LA Times Crossword 2 Apr 23, Sunday

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Constructed by: Pam Amick Klawitter
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Sound Bites

Themed answers all refer to food or drink. Each is a two-word phrase, with both words ending with the same 3- to 5-letter sequence:

  • 21A Traveling puppet show featuring talking melons? : CANTALOUPE TROUPE
  • 34A Coffee vessel with a broken handle? : UNSAFE CARAFE
  • 56A “Men never eat flaky pastry for brunch,” e.g.? : QUICHE CLICHE
  • 80A Result of an orchard’s promotional deal with a bakery? : FRUIT BISCUIT
  • 98A Lobster soup that’s a little too spicy? : RISQUE BISQUE
  • 117A Rule for adding toppings to french fries? : POUTINE GUIDELINE
  • 14D Unconventional spot for breadmaking? : DOUGH TROUGH
  • 65D Box of donuts kept on ice? : FROZEN DOZEN

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

Bill’s time: 15m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Mesoamerican pyramid builders : MAYAS

The Mayan civilization held sway in Central America and Mexico from about 350 AD, until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s.

Mesoamerica is a region extending from Central Mexico, south to Costa Rica. It is known as an area where societies flourished prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries.

17 Pelee Island’s Great Lake : ERIE

Pelee Island in Lake Erie is the southernmost populated point in the whole of Canada.

19 “When the moon hits your eye” feeling : AMORE

“That’s Amore” is a pop standard written by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks in 1952. “That’s Amore” became the signature song for Dean Martin after he sang it (with some help from Jerry Lewis) in the 1953 comedy film “The Caddy”. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore …”

20 Dublin-born singer/activist : BONO

Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner who was born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …

21 Traveling puppet show featuring talking melons? : CANTALOUPE TROUPE

The cantaloupe is the most popular type of melon consumed in the US. Apparently the cantaloupe was first cultivated in Cantalupo in Sabina, a town near Rome in Italy.

24 Sign of aging : RUST

Rust is iron oxide. Rust forms when iron oxidizes, reacts with oxygen.

26 Skipping school : TRUANT

“Truant” is such a lovely word. We have been using it to describe someone who wanders from an appointed place since the mid-1400s. Prior to that, a truant was a beggar or a vagabond.

27 One of 10 in Exodus : PLAGUE

According to the biblical Book of Exodus, God inflicted ten plagues on Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. For example, the first was the changing of water in the Nile to blood, the eighth was a plague of locusts that consumed all the Egyptian crops, and the tenth was the death of firstborn sons.

29 Org. with an elephant mascot : GOP

The Republican Party has had the nickname Grand Old Party (GOP) since 1875. That said, the phrase was coined in the “Congressional Record” as “this gallant old party”. The moniker was changed to “grand old party” in 1876 in an article in the “Cincinnati Commercial”. The Republican Party’s elephant mascot dates back to an 1874 cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast for “Harper’s Weekly”. The Democrat’s donkey was already an established symbol. Nast drew a donkey clothed in a lion’s skin scaring away the other animals. One of the scared animals was an elephant, which Nast labeled “The Republican Vote”.

30 German gent : HERR

In German, a “Herr” (Mr.) is married to a “Frau” (Mrs.), and they live together in a “Haus” (house).

34 Coffee vessel with a broken handle? : UNSAFE CARAFE

A carafe is a container made from glass that has no handles, and no stopper.

41 H.H. Munro’s pen name : SAKI

Hector Hugh Munro, who used the pen name “Saki”, was a British writer who is best known for his witty and often macabre short stories. Saki was killed by a sniper during World War I while serving in the army. He was 43 years old at the time. Reportedly, his last words were “Put that bloody cigarette out!”

43 “Anchors __”: Navy fight song : AWEIGH

The song “Anchors Aweigh” is strongly associated with the US Navy, largely because it is the fight song of the US Naval Academy. “Anchors Aweigh” was composed in 1906 by Lieutenant Charles Zimmerman who was bandmaster of the US Naval Academy Band at the time.

When an anchor is “aweigh” or “atrip”, it is just clear of the ocean bottom, has just been lifted.

45 Classic TV brand : RCA

RCA was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America, and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Electric (GE). GE divested RCA in 1932, and then reacquired the company in 1986. Today, RCA is just a brand name owned by Sony Music.

