LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Aug 2017, Sunday










Constructed by: Paul Coulter

Edited by: Rich Norris

Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

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Theme: Past Due

Today’s themed answers are all common phrases in which a verb in the present tense has been changed to the past tense:

  • 22A. Chant by lumberyard workers during a lockout? : LONG TIME NO SAW! (from “long time no see”)
  • 37A. Citi Field shortstop or second baseman? : MET IN THE MIDDLE (from “meet in the middle”)
  • 53A. Timid FBI agent? : CHICKEN FED (from “chicken feed”)
  • 67A. Bunch of cattle reading menus? : DROVE IN RESTAURANT (from “drive-in restaurant”)
  • 83A. One evoking yawns on an Alaskan island? : KODIAK BORE (from “Kodiak bear”)
  • 97A. Help when it’s time to give up? : LENT ASSISTANCE (from “lend assistance”)
  • 119A. Provide with surfacing material, as a pool parlor? : GET THE FELT FOR (from “get the feel for”)

Bill’s time: 18m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Make out : NECK

The term “necking” applies to kissing and caressing. I like what Groucho Marx had to say on the subject: “Whoever named it necking was a poor judge of anatomy.”

8. Swedish cinematographer Nykvist : SVEN

Swedish cinematographer Sven Nykvist won two Academy Awards and is best known for his work with Ingmar Bergman. In fact, his Oscars came for his contribution to two Bergman films, “Cries and Whispers” and “Fanny and Alexander”.

12. Candy mogul Harry : REESE

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett “H.B.” Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that’s why they were broken into smaller “Pieces” …

17. Brazilian berry : ACAI

Açaí is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

19. Pew’s place : NAVE

In large Christian churches, the nave is the main approach to the altar, and is where most of the congregation are seated.

A pew is a bench in a church, one usually with a high back. The original pews were raised and sometimes enclosed seats in the church used by women and important men or families. “Pew” comes from the Old French “puie” meaning “balcony, elevation”.

20. Certain Ukrainian : ODESSAN

The city of Odessa (also “Odesa”) in Ukraine was founded relatively recently, in 1794 by Catherine the Great. The city was originally meant to be called Odessos after an ancient Greek city believed to have been located nearby. Catherine liked the way the locals pronounced the name as “Odessa” and so went with the less Greek-sounding name.

25. Brunch cocktails : MIMOSAS

Where I come from, the cocktail known in North America as a mimosa is called a buck’s fizz, named after the club where it was introduced in 1921. The mimosa came along a few years later, apparently first being served in the Paris Ritz. If you want to make a mimosa, it’s a 50-50 mix of champagne and orange juice, and it is very tasty …

27. Finish second : PLACE

In a horse race, the first-place finisher is said to “win”. The second-place finisher “places” and the third-place finisher “shows”.

28. Gothic architecture feature : GABLE

The gable is a the triangular portion of the wall on a building that is defined by the intersection of the two slopes of the roof.

37. Citi Field shortstop or second baseman? : MET IN THE MIDDLE (from “meet in the middle”)

Citi Field is the relatively new baseball stadium used by the New York Mets that sits right next door to the site of Shea stadium, where the Mets had played for decades. And the new facility’s name comes from corporate sponsor Citigroup.

43. WWII org. that froze food costs : OPA

President Franklin D. Roosevelt set up the Office of Price Administration (OPA) during WWII, with the intent of stabilizing prices and rents during the emergency.

46. Old Nair competitor : NEET

The hair removal product “Neet” was launched in Canada in 1901, and was also sold as “Immac”. Today it is sold under the name “Veet”.

47. “Manhattan” Oscar nominee Hemingway : MARIEL

The actress Mariel Hemingway is a granddaughter of the famed author Ernest Hemingway. She was given the name “Mariel” because her father and grandfather used to fish together from the Cuban village of Mariel.

The Woody Allen movie “Manhattan” was released in 1979. The music of George Gershwin features prominently, which isn’t surprising as Woody Allen got the inspiration for the film from Gershwin’s compositions. The movie opens with a montage of images of Manhattan shown above Gershwin’s beautiful “Rhapsody in Blue”.

