Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: Double Trouble
Each of today’s themed answers is a common two-word phrase in which a starting letter D has been replaced by the letters TR, as in “double” becoming “trouble”:
- 23A. Gathering of zombies? : TRANCE PARTY (from “dance party”)
- 25A. Vacation including Caribbean dance lessons? : SALSA TRIP (from “salsa dip”)
- 50A. Dumpster illumination : TRASH LIGHT (from “dash light”)
- 53A. Case with a strict time limit? : SPEED TRIAL (from “speed dial”)
- 85A. Semi driver’s superstition? : LUCKY TRUCK (from “lucky duck”)
- 88A. Bugs’ wealthy heir? : TRUST BUNNY (from “dust bunny”)
- 113A. Photo including six-pack abs? : TRUNK SHOT (from “dunk shot”)
- 115A. Vocal technique used at seders? : KOSHER TRILL (from “kosher dill”)
Bill’s time: 14m 17s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Moving manga : ANIME
Anime is cartoon animation in the style of Japanese Manga comic books.
15. Winter Palace ruler : TSAR
The Winter Palace is a magnificent building in St. Petersburg in Russia, home to the Russian tsars (and tsarinas). The Winter Palace houses the famous Hermitage Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the Palace and museum some years ago, and I have to say that I have rarely been more impressed by a historical building.
19. “Hallelujah” songwriter Leonard : COHEN
I’ve never been a big fan of the music of Canadian singer Leonard Cohen (don’t all yell at me at the same time!). That said, his 1984 song “Hallelujah” is superb, particularly the version recorded by Jeff Buckley in 1994.
20. Mozart work : OPERA
The Austrian composer’s full name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The name “Wolfgang” translates literally as “wolf journey”. Amadeus translates as “love god”!
21. Sport involving protective suits : EPEE
The French word for sword is “épée”. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.
22. Sch. publishing the Daily Bruin : UCLA
The UCLA Bruins’ mascots are Joe and Josephine Bruin, characters that have evolved over the years. There used to be “mean” Bruin mascots but they weren’t very popular with the fans, so now there are only “happy” Bruin mascots at the games.
23. Gathering of zombies? : TRANCE PARTY (from “dance party”)
A zombie is a corpse that has been brought back to life by some mystical means. Our modern use of the term largely stems from the undead creatures featured in the 1968 horror movie called “Night of the Living Dead”. Now that film I haven’t seen, and probably never will …
25. Vacation including Caribbean dance lessons? : SALSA TRIP (from “salsa dip”)
The genre of music called salsa is a modern interpretation of various Cuban traditional music styles.
“Salsa” is simply the Spanish for “sauce”.
27. Currency exchange table letters : USD
The “$” sign was first used for the Spanish American peso, in the late 18th century. The peso was also called the “Spanish dollar” (and “piece of eight”). The Spanish dollar was to become the model for the US dollar that was adopted in 1785, along with the “$” sign.
28. Dietary figs. : RDAS
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.
29. Goad : EGG ON
The verb “edge” has been used to mean to incite, to urge on, from the 16th century. Somewhere along the way “edge” was mistakenly replaced with “egg”, giving us our term “to egg on” meaning “to goad”.
32. Awards originally for radio only : PEABODYS
The Peabody Awards have been presented annually since 1941 to individuals and organizations for excellence in broadcasting. They are named for businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, who provided the funds to establish the awards program.
37. Burro bellow : BRAY
Our word “burro” meaning donkey comes from the Spanish word for the same animal, namely “burrico”.
38. Chatty bird : MYNA
Some species of myna (also “mynah”) bird are known for their ability to imitate sounds.
39. Line in an Ellington classic : “A” TRAIN
The A Train in the New York City Subway system runs from 207th Street, through Manhattan and over to Far Rockaway in Queens. The service lends its name to a jazz standard “Take the ‘A’ Train”, the signature tune of Duke Ellington and a song much sung by Ella Fitzgerald. One version of the lyrics are:
You must take the A Train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A Train
You’ll find you’ve missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now, it’s coming
Listen to those rails a-thrumming (All Aboard!)
Get on the A Train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem.
