LA Times Crossword 19 Jun 22, Sunday

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Constructed by: Ed Sessa
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Switching Sides

Themed answers are common two-word phrases, but with the order of the words SWITCHED:

  • 23A Part-time job for teenage waterfowl? : DUCK SITTING (from “sitting duck”)
  • 28A Extravagant and elaborate way of going around slowpokes? : FANCY PASSING (from “passing fancy”)
  • 37A Breather in the ballroom? : DANCING BREAK (from “break dancing”)
  • 44A Glee found on horseback? : RIDING JOY (from “joyriding”)
  • 64A First-rate dog shelter? : STERLING POUND (from “pound sterling”)
  • 85A Extremely blah coif? : NOTHING DO (from “do nothing”)
  • 90A Cattle that may tip over? : LISTING STOCK (from “stock listing”)
  • 101A “Life’s too short for dull razors,” e.g.? : SHAVING POINT (from “point shaving”)
  • 107A Queue for lottery tickets? : DRAWING LINE (from “line drawing”)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 19m 38s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Fish tacos fish, familiarly : MAHI

“Mahi-mahi” (meaning “very strong”) is the Hawaiian name for the dolphinfish, which is also known as the dorado. The mahi-mahi is an ugly looking creature if ever I saw one …

5 Department store founder depicted in “Miracle on 34th Street” : RH MACY

The original Macy’s store was opened by Rowland Hussey Macy in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1851. This store, and several others that Macy opened, all failed. Macy picked himself up though, and started over again in New York City. Those early New York stores all focused on the sale of dry goods, but added departments quickly as the clientele grew. The Macy’s red star logo has been around since the company was first established. Macy chose the star because it mimicked the star tattoo that he got as a teenager when he was working on a whaling ship out of Nantucket.

“Miracle on 34th Street” is a classic Christmas film from 1947 starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne and a very young Natalie Wood. If I might ruin the end of the story for you, Santa Claus does exist … ‘cause the US Post Office says so.

11 __ de fideo: Mexican noodle soup : SOPA

Sopa de fideo is a noodle soup that might have originated in Spain, and is now also associated with Mexico, Tex-Mex cuisine in the US, and in parts of the Philippines. “Fideo” translates as “noodle”.

20 “Oh, cry me a river” : BOO-HOO

The idiom “cry me a river” is often used sarcastically in response to someone telling a “sob story”, someone seeking sympathy. The phrase was coined by songwriter Arthur Hamiliton in 1953 when he used it as the title for a 1953 song that he wrote for Ella Fitzgerald and the movie “Pete Kelly’s Blues”. The song was dropped from the movie, but Julie London had a big hit with “Cry Me a River”, after she sang it in the 1956 film “The Girl Can’t Help It”.

22 Ski area in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains : ALTA

Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont. The ski resort of Snowbird, located next to Alta, has been in operation since 1971.

The Wasatch Range is at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains and runs through Utah. “Wasatch” is a Ute word meaning “mountain pass”.

25 Hard on the eyes : UGLY AS SIN

We’ve been describing things as “ugly as sin” since the 1800s. Earlier, it was more common to say “ugly as the devil”.

27 Egyptian goddess : ISIS

Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

28 Extravagant and elaborate way of going around slowpokes? : FANCY PASSING (from “passing fancy”)

Back in the early 1800s, a “poke” was a device attached to domestic animals such as pigs or sheep to keep them from escaping their enclosures. The poke was like a yoke with a pole, and slowed the animal down, hence the term “slowpoke”.

35 Appearance : MIEN

One’s mien is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

40 New Year’s __ : EVE

The New Year’s celebration in Scotland is known as Hogmanay, although the term “Hogmanay” actually applies to New Year’s Eve. Such is the extent of the party for Hogmanay, that New Year’s Day is a public holiday across the country, and so is January 2nd.

