Day: October 25, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Varnish resin MASTIC
Mastic is a resin taken from the mastic tree. The resin can be dried then chewed like a gum. It is this characteristic that gave the tree its name, as the Greek verb “mastichein” means “to gnash the teeth”. This is the same Greek root that gives us our word “masticate” meaning to chew.

12. God for whom Wednesday was named WODEN
“Wotan” is an alternative (High German) spelling of the name Woden, the Anglo-Saxon version of the Norse god Odin. Wotan is the head god in the pagan tradition, but as paganism was gradually replaced by Christianity in the 7th and 8th centuries, Wotan moved from his place in religion and into the realm of folklore. Indeed, he is a precursor of our modern day Father Christmas. Wotan (Woden) also gave his name to Wednesday, Woden’s Day …

17. Peru’s El Misti, e.g. VOLCANO
El Misti is a volcano also known as Guaga-Putina that lies in Southern Peru near the city of Arequipa.

22. Coleridge love poem? (C)RIME OF PASSION
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a pioneer for the Romantic Movement in England, along with his friend William Wordsworth. Coleridge’s most famous works are “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Kubla Khan”, my wife’s favorite poem.

27. Quick way to reduce fat? LIPO
Liposuction dates back to the 1920s when it was developed by a surgeon in France. However, the procedure quickly lost favor when a French model developed gangrene after surgery. As a result it wasn’t until the mid-seventies that modern liposuction took off, after being popularized by two Italian-American surgeons in Rome.

28. N.Y. engineering sch. RPI
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

29. Yen URGE
The word “yen”, meaning “urge”, has been around in English since the very early 1900s. It comes from the earlier word “yin” imported from Chinese, which was used in English to describe an intense craving for opium!

31. NFL great Brown and meteorologist Cantore JIMS
Jim Brown is a retired fullback (FB) who played for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Around the time that Brown retired from the sport, he took up acting. He has appeared in many movies, although I only recall seeing him in “The Dirty Dozen” (1967) and “Ice Station Zebra” (1968) …

Jim Cantore is a meteorologist who can be seen on the Weather Channel. There’s a famous video clip on YouTube of Cantore reporting on location when a student makes a run at him as an on-air prank. Cantore calmly knees the miscreant, and carries on reporting unphased.

32. Bern’s river AARE
Bern (or Berne) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

33. Fed. benefits agency SSA
The Social Security Administration (SSA) was set up as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The first person to receive a monthly retirement benefit was Ida May Fuller of Vermont who received her first check for the sum of $22.54 after having contributed for three years through payroll taxes. The New Deal turned out to be a good deal for Ms. Fuller, as she lived to 100 years of age and received a total benefit of almost $23,000, whereas her three years of contributions added up to just $24.75.

34. Knight’s comment when he was mistakenly put in the corner? I’M NOT A (C)ROOK
The corner piece in the game of chess is a called a rook, a word coming from the Persian word “rokh” meaning a “chariot”. The rook has also been called, perhaps incorrectly, the castle, tower, marquess or rector.

In 1973, at the height of the Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon faced reporters in a question and answers session. Famously, or perhaps infamously, Nixon uttered the words:

People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.

A few month’s later, President Nixon stated that he was “never a quitter”. Well, he resigned in August 1974 under pressure from the scandal, and facing an almost inevitable impeachment.

38. Hardly laid-back TYPE-A
The Type A and Type B personality theory originated in the fifties. Back then, individuals were labelled as Type A in order to emphasize a perceived increased risk of heart disease. Type A personality types are so called “stress junkies”, whereas Type B types are relaxed and laid back. But there doesn’t seem to be much scientific evidence to support the linkage between the Type A personality and heart problems.

40. La Corse, par exemple ILE
In French, Corsica (La Corse) is an island (île).

Corsica is a large island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to France. Napoléon Bonaparte was born on Corsica, in the town of Ajaccio.

41. Early ascetic ESSENE
The Essenes were a Jewish religious group, most noted these days perhaps as the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

42. “Ain’t gonna happen!” NO SOAP!
“No soap” is a slang term meaning “not possible”. The term probably originated with the slang usage of “soap” to mean “money”, so “no soap” meant, “I have no money (to lend you)”. Over time, the usage of “no soap” generalized to “it’s not going to happen, so don’t ask”.

47. Sun. delivery SER
Some people listen to a sermon (ser.) on a Sunday (Sun.).

48. Sides in a Wells–or Welles–war WORLDS
“The War of the Worlds” is a science fiction classic penned by H. G. Wells in 1895-97. This compelling story of Martians invading Earth has been adapted many times into radio dramas, a television series and several movies.

