Category: Debbie Ellerin

Frequently Asked Question: Why isn’t the puzzle in my paper the same as the one shown on your blog?
If the puzzle in your paper doesn’t match the one that I solved, it is probably a Sunday crossword. On Sundays, the “LA Times” chooses to publish Merl Reagle’s excellent crossword, and not their own “LA Times” Crossword. The “LA Times” puzzle is still sent out in syndication, and is also published in the “LA Times” online. I’ve been asked to blog about Merl Reagle’s crossword, but frankly I don’t have the time. Sunday puzzles have lots of clues!

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. “The King and I” heroine ANNA
“The King and I” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam” first published in 1944. Landon’s book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king’s wives.

5. Lakers’ all-time leading scorer, familiarly KOBE
Kobe Bryant plays basketball for the LA Lakers. Kobe Bryant got his name from a menu would you believe? His parents were in a Japanese restaurant and liked the name of “Kobe” beef, the beef from around the city of Kobe on the island of Honshu in Japan.

9. Predator of ungulates PUMA
The mountain lion is found in much of the Americas from the Yukon in Canada right down to the southern Andes in South America. Because the mountain lion is found over such a vast area, it has many different names applied by local peoples, such as cougar and puma. In fact, the mountain lion holds the Guinness record for the animal with the most number of different names, with over 40 in English alone.

“Ungulates” are hoofed animals. “Ungulate” comes from the Latin “ungula” meaning “hoof” or “claw”, which in turn comes from “unguis” meaning “nail”.

18. Horse coloring ROAN
A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

19. Spirits that come in bottles GENII
“Genii” is an accepted plural of two related words: “genius” and “genie”.

The “genie” in the bottle takes his or her name from “djinn”. “Djinns” were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book “The Thousand and One Nights” was translated into French, the word “djinn” was transformed into the existing word “génie”, because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This “génie” from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived “genius”, a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the “djinn” that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …

20. Pioneer in car safety OTIS
Elevators (simple hoists) have been around for a long time. What Elisha Otis did was come up with the “safety elevator”, a design that he showcased at the 1853 World’s Fair in New York. At the Fair, Otis would stand on an elevated platform in front of onlookers and order his assistant to cut the single rope holding up the platform. His safety system kicked in when the platform had only fallen a few inches, amazing the crowd. After this demonstration, the orders came rolling in.

21. Puget Sound traveler FERRY
George Vancouver was a British explorer, and an officer in the Royal Navy. As well as exploring the coast of Australia, he is best known for his travels along the northwest coast of North America. The city of Vancouver was named in his honor. Travelling with him on his American voyage was a lieutenant Peter Puget, and in his honor, Vancouver named the waters south of the Tacoma Narrows “Puget’s Sound”. Nowadays, the name Puget Sound describes an area much greater than Vancouver had envisioned.

22. Cantata component ARIA
The term “sonata” comes from the Latin and Italian word “sonare” meaning “to sound”. A sonata is a piece of music that is played, as opposed to a cantata (from Latin and Italian “cantare” meaning “to sing”), a piece of music that is sung.

23. Sumatran swinger ORANG
Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, in fact the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, living in the rain forests. Like most species in rain forests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.

Sumatra is a very large island in western Indonesia, the sixth largest island in the world and home to 22% of the country’s population.

26. Halloween party invoice? BILL O’ FRIGHTS (from “Bill of Rights”)
The Constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787. There have been 27 amendments to the constitution, the first ten of which are collectively called the Bill of Rights. In essence the Bill of Rights limits the power of the Federal Government and protects the rights of individuals. For example, the First Amendment states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

33. iPhones, e.g. PDAS
Apple started development of the iPhone in 2004 in collaboration with Cingular Wireless (now AT&T Mobility). The confidential program was given the name “Project Purple”, and took thirty months to complete at a cost of about $150 million. The iPhone was introduced in 2007 at the Macworld convention in San Francisco.