44 Glee found on horseback? : RIDING JOY (from “joyriding”)

Even though a “joyride” can simply be a ride taken for pleasure, we usually associate the term with a thrill ride taken in a stolen vehicle. Apparently, the phrase “joy ride” was first used in the latter sense way back in 1908. A judge in New York sent a chauffeur to jail for 30 days for using his employer’s automobile for 30 hours without permission, describing the offense as “joy riding”.

52 “Nashville” actress Blakley : RONEE

Ronee Blakley is an actress from Nampa, Idaho who is perhaps best known for playing the country singer Barbara Jean in the 1975 film “Nashville”.

54 “My Kind of Country” singer McEntire : REBA

Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007. She is sometimes referred to as “The Queen of Country”.

55 Big name in baby food : GERBER

The Gerber Baby is a famous baby food logo that was introduced in 1928. The manufacturer of Gerber baby foods held a contest in the summer of that year to find a suitable baby face for a planned campaign. The winning entry was an unfinished charcoal drawing by Dorothy Hope Smith of Westport, Connecticut. Her model was Ann Turner Cook, who was a baby of the artist’s neighbor. Young Ann grew up to be a teacher cum mystery novelist. She passed away in 2022, at the age of 95.

57 Middle Alou brother : MATTY

Matty Alou played major league baseball, as did his brothers Jesus and Felipe, and as did Felipe’s son Moises.

59 Mass book : MISSAL

Missals came into being in medieval times and were used primarily by priests and ministers. A missal is a book containing all the texts necessary for the celebration of Mass through the liturgical year. Nowadays missals are used by the congregation and not just by the celebrants. The term “missal” comes from the Latin for “Mass book”.

63 Chap : LAD

“Chap” is an informal term meaning “lad, fellow” that is used especially in England. The term derives from “chapman”, an obsolete word meaning “purchaser” or “trader”.

64 First-rate dog shelter? : STERLING POUND (from “pound sterling”)

The official name of the currency of the UK is the pound sterling (plural “pounds sterling”). The most plausible suggestion for the etymology of the term “sterling” is that it derives from the Old English “steorra” meaning “star”, with the diminutive “-ling”. The resulting “little star” or “sterling” referred to a silver penny used by the English Normans. The pound sterling is the world’s oldest currency still in use.

68 Water under le pont : EAU

In French, “eau” (water) might flow under “le pont” (the bridge).

71 Comedy duo Garfunkel and __ : OATES

Garfunkel and Oates is a musical comedy act featuring actresses Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel) and Kate Micucci (Oates). The pair teamed up in Los Angeles in 2007, and are still performing today. There was even a “Garfunkel and Oates” sitcom that aired for a season on the IFC cable channel.

72 Gold units : KARATS

A karat (also “carat”, the spelling outside of North America) is a measure of the purity of gold alloys, with 24-karat representing pure gold.

74 Greek god of the underworld : HADES

Hades was the god of the underworld to the ancient Greeks. Over time, Hades gave his name to the underworld itself, the place where the dead reside. The term “Hades” was also adopted into the Christian tradition, as an alternative name for hell. But, the concept of hell in Christianity is more akin to the Greek “Tartarus”, which is a dark and gloomy dungeon located in Hades, a place of suffering and torment.

80 Tropical veranda : LANAI

A lanai is a type of veranda, and a design that originated in Hawaii. A kind blog reader tells me that the etymology of “lanai” seems unclear, but that the island name of “Lana’i” is not related.

85 Extremely blah coif? : NOTHING DO (from “do nothing”)

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

87 Temperature unit : KELVIN

The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature, named after British physicist William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin.

88 Calendario square : DIA

In Spanish, we can look at a particular “día” (day) on the “calendario” (calendar).

89 Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE

Carly Rae Jepsen is a singer/songwriter from Mission, British Columbia. Jepsen got her start on TV’s “Canadian Idol” when she placed third in the show’s fifth season.