Orson Welles starred in and directed 1938’s famous radio play “The War of the Worlds”. This adaptation of the H. G. Wells science-fiction novel included several apparent news broadcasts that reported the effects of an alien invasion. Many people who heard the broadcasts didn’t realise that they were part of a play. It is estimated that of 6 million people who tuned it, 1.2 million listeners were genuinely frightened by what they were hearing.

49. King of the sea? (C)LEAR SAILING
Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous drama “King Lear” by the legend of “Leir of Britain”, the story of a mythological Celtic king.

52. Workers’ gp. in a 1955 merger AFL
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1886, making it one of the first federations of unions in the country. Over time the AFL became dominated by craft unions, unions representing skilled workers of particular disciplines. In the early thirties, John L. Lewis led a movement within the AFL to organize workers by industry, believing this would be more effective for the members. But the craft unions refused to budge, so Lewis set up a rival federation of unions in 1932, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The two federations became bitter rivals for over two decades until finally merging in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

54. Easy chore CAKEWALK
The Cakewalk is a dance that originated in the African American community from the “Prize Walk”, in the days of slavery. The Prize Walk was a procession in which couples “walked” with as much style as possible, with the intent of winning the big prize, a large cake. Our term “cakewalk”, meaning something easily accomplished, derives from this tradition. The expression “take the cake” has the same etymology.

58. Welcoming rings LEIS
“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.

60. Actor Kinski KLAUS
Klaus Kinski was an actor from Germany. Kinski had three children, from three different marriages. All three children made careers for themselves out of acting, including Nastassja Kinski who is perhaps best known for playing the lead in Roman Polanski’s 1979 film “Tess”.

61. Sporty Nissans Z CARS
The Nissan Z car is a whole series of sports cars that was introduced in 1969. The first Z car was sold in Japan by Nissan as the Fairlady Z and exported as the Datsun 240Z. There have been more Nissan Z Cars sold than any other sportscar in the world. Hard to believe, but over 2 million have been sold to date.

63. Lodge letters 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. It 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.

66. Sierra __ LEONE
The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, lying on the Atlantic Coast. The capital city of Freetown was originally set up as a colony to house the “Black Poor” of London, England. These people were mainly freed British slaves of Caribbean descent who were living a miserable life in the run-down parts of London. Perhaps to help the impoverished souls, perhaps to rid the streets of “a problem”, three ships were chartered in 1787 to transport a group of blacks, with some whites, to a piece of land purchased in Sierra Leone. Those who made the voyage were guaranteed British citizenship and protection. The descendants of these immigrants, and others who made the journey over the next 60 years, make up the ethnic group that’s today called the Sierra Leone Creole.

68. North African hops drier? BARBARY (C)OAST
An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house”.

Barbary Coast was the name given to the northwest coast of Africa that was occupied by the Berber people. The Barbary Coast was famous as a base for Barbary pirates and slave traders. The marauding of the Barbary pirates led to two conflicts between the US and the Barbary states in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, referred to as the Barbary Wars.

77. 1938 broadcaster of Welles radio dramas CBS
“The Mercury Theater on the Air” was a series of radio plays created by Orson Welles that aired in the latter half of 1938 on CBS Radio. The most celebrated of these broadcasts was “The War of the Worlds” which led to widespread panic as many listeners believed that Martians really were invading the Earth.

78. “Jersey Boys” role VALLI
Frankie Valli is a great singer, best known for fronting the Four Seasons in the sixties. Valli had an incredible number of hits, with and without the Four Seasons. The extensive list includes, “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Rag Doll”, “My Eyes Adored You” and “Grease”.

“Jersey Boys” is a very entertaining musical that chronicles the life of the sixties group the Four Seasons. Joe Pesci is one of the characters in the story, which isn’t really surprising. Pesci is one of the show’s producers.

79. Bikini blasts, briefly N-TESTS
The testing of US nuclear weapons by the US at Bikini Atoll in the middle of 1946 went by the codename “Operation Crossroads”. The tests used A-bombs and were designed to measure the effect of blasts on navy vessels. There were three tests planned, but the third had to be cancelled as the Navy couldn’t decontaminate the ships used in the second test.

83. Ford flop EDSEL
The Edsel brand of automobile was named for Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford. Sadly, the name “Edsel” has become synonymous with “failure”, which was no fault of Edsel himself who had died several years before the Edsel line was introduced.

