LA Times Crossword 1 Aug 21, Sunday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Color Coordinated

Themed answers are in the across-direction, and come in side-by-side pairs. The answer on the left is color-related, and is used in the clue for the answer on the right:

  • 22A One of a West Coast trio : BLUE STATE
  • 24A 22-Across, emotionally : MELANCHOLY
  • 36A Lover with ulterior motives : GOLD DIGGER
  • 39A 36-Across, in the Old West : FORTY-NINER
  • 52A Street warning : YELLOW LIGHT
  • 56A 52-Across, from the sky : SUNBEAM
  • 74A Lucille Ball, e.g. : REDHEAD
  • 76A 74-Across, in the Cold War : FIDEL CASTRO
  • 90A Big name in frozen food : GREEN GIANT
  • 93A 90-Across, in the forest : DOUGLAS FIR
  • 106A Presidential address : WHITE HOUSE
  • 108A 106-Across, at a winter carnival : ICE PALACE

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

Bill’s time: 13m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

18 Mallorca o Menorca : ISLA

The Island of Majorca (“Isla Mallorca” in Spanish) is Spain’s largest island, and is located in the Mediterranean Sea. The population of the island ballooned over the past few decades as Majorca became a mecca for tourists from all over Europe.

The island of Minorca in the Mediterranean takes its name from the larger neighboring island of Majorca. The names come from the Latin “Insula Minor” meaning “Minor Island” and “Insula Major” meaning “Major Island”. The island is known as “Minorca” in English, and “Menorca” in Spanish and Catalan.

20 Barrie’s “man who stabbed without offence” : SMEE

In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s bosun and right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on a pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

22 One of a West Coast trio : BLUE STATE

On political maps, red states are usually Republican and blue states usually Democrat. The designation of red and blue states is a very recent concept, only introduced in the 2000 presidential election by TV journalist, the late Tim Russert. In retrospect, the choice of colors is surprising, as in other democracies around the world red is usually used to describe left-leaning socialist parties (the reds under the bed!), and blue is used for conservative right-wing parties. In election cycles, swing/battleground states are often depicted in purple.

27 Yoda trainees : JEDIS

The Jedi are the good guys in the “Star Wars” series of movies. The most famous Jedi knights from the films are Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness, and later Ewan McGregor) and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). Well, they’re my favorites anyway …

28 Subway gates : STILES

A stile is a structure allowing people to pass over or through a fence, while at the same time preventing livestock from escaping. The derivative term “turnstile” describes a revolving structure in a wall or fence that allows the controlled passage of people.

30 Jabbers : PRATES

To prate is to talk idly and at length, and is a word that comes to us from the Middle Dutch “praten”, meaning “to talk or chatter”.

34 __-Caps : SNO

Sno-Caps are a brand of candy usually only available in movie theaters. Sno-caps have been around since the 1920s, would you believe?

35 NFL brother of Peyton : ELI

Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

36 Lover with ulterior motives : GOLD DIGGER
39 36-Across, in the Old West : FORTY-NINER

The California gold rush actually started in 1848. The first to exploit the find were those people already in California. By 1849 the word had spread and gold-seekers started to arrive from all over the world. The “out-of-towners” who arrived in 1849 became known as forty-niners.

44 Agra attire : SARIS

Agra is a medieval city on the banks of the river Yamuna in India. Agra was also the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1658. The city is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

  • The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
  • Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
  • Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.

45 Blunted blade : EPEE

The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. It is similar to a foil and sabre, although the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. The épée is similar to a foil and sabre, although the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.

49 PC-to-PC hookup : LAN

Local area network (LAN)

50 Self-Operating Napkin creator Goldberg : RUBE

Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist, engineer and inventor who became famous for designing overly-complicated gadgets to perform the simplest of tasks. Goldberg produced a famous series of cartoons depicting such designs. Such was the success of his work, the Merriam-Webster dictionary accepted the phrase “Rube Goldberg” as an adjective in 1931, an adjective meaning “accomplishing something simple through complex means”.

51 1987 Costner role : NESS

“The Untouchables” is a 1957 memoir by famed Prohibition agent Eliot Ness. The book was adapted into a TV show of the same name in the late fifties and early sixties, starring Robert Stack as Ness. The same memoir was the basis of the 1987 film, again of the same name, with Kevin Costner in the lead role.