97 Poet Silverstein : SHEL

Here is a poem by Shel Silverstein from his 1974 children’s poetry collection:

I will not play at tug o’ war.
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

99 Tavern quaff : ALE

“Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One “quaffs” (takes a hearty drink) of a “quaff” (a hearty drink).

100 Some charity runs : TEN-KS

A 10K race is run over ten kilometers.

101 “Life’s too short for dull razors,” e.g.? : SHAVING POINT (from “point shaving”)

Point shaving is a way to fix the result of a game in which a player or players ensure that their team’s win (or sometimes loss) is by a margin small enough to favor someone who has placed a large bet.

106 Subject of PETA’s traveling exhibit “Without Consent” : LAB ANIMAL

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a large animal rights organization, with about 300 employees and two million members and supporters worldwide. Although the group campaigns for animal rights across a broad spectrum of issues, it has a stated focus in opposition of four practices:

  • Factory farming
  • Fur farming
  • Animal testing
  • Use of animals in entertainment

113 North Carolina campus : ELON

Elon is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina located close to the city of Burlington. Elon University is a private liberal arts school founded in 1889.

114 Dorky sort : NERD

I consider “dork” and “adorkable” to be pretty offensive slang. “Dork” originated in the sixties among American students, and has its roots in another slang term, a term for male genitalia.

116 Jessica of “L.A.’s Finest” : ALBA

Actress Jessica Alba got her big break when she was cast in the Fox science fiction show “Dark Angel”. Alba had a tough life growing up as she spent a lot of time in hospital and so found it difficult to develop friendships. As a youngster she twice had a collapsed lung, frequently caught pneumonia, suffered from asthma, had a ruptured appendix and a tonsillar cyst. On top of all that, Alba acknowledges that she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child.

“L.A.’s Finest” is a police-drama series that first aired in 2019. It is a spin-off of the “Bad Boys” action-comedy film franchise. The movies starred Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and the TV show stars Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union.

117 Traps in an attic? : WEBS

The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.

119 “The Right Stuff” figure : YEAGER

Chuck Yeager enlisted as a private in the US Army Air Forces in 1941, starting out as an aircraft mechanic. With the onset of the war at the end of the year, Yeager was able to enroll in flight school. In 1943 he was posted overseas, and flew P-51 Mustangs out of the south of England. He was shot down over France in 1944 and escaped to Spain with the aid of the French Resistance. His 11.5 accredited victories includes five downed aircraft in one mission (making him an “ace in a day”), and one of the first air-to-air kills of a jet fighter. Yeager didn’t live too far from here, and a friend of mine had the honor to have breakfast with him a couple of times …

The 1983 movie “The Right Stuff” was adapted from a 1979 book of the same name by Tom Wolfe. It tells the story of the group of test pilots who were selected as the first astronauts, those who flew in space in the Project Mercury program.

120 Deck chair piece : SLAT

A deck chair is a folding chair with a single strip of fabric that forms the backrest/seat. The term “deck chair” was coined when such folding chairs became common sights on the decks of ocean liners and cruise ships.

Down

2 Sun Devils sch. : ASU

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

4 Squid organ : INK SAC

Octopodes and squid have the ability to release a dark pigment into the water as a means of escape. The dark pigment is called cephalopod ink (the squid and octopus belong to the class cephalopoda) and is stored in an ink sac. The dark color is created by melanin, the same substance that acts as a pigment in human skin.

5 Grand slam quartet, briefly : RBIS

In baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with runners on all three bases, leading to a score of four runs.

7 Witticism : MOT

“Bon mot” translates from French as “good word”. We use “bon mot” (and sometimes just “mot”) to mean “quip, witticism”.

8 Tuna in poke bowls : AHI

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

9 NCAA div. : CONF

Conference (conf.)

10 Surface for shavasana : YOGA MAT

In yoga, shavasana is a pose (asana) that is often used at the end of the session for relaxation. The pose is known as corpse pose in English.