34. They have heads LAGERS
Lager is so called because of the tradition of cold-storing the beer during fermentation. “Lager” is the German word for “storage”.

36. Square __ KNOT
The “reef knot” is related to the “granny knot” in that both are doubled overhand knots. The granny knot is formed by tying two left-handed (or two right-handed) overhand knots. The reef knot is formed by tying a right-handed and then a left-handed overhand knot (or viceversa). As a former sailor, I can attest that it is important to use a reef knot rather than a granny knot, as a granny knot is very difficult to untie whereas a reef knot is secure, yet can be released relatively easily.

38. DHs, as a rule RBI MEN
Designated hitters (DHs)

42. Wise guy SOLON
Solon was an Athenian statesman and lawmaker in Ancient Greece. He gave his name to our contemporary word “solon” meaning “a wise lawmaker”.

43. Razz TEASE
Not so much here in America, but over in the British Isles “blowing a raspberry” is a way of insulting someone (I think it’s called “a Bronx cheer” in the US). The verb “to razz” comes from a shortened form of “raspberry”.

47. Gecko’s grippers SETAE
The word “gecko” comes from an Indonesian/Javanese word “tokek”, which is imitative of the reptile’s chirping sound. In making such a sound, geckos are unique in the world of lizards. More interesting to me than a gecko’s chirping is its ability to cling to walls and to other vertical surfaces. Their feet are specially adapted with “toes” that make extremely intimate, close contact to a surface. The toes have millions of hairs called setae that enable the clinging. It isn’t suction that supports them, but rather van der Waals forces (weak “gravitational” attractions). Fascinating stuff …

49. Nagano Olympic flame lighter ITO
Midori Ito is a Japanese figure skater. Ito was the first woman to land a triple/triple jump and a triple axel in competition. In fact she landed her first triple jump in training, when she was only 8 years old …

Nagano is a city on Japan’s largest island, Honshu. Nagano was host to the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.

50. Complex airline route map display? THOUSAND POINTS O’ FLIGHT (from “thousand points of light”)
Peggy Noonan is an author and columnist, and was once a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan. Noonan was responsible for one of President Reagan’s most-remembered speeches, when he addressed the nation after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She also came up with some famous phrases used by President George H. W. Bush, such as “a kinder, gentler nation”, “a thousand points of light” and “read my lips; no new taxes”.

54. Johns of Scotland IANS
The name “John” translates into Scottish as “Ian”.

56. Weird Al Yankovic song parody EAT IT
“Weird Al” Yankovich is a singer-songwriter who is noted for writing and performing parodies of popular songs. Of the 150 or so such songs, the best known are probably “Eat It” (parodying “Beat It” by Michael Jackson) and “Like a Surgeon” (parodying “Like a Virgin” by Madonna).

58. ICU staffers RNS
A registered nurse (RN) might work in an intensive care unit (ICU).

59. Torso muscle PEC
“Pecs” is the familiar term for the chest muscle, more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is a the Latin word for “breast, chest”.

“Torso” (plural “torsi”) is an Italian word meaning the “trunk of a statue”, a word that we imported into English.

60. Grub FARE
“Grub” is slang for food. The word “grub” has been used in this sense since way back in the 1600s, possible derived from birds eating grubs.

71. Upper limb bone ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.

73. Belle of the ball DEB
Deb is short for “debutante”, which translates from French as “female beginner”, a young lady making her “debut”.

76. Mariner’s heading ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

82. Two masked men may be behind it HOME
The home base umpire and the catcher are behind home plate, and both are wearing masks.

83. What measures one’s ability to endure traveling inconvenience? DEGREE O’ FRISK TOLERANCE (from “degree of risk tolerance”)
Back in the 1500s, the verb “frisk” meant to dance or frolic, a sense that carries through to our modern “frisky”. “Frisk” took on the meaning “pat down in a search” in the late 1700s.