52 Street warning : YELLOW LIGHT

The first traffic lights date back to 1868 when they were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They resembled the signals already in use for trains, with semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps for nighttime use. That first system was operated manually, by a policeman at the base. Sadly, one police officer was killed just one year after the light’s installation, when the gas system exploded.

58 “… __ the set of sun”: “Macbeth” : ERE

“That will be ere the set of sun” is a line from William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. It is a line that is spoken by one of the three witches.

59 Subatomic particle : PION

“Pion” is short for “pi meson”, and is the name given to a subatomic particle.

60 Big-eyed tyke : OWLET

A baby owl is an owlet. The term “owlet” can also be used for the adults of the smaller species of owls.

62 GHWB predecessor : RWR

President Ronald Reagan (RWR) used the middle name “Wilson”, as his mother was born Nelle Wilson.

President George W. Bush (GWB) is named for his father, George H. W. Bush (GHWB). The “W” in the name of both father and son stands for “Walker”. Walker was the family name of President George H. W. Bush’s mother, Dorothy Walker.

63 Syracuse locale: Abbr. : NYS

Syracuse is a large city in Central New York. The settlement that eventually became Syracuse was given its name in 1825, in honor of the city of Syracuse in Sicily. It just so happens that the US company that employed me in Ireland transferred me to Syracuse, New York, way back in 1983. As a result, I have fond memories of the city, and visit as often as I can …

64 RR map dot : STN

A station (“stn.” or “sta.”) is a railroad (RR) or bus stop.

65 High winds : OBOES

The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”.

66 Kind of sauce or milk : SOY

What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

67 Stat on a dealer’s sticker : MPG

Miles per gallon (mpg)

71 Sing like Dean Martin : CROON

“Dean Martin” was the stage name of singer and actor Dino Crocetti. Martin was famous for his numerous hit songs such as “That’s Amore”, “Volare” and “Everybody Loves Somebody”, as well as his film career with Jerry Lewis. Off screen, Martin was a member of the famous “Rat Pack” as he was a great friend of Frank Sinatra. Martin was always associated with Las Vegas and when he passed away in 1995 the lights on the strip were dimmed in his honor.

74 Lucille Ball, e.g. : REDHEAD
76 74-Across, in the Cold War : FIDEL CASTRO

Lucille Ball was at the height of her success while she was married to Desi Arnaz. The couple met in 1940 and not long afterwards eloped. Lucy had several miscarriages before she gave birth to her first child in 1951, just one month before her fortieth birthday. A year and a half later, while “I Love Lucy” was garnering large audiences, she became pregnant with her second child, a pregnancy that was written into the television show’s script. In fact, the day that Lucy gave birth on the show, was the same day that she gave birth in real life.

Fidel Castro studied law at the University of Havana and there became a follower of left-wing ideals. He launched his first rebellion against Cuban president Fulgencio Batista in 1953, which landed him in jail for a year. He later led rebels in a guerrilla war against the Cuban government, which led to the Cuban Revolution and the overthrow of Batista in 1959. Castro took control of the country, and immediately formed a strong relationship with the Soviet Union. Concern over the alliance in the US led to the botched Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. There followed the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Fidel Castro started to transfer power to his brother Raúl in 2008, and passed away in 2016.

79 Phony (up) : HOKE

“To hoke” is a slang term meaning “to create a false impression”. The term derives from the noun “hokum”. “Hokum” was originally theater slang, meaning “melodramatic, exaggerated acting”. Now the term just means “empty talk”. It is also the root for our word “hokey” meaning “silly, old-fashioned”.

80 PG-13 issuing org. : MPAA

The Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film-rating system (PG-13, R, etc.) is purely voluntary and is not backed by any law. Movie theaters agree to abide by the rules that come with the MPAA ratings in exchange for access to new movies.

82 Maracanã Stadium city : RIO

Maracanã Stadium is a soccer stadium that opened in 1950, when it acted as host for that year’s FIFA World Cup. The facility was partially rebuilt in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It was also used during the 2016 Summer Olympics, most notably for the opening and closing ceremonies.

