Category: Gary Larson

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Constructed by: Gary Larson & Amy Ensz
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: That’s Amore

Themed answers are common phrases, but with a letter A added at the start:

• 25A Bit of support on the job? : AMEN AT WORK (A + “men at work”)
• 42A Leave everyone amazed? : AWE THE PEOPLE (A + “We the People …”)
• 67A In-house water source? : ABODE WELL (A + “bode well”)
• 119A Legislative branch that is mindful and introspective? : AWARE HOUSE (A + “warehouse”)
• 3D Rock collector? : AGATE KEEPER (A + “gatekeeper”)
• 16D Stood up as friends? : AROSE BUDS (A + “rosebuds”)
• 72D Row in Petco? : AISLE OF DOGS (A + “Isle of Dogs”)
• 83D Mixture for a Pennsylvania Dutch brewer? : AMISH MASH (A + “mishmash”)

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

Bill’s time: 23m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Refrigerator handle : AMANA

The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa. Today, the Amana name is very much associated with household appliances. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.

20 TV producer Spencer : LARA

Lara Spencer started co-anchoring “Good Morning America” in 2011, working alongside Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. Back in 2004/2005, PBS viewers will have seen Spencer hosting the hit show “Antiques Roadshow”.

21 Put forward : POSIT

To “posit” is to assume as fact, to lay down as a “position”.

24 Blondie drummer Burke : CLEM

Musician Clem Burke is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie. He also played for the punk rock band the Ramones for a while in 1987, going by the name “Elvis Ramone”. In 2011, Burke received an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire in England. He had participated in an 8-year study of the physical and psychological effects of drumming on professional drummers.

28 Partridge family member : PHEASANT

The common pheasant is native to Asia and parts of Europe. The same bird is usually referred to as the ring-necked pheasant in North America. The ring-necked pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota, even though it is not native to the state, and not native to the whole continent.

31 Scottish herders, informally : SHELTIES

The Shetland Sheepdog (often just “sheltie”) is a herding dog from the Scottish Shetland Islands. It is a relatively small dog, and looks like a miniature rough collie.

33 Noble gas that’s roughly 1% of the atmosphere : ARGON

The chemical element argon has the symbol Ar. It is a noble gas, and so by definition is relatively nonreactive. The name “argon” comes from the Greek word for “lazy, inactive”. There’s a lot of argon around, as it is the third-most abundant gas in our atmosphere.

35 __ gin fizz : SLOE

By definition, a cocktail known as a “fizz” includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the gin fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.

36 Arboreal marsupial : KOALA

The koala bear really does look like a little bear, but it’s not even closely related. It is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Koalas aren’t primates, and are one of the few mammals other than primates who have fingerprints. In fact, it can be very difficult to tell human fingerprints from koala fingerprints, even under an electron microscope. Male koalas are called “bucks”, females are “does”, and young koalas are “joeys”. I’m a little jealous of the koala, as it sleeps up to 20 hours a day …

37 Hypoallergenic makeup brand : ALMAY

The Almay brand of cosmetics was established back in 1931. Almay was founded by Alfred and Fanny May Woititz, who melded their given names to come up with the brand name (Al-may). The couple were driven to invent the products as Fanny May needed cosmetics that did not irritate her skin.

39 Bouillon __ : CUBES

Bouillon is broth made from water in which bones, meat or vegetables have simmered. There’s a lot of money made selling dehydrated bouillon in cubes.

42 Leave everyone amazed? : AWE THE PEOPLE (A + “We the People …”)

The US Constitution begins with the words “We the People …” So, the first “article” in the text of the document is the definite article, i.e. “the”.

49 Glissade garb : TUTU

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.

In ballet, a glissade is a gliding step. “Glissade” comes from the French “glisser” meaning “to slip, slide”.

51 Tristan and __ : ISOLDE

According to the legend of King Arthur, Tristan was a Knight of the Round Table from Cornwall in the south of England. He was sent by his Cornish king to fetch an Irish princess called Iseult from her homeland, but Tristan and Iseult instead fall in love. Most famously, the couple’s story was retold by Richard Wagner in his opera “Tristan and Isolde”.

52 Like much of Montana : RURAL

Montana is called the Treasure State because of its rich mineral resources, particularly gold and silver. The first major gold discovery in Montana was in 1862, and the resulting Gold Rush brought thousands of prospectors to the state. The nickname “Treasure State” was first used in the 1960s by the Montana State Highway Department during a tourism promotion.

54 Dworshak structure : DAM

The Dworshak Dam on the Clearwater River in Idaho creates the Dworshak Reservoir. It was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and was completed in 1973. At a height of 717 feet, it is the third tallest dam in the US (after the Oroville Dam and the Hoover Dam).