48 Man of La Mancha : SPANIARD

La Mancha is a region in Spain, a plateau lying south of Madrid. The area became especially famous after the publication of the novel “Don Quixote de La Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes.

51 Mystery writer Nevada : BARR

Nevada Barr is an author noted for her series of mystery novels set in National Parks that feature park ranger and detective Anna Pigeon.

55 Chinese zodiac animal before the Ox : RAT

The 12-year cycle in the Chinese calendar uses the following animals in order:

  • Rat
  • Ox
  • Tiger
  • Rabbit
  • Dragon
  • Snake
  • Horse
  • Goat
  • Monkey
  • Rooster
  • Dog
  • Pig

56 “Men never eat flaky pastry for brunch,” e.g.? : QUICHE CLICHE

The classic dish called quiche is made with eggs (“oeufs” in French). Even though the quiche is inextricably linked to French cuisine, the name “quiche” comes from “Kuchen”, the German word for “cake”. The variant called “quiche lorraine” includes bits of smoked bacon as an ingredient.

“Cliché” is a word that comes from the world of printing. In the days when type was added as individual letters into a printing plate, for efficiency some oft-used phrases and words were created as one single slug of metal. The word “cliché” was used for such a grouping of letters. It’s easy to see how the same word would become a term to describe any overused phrase. Supposedly, “cliché” comes from French, from the verb “clicher” meaning “to click”. The idea is that when a matrix of letters was dropped in molten metal to make a cliché, it made a clicking sound.

60 D-Day fleet : LSTS

The initialism “LST” stands for Landing Ship, Tank. LSTs are the large vessels used mainly in WWII that have doors at either ends through which tanks and other vehicles can roll off and onto beaches. The design concept persists to this day in the huge fleet of commercial roll-on/roll-off car ferries, all inspired by the LST.

61 Carol opener : ADESTE …

The lovely Christmas hymn “Adeste Fideles” (entitled “O Come, All Ye Faithful” in English) was written by one John Francis Wade in the 13th century. Well, he wrote the original four verses, with four more verses being added over time. A kind blog reader pointed out to me that the English translation is in fact a little “off”. The term “adeste” best translates from Latin as “be present, attend”, rather than “come”. The verb “come” appears later in the lyrics in “venite adoremus”, meaning “come, let us worship”.

62 Taj Mahal city : AGRA

The most famous mausoleum in the world has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. It was built after the death of the fourth wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal (hence the name of the mausoleum). The poor woman died in childbirth delivering the couple’s 14th child. When Shah Jahan himself passed away 35 years later, he was buried beside his wife Mumtaz, in the Taj Mahal.

63 Remote hiding place? : SOFA

The first television remote control was introduced by Zenith Radio Corporation, in 1950. That remote was hard-wired to the TV, and was marketed as “Lazy Bones”. Personally, my first “remote” was a broomstick that I used by pushing in large mechanical buttons that selected each of the three channels that were available back then on the east coast of Ireland …

68 Colorful Hindu festival : HOLI

Holi is a Hindu festival, one celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.

71 Matthew of HBO’s “Perry Mason” : RHYS

Welsh actor Matthew Rhys got his break playing Kevin Walker on the TV drama “Brothers & Sisters” from 2006 to 2011. He gained even further recognition playing the co-lead role of Philip Jennings in the excellent spy drama series “The Americans” that ran from 2013 to 2018. Rhys started a relationship with his co-star in “The Americans”, Keri Russell, in 2014. The couple had a child together in 2016, and refer to each other as husband and wife.

“Perry Mason” is a TV series based on the character created by author Erle Stanley Gardner. Premiering in 2020, the show stars Matthew Rhys in the title role. It is set in 1930s, and presents the backstory to the celebrated lawyer depicted in the books and the original TV show from the fifties and sixties starring Raymond Burr.

72 Male deer : HART

Nowadays, a hart is a male red deer over five years old. A hind is a female red deer.

83 Former Fed chair Bernanke : BEN

Ben Bernanke was Chairman of the Federal Reserve for two terms, after being nominated by President George W. Bush in 2006 and renominated by President Barack Obama. It was Bernanke who was in charge of the Fed during the financial crisis of the late-2000s. Before becoming Chairman of the Federal Reserve, he was a professor of economics at Princeton University, and known for his expertise in the Great Depression. Apparently, Bernanke’s research on the Great Depression informed his approach to the 2008 crisis, as he sought to avoid the mistakes made by policymakers in the 1930s.