83 HR dept. concern : RELO

Relocate (relo)

84 “Othello” villain : IAGO

Iago is the schemer in Shakespeare’s “Othello”. He is a soldier who fought alongside Othello and feels hard done by, missing out on promotion. Iago hatches a plot designed to discredit his rival Cassio by insinuating that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, Othello’s wife.

85 Seed coat : ARIL

The casing surrounding many seeds is called the aril, and it may be quite fleshy. This fruit-like characteristic makes it desirable as a food and hence aids in the dispersion of the seeds.

88 Turturro of “The Sopranos” : AIDA

Actress Aida Turturro is best known for playing Tony Soprano’s elder sister Janice on the TV drama “The Sopranos”.

90 Big name in frozen food : GREEN GIANT
93 90-Across, in the forest : DOUGLAS FIR

The Jolly Green Giant was introduced by Minnesota Valley Canning in 1925 to help sell the company’s peas. He was named after one of the varieties of pea that the company sold, the “Green Giant”. The Jolly Green Giant first appeared in a television commercial in 1953, walking through a valley with young boys running around at his feet. That first commercial proved to be so scary for younger viewers that it was immediately pulled off the air. In 1972, the Jolly Green Giant was given an apprentice called the Little Green Sprout.

Various species of Douglas fir are native to North and Central America, and to Asia. The tree gets its name from the Scottish botanist David Douglas, who introduced the species into Europe.

95 “Catch-22” pilot : ORR

The bomber pilot in Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” is named Orr. He has no other name, just “Orr”.

104 Mountain ridge : ARETE

An arete is a ridge of rock defining the border between two parallel valleys that have been formed by glaciation. If this ridge is rounded, it is called a “col”. However if it is “sharpened”, with rock falling away due to successive freezing and thawing, then it is called an “arete”. “Arête“ is the French word for “fish bone”.

106 Presidential address : WHITE HOUSE
108 106-Across, at a winter carnival : ICE PALACE

The White House was designed by an Irishman. James Hoban from County Kilkenny emigrated to the US in his twenties, and won the design competition for the White House in 1792.

An ice palace is a temporary structure, one made from blocks of ice. The first such structure was built on the order of the Empress Anna in Saint Petersburg, Russia in the winter of 1739. That particular ice palace was an elaborate affair, erected during the celebrations following Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Empire. The palace survived for several months, eventually melting at the start of the following summer.

112 “Smooth Operator” singer : SADE

Singer Sade’s real name is Helen Folasade Adu. Although born in Nigeria, Sade grew up and lives in the UK. She was the lead vocalist for the English group Sade, and adopted the name of the band. The band’s biggest hits were “Smooth Operator” (1984) and “The Sweetest Taboo” (1985).

113 Island nation east of Fiji : TONGA

The Kingdom of Tonga is made up of 176 islands in the South Pacific, 52 of which are inhabited and scattered over an area of 270,000 square miles. Tonga was given the name Friendly Islands in 1773 when Captain James Cook first landed there, a reference to the warm reception given to the visitors. The nation’s capital is the city of Nukuʻalofa on the island of Tongatapu.

The island nation of Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific made up of over 330 islands, 110 of which are inhabited. Fiji was occupied by the British for over a century and finally gained its independence in 1970.

114 Lead-in to second : NANO-

“Nanosecond” is more correctly abbreviated to “ns” (as opposed to “nsec”) and really is a tiny amount of time: one billionth of a second.

115 Four-legged “king” : LION

A group of lions is known as a pride. It’s possible that the term “pride”, in this context, derives from the Latin “praeda” meaning “prey”.

116 “Chopped” host Allen : TED

Ted Allen is a TV personality who found fame as the food and wine expert on the Bravo show “Queer Eye”. He started as host of the cooking competition show “Chopped” in 2009.

118 Belmonts lead singer : DION

Dion and the Belmonts were a vocal group from the fifties who had success in the late fifties. The four singers were from the Bronx in New York, with two living on Belmont Avenue, hence the name that was chosen. Perhaps the biggest hits for Dion and the Belmonts were “A Teenager in Love” and “Where or When”.

119 EPA concern : SMOG

“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s. Several cities around the world have a reputation of being particularly smoggy. For example, the most smog-plagued city in Latin America is Mexico City, which is located in a highland “bowl” that traps industrial and vehicle pollution.