41. Company with a spokesduck : AFLAC
In 1999, Aflac (American Family Life Assurance Company) was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …
43. South American squeezer : BOA
Boa constrictors are members of the Boidae family of snakes, all of which are non-venomous. Interestingly, the female boa is always larger than the male.
47. Eyelid malady : STYE
A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.
50. Dumpster illumination : TRASH LIGHT (from “dash light”)
Back in the 1800s, “dashboard” was the name given to a board placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from “dashing” against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hoofs of the horses. Quite interesting …
56. Ranch rope : LARIAT
Our word “lariat” comes from the Spanish “la reater” meaning “the rope”.
58. Leader who resigned in his sixth yr. : RMN
President Richard Milhous Nixon (RMN) used “Milhous” in his name in honor of his mother Hannah Milhous. Richard was born in a house in Yorba Linda, California. You can visit that house today as it is on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. It’s a really interesting way to spend a few hours if you ever get to Yorba Linda …
61. Subdue, in a way : TASE
“To tase” is to use a taser, a stun gun.
62. City WSW of Bogotá : 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. Calia has also been historically associated with the illegal drug trade and money laundering.
Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia. Noted for having many libraries and universities, Bogotá is sometimes referred to as “The Athens of South America”.
64. Attorney general before Dick Thornburgh : ED MEESE
Ed Meese was born in Oakland, California just down the road here and spent 24 years in the office of the Treasurer of Alameda County, the county in which I live. After military service, Meese earned himself a law degree at UC Berkeley. Later, as chief of staff for President Reagan, he was instrumental in a famous decision to crack down on student protesters at Berkeley which resulted in one protester dying and a two-week occupation of the city by the California National Guard.
Dick Thornburgh served as the Governor of Pennsylvania for eight years before becoming the US Attorney General in 1988. Thornburgh served in the White House under both President Reagan and President Bush.
67. Pricey mushroom : MOREL
The morel is that genus of mushroom with the honeycomb-like structure on the cap. They’re highly prized, especially in French cuisine. Morels should never be eaten raw as they are toxic, with the toxins being removed by thorough cooking.
68. 2015 Verizon purchase : AOL
Founded as Quantum Computer Services in 1983, the company changed its name in 1989 to America Online. As America Online went international, the acronym AOL was used in order to shake off the “America-centric” sound to the name. During the heady days of AOL’s success the company could not keep up with the growing number of subscribers, so people trying to connect often encountered busy signals. That’s when users referred to AOL as “Always Off-Line”.
69. “Kojak” actor : SAVALAS
I think we all remember Telly Savalas playing the title role in the detective drama “Kojak”, but do we recall his performance in the 1962 “Birdman of Alcatraz”? Savalas played a supporting role opposite Burt Lancaster in that movie, earning himself an Oscar nomination. Another of his more significant roles was Pontius Pilate in the 1965 epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. Savalas had to shave his head to play Pilate, and he liked the look so much that he remained bald for the rest of his life.
“Kojak” is a fun police drama that had an original run on TV from 1973 to 1978. The title character was NYPD Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak, played by Telly Savalas. Famously, Kojak sucks away on Tootsie Pops as he tries to quit cigarettes. Kojak is assisted in his cases by Sergeant “Fatso” Stavros, a character played by George Savalas, Telly’s younger brother. Who loves ya, baby?
73. Tinseltown pooch : ASTA
Asta is the wonderful little dog in the superb “The Thin Man” series of films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (as Nick and Nora Charles). In the original story by Dashiell Hammett, Asta was a female Schnauzer, but on screen Asta was played by a wire-haired fox terrier called “Skippy”. Skippy was also the dog in “Bringing up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, the one who kept stealing the dinosaur bone. Skippy retired in 1939, so Asta was played by other dogs in the remainder of “The Thin Man” films.
76. Commonly injured knee ligament, briefly : MCL
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a ligament of the knee, on the inside (medial) side of the joint.
79. “__ Like You”: Young Rascals hit : A GIRL
The Rascals was a band that was big in the late sixties and early seventies. The list of the best-known songs recorded by the Rascals includes 1967’s “Groovin’” and “A Beautiful Morning”, both favorites of mine. The group originally used the name “the Young Rascals”, but I guess that got too old for that moniker …
80. Baggage-opening org. : TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks that check passengers and baggage at airports.
