LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Nov 16, Sunday




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Constructed by: Alan Arbesfeld

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

Quicklink to comments

Theme: Jam Session

At first sight, each of today’s clues is a type of JAM. However, the clues actually point to a set of related answers JAMMED together across the whole width of the grid:

  • 22A. Traffic jam? : TOYOTA JEEP AUDI KIA FORD
  • 35A. Raspberry jam? : YOU STINK! BOO HISS! GO HOME!
  • 52A. Log jam? : ELM FIR OAK PINE ASH CEDAR
  • 76A. Pearl jam? : BAILEY HARBOR BUCK ONION (i.e. Pearl BAILEY, Pearl HARBOR, Pearl BUCK, pearl ONION)
  • 93A. Space jam? : VENUS NEPTUNE PLUTO MARS
  • 111A. Paper jam? : GLOBE POST TIMES SUN NEWS

Bill’s time: 29m 40s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Best Supporting Actor nominee for “Forrest Gump” : SINISE

Actor Gary Sinise was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Lieutenant Dan Taylor in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump”. Senise then played the lead in television’s “CSI: NY” starting in 2004. Senise was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bush for his work helping Iraqi school children as well as his work with the USO.

7. Terra __ : FIRMA

“Terra firma” is Latin for “solid ground”.

12. Glass raiser’s opening : A TOAST …

The tradition of “toasting” someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

18. Warren Buffett, for one : OMAHAN

Warren Buffett is one of my heroes, a man with the nicknames “Wizard of Omaha” and “Oracle of Omaha”. Despite being one of the wealthiest men in the world, Buffet lives a relatively frugal and modest life. Buffett also has a very Jeffersonian attitude towards the role his wealth plays within his family. He has set up his estate so that his children get enough money to be independent, but the vast majority of his assets are going to charity, both before and after he dies.

22. Traffic jam? : TOYOTA JEEP AUDI KIA FORD

Although Toyota entered the passenger car market back in 1936, the current Toyota logo, consisting of three ovals formed into a “circled letter T”, has only been around since 1989. The two overlapping ovals are designed to represent a relationship of trust between the company and the customer, while the larger outside oval represents the global reach of the company’s products and technology.

The Jeep is the original off-road vehicle. It was developed by the American Bantam Car Company in 1940 at the request of the US government who recognized the upcoming need for the armed forces as American involvement in WWII loomed. The Bantam Company was too small to cope with demand, so the government gave the designs to competing car companies. The design and brand eventually ended up with AMC in the seventies and eighties.

The name of the automotive manufacturer Audi has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909. Early in the life of the new company, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new enterprise and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “Horch” was German for “hear” and he suggested “Audi” as a replacement, the Latin for “listen”.

Kia Motors is the second largest manufacturer of cars in South Korea, behind Hyundai (and Hyundai is a part owner in Kia now). In recent years, Kia has focused on sales into Europe, and has been remarkably successful.

The industrialist Henry Ford was born in Michigan, and was the son of an Irish immigrant from County Cork. Ford’s most famous vehicle was the one that revolutionized the industry: the Model T. Ford’s goal with the Model T was to build a car that was simple to drive and and easy and cheap to purchase and repair. The Model T cost $825 in 1908, which isn’t much over $20,000 in today’s money.

25. Giraffe cousin : OKAPI

The okapi is closely related to the giraffe, although it does have markings on its legs and haunches that resemble those of a zebra. The okapi’s tongue is long enough to reach back and wash its eyeballs, and can go back even further to clean its ears inside and out.

26. Sitcom planet : ORK

The sitcom “Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

29. Like many Richard Matheson stories : EERIE

Richard Matheson was a science fiction and horror author. Matheson’s best known works are probably his 1954 horror novel “I Am Legend”, and his 1975 novel “Bid Time Return”. “I Am Legend” was adapted for the big screen several times: as “The Last Man on Earth” (1964), “The Omega Man” (1971) and “I Am Legend” (2007). Matheson himself wrote the screenplay for the 1980 film “Somewhere in Time”, an adaptation of “Bid Time Return”.

33. Remains at the butcher : OFFAL

The internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal is referred to as “offal”. Examples of dishes that make use of offal would be sausages, foie gras, sweetbreads and haggis. The term is a melding of the words “off” and “fall”, and dates back to the 14th century. The idea is that offal is what “falls off” a butcher’s block.