53. Timid FBI agent? : CHICKEN FED (from “chicken feed”)

A “fed” is an officer of a US federal agency, although the term usually applies to an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

56. Beverage with a lizard logo : SOBE

The brand name SoBe can be found on teas, juices and bottled waters. SoBe is an abbreviation for South Beach, the neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida.

60. Moore of “G.I. Jane” : DEMI

Demi Moore was born Demetria Guynes and took the name Demi Moore when she married her first husband, Freddy Moore. Moore’s second husband was Bruce Willis. She changed her name to Demi Guynes Kutcher a few years after marrying her third husband, Ashton Kutcher. But, Kutcher and Moore split in 2013.

G.I. Joe was the original “action figure”, the first toy to carry that description. G.I. Joe first hit the shelves in 1964. There have been a few movies based on the G.I. Joe figure, but, more famous than all of them I would say is the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” starring Demi Moore in the title role. I thought that “G.I. Jane” had some potential, to be honest, but it really did not deliver in the end.

64. Fall lead-in : PRAT-

“Prat” is a relatively new word for me, a slang term for the buttocks. A “prat-fall” is when someone falls and lands on the buttocks.

66. Canadian capital? : CEE

The capital letter at the beginning of the word “Canadian” is a letter C (cee).

72. Lith., once : SSR

The nation of Lithuania is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) sitting on the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius, and 16 miles north of Vilnius is a point that is officially recognized as the Geographic Center of Europe.

74. To be, in Tours : ETRE

Tours is the largest city in the Centre region of France. It is said that the people of Tours speak the “purest” form of French in the whole country, and when spoken by a local it is also said to be free of any accent.

75. It may be raised at a party : CAIN

As Cain was the first murderer according the Bible, he is associated with evil or trouble. The idiom “raise Cain” is the equivalent of “raise Hell” and “raise the Devil”. In all cases, the meaning is to bring back evil or to cause trouble.

79. Jack of “Rio Lobo” : ELAM

Jack Elam was a movie actor noted for playing the bad guy in Westerns. When Elam was a Boy Scout, he was accidentally stabbed in the eye with a pencil. The incident left him blind in that eye, and the iris remained skewed to the outside of his face. This gave him a crazed, wide-eyed look that helped add a sense of menace to the characters Elam played.

“Rio Lobo” is a Western movie that was released in 1970, starring John Wayne. “Rio Lobo” is the third film in a trilogy that was directed by Howard Hawks, the other two films being “Rio Bravo” (1959) and “El Dorado” (1966). “Rio Lobo” was the last film that Hawks directed.

81. Narcissus’ love : SELF

Narcissus was a proud and vain hunter in Greek mythology. He earned himself a fatal punishment, being made fall in love with his own reflection in a pool. So, take was he by his own image, that he could not leave it and wasted away and died by the pool. Narcissus gives us our term “narcissism” meaning “excessive love of oneself”.

83. One evoking yawns on an Alaskan island? : KODIAK BORE (from “Kodiak bear”)

Brown bears are found over much of northern Europe, Asia, and North America. The biggest subspecies of brown bear is the Kodiak bear, which is the largest land-based predator in the world. Named for the Kodiak Archipelago in Alaska, the Kodiak bear grows to about the same size as the enormous polar bear.

85. Chinese temple : PAGODA

Pagodas are tiered (“storied”) towers found in various parts of Asia that are usually built for religious purposes.

90. Flue residue : ASH

The flue in a chimney is a duct that conveys exhaust gases from a fire to the outdoors. An important feature of a flue is that its opening is adjustable. When starting a fire, the flue should be wide open, maximizing airflow to get help ignition.

92. Hunk : ADONIS

In Greek mythology, Adonis is a beautiful young god loved by Aphrodite. Adonis dies in a hunting accident (gored by a boar), but not before he gives Aphrodite a child. Adonis was originally a Phoenician god “absorbed” into Greek lore (Phoenicia is modern day Lebanon). The child born of Adonis to Aphrodite was called Beroe, after which is named Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. We also use the term “adonis” to mean “beautiful male”.

