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CROSSWORD SETTER: Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Plugged Nickel … each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase, but with the element symbol for NICKEL (i.e. Ni) PLUGGED inside:
23A. Flier with a magical rod? DIVINING BIRD (“diving bird” + Ni)
25A. Signal that nails are dry? MANI BELL (“Ma Bell” + Ni)
35A. Sweet tooth? SUGAR CANINE (“sugar cane” + Ni)
41A. Nocturnal critter enjoying a meal? DINING BAT (“dingbat” + Ni)
56A. Rejection of a parcel? PACKAGE DENIAL (“package deal” + Ni)
80A. Part of the ad that sells the product? FINISHING HOOK (“fishing hook” + Ni)
94A. Ace garage door mechanic? GENIE WHIZ (“gee whiz!” + Ni)
97A. Ralph Lauren’s “Celebrate Radio” clothing line? MARCONI POLO (“Marco Polo” + Ni)
114A. Superhero who doesn’t do well in a crisis? PANIC MAN (“Pac-Man” + Ni)
116A. Carrier pigeon’s daily delivery? NEWS CANISTER (“newscaster” + Ni)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 16m 01s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
12. Scoundrel CAD
Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.
15. Terminus of all roads? ROME
The expression “all roads lead to Rome” is used to mean “whatever way we do this, we’ll get the same result”. The phrase has been used since the 1100s and probably even earlier than that. The expression arises because the ancient Roman road system had all major roads radiating from Rome like spokes on a wheel.
20. Lizard with a dewlap IGUANA
An iguana is a lizard, and as such is cold-blooded. There are times when pet iguanas need heat from an IR lamp to maintain body temperature.
Dewlap is that flap of skin that hangs below the neck of some creatures. Dewlaps are found on anything from dogs to iguanas.
21. Coleridge wrote one on dejection ODE
“Dejection: An Ode” is an 1802 poem by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In draft form, the poem was titled “Letter to Sara Hutchinson”. Hutchinson was a woman who Coleridge loved, even though he was married to another woman.
25. Signal that nails are dry? MANI BELL (“Ma Bell” + Ni)
Manicure (mani)
The term “Ma Bell” was used to describe the monopoly led by the American Bell Telephone Company and AT&T, that controlled telephone service right across the country. The name “Bell” is after Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the first practical telephone.
33. Venice glider GONDOLA
The word “gondola” was originally limited to the famous boats that travel along the canals of Venice. When man started to fly through the air in hot air balloons, “gondola” was used for the basket in which the passenger(s) traveled. By extension, the structure carrying passengers and crew under an airship is also called a gondola, as are the cars suspended from a cable at a ski resort.
35. Sweet tooth? SUGAR CANINE (“sugar cane” + Ni)
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.
41. Nocturnal critter enjoying a meal? DINING BAT (“dingbat” + Ni)
The word “dingbat” has been used to mean a “fool” since the early 1900s. It became very popular after it was used repeatedly by Archie Bunker in the seventies TV show “All in the Family”.
46. Sporty auto roofs T-TOPS
A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the vehicle above the driver.
47. Cut with a beam LASE
The term “laser” is an acronym standing for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation” (LASER). It has been pointed out that a more precise name for laser technology is “Light Oscillation by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”, but the resulting acronym isn’t quite so appealing, namely LOSER …
48. First name in fashion COCO
Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer. Perhaps because I am a man, clothes design is not my forte. However, if I had to pick a designer whose clothes I really liked, it would be Chanel. She had a way of creating simpler designs that looked so elegant on a woman.
50. San __: jet set resort REMO
The Italian city of San Remo sits on the Mediterranean, right on the border with France. In Italian the city is named Sanremo, just one word, although the spelling of “San Remo” dates back to ancient times.
61. Slow start? ESS
The word “slow” starts with a letter S (ess).
62. Founder of what is now Lima PIZARRO
Lima is the capital city of Peru. Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who named it “la Ciudad de los Reyes” (the City of Kings). He chose this name because the decision to found the city was made on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany that commemorates the visit of the three kings to Jesus in Bethlehem.