35. Raspberry jam? : YOU STINK! BOO HISS! GO HOME!

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

41. Nashville venue : OPRY

The Grand Ole Opry started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

42. Traditional tomato paste fruit : ROMA

The Roma tomato isn’t considered an heirloom variety, but it is very popular with home gardeners, especially those gardeners that don’t have a lot of space. It is a bush type (as opposed to vine type) and needs very little room to provide a lot of tomatoes.

43. Moldova currency : LEU

The Republic of Moldova (usually referred to as “Moldova”) was the Moldavian Socialist Republic before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

49. Pub order, briefly : IPA

India Pale Ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

58. Belgian expressionist James : ENSOR

James Ensor was a Belgian painter active in the first half of the twentieth century. He lived in Ostend for almost all of his life, and in terms of travel, he only made three brief trips abroad, to Paris, London and Holland.

60. __ Mae : SALLIE

“Sallie Mae” is a nickname for SLM Corporation, created in 1972 by the US government as the Student Loan Marketing Association. By 2004 the government had severed all its ties with Sallie Mae, and today SLM is basically a profit-focused lender.

61. Kim’s last name, in Kipling’s novel : O’HARA

“Kim” is a novel by Rudyard Kipling that was first published in serial form, from 1900 to 1901. The title character, whose full name is Kimball O’Hara, is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier who lives like a vagabond in India during the days of the British Raj. The boy grows up to become a spy working for the British.

64. U.S. Army specialists’ underlings: Abbr. : PFCS

Private First Class (PFC)

67. __ Mawr: Pennsylvania college town : BRYN

I used to live not far from Bryn-mawr (sometimes written as “Brynmwar”) in Wales, the town with the highest elevation in the country. Appropriately enough, “bryn mawr” is Welsh for “big hill”. There is also a Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania (note the different capitalization) that is named after its Welsh counterpart. At the Pennsylvania location there’s a Bryn Mawr college, a private women’s school that was the first American university to offer graduate degrees to women.

69. Braves, but not Indians, briefly : NLERS

The Atlanta Braves are the only team to have won baseball’s World Series in three different home cities. They won as the Boston Braves in 1914, the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and the Atlanta Braves in 1995.

The Cleveland baseball franchise started out in 1869 as the Forest Citys named after Forest City, the nickname for Cleveland. After a number of transitions, in 1914 the team took on the name “Indians”. The media came up with name “Indians” after being asked for suggestions by the team owners. “Indians” was inspired by the successful Boston team of the day, the Boston Braves.

70. Stinging crawler : RED ANT

Fire ants are stinging ants, many species of which are called red ants. Most stinging ants bite their prey and then spray acid on the wound. The fire ant however, bites to hold on and then injects an alkaloid venom from its abdomen, creating a burning sensation in humans that have been nipped.

72. Of the flock : LAIC

Anything described is laic (or “laical, lay”) is related to the laity, those members of the church who are not clergy. The term “laic” ultimately comes from the Greek “laikos” meaning “of the people”.

76. Pearl jam? : BAILEY HARBOR BUCK ONION (Pearl BAILEY, Pearl HARBOR, Pearl BUCK, pearl ONION)

Pearl Bailey was an actress and singer who won a Tony Award playing the title role in a 1968 production of the stage musical “Hello, Dolly!”

The lagoon harbor known as Pearl Harbor on Oahu has been home to a major US Navy presence since 1899.

Pearl S. Buck’s novel “The Good Earth” won a Pulitzer in 1932, and helped Buck win the Nobel Prize for literature a few years later. The novel tells of life in a Chinese village and follows the fortunes of Wang Lung and his wife O-Lan. Although “The Good Earth” has been around for decades, it hit the bestseller list again in 2004 when it was a pick for Oprah’s Book Club.

83. Penn in NYC, e.g. : STN

Penn Station in New York City may have been the first Pennsylvania Station, but it’s not the only one. The Pennsylvania Railroad gave that name to many of its big passenger terminals, including one in Philadelphia (now called 30th Street Station), one in Baltimore, one in Pittsburgh, one in Cleveland, as well as others.

84. 9, at times: Abbr. : SEPT

The month of September is the ninth month in our year, although the name “September” comes from the Latin word “septum” meaning “seventh”. September was the seventh month in the Roman calendar until the year 46 BC when Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. The Julian system moved the start of the year from March 1st to January 1st, and shifted September to the ninth month. The Gregorian calendar that we use today was introduced in 1582.