57 Legal term that means “guilty mind” : MENS REA

“Mens rea” is Latin for “guilty mind” and is a central concept in criminal law. The concept is expanded to “actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea” meaning “the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty”. In other words, someone should not be deemed guilty of an act, unless he or she had a “guilty mind”, intended to do wrong.

66 Supermodel Banks : TYRA

Tyra Banks is a tremendously successful model and businesswoman. Banks created and hosted the hit show “America’s Next Top Model “, and also had her own talk show. She was also the first African-American woman to make the cover of the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue.

71 From Perth to Sydney : EAST

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia. People from Sydney are known as “Sydneysiders”.

Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. Perth earned itself the nickname of “City of Light” in 1962 as virtually all the town’s lights were turned on at full power when astronaut John Glenn passed overhead in earth orbit in Friendship 7, so that he could see the city below. The city gave a repeat performance for Glenn in 1998 when he passed overhead in the Space Shuttle in 1998.

75 Sanctimonious sort : PHARISEE

The Pharisees were a religious sect of Judaism that was especially prominent from the second century BCE to the first century CE. They set themselves apart from mainstream Judaism with strict observance of Jewish law. The term “Pharisee” is often translated as “separatist”.

78 Southern staple : RED RICE

The southeastern dish Charleston red rice also goes by the name “Savannah red rice”, or simply “red rice”. The red color is imparted to white rice by cooking it in crushed tomatoes rather than water. Usually, the dish also includes small bits of bacon or sausage as well as celery, bell peppers and onions.

84 Woodstock sextet : SANTANA

Santana is a Latin rock band formed by guitarist Carlos Santana in San Francisco in 1967. Santana’s big break came with a well-received performance at Woodstock in 1969, before which the band was completely unknown.

92 Goodyear offering : RADIAL

Radial (actually “radial-ply”) tires are so called because the cord plies embedded in the rubber are arranged radially from the center of the tire. This means that the plies are at right angles to the direction of travel. In older tires the plies were criss-crossed over each other, at angles of 60 and -60 degrees from the direction of travel. Such tires are cross-ply or bias tires.

The Goodyear tire company was founded in 1898. The company was named for Charles Goodyear, the man who invented vulcanized rubber in 1839. Despite the Goodyear name, Charles Goodyear himself had no connection with the company. Sadly, he never really reaped a financial reward for his inventions.

94 “__-in-the-Mist”: novel by Hope Mirrlees : LUD

“Lud-in-the-Mist” is a 1926 fantasy novel written by British writer Hope Mirrlees. The title refers to a fictional city with inhabitants who are relatively ordinary, law-abiding citizens. The storyline explores the conflict that arises with the adjoining land of Faerie, home to people that wish to subvert the neighboring people by smuggling in fairy fruit, which unhinges those who eat it.

97 Post-dubbing title : SIR

Kneel, and a monarch might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” came to mean “give someone a name”.

98 Collect music publishing copyrights? : AMASS NUMBERS (A + “mass numbers”)

The mass number is the total number of nucleons (protons and neutrons) in an atomic nucleus.

105 Light cigar : CLARO

A claro is a mild cigar made with light-colored tobacco. The name “claro” comes from the Spanish for “clear”.

108 Sealy rival : SERTA

Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the Serta company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement. Serta advertisements feature the Serta Counting Sheep. Each numbered sheep has a different personality, such as:

• #1 The Leader of the Flock
• #½ The Tweener
• #13 Mr. Bad Luck
• #53 The Pessimist
• #86 Benedict Arnold

110 County officers : SHERIFFS

Our term “sheriff” comes from the Middle English “shir-reve”. A shir-reve was a “shire” (county) “reeve” (chief, official).

113 Daughter of Cronus and Rhea : DEMETER

In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She was the mother of Persephone, who was abducted by Hades and taken to the Underworld. Demeter was upset at the loss of Persephone, and so neglected her responsibilities as goddess of agriculture, causing famine on Earth. Persephone eventually divided her time each year, spending six months on Earth, and six months in the Underworld. As a result, Demeter’s attention to the harvest became a seasonal cycle.

116 One well-versed in competition? : SLAM POET

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

118 Balder’s father : ODIN

In Norse mythology, the god Baldr (also “Balder”) is a son of Odin and Frigg, and a brother of Thor. In some accounts, Baldr was immune from harm. As a result, other gods entertained themselves by throwing objects and shooting arrows at him, knowing that they would have no effect. Loki the mischief-maker deceived the blind god Höd into hurling a spear made from mistletoe. Mistletoe was the only thing that could harm Baldr, and so he died.