93. British submachine gun : STEN

The STEN gun is an iconic armament that was used by the British military. The name STEN is an acronym. The S and the T comes from the name of the gun’s designers, Shepherd and Turpin. The EN comes from the Enfield brand name, which in turn comes from the Enfield location where the guns were manufactured for the Royal Small Arms Factory, an enterprise owned by the British government.

95. ER personnel : RNS

One might find a registered nurse (RN) or a medical doctor (MD) in an emergency room (ER).

97. Help when it’s time to give up? : LENT ASSISTANCE (from “lend assistance”)

In Latin, the Christian season that is now called Lent was termed “quadragesima” (meaning “fortieth”), a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. When the church began its move in the Middle Ages towards using the vernacular, the term “Lent” was introduced. “Lent” comes from “lenz”, the German word for “spring”.

104. Sarducci in early “SNL” skits : GUIDO

Father Guido Sarducci is a character played by comedian Don Novello on several shows including “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and “Smothers Brothers” in the seventies. Most memorably perhaps, Sarducci popped up regularly on “Saturday Night Live”, a show for which Novello was also a writer. Father Guido is a chain-smoker who wears some dark shades.

106. Iowa campus : COE

Coe College is a private school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that was founded in 1851. Coe is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

107. Entrepreneur’s deg. : MBA

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

110. Like Cheerios : OATEN

Cheerios breakfast cereal has the distinction of being the first oat-based cereal introduced into the market, hitting the grocery store shelves in 1941. Back then, Cheerios were known as CheeriOats.

113. “Transcendental” Liszt piece : ETUDE

The “Transcendental Études” are twelve piano pieces by Franz Liszt that were first published in 1852. Actually, the 1852 pieces were revised versions of a series of pieces published in 1837, which in turn were a refinement of exercises written in 1826 when the composer was only 15 years old.

119. Provide with surfacing material, as a pool parlor? : GET THE FELT FOR (from “get the feel for”)

The various types of textile known as felt are all made by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together.

122. Fountain treats : SUNDAES

There’s a lot of speculation about how the dessert called a sundae got its name, but there seems to be agreement that it is an alteration of the word “Sunday”.

123. Sheltered at sea : ALEE

Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather.

124. Baseball rally killers, briefly : DPS

Double play (DP)

128. ’60s radical gp. : SDS

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist group in the sixties. The SDS organized the largest student strike in the history of the United States on 26 April 1968, with about a million students staying away from class that day. The “Students for a Democratic Society” name was revived in 2006 with the foundation of a new US-based student organization with left wing beliefs. Today’s SDS was founded by a pair of high school students from Greenwich Village, New York.

129. Direction in Durango : ESTE

In Spanish, “el sol” (the sun) rises in the “este” (east).

Durango is one of the 31 states of Mexico. Durango is landlocked, and is located in the northwest of the country.

Down

1. “The Lion King” lion : NALA

In “The Lion King”, Nala is a lioness and the childhood friend of Simba. By the end of the story, Nala and Simba become wedded. “The Lion King” is inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, with Simba representing the title character, and Nala representing Hamlet’s love interest Ophelia.

2. Earth Day subj. : ECOL

Earth Day was founded in the US, where it was introduced by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Earth Day was designed to increase awareness and appreciation of our planet’s natural environment. The original Earth Day was on April 22nd, 1970. Decades later, the day is observed in over 175 countries.

4. Capital of Rwanda : KIGALI

Kigali is the capital of the African nation of Rwanda, and is located in the center of the country. That location led to the city being picked as the capital in 1962, over the traditional capital of Nyanza. The choice was made on the occasion of Rwanda’s independence from Belgium. Kigali was the center of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, in which half a million to one million Rwandans were killed. That was perhaps 20% of the country’s total population wiped out in the space of four months.

5. Ring master? : ALI

Muhammad Ali won 56 professional fights, 37 of which were knockouts. He lost 5 fights, 4 being decisions and one being a technical knockout (TKO). The TKO-loss was Ali’s second-last fight, against Larry Holmes. By the time Ali took on Holmes, he was already showing signs of Parkinson’s Syndrome, although the diagnosis would not come until four years later.