85. Modern research aid : GOOGLE

The search engine “Google” was originally called “BackRub” would you believe? The name was eventually changed to Google, an intentional misspelling of the word “googol”. A googol is a pretty big number, 10 to the power of 100. That would be the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros.

87. New Look designer : DIOR

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, drawing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped reestablish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

89. Rope fiber : HEMP

Hemp is a hardy, fast-growing plant that has many uses mainly due to the strength of the fibers in the plant’s stalks. Hemp is used to make rope, paper and textiles. Famously, there is a variety of hemp that is grown to make drugs, most famously cannabis.

90. Follow-up to a finish : EPILOG

Our word “epilog” (also “epilogue”), meaning an addition at the end of a play or other literary work, ultimately comes from Greek. “Epi-” is a prefix signifying “in addition”, and “logos” is the noun for “a speech”.

93. Space jam? : VENUS NEPTUNE PLUTO MARS

The planet Venus is the second brightest object in the night sky, after our Moon.

Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The existence of Neptune was predicted as early as the 1820s by mathematics based on observations of the orbit of Uranus. The planet was actually first observed in 1846.

Pluto was discovered in 1930, and was welcomed as the ninth planet in our solar system. Pluto is relatively small in size, just one fifth of the mass of our own moon. In the seventies, astronomers began to discover more large objects in the solar system, including Eris, a “scattered disc object” at the outer reaches. Given that Eris is actually bigger than Pluto, and other objects really aren’t that much smaller, Pluto’s status as a planet was drawn into question. In 2006 there was a scientific definition for a “planet” agreed for the first time, resulting in Pluto being relegated to the status of “dwarf planet”, along with Eris.

The surface of the planet Mars has a very high iron oxide content, so Mars is red because it is rusty!

102. Sock material : LISLE

Lisle is a cotton fabric that has been through an extra process at the end of its manufacture that burns off lint and the ends of fibers leaving the fabric very smooth and with a clean edge.

104. Morning prayers : MATINS

In the Roman Catholic tradition, there is an official set of daily prayers known as the Liturgy of the Hours. The traditional list of prayers is:

  • Matins (during the night, or at midnight)
  • Lauds or Dawn Prayer (Dawn, or 3 a.m.)
  • Prime or Early Morning Prayer (First Hour, or 6 a.m.)
  • Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour, or 9 a.m.)
  • Sext or Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour, or 12 noon)
  • None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour, or 3 p.m.)
  • Vespers or Evening Prayer (“at the lighting of the lamps”, or 6 p.m.)
  • Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, generally at 9 p.m.)

106. Pinky __ : TOE

The use of “pinkie” or “pinky” for the little finger or toe comes into English from “pinkje”, the Dutch word for the same digit. Who knew …?

116. Gretzky’s first NHL team : OILERS

The National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers are so called because they are located in Alberta, Canada … oil country.

Wayne Gretzky is regarded by many as the greatest ever player of ice hockey, and indeed has the nickname “The Great One”.

118. Pain in the side : STITCH

A stitch is a sudden stabbing pain in the side. We started using the term “stitch” to mean an amusing person or thing in 1968, from the sense of laughing so much that one was in stitches of pain, as in “he had me in stitches”.

120. Hamlet and others : DANES

The full title of William Shakespeare’s play that we tend to call “Hamlet” is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. It is the most performed of all Shakespeare’s plays and it is also his longest, the only one of his works comprising over 4,000 lines. That’s about a 4-hour sitting in a theater …

121. Hong Kong airline __ Pacific : CATHAY

Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier for the autonomous Chinese territory of Hong Kong. The airline was founded in 1946. “Cathay” is a centuries-old name for China, and the word “Pacific” was added because the founders speculated that the airline would one day cross the Pacific Ocean. That first trans-Pacific flight took place in the 1970s.

Down

1. Explorer Hernando de __ : SOTO

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who led expeditions throughout the southeastern US. De Soto’s travels were unsuccessful in that he failed to bring gold or silver back to Spain, and nor did he found any colonies. What de Soto did achieve was the exposure of local populations to devastating Eurasian diseases. De Soto was the first European to cross the Mississippi River, in 1541. The first European to see the Mississippi (but not cross it) was Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, in 1519.

