LA Times Crossword 9 Jun 24, Sunday

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Constructed by: Amanda Cook & Kelly Richardson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: DJ Remix

Themed answers are common phrases in which a letter D is swapped with a letter J, and vice versa:

• 22A College administrators who never skip gym class? : RIPPED DEANS (from “ripped jeans”)
• 28A Mistake a bluebird for a blue bird? : CALL IT A JAY (from “call it a day”)
• 41A Finally breaking up with that no-good, pool hall hustler? : DUMPING THE SHARK (from “jumping the shark”)
• 64A Tiny bells added to an ugly Christmas sweater? : JANGLING MODIFIERS (from “dangling modifiers”)
• 85A Honorific for San Francisco’s top athlete? : THE JOCK OF THE BAY (from “The Dock of the Bay”)
• 103A Beaver construction party? : DAM SESSION (from “jam session”)
• 111A “Good news! The animals living under the deck aren’t skunks!”? : JUST BUNNIES (from “dust bunnies”)

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

Bill’s time: 16m 51s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 BCBS offering : HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBS) formed in 1982 with the merger of Blue Shield and Blue Cross Association in 1982. Blue Cross health insurance plans were established in 1929 based on a plan used at Baylor University in Dallas. Blue Shield plans were first developed by employers in lumber and mining camps in the Pacific Northwest in 1910.

14 Beaker’s sound : MEEP!

The Muppet character named Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is a scientist in a lab coat. His given name comes from the Bunsen burner piece of lab equipment, and the family name is a reference to the character’s head, which is shaped like a honeydew melon. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s assistant is Beaker, who is also named for a piece of lab equipment.

18 Wabbit hunter Fudd : ELMER

Elmer Fudd is one of the most famous Looney Tunes cartoon characters, and is the hapless nemesis of Bugs Bunny. If you have never seen it, check out Elmer and Bugs in the marvelous “Rabbit of Seville”, a short cartoon that parodies Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. Wonderful stuff …

21 Minnesota representative Ilhan : OMAR

Ilhan Omar has been representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in the US House since 2019. At that time, she became one of the first two Muslim women, as well as the first Somali American, to serve in the US Congress.

24 Panache : ELAN

Someone exhibiting panache is showing dash and verve, and perhaps has a swagger. “Panache” is a French word used for a plume of feathers, especially one in a hat.

26 Mattel product : DOLL

Mattel is the world’s largest toy manufacturer. Mattel was founded by Harold “Matt” Matson and Elliot Handler in 1945, and they chose the company name by combining “Matt” with “El-liot” giving “Matt-el”.

28 Mistake a bluebird for a blue bird? : CALL IT A JAY (from “call it a day”)

The blue jay is a perching bird that is native to eastern North America. They can be extremely aggressive to other birds, often raiding their nests. If a fight breaks out, the blue jay has been known to decapitate its opponent.

There are three species of bluebird: the mountain bluebird, the western bluebird and the eastern bluebird. All males of the group have a lot of blue plumage. The females also have some blue, but are less colorful.

34 Court orders : WRITS

A writ is an order issued by some formal body (these days, usually a court) with the order being in “written” form. Warrants and subpoenas are examples of writs.

35 __ Talks : TED

The acronym “TED” stands for “Technology, Entertainment and Design”. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as “TED Talks”. There are also TEDx events, which are locally-run talks presented under license from TED.

36 Shinbone : TIBIA

The tibia is the shinbone, and is the larger of the two bones right below the knee. It is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shinbone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shinbones of animals.

37 Podcast equipment : MIC

A podcast is an audio or video media file that is made available for download. The name comes from the acronym “POD” meaning “playable on demand”, and “cast” from “broadcasting”. So, basically a podcast is a broadcast that one can play on demand, simply by downloading and opening the podcast file.

38 Iverson in the Basketball Hall of Fame : ALLEN

Allen Iverson is a professional basketball player who played in the NBA for several years. Iverson signed up to play for a Turkish basketball team in 2010. He played in Turkey for two seasons and retired from the game in 2013. Iverson is known by the nickname “the Answer”.

41 Finally breaking up with that no-good, pool hall hustler? : DUMPING THE SHARK (from “jumping the shark”)

A pool shark is a player who hustles others in a pool hall with the goal of making money unfairly in competition. The term “pool shark” used to be “pool sharp”.A pool shark is a player who hustles others in a pool hall with the goal of making money unfairly in competition. The term “pool shark” used to be “pool sharp”.