86 Website known for feminist cultural criticism : JEZEBEL

Jezebel.com is a blog focused on women’s interests. The site was launched in 2007 and uses the tagline “Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for Women. Without Airbrushing”.

88 Microwave alert : BEEP

The first microwave oven was invented in 1946 by Percy Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon. While he was standing beside an active radar unit, which used microwaves, he noticed that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. Spencer proceeded to expose various foods to microwaves in tests that would lead to the development of the first commercial microwave oven.

94 Scouring pad brand : SOS

S.O.S is a brand of scouring pads made from steel wool impregnated with soap. The product was invented as a giveaway by an aluminum pot salesman in San Francisco called Ed Cox. His wife gave it the name “S.O.S” as an initialism standing for “Save Our Saucepans”. Note the punctuation! There is no period after the last S, and that is deliberate. When Cox went to register the trademark, he found that “S.O.S.” could not be a trademark because it was used as an international distress signal. So he dropped the period after the last S, and I hope made a lot of money for himself and his wife.

98 Lobster soup that’s a little too spicy? : RISQUE BISQUE

“Risqué” is a French word, the past participle of the verb meaning “to risk”. So in English we use “risqué” to mean “racy”, but in French it means “risky”.

A traditional bisque is a creamy soup made from crustaceans such as lobster, crab or shrimp. The term “bisque” probably comes from the Bay of “Biscay” off the west coast of France, a nod to the French origin of the soup and its seafood content. So, if you see a vegetable “bisque” in a restaurant, you’ll know that the term is being misused …

111 Teahouse mat : TATAMI

A tatami is a traditional mat used on floors in Japan. The term “tatami” comes from the Japanese word “tatamu” meaning “to fold”, reflecting the fact that the mat is designed to be folded up for storage.

113 Papier-mâché party item : PINATA

Piñatas originated in Mexico, probably among the Aztecs or Mayans. Today’s piñatas are usually made from cardboard that is brightly decorated with papier-mâché. Traditionally a piñata was made out of a clay pot, adorned with feathers and ribbons and filled with small treasures. During religious ceremonies the clay pots would be suspended and broken open so that the contents would spill out onto the ground at the feet of a god as an offering.

Papier-mâché is an artistic medium made from strips of paper, or pulped paper, that is bound with an adhesive. “Papier-mâché” translates from French as mashed or chewed paper.

116 Labyrinth : MAZE

A labyrinth is a maze, and is named after the maze in which the Minotaur was confined in Greek mythology.

117 Rule for adding toppings to french fries? : POUTINE GUIDELINE

Poutine is a dish that originated in rural Quebec in the late fifties. It is made with french fries covered in a brown gravy sauce, all topped with cheese curds.

122 Bath-loving Muppet : ERNIE

Ernie is one of the Muppets on the children’s TV show “Sesame Street”. Ernie is usually seen with his roommate Bert, whom he frequently annoys and frustrates. Ernie is known for taking long baths with his rubber duckie. That “Rubber Duckie” is the title character in a hit song that Ernie (voiced by Jim Henson) released in 1970.

123 Striped stone : AGATE

Agate is a micro-crystalline form of quartz (and so is related to sand/silica). Some agate samples have deposited layers that give a striped appearance, and these are called “banded agate”.

125 Obj. of identity theft : SSN

Social Security number (SSN)

127 Russian turndown : NYET

The English word “no” translates into Russian as “nyet”, and into German as “nein”.

128 __ of yore : DAYS

We use the word “yore” to mean “time long past” as in “the days of yore”. “Yore” comes from the Old English words for “of years”.

Down

1 Solstice mo. : DEC

A solstice occurs twice in every year. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year (has the most daylight), and the winter solstice is the shortest.

6 School domain : EDU

The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

  • .com (commercial enterprise)
  • .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
  • .mil (US military)
  • .org (not-for-profit organization)
  • .gov (US federal government entity)
  • .edu (college-level educational institution)

7 Whirlybirds, for short : COPTERS

Our term “helicopter” was absorbed from the French word “hélicoptère” that was coined by Gustave Ponton d’Amécourt in 1861. d’Amécourt envisioned aircraft that could fly vertically using rotating wings that “screwed” into the air. He combined the Greek terms “helix” meaning “spiral, whirl” and “pteron” meaning “wing” to give us “helicopter”.