122 “Middle Child” rapper : J COLE

“J. Cole” is the stage name of American rap artist Jermaine Cole. Cole was born in Germany, on the US Army base in Frankfurt.

123 “Being the Ricardos” role : DESI

“Being the Ricardos” is a 2021 biopic about the lives of married couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Lucy and Desi are played by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. The title comes from the show “I Love Lucy”, in which Ball and Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. I haven’t seen this one, but it’s on my list as the film was written and directed by the great Aaron Sorkin …

124 Basilica areas : APSES

In its modern usage, the term “basilica” applies to a Roman Catholic church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.

Down

1 Astrological ram : ARIES

Aries the Ram is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, and is named after the constellation. Your birth sign is Aries if you were born between March 21 and April 20, but if you are an Aries you would know that! “Aries” is the Latin word for “ram”.

3 Rock collector? : AGATE KEEPER (A + “gatekeeper”)

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”.

5 “Blessed __ the meek” : ARE

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of teachings of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. One famous section of the discourse is known as the Beatitudes. The eight Beatitudes are:

• … Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
• … Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted
• … Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth
• … Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled
• … Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy
• … Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God
• … Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God
• … Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

9 Kafka protagonist : SAMSA

“The Metamorphosis” is a famous novella by Franz Kafka that is regarded by many as one of the greatest pieces of short fiction written in the 20th century. The story tells of the metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa into a gigantic insect. His sister Grete Samsa becomes his caregiver.

10 Sequin : SPANGLE

Sequins are ornamental discs that glisten and are often used to decorate clothing. The term “sequin” was first recorded in the early 1800s. Prior to that date, “sequin” was the French name for a former Italian and Turkish coin. The ornamental discs were so called as they were deemed to resemble gold coins.

11 Snareless drum : TOM-TOM

A tom-tom is a drum without snares. The name “tom-tom” came from the Hindi name “tam-tam”, which in turn was likely imitative of the sound made by the instrument.

13 Google alternative : BING

Bing is the search engine from Microsoft. “Bing” is the latest name for an engine that Microsoft used to call Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search.

18 Group with lodges : ELKS

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868, and is a social club that has about a million members today. It started out as a group of men getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The club took on a new role as it started to look out for poor families of members who passed away. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome. The list of US presidents that have been members of the BPOE includes Presidents Eisenhower, Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Ford.

26 Mineral replaced by cornstarch in most cosmetic powders : TALC

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

29 North __ Sea: Kazakh 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.

32 Island of French Polynesia known for black-sand beaches : TAHITI

Tahiti is the most populous island in French Polynesia, which is located in the central Southern Pacific. Although Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he wasn’t the first European to do so. However, Cook’s visit was the most significant in that it heralded a whole spate of European visitors, who brought with them prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol. Included among the subsequent visitors was the famous HMS Bounty under the charge of Captain Bligh.

34 Language of central Mexico : NAHUATL

Nahuatl is a group of languages spoken mainly in Central Mexico. Historically, Nahuatl was known as “Aztec”.

40 Nouveau-Mexique, par exemple : ETAT

In French, “le Nouveau-Mexique” (New Mexico) is a US “état” (state).

41 Japanese wrestling : SUMO

Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

42 Buddhist who has attained nirvana : ARHAT

“Arhat” is a Sanskrit word, the exact translation of which is somewhat disputed, with the various Buddhist traditions assuming different meanings. Translations vary from “worthy one” to “vanquisher of enemies”. In Theravada Buddhism, an arhat is someone who is fully enlightened, has achieved nirvana.

43 Buzz Lightyear’s pal : WOODY

1995’s “Toy Story” was the world’s first feature-length computer-animated movie. “Toy Story” was also Pixar’s first production. The main roles in the film are Buzz Lightyear and Woody, who are voiced by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks respectively. Hanks was the first choice to voice Woody, but Allen was asked to voice Buzz after Billy Crystal turned down the role.

46 Cross product : PEN

A. T. Cross is a company that claims to be the oldest manufacturer of fine pens. Cross was founded in 1846 in Providence, Rhode Island by one Richard Cross. Richard passed the company on to his son Alonzo T. Cross, who gave it the current name.

52 Actress Russo : RENE

The talented actress Rene Russo is a native of Burbank, California. Russo went to high school (with actor/director Ron Howard), but dropped out in tenth grade. At seventeen, she was given the opportunity to train as a model and within a very short time appeared on the cover of “Vogue”. As her modeling jobs slowed down in her early thirties, Russo made a career change and studied theater and acting. Her breakout role was in the 1989 film “Major League.”

58 With 62-Across, barbershop standard : SWEET
[62A See 58-Down : ADELINE]

“Sweet Adeline” is a marvelous ballad that is most often heard these days sung by barbershop groups. My favorite version of “Sweet Adeline” was sung by the Australian group called the Seekers.