The phrase “jumping the shark” has been used since 1977 to describe the moment in the life of a TV show when it starts to decline in popularity. The expression comes from a scene in the hit sitcom “Happy Days” when the character Fonzie gets on water skis and is seen literally jumping over a shark. “Happy Days” never recovered.

48 Nintendo Switch precursor : WII

The Nintendo Switch is a gaming console released in 2017. I guess the name “Switch” is used because users can “switch” between portable and home console modes. The device is a table that can be used as a personal gaming unit, or can be docked for use as a home console.

49 Carolyn Bertozzi, notably : CHEMIST

American chemist Carolyn Bertozzi was a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry”.

51 One with niblings : AUNT

The word “nibling” was coined in the 1950s as a gender-neutral term describing a child of one’s sibling, replacing “niece” and “nephew”.

53 Massachusetts state tree : ELM

The official state tree of Massachusetts is the American elm. The elm was chosen in 1941, in a gesture commemorating George Washington taking command of the Continental Army in 1775. He did so beneath an American elm on Cambridge Common.

54 “__ Nagila”: Hebrew folk song : HAVA

“Hava Nagila” is a Hebrew folk song, with the title translating into “Let Us Rejoice”. The melody is from a Ukrainian folk song. The words to “Hava Nagila” were composed in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during WWI.

55 Made brownies, say : BAKED

Apparently, the first brownies were created for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The recipe was developed by a pastry chef at the city’s Palmer House Hotel. The idea was to produce a cake-like dessert that was small enough and dainty enough to be eaten by ladies as part of a boxed lunch.

57 Crafty platform : ETSY

Etsy.com was founded in 2005 as a way for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade goods online, and has since grown to include vintage items and crafting supplies as well. The company’s name is derived from the Italian word “etsi,” which means “oh, yes”? This was a nod to founder Rob Kalin’s love of Italy and his appreciation for the country’s history and artistry.

58 Gwen of No Doubt : STEFANI

Gwen Stefani is lead singer with the rock band No Doubt. She joined the band in 1986, focused on a solo career from 2004-2008, but is now back singing and working with No Doubt. She joined the reality show “The Voice” as a coach in 2014, replacing Christina Aguilera. A year later, Stefani announced a relationship with Blake Shelton, a fellow coach on “The Voice”.

64 Tiny bells added to an ugly Christmas sweater? : JANGLING MODIFIERS (from “dangling modifiers”)

In the world of grammar, a modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word or phrase. Examples are adjectives (the red balloon) and adverbs (he walked slowly). A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that either modifies another word or phrase that is missing from the sentence (missing subject), or that is placed so far away from the modifier that the meaning is unclear (distant modifier):

1. Missing subject example: “On the way to work, a robbery was witnessed” should perhaps read “On the way to work, she witnessed a robbery”
2. Distant modifier example: “He was upset that she wrote the message in all caps without thinking” should perhaps read “He was upset that, without thinking, she wrote the message in all caps.

71 In the spotlight for bad behavior : ON BLAST

Here’s a term coming from social media, a term new to me. To “put someone on blast” is to publicly expose and shame that person, or their behavior. I guess that means “blasting” out screenshots, messages, photos or other media items to achieve the goal of shaming the person or exposing the behavior.

75 Nick of “Cape Fear” : NOLTE

Actor Nick Nolte got his big break in movies playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, a film released in 1976. Around the same time, he landed a leading role in the hit TV miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man”. Off the screen, Nolte has always had a “bad-boy” reputation. He is indeed a convicted felon, for selling counterfeit draft cards in the early 1960s. He had to pay a $75,000 fine, and was given a suspended prison sentence.

The 1991 film called “Cape Fear” is a Martin Scorsese remake of a 1962 movie of the same name. The 1991 version stars Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte, and there are also cameo appearances by Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck who starred in the 1962 original.

77 Purple bloom : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

80 “Toodles” : CIAO

“Ciao” is Italian for “‘bye”. “Arrivederci” is more formal, and translates as “goodbye”.

The term “toodles” meaning “goodbye”, is a short form of “toodle-oo”, which in turn comes from the French “à tout à l’heure” which translates as “see you later”.

81 Indian flatbread : CHAPATI

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread that is associated with India. The name of the bread comes from the Hindi word “chapat” meaning “flat”.