9 Last name of acting sisters Rooney and Kate : MARA

Actress Rooney Mara is noted for her role in the 2010 film “The Social Network” and for playing the title character in the 2011 hit movie “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Mara has American football in her blood. Her mother’s family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her father’s family founded the New York Giants.

Kate Mara is the actress who plays a lead character in the US TV series “House of Cards”. She got her big break with a supporting role in the 2005 Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain, in which she played Heath Ledger’s daughter, despite being only four years younger than Ledger. Kate is the sister of fellow actress Rooney Mara, who played the lead in the American version of the film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

11 Video-sharing site : YOUTUBE

YouTube is a video-sharing website where users can watch, upload, and share videos. YouTube was founded in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. The first video on YouTube was uploaded by Karim and shows him feeding elephants at the San Diego Zoo. YouTube is the second most popular website in the world. Google is the most popular …

12 Abstract art pioneer Jean : ARP

Jean Arp was a prominent artist and sculptor who played a crucial role in the development of the Dada and Surrealist movements at the beginning of the 20th century. In the early years of his career, Arp experimented with a range of styles, including Expressionism, Cubism, and Futurism. In 1916, he co-founded the Zurich Dada movement with artists such as Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball. After the Dada movement began to decline in the 1920s, Arp became associated with the Surrealist movement and continued to explore the possibilities of abstraction in his art.

20 Luca of “The Godfather” : BRASI

Luca Brasi is one of Don Corleone’s most loyal “enforcers” in Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather”. Brasi comes to a violent end, garroted while his hand is pinned to a wooden bar with a knife. Famously, the Corleone family learn of his demise when they receive Brasi’s bulletproof vest wrapped around dead fish. The message is that he “sleeps with the fishes”. In the big screen adaptation of “The Godfather”, Luca Brasi is played by ex-wrestler and professional bodyguard Lenny Montana. The role launched a very successful television character-acting career for Montana.

30 Metallic finish? : HARD C

The word “metallic” ends with a hard letter C.

34 Cold War initials : USSR

There is some debate about the timing of the start and end of the Cold War, the period of geopolitical tension between the US and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. One significant factor at the start of the Cold War was the Truman Doctrine, the foreign policy adopted by President Harry S. Truman that firmly ended America’s pre-WWII isolationism in favor of support for nations threatened by Soviet influence. A clear sign of the end of the Cold War was the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

35 California wine valley : NAPA

Napa Valley in California is home to over 400 wineries, the first being established in 1858. Napa is also home to over 100 different grape varieties, the most popular being Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

36 32-card game : SKAT

Skat is a trick-taking card game for three players that is traditionally played with a 32-card deck. The game is played in rounds, with each player bidding for the right to declare the trump suit. The declarer then tries to win at least 11 tricks, while the other players try to prevent them from doing so. I used to play a lot of Skat when I was in my teens …

37 Cherry red : CERISE

The name for the red color that we know as “cerise” is the French word for “cherry”.

40 “A Death in the Family” Pulitzer winner James : AGEE

“A Death in the Family” is a 1957 novel by James Agee. It is about the death of a father and the impact it has on his family. The novel won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1958, and was adapted into a 1963 film “All the Way Home” starring Jean Simmons and Robert Preston.

46 Last name of NBA brothers Steph and Seth : CURRY

Basketball great Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and former volleyball player Sonya Curry. Off the court, Curry is an avid golfer, playing off a low handicap. He regularly participates in celebrity golf tournaments, and has played alongside President Barack Obama.

NBA player Seth Curry is the son of former player Dell Curry, and the younger brother of player “Steph” Curry. Seth’s (and Steph’s) mother is former Virginia Tech volleyball player Sonya Curry (née Adams). Seth Curry married former professional volleyball player Callie Rivers in 2019.

49 Brightness stats? : IQS

Although it is correct these days to say that the abbreviation IQ stands for “intelligence quotient”, the term was actually coined by German psychologist William Stern, and so is actually an abbreviation for the German “Intelligenz-Quotient”.