88. Jodie Foster, e.g. YALIE
The wonderful Jodie Foster got her big break in movies early in her life, playing a very young prostitute in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film “Taxi Driver”. Sadly, her appearance in “Taxi Driver” led to her being stalked by an obsessed John Hinckley, Jr. Hinckley called Foster on the phone, sent her love letters, and followed her on campus while she was attending Yale. In 1981, Hinckley famously shot and wounded President Reagan, claiming that he believed an assassination of the President would impress Foster.

90. French bean products? IDEES
In French, one’s head (tête) might produce an idea (idée).

A slang term for a “head” might be “bean” or “noggin”.

91. Pre-Aztec native TOLTEC
The Aztec’s viewed the Toltec people as their cultural ancestors. In the “Aztec” language, the term “Toltec” came to mean “artisan”.

97. Tarbell and Lupino IDAS
Ida Tarbell was a teacher and what we would call today an “investigative journalist”, although back in her day she was known as a “muckraker”. Her most famous work is her 1904 book “The History of the Standard Oil Company”. This exposé is credited with hastening the breakup of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil in 1911.

Actress Ida Lupino was also a successful director, in the days when women weren’t very welcome behind the camera. Lupino had already directed four “women’s” short films when she stepped in to direct the 1953 drama “The Hitch-Hiker”, taking over when the original director became ill. “The Hitch-Hiker” was the first film noir movie to be directed by a woman, and represented somewhat of a breakthrough for women in the industry.

103. Mr. Burns’ teddy bear on “The Simpsons” BOBO
In the TV show “The Simpsons”, Mr. Burns is one of the real “baddies” in the cast of characters. He owns the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant where Homer Simpson works.

104. Handlebar spot UPPER LIP
On this side of the Atlantic, those magnificent handlebar moustaches tend to be associated with the Wild West. On the other side of the Atlantic, the association is often with the members of the Royal Air Force during WWII.

115. Scads A TON
The origin of the word “scads”, meaning “lots and lots”, is unclear, although back in the mid-1800s “scads” was used to mean “dollars”.

117. Giggly redhead ELMO
The man behind/under the character Elmo on “Sesame Street” is Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

118. Creator of Dogbert, Catbert and Ratbert ADAMS
“Dilbert” is a comic strip written by Scott Adams, a “neighbor” of mine here in the Bay Area, and the owner of a nice restaurant down the end of my street.

119. Emergency room supplies SERA
Blood serum is the clear, yellowish part of blood i.e. that part which is neither a blood cell or a clotting factor. Included in blood serum are antibodies, the proteins that are central to our immune system. Blood serum from animals that have immunity to some disease can be transferred to another individual, hence providing that second individual with some level of immunity. Blood serum used to pass on immunity can be called “antiserum”.

120. Sloughs off SHEDS
“To slough off” is “to cast off”, especially when one is talking about the skin of a snake or other animal.

121. Kurt refusal NEIN
“Nein” is the German for “no”.

122. Sonic Dash publisher SEGA
Sega is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Tokyo. Sega actually started out 1940 in the US as Standard Games and was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The owners moved the operation to Tokyo in 1951 and renamed the company to Service Games. The name “Sega” is a combination of the first two letters of the words “Se-rvice” and “Ga-mes”.

Down
1. __ League ARAB
The Arab League was formed in 1945 in Cairo with six founding members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria. As a result of events during the 2011 Arab Spring, the Arab League has suspended Syria’s membership.

2. Sushi wrapper NORI
Nori is an edible seaweed that we used to know as “laver” when I was living in Wales. It was served in a local dish there called “laverbread”. Nori is usually dried into thin sheets. Here in the US, we are most familiar with nori as the seaweed used as a wrap for sushi.

5. “The King and I” (1956) co-star KERR
The lovely Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress who made a real name for herself on the American stage and in Hollywood movies. Despite all her success, and six nominations for a Best Actress Oscar, Kerr never actually won an Academy Award. In 1967 she appeared in the James Bond film “Casino Royale” at the age of 46, making her oldest Bond Girl of all time.

