LAXCrossword.com

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Sphere of influence AMBIT
An ambit is an outer boundary or limit, a circumference. The term can also be used to mean the sphere or scope of influence. “Ambit” comes from the Latin “ambire” meaning “to go around”.

12. Inbox clogger SPAM
Apparently the term “SPAM”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word SPAM, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “SPAM” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

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

19. Video game princess ZELDA
“The Legend of Zelda” is a video game. Apparently it’s very successful.

21. Wiry-coated terrier AIREDALE
The Airedale Terrier breed of dog originated in a geographic area of Yorkshire in the North of England … called Airedale. The breed was developed to hunt otters in and around the River Aire that runs through the area.

23. Intuition of some “Star Wars” villains? THE SITH SENSE (from “The Sixth Sense”)
The Sith are characters in “Star Wars” that use the “dark side” of “the Force”, and as such are the antithesis of the Jedi Knights. The last made of the six “Star Wars” movies is called “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.

“The Sixth Sense” is a fabulous film released in 1999, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I remember watching “The Sixth Sense” for the first time on an airplane. Shyamalan wasn’t well known for his famous surprise endings to films at that point. It was very gratifying to hear my fellow passengers join me in a big “gasp” at the appropriate point in the story …

25. Bullied HECTORED
The verb “to hector” means “to bully, to dominate in a blustering way”. The term comes from the Trojan hero Hector, who encouraged his fellow Trojans to keep up the fight against the Greeks.I guess he must have bullied them …

28. Bob or weave COIF
A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” used for a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

30. Actress Campbell NEVE
Neve Campbell is a Canadian actress whose big break came with the “Scream” horror film series, in which she had a leading role. I don’t do horror films, so I haven’t seen any of the “Scream” movies …

34. Weaknesses of a prof’s helper? TA LIABILITIES (from “tax liabilities”)
Teaching Assistants (TAs)

42. Purell target GERM
Purell is a hand sanitizer that uses ethanol as the active ingredient. In fact, Purell contains over 60% ethanol, and there have been stories about the sanitizer being ingested to get at the alcohol, even though the manufacturer deliberately adds a bitter-tasting ingredient to scare off potential drinkers.

43. Showy display ECLAT
Éclat can mean a brilliant show of success, or the applause or accolade that one receives. The word derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.

54. Hibachi residue ASH
The traditional hibachi in Japan is a heating device, often a ceramic bowl or box that holds burning charcoal. This native type of hibachi isn’t used for cooking, but rather as a space heater (a brazier). Here in the US we use the term hibachi to refer to a charcoal grill used as a small cooking stove, which in Japanese would be called a “shichirin”.

58. Daytime __ EMMY
The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars in the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name of “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras.

63. Mane character in Narnia ASLAN
In the C. S. Lewis books, Aslan is the name of the lion character (as in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is actually the Turkish word for lion. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.

65. Posthumous 2009 George Harrison album LET IT ROLL
George Harrison is often referred to as the “quiet Beatle”, although he did have a profound influence on the direction taken by the Fab Four. It was Harrison who first became an admirer of Indian culture and led the rest of the group into the Indian way of life. Harrison went as far as embracing the Hindu religion.

67. British heiress __ Khan JEMIMA
Jemima Khan is the heiress to the estate of her parents Lady Annabel and Sir James Goldsmith. Jemima is a writer and hold editorial positions for the “New Statesman” and “Vanity Fair”. She had a longterm relationship with film star Hugh Grant, and then married celebrated Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.

74. Goalie’s protective wear NECK GUARD
Ice hockey goalies were neck guards.

80. “Super Mario” brother LUIGI
Mario Bros. started out as an arcade game back in 1983, developed by Nintendo. The more famous of the two brothers, Mario, had already appeared in an earlier arcade game “Donkey Kong”. Mario was given a brother called Luigi, and the pair have been around ever since. In the game, Mario and Luigi are Italian American plumbers from New York City.

88. Cowboy hat STETSON
Stetson is a brand name of hat, manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. The so called “cowboy hat” that Stetson pioneered was such a success that the company became the largest hat maker in the world, producing over 3.3 million hats per year.

90. Doyle’s narrator WATSON
In the marvelous Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson is referred to only by his family name, except for two occasions when it is revealed that his first name is John. However, in a third and final mention, Dr. Watson is called “James” by his wife, apparently a lapse in memory on the part of the author.

96. Led Zeppelin’s “Whole __ Love” LOTTA
Led Zeppelin was an English rock band that got together in 1968. The band’s most famous release has to be the classic “Stairway to Heaven”. Led Zeppelin broke up right after drummer John Bonham was found dead in 1988.