84 Some undergrad degs. : AAS

Associate of Arts (AA)

85 Honorific for San Francisco’s top athlete? : THE JOCK OF THE BAY (from “The Dock of the Bay”)

The term “jockstrap” supposedly arose in the late 1800s, as a contraction of the term “jockey strap”. A jockey strap was an undergarment designed for messengers and deliverymen who rode bicycles for many hours a day. The original American “jockstrap” was the “Bike Jockey Strap” that was introduced to the market in 1874. It is from the term “jockstrap” that we get “jock”, a word describing a stereotypical athletic type.

“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” is a song that Otis Redding started composing in 1967 while sitting on a houseboat in Sausalito, on San Francisco Bay. Redding finished the song soon after, with the help of co-writer Steve Cooper. “The Dock of the Bay” was released in January of 1968, just one month after Redding was killed in a plane crash. The song became the first posthumous single to reach number in the US charts. As an aside, Janis Joplin’s recording of “Me and Bobby McGee” achieved the same feat in 1971.

94 Space Invaders console : ATARI

Space Invaders is one of my favorite video games. It is truly a classic from the good old days (not that I play video games anymore). When Space Invaders was first released in video arcades in Japan in 1978, it was so popular that it caused a shortage of 100-yen coins.

97 Marzipan nut : ALMOND

Marzipan is a scrumptious confection made from almond meal sweetened with sugar or honey. The former English name was “marchpane” meaning “March bread”. We now use the term “marzipan”, which is the German name.

99 Abandons : DESERTS

To desert is to leave, without the intent to return. The verb “to desert” comes from the Latin “deserere”, which has the same meaning. “Deserere” in turn comes from “de” (undo) and “serere” (to join together).

103 Beaver construction party? : DAM SESSION (from “jam session”)

Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.

The use of “jam”, meaning an improvised passage performed by a whole jazz band, dates back to the late twenties. This gave rise to “jam session”, a term used a few years later. The use of “jam” in this context probably stems from the meaning of “jam” as something sweet, something excellent.

105 Concert platform : RISER

A riser is a platform that elevates a group of people above a crowd, and so is ideal for the performance of a choir.

109 NYC drama award : OBIE

The Obies are the Off-Broadway Theater Awards. They have been presented annually since 1956. The recipients used to be chosen by “The Village Voice” newspaper, but now are jointly administered with the American Theatre Wing.

110 Vegan pho protein : TOFU

“Tofu” is a name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has curdled. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife absolutely hates it …

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food. It is often ordered with a side of hanh dam, pickled white onions.

111 “Good news! The animals living under the deck aren’t skunks!”? : JUST BUNNIES (from “dust bunnies”)

What we call “dust bunnies” in American English, have similar inventive names in other languages. The Finns know them as sheep, the Germans wool mice, the Hungarians dust kittens, the Italians dust cats, and the Swedish dust rats.

113 Bridesmaid’s handful : POSY

“Poesy” was the name given to a line of verse engraved on the inner surface of a ring. The related word “posy”, for a bouquet of flowers, arose with the notion that giving a posy might be a message of love, just as a poesy inside a ring could have the same meaning.

114 Tinnitus docs : ENTS

Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

Tinnitus is a ringing sound in the ears when there is actually no sound present. The term derives from the Latin verb “tinnire” meaning “to ring”.

115 Balance sheet entry : ASSET
99D Balance sheet entries : DEBTS

The balance sheet of a company is a snapshot (single-point-in-time) view of a company’s financial position. The balance sheet lists all the company’s liabilities, all of its assets, and all of its ownership equity. The assets of a company, less its liabilities equals the ownership equity. The term “balance” is used because assets always balance out with the sum of liabilities and shareholder equity.

118 Director Anderson : WES

Film director Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums” that was released in 2001, and is not my favorite film by any stretch. However, Anderson’s 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”; that I enjoyed.

Down

2 “Daniel Deronda” novelist : ELIOT

“Daniel Deronda” was the last novel penned by English author George Eliot. It was originally published in eight installments, in 1876. The novel starts with the meeting of Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth. Early on in the tale, the two separate. The remainder of the novel is in two parts: one following the history of Gendolen, and the other the history of Daniel.

5 Three, in Trieste : TRE

Trieste is a city-port on the northeastern coast of Italy that is almost completely surrounded by the country of Slovenia. Trieste was home for many years to Irish author James Joyce.

6 Occasion to read the Haggadah : SEDER

The Haggadah is an ancient Jewish text that is traditionally read aloud at the Passover seder. The Haggadah (“telling” in Hebrew) acts as a guide to the seder ritual, which commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt.