3. Poland Spring competitor : NAYA

The Naya brand of bottled water uses a spring in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec as its source.

Poland Spring is a Nestle brand of bottled water that is bottled in Poland, Maine, hence the name.

5. Fullness : SATIETY

“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

6. “Bambi” doe : ENA

Ena is Bambi’s aunt in the 1942 Disney film “Bambi”. The movie is based on the novel “Bambi, A Life in the Woods” written by Austrian author Felix Salten and first published in 1923. There is a documented phenomenon known as the Bambi Effect, whereby people become more interested in animal rights after having watched the scene where Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

7. Data-uploading initials : FTP

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard protocol used when transferring files between computers on a network.

8. Author Levin : IRA

As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

9. Off-color, as a joke : RAUNCHY

The term “raunchy” was US Army Air Corps slang back in the 1950s, when it meant “dirty, filthy, unclean”. We’ve only been using “raunchy” to mean “coarse, vulgar” since the mid-sixties.

10. Olympic skater Ito : MIDORI

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.

11. Liqueur-flavoring plants : ANISES

The essential oil in the anise plant is anethole. Anethole has a licorice-like flavor, and is used extensively in cooking and to flavor several distilled alcoholic drinks.

12. Two-time Indy 500 champ Luyendyk : ARIE

Arie Luyendyk is a racing driver from the Netherlands, winner of the Indianapolis 500 on two occasions. Luyendyk’s son, also called Arie, is following in his father’s footsteps and is also an auto racer.

13. Spot for a spot : TEAROOM

I guess the reference here is to the oft quoted English phrase “a spot of tea”. Mind you, I’ve only ever heard that said in jest …

15. Big name in menswear : ADOLFO

Adolfo is a retired fashion designer based in New York City. He was born Adolfo Sardiña in Cárdenas, Cuba to a Spanish father and Irish mother.

19. “Criminal Minds” agent Morgan : DEREK

“Criminal Minds” is a police drama that has aired on CBS since 2005. The stories revolve around the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia.

24. Former apparel store with a backwards letter in its name : KIDS “R” US

The retailer Toys “R” Us set up a children’s clothing outlet named Kids “R” Us in 1983. The Kids “R” Us chain folded in 2003.

30. Staircase components : RISERS

The “riser” is the vertical part of a step in a flight of stairs.

32. __ valve: heart part : AORTIC

The aortic valve is one of the heart’s four valves. It is located between the left ventricle and the aorta, and allows blood to flow out from the left ventricle into the aorta, and not the other way.

34. Govt. mortgage agency : FHA

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was set up in 1934 to insure loans made lenders for the building and purchase of homes. The FHA was created in response to the bank failures of the Great Depression, with the intent of creating a more favorable environment for lending.

35. Beinecke Library site : YALE

The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library is part of the Yale University Library.

36. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L

Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

37. Coin word : UNUM

From 1776, “E pluribus unum” was the unofficial motto of the United States. The phrase translates from Latin as “Out of many, one”. It was pushed aside in 1956 when an Act of Congress designated “In God We Trust” as the country’s official motto. “In God We Trust” had appeared on US coins since 1864, but was only introduced on paper currency in 1957.

39. Black-clad subculturists : GOTHS

The goth subculture developed from the gothic rock scene in the early eighties, and is a derivative of the punk music movement. It started in England and spread to many countries around the globe. The term “goth” of course comes from the Eastern Germanic tribe called the Goths.

45. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP

C. Everett Koop was Surgeon General from 1982-89, appointed by President Reagan. Koop was a somewhat controversial character and one who brought the position of Surgeon General into the spotlight more than was historically the case. Partly this was due to his pro-life position, his anti-tobacco stance and the fact that AIDS became a prominent issue while he was in office.

47. “The Waltons” actor Will : GEER

Actor Will Geer died in 1978, just after filming the sixth season of “The Waltons” in which he played Grandpa Zeb Walton. Geer was a noted social activist and was blacklisted in the fifties for refusing to appear before the all-powerful House Committee on Un-American Activities.

48. Insect making spotty appearances? : LADYBUG

The insect we know as a ladybug has seven spots on the wing covers. These seven spots gave rise to the common name “ladybug”, as in the Middle Ages the insect was called the “beetle of Our Lady”. The spots were said to symbolize the Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows, events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary called out in the Roman Catholic tradition.