85. Semi driver’s superstition? : LUCKY TRUCK (from “lucky duck”)
A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.
90. Antoinette’s head : TETE
Marie Antoinette was the wife of Louis XVI, the last king of France. Marie Antoinette was the fifteenth of sixteen children born to the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. The marriage to Louis, her second cousin once removed, was arranged while the two were very young. The prospective bride was “handed over” to the French at a border crossing in 1770 and two weeks later she was married to the future king. Marie Antoinette was just 14 years of age at the time, and Louis only a year her senior. Both Louis and Marie Antoinette were doomed to lose their heads courtesy of the guillotine during the French Revolution.
93. Apnea-treating doc : ENT
Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)
Sleep apnea (“apnoea” in British English) can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.
100. Sailor : TAR
A jack tar, or just “tar”, was a seaman in the days of the British Empire. The term probably arose due to a sailor’s various uses of tar back then, including waterproofing his clothes and using tar in his hair to slick down his ponytail.
104. Gmail lifesaver : UNDO SEND
Gmail users (like me) have the advantage of a 10-send grace period in which one can decide to undo the send command for a specific email. I like that “undo send” feature …
108. Safari runner? : IPHONE
Safari is Apple’s flagship Internet browser, one that is used on its Mac line of computers. A mobile version of Safari is included with all iPhones.
111. American assignment : SEAT
American Airlines was founded in 1930 through the acquisition of 82 existing small airlines, and initially operated as American Airways. The company name was changed to “American Air Lines” in 1934. Back then, airlines made their profits by carrying the US mail, and American became the first airline to turn a profit on a route that could solely carry passengers. It did so by working with Donald Douglas to develop the DC-3 passenger plane. At that time, American started calling its aircraft “Flagships” and introduced its more wealthy passengers to the first Admirals Club.
112. John in Wimbledon : LOO
It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo”, in which the pot was called the loo!
The use of “john” as a slang term for a toilet is peculiar to North America. “John” probably comes from the older slang term of “jack” or “jakes” that had been around since the 16th century. In Ireland, in cruder moments, we still refer to a toilet as “the jacks”.
Wimbledon is a suburb of London located in the southwest of the metropolis. Wimbledon translates from Old English as “Wynnman’s Hill”, with “dun” being an archaic word for “hill”. And, the district is home to the All England Club where the Wimbledon tennis championships are played each year.
115. Vocal technique used at seders? : KOSHER TRILL (from “kosher dill”)
The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. One of the traditions at the meal is that the youngest child at the table asks “The Four Questions”, all relating to why this night is different from all other nights in the year:
- Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?
- Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
- Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
- Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?
118. Theater section : LOGE
In most theaters today, “loge” is the name given to the front rows of a mezzanine level. Loge can also be used for box seating.
121. Kindergarten refrain : E-I-E-I-O
There was an American version of the English children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (E-I-E-I-O), that was around in the days of WWI. The first line of the US version goes “Old MacDougal had a farm, in Ohio-i-o”.
“Kindergarten” is a German term, literally meaning “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.
122. Slaughter of the Cardinals : ENOS
Enos Slaughter has a remarkable playing record in Major League Baseball over a 19-year career. Slaughter’s record is particularly remarkable given that he left baseball for three years to serve in the military during WWII.
123. River of Flanders : YSER
The Yser river flows into the North Sea at Nieuwpoort in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium.
Down
1. Cause a ruckus : ACT UP
The word “ruckus” is used to mean a commotion, and has been around since the late 1800s. “Ruckus” is possibly a melding of the words “ruction” and “rumpus”.
2. Like Thor : NORSE
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin. Thor wielded a mighty hammer and was the god of thunder, lightning and storms. Our contemporary word “Thursday” comes from “Thor’s Day”.
11. Cancún cash : PESOS
The coin called a “peso” is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.
Cancún is a city and island on the east coast of Mexico, on the other side of the Yucatan Channel from Cuba. The city is growing rapidly due to its booming tourist business. Cancún is the center of what’s often called “The Mexican Caribbean” or the “Mayan Riviera”.