8 North __ Sea: Central Asian lake : ARAL

The former Soviet Union decided to divert the two rivers feeding the Aral Sea in order to irrigate food and cotton crops. Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea began to shrink dramatically in the 1960s due to the loss of water. Today, the Aral Sea is no more. Instead, there are two relatively small bodies of water labeled as the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea.

12 Like overripe apples : MEALY

Something described as “mealy” resembles meal in texture, and so is granular in consistency.

14 Orange-and-black butterfly : MONARCH

The monarch butterfly has very recognizable orange and black wings, and is often seen across North America. The monarch is the state insect of several US states and was even nominated as the national insect in 1990, but that legislation was not enacted.

16 Patronize, as a bistro : EAT AT

“Bistro” was originally a Parisian slang term describing a little wine shop or restaurant.

20 Rooibos pouch : TEA BAG

Red tea is made from the leaves of the South African rooibos plant. The name “rooibos” translates as “red bush”.

28 Invent, as a word : COIN

To coin a phrase is to invent a new phrase or expression. The greatest “coiner” of them all has to be William Shakespeare. Here are a few everyday expressions that were created by the Bard:

• The game is afoot (Henry IV, Part I)
• Brave new world (The Tempest)
• Break the ice (The Taming of the Shrew)
• Dead as a doornail (Henry VI, Part II)
• Eaten me out of house and home (Henry IV, Part II)
• Forever and a day (As You Like It)
• For goodness’ sake (Henry VIII)
• Knock knock! Who’s there? (Macbeth)
• Set my teeth on edge (Henry IV, Part I)
• Wild-goose chase (Romeo and Juliet)

33 Memorial piece : OBIT

Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.

36 “Ew, stop talking!” : TMI!

Too much information! (TMI!)

39 Jaunty tune : LILT

Our words “jaunty” and “genteel” are related in that they both derive from the French “gentil” meaning “nice, pleasing”. In modern usage, someone described as jaunty has a buoyant air. Someone described as genteel is refined in manner.

40 Ceviche marinade : LIME JUICE

Ceviche is a raw seafood dish that is popular in South and Central America. Ceviche is typically made from fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and spiced with hot peppers.

42 Hindu goddess also known as Parvati : UMA

The Hindu goddess of power and energy Parvati is also known as Uma or Gauri. She is married to Shiva, also known as the Great God.

43 Activist known for his time aboard the Enterprise : TAKEI

Actor George Takei is known for his presence on social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. He explores that presence in a 2012 memoir “Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet”.

Mr. Hikaru Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat. From destroyer helmsman to starship helmsman …

46 Used car concern : RUST

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

47 Florida __ : KEYS

The Florida Keys are a chain of low islands that stretch from the tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami. The westernmost inhabited island is Key West, and the westernmost uninhabited island is Dry Tortugas. Most of the inhabited islands are connected by US Highway 1, which traverses several impressive bridges.

55 Online journal : BLOG

Many folks who visit this website regard it as just that, a website. That is true, but more specifically it is referred to as a blog, as I make regular posts (actually daily posts) that then occupy the “front page” of the site. The blog entries are in reverse chronological order, and one can just look back day-by-day, reading older and older posts. “Blog” is a contraction of the term “web log”.

57 Former Chief Justice Warren : EARL

Earl Warren served as Governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as US Chief Justice from 1953 until 1969. Earlier in his career, Warren served as district attorney for Alameda County in California (which happens to be the county in which I live). Warren lent his name to the Warren Commission that he chaired, which investigated the assassination of President Kennedy.

61 D&D monster : OGRE

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DnD) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

62 “I’m an open book” Reddit sesh : AMA

Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name “Reddit” is a play on “read it”, as in “I read it on Reddit”. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for “ask me anything”), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama’s AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.

63 Squarespace creations : WEBSITES

Squarespace is a New York City company that hosts websites. It specializes in helping users build their own websites using templates and drag-and-drop elements.

65 Heavy-duty cooler brand : IGLOO

Igloo Products is a Texas-based manufacturer of coolers. The company started up in 1947 making metal water coolers, and introduced its first all-plastic ice chest in 1962. The Igloo name was adopted in 1971.

68 Sitar ridge : FRET

A fret is a metal strip embedded in the neck of a stringed instrument, a guitar perhaps. The fingers press on the frets, shortening a string and hence changing the note played. The note increases by one semitone as a finger shortens a string by one fret.

The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. It is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking, and is used most often in Hindustani classical music. In the West we have been exposed to the instrument largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar and some music by George Harrison of the Beatles, a onetime student of Shankar.