8. Skating figure EIGHT
Figure skating started out as a sport in which a skater demonstrated skill at carving out specific patterns into the ice (a figure-8, for example). Over time, the sport placed greater influence on free skating. Compulsory figures were dropped completely from most international competitions in the 1990, but the name “figure skating” has been retained.

10. Three-time Boston Marathon winner Pippig UTA
Uta Pippig is long-distance runner from Germany. Pippig became the first woman to win the Boston Marathon on three consecutive occasions, from 1994 to 1996.

13. Not FDA-approved, as a drug treatment OFF-LABEL
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approves drugs for specific conditions. It is quite legal for a healthcare professional to prescribe an approved medication for a use that is different to the FDA-approved indication. This usage of the drug is described as “off-label”.

14. First female Speaker of the House PELOSI
Nancy Pelosi is a former Speaker of the House, the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She was the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker, she was also second in line, after the Vice President, to take over if President Obama could not finish his term. That made Nancy Pelosi the highest-ranking female politician in US history.

15. Salt-N-Pepa, e.g. TRIO
Salt-n-Pepa are an all-female hip-hop trio from New York, made up of “Salt” (Cheryl James), “Pepa” (Sandra Denton) and “DJ Spinderella” (Deidra Roper). Their 1991 song “Let’s Talk Sex” created quite a fuss as the lyrics explored the subject of sex, and safe sex in particular. A later version addressed the dangers of AIDS.

17. Home to MMM and JNJ NYSE
The companies 3M (MMM) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) can give some quite descriptive ticker symbols to companies, for example:

– Anheuser-Busch (BUD, for “Budweiser”)
– Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP, as in “beer tap”)
– Steinway Musical Instruments (LVB, for “Ludwig van Beethoven”)
– Sotheby’s (BID, for the auction house)

28. “Star Trek” actor with a popular Facebook page TAKEI
Mr 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. Famously, Takei has a very visible online presence. His Facebook page has over 8 million followers, and he is a “top 1,000” Amazon.com reviewer.

34. “Mean Girls” star LOHAN
I think that actress Lindsay Lohan’s big break was in 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 a an appearance, which isn’t really surprising as she wrote the screenplay.

35. Xmas visitor ST NICK
Saint Nicholas of Myra is the inspiration for Santa Claus. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra (now in modern-day Turkey) during the 4th century AD, and was a cleric known for being generous to the poor. Centuries after he died, his remains were desecrated by Italian sailors and moved to Bari in Italy. One legend has it that the relics were moved again centuries later and reburied in the grounds of Jerpoint Abbey in Co. Kilkenny in Ireland, where you can visit the grave today. I choose to believe that Santa Claus’s relics are indeed buried in my homeland …

40. Fictional landlady ETHEL
In the hit television show “I Love Lucy”, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The Ricardos’ best friends were also their landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. The Mertz’s were played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance.

44. Mag wheels? EDS
Editors (eds.) are big wheels at a magazine (mag).

46. Nine-tap signal SOS
The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots), although in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so SOS is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are also mnemonics, introduced after the “SOS” signal was adopted.

48. Parisian pronoun TOI
“Toi” is the French word for “you”, when talking to someone with whom you are familiar, or to a child or a pet.

51. Frequent “SNL” host Baldwin ALEC
Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin made a name for himself in recent times playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. He has also hosted the sketch show “Saturday Night Live” on more occasions than anyone else (16 times).

52. Cassady of the Beat Generation NEAL
Neal Cassady was a member of the Beat Generation, the group of post-WWII writers who became prominent in the 1950s. Cassady was the inspiration for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac’s novel “On the Road”.

59. __ Thai PAD
The delicious dish called Pad Thai is a meld of stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind juice, red chili pepper plus a mix of vegetables and possibly tofu, meat or fish. It is usually topped with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime. The name “Pad Thai” translates as “fried Thai style”.