13. Brooks of comedy : MEL
Mel Brooks’ real name is Melvin Kaminsky. Brooks is one of very few entertainers (there are only ten) who has won the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam” i.e. an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. He is in good company, as the list also includes the likes of Richard Rogers, Sir John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn.
14. Heckled : PESTERED
Originally, the verb “to heckle” meant to question severely, and for many years was associated with the public questioning of parliamentary candidates in Scotland. In more recent times, the meaning has evolved into questioning that is less polite and that is directed at standup comics.
15. Sugar Plum Fairy’s dress : TUTU
The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.
In Tchaikovsky’s delightful ballet “The Nutcracker”, much of the action takes place in the Land of Sweets, which is ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance is performed to music that usually features the keyboard instrument known as a celesta, resulting in a unique and memorable sound.
17. O’Connor successor : ALITO
Associate Justice Samuel Alito was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W. Bush. Alito is the second Italian-American to serve on the Supreme Court (Antonin Scalia was the first). Alito studied law at Yale and while in his final year he left the country for the first time in his life, heading to Italy to work on his thesis about the Italian legal system.
Sandra Day O’Connor is a former associate justice on the US Supreme Court. O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the court, and was in office from 1981 after being appointed by President Reagan. As the court became more conservative she was viewed as the swing vote in many decisions. As a result, O’Connor was known as one of the most powerful women in the world. She retired in 2006 (replaced by Samuel Alito), and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2009.
26. Plucked instrument, in Padua : ARPA
The city of Padua is in northern Italy, not far from Venice. Padua has many claims to fame. For example, Galileo was one of the lecturers at the University of Padua, and William Shakespeare chose the city as the setting for his play “The Taming of the Shrew”.
35. Hydrocarbon gas : ETHENE
Ethylene (also called “ethene”) has a gazillion uses, including as an anesthetic and an aid to hastening the ripening of fruit. Ethylene’s most common use is as a major raw material in the manufacture of plastics (like polyethylene).
38. When doubled, fish often grilled : MAHI
Mahi-mahi is the Hawaiian name for the dolphin-fish, also called a dorado. The mahi-mahi is an ugly looking creature if ever I saw one …
40. Its anthem is “Hatikvah” : ISRAEL
The title of the national anthem of Israel is “Hatikvah”, which translates from Hebrew into English as “The Hope”. The anthem’s lyrics were adapted from an 1878 poem called “Our Hope” by Jewish poet Naftali Herz Imber. The opening stanza is, in English:
As long as deep within the heart
A Jewish soul stirs,
And forward, to the ends of the East
An eye looks out, towards Zion.
46. National Pecan Month : APRIL
Apparently, we have quite a lot “food months” in the US. Here are some examples:
- January: National Soup Month
- March: National Celery Month
- April: National Pecan Month
- October: National Pizza Month
- December: National Egg Nog Month
51. Guanaco cousin : LLAMA
Similar to the llama, the guanaco is a camelid that is native to South America. The wool of the guanaco is valued for its soft feel, and is even more highly prized that the wool of the llama.
54. Marge Simpson or June Cleaver : TV MOM
Marge Simpson is the matriarch of the family in “The Simpsons” animated sitcom. Marge is voiced by actress Julie Kavner, who is also well known for playing Brenda Morgenstern in the TV show “Rhoda” in the seventies.
Wally Cleaver and his younger brother “the Beaver” were the children of Ward and June Cleaver on the fifties sitcom “Leave It to Beaver”.
57. Knave of Hearts’ loot : TARTS
In the Lewis Carroll novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, Alice attends a trial in which the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing tarts belonging to the Queen of Hearts.
61. Score : TALLY
Back in the mid-1600s, a “tally” was a stick marked with notches that tracked how much one owed or had paid. The term came from the Latin “talea” meaning “stick, rod”. The act of “scoring” the stick with notches gave rise to our word “score” for the number in a tally.
63. Moved like a kangaroo : LEAPT
The word “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “Kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.
67. Auto-painting franchise whose name reverses three letters of a transmission franchise : MAACO
MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting was founded by Anthony A. Martino ten years after he launched AAMCO Transmissions. The names of both companies was derived from the first letters of his name: AAM.