Down

1 Old USSR espionage gp. : KGB

The “Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti” (KGB) was the national security agency of the Soviet Union until 1991. The KGB was dissolved after the agency’s chairman led a failed attempt at a coup d’état designed to depose President Mikhail Gorbachev.

3 Paltry amount : SOU

A sou is an old French coin. We use the term “sou” to mean “an almost worthless amount”.

The contemporary adjective “paltry” comes from an older use of “paltry” as a noun meaning a “worthless thing”.

5 Dividing-cell process : MITOSIS

Mitosis is the process by which the complement of chromosomes in a cell nucleus replicates and then divides into two identical sets of new chromosomes. Mitosis is followed by division of the cell itself, resulting in two identical cells. Meiosis is a special type of cell division that results in reproductive cells that have half the full complement of chromosomes. The reproductive cells join together, with one cell coming from each parent, to form a new cell with a full complement of chromosomes. That new cell develops into offspring that have characteristics of both parents.

7 Der __: Adenauer epithet : ALTE

Konrad Adenauer was the first Chancellor of West Germany after WWII, taking office in 1949 at the age of 73. Adenauer was 87 years old when he left office. Understandably perhaps, his nickname was “Der Alte”, German for “the old man”. Adenauer spent much of WWII in prison, courtesy of Herr Hitler.

8 Sassy West : MAE

Comic actress Mae West can be quoted so easily, as she had so many great lines delivered so well. Here are a few:

  • When I’m good, I’m very good. When I’m bad, I’m better.
  • When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before.
  • I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.
  • Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution yet.
  • I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
  • Why don’t you come on up and see me sometime — when I’ve got nothin’ on but the radio.
  • It’s better to be looked over than overlooked.
  • To err is human, but it feels divine.
  • I like my clothes to be tight enough to show I’m a woman, but loose enough to show I’m a lady.
  • I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.
  • Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

11 Colombian city : CALI

In terms of population, Cali is the third largest city in Colombia (after Bogotá and Medellin). Santiago de Cali (the full name for the city) lies in western Colombia. Apparently, Cali is a destination for “medical tourists”. The city’s surgeons have a reputation for being experts in cosmetic surgery and so folks head there looking for a “cheap” nose job. Cali has also been historically associated with the illegal drug trade and money laundering.

13 Highest Scrabble letter value : TEN

The game of Scrabble has been produced in many international versions, and each of these editions has its own tile distribution to suit the local language. For example, in English we have two tiles worth ten points: one “Q” and one “Z”. If you play the game in French then there are five tiles worth ten points: one “K”, one “W”, one “X”, one “Y” and one “Z”.

14 Kutcher of “That ’70s Show” : ASHTON

Ashton Kutcher played the character Michael Kelso on Fox’s “That ‘70s Show”. Kelso was Kutcher’s breakthrough acting role. Kutcher then starred in the sitcom “Two and a Half Men”, replacing the “disgraced” Charlie Sheen. In 2009, Kutcher became the first user on Twitter to get over 1 million followers. I wasn’t one of them …

15 Paris possessive : A MOI

“À moi” (literally “to me”) is French for “mine”.

16 Neoclassical movement based on Greek ideals : HELLENISM

Someone from Greece can be called a Hellene. “Ellas” is the Greek word for “Greece”, the name of the country. Greece is also known as the “Hellenic” Republic.

25 “Teach Your Children” group, initially : CSNY

“Teach Your Children” is a song released by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (CSNY) in 1970. For the recording, there was a deal made by CSNY with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia agreed to play pedal steel guitar for “Teach Your Children”. In return, CSNY agreed to help the Grateful Dead with their vocal harmonies.

29 Connery and McCartney : SIRS

Sean Connery was most famous for playing the original James Bond in the successful series of movies. Back in his native Scotland, Connery was very active in politics and was a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party. He actively campaigned for Scottish independence from Britain and stated that he believed Scotland would achieve that goal within his own lifetime. That had not happened by the time Connery passed away in 2020.

The ex-Beatles bass player’s full name is Sir James Paul McCartney. “Paul” was knighted for his services to music in 1997.

30 Tour-organizing gp. : PGA

The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was founded in 1916 and today has its headquarters (unsurprisingly) in Florida, where so many golfers live. Back in 1916, the PGA was based in New York City.