52 Blackjack card : ACE

Blackjack is one of the few casino games where the player has a decent chance to beat the house. This is because the house edge in blackjack is relatively low, around 1%. That edge can be reduced by “counting cards”, something that casinos really don’t like …

54 Some 1980s Chryslers : K-CARS

Chrysler introduced K-cars in the early 1980s at a time when demand for large cars with V8 engines was plummeting. Post-oil crisis consumers were seeking low-cost, fuel-efficient vehicles, which brought Chrysler to the brink of bankruptcy. It was the economical 4-cylinder, front-wheel drive platform that singlehandedly delivered the company into profitability within a couple of years. K-cars were designed to carry 6 passengers, on two bench seats. Remember taking a corner a little too fast on those seats, in the days when no one wore seat belts?

57 Called “Shotgun!,” say : HAD DIBS

The phrase “to have dibs on” expresses a claim on something. Apparently, the term “dibs” is a contraction of “dibstone”, which was a knucklebone or jack used in a children’s game.

The person riding alongside the driver of a vehicle is said to be “riding shotgun”. Even though the phrase is a reference to the armed guard who rode beside the driver of a stagecoach in the Old West, the term wasn’t coined until the early 20th century.

60 Potato pancake : LATKE

A latke is a delicious potato pancake (I’m Irish, so anything made with potatoes is delicious, to be fair).

63 Manga made for adolescent girls : SHOJO

Manga, Japanese graphic novels, can be grouped into five genres based on the target readership:

  • Shonen: Manga targeted at tween and teen boys.
  • Shojo: Manga targeted at tween and teen girls.
  • Seinen: Manga targeted at adult men (18+).
  • Josei: Manga targeted at adult women (18+).
  • Kodomomuke: Manga targeted at young children.

64 Like some chardonnay barrels : OAKEN

Oak barrels are sometimes used to store wine during fermentation and aging. The oak wood has a profound effect, usually changing the wine’s color, flavor and texture. If the wine is stored in stainless steel barrels, then a similar effect can be achieved by adding oak chips or staves to the liquid.

The chardonnay grape is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of France. Now it’s grown “everywhere”. Drinkers of California “chards” seem to be particularly fond of oak flavor, so most chardonnay wines are aged in oak barrels or with oak chips.

67 __ de cologne : EAU

Back in 1709, an Italian perfume-maker moved to Cologne in Germany. There he invented a new fragrance that he named Eau de Cologne after his newly adopted town. The fragrance is still produced in Cologne, using a secret formulation. However, the terms “Eau de Cologne” and “cologne”, are now used generically.

69 Novelist Erdrich : LOUISE

Louise Erdrich is an author and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Her novels, poetry and children’s books usually feature Native-American characters and settings. Erdrich’s 2020 novel “The Night Watchman” won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

75 Vigoda of “Fish” : ABE

Abe Vigoda played Detective Sergeant Phil Fish in television’s “Barney Miller” in the seventies, and even got his own spin-off show called “Fish”. On the big screen, Vigoda played Sal Tessio in “The Godfather” and Grandpa Ubriacco in “Look Who’s Talking”. When Vigoda was 60 years old, he was mistakenly reported as dead by “People” magazine. In response, Vigoda had a photo published in “Variety” showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding a copy of the offending issue of “People”.

80 Greek salad topper : FETA

Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheep’s milk, or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. The cheese is salted and cured in a brine solution for several months before it is eaten.

81 Like non-oyster months, traditionally : R-LESS

There is a traditional warning that one shouldn’t eat shellfish in a month without an R i.e. May through August. That’s because these are the warmer months here in the northern hemisphere when algae blooms can spread toxins that are soaked up by clams, mussels and oysters. Personally, I only eat shellfish in months containing a Q … that would be never …

83 Root beer eponym : BARQ

When the Barq Brothers decided to go into the root beer business around 1900, they were faced with a dilemma as the Hires Root Beer Company was attempting to trademark the term “root beer”. So, the Barqs produced their beverage and called it simply Barq’s. They did indeed keep things simple, with an early advertising slogan of “Drink Barq’s. It’s good.” As the trademark issue dissipated, the company then introduced a slogan “Is it root beer?” before finally “coming out” and calling their drink “Barq’s root beer”.

84 Neutral tone : ECRU

The color ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

85 CNBC topic : NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization, and it has been in operation for over 230 years. The first company to be listed on the NYSE was the Bank of New York. It was traded alongside four other securities when the exchange opened.

87 Club ingredient : BACON

The club sandwich is a double-decker affair with three layers of bread and two layers of filling. This style of sandwich has been around since the end of the 19th century, and some say it was invented at an exclusive gambling “club” in Saratoga Springs, New York.