8. Vehicle with caterpillar treads : SNO-CAT

The brand name Sno-Cat is owned by the Tucker company. All “snowcats” are tracked vehicles built to work in snow, famously used in expeditions to the polar regions. The modern Sno-Cat from Tucker differs from its competitors in that it has four independently-mounted tracks.

9. Healing aid patented in 1872 : VASELINE

Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly owned by Unilever. The term “vaseline” has entered many languages, including English, as a generic term for petroleum jelly.

10. Actress Mendes : EVA

I best know the actress Eva Mendes as the female lead in the movie “Hitch”, playing opposite Will Smith. Mendes was known off the screen for dating actor Ryan Gosling from 2011 to 2013.

11. Historic London prison : NEWGATE

Newgate prison in London was originally located at a gate in the Roman London Wall named Newgate. The first Newgate prison opened in 1188, and the last manifestation of the facility closed its substantial doors for business in 1902. The list of inmates incarcerated in Newgate includes Venetian libertine Giacomo Casanova, English author Daniel Defoe, playwright Ben Johnson, pirate William “Captain” Kidd, and founder of Pennsylvania William Penn. Locals referred to Newgate as “stir”, a word that is now applied to prisons in general.

14. “Happy Motoring” company : ESSO

The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

15. Moselle tributary : SAAR

The Saar is a river that rises on the border between Alsace and Lorraine in France, flows through western Germany and finally enters the Moselle. Historically the Saar river valley was an important source for coal, iron and steel.

16. Bay State motto opener : ENSE

The motto of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is “Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem”, a Latin phrase that can be translated as “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty”. The quotation is from a passage written by English politician Algernon Sidney who was executed for treason by King Charles II.

“The Bay State” is one of the nicknames of Massachusetts. Other nicknames for Massachusetts are “The Old Colony State” and “The Codfish State”.

20. Old card game named for the Spanish for “man” : OMBRE

Ombre is a card game, with the name derived from the Spanish word for “man” (“hombre”). Ombre is a trick-taking game, very popular in the 16th century and of significant importance in the history of card games. Ombre was the first game in which trumps were determined by rounds of bidding rather than just the luck of the draw. This of course is an important feature in other games today, most notably bridge.

29. Eight, in Essen : ACHT

Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany.

32. Bugbear : PET PEEVE

The phrase “pet peeve”, meaning “thing that provokes one most”, seems to be somewhat ironic. A “peeve” is a source of irritation, and the adjective “pet” means “especially cherished”.

A bugbear is a character from English folklore, a goblin in the form of a bear who was said to eat naughty children. Our contemporary bugbear is less scary and is simply something that is annoying or irritating.

35. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren : SPAHN

Warren Spahn was a left-handed pitcher who won 363 games, more than any other left-handed pitcher in history. The Warren Spahn Award has been presented annually by the Oklahoma Sports Museum since 1999.

36. Puff, notably : MAGIC DRAGON

“Puff the Magic Dragon” is a song released in 1963 by Peter, Paul and Mary. It was written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow (the “Peter” of the singing trio). There has been an urban myth since the song’s release that the lyrics refer to the use of drugs. In fact, the words are based on a poem that Lipton wrote when he was 19-years-old in 1959, inspired by an Ogden Nash poem called “Custard the Dragon”.

38. Capone nemesis : NESS

Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

39. 1856 Stowe novel : DRED

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s most famous and most successful work is “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. It was also her first novel. Her second was published in 1856:”Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp”.

40. Beeline : DIRECT ROUTE

To make a beeline for somewhere or something, one takes a direct route. The term derives from excellent homing instinct of bees.

42. Dinsmore of kid lit : ELSIE

“Elsie Dinsmore” is a series of children’s books from author Martha Finley, written between 1867 and 1905. There are 28 volumes in the series.

43. First word of “The Raven” : ONCE

The first verse of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door

45. “Buffy” airer after The WB : UPN

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is a TV series that originally aired from 1997 to 2003. “Buffy …” was incredibly successful, especially given that it wasn’t aired on the one of the big four networks. The show was created by Joss Whedon and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role.

49. Rock band known for quirky, viral videos : OK GO

OK Go is a rock band that formed in Chicago before relocating to Los Angeles. Apparently, OK Go is known for producing some zany music videos.