98. Fashion collaboration of actor James and a one-named rock-‘n’-roller? MASON-DION LINE (from “Mason-Dixon Line”)
English actor James Mason made a successful transition to Hollywood after achieving incredible success in British films in the war years. Mason starred in such films as “The Desert Fox”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, “Lolita”, “North by Northwest” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.

Perhaps the biggest hits for Dion and the Belmonts were “A Teenager in Love” and “The Wanderer”.

The original Mason-Dixon line was surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the 1760s. The line was used to resolve a border dispute between some of the original British colonies. The Mason-Dixon now forms part of the state lines of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. The line has come to symbolize the cultural boundary between the Northern and Southern United States.

109. Like eyes “you can’t hide,” in an Eagles song LYIN’
The Eagles song “Lyin’ Eyes” was recorded in 1975. Written by band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey, the lyrics were inspired by a meeting between a man and a woman the composers witnessed in Dan Tana’s Bar & Restaurant in Los Angeles. Henley and Frey imagined a scenario of secret love, and “Lyin’ Eyes” was born.

112. “Ghastly grim and ancient” poem title critter THE RAVEN
“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allen Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore” (“quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’”). As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore” …

120. Jersey output COWS’ MILK
Jersey cattle were originally bred on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. If you’ve seen Elsie the Cow, the mascot of Borden in the US, then you’ve seen a Jersey cow.

123. MD office posting HRS
The office of a medical doctor (MD) usually posts its hours (hrs.).

125. Monster’s nickname NESSIE
The Loch Ness monster has been talked about for centuries, but modern interest started in 1933 when a spate of sightings was reported. Those sightings don’t seem to have stopped, with photographs of what is purported to be the monster really sparking the imagination.

126. Flower part SEPAL
In a flower, the sepals are those 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.

Down
1. Montezuma subject AZTEC
The Aztec people of Central America dominated the region in the 14th – 16th centuries. Two traits of the Aztec people are oft cited today. They built some magnificent pyramids, and they also engaged in human sacrifice. The two traits were linked in a way … for the consecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, 84,400 prisoners were sacrificed over a period of four days.

2. Maestro Zubin MEHTA
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music, from Mumbai. Mehta studied music in Vienna, where he made his conducting debut in 1958. In 1961 he was named assistant director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating a fuss with the music director designate of the orchestra, Georg Solti. Solti resigned as a protest, and Mehta took his job. In 1978 Mehta took over as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, eventually becoming the longest holder of that position.

5. __ chi ch’uan TAI
More properly called tai chi chuan, tai chi is a martial art mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

7. Brewer’s kiln OAST
An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house”.

10. 19- and 80-Across letters NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.

11. Like Keats’s urn GRECIAN
The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called “1819 Odes”, a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to Psyche”.

12. Indian title SAHIB
“Sahib” is most recognized as a term of address in India, where it is used in much the same way as we use “mister” in English.

17. French student ELEVE
French for school is “école”, and French for pupil is “élève”.

22. “Stop adding milk and sugar to these brews!”? DON’T MESS WITH TEAS (from “Don’t mess with Texas”)
“Don’t Mess with Texas” is a phrase that started in an advertising campaign for the Texas Department of Transportation in 1986. The intent behind the campaign was to reduce the amount of litter on the roads by placing signs with the slogan along the major highways. Even though “Don’t Mess with Texas” is a registered trademark, it has been adopted by countless other organizations.

24. Noodlehead TWIT
“Twit” is a word not used very often here in America, I think. It’s a slang term that was quite common in England where is was used for “someone foolish and idiotic”.

32. Dutch South Africans in need of exercise? HEAVYWEIGHT BOERS (from “heavyweight boxers”)
“Boer” is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for “farmer”, a word that was used to describe the Dutch-speaking people who settled parts of South Africa during the 1700s.

35. Pritzker Prize winner ARCHITECT
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an annual award that has been presented since 1979. The award is funded by the estate of Jay Pritzker, the founder of the Hyatt Hotel chain.

36. Name of 13 popes LEO
The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. He is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

38. Journalist Kupcinet IRV
Irv Kupcinet was a newspaper columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. He wrote “Kup’s Column” for six decades starting in 1943. Kupcinet was also a broadcaster, and in 1957 replaced Jack Paar on what would eventually become “The Tonight Show”.

45. Gimlet ingredient LIME JUICE
A gimlet is a relatively simple cocktail, traditionally made with just gin and lime juice. The trend in more recent times is replace the gin with vodka.

47. European wine region ASTI
Asti is a sparkling white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, and is named for the town of Asti around which the wine is produced. The wine used to be called Asti Spumante, and it had a very bad reputation as a “poor man’s champagne”. The “Spumante” was dropped in a marketing attempt at rebranding associated with a reduction in the amount of residual sugar in the wine.