93 Sashimi fish : AHI TUNA

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish, although it can also be raw meat. The word “sashimi” translates literally as “pierced body”, which may be a reference to the practice of sticking the tail and fin to sliced fish to identify it.

94 Lenny’s pal on “Laverne & Shirley” : SQUIGGY

In the sitcom “Laverne & Shirley”, the title characters lived downstairs from neighbors Lenny and Squiggy, played by Michael McKean and David Lander.

99 Persia, today : IRAN

Before 1935, the country we know today as Iran was referred to as Persia by the Western world. The official name of the country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.

102 Skye of “La Brea” : IONE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

The TV show “La Brea” is a sci-fi series that premiered in 2021. It is set in present-day Los Angeles and follows a family who are separated when an earthquake opens a gigantic sinkhole that transports them through a portal to the Ice Age. The sinkhole is located at the La Brea Tar Pits, hence the show’s title.

106 Nightie fabric : SATIN

The material known as “satin” takes its name from “Zayton”, the medieval Arabic name for the Chinese port city of Quanzhou. Quanzhou was used for the export of large amounts of silk to Europe.

113 Surname of two British prime ministers : PITT

William Pitt the Younger was Prime Minister of Britain from 1783 to 1801, and again from 1804 until 1806. When Pitt first took office, he was only 24 years of age, making him the nation’s youngest ever PM. William Pitt is known as “the Younger” as his father, William Pitt the Elder, also served as prime minister, from 1766 to 1768.

114 “Queen Sugar” actress Lifford : TINA

Actress Tina Lifford is perhaps best known for her roles in the TV series “South Central” and “Parenthood”, and in the films “Grand Canyon”, “Blood Work”, and “Hostage”. Lifford is also the author of the self-help books “The Little Book of Big Lies” and “30-Days to A More Fabulous You”.

“Queen Sugar” is a TV drama created by Ava DuVernay that is based on a 2014 novel of the same name by Natalie Baszile. It’s all about three estranged siblings who reunite to save their family’s failing sugarcane farm in Louisiana.

115 Comedian Richter : ANDY

Comedian and actor Andy Richter is best known as the sidekick for Conan O’Brien on his talk shows: “Late Night”, “The Tonight Show” and “Conan”. Richter also fared well on “Celebrity Jeopardy!”, winning $68,000 in one day for St. Jude’s Hospital. That’s the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” all-time, one-day record winnings.

119 OPEC member : UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (states) in the Middle East. Included in the seven are Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the city of Abu Dhabi being the UAE capital and cultural center.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controls a significant portion of the world’s oil supply. OPEC member countries account for around 44% of global oil production and 73% of the world’s oil reserves.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Go against : DEFY
5 Faction : SECT
9 Mesoamerican pyramid builders : MAYAS
14 Cozy room : DEN
17 Pelee Island’s Great Lake : ERIE
18 “Same here!” : SO DO I!
19 “When the moon hits your eye” feeling : AMORE
20 Dublin-born singer/activist : BONO
21 Traveling puppet show featuring talking melons? : CANTALOUPE TROUPE
24 Sign of aging : RUST
25 Add zest to, e.g. : SEASON
26 Skipping school : TRUANT
27 One of 10 in Exodus : PLAGUE
29 Org. with an elephant mascot : GOP
30 German gent : HERR
31 Squirt __ : GUN
33 Hearth debris : ASHES
34 Coffee vessel with a broken handle? : UNSAFE CARAFE
39 “Scat!” : BEAT IT!
41 H.H. Munro’s pen name : SAKI
42 Trauma ctrs. : ERS
43 “Anchors __”: Navy fight song : AWEIGH
45 Classic TV brand : RCA
48 Man of La Mancha : SPANIARD
51 Mystery writer Nevada : BARR
53 Talk enthusiastically in a nerdy way : GEEK OUT
55 Chinese zodiac animal before the Ox : RAT
56 “Men never eat flaky pastry for brunch,” e.g.? : QUICHE CLICHE
59 Ringlet : CURL
60 D-Day fleet : LSTS
61 Carol opener : ADESTE …
62 Taj Mahal city : AGRA
63 Remote hiding place? : SOFA
66 Pay attention to : HEED
68 Colorful Hindu festival : HOLI
71 Matthew of HBO’s “Perry Mason” : RHYS
72 Male deer : HART
73 Media revenue source : AD SALE
77 Burden : ONUS
79 “All right already!” : OK OK!
80 Result of an orchard’s promotional deal with a bakery? : FRUIT BISCUIT
83 Former Fed chair Bernanke : BEN
86 Website known for feminist cultural criticism : JEZEBEL
88 Microwave alert : BEEP
89 Competence in a specific field : LITERACY
91 United : ONE
92 Not on edge : AT EASE
94 Scouring pad brand : SOS
95 Goofs up : ERRS
96 “Credit cards only” : NO CASH
98 Lobster soup that’s a little too spicy? : RISQUE BISQUE
103 Increase : ADD TO
105 One of the fam : SIS
107 Stunning defeat : ROUT
108 Fish-to-be : ROE
109 Sings soothingly : CROONS
111 Teahouse mat : TATAMI
113 Papier-mâché party item : PINATA
116 Labyrinth : MAZE
117 Rule for adding toppings to french fries? : POUTINE GUIDELINE
121 Some sheep : EWES
122 Bath-loving Muppet : ERNIE
123 Striped stone : AGATE
124 Objectives : ENDS
125 Obj. of identity theft : SSN
126 Campus list-makers : DEANS
127 Russian turndown : NYET
128 __ of yore : DAYS