12 Maternity ward doc : OB/GYN

Obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN)

14 “Right Back __”: Spice Girls song : AT YA

The five members of the English pop group the Spice Girls are:

  • Scary Spice (Melanie Brown, or Mel B)
  • Baby Spice (Emma Bunton, and my fave!)
  • Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell)
  • Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham)
  • Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm, or Mel C)

15 Deep opera voices : BASSI

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

16 “McFarland, USA” actress Fisher : ELSIE

Elsie Fisher is an actress whose best-known roles are possibly her voice acting. For example, she voiced Agnes in “Despicable Me” (2010) and “Despicable Me 2” (2013), and Parker Needle in “The Addams Family” (2019).

“McFarland, USA” is a 2015 sports film that is based on the true story of a cross-country running team from a high school in McFarland, California. The cast is led by Kevin Costner, who plays the school’s coach who led the team to a state championship.

24 iPad speaker : SIRI

Siri is a software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. Voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri a few years ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

26 Resort town on Colorado’s Roaring Fork River : ASPEN

Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

29 Suffix with neat or beat : -NIK

The suffix “-nik” is of Slavic origin. It is somewhat like the suffix “-er” in English. By adding “-nik” to a noun, the new word describes a person related to what that noun describes. Examples of the use of “-nik” in mainstream English are “beatnik” and “”refusenik”. Examples of more casual “-nik” terms are “neatnik” and “peacenik”.

33 Chophouse choice : T-BONE

The T-bone and porterhouse are related cuts of meat, with the latter being a larger version of the former, and both being cut from the short loin.

41 Meas. reduced by fog : VIS

Visibility (vis.)

44 Pave anew : RE-TOP

Back in Ireland, the “pavement” is what we call the “sidewalk, footpath” (because the footpath is “paved”, often with “paving” stones!). It’s very confusing when you arrive in this country from Ireland, and a little dangerous when one has been taught from a young age to “walk on the pavement” …

46 Earl __ tea : GREY

The Earl Grey blend of tea is supposedly named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey who was Prime Minister of the UK from 1830 to 1834. Earl Grey tea has a distinctive flavor that is largely due to the addition of oil from the rind of the bergamot orange.

47 Globetrotting group : JET SET

The jet set comprises wealthy individuals who frequent the fashionable resorts around the world. The term “jet set” was coined in 1951, and actually predated (slightly) the introduction of jet planes for commuter flights.

48 Former White House quartet : OBAMAS

By tradition, the Secret Service code names used for the US President and family all start with the same letter. For the Obama First Family, that letter is R:

  • Barack Obama: Renegade
  • Michelle Obama: Renaissance
  • Malia Obama: Radiance
  • Sasha Obama: Rosebud

49 New Haven sch. : YALE U

The city of New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1638 by Puritan immigrants from England. Famously, it is home to Yale University. The city also initiated the first public tree planting program in the country. The large elms included in the program led to New Haven being called “the Elm City”.

53 Forehead-covering hair : BANGS

“Bangs” is another word that caught me out when I arrived in the US. “Bangs” back in Ireland are called “a fringe”. Apparently the US term is somehow derived from the name given to the hair on a horse’s head.

57 Rupees and rubles : MONEY

The rupee is a unit of currency used in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. The term “rupee” comes from the Sanskrit word “rupya”, which once meant “stamped, impressed” and then “coin”.

The ruble (also “rouble”) is the unit of currency in Russia, as well as in several other countries in the former Soviet Union. One ruble is divided into one hundred kopecks (also “kopeks”).

58 102-Down’s mother : MADRE
102 58-Down’s son : NINO

In Spanish, a “madre” (mother) might have a “niño” (boy).

61 Magazine name : TITLE

The word “magazine” was originally used to denote a place for storing goods, particularly military arms and ammunition, back in the late 1500s. This usage was extended to include packs of ammunition attached to automatic weapons. The first use of “magazine” in the sense of a periodical or journal dates back to 1731, with the publication of “Gentleman’s Magazine”. “Magazine” had come to mean a printed list of military stores, and the idea was that the new periodical was to be a “storehouse” of information.