50. Aromatic herb : FENNEL

Fennel is a hardy perennial plant species in the celery family that is used as a herb. It also goes by the name “sweet anise”. Personally, I can’t stand the stuff …

51. Carbon monoxide’s lack : ODOR

Oxides are usually named for the number of oxygen atoms in each molecule of the oxide. Oxides with one oxygen atom are called monoxides (as in carbon monoxide: CO). Oxides with two oxygen atoms are dioxides (as in carbon dioxide: CO2). Oxides with three oxygen atoms are trioxides (as in sulfur trioxide: SO3). Oxides with four oxygen atoms are tetroxides (as in dinitrogen tetroxide: N2O4).

55. Laissez-__ : FAIRE

“Laissez-faire” is a French term that we use to describe non-interference in the affairs of others. The literal translation is “to let to allow”.

58. Stigmatize : BRAND

A stigma (plural “stigmata), in a social sense, is a distinguishing mark of disgrace. For example, one might have to suffer the stigma of being in prison. The term derives from the Greek “stigma”, which was a mark or brand.

59. Evian, e.g. : EAU

Évian-les-Bains (or simply Évian) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …

63. Japanese computer giant : NEC

NEC is the name that the Nippon Electric Company chose for itself outside of Japan after a rebranding exercise in 1983.

65. Period of the first dinosaurs : TRIASSIC

The Triassic period lasted from about 250 to 200 million years ago. It was during the Triassic that dinosaurs first appeared. A major extinction event at the end of the Triassic that allowed dinosaurs to dominate the landscape throughout the subsequent Jurassic period.

68. Sci-fi staples : ETS

Extraterrestrial (ET)

69. Storytelling pseudonym : SAKI

Hector Hugh Munro was a British writer who actually was born in Burma. He was most famous for his short stories, which he published using the pen name “Saki”. “The Square Egg and Other Sketches” was a collection of short stories published in 1924, nine years after his death.

70. Pharaoh’s symbol : ANKH

The ankh was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character for “eternal life”. The ankh wasn’t just used in inscriptions but was often fashioned into amulets and as surrounds for mirrors (perhaps symbolizing a view into another world). The ankh is also known as “the key of the Nile” and “crux ansata” (Latin for “cross with a handle”).

72. Flower part : SEPAL

In a flower, the sepals are the green, leaf-like structures that are “interleaved” with the petals, providing support. Prior to acting as support for the petals, the sepals protect the flower in bud.

73. English glam rockers since the ’70s : SLADE

Slade is a favorite band from my youth, a rock band from the north of England who made it big during the seventies. One of Slade’s hallmark marketing techniques was a deliberate misspelling of their song titles. Some of those titles are: “Merry Xmas Everybody”, “Gudbuy T’Jane” and my personal favorite “Cum On Feel the Noize”.

I remember the days of glam rock so well, as it was a hugely popular genre of music in the British Isles during the early seventies. Artistes wore the wildest of clothes, big hair, shiny outfits and really high platform boots. Names associated with glam rock are T. Rex, David Bowie, Roxy Music and Gary Glitter.

82. Guitar line : FRET

A fret is a metal strip embedded in the neck of a stringed instrument, like 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.

84. “At Seventeen” singer Janis : IAN

Janis Ian is a singer-songwriter, mainly of folk music, who was most successful in the sixties and seventies. Her most famous song by far is the 1975 recording “At Seventeen”. In more recent years, Ian has been published several times as a science-fiction author.

94. 1992 presidential also-ran Paul : TSONGAS

Paul Tsongas was a US senator for the state of Massachusetts. He made an unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination for US President in 1992, losing out to Governor Bill Clinton.

99. 1598 edict city : NANTES

The Edict of Nantes was issued by King Henry IV of France in 1598. The edict granted specific rights to Protestants, a major concession in Catholic France, and was intended to end religious strife in the country.

100. Like the Pope: Abbr. : CATH

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The term “pope” comes from the Latin “papa”, and ultimately from the Greek “pappas”, with both terms being a child’s word for “father”.

