maritime raptor ERNE
59. Voice of the title character in “Kung Fu Panda” JACK BLACK
61. Old Detroit brewer STROH
63. “Most likely … ” ODDS ARE …
65. 91, at the Forum XCI
66. Favorite PET
68. “Burnt” shade SIENNA
70. Marked down ON SALE
73. Cast lead-in POD-
74. Model Mendes EVA
75. Letting fly LOOSING
77. Rival of Djokovic NADAL
79. Neil deGrasse Tyson mentor CARL SAGAN
83. Hot streak ROLL
85. Photo-sharing website PICASA
88. Crustacean used in Cajun cuisine CRAWDAD
89. Education, e.g. CAREER
91. Choir voice TENOR
92. Gunpowder is a type of it TEA
93. Former “60 Minutes” debater Alexander SHANA
95. Funhouse cries EEKS
97. ”Evita” narrator CHE
98. Improved BETTER
101. “The Aviator” Oscar nominee ALAN ALDA
103. Ref’s calls TKOS
104. General Assembly member UN REP
105. Surprises in bottles GENII
107. Lincoln was one LAWYER
109. Hilo keepsake LEI
110. Tinker with text EMEND
112. Turn bad ROT
114. Sci-fi memoir I, ASIMOV
118. Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee GRAHAM NASH
121. Three-time Oscar-winning director FRANK CAPRA
123. Wafflers maker EGGO
124. “Same here” ME TOO
125. Ticket prices? FINES
126. Placed LAIN
127. Recently blond, say DYED
128. Wedding venue TENT
129. Comments SAYS
130. Gives in to gravity SAGS

Down
1. Remove politely DOFF
2. Yamuna Expressway terminus AGRA
3. Bric-a-__ BRAC
4. Mailed SENT TO
5. Delivers à la Steven Wright DEADPANS
6. Like Gershwin’s piano concerto IN F
7. Creators MAKERS
8. Sports page item STAT
9. Place to kick back SPA
10. Raft in an Oslo museum KON-TIKI
11. Hawkeye fan IOWAN
12. Not quite win PLACE
13. Lamb’s lament BAA
14. Like some running tracks INDOOR
15. Even (with) ON A PAR
16. Gets started on SETS TO
18. Cuts corners SKIMPS
20. __ Lankan SRI
23. Kravitz of “Divergent” ZOE
25. Ticket exchange giant STUBHUB!
28. Sweet-talked CAJOLED
32. Tour de France stage ETAPE
34. Pull-up targets LATS
36. Roger Federer’s birth city BASEL
37. Chicago mayor Emanuel RAHM
38. Slender black reed OBOE
39. The Packers retired his #15 in 1973 BART STARR
41. Plans for chairs AGENDAS
42. Prince Albert’s prov. SASK
44. Geek Squad callers USERS
46. Romanov royals TSARS
49. Minor gripe NIT
51. Heat-sensitive patch IRON-ON
53. Very large amount OCEAN
54. Quantum theory pioneer MAX PLANCK
55. Maker of Golf Street shoes ECCO
57. Dauphin’s father ROI
59. Sound of keys JANGLE
60. Taunt KID
62. Hägar’s wife HELGA
64. Desert partly in Arizona SONORAN
66. Upper bod muscle PEC
67. Brush fire op EVAC
69. Policy of many dot-gov websites NO ADS
71. Seat for toddlers LAP
72. Tinkers with text EDITS
76. Flier to Shiraz IRAN AIR
78. King topper ACE
80. __ art: barista’s creation LATTE
81. Kid in the 1941 cartoon “Child Psykolojiky” SWEE’PEA
82. Month before Nisan ADAR
84. One-eyed “Futurama” character LEELA
86. TriBeCa neighbor SOHO
87. Greek war god ARES
89. Colombian city CALI
90. Cabs, e.g. RED WINES
94. Practical, as experience HANDS-ON
96. Inuit craft KAYAKS
98. Stuck out BULGED
99. Zip or zing ENERGY
100. Emergency sorting process TRIAGE
102. Philip Morris parent company ALTRIA
103. Court events TRIALS
105. “Our Lady of the Flowers” author GENET
106. Maternally related ENATE
108. Top-left key ESC
111. “Dee-lish!” MMM!
113. Gets rid of, mob-style OFFS
115. NC-17 issuing org. MPAA
116. Copier insert: Abbr. ORIG
117. Enterprise vehicles VANS
119. Coal carrier HOD
120. All the rage HOT
122. “__ takers?” ANY

Return to top of page