84. Maguire of “Spider-Man” TOBEY
The actor Tobey Maguire is most associated with the role of Spider-Man these days. I’m not much into comic book hero films, but I do kind of enjoy the understated way that Maguire takes on “Spidey”. Maguire has appeared in other hit films, like “Pleasantville” (1998), “The Cider House Rules” (1999) and “Seabiscuit” (2003). Off the screen, he is big into poker and it’s said that he has won over $10 million playing poker in Hollywood.

90. Waffle center? EFS
There are two letters F (ef) at the center of the word “waffle”.

94. Alternatives to fries TOTS
Ore-Ida founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

96. Ripley’s closing words … OR NOT
“Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” is a huge franchise on television, affiliated to a worldwide chain of museums. The franchise started out as cartoon feature appearing in newspapers in 1918.

97. GM sticker datum MSRP
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

98. RR stop STN
A station (stn.) is a stop on a railroad (R.R.).

99. Celestial sci. ASTR
Astronomy (astr.)

100. Little burger SLIDER
Sliders are small hamburgers. One suggestion is that the “slider” originated in the US Navy, with the name being a reference to greasy hamburgers sliding back and forth across the grill as a ship pitches and rolls. More recently, the slider became associated with the White Castle fast food chain of restaurants. White Castle introduced the “Slyder” in 1985.

101. Natalie’s “West Side Story” role MARIA
Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story” is of course based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The musical is set in New York City and features two rival gangs: the Sharks from Puerto Rico and the Jets with working-class, Caucasian roots. Tony from the Jets (played by Richard Beymer) falls in love with Maria (played by Natalie Wood) from the Sharks. All this parallels Romeo from the House of Montague falling for Juliet from the House of Capulet in the Italian city of Verona.

102. Encouraging simian? (C)APE OF GOOD HOPE
The Cape of Good Hope in South Africa is not, as I believed, the most southerly point of Africa. That honor goes to Cape Agulhas, which lies just under a hundred miles further south. The first European to reach “the Cape” was Bartolomeu Dias in 1448, and he called the headland the Cape of Storms. It was renamed by John II, King of Portugal, as the Cape of Good Hope as discovery of the Cape led to a spirit of optimism with the opening of a sea route from Europe to India and beyond.

109. Mistletoe may hang from them LINTELS
A lintel is a structural beam that spans an opening in a wall, usually a door or a window.

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on trees or shrubs, absorbing water and other nutrients from the host. Mistletoe is commonly used as a Christmas decoration in Europe and North America. There is a custom that a man and woman meeting under the mistletoe must kiss. The tradition back in the 1800s was that a young man could extract a kiss from a young lady under the mistletoe, and then must pluck a cherry from the plant. Once all the cherries were plucked, there were no more kissing privileges.

Down
1. Canine cousins MOLARS
Molars are grinding teeth. The term “molar” comes from the Latin “mola” meaning “millstone”.

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eye teeth. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The name “eye” is used because in humans the eye teeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

2. Backtalk in the Everglades? ALLIGATOR (C)LIP
The Everglades are a tropical wetlands that cover much of southern Florida. The area was named “River Glades” by a British surveyor in 1773, and is suggested that poor transcription of the word “river” led to the use of “ever”. The southern 20% of the Everglades is a protected region that we know as Everglades National Park. The park is the third largest National Park in the lower 48 states, after Death Valley NP (the largest) and Yellowstone NP.

5. Like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 IN A
If I had to name which of Beethoven’s symphonies I listen to most often, at the top of the list comes the 7th followed closely by the 9th, and then the 5th a little further down. But that four-note opening of the 5th … that is superb …

7. Port NE of Canton, OH ERIE, PA
Erie is a city in the very north of Pennsylvania, right on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area.

8. B-47, for one BOMBER
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet was a bomber designed to cruise at high altitude and carry nuclear bombs, primarily with the intent of attacking the Soviet Union. Even though versions were in service for 26 years starting in the early fifties, the B-47 never saw action.

9. Madison et al.: Abbr. AVES
Madison Avenue became the center of advertising in the US in the twenties, and serves as the backdrop to the great TV drama “Mad Men”. There aren’t many advertising agencies left on Madison Avenue these days though, as most have moved to other parts of New York City. The street takes its name from Madison Square, which is bounded on one side by Madison Avenue. The square in turn takes its name from James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

10. Racer Fabi TEO
Teo Fabi is a retired racing driving from Italy who competed on the Formula One circuit. Teo often raced against his older brother Corrado Fabi.