108. Champagne designation : BRUT

Sparkling wines can be classified according to sweetness. These classifications are, from driest to sweetest:

  • Brut Nature
  • Extra Brut
  • Brut
  • Extra Dry
  • Dry
  • Semi-Dry
  • Sweet

109. New Yorker cartoonist Peter : ARNO

Peter Arno was a cartoonist from New York who had his work published mainly in “The New Yorker” magazine from 1925 until he passed away in 1968. Arno’s real name was Curtis Arnoux Peters.

112. Bay Area cop gp. : SFPD

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is the 11th largest police department in the country. The SFPD dates back to the days of the Gold Rush, being founded in 1849 as a force of 35 officers. SFPD has featured a lot in movies and on television. The most famous films are probably “Bullitt”, the “Dirty Harry” series and “48 Hrs.” On television there was “Ironside”, “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Monk”.

114. Roswell sightings : UFOS

The Roswell UFO Incident took place in 1947. Some people believe that an extraterrestrial spacecraft crashed, with aliens aboard. After the initial reports the public accepted the US Military’s explanation of the crash, that the debris recovered belonged to an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon. The whole incident was dug up again over 30 years later when a claim was made that there was a cover-up in 1947, and that the armed forces had recovered an alien craft and brought it to Roswell Army Air Field. “The National Enquirer” ran the story, and it has been running ever since.

115. Chowderhead : DOLT

The word “chowderhead”, applied to someone who is regarded as stupid, has nothing to do with chowder at all. Rather, it is a corruption of an older term “cholter-head” meaning the same thing, but of unknown origin.

116. Agatha contemporary : ERLE

I must have read all of the “Perry Mason” books when I was in college. I think they kept me sane when I was facing the pressure of exams. Author Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, although he didn’t get into the profession the easy way. Gardner went to law school, but got himself suspended after a month. So, he became a self-taught attorney and opened his own law office in Merced, California. Understandably, he gave up the law once his novels became successful.

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time, having sold about 4 billion copies worldwide in total. The only books to have sold in higher volume are the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible.

120. “Eldorado” rock gp. : ELO

“Eldorado” is a 1974 song recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). “Eldorado” is one of those songs that some claim has a hidden message when played backwards. In this case, some Christian Fundamentalists claimed that the message was satanic in nature. Dearie me …