51. Son of Zeus : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera.

53. Wild : FERAL

“Feral”, meaning existing in a wild or untamed state, comes from the Latin word “fera” meaning “a wild animal”.

54. Cockamamie : INANE

“Cockamamy” (sometimes “cockamamie”) is a slang term meaning “ridiculous, incredible”. The term goes back at least to 1946, but may have originated as a slang term used by children in New York City in 1920s.

56. “The Divine Comedy” division : CANTO

A canto is a section of a long poem, and is a term first used by the Italian poet Dante. “Canto” is the Italian for “song”.

Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” is an epic poem dating back to the 14th century. The first part of that epic is “Inferno”, which is the Italian word for “Hell”. In the poem, Dante is led on a journey by the poet Virgil, starting at the gates of Hell on which are written the famous words “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”.

57. Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy” : ELLEN

The very successful hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on television since 2005. The title is a reference to the show’s central character, Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo), as well as a reference to the classic human anatomy textbook commonly called “Gray’s Anatomy”.

63. Server’s edge : AD IN

In tennis, if the score reaches “deuce” (i.e. when both players have scored three points), then the first player to win two points in a row wins the game. The player who wins the point immediately after deuce is said to have the “advantage”. If the player with the advantage wins the next point then that’s two in a row and that player wins the game. If the person with the advantage loses the next point, then advantage is lost and the players return to deuce and try again. If the one of the players is calling out the score then if he/she has the advantage then that player announces “ad in” or more formally “advantage in”. If the score announcer’s opponent has the advantage, then the announcement is “ad out” or “advantage out”. Follow all of that …?

65. Amazon icon : CART

Amazon.com is the largest online retailer in the world. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, in his garage in Bellevue, Washington. I’m a big fan of Amazon’s approach to customer service …

66. Bro or sis : SIB

Sibling (sib.)

68. Shaker contents, chemically : NACL

Sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt) is an ionic compound, a crystal lattice made up of large chloride (Cl) ions in a cubic structure, with smaller sodium (Na) ions in between the chlorides.

71. Boxing’s “Iron Mike” : TYSON

The boxer Mike Tyson has said some pretty graphic things about his opponents. For example:

  • About Lennox Lewis: “My main objective is to be professional but to kill him.”
  • To Razor Ruddock: “I’m gonna make you my girlfriend.”
  • About Tyrell Biggs: “He was screaming like my wife.”

73. Convincing : COGENT

Something “cogent” makes sense, it is convincing and reasonable.

75. ’50s-’60s country singer McDonald : SKEETS

Skeets McDonald was a rockabilly musician popular in the fifties and sixties. Born Enos McDonald in Greenway, Arkansas, he earned his nickname as a child, as he used call mosquitoes “skeets”.

78. “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs” speaker : ROMEO

William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” doesn’t end well for the title characters. Juliet takes a potion as a ruse to fool her parents, to trick them into thinking she is dead. The potion puts her in a death-like coma for 24 hours, after which Juliet plans to awaken and run off with Romeo. Juliet’s sends a message to Romeo apprising him of the plan, but the message fails to arrive. Romeo hears of Juliet’s “death”, and grief-stricken he takes his own life by drinking poison. Juliet awakens from the coma, only to find her lover dead beside her. She picks up a dagger and commits suicide. And nobody lives happily ever after …

79. 1995 comet observer : BOPP

Comet Hale-Bopp was an unusually bright comet that was observable in the night sky for 18 months in the late 1990s. The comet was discovered in 1995 by two American amateur observes called Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, hence the name. Famously, claims were made that there was an alien spaceship travelling behind Hale-Bopp. 39 members of a San Diego religious cult called Heaven’s Gate committed mass suicide in 1996 in order to reach the spacecraft.

80. Kansas city : IOLA

Iola is a city in southeast Kansas. The city is named for Iola, wife of J. F. Colburn, one of the owners of the land that was chosen as a site for the town in the late 1850s.

81. Olfactory stimulus : ODOR

The adjective “olfactory” means “relating to the sense of smell”. The term comes from the Latin verb “olfacere” meaning “to get the smell of”.

82. Requirements for prints, for short : NEGS

Negative (neg)

88. Related compounds : ISOMERS

In the world of chemistry, isomers are two compounds with chemical formula i.e. the same atomic constituents, but with a slightly different arrangement of the atoms relative to each other. The differing arrangement of atoms often leads to different chemical properties.