60. Keys home: Abbr. FLA
A “key” (also “cay”) is a low island offshore, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish “cayo” meaning “shoal, reef”.

61. Everycowboy TEX
I guess “everycowboy” is a word similar to everyone, everyman, everybody …

62. Heckle JEER
The original use of the verb “to heckle” was to mean questioning severely, and for many years was associated with the public questioning of parliamentary candidates in Scotland. In more recent times, the meaning has evolved into questioning that is less polite and that is directed at standup comics.

68. Space __ CADET
The expression “space cadet” is used to describe someone who is eccentric and disconnected with reality. It may even imply that the person is a user of hallucinogens. The phrase has been around since the sixties, and may be derived from the science fiction TV show “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” which aired in the fifties.

69. Olds model ALERO
The Oldsmobile Alero was the last car made under the Oldsmobile brand. The Alero was produced from 1999 to 2004.

70. Buick model REGAL
The Regal was a mid-size Buick made from 1973 to 2004. The Regal was relaunched in 2011 as a sports sedan.

74. Role shared by Fey and Poehler at the last three Golden Globe Awards EMCEE
The first Golden Globe Awards ceremony was held in 1944 to honor the best in filmmaking. The award was created by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which had been formed the year before by a group of writers in Los Angeles. One of the most famous of the Golden Globes is the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Comic actress Tina Fey has a scar on her face a few inches long on her left cheek, which I was shocked to learn was caused by a childhood “slashing” incident. When she was just five years old and playing in the front yard of her house, someone just came up to her and slashed her with a knife. How despicable!

Amy Poehler was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 2001 to 2008, notable for appearing in many great sketches, including those where she played Hillary Clinton opposite Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin. Poehler also starred with Fey in the 2008 movie “Baby Mama”, and now has her own show on NBC called “Parks and Recreation”.

75. Certain contests BEES
Back in 18th-century America, when neighbors would gather to work for the benefit of one of their group, such a meeting was called a “bee”. The name “bee” was an allusion to the social nature of the insect. In modern parlance, a further element of entertainment and pleasure has been introduced, for example in a “quilting bee”, or even a “spelling bee”.

77. Harbor seal SEA CALF
A sea calf is an alternative name for the harbor seal, also known as the harbor seal.

78. Letters in many email addresses AOL
Founded as Quantum Computer Services in 1983, the company changed its name in 1989 to America Online. As America Online went international, the acronym AOL was used in order to shake off the “America-centric” sound to the name. During the heady days of AOL’s success the company could not keep up with the growing number of subscribers, so people trying to connect often encountered busy signals. That’s when users referred to AOL as “Always Off-Line”.

79. Prez after Harry IKE
“I Like Ike” was a political slogan that originated with the grassroots movement to get Dwight D. Eisenhower to run for president in the 1952 presidential election.

Harry Truman wanted to go to West Point having served with the Missouri Army National Guard on active duty in WWI, but he couldn’t get in because of his poor eyesight. Young Truman didn’t have the money to pay for college anywhere else. He did manage to study for two years towards a law degree at the Kansas City Law School in the twenties, but he never finished his schooling. So, Harry S. Truman was the last US President (out of a list of ten) who did not have a college degree.

81. Amateur golfer Charlie with three top-ten finishes at the Masters COE
Charlie Coe was perhaps the most successful golfer in history who never turned professional. Coe played in 19 US Masters tournaments and holds almost all the amateur records, including top-ten finishes (3). Coe had a successful career in the oil business. He opted to to spend more time with his family rather than turn professional as a golfer.

85. Dictator’s assistant STENO
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

92. Steering system part TIE ROD
Tie rods are part of a rack and pinion steering mechanism in a car.

94. Goes for on eBay BIDS ON
eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb as part of a computer programmer’s personal website. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer collected broken laser pointers …

96. Double-reed winds OBOES
A double-reed instrument is one in which two pieces of cane vibrate against each other to produce sound. In a single-reed instrument, just one piece of cane vibrates the mouthpiece. The best-known examples of double-reed instruments are the oboe and the bassoon.