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. Make out : NECK

5. Barley brew : ALE

8. Swedish cinematographer Nykvist : SVEN

12. Candy mogul Harry : REESE

17. Brazilian berry : ACAI

18. Subject for a bar discussion : LAW

19. Pew’s place : NAVE

20. Certain Ukrainian : ODESSAN

22. Chant by lumberyard workers during a lockout? : LONG TIME NO SAW! (from “long time no see”)

25. Brunch cocktails : MIMOSAS

26. Scene of sworn statements : ALTAR

27. Finish second : PLACE

28. Gothic architecture feature : GABLE

30. You can dig it : ORE

31. Chop off : LOP

33. “Be __”: “Help me out here” : A PAL

34. Like real estate moguls : ACRED

35. Hit hard : SMITE

37. Citi Field shortstop or second baseman? : MET IN THE MIDDLE (from “meet in the middle”)

43. WWII org. that froze food costs : OPA

44. Ring spot, maybe : TUB

46. Old Nair competitor : NEET

47. “Manhattan” Oscar nominee Hemingway : MARIEL

48. Hound : NAG

49. Anti: Abbr. : OPP

50. Adversaries : FOES

52. Advisories : ALERTS

53. Timid FBI agent? : CHICKEN FED (from “chicken feed”)

56. Beverage with a lizard logo : SOBE

60. Moore of “G.I. Jane” : DEMI

61. Pen : ENCAGE

62. Oft-quoted auth.? : ANON

64. Fall lead-in : PRAT-

66. Canadian capital? : CEE

67. Bunch of cattle reading menus? : DROVE IN RESTAURANT (from “drive-in restaurant”)

72. Lith., once : SSR

74. To be, in Tours : ETRE

75. It may be raised at a party : CAIN

76. Accustomed (to) : INURED

79. Jack of “Rio Lobo” : ELAM

81. Narcissus’ love : SELF

83. One evoking yawns on an Alaskan island? : KODIAK BORE (from “Kodiak bear”)

85. Chinese temple : PAGODA

88. Bring down : RUIN

90. Flue residue : ASH

91. Church kitchen server : URN

92. Hunk : ADONIS

93. British submachine gun : STEN

95. ER personnel : RNS

96. Crib sheet user : TOT

97. Help when it’s time to give up? : LENT ASSISTANCE (from “lend assistance”)

101. Hidden : INNER

104. Sarducci in early “SNL” skits : GUIDO

105. Pastoral plaints : BAAS

106. Iowa campus : COE

107. Entrepreneur’s deg. : MBA

110. Like Cheerios : OATEN

111. Pays to play : ANTES

113. “Transcendental” Liszt piece : ETUDE

117. Place with care : ARRANGE

119. Provide with surfacing material, as a pool parlor? : GET THE FELT FOR (from “get the feel for”)

122. Fountain treats : SUNDAES

123. Sheltered at sea : ALEE

124. Baseball rally killers, briefly : DPS

125. Hang loosely : LOLL

126. Counter seat : STOOL

127. Lays down the lawn : SODS

128. ’60s radical gp. : SDS

129. Direction in Durango : ESTE

Down

1. “The Lion King” lion : NALA

2. Earth Day subj. : ECOL

3. Prominent angle : CANT

4. Capital of Rwanda : KIGALI

5. Ring master? : ALI

6. Spot for a bulb : LAMP

7. Young female sheep : EWE LAMB

8. Vehicle with caterpillar treads : SNO-CAT

9. Healing aid patented in 1872 : VASELINE

10. Actress Mendes : EVA

11. Historic London prison : NEWGATE

12. Like some summer school classes : REMEDIAL

13. Spaniard’s “that” : ESO

14. “Happy Motoring” company : ESSO

15. Moselle tributary : SAAR

16. Bay State motto opener : ENSE

20. Old card game named for the Spanish for “man” : OMBRE

21. Fix : DILEMMA

23. Horse race pace : TROT

24. Where small animals may be picked up : NAPE

29. Eight, in Essen : ACHT

32. Bugbear : PET PEEVE

35. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren : SPAHN

36. Puff, notably : MAGIC DRAGON

38. Capone nemesis : NESS

39. 1856 Stowe novel : DRED

40. Beeline : DIRECT ROUTE

41. “I can help” : LET ME

42. Dinsmore of kid lit : ELSIE

43. First word of “The Raven” : ONCE

45. “Buffy” airer after The WB : UPN

49. Rock band known for quirky, viral videos : OK GO

50. Aromatic herb : FENNEL

51. Carbon monoxide’s lack : ODOR

54. Wheels : CAR

55. Laissez-__ : FAIRE

57. Alternative : OPTION

58. Stigmatize : BRAND

59. Evian, e.g. : EAU

63. Japanese computer giant : NEC

65. Period of the first dinosaurs : TRIASSIC

68. Sci-fi staples : ETS

69. Storytelling pseudonym : SAKI

70. Pharaoh’s symbol : ANKH

71. Essence : NUB

72. Flower part : SEPAL

73. English glam rockers since the ’70s : SLADE

77. Diamond flaw : ERROR

78. Bad impression? : DENT

80. Alpes sight : MONT

82. Guitar line : FRET

84. “At Seventeen” singer Janis : IAN

86. Slash : DIAGONAL

87. Soften : ASSUAGE

89. With sustained force : UNABATED

93. Pro or con : SIDE

94. 1992 presidential also-ran Paul : TSONGAS

95. Tends to a lawn’s bare spot : RESEEDS

98. Positions : SITES

99. 1598 edict city : NANTES

100. Like the Pope: Abbr. : CATH

102. Carol : NOEL

103. Irritate : NETTLE

107. Come together : MASS

108. Champagne designation : BRUT

109. New Yorker cartoonist Peter : ARNO

112. Bay Area cop gp. : SFPD

114. Roswell sightings : UFOS

115. Chowderhead : DOLT

116. Agatha contemporary : ERLE

118. Big deal : ADO

120. “Eldorado” rock gp. : ELO

121. Double curve : ESS

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