49. Holder of numerous pitching records who never won a Cy Young Award NOLAN RYAN
Nolan Ryan is famous for having more career strikeouts that any other pitcher. However, he also holds the record for the most career walks and wild pitches. Another record that Ryan holds is the most no-hitters, a total of seven over his career.

50. General Bradley OMAR
Omar Bradley graduated from West Point in the class of 1915, along with Dwight Eisenhower who also attained the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the last person to hold the rank of a five-star commissioned officer, and he was the first general to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I was struck by a quotation from Bradley from later in his life:

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than about peace, more about killing than we know about living.

53. Some surrealist works DALIS
The famous surrealist painter Salvador Dalí was born in Figueres, Spain. I had the privilege of visiting the Dalí Museum in Figueres some years ago, just north of Barcelona. If you ever get the chance, it’s a “must see” as it really is a quite magnificent building with a fascinating collection.

55. IM pioneer AOL
Even though instant messaging (sending IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties.

60. Sleep lab letters REM
REM is an acronym standing for Rapid Eye Movement sleep. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

63. O’Neill’s “The Hairy __” APE
“The Hairy Ape” is a play by Eugene O’Neill, and tells of a laborer on an ocean liner who leaves the ship and tries to make his way in Manhattan. He finds it hard to fit in, and finds most empathy with a gorilla in the zoo who he regards as a kindred spirit. At the end of the play, the hero dies in the arms of the gorilla.

71. High-tech address URL
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

72. Some 35mm cameras SLRS
SLR stands for “single lens reflex”. Usually cameras with changeable lenses are the SLR type. The main feature of an SLR is that a mirror reflects the image seen through the lens out through the viewfinder, so that the photographer sees exactly what the lens sees. The mirror moves out of the way as the picture is taken, and the image that comes through the lens falls onto unexposed film, or nowadays onto a digital sensor.

76. Crop circle makers, supposedly UFOS
Don’t believe what you hear. Crop circles are hoaxes …

78. “Breaking __ Hard to Do” UP IS
“Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” is a song co-written and recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1962, and again in 1975. The 1962 recording was a huge hit, and the much slower version released in 1975 also made it in the charts.

84. Fonda’s “The Grapes of Wrath” role JOAD
Tom Joad is a character in John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”. The role of Joad is played by Henry Fonda in the 1940 film adaptation directed by John Ford. Ford’s movie has a place in history, as it was one of the first 25 movies selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in the US National Film Registry.

89. Lamont, to Fred Sanford SON
“Sanford and Son” was an American version of a celebrated hit BBC sitcom that I grew up with in Ireland, called “Steptoe and Son”.

91. Prefix with fauna AVI-
Avifauna is the collective name for birds of a specific region. An older term for the same thing is “ornis”, which has the same root as “ornithology”.

95. Cause of an env. bulge ENC
An envelope (env.) might contain an enclosure (enc.).

102. Those girls, in Oaxaca ELLAS
Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.

104. Memorable moralist AESOP
Aesop is remembered today for his famous fables. Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly he was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. Aesop was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. He was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.

105. Actress Scacchi GRETA
Greta Scacchi is an actress from Italy who now lives in Australia. Scacchi is popular on the European movie circuit as she is fluent in English, German , French and Italian.

110. “Tintin in Tibet” creature YETI
A yeti is a beast of legend, also called an abominable snowman. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

“The Adventures of Tintin” was one of my favorite series of comic books when I was growing up. We were encouraged to read the stories in the original French in order to help us learn the language for school. The series was created by the Belgian artist Georges Rémi, who wrote the stories under the pen name Hergé. Great stuff …