15. Dubai-based airline EMIRATES
Emirates is the largest airline in the Middle East, and operates out of Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. Four of the Emirates non-stop commercial routes are the longest in the world, namely Dubai to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.

20. Kiev’s river DNIEPER
The Dnieper River rises in Russia, and travels through Belarus and Ukraine to empty into the Black Sea.

23. Absent-minded Milne title character PIM
A. A. Milne (of “Winnie-the-Pooh” fame) wrote a play called “Mr. Pim Passes By” in 1919. The play was a big hit and starred Leslie Howard in the original London production.

26. Immortal first baseman WHO
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made up the comedy duo Abbott and Costello who were immensely popular in the forties and fifties. Even when I was growing up in Ireland and knew nothing about baseball, I was rolling around the floor listening to Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s on First?” comedy routine. Can you name all the players?

– First Base: Who
– Second Base: What
– Third Base: I Don’t Know
– Left field: Why
– Center field: Because
– Pitcher: Tomorrow
– Catcher: Today
– Shortstop: I Don’t Care/I Don’t Give a Darn

31. La __: San Diego resort area JOLLA
The name of the city of La Jolla is often said to be a corruption of the Spanish “La Joya” meaning “the jewel”, giving rise to the city’s nickname “Jewel City”. Scholars dispute this etymology, but it makes for good marketing.

32. Intractable beast ASS
Something described as “intractable” is stubborn, not easily managed.

39. Haute couture monogram YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. Saint-Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from prison, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

“Haute couture”, literally “high dressmaking” in French, is a name given to the creation of exclusive fashions. A couturier is someone who creates or sells such fashions.

41. Composer Satie et al. ERIKS
Erik Satie was a French composer most famous for his beautiful composition, the three “Gymnopédies”. I have tried so hard to appreciate other works by Satie but I find them so very different from the minimalist simplicity of the lyrical “Gymnopédies”.

43. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior SEAU
Junior Seau was an NFL linebacker, first playing for the San Diego Chargers and then the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. Sadly, Seau was found dead in his home in 2011, having committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.

45. Where Gubbeen Cheese is made: Abbr. IRE
Gubbeen Farm Cheese has been produced since 1979 in the lovely coastal village of Schull in the southwest of Ireland.

48. Saxony woodland WALD
“Wald” is the German word for “forest” as in “Schwarzwald”, the Black Forest.

Saxony was the name given at different times in history to states along the Elbe river in central Europe. As the various states broke up, they spawned many duchies that retained the name “Saxe”. The most famous of these duchies was probably Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, two united duchies in Germany that ceased to exist after WWII. A notable branch of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House is the British Royal Family, as Queen Victoria was married to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. King George V of the United Kingdom changed the name of the family to the House of Windsor in a politically sensible move during WWI.

49. High capital LHASA
Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and the name “Lhasa” translates as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

51. BHO’s predecessor GWB
President George W. Bush is of course named for his father, George H. W. Bush. The “W” in the name of both father and son stands for “Walker”. Walker was the family name of President George H. W. Bush’s mother, Dorothy Walker.

President Obama’s first name, Barack, is Swahili with roots in an old Arabic word meaning “blessed”. Barack was the President’s father’s name. President Obama’s middle name is Hussein, an Arabic word meaning “good” or “handsome one”. Hussein was the name of the President’s grandfather on the paternal side. His surname, Obama, doesn’t really have a translation, but is a common name among the Luo tribe of Kenya.

53. Common people PLEBS
“Plebe” is a slang term for a freshman in the US military and naval academies. Plebe is probably short for “plebeian”, an adjective describing someone of the common class in Ancient Rome, one of the “plebs” (a singular collective noun). “Pleb” is a shortened version of plebeian, and is a term used outside of the military schools to mean “commoner”.

56. Nocturnal Indian primate LORIS
The loris is a nocturnal primate found in the forests of southeast Asia.

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

60. Pink Nintendo icon KIRBY
Kirby is the main character in a whole series of video games from Nintendo. Apparently Kirby is one of Nintendo’s most well-known characters. Personally, I had never heard of him before he turned up in a crossword …

62. Mozart’s “__ fan tutte” COSI
Mozart’s comic opera “Così fan tutte” is also known in English as “The School for Lovers”. The literal translation of the opera’s title is “Thus do all (women)”, or “Women are like that”.

69. KOA users RVERS
Recreational vehicle (RV)

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

70. Sisterhood name in a Rebecca Wells novel YA-YA
The 2002 film “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” was a screen adaptation of the successful novel of the same name by Rebecca Wells. The Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a secret order created by four little girls from Louisiana, all of whom get together in later life to reassure a potential bride of the wonders of marriage and love.