32 Genetic variations : ALLELES

A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

34 Dutch Golden Age artist : STEEN

Jan Steen was a painter from the Netherlands who was active in the Dutch Golden Age, the 17th century. Steen’s most famous work is probably “The Feast of Saint Nicholas”, which we can see at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

37 Unit of volume : GALLON

The name of our fluid measure called a “gallon” ultimately comes from the Medieval Latin term “galleta” meaning “bucket, pail”.

38 Silo contents : GRAIN

“Silo” is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English. The term ultimately derives from the Greek “siros”, which described a pit in which one kept corn.

40 Numbered works : OPUSES

The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”. We sometimes use the plural “opuses” in English, but that just annoys me …

52 Desire : YEN

The word “yen”, meaning “urge”, has been around in English since the very early 1900s. It comes from the earlier word “yin” imported from Chinese, which was used in English to describe an intense craving for opium.

53 Narnia antagonist : WITCH

Apparently, it’s not certain how C. S. Lewis came to choose Narnia as the name of the fantasy world featured in his series of children’s books, including “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. There was an ancient city in Umbria that the Romans called Narnia, but there is no evidence of a link.

54 Large shoulder bag : HOBO

A hobo bag is a rather unstructured-looking, crescent-shaped bag with a long strap and soft sides that tends to slump when set down. It’s called a hobo bag because the shape resembles that of the bundle carried by archetypal hobos on the ends of sticks resting on their shoulders.

55 “Just the __ Us”: 1981 and 1998 hit : TWO OF

“Just the Two of Us” is best known as a song recorded in 1981 by Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers.Will Smith released a song with the same title that was heavily inspired by the 1981 original. The earlier song is about the relationship between a man and a woman. The later hit is about the relationship between a father and his son.

57 Rodeo challenge : BRONC

A bronco (also “bronc”) is a horse that is untamed. In Mexican Spanish “bronco” is a word for “horse”, and in the original Spanish “bronco” means “rough, rude”.

61 Director Riefenstahl : LENI

Leni Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer. She was a noted figure moving in Adolf Hitler’s circle, and her most famous film was a propaganda piece called “Triumph of the Will”. “Triumph of the Will” documents the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. We’ve all probably seen many excerpts, shots of huge crowds, Nazis marching with flags, and frenzied speeches from Hitler. Riefenstahl was arrested after the war and detained for a number of years but never found guilty of any crime. She lived a long life, a very long life. She was married for the second time in 2003, at the age of 101 years. She died just a few weeks later, as she had been suffering from cancer.

67 Insurance company with a longtime Peanuts-based ad campaign : METLIFE

MetLife is the familiar name for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. MetLife was founded way back in 1868, and is headquartered in New York City.

68 Like Weird Al songs : PARODIC

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

69 “Little” car of song : GTO

“Yeah, yeah, little GTO” are words appearing in the song “G.T.O”, the debut recording for the surf rock group from the sixties known as Ronny & the Daytonas.

70 Orange __ tea : PEKOE

A pekoe (or more commonly “orange pekoe”) is a medium-grade black tea. There is no orange flavor in an orange pekoe tea. The “orange” name most likely derived from the name of the trading company that brought the tea to Europe from Asia.

71 “Meet John Doe” director : CAPRA

I can’t tell you how many of Frank Capra’s movies are on my list of all-time favorites. He directed such classics as “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “Lost Horizon”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Meet John Doe”, “Arsenic and Old Lace” and the holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Capra was the first person to win three directorial Oscars: for “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” and “You Can’t Take It With You”. Capra also did his bit during WWII, enlisting just a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Given his great talent, and the fact that he enlisted at the relatively advanced age of 44, the US Army put him to work directing 11 documentary war films in the “Why We Fight” series, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

Frank Capra’s delightful comedy-drama “Meet John Doe” stars Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. Gary Cooper agreed to the role without even reading the script, as he had such respect for Capra after working with him on “Mr Deeds Goes to Town”.

72 Facetious five? : A-E-I-O-U

The vowels A,E, I, O and U appear in order in the word “facetious”.

74 “Agreed” : ROGER THAT

The term “roger”, meaning “yes” or “acknowledged”, comes from the world of radiotelephony. The British military used a phonetic alphabet in the fifties that included “Roger” to represent the letter “R”. As such, it became customary to say “Roger” when acknowledging a message, with R (Roger) standing for “received”.