69. Margarita flavoring : SALT
No one seems to know for sure who first created the cocktail known as a margarita. The most plausible and oft-quoted is that it was invented in 1941 in Ensenada, Mexico. The barman mixed the drink for an important visitor, the daughter of the German ambassador. The daughter’s name was Margarita Henkel, and she lent her name to the new drink. The basic recipe for a margarita is a mixture of tequila, orange-flavored liqueur (like Cointreau) and lime juice.
70. Fever and shivering : AGUE
An ague is a fever, one usually associated with malaria.
71. Quasimodo’s creator : VICTOR HUGO
Victor Hugo was a French poet and playwright, known in his native country mainly for his poetry. However, outside of France, Hugo is perhaps more closely associated with his novels such as “Les Misérables” and “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”.
The title character in Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” is Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer . Quasimodo falls for the beautiful Roma girl Esmeralda, and eventually rescues her just before she is due be hanged. He carries Esmeralda into Notre-Dame crying out “Sanctuary!” There is some recent evidence that a hunchbacked stone carver, working at Notre-Dame at the same time Hugo was alive, may have been the inspiration for the Quasimodo the bell-ringer.
72. Mark on a bass : STRIPE
The striped bass (also called “striper”) is found along the Atlantic coast of North America, but also in inland waterways where it has been introduced for sport fishing. It is the state fish of Rhode Island, South Carolina and Maryland.
76. Only state capital without a McDonald’s : MONTPELIER
Montpelier is the capital of the state of Vermont, the smallest state in the Union in terms of population. The city was named for the French city of Montpelier in the days when there was great enthusiasm for things French after the aid received during the American Revolution.
78. Nearly six trillion mi. : LT YR
A light-year (lt. yr.) is a measure of distance, not time. It is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year, almost six trillion miles. The accepted abbreviation for a light-year is “ly”. A light-second is a lot shorter distance: about 186,282 miles.
81. Saint’s home : SUPERDOME
The New Orleans Superdome was opened in 1975, and is the largest, fixed-dome structure in the world, covering 13 acres. The seating capacity varies depending on the event being staged, but the Rolling Stones attracted a crowd of more than 87,500 people in 1981. The primary purpose of the structure is to host home games for the New Orleans Saints football team. Famously, in 2005, the Superdome became a shelter of last resort for about 30,000 refugees in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
83. One may be crumbled on a sundae : OREO
There’s a lot of speculation about how the dessert called a sundae got its name, but there seems to be agreement that it is an alteration of the word “Sunday”.
86. Sham : TRAVESTY
Back in the 17th century, a travesty was a burlesque or artistic imitation of a serious work, a parody. The term has come to mean a distorted representation in general, a sham or a mockery.
A sham is something that is imitation, fake. In the world of bed linens a sham is also imitation and fake, in the sense that it is a decorative cover designed to cover up a regular pillow used for sleeping.
87. Harold’s movie pal : KUMAR
“Harold & Kumar” is a trilogy of comedy films about two potheads played by John Cho (Harold) and Kal Penn (Kumar). Not my cup of tea …
92. Radon detection aid : TEST KIT
Radon (Rn) is a radioactive gas, a byproduct produced when uranium decays naturally in the earth. Radon gas can collect and accumulate in buildings and rooms that are particularly well insulated with very little air exchange. The danger is very real, as radon is listed as the second most frequent cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoke.
96. Honky-__ : TONK
A honky-tonk is a bar with musical entertainment, usually country music. The etymology of the term “honky-tonk” seems unclear. The term has evolved to mean any cheap, noisy bar or dance hall.
98. Indian city known for its silk production : MYSORE
Mysore (renamed to “Mysuru”) is a city that lies about 100 miles southwest of Bangalore. Tourists flock to Mysore especially during the ten-day Mysore Dasara festival, a draw not only for Indians but foreigners as well.
99. Purim month : 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, and is the month that includes the holiday of Purim.
Purim is a festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to wipe them out by Haman the Agagite, as recorded in the Book of Esther.
100. Pope, for one : TITLE
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The term “pope” comes from the Latin “papa”, and ultimately from the Greek “pappas”, with both terms being a child’s word for “father”.