63 “Mean Girls” star Lindsay : LOHAN

I think that actress Lindsay Lohan’s big break came with the Disney remake of “The Parent Trap” in 1998. I’ve really only enjoyed one of Lohan’s films though, “Freaky Friday” from 2003 in which she stars alongside the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.

“Mean Girls” is a teen comedy movie released in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan. Tina Fey also puts in an appearance, which really isn’t surprising as Fey wrote the screenplay.

66 Key __ : LARGO

Key Largo is an island in the Florida Keys. The island gained a lot of celebrity in 1948 when the John Huston movie “Key Largo” was released, starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall.

67 Kyiv’s country : UKRAINE

Kiev is located on the Dnieper River, and is the capital of Ukraine. We tend to use the spelling “Kiev”, but the Ukrainian government decided in 1995 to refer to the city as “Kyiv” when using Roman/Latin script.

70 Writer/actor Rogen : SETH

Seth Rogen is a Canadian comedian who got a lot of credit for his supporting role in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. That led to him being cast as the lead in the 2007 film “Knocked Up”. Rogen also co-directed and co-starred in “The Interview”, a movie that created a huge ruckus in the North Korean regime.

75 Zoo enclosure : CAGE

The world’s first zoo opened in Britain in 1820. Now known as “London Zoo”, the facility was referred to back then as the “Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London”. The term “zoo” is a shortening of “zoological”.

76 Valletta’s island : MALTA

Valletta is the capital city of the island state of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. The city is named in honor of Jean Parisot de Valette, a French nobleman who commanded the resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. With a population of about 9,000 (excluding the metro area), Valletta is the smallest national capital in the European Union.

77 Block that often falls on Wile E. Coyote : ANVIL

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are two much-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote was created first, and Road Runner was invented as someone for Wile E. to play off. I love this cartoon; it’s definitely one of the best …

79 Genetic material : RNA

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

80 “__ Misérables” : LES

Victor Hugo’s famous 1862 novel “Les Misérables” has been translated into English several times. However, the title is usually left in the original French as a successful translation of “les misérables” seems to be elusive. Some suggestions for an English title are “The Wretched”, “The Victims” and “The Dispossessed”. The novel follows the lives of several characters including an ex-convict Jean Valjean, a fanatic police inspector Javert, a beautiful prostitute Fantine, and Fantine’s illegitimate daughter Cosette.

82 “Modern Family” co-star : ED O’NEILL

Ed O’Neill made it big on television playing Al Bundy on the sitcom “Married … with Children”, not a show I ever cared for. However, O’Neill is in the cast of a great show, namely “Modern Family”. Off screen, O’Neill is a very proficient practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, earning his black belt in 2007.

84 Nordstrom rival : SAKS

Saks Fifth Avenue is a high-end specialty store that competes with the likes of Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. The original Saks & Company business was founded by Andrew Saks in 1867. The first Saks Fifth Avenue store was opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1924. There are now Saks Fifth Avenue stores in many major cities in the US, as well in several locations worldwide.

86 Conservationist Bindi : IRWIN

Australian Bindi Irwin is the daughter of Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin. She very much followed in her father’s footsteps at a young age, appearing in wildlife documentaries. When she was nine years old, she starred in her own series “Bindi the Jungle Girl”. Bindi also appeared on the American version of “Dancing with the Stars”, winning the show’s 21st season.

90 Tropical garland : LEI

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

91 Male deer : STAG

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and the females called cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

93 Heaps : A SLEW

Our usage of “slew” to mean “large number” has nothing to do with the verb “to slew” meaning “to turn, skid”. The noun “slew” came into English in the early 1800s from the Irish word “sluagh” meaning “host, crowd, multitude”.