89. Author Zora Neale __ : HURSTON

Zora Neale Hurston was an American author, most famous for her 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Like the author, the main character in the novel is an African American woman, a part played by Halle Berry in a television movie adaptation that first aired in 2005.

91. Cornmeal dish : POLENTA

Polenta is a porridge made from finely ground corn. The term “polenta” is Italian in origin.

93. Many September births : VIRGOS

The astrological sign of Virgo is associated with the constellation of the same name. The Virgo constellation is related to maidens (virgins), purity and fertility.

94. List closing : ET ALIA

Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

95. City near Monte Vesuvio : NAPOLI

Naples (“Napoli” in Italian) is the third largest city in Italy. The name “Napoli” comes from the city’s Ancient Greek name, which translates as “New City”. That’s a bit of a paradox as today Naples is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.

Mount Vesuvius is on the Bay of Naples, just over five miles from the city of Naples. The most famous of its eruptions took place in AD 79, the one which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Today, Vesuvius is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, largely because it is at the center of the most densely populated volcanic region in the world, with 3 million people living nearby.

97. Indian spiritual tradition : TANTRA

Tantrism (sometimes “Tantra”) is a relatively recent class of religious ritual and meditation that has its roots in 5th century India. The tantras are sometimes considered as advanced teachings that extend the basic tenets of several Indian religions including Buddhism and Hinduism.

98. 2010 Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __ : LLOSA

Mario Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian writer of renown, one of the most significant authors from Latin America by all accounts. Llosa is also very active politically, and in 1990 ran unsuccessfully for the Peruvian presidency.

105. Lhasa __ : APSO

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

106. Gumshoe : TEC

“Gumshoe” is a slang term for a private detective or private investigator (P.I.). Apparently the term “gumshoe” dates back to the early 1900s, and refers to the rubber-soled shoes popular with private detectives at that time.

108. First family brother : SETH

According to the Bible, Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, coming after Cain and Abel. Seth is the only other child of Adam and Eve who is mentioned by name. According to the Book of Genesis, Seth was born after Cain had slain his brother Abel.

109. Female leadership org. : YWCA

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) was founded in the mid-1800s about 50 years after the YMCA, although the two organizations have always been independent of each other. Having said that, some YWCA and YMCA organizations have amalgamated at the local level and often share facilities. The YWCA is quite the organization, and is the largest women’s group in the whole world.

113. Meteor tail? : -ITE

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body travelling through space. Once in the atmosphere, the meteoroid is referred to as a “meteor” or “shooting star”. Almost all meteoroids burn up, but if one is large enough to survive and reach the ground then we call it a meteorite. The word “meteor” comes from the Greek “meteōros” meaning “high in the air”.

115. Trojans’ sch. : USC

The athletic teams of the University of Southern California are called the USC Trojans. The women’s teams are also called the Trojans, but are sometimes referred to as Women of Troy.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. Best Supporting Actor nominee for “Forrest Gump” : SINISE