64. Drag racing gp. NHRA
The sport of drag racing is administered by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
Back in the 18th century “drag” was slang for a wagon or buggy, as it was “dragged” along by a horse or horses. In the 1930s, the underworld adopted drag as slang for an automobile. This sense of the word was imported into automobile racing in the forties, giving the name to “drag racing”. A drag race is basically a competition between two cars to determine which can accelerate faster from a standstill.
72. First park with a Home Run Apple SHEA
The New York Mets baseball team play in front of a “Home Run Apple”. This giant apple has a Mets logo on the front. The whole thing rises out of the ground and lights up when a Mets player hits a home run. The current Home Run Apple at Citi Field is four times the size of the original that had been installed in Shea Stadium. Shea’s Home Run Apple now sits outside Citi Field, at the main entrance.
75. Potpourri GRAB BAG
The French term “pot pourri” literally translates to “rotten pot”, but in France it used to mean “stew”. Over time, the term “potpourri” evolved in English usage to mean a “medley”, and eventually a mixture of dried flowers and spices.
79. Hockey great ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …
86. Call before a snap HUT-ONE!
The quarterback (QB) starts each play in football with a “snap” (also called a “hike”). He announces to his teammates the exact moment of the snap by calling out signals, usually including the word “hut” one or more times in a prearranged sequence.
91. Time to give up? LENT
In Latin, the Christian season that is now called Lent was termed “quadragesima” (meaning “fortieth”), a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. When the church began its move in the Middle Ages towards using the vernacular, the term “Lent” was introduced. “Lent” comes from “lenz”, the German word for “spring”.
93. Hamlet and Victor Borge DANES
The full title of William Shakespeare’s play that we tend to call “Hamlet” is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. It is the most performed of all Shakespeare’s plays and it is also his longest, the only one of his works comprising over 4,000 lines. That’s about a 4-hour sitting in a theater …
Victor Borge was such a talented entertainer. He was nicknamed “The Great Dane” as well as “The Clown Prince of Denmark”. Borge was a trained concert pianist, but soon discovered that the addition of a stand up comedy routine to his musical presentations brought him a lot of work. He toured Europe in the 1930s, and found himself in trouble for telling anti-Nazi jokes, so when Germany occupied Denmark during WWII Borge escaped to America.
94. Ace garage door mechanic? GENIE WHIZ (“gee whiz!” + Ni)
Genie is a manufacturer of garage door openers based in Alliance, Ohio.
97. Ralph Lauren’s “Celebrate Radio” clothing line? MARCONI POLO (“Marco Polo” + Ni)
Guglielmo Marconi was an inventor, famous for development of a radio telegraph design that was used across the world. Marconi did a lot of his early radio work in his native Italy, but moved to England as the British government was very interested in supporting his developments.
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer, born Ralph Liftshitz in the Bronx, New York. Lauren started off working as a salesman for Brooks Brothers after spending two years in the US Army. He then opened a necktie store, featuring his own tie designs. The ties were sold under the name “Polo”, which became Lauren’s most famous brand. Other Lauren brands are Purple Label and Black Label.
Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice and a famous traveler throughout Asia. Polo journeyed with his father and uncle on an epic tour of Central Asia and China that lasted 24 years. Marco tends to be the member of the party we remember today though, because it was he who documented their travels in a book called “Il Milione”.
99. Where Puccini’s “Turandot” premiered LA SCALA
La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its name: “Teatro alla Scala” in Italian.
Puccini never actually finished his celebrated opera “Turandot”. When he died, it was completed by composer and pianist Franco Alfano, making “Turandot” the work with which Alfano is most associated.
101. Salon, say EMAG
Salon.com is a popular online magazine, one of the first “ezines” ever published. “Salon” focuses on American politics and current affairs, but also has articles about books, music and films. The magazine was launched in 1995, and managed to survive many loss-making years. Most of “Salon’s” content is free, but it does make money by offering a premium service with extra content, and by selling ad space.
109. Game with melding CANASTA
The card game called canasta originated in Uruguay apparently, with “canasta” being the Spanish word for “basket”. In the rummy-like game, a meld of seven cards or more is called a canasta.
114. Superhero who doesn’t do well in a crisis? PANIC MAN (“Pac-Man” + Ni)
In Greek mythology, Pan was a lecherous god, one who fell in love with Echo the mountain nymph. Echo refused Pan’s advances so that he became very angry. Pan’s anger created a “panic” (a word derived from the name “Pan”) and a group of shepherds were driven to kill Echo.