72. Radio host John TESH
John Tesh is a pianist and composer, as well as a radio and television presenter. For many years Tesh presented the show “Entertainment Tonight”. For “ET” he once covered the filming of an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. As part of the piece, he volunteered to act as a Klingon warrior and so if you see the “Star Trek: TNG” episode called “The Icarus Factor” in reruns, watch out for John Tesh engaging in ritual torture with Mr. Worf as his victim.

75. What duffers don’t expect to do SHOOT PAR
A “duffer” is a golfer, and not a very good one.

76. Hot, hot pepper HABANERO
The habanero chili has a very intense flavor. Interestingly, the correct spelling of the chili’s name is “habanero”, although in English we often try to be clever and add a tilde making it “habañero”, which isn’t right at all …

81. Coin in Tirana LEK
The official currency of Albania is called the lek. The first lek was introduced in 1926, and was apparently named after Alexander the Great.

Tirana is the capital city of Albania.

82. Souped-up cars HOT RODS
A “hot rod” is an American car that has been modified for speed by installing a larger than normal engine. A “street rod” is generally a more comfortable type of “hot rod”, with the emphasis less on the engine and more on custom paint jobs and interiors. By definition, a street rod must be based on an automobile design that originated prior to 1949.

89. Sturgeon delicacy ROE
“Caviar” is the roe of a large fish that has been salted and seasoned, and especially the roe of a sturgeon. Beluga caviar comes from the beluga sturgeon, found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It is the most expensive type of caviar in the world. 8 ounces of US-farmed beluga caviar can be purchased through Amazon.com for just over $850, in case you’re feeling peckish …

92. Renders unproductive? SPAYS
Our verb “to spay”, meaning “to surgically remove the ovaries of” (an animal) comes from an old Anglo-French word “espeier” meaning “to cut with a sword”.

94. Some NCOs TSGTS
Technical Sergeant (TSgt)

95. Plains tribe OTO
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

97. European island nation MALTA
The island state of Malta is relatively small, but its large number of inhabitants makes it one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Malta’s strategic location has made it a prized possession for the conquering empires of the world. Most recently it was part of the British Empire and was an important fleet headquarters. Malta played a crucial role for the Allies during WWII as it was located very close to the Axis shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. The Siege of Malta lasted from 1940 to 1942, a prolonged attack by the Italians and Germans on the RAF and Royal Navy, and the people of Malta. When the siege was lifted, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta collectively in recognition of their heroism and devotion to the Allied cause. The George Cross can still be seen on the Maltese flag, even though Britain granted Malta independence in 1964.

100. “Adventures in Babysitting” co-star SHUE
Elisabeth Shue has always been a favorite actress of mine. She has been in several popular films including “The Karate Kid”, “Cocktail”, two of the “Back to the Future” movies, “Leaving Las Vegas”, and my personal favorite “Adventures in Babysitting”. More recently, Shue had a recurring role on the TV crime drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”.

101. Cry under a pop-up MINE!
In a baseball game, a pop-up arcs across the infield.

103. Plastic __ Band ONO
The Plastic Ono Band was a so-called “super-group”, brought together by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969. Members of the group included John and Yoko, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Keith Moon.