95 Shish __ : KABOB

The term “kebab” (also “kabob”) covers a wide variety of meat dishes that originated in Persia. In the West, we usually use “kebab” when talking about shish kebab, which is meat (often lamb) served on a skewer. “Shish” comes from the Turkish word for “skewer”.

96 Chris who plays Captain America : EVANS

Chris Evans’ Hollywood career really took off when he was cast as the Human Torch in the “Fantastic Four” movies starting in 2005. He portrayed another superhero in 2011, playing the title role in “Captain America: The First Avenger”.

103 FBI guys : G-MEN

The nickname “G-men” is short for “government men” and refers to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

105 Dept. formed after the 1977 oil crisis : ENER

The US Department of Energy (DOE) came into being largely as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The DOE was founded in 1977 by the Carter administration. The DOE is responsible for regulating the production of nuclear power, and it is also responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons. The official DOE seal features a lightning bolt and symbols denoting five sources of energy: the sun, an atom, an oil derrick, a windmill and a dynamo.

108 Reddit Q&A session : AMA

Ask me anything (AMA)

110 “The Mindy Project” actor Barinholtz : IKE

Ike Barinholtz is an actor and comedian who appeared on MADtv from 2002 until 2007. More recently, Barinholtz became a writer on the TV show “The Mindy Project”, and was then cast as Nurse Morgan Tookers.

111 Org. with Thunder and Heat : NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team arrived in 2008 after relocating from Seattle, where they were named the SuperSonics. The “Thunder” name was chosen as a reference to Oklahoma City’s exposure to the storms of Tornado Alley, and to the 45th Infantry Division “Thunderbirds” who were headquartered there until 1968.

The Miami Heat basketball team debuted in the NBA in the 1988-89 season. The franchise name was chosen in a competitive survey, with “Miami Heat” beating out “Miami Vice”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Fish tacos fish, familiarly : MAHI
5 Department store founder depicted in “Miracle on 34th Street” : RH MACY
11 __ de fideo: Mexican noodle soup : SOPA
15 Top : BEST
19 Comparison words : AS AN
20 “Oh, cry me a river” : BOO-HOO
21 Neighbor : ABUT
22 Ski area in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains : ALTA
23 Part-time job for teenage waterfowl? : DUCK SITTING (from “sitting duck”)
25 Hard on the eyes : UGLY AS SIN
27 Egyptian goddess : ISIS
28 Extravagant and elaborate way of going around slowpokes? : FANCY PASSING (from “passing fancy”)
30 “Sadly … ” : I FEAR …
32 “__ be an honor!” : IT’D
35 Appearance : MIEN
36 Devoutness : PIETY
37 Breather in the ballroom? : DANCING BREAK (from “breakdancing”)
40 New Year’s __ : EVE
42 Quirky : ODD
43 Bless with oil : ANOINT
44 Glee found on horseback? : RIDING JOY (from “joyriding”)
50 Spring : LEAP
52 “Nashville” actress Blakley : RONEE
53 Gives a little : BENDS
54 “My Kind of Country” singer McEntire : REBA
55 Big name in baby food : GERBER
57 Middle Alou brother : MATTY
58 Heavy __ : METAL
59 Mass book : MISSAL
61 Thus far : TO NOW
62 Retort from a self-appointed authority : SAYS ME!
63 Chap : LAD
64 First-rate dog shelter? : STERLING POUND (from “pound sterling”)
68 Water under le pont : EAU
69 “Gotcha” : OH, I SEE
71 Comedy duo Garfunkel and __ : OATES
72 Gold units : KARATS
74 Greek god of the underworld : HADES
75 Not straight : CURLY
76 Celebrated, as a holiday : MARKED
78 Landed : ALIT
79 Cooking stove : RANGE
80 Tropical veranda : LANAI
81 Lairs : DENS
85 Extremely blah coif? : NOTHING DO (from “do nothing”)
87 Temperature unit : KELVIN
88 Calendario square : DIA
89 Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE
90 Cattle that may tip over? : LISTING STOCK (from “stock listing”)
93 Out of whack : ASKEW
97 Poet Silverstein : SHEL
99 Tavern quaff : ALE
100 Some charity runs : TEN-KS
101 “Life’s too short for dull razors,” e.g.? : SHAVING POINT (from “point shaving”)
105 Effortlessness : EASE
106 Subject of PETA’s traveling exhibit “Without Consent” : LAB ANIMAL
107 Queue for lottery tickets? : DRAWING LINE (from “line drawing”)
113 North Carolina campus : ELON
114 Dorky sort : NERD
115 New version of an old film : REMAKE
116 Jessica of “L.A.’s Finest” : ALBA
117 Traps in an attic? : WEBS
118 Change for a five : ONES
119 “The Right Stuff” figure : YEAGER
120 Deck chair piece : SLAT