The Pac-Man arcade game was first released in Japan in 1980, and is as popular today as it ever was. The game features characters that are maneuvered around the screen to eat up dots and earn points. The name comes from the Japanese folk hero “Paku”, known for his voracious appetite. The spin-off game called Ms. Pac-Man was released in 1981.
116. Carrier pigeon’s daily delivery? NEWS CANISTER (“newscaster” + Ni)
Usually, carrier pigeons are used to transport messages “home”, in one direction, after having been transported manually away from home. However, pigeons have been trained to fly back in forth between two locations. One is “home”, where the pigeons sleep, and the other is where the pigeons are fed.
119. Explosive first used as a yellow dye TNT
TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.
121. Scottish feudal lord THANE
Thanes were Scottish aristocrats. The most famous thanes have to be the Shakespearean characters Macbeth (the Thane of Glamis, later Thane of Cawdor) and MacDuff (the Thane of Fife). Other thanes in “Macbeth” are Ross, Lennox and Angus, as well as Menteith and Caithness.
122. Wicked one’s lack? REST
There’s no rest for the wicked.
124. Controversial blasts A-TESTS
Atomic test (A-test)
125. Gossip queen YENTA
Yenta (also “Yente”) is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater “yenta” came to mean a busybody.
Down
1. Digital indulgence PEDI
Pedicure (pedi)
3. Ultra Leakguards brand LUVS
Luvs are a brand of diaper.
“Diaper” is another word that I had to learn when I moved to America. What are called “diapers” over here, we call “nappies” back in Ireland. The term “diaper” is actually the original term that was used in England for the garment, where “diaper” referred to the cloth that was used. The term diaper was brought to the New World where it stuck. Back in Britain, diaper was displaced by the word “nappy”, a diminutive of “napkin”.
7. Metaphorical facial embarrassment EGG
So often, I have egg on my face …
13. Oral health org. ADA
American Dental Association (ADA)
14. Alaska Range highlight DENALI
Denali means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language, and is now the name used for Mount McKinley. Denali’s summit stands at 20,237 feet, making it the highest mountain peak in North America. I was surprised to learn that there is a Denali State Park, as well as the Denali National Park. The two are located adjacent to each other (which makes sense!). The State Park is undeveloped for all practical purposes, with just a few campgrounds and trailheads.
16. Wilson of “Marley & Me” OWEN
“Marley & Me” is a 2008 film adaptation of a memoir of the same name by John Grogan. Owen Wilson plays the author in the movie, which tells the story of Grogan and his his energetic dog called Marley. The film was released on December 25, 2008 and held the record for biggest Christmas Day box office ever.
The actor Owen Wilson was nominated for an Oscar, but not for his acting. He was nominated for co-writing the screenplay for “The Royal Tenenbaums” along with Wes Anderson.
17. Leon Uris’ “__ 18” MILA
“Mila 18” is a novel by American author Leon Uris that is set during WWII in Warsaw, Poland after the occupation by Germany. The book’s title refers to the bunker that served as headquarters of the Jewish resistance group in the Warsaw Ghetto. The bunker was located at “Ulica Mila 18” (“18 Pleasant Street” in English).
24. Desktop since 1998 IMAC
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors, that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such strawberry, blueberry and lime.
26. Persian Gulf land IRAN
The Persian Gulf is in effect an inland sea although it technically is an offshoot of the Indian Ocean. The outlet from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean is one of the most famous maritime “choke points” in the world, i.e. the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world’s supply of petroleum passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
34. Tokyo-born artist ONO
Yoko Ono is an avant-garde artist. Ono actually met her future husband John Lennon for the first time while she was preparing her conceptual art exhibit called “Hammer a Nail”. Visitors were encouraged to hammer in a nail into a wooden board, creating the artwork. Lennon wanted to hammer in the first nail, but Ono stopped him as the exhibition had not yet opened. Apparently Ono relented when Lennon paid her an imaginary five shillings to hammer an imaginary nail into the wood.
36. Gestation sites UTERI
The normal gestation period for humans is 280 days, a little over 9 months. The gestation period can be a little shorter, or longer. Back in 1945, a pregnancy was confirmed at 375 days, just over a year.