98. Temptation on the rocks SIREN
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were seductive bird-women who lured men to their deaths with their song. When Odysseus sailed closed to the island home of the Sirens he wanted to hear their voices, but in safety. He had his men plug their ears with beeswax and then ordered them to tie him to the mast and not to free him until they were safe. On hearing their song Odysseus begged to be let loose, but the sailors just tightened his bonds and and the whole crew sailed away unharmed.

100. Annual coll. tourneys NCAAS
The “NCAAs” and “March Madness” are names given to (among others) the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship, held in spring each year.

101. Practice piece ETUDE
An étude is a small instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

102. Snug headgear DO-RAG
Hip-hoppers might wear do-rags today, but they have been around for centuries. If you recall the famous image of Rosie the Riveter, she was wearing a do-rag. The etymology is pretty transparent, a piece of cloth (rag) to hold a hairstyle (do) in place.

105. Phnom __ PENH
Phnom Penh (also “Pnom Penh”) is the capital of Cambodia, and has been so since the French colonized the country in the late 1800s. The city’s name translates from the Khmer language as “Hill of Penh”.

106. Hors d’oeuvre spread PATE
Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made up of a mixture of ground meat and fat, to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version is pâté de foie gras, made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French). “Pâté” is French for “paste”.

An hors d’oeuvre is the first course in a meal. “Hors d’oeuvre” translates from French as “apart from the work”, really meaning “not the main course”.

109. Avatar of Vishnu RAMA
In the Hindu tradition, the god known as Vishnu has seven different avatars i.e. incarnations or manifestations. Rama is the seventh of these avatars.

110. Virus kin WORM
A computer worm is form of malware that replicates itself to spread to other computers, usually over a computer network. A worm differs from a virus in that a virus is transmitted as an attachment to say an email, whereas a worm can do its nasty deed all on its own.

113. Response to an oversharer TMI
Too much information! (TMI)

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “The King and I” heroine ANNA
5. Lakers’ all-time leading scorer, familiarly KOBE
9. Predator of ungulates PUMA
13. Say yes OPT IN
18. Horse coloring ROAN
19. Spirits that come in bottles GENII
20. Pioneer in car safety OTIS
21. Puget Sound traveler FERRY
22. Cantata component ARIA
23. Sumatran swinger ORANG
24. Irritating swarm? PACK O’ FLIES (from “pack of lies”)
26. Halloween party invoice? BILL O’ FRIGHTS (from “Bill of Rights”)
29. Get off the leash RUN LOOSE
30. … and then __ SOME
31. Sell RETAIL
33. iPhones, e.g. PDAS
34. They have heads LAGERS
36. Square __ KNOT
38. DHs, as a rule RBI MEN
42. Wise guy SOLON
43. Razz TEASE
47. Gecko’s grippers SETAE
49. Nagano Olympic flame lighter ITO
50. Complex airline route map display? THOUSAND POINTS O’ FLIGHT (from “thousand points of light”)
54. Johns of Scotland IANS
55. Missays “say,” say LISPS
56. Weird Al Yankovic song parody EAT IT
57. Opponents THEM
58. ICU staffers RNS
59. Torso muscle PEC
60. Grub FARE
61. Winner’s prize TITLE
62. Guy who rakes leaves, cleans gutters, etc.? JACK O’ FALL TRADES (from “Jack of all trades”)
68. Watched over, with “for” CARED
71. Upper limb bone ULNA
72. Cake __ MIX
73. Belle of the ball DEB
76. Mariner’s heading ALEE
77. Occupied, in a way SAT AT
79. Provoke INCUR
82. Two masked men may be behind it HOME
83. What measures one’s ability to endure traveling inconvenience? DEGREE O’ FRISK TOLERANCE (from “degree of risk tolerance”)
87. Swing __ ERA
88. Jodie Foster, e.g. YALIE
89. Titter TEHEE
90. French bean products? IDEES
91. Pre-Aztec native TOLTEC
93. Poster mailer TUBE
95. Thus far TO DATE
97. Tarbell and Lupino IDAS
99. Beaten on the mat PINNED
103. Mr. Burns’ teddy bear on “The Simpsons” BOBO
104. Handlebar spot UPPER LIP
108. Blundering physician? DOCTOR O’ FLAWS (from “Doctor of Laws”)
112. Campus phobia? FEAR O’ FRATS (from “fear of rats”)
114. Saintly glows AURAE
115. Scads A TON
116. Leading ON TOP
117. Giggly redhead ELMO
118. Creator of Dogbert, Catbert and Ratbert ADAMS
119. Emergency room supplies SERA
120. Sloughs off SHEDS
121. Kurt refusal NEIN
122. Sonic Dash publisher SEGA
123. Sub TEMP