78 Tongue twister merchandise : SEASHELLS

She sells seashells on the seashore.
The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
For if she sells seashells on the seashore
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

79 Soil-smoothing tools : HARROWS

Harrows and plows have similar uses, in that they both break up the soil. Ploughs are used to bring deep soil to the surface, and to bury weeds so that they decay and release nutrients. Harrows break up and smooth just the surface soil, often after plowing.

84 Borodin’s “Prince __” : IGOR

“Prince Igor” is an opera by the Russian composer, Alexander Borodin. Borodin died before he had finished “Prince Igor”, so it was completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. Music from “Prince Igor” and other Borodin works was used in the American musical “Kismet”.

86 Party time, casually : B’DAY

Birthday (b’day)

89 Ancient couples carrier : ARK

Genesis 6:19-20 states that Noah was instructed to take two animals of every kind into the ark. Later, in Genesis 7:2-3 Noah was instructed to take on board “every clean animal by sevens … male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth”. Apparently, “extras” (7 rather than 2) were needed for ritual sacrifice.

92 TV show with mashups : GLEE

The TV show “Glee” has proven to be very popular. The storyline focuses on a high school glee club in Lima, Ohio called New Directions.

Mashups are relatively new phenomena, and are songs created by blending elements of two songs to create another. Usually this involves overlaying the vocals of one song over the instrumental track of a second song.

94 Official records : ACTA

Actum (plural “acta”) is the Latin word for “deed”. “Acta” is used in English to describe many official records, including minutes, proceedings etc.

100 Adjutant : AIDE

An adjutant in the armed forces is a staff officer assigned to assist a commanding officer with administrative matters. The term “adjutant” comes from the Latin verb “adiutare” meaning “to help”.

101 Barfly’s binge : TOOT

“Toot” and “tear” are slang terms for a drinking binge.

102 Old character : RUNE

A rune is a character in an alphabet that is believed to have mysterious powers. In Norse mythology, the runic alphabet was said to have a divine origin.

103 Org. with an annual open tournament : USGA

Golf’s US Open Championship is held on the third Sunday of every June, which also happens to be Father’s Day. The first US Open was held in 1894. 36 holes were played over one day on a 9-hole course in Newport, Rhode Island.

104 Trendy berry : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) 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.

105 Nevada slots spot : RENO

The city of Reno’s economy took off when open gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Within a short time, a syndicate had built the Bank Club in Reno, which was the largest casino in the world at the time.

107 Town name word suggesting higher elev. : HTS

Heights (hts.)

109 Draw a bead on : AIM

To draw a bead on something is to take aim at it. The “bead” in question is the front sight of a gun.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Show of affection : KISS
5 Hat-tipper’s word : MA’AM
9 Implied : TACIT
14 Spa sigh : AAH!
17 Shine : GLOW
18 Mallorca o Menorca : ISLA
19 “It matters to me” : I CARE
20 Barrie’s “man who stabbed without offence” : SMEE
22 One of a West Coast trio : BLUE STATE
24 22-Across, emotionally : MELANCHOLY
26 Split to unite : ELOPE
27 Yoda trainees : JEDIS
28 Subway gates : STILES
30 Jabbers : PRATES
33 Unwise, as a choice : BAD
34 __-Caps : SNO
35 NFL brother of Peyton : ELI
36 Lover with ulterior motives : GOLD DIGGER
39 36-Across, in the Old West : FORTY-NINER
43 Accomplished : ABLE
44 Agra attire : SARIS
45 Blunted blade : EPEE
46 Makes sense : FITS
47 Exhausted : BEAT
49 PC-to-PC hookup : LAN
50 Self-Operating Napkin creator Goldberg : RUBE
51 1987 Costner role : NESS
52 Street warning : YELLOW LIGHT
56 52-Across, from the sky : SUNBEAM
58 “… __ the set of sun”: “Macbeth” : ERE
59 Subatomic particle : PION
60 Big-eyed tyke : OWLET
62 GHWB predecessor : RWR
63 Syracuse locale: Abbr. : NYS
64 RR map dot : STN
65 High winds : OBOES
66 Kind of sauce or milk : SOY
67 Stat on a dealer’s sticker : MPG
70 Photo : PIC
71 Sing like Dean Martin : CROON
72 Bang-up : A-ONE
73 Retract, as one’s words : EAT
74 Lucille Ball, e.g. : REDHEAD
76 74-Across, in the Cold War : FIDEL CASTRO
79 Phony (up) : HOKE
80 PG-13 issuing org. : MPAA
82 Maracanã Stadium city : RIO
83 HR dept. concern : RELO
84 “Othello” villain : IAGO
85 Seed coat : ARIL
86 Blessings : BOONS
88 Turturro of “The Sopranos” : AIDA
90 Big name in frozen food : GREEN GIANT
93 90-Across, in the forest : DOUGLAS FIR
95 “Catch-22” pilot : ORR
96 Annex : ELL
97 Misunderstanding metaphor : GAP
98 Online payment option : E-CHECK
99 Spin : ROTATE
101 Indeed : TRULY
104 Mountain ridge : ARETE
106 Presidential address : WHITE HOUSE
108 106-Across, at a winter carnival : ICE PALACE
112 “Smooth Operator” singer : SADE
113 Island nation east of Fiji : TONGA
114 Lead-in to second : NANO-
115 Four-legged “king” : LION
116 “Chopped” host Allen : TED
117 Anger : STEAM
118 Belmonts lead singer : DION
119 EPA concern : SMOG