37. Addams family patriarch GOMEZ
Gomez and Morticia (“Tish”) Addams are the parents in “The Addams Family”, a creation of the cartoonist Charles Addams. In the sixties television show, Gomez was played by John Astin and Morticia was played by Carolyn Jones.
38. Mil. address APO
Army Post Office (APO)
39. Key, e.g. ISLAND
A “key” (also “cay”) is a low island offshore, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish “cayo” meaning “shoal, reef”.
40. Stable negative? NEIGH
“Neigh” (the sound of a horse) sounds like “nay” (meaning “no”).
42. Econ. measure GNP
A country’s Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, although related, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.
45. Deep-six TOSS
To deep-six something is to toss it, possibly overboard, or to completely destroy it. The derivation of this slang term is from “six feet deep”, not the length of a fathom but rather the traditional depth of a grave.
48. Sonata finale CODA
In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.
The term “sonata” comes via Italian from the Latin word “sonare” meaning “to sound”. A sonata is a piece of music that is played, as opposed to a cantata (from Latin and Italian “cantare” meaning “to sing”), a piece of music that is sung.
53. Leader who gave up cigar-smoking in 1985 CASTRO
Cuban leader Fidel Castor smoked the Cohiba brand of cigar, from his native land. The cigars made for Castro and his top officials were produced under conditions of tight security. Apparently, back in the early sixties, the CIA actually worked on the development of exploding cigars as a means of assassination.
54. Polish relative SLOVAK
Czechoslovakia existed as a sovereign state in Europe from 1918 at which time it declared itself independent from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The country went through much turmoil through the days of Nazi and Soviet occupation, but democracy was restored in 1989 after the nonviolent Velvet Revolution that overthrew the communist government. Nationalist tendencies did develop over time, leading to a peaceful dissolution of the country in 1993, and the creation of the two independent states of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic (aka Slovakia).
56. Checks for errors PROOFS
As readers of this blog know, I need to do a better job of that …
58. Late-night show since 2010 CONAN
Before Conan O’Brien came to fame as a late night talk show host he was a writer. He wrote for both “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons”.
59. Biomedical research agcy. NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is made up of 27 different institutes that coordinate their research and services. Examples of member institutes are the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging.
60. Insect stage after pupa IMAGO
The imago is a stage in the development of an insect. All four stages are embryo, larva, pupa and imago.
63. Theater chain initials AMC
The AMC theater chain used to by the name “American Multi-Cinema Inc.”, hence the initialism “AMC”.
66. Johnny __ REB
During the Civil War, the personification of the Southern states was “Johnny Reb”. The northern equivalent was Billy Yank.
68. Pa. airport north of PIT ERI
Erie International Airport (ERI) is located five miles from the city of Erie, Pennsylvania.
69. Ring Cycle composer WAGNER
Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” is more properly called “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, and is composed of four very, very long operas. The individual operas are:
– “Das Rheingold”
– “Die Walkure”
– “Siegfried”
– “Gotterdammerung”
70. Treasure stash TROVE
The term “treasure trove” comes from the Anglo-French “tresor trové “ meaning “found treasure”.
71. “As You Like It” forest ARDEN
The Forest of Arden is the setting for Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”. Even though there is a Forest of Arden surrounding Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-on-Avon, as the play is set in France one has to assume that the “As You Like It” Arden is an anglicization of the forested “Ardennes” region that stretches from Belgium into France.
74. __ Gay ENOLA
The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of pilot Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.
76. Bingo cousin BEANO
The game called Beano is a precursor to Bingo. Beano was so called as dried beans were used to cover the numbers on a card that had been called.
77. Word from the Latin for “messenger” ANGEL
Our word “angel” comes from the Greek “angelos” meaning “messenger”, via the Latin “angelus” meaning the same thing.
78. Painter’s undercoat GESSO
Gesso is the Italian word for “chalk” and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. The gesso is mixed with a glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.
79. Universal donor’s type, briefly O-NEG
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a “universal donor”.
81. Gomer Pyle exclamation SHAZAM!
Jim Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith and brought onto “The Andy Griffith Show” as Gomer Pyle, the gas station attendant. Famously, Nabors then got his own show called “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”
92. Alley lurkers TOMCATS
A group of cats can be referred to as a “clowder” or a “glaring”. A male cat is a “tom” or “tomcat”, and a neutered male is a “gib”. An unaltered female cat is a “queen”, and a spayed female might be referred to informally as a “molly”. A young cat is of course a “kitten”.