7. Terra __ : FIRMA

12. Glass raiser’s opening : A TOAST …

18. Warren Buffett, for one : OMAHAN

19. Get off : DETRAIN

21. Entertain at bedtime : READ TO

22. Traffic jam? : TOYOTA JEEP AUDI KIA FORD

25. Giraffe cousin : OKAPI

26. Sitcom planet : ORK

27. Less concerned with your privacy : NOSIER

28. Was second to none : LED

29. Like many Richard Matheson stories : EERIE

31. Holy : SACRED

33. Remains at the butcher : OFFAL

35. Raspberry jam? : YOU STINK! BOO HISS! GO HOME!

40. Ticks off : ANNOYS

41. Nashville venue : OPRY

42. Traditional tomato paste fruit : ROMA

43. Moldova currency : LEU

44. Just make : EKE OUT

47. Oversupply : GLUT

49. Pub order, briefly : IPA

52. Log jam? : ELM FIR OAK PINE ASH CEDAR

58. Belgian expressionist James : ENSOR

59. Fed lines : CUED

60. __ Mae : SALLIE

61. Kim’s last name, in Kipling’s novel : O’HARA

64. U.S. Army specialists’ underlings: Abbr. : PFCS

67. __ Mawr: Pennsylvania college town : BRYN

69. Braves, but not Indians, briefly : NLERS

70. Stinging crawler : RED ANT

72. Of the flock : LAIC

74. Moistening liquid : BASTE

76. Pearl jam? : BAILEY HARBOR BUCK ONION (Pearl BAILEY, Pearl HARBOR, Pearl BUCK, pearl ONION)

83. Penn in NYC, e.g. : STN

84. 9, at times: Abbr. : SEPT

85. Modern research aid : GOOGLE

86. Praise that’s usually not prose : ODE

87. New Look designer : DIOR

89. Rope fiber : HEMP

90. Follow-up to a finish : EPILOG

93. Space jam? : VENUS NEPTUNE PLUTO MARS

100. “Let’s give __” : IT A GO

101. Reach, as great heights : SOAR TO

102. Sock material : LISLE

103. Urgent knock : RAP

104. Morning prayers : MATINS

106. Pinky __ : TOE

107. Snap course : EASY A

111. Paper jam? : GLOBE POST TIMES SUN NEWS

116. Gretzky’s first NHL team : OILERS

117. Hot stuff : EROTICA

118. Pain in the side : STITCH

119. Stated with authority : SAID SO

120. Hamlet and others : DANES

121. Hong Kong airline __ Pacific : CATHAY

Down

1. Explorer Hernando de __ : SOTO

2. “Don’t worry about me” : I’M OK

3. Poland Spring competitor : NAYA

4. “With any luck!” : I HOPE SO!

5. Fullness : SATIETY

6. “Bambi” doe : ENA

7. Data-uploading initials : FTP

8. Author Levin : IRA

9. Off-color, as a joke : RAUNCHY

10. Olympic skater Ito : MIDORI

11. Liqueur-flavoring plants : ANISES

12. Two-time Indy 500 champ Luyendyk : ARIE

13. Spot for a spot : TEAROOM

14. Clumsy sort : OAF

15. Big name in menswear : ADOLFO

16. Transfer for immediate viewing : STREAM

17. Take baby steps : TODDLE

19. “Criminal Minds” agent Morgan : DEREK

20. Fearful sound : EEK!

23. Participate : JOIN

24. Former apparel store with a backwards letter in its name : KIDS “R” US

30. Staircase components : RISERS

31. Absorb : SOP UP

32. __ valve: heart part : AORTIC

34. Govt. mortgage agency : FHA

35. Beinecke Library site : YALE

36. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L

37. Coin word : UNUM

38. Hire : BOOK

39. Black-clad subculturists : GOTHS

45. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP

46. Winter hat feature : EARFLAP

47. “The Waltons” actor Will : GEER

48. Insect making spotty appearances? : LADYBUG

49. Just sitting, say : IDLE

50. Scissors need : PAIR

51. Son of Zeus : ARES

53. Wild : FERAL

54. Cockamamie : INANE

55. Central point : NUB

56. “The Divine Comedy” division : CANTO

57. Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy” : ELLEN

61. Eyes, poetically : ORBS

62. Pressure : HEAT

63. Server’s edge : AD IN

65. Amazon icon : CART

66. Bro or sis : SIB

68. Shaker contents, chemically : NACL

71. Boxing’s “Iron Mike” : TYSON

73. Convincing : COGENT

75. ’50s-’60s country singer McDonald : SKEETS

77. Glass raiser’s opening : HERE’S TO …

78. “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs” speaker : ROMEO

79. 1995 comet observer : BOPP

80. Kansas city : IOLA

81. Olfactory stimulus : ODOR

82. Requirements for prints, for short : NEGS

87. Was really into : DUG

88. Related compounds : ISOMERS

89. Author Zora Neale __ : HURSTON

91. Cornmeal dish : POLENTA

92. “My mind is made up!” : I MEAN IT!

93. Many September births : VIRGOS

94. List closing : ET ALIA

95. City near Monte Vesuvio : NAPOLI

96. Composed : POISED

97. Indian spiritual tradition : TANTRA

98. 2010 Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __ : LLOSA

99. Road reversals, for short : U-IES

105. Lhasa __ : APSO

106. Gumshoe : TEC

108. First family brother : SETH

109. Female leadership org. : YWCA

110. Pale : ASHY

112. Bunk, e.g. : BED

113. Meteor tail? : -ITE

114. Start to represent? : MIS-

115. Trojans’ sch. : USC

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