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Constructed by: David Alfred Bywaters
Edited by: Rich Norris
Today’s Theme: Coming to Terms
Themed answers are common TERMS with the letter string “C-O-M” inserted:
- 23A Grill a bit too long? : COMBUST ONE’S CHOPS (from “bust one’s chops”)
- 39A “No Time for Sergeants,” e.g.? : NONCOM FICTION (from “nonfiction”)
- 57A Palatial mansion navigation need? : HALL COMPASS (from “hall pass”)
- 69A TV series with funny animals? : PET SITCOM (from “pet-sit”)
- 79A Fresh food fight? : FRUIT COMBAT (from “fruit bat”)
- 93A Endorse certain property barriers? : COMMEND FENCES (from “mend fences”)
- 114A Immortal confection? : COMFIT FOR THE GODS (from “fit for the gods”)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 13m 44s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 Fountain favorite : MALTED
Walgreens claims to have introduced the malted milkshake, back in 1922.
21 The Pac-12’s Sun Devils: Abbr. : ASU
Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.
22 Fall lead-in? : PRAT-
“Prat” is a slang term for the buttocks. A “prat-fall” is when someone falls and lands on the buttocks. The term “prat” is also British slang for “contemptible person”.
27 Title TV role for Sandra Oh : EVE
“Killing Eve” is a spy thriller series about an MI5 agent on the trail of a female assassin. The agent is played by Canadian actress Sandra Oh, and the assassin by English actress Jodie Comer. The storyline comes from a series of novellas titled “Codename Villanelle” by British author Luke Jennings.
Canadian actress Sandra Oh is very much associated with the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy”, and more recently with the role of Eve Polastri on “Killing Eve” . However, my favorite of Oh’s performances are in the movies “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “Sideways”.
28 Comme une jeune fille : PETITE
“Petite” is the French word for “small”, when applied to a feminine noun.
In French, one might be “petite” (small), “comme une jeune fille” (like a young girl/lady).
31 Oppressive ruler : DESPOT
A despot is a ruler with absolute power, and often one who wields that power oppressively. “Despot” is an old French term from the 14th century that is ultimately derived from the Greek “despotes” meaning “master of a household, absolute ruler”.
36 __ bean : PINTO
Pinto beans are so-called because their skins have a mottled (“pinto”) appearance.
39 “No Time for Sergeants,” e.g.? : NONCOM FICTION (from “nonfiction”)
“No Time for Sergeants” is a 1954 novel by Mac Hyman. It is about a backwoods man who is drafted into the US Army Air Forces during WWII. Ira Levin adapted the novel for television in 1955, with Andy Griffith taking the lead role of Will Stockdale. Griffith also played Stockdale in a stage version of Levin’s teleplay that ran for a couple of years in the mid-fifties. Griffith reprised the role yet again in a 1958 movie adaptation. By the time a “No Time for Sergeants” sitcom was developed, Griffiths had his own TV show, and so Stockdale was played by Sammy Jackson.
42 Venomous slitherers : ASPS
The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt.
45 Text letters often in blue : URL
An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).
52 Fishing nets : SEINES
A seine is a type of fishing net. It is long and thin, with floats along one long edge (the top) and weights along the bottom edge so that it hangs down in the water. A seine is usually paid out into the water from a boat called a seiner, as the vessel moves slowly in a circle driving fish into the center of the net.
54 Tough H.S. tests : APS
The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers college-level courses to kids who are still in high school (HS). After being tested at the end of an AP course, successful students receive credits that count towards a college degree.
57 Palatial mansion navigation need? : HALL COMPASS (from “hall pass”)
Our word “palace” ultimately comes from the name of Rome’s Palatine Hill, “Mons Palatinus” in Latin. The original “palace” was the house of Augustus Caesar, which stood on the Palatine Hill.
61 Old Norse poetic work : EDDA
“Poetic Edda” and “Prose Edda” are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in 13th-century Iceland.
62 Wild way to run : AMOK
The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had a good reason for that frenzy …
66 Na+ or Cl- : ION
Sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt) is an ionic compound. It comprises a crystal lattice made up of large chloride (Cl–) ions in a cubic structure, with smaller sodium (Na+) ions in between the chlorides.
67 “The Munsters” matriarch : LILY
Yvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-American actress with a string of appearances in Hollywood movies in the forties and fifties. In the sixties, she turned to television, playing Lily Munster on the comedy show “The Munsters”.
“The Munsters” is a sitcom about a family of harmless monsters that ran at the same time as “The Addams Family”, a show with a similar storyline. “The Munsters” was produced by the same team that created “Leave It to Beaver”.
71 Host : EMCEE
The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism used for a Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.
73 Beer nickname : BUD
The American beer Budweiser (often shortened to “Bud”) is named for the Czech town of Budweis (“České Budějovice” in Czech). The name is the subject of a dispute as here is an original Czech beer with a similar name, Budweiser Budvar. American Budweiser is sold in most European countries as “Bud”.
74 Joan __ : OF ARC
Joan of Arc (also “Jeanne d’Arc”, her birth name) led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured, Joan was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. In fact, after the fire died down, the executioner raked the coals to display the charred body, proving Joan had died, and then burned the corpse again, twice, so that relics could not be collected. The remaining ashes were then cast into the Seine River. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.