98. Chicken vindaloo go-with NAAN
Naan (also “nan”) bread is very popular in Indian restaurants, as well as in other West, Central and South Asian cuisines. Indian Naan is traditionally baked in a clay oven known as a tandoor.
“Vindaloo” is a very spicy Indian curry dish, and one of my favorites.
100. Singer Ronstadt LINDA
Linda Ronstadt is a singer-songwriter from Tucson, Arizona. Ronstadt really does have a lovely voice, and can make any song her own. In the late seventies, she was the highest paid woman in the world of rock music.
105. South Beach, for one DIET
The fad diet known as the South Beach Diet was developed in the mid-nineties by Dr. Arthur Agatston as the Modified Carbohydrate Diet. Agatston later named it for the South Beach neighborhood in Miami Beach, which was close to his practice. The diet really took off after Agatston published his “The South Beach Diet” book in 2003.
107. __’Pea SWEE
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”.
108. General __ chicken TSO’S
General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.
110. 1975 Wimbledon champ ASHE
Arthur Ashe won his one and only Wimbledon title in 1975, defeating Jimmy Connors in the final.
111. Asian country suffix -STAN
The suffix “-stan” in many place names is Persian for “place of”. One example is “Pakistan”, the Place of the Pure. “Pakistan” is a relatively recent name, first coined in 1933. It comes from the abbreviation PAKSTAN, standing for Punjab – Afghan Province – Kashmir – Sindh – BaluchisTAN, all regions in the north of India. The “I” was added to Pakistan to make it easier to pronounce, and to fit the translation “Land of the Pure”.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Compares poorly PALES
6. Unites MERGES
12. Scoundrel CAD
15. Terminus of all roads? ROME
19. Slip past ELUDE
20. Lizard with a dewlap IGUANA
21. Coleridge wrote one on dejection ODE
22. Scrape, in totspeak OWIE
23. Flier with a magical rod? DIVINING BIRD (“diving bird” + Ni)
25. Signal that nails are dry? MANI BELL (“Ma Bell” + Ni)
27. “We gotta go” IT’S TIME
28. Work in a park, perhaps STATUE
30. Fight sites ARENAS
31. Couple in a boat OARS
33. Venice glider GONDOLA
35. Sweet tooth? SUGAR CANINE (“sugar cane” + Ni)
41. Nocturnal critter enjoying a meal? DINING BAT (“dingbat” + Ni)
46. Sporty auto roofs T-TOPS
47. Cut with a beam LASE
48. First name in fashion COCO
49. Word accompanying finger-shaking NO-NO
50. San __: jet set resort REMO
51. Many an earring CLIP-ON
53. A grand’s ten C-SPOTS
55. “__ you serious?” ARE
56. Rejection of a parcel? PACKAGE DENIAL (“package deal” + Ni)
61. Slow start? ESS
62. Founder of what is now Lima PIZARRO
64. Drag racing gp. NHRA
65. “My bad!” I’M SORRY!