104. Ellipsis element DOT
An ellipsis is a series of dots (usually three) used to indicate an omission in some text. The term comes from the Greek word “élleipsis”, which means “omission”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Varnish resin MASTIC
7. Online cash-back deal E-BATE
12. God for whom Wednesday was named WODEN
17. Peru’s El Misti, e.g. VOLCANO
18. Submit servilely GROVEL
19. Sounded alike RHYMED
21. Not kosher ILLEGAL
22. Coleridge love poem? (C)RIME OF PASSION
24. Problems for parades RAINS
25. Nerds DWEEBS
27. Quick way to reduce fat? LIPO
28. N.Y. engineering sch. RPI
29. Yen URGE
30. Form SHAPE
31. NFL great Brown and meteorologist Cantore JIMS
32. Bern’s river AARE
33. Fed. benefits agency SSA
34. Knight’s comment when he was mistakenly put in the corner? I’M NOT A (C)ROOK
37. Words after lost or missed … A STEP
38. Hardly laid-back TYPE-A
40. La Corse, par exemple ILE
41. Early ascetic ESSENE
42. “Ain’t gonna happen!” NO SOAP!
43. Serious oil problem SPILL
46. To’s partner FRO
47. Sun. delivery SER
48. Sides in a Wells–or Welles–war WORLDS
49. King of the sea? (C)LEAR SAILING
52. Workers’ gp. in a 1955 merger AFL
53. Step PHASE
54. Easy chore CAKEWALK
58. Welcoming rings LEIS
60. Actor Kinski KLAUS
61. Sporty Nissans Z CARS
63. Lodge letters BPOE
64. Sheriff’s assistants DEPUTIES
66. Sierra __ LEONE
67. Charity’s URL ending ORG
68. North African hops drier? BARBARY (C)OAST
71. Equilibrium STASIS
74. 17-Across output ASH
77. 1938 broadcaster of Welles radio dramas CBS
78. “Jersey Boys” role VALLI
79. Bikini blasts, briefly N-TESTS
80. Like some protein drinks CHALKY
82. Vocalized “Psst!” HEY!
83. Ford flop EDSEL
84. Maguire of “Spider-Man” TOBEY
85. Citrus high? ORANGE (C)RUSH
90. Waffle center? EFS
93. Permeate SOAK
94. Alternatives to fries TOTS
96. Ripley’s closing words … OR NOT
97. GM sticker datum MSRP
98. RR stop STN
99. Celestial sci. ASTR
100. Little burger SLIDER
101. Natalie’s “West Side Story” role MARIA
102. Encouraging simian? (C)APE OF GOOD HOPE
105. How gazelles bound AGILELY
107. “Dang!” DARN IT!
108. Put out DOUSED
109. Mistletoe may hang from them LINTELS
110. Original environment ROOTS
111. Energetic mount STEED
112. Reliable STEADY

Down
1. Canine cousins MOLARS
2. Backtalk in the Everglades? ALLIGATOR (C)LIP
3. Crime __ SCENE
4. Facebook links TAGS
5. Like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 IN A
6. Winter time COLD SNAP
7. Port NE of Canton, OH ERIE, PA
8. B-47, for one BOMBER
9. Madison et al.: Abbr. AVES
10. Racer Fabi TEO
11. Diminutive ELFLIKE
12. Deli offerings WRAPS
13. Very OH SO
14. Start to function? DYS-
15. Dubai-based airline EMIRATES
16. Synthetic used to insulate wet suits NEOPRENE
17. Bug VIRUS
18. Awe-inspiring GREAT
20. Kiev’s river DNIEPER
23. Absent-minded Milne title character PIM
26. Immortal first baseman WHO
31. La __: San Diego resort area JOLLA
32. Intractable beast ASS
34. Apple product IPOD
35. Ft. or in. MEAS
36. Essential __ OILS
37. In unison AS ONE
39. Haute couture monogram YSL
41. Composer Satie et al. ERIKS
42. Free, as a checking account NO-FEE
43. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior SEAU
44. Mountain route PASS
45. Where Gubbeen Cheese is made: Abbr. IRE
46. Highway warning FLARE
48. Saxony woodland WALD
49. High capital LHASA
50. Risky boot camp response I CAN’T
51. BHO’s predecessor GWB
53. Common people PLEBS
55. John and Peter’s woodwind? APOSTLES’ (c)REED
56. Nocturnal Indian primate LORIS
57. Powder holders KEGS
59. Hero SUB
60. Pink Nintendo icon KIRBY
61. Ardor ZEAL
62. Mozart’s “__ fan tutte” COSI
65. Like paint when it’s nearly dry TACKY
66. Texter’s guffaw LOL
69. KOA users RVERS
70. Sisterhood name in a Rebecca Wells novel YA-YA
71. Regs. STDS
72. Radio host John TESH
73. Enzyme ending -ASE
74. Mopes ACTS SAD
75. What duffers don’t expect to do SHOOT PAR
76. Hot, hot pepper HABANERO
79. Gray and tan NEUTRALS
81. Coin in Tirana LEK
82. Souped-up cars HOT RODS
86. Like an ideal negotiation NO-LOSE
87. Complained GRIPED
88. Done ENDED
89. Sturgeon delicacy ROE
91. Ruffled FRILLY
92. Renders unproductive? SPAYS
94. Some NCOs TSGTS
95. Plains tribe OTO
97. European island nation MALTA
99. Have __: lose it A FIT
100. “Adventures in Babysitting” co-star SHUE
101. Cry under a pop-up MINE!
103. Plastic __ Band ONO
104. Ellipsis element DOT
106. “Scram, ya varmint!” GIT!

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