Down

1 Fuming : MAD
2 Sun Devils sch. : ASU
3 Southwest estate : HACIENDA
4 Squid organ : INK SAC
5 Grand slam quartet, briefly : RBIS
6 In great demand : HOT
7 Witticism : MOT
8 Tuna in poke bowls : AHI
9 NCAA div. : CONF
10 Surface for shavasana : YOGA MAT
11 Apple product? : SAUCE
12 Maternity ward doc : OB/GYN
13 Juicer refuse : PULP
14 “Right Back __”: Spice Girls song : AT YA
15 Deep opera voices : BASSI
16 “McFarland, USA” actress Fisher : ELSIE
17 Stretch on the job : STINT
18 Like lemonade : TANGY
24 iPad speaker : SIRI
26 Resort town on Colorado’s Roaring Fork River : ASPEN
29 Suffix with neat or beat : -NIK
30 Pop star : IDOL
31 Gradually vanish : FADE
32 Lowly : IGNOBLE
33 Chophouse choice : T-BONE
34 Less damp : DRIER
38 Talk through the whole movie? : NARRATE
39 WSW opposite : ENE
40 Mini vortex : EDDY
41 Meas. reduced by fog : VIS
44 Pave anew : RE-TOP
45 Halved : IN TWO
46 Earl __ tea : GREY
47 Globetrotting group : JET SET
48 Former White House quartet : OBAMAS
49 New Haven sch. : YALE U
51 Pts. of a book : PGS
53 Forehead-covering hair : BANGS
56 Tricky road curves : ESSES
57 Rupees and rubles : MONEY
58 102-Down’s mother : MADRE
59 Hawaiian “thank you” : MAHALO
60 Admission of guilt : I DID IT
61 Magazine name : TITLE
62 Not straight : SNAKING
63 “Mean Girls” star Lindsay : LOHAN
65 Drinks for the house : ROUND
66 Key __ : LARGO
67 Kyiv’s country : UKRAINE
70 Writer/actor Rogen : SETH
73 Throw in : ADD
75 Zoo enclosure : CAGE
76 Valletta’s island : MALTA
77 Block that often falls on Wile E. Coyote : ANVIL
79 Genetic material : RNA
80 “__ Misérables” : LES
82 “Modern Family” co-star : ED O’NEILL
83 Little cut : NICK
84 Nordstrom rival : SAKS
86 Conservationist Bindi : IRWIN
87 Season wood, in a way : KILN DRY
90 Tropical garland : LEI
91 Male deer : STAG
92 Some electric cars : TESLAS
93 Heaps : A SLEW
94 Thin-layered rock : SHALE
95 Shish __ : KABOB
96 Chris who plays Captain America : EVANS
97 Extra : SPARE
98 Wrestling moves : HOLDS
102 58-Down’s son : NINO
103 FBI guys : G-MEN
104 Beech or peach : TREE
105 Dept. formed after the 1977 oil crisis : ENER
108 Reddit Q&A session : AMA
109 Droll sort : WAG
110 “The Mindy Project” actor Barinholtz : IKE
111 Org. with Thunder and Heat : NBA
112 Gulp down : EAT