Down
1. __ League ARAB
2. Sushi wrapper NORI
3. Polish sites NAIL SALONS
4. Akin ANALOGOUS
5. “The King and I” (1956) co-star KERR
6. Sign at a studio ON AIR
7. Spree BINGE
8. Skating figure EIGHT
9. Stops by POPS IN
10. Three-time Boston Marathon winner Pippig UTA
11. Very small: Pref. MICR-
12. Invite from the balcony ASK UP
13. Not FDA-approved, as a drug treatment OFF-LABEL
14. First female Speaker of the House PELOSI
15. Salt-N-Pepa, e.g. TRIO
16. Ticks off IRES
17. Home to MMM and JNJ NYSE
19. Errand runner GOFER
25. Tapped out? ON DRAFT
27. Signs OMENS
28. “Star Trek” actor with a popular Facebook page TAKEI
32. Letter writing, for example LOST ART
34. “Mean Girls” star LOHAN
35. Xmas visitor ST NICK
37. Professor, at times TESTER
39. Strength MIGHT
40. Fictional landlady ETHEL
41. “I’m innocent” NOT ME!
42. __-crazy STIR
44. Mag wheels? EDS
45. Smartphone download APP
46. Nine-tap signal SOS
48. Parisian pronoun TOI
51. Frequent “SNL” host Baldwin ALEC
52. Cassady of the Beat Generation NEAL
53. “Honest!” IT IS!
59. __ Thai PAD
60. Keys home: Abbr. FLA
61. Everycowboy TEX
62. Heckle JEER
63. Something worn OUTFIT
64. Sudden outburst FLARE-UP
65. Naysayer ANTI
66. Charm AMULET
67. Critical DIRE
68. Space __ CADET
69. Olds model ALERO
70. Buick model REGAL
73. Executed perfectly DONE TO A TEE
74. Role shared by Fey and Poehler at the last three Golden Globe Awards EMCEE
75. Certain contests BEES
77. Harbor seal SEA CALF
78. Letters in many email addresses AOL
79. Prez after Harry IKE
80. Highest degree NTH
81. Amateur golfer Charlie with three top-ten finishes at the Masters COE
82. Really enjoyed oneself HAD A BLAST
84. They can make your pupils greater EYE DROPS
85. Dictator’s assistant STENO
86. No longer burdened by RID OF
92. Steering system part TIE ROD
94. Goes for on eBay BIDS ON
96. Double-reed winds OBOES
98. Temptation on the rocks SIREN
100. Annual coll. tourneys NCAAS
101. Practice piece ETUDE
102. Snug headgear DO-RAG
104. Alleged visitors UFOS
105. Phnom __ PENH
106. Hors d’oeuvre spread PATE
107. Lacking color PALE
109. Avatar of Vishnu RAMA
110. Virus kin WORM
111. “Darn it!” sound SNAP!
113. Response to an oversharer TMI

Return to top of page