116. Calypso offshoot : SKA
Ska originated in Jamaica in the late fifties and was the precursor to reggae music. No one has a really definitive etymology of the term “ska”, but it is likely to be imitative of some sound.
The musical style of calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.
117. Coastal inlet : RIA
A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, with both formed as sea level rises. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Moving manga : ANIME
6. Celebratory smoke : CIGAR
11. Cause of inflation? : PUMP
15. Winter Palace ruler : TSAR
19. “Hallelujah” songwriter Leonard : COHEN
20. Mozart work : OPERA
21. Sport involving protective suits : EPEE
22. Sch. publishing the Daily Bruin : UCLA
23. Gathering of zombies? : TRANCE PARTY (from “dance party”)
25. Vacation including Caribbean dance lessons? : SALSA TRIP (from “salsa dip”)
27. Currency exchange table letters : USD
28. Dietary figs. : RDAS
29. Goad : EGG ON
31. Faithfully following : TRUE TO
32. Awards originally for radio only : PEABODYS
34. Is strongly held, as a belief : RUNS DEEP
36. Long while : EON
37. Burro bellow : BRAY
38. Chatty bird : MYNA
39. Line in an Ellington classic : “A” TRAIN
41. Company with a spokesduck : AFLAC
43. South American squeezer : BOA
45. Bundle up : SWATHE
47. Eyelid malady : STYE
50. Dumpster illumination : TRASH LIGHT (from “dash light”)
53. Case with a strict time limit? : SPEED TRIAL (from “speed dial”)
55. Screen door stuff : MESH
56. Ranch rope : LARIAT
58. Leader who resigned in his sixth yr. : RMN
59. Wings it, in jazz : VAMPS
60. Matching pair : SET
61. Subdue, in a way : TASE
62. City WSW of Bogotá : CALI
64. Attorney general before Dick Thornburgh : ED MEESE
66. Water gate : DAM
67. Pricey mushroom : MOREL
68. 2015 Verizon purchase : AOL
69. “Kojak” actor : SAVALAS
73. Tinseltown pooch : ASTA
74. Blighted urban area : SLUM
76. Commonly injured knee ligament, briefly : MCL
79. “__ Like You”: Young Rascals hit : A GIRL
80. Baggage-opening org. : TSA
82. Exactly right : SPOT ON
84. Harbor sound : TOOT
85. Semi driver’s superstition? : LUCKY TRUCK (from “lucky duck”)
88. Bugs’ wealthy heir? : TRUST BUNNY (from “dust bunny”)
90. Antoinette’s head : TETE
91. Remove forcefully : RIP OUT
93. Apnea-treating doc : ENT
94. Come in : ENTER
95. Like some interviews : ON TAPE
97. Note at the office : MEMO
99. “And step on it!” : ASAP
100. Sailor : TAR
102. Flipped before serving, perhaps : OVER EASY
104. Gmail lifesaver : UNDO SEND
108. Safari runner? : IPHONE
110. Pub fun : DARTS
111. American assignment : SEAT
112. John in Wimbledon : LOO
113. Photo including six-pack abs? : TRUNK SHOT (from “dunk shot”)
115. Vocal technique used at seders? : KOSHER TRILL (from “kosher dill”)
118. Theater section : LOGE
119. Unlikely to bite : TAME
120. Irritated : IRKED
121. Kindergarten refrain : E-I-E-I-O
122. Slaughter of the Cardinals : ENOS
123. River of Flanders : YSER
124. Drops of sorrow : TEARS
125. Risk taker : DARER
Down
1. Cause a ruckus : ACT UP
2. Like Thor : NORSE
3. “It’s been fun” : I HAD A BLAST
4. Kings and bishops : MEN
5. Make gradual inroads : ENCROACH
6. Number at a doctor’s office : COPAY
7. “Count me out” : I PASS
8. Lang. where all nouns are capitalized : GER
9. Major route : ARTERY
10. Futuristic arms : RAY GUNS
11. Cancún cash : PESOS
12. “Time to start the day!” : UP AND AT ‘EM
13. Brooks of comedy : MEL
14. Heckled : PESTERED
15. Sugar Plum Fairy’s dress : TUTU
16. Hours often set by parents : SCREEN TIME
17. O’Connor successor : ALITO
18. Knock at : RAP ON
24. Whirlpool : EDDY
26. Plucked instrument, in Padua : ARPA