Down

1 Old USSR espionage gp. : KGB
2 Unfavorable, as wind : ILL
3 Paltry amount : SOU
4 “That’s a terrific price” : SWEET DEAL
5 Dividing-cell process : MITOSIS
6 “By yesterday!” : ASAP!
7 Der __: Adenauer epithet : ALTE
8 Sassy West : MAE
9 Like major sports games except baseball : TIMED
10 Nailed : ACED
11 Colombian city : CALI
12 Srs.’ income sources : IRAS
13 Highest Scrabble letter value : TEN
14 Kutcher of “That ’70s Show” : ASHTON
15 Paris possessive : A MOI
16 Neoclassical movement based on Greek ideals : HELLENISM
21 Lace securers : EYELETS
23 Snow coaster : SLED
25 “Teach Your Children” group, initially : CSNY
27 Frazzles : JARS
29 Connery and McCartney : SIRS
30 Tour-organizing gp. : PGA
31 Highway event? : ROBBERY
32 Genetic variations : ALLELES
33 Existence : BEING
34 Dutch Golden Age artist : STEEN
37 Unit of volume : GALLON
38 Silo contents : GRAIN
39 Backin’ : FER
40 Numbered works : OPUSES
41 Confute : REBUT
42 Words preceding bad news : I FEAR …
48 On the open deck : TOPSIDE
51 Countdown follower : NEW YEAR
52 Desire : YEN
53 Narnia antagonist : WITCH
54 Large shoulder bag : HOBO
55 “Just the __ Us”: 1981 and 1998 hit : TWO OF
57 Rodeo challenge : BRONC
61 Director Riefenstahl : LENI
65 Decree : ORDAIN
66 “Bye now” : SO LONG
67 Insurance company with a longtime Peanuts-based ad campaign : METLIFE
68 Like Weird Al songs : PARODIC
69 “Little” car of song : GTO
70 Orange __ tea : PEKOE
71 “Meet John Doe” director : CAPRA
72 Facetious five? : A-E-I-O-U
74 “Agreed” : ROGER THAT
75 In-box contents : EMAIL
77 Sag : DROOP
78 Tongue twister merchandise : SEASHELLS
79 Soil-smoothing tools : HARROWS
81 PC shortcut key : ALT
84 Borodin’s “Prince __” : IGOR
86 Party time, casually : B’DAY
87 Think about : SLEEP ON
89 Ancient couples carrier : ARK
91 Made after taxes : NETTED
92 TV show with mashups : GLEE
94 Official records : ACTA
97 Flash of light : GLEAM
100 Adjutant : AIDE
101 Barfly’s binge : TOOT
102 Old character : RUNE
103 Org. with an annual open tournament : USGA
104 Trendy berry : ACAI
105 Nevada slots spot : RENO
107 Town name word suggesting higher elev. : HTS
108 Ky. neighbor : IND
109 Draw a bead on : AIM
110 Bit of baby talk : COO
111 Coll. major : ENG