116. Uno e due TRE
“One, two, three” in Italian is “uno, due, tre”.

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

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Sphere of influence AMBIT
6. Making waves? ROWING
12. Inbox clogger SPAM
16. Solstice mo. DEC
19. Video game princess ZELDA
20. One making bread EARNER
21. Wiry-coated terrier AIREDALE
23. Intuition of some “Star Wars” villains? THE SITH SENSE (from “The Sixth Sense”)
25. Bullied HECTORED
26. Airport pickup concern, briefly ETA
27. Good things to keep about you WITS
28. Bob or weave COIF
30. Actress Campbell NEVE
31. Lint roller target, maybe CAT HAIR
34. Weaknesses of a prof’s helper? TA LIABILITIES (from “tax liabilities”)
39. Stage direction ENTER
41. Back REAR
42. Purell target GERM
43. Showy display ECLAT
46. Church official DEACON
48. Penniless one HAVE-NOT
52. Surrendered WAIVED
54. Hibachi residue ASH
55. Help-wanted ad periods AFTS
57. Not all SOME
58. Daytime __ EMMY
59. Holiday elves who can’t get along? ARCTIC FOES (from “Arctic foxes”)
63. Mane character in Narnia ASLAN
64. Gush SPEW
65. Posthumous 2009 George Harrison album LET IT ROLL
66. To the sky UPWARD
67. British heiress __ Khan JEMIMA
69. Stud spot EAR
70. Find on the dial TUNE IN
72. Ten-armed species SQUIDS
74. Goalie’s protective wear NECK GUARD
77. See 85-Across TRUE!
80. “Super Mario” brother LUIGI
81. Coughing and sneezing? STATE OF FLU (from “state of flux”)
82. Flashy promotion HYPE
83. Hardly hard up RICH
84. Wisecrack JEST
85. With 77-Across, “Amen!” TOO
86. Call for ENTAIL
88. Cowboy hat STETSON
90. Doyle’s narrator WATSON
93. Wee EENSY
94. Tug or tub BOAT
95. Roof rim EAVE
96. Led Zeppelin’s “Whole __ Love” LOTTA
98. Fashion collaboration of actor James and a one-named rock-‘n’-roller? MASON-DION LINE (from “Mason-Dixon Line”)
103. Much-kneaded treatment? MASSAGE
107. Up to it ABLE
108. Little cut NICK
109. Like eyes “you can’t hide,” in an Eagles song LYIN’
111. Time chunk ERA
112. “Ghastly grim and ancient” poem title critter THE RAVEN
115. Unexpected affection, and an alternate title for this puzzle STOLEN KISSES
120. Jersey output COWS’ MILK
121. Fancy ORNATE
122. Verbatim line QUOTE
123. MD office posting HRS
124. Skip over PASS
125. Monster’s nickname NESSIE
126. Flower part SEPAL

Down
1. Montezuma subject AZTEC
2. Maestro Zubin MEHTA
3. Pasture cry BLEAT
4. Dog tags, say IDS
5. __ chi ch’uan TAI
6. Put back to work REHIRED
7. Brewer’s kiln OAST
8. Pull with effort WREST
9. Country stopover INN
10. 19- and 80-Across letters NES
11. Like Keats’s urn GRECIAN
12. Indian title SAHIB
13. Battles with thrown weapons PIE FIGHTS
14. Orbit bit ARC
15. 49-Down, as a rookie MET
16. “Is this too big a chance?” DARE I?
17. French student ELEVE
18. Hands over CEDES
22. “Stop adding milk and sugar to these brews!”? DON’T MESS WITH TEAS (from “Don’t mess with Texas”)
24. Noodlehead TWIT
29. Boathouse item OAR
32. Dutch South Africans in need of exercise? HEAVYWEIGHT BOERS (from “heavyweight boxers”)
33. Get in the game ANTE
35. Pritzker Prize winner ARCHITECT
36. Name of 13 popes LEO
37. Green expanses LEAS
38. Journalist Kupcinet IRV
40. Chemical experiment substances REACTANTS
43. Pasture moms EWES
44. Tent site CAMP
45. Gimlet ingredient LIME JUICE
47. European wine region ASTI
49. Holder of numerous pitching records who never won a Cy Young Award NOLAN RYAN
50. General Bradley OMAR
51. Lean TEND
53. Some surrealist works DALIS
55. IM pioneer AOL
56. Was embarrassed FELT A FOOL
60. Sleep lab letters REM
61. Coot relative CRAKE
62. Overlooked FORGOTTEN
63. O’Neill’s “The Hairy __” APE
66. Inordinate UNDUE
68. Early 16th-century date MDI
71. High-tech address URL
72. Some 35mm cameras SLRS
73. Pack it in QUIT
75. Scarf down EAT
76. Crop circle makers, supposedly UFOS
78. “Breaking __ Hard to Do” UP IS
79. Long and slimy EELY
81. Guards SENTINELS
84. Fonda’s “The Grapes of Wrath” role JOAD
87. Acrobats’ gear NETS
89. Lamont, to Fred Sanford SON
90. Continues strolling WALKS ON
91. Prefix with fauna AVI-
92. One who is honored and hopeful NOMINEE
95. Cause of an env. bulge ENC
97. Do miserably, in slang TANK
98. Stick in a box MATCH
99. Not fancy at all ABHOR
100. Gobs SLEWS
101. Porcine patter OINKS
102. Those girls, in Oaxaca ELLAS
104. Memorable moralist AESOP
105. Actress Scacchi GRETA
106. Gallery item EASEL
110. “Tintin in Tibet” creature YETI
113. “MTV Unplugged” lack AMP
114. Through VIA
116. Uno e due TRE
117. Clip-__: ties ONS
118. High nos. for rocket scientists? IQS
119. Try to take to the cleaners? SUE

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