30. Chews (on) : GNAWS
33. Hardly humble : BRASH
35. Hydrocarbon gas : ETHENE
38. When doubled, fish often grilled : MAHI
40. Its anthem is “Hatikvah” : ISRAEL
41. Devices with shielded keypads : ATMS
42. On the house : FREE
43. Slant : BIAS
44. Mythical monster : OGRE
46. National Pecan Month : APRIL
48. Barks : YAPS
49. Besides : ELSE
51. Guanaco cousin : LLAMA
52. Fiesta fare : TACOS
54. Marge Simpson or June Cleaver : TV MOM
57. Knave of Hearts’ loot : TARTS
61. Score : TALLY
63. Moved like a kangaroo : LEAPT
65. Unnerve : DAUNT
66. Dim : DARKEN
67. Auto-painting franchise whose name reverses three letters of a transmission franchise : MAACO
69. Margarita flavoring : SALT
70. Fever and shivering : AGUE
71. Quasimodo’s creator : VICTOR HUGO
72. Mark on a bass : STRIPE
74. Leave thunderstruck : STUN
75. Going around in circles, say : LOST
76. Only state capital without a McDonald’s : MONTPELIER
77. Roadwork marker : CONE
78. Nearly six trillion mi. : LT-YR
81. Saint’s home : SUPERDOME
83. One may be crumbled on a sundae : OREO
84. Albacore and yellowfin : TUNAS
86. Sham : TRAVESTY
87. Harold’s movie pal : KUMAR
89. Lit : BESOTTED
92. Radon detection aid : TEST KIT
96. Honky-__ : TONK
98. Indian city known for its silk production : MYSORE
99. Purim month : ADAR
100. Pope, for one : TITLE
101. Splash guard : APRON
103. Food processor? : EATER
104. Lead to a seat : USHER
105. Has to have : NEEDS
106. “Seriously!” : NO LIE!
107. Sorrow : DOLOR
109. Slot machine inserts : ONES
114. Exhibits, as doubts : HAS
116. Calypso offshoot : SKA
117. Coastal inlet : RIA
31 minutes, 1 dumb error. Very straightforward and probably would have been faster if I didn’t get fatigued towards the bottom writing so much so fast.
@Carrie
DNF is still DNF (some rationalize it away as a “finish”, we had a big discussion about that a few months ago over on Bill’s NYT blog), but a lot is how you look at it. I still DNF too many things I do, but the way I see it, when I can at least get all of it but one corner, it’s still better than not getting most any at all (like the four grids that I did that on last night). If I learn something from a grid and do better tomorrow, that’s where I’ve always seen the “win” in doing these kinds of things.
22:39, no errors. “Mysore,” attained via crosses, was new to me.
33:32. For a puzzle I was able to finish relatively quickly, I learned quite a bit with this one. Much more enjoyable than the NYT today which wore me out. Mysore is new to me too. I bet Vidwan has been there…
Agree with Bill about “Hallelujah”. I think we went back and forth about whatever that song means here a few months ago. It’s not the style I typically like…at all…but I do like that song.
@Carrie –
I had a Physics teacher who always used to say “If it’s not completely right, it’s completely wrong”. Thankfully that guy doesn’t grade crosswords….. 🙂
Best –
Hi folks! ?
Successfully finíshed this one. The theme helped. Only sticking point: LLAMA — I at first had PRIMA, Spanish for cousin. I was thrown by the word “Guanaco.” It’s a slang term for a person from El Salvador (it can be pejorative in the wrong context; kinda has the connotation of “bumpkin.”) Also could NOT understand “American assignment=SEAT,” tho I filled it in– I didn’t think at all of the airline.
Thanks Glenn and Jeff!! I guess it’s about how one chooses to think of these things. I should say something like “Yay! Only 3 errors!” on those difficult grids. There’s a quotation from Shakespeare that is apt here— except that I can’t remember it….?…. Google to the rescue!! “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
Be well~~™???