67. Showed pain MOANED
69. “__ I done?” WHAT’VE
70. Eatery serving filled fare TACO BAR
72. First park with a Home Run Apple SHEA
75. Potpourri GRAB BAG
79. Hockey great ORR
80. Part of the ad that sells the product? FINISHING HOOK (“fishing hook” + Ni)
83. 67.5 deg. ENE
84. DVD player error message NO DISC
86. Call before a snap HUT-ONE!
87. Sharp turns ZAGS
88. All square EVEN
89. __ the crack of dawn UP AT
91. Time to give up? LENT
93. Hamlet and Victor Borge DANES
94. Ace garage door mechanic? GENIE WHIZ (“gee whiz!” + Ni)
97. Ralph Lauren’s “Celebrate Radio” clothing line? MARCONI POLO (“Marco Polo” + Ni)
99. Where Puccini’s “Turandot” premiered LA SCALA
101. Salon, say EMAG
102. Patio door SLIDER
106. In the thick of AMIDST
109. Game with melding CANASTA
114. Superhero who doesn’t do well in a crisis? PANIC MAN (“Pac-Man” + Ni)
116. Carrier pigeon’s daily delivery? NEWS CANISTER (“newscaster” + Ni)
118. Airbrush target ACNE
119. Explosive first used as a yellow dye TNT
120. Subside DIE OUT
121. Scottish feudal lord THANE
122. Wicked one’s lack? REST
123. Garden chopper HOE
124. Controversial blasts A-TESTS
125. Gossip queen YENTA
Down
1. Digital indulgence PEDI
2. Came down ALIT
3. Ultra Leakguards brand LUVS
4. Polish for publication EDIT
5. Fourth-year group SENIORS
6. __ water MINERAL
7. Metaphorical facial embarrassment EGG
8. Coaxes from a lamp, with “out” RUBS
9. Canter or trot GAIT
10. Really tick off ENRAGE
11. “__ say … ” SAD TO
12. Chuckle-inducing COMEDIC
13. Oral health org. ADA
14. Alaska Range highlight DENALI
15. Loungewear item ROBE
16. Wilson of “Marley & Me” OWEN
17. Leon Uris’ “__ 18” MILA
18. Elongated fish EELS
24. Desktop since 1998 IMAC
26. Persian Gulf land IRAN
29. Come __: lose one’s composure UNDONE
32. Vending machine item SNACK
34. Tokyo-born artist ONO
35. Spaghetti __ STRAP
36. Gestation sites UTERI
37. Addams family patriarch GOMEZ
38. Mil. address APO
39. Key, e.g. ISLAND
40. Stable negative? NEIGH
42. Econ. measure GNP
43. Anti at the ballpark BOOER
44. Full of nervous energy ANTSY
45. Deep-six TOSS
48. Sonata finale CODA
52. According to PER
53. Leader who gave up cigar-smoking in 1985 CASTRO
54. Polish relative SLOVAK
56. Checks for errors PROOFS
57. Mideast language ARABIC
58. Late-night show since 2010 CONAN
59. Biomedical research agcy. NIH
60. Insect stage after pupa IMAGO
63. Theater chain initials AMC
66. Johnny __ REB
68. Pa. airport north of PIT ERI
69. Ring Cycle composer WAGNER
70. Treasure stash TROVE
71. “As You Like It” forest ARDEN
72. Close SHUT
73. Top 10 song HIT
74. __ Gay ENOLA
76. Bingo cousin BEANO
77. Word from the Latin for “messenger” ANGEL
78. Painter’s undercoat GESSO
79. Universal donor’s type, briefly O-NEG
81. Gomer Pyle exclamation SHAZAM!
82. Thus HENCE
85. Pasta suffix -INI
87. Heat up quickly ZAP
89. Hesitant sounds UHS
90. Hot and spicy PICANTE
92. Alley lurkers TOMCATS
93. It’s good to lose with it DIGNITY
95. Juice: Abbr. ELEC
96. Geniality WARMTH
97. Reached the big time MADE IT
98. Chicken vindaloo go-with NAAN
100. Singer Ronstadt LINDA
102. Practice for a bout SPAR
103. Bra fabric LACE
104. Holiday lodgings? INNS
105. South Beach, for one DIET
107. __’Pea SWEE
108. General __ chicken TSO’S
110. 1975 Wimbledon champ ASHE
111. Asian country suffix -STAN
112. Lawn party rental TENT
113. Interior designer’s statistic AREA
115. “Is that __?” A NO
117. “Stop filming!” CUT!
One stupid error short of zero errors on this grid. Relatively quick time for me too.
28:34, no errors.
Finished but I don't really have any idea of my solve time as I worked on it on and off for 2 or 3 hours in between other things. Bingo hung me up for a while. Beano finally got figured out. Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. See you all tomorrow.
Got both Sat. and Sun. No mistakes.
Wheee!
Pookie, nicely done!!
I'm SO glad to see PICANTE here as the answer for "hot and spicy." Hearing gringos say "caliente" instead is one of my (many) pet peeves.
Kind of a boring puzzle, and I didn't finish unaided. I had DIVINE BOMBER before DIVINING BIRD, and I kinda like it better. Also had FINISHING SPOT instead of HOOK. At least I was on the right track, some of the time.
See you Monday!
Sweet dreams~~