Down

1 Solstice mo. : DEC
2 Timeline units : ERAS
3 __ print : FINE
4 One more time : YET AGAIN
5 Before long : SOON
6 School domain : EDU
7 Whirlybirds, for short : COPTERS
8 Earth, en español : TIERRA
9 Last name of acting sisters Rooney and Kate : MARA
10 Interspersed with : AMONG
11 Video-sharing site : YOUTUBE
12 Abstract art pioneer Jean : ARP
13 Leak slowly : SEEP
14 Unconventional spot for breadmaking? : DOUGH TROUGH
15 Follow logically : ENSUE
16 Takes down : NOTES
18 Sledding spot : SLOPE
20 Luca of “The Godfather” : BRASI
22 Beginning on : AS OF
23 Grounds crew concern : TURF
28 Wood-shaping tool : LATHE
30 Metallic finish? : HARD C
32 Pastoral sound : NEIGH
34 Cold War initials : USSR
35 California wine valley : NAPA
36 32-card game : SKAT
37 Cherry red : CERISE
38 Some British peers : EARLS
40 “A Death in the Family” Pulitzer winner James : AGEE
44 Squirms : WRITHES
46 Last name of NBA brothers Steph and Seth : CURRY
47 Map collection : ATLAS
49 Brightness stats? : IQS
50 Writer: Abbr. : AUTH
51 Place to retire : BED
52 Blackjack card : ACE
54 Some 1980s Chryslers : K-CARS
57 Called “Shotgun!,” say : HAD DIBS
58 Corp. leader : CEO
60 Potato pancake : LATKE
63 Manga made for adolescent girls : SHOJO
64 Like some chardonnay barrels : OAKEN
65 Box of donuts kept on ice? : FROZEN DOZEN
67 __ de cologne : EAU
69 Novelist Erdrich : LOUISE
70 Still competing : IN IT
74 Take turns? : STEER
75 Vigoda of “Fish” : ABE
76 __ service : LIP
78 4×4, briefly : UTE
80 Greek salad topper : FETA
81 Like non-oyster months, traditionally : R-LESS
82 Pull : CLOUT
83 Root beer eponym : BARQ
84 Neutral tone : ECRU
85 CNBC topic : NYSE
87 Club ingredient : BACON
90 Zipped again : RESEALED
93 Sashimi fish : AHI TUNA
94 Lenny’s pal on “Laverne & Shirley” : SQUIGGY
97 Native Nebraskans : OTOES
99 Persia, today : IRAN
100 “Not nice!” : SO MEAN!
101 Wedding party : BRIDE
102 Skye of “La Brea” : IONE
103 Capstones : ACMES
104 Sketches : DRAWS
106 Nightie fabric : SATIN
110 Zipped : SPED
112 Associations : TIES
113 Surname of two British prime ministers : PITT
114 “Queen Sugar” actress Lifford : TINA
115 Comedian Richter : ANDY
118 Mine extraction : ORE
119 OPEC member : UAE
120 Tee preceder : ESS