61 “All the Light We Cannot See” novelist Anthony : DOERR

American author Anthony Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his 2014 novel “All the Light We Cannot See”. The book is all about a blind French girl and a German boy who meet in occupied France during WWII.

68 Casual cafes : BISTROS

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

69 Anthem opener : O SAY …

“O say can you see by the dawn’s early light” is the opening line of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key. The song was adopted as the US national anthem in 1931, although it had been used officially by the US Navy since 1889, played when raising the flag.

72 Row in Petco? : AISLE OF DOGS (A + “Isle of Dogs”)

“Isle of Dogs” is a 2018 animated and stop-action film by Wes Anderson. The movie has a science-fiction storyline, and is set in near-future Japan. All dogs are banished to Trash Island after an outbreak of dog flu threatens to cross into the human population. The voice cast of “Isle of Dogs” is very impressive, and includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Yoko Ono and many other A-list names.

77 Clearance rack caveat : AS IS

A caveat is a warning or a qualification. “Caveat” is the Latin for “let him beware”.

79 Shoulder ornament : EPAULET

An epaulet (also “epaulette”) is an ornamental shoulder pad, particularly one worn with a military uniform. The term “epaulet”comes from French, and translates literally as “little shoulder”.

80 California beach town with a historic racetrack : DEL MAR

Del Mar racetrack opened in Del Mar Fairgrounds in 1937. On opening day, cofounder of the Del Mar Turf Club Bing Crosby was at the gate to welcome the track’s first patrons. Del Mar has attracted many Hollywood names over the years. Races run at Del Mar include the Bing Crosby Stakes, the Bob Hope Stakes, the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes, the Pat O’Brien Handicap, the Jimmy Durante Stakes, the Betty Grable Stakes, the Cary Grant Stakes and the Desi Arnaz Stakes.

82 Daughter of Cronus and Rhea : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

83 Mixture for a Pennsylvania Dutch brewer? : AMISH MASH (A + “mishmash”)

The Pennsylvania Dutch are a cultural group in Pennsylvania who are descended from German-speaking immigrants who came to America in the 17th and 18th centuries. As such, the “Dutch” in the group’s name doesn’t refer to the Dutch people, but rather to the German language (“Deutsch” in German).

85 Longtime Notre Dame coach Parseghian : ARA

Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known alliteratively as “The Era of Ara”.

86 “If I Ruled the World” rapper : NAS

“If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” is a 1996 song by rapper Nas featuring fellow singer Lauryn Hill. It is a hip-hop ballad that imagines a utopian world where there is peace, love, and understanding. Sadly, that is hard to imagine …

91 Gluttony, e.g. : SIN

The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven sins are:

• Wrath
• Greed
• Sloth
• Pride
• Lust
• Envy
• Gluttony

96 Risk territory : SIBERIA

Siberia is a vast area in Eurasia and Northern Asia. The region’s industrial development started with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway from 1891 to 1916, which linked Siberia to Russia in the west.

Risk is a fabulous board game that was introduced in France in 1957. It was invented by a very successful French director of short films called Albert Lamorisse. Lamorisse called his new game “La Conquête du Monde”, which translates into English as “The Conquest of the World”. A game of Risk is a must during the holidays in our house …

100 Eggy bun : BRIOCHE

“Brioche” is a French bread that has been enriched with lots of egg and butter, to the extent that it is also considered a pastry.

102 “Tár” Oscar nominee Blanchett : CATE

Cate Blanchett is a great actress from Australia, and a winner of an Academy Award for playing Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator”. Winning for that role made Blanchett the first person to win an Academy Award for playing an actor (Hepburn) who had also won an Oscar. Now that is trivial information …

“Tár” is a 2022 starring Cate Blanchett in the title role, a conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic who is accused of sexual misconduct. A concept album titled “Tár (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)” was released at the same time as the film. A week or so after release, the album topped “Billboard” magazine’s list of Traditional Classical Albums, beating out albums produced by the real Berlin Philharmonic.

109 “Waves of grain” color : AMBER

Here are some lines from the patriotic song “America the Beautiful”:

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain

113 Carpentry slot : DADO

In the world of joinery, a dado is a slot cut into a piece of wood across the grain. On the other hand, a groove is a slot cut with the grain.

117 12-point type : PICA

A pica is a unit of measure used in typography. One pica is equivalent to 1/6 of an inch. Also, each pica unit contains 12 points.

122 Indeed.com listing : JOB

Indeed (Indeed.com) is a search engine used as a tool to sort through online job listings. Indeed was co-founded in Austin, Texas and Stamford, Connecticut and became a subsidiary in 20121 of Recruit, a company based in Tokyo, Japan.