73 Harper of “No Country for Old Men” : TESS

American actress Tess Harper had her first film role in 1983’ “Tender Mercies”, playing the young widow Rosa Lee opposite Robert Duvall as the washed-up country singer Mac Sledge. That first movie performance earned Harper a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe nomination.

“No Country for Old Men” is a 2007 thriller made by the Coen brothers that is based on a novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. I have to put this one on my list as I hear good things about it. It won several Oscars and stars Tommy Lee Jones, a favorite actor of mine.

75 French Riviera city : NICE

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera. Something described as “à la niçoise” is “of Nice”.

“Riviera” is an Italian word meaning “coastline”. The term is often applied to a coastline that is sunny and popular with tourists. The term “the Riviera” is usually reserved for the French Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline in southeastern France), and the Italian Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline centered on Genoa).

76 Iowa state tree : OAK

The oak is the state tree of several US states:

• Oak tree: Iowa
• Northern red oak: New Jersey
• White oak: Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland
• Live oak: Georgia

77 Many a Lagunitas brew, briefly : IPA

The Lagunitas Brewing Company was founded in 1993 and takes its name from Lagunitas, California where the brewery was originally located. Famously, the brewery has been associated with the use of marijuana. There used to be a tradition of a weekly party at which marijuana was openly smoked. The State of California went so far as to shut down operations in 2005 for twenty days while they investigated alleged cannabis dealing. No charges were filed, and the Lagunitas later brought out a beer called “Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale”.

80 Roberts who was one of NPR’s “Founding Mothers” : COKIE

The 2021 non-fiction book “Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR” was penned by Lisa Napoli. The four beloved “Mothers” are:

• Susan Stamberg
• Linda Werheimer
• Nina Totenburg
• Cokie Roberts

86 Game day tops : JERSEYS

We use the word “jersey” for a sports shirt worn by a particular team member, one that usually bears the player’s name and team number. Back in the mid-1800s, the term was used for a knitted shirt or close-fitting tunic. The item of clothing was named for Jersey in the Channel Islands off the coast of France. The island was famous for its knitting trade during the Middle Ages.

87 Nathan’s __ hot dogs : FAMOUS

Nathan’s Famous is a chain of fast food restaurants that specialize in hot dogs. The chain’s first outlet was a hot dog stand in Coney Island set up by husband and wife Nathan and Ida Handwerker. Nathan’s Famous has held a Hot Dog Eating Contest every July 4th since 1916, and always at the same place on Coney Island, where that first hot dog stand was located..

88 Jumbo suffix : -TRON

A Jumbotron is a big-screen television system that is often seen in sports stadiums. The brand name “JumboTron” was introduced by Sony in 1985. “Jumbotron” is used pretty generically now for any big-screen system in such venues as Sony exited the business in 2001.

90 Papua New Guinea region : OCEANIA

The part of the Pacific Ocean known as “Oceania” is roughly equivalent to the area that includes the tropical islands of the South Pacific. Oceania can be divided into the regions of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.

Papua New Guinea is a country occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea (the western side of the island is part of Indonesia).

93 Cuzco’s country : PERU
100 Cuzco attraction : RUINS

Cusco (also “Cuzco”) is a city in the southeast of Peru. Historically, Cusco was the historic capital of the Inca Empire, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

95 Don’t : TABOO

The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

101 Does the Tour du Mont Blanc, say : TREKS

The “Tour du Mont Blanc” (TMB) is a long-distance walk that circles the Mont Blanc massif, an alpine range containing eleven major summits including Mont Blanc. The circular trail extends just over 100 miles, passing through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France. Hikers usually take 9-14 days to complete the TMB. If you want to participate in the annual ultramarathon that follows the same route, be aware that the time limit is 46 ½ hours.

104 Crockpot recipe : STEW

We often use the term “crockpot” as an alternative for “slow cooker”. The generic term comes from the trademark “Crock-Pot”, which is now owned by Sunbeam products.

106 “The Lovebirds” actress Rae : ISSA

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

“The Lovebirds” is a 2020 romantic comedy movie starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple on the run after witnessing a murder. The film’s release schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix stepped in and bought it for online release. As a result, “The Lovebirds” was the top-streamed title on Netflix on the weekend it became available.

112 Holiday party serving : NOG

It’s not really clear where the term “nog” (as in “eggnog”) comes from although it might derive from the word “noggin”, which was originally a small wooden cup that was long associated with alcoholic drinks.