75 Name on the “Robot” sci-fi series : ISAAC
Science fiction author Isaac Asimov wrote a marvelous collection of short stories titled “I, Robot” that were first published together in 1950. In the stories, he makes repeated reference to the Three Laws of Robotics, which he introduced in the story “Runaround”, first published in 1942. The three laws are:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
79 Fresh food fight? : FRUIT COMBAT (from “fruit bat”)
The genus of bats known as fruit bats are also commonly referred to as flying foxes. Their natural habits are found mainly in South Asia, Australia and East Africa.
83 Neckwear accessory : TIE PIN
I used to wear a tie pin (or “tie tack, tie tac”) in place of a tie clip many moons ago, but it just left little holes in my expensive silk ties!
86 Prefix with cumulus : ALTO-
Altocumulus clouds are globular clouds seen in layers at medium altitudes. The name comes from the Latin “altus” meaning “high”, and “cumulus” meaning “heaped”.
101 Commercial bigwigs : AD EXECS
A bigwig is someone important. The use of the term “bigwig” harks back to the days when men of authority and rank wore … big wigs.
103 Less verbose : TERSER
Someone described as “verbose” is said to use too many words. The term comes from the Latin “verbum” meaning “word”.
108 Grooming style named for a continent : AFRO
The Carthaginian Republic was centered on the city of Carthage, the ruins of which are located on the coast of modern-day Tunisia. The Latin name for the people of Carthage was “Afri”. When the Romans took over Carthage, they created a province they called “Africa”. That name extended over time to include the whole continent.
112 Miembro de la familia : TIO
In Spanish, a “tio” (uncle) is a “miembro de la familia” (member of the family).
113 “Hunny” lover : POOH
Winnie-the-Pooh’s favorite food is “hunny”, i.e. “honey”.
114 Immortal confection? : COMFIT FOR THE GODS (from “fit for the gods”)
A comfit is a candy consisting of perhaps a piece of fruit, a nut or a seed, coated with sugar. “Comfit” comes from the Old French “confit” meaning “preserved fruit”.
120 Court errors : FAULTS
That could be tennis, for example.
121 Confused conflict : MELEE
Our term “melee” comes from the French “mêlée”, and in both languages the word means “confused fight”.
122 Oolong and pekoe : TEAS
The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon” or “dark dragon”.
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.
123 Boot a grounder, say : ERR
That would be baseball.
124 Joint effort, briefly : COLLAB
Collaboration (collab)
Down
3 Reference library array : TOMES
“Tome” first came into English from the Latin “tomus” which means “section of a book”. The original usage in English was for a single volume in a multi-volume work. By the late 16th century, “tome” had come to mean “large book”.
6 Apple juice eponym : MOTT
Samuel R. Mott was a producer of apple cider and vinegar. In 1842 he founded his own company to market and sell his products. The Mott’s company owns brands such as Mr & Mrs T, Hawaiian Punch and ReaLime/ReaLemon.
8 Far from festive : LENTEN
In Latin, the Christian season that is now called “Lent” was termed “quadragesima” (meaning “fortieth”), a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. When the church began its move in the Middle Ages towards using the vernacular, the term “Lent” was introduced. “Lent” comes from “lenz”, the German word for “spring”.
10 Harris and a horse : EDS
Ed Harris is a very talented actor, one noted for two great performances in movies about the US Space Program. Harris played John Glenn in “The Right Stuff” in 1983, his “breakthrough” role. Twelve years later he had a “stellar” performance as flight director Gene Kranz in “Apollo 13”.
The sitcom “Mister Ed” first aired in 1961 and ran for almost five years. It was a very successful show (and even made it to Ireland!). Mister Ed, the talking horse, was a palomino that had the real name of Bamboo Harvester. Mister Ed’s “voice” was that of actor Allan “Rocky” Lane, a star of a lot of B-movie westerns from the forties and fifties. In the show, Mister Ed would only talk to the lead (human) character Wilbur, played by Alan Young, leading to some hilarious situations. Mister Ed had a stunt double and stand-in for the show, another horse called Pumpkin. Pumpkin later made frequent appearances on the show “Green Acres”.
11 Happy companion? : DOC
In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:
- Doc (the leader of the group)
- Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
- Happy
- Sleepy
- Bashful
- Sneezy
- Dopey
12 20th-century Chinese ideology : MAOISM
The Maoist philosophy holds that the agrarian worker, as opposed to the more general working class, is the driving force in transforming from a capitalist society into a socialist society.
13 “Around the Horn” channel : ESPN
“Around the Horn” is a 30-minute sports roundup aired every day on ESPN. I’m told that the show takes the format of a debating panel game.
14 Elephant feature : TUSK
Tusks are the front teeth of certain animals that grow continuously. The tusks piggs, hippo and walruses are elongated canine teeth. The tusks of elephants are elongated incisors.
16 Titular Verdi bandit : ERNANI
“Ernani” is an 1844 opera by Giuseppe Verdi that is based on a play called “Hernani” by Victor Hugo. For over a decade, “Ernani” was Verdi’s most popular opera, and then along came “Il trovatore” in 1853.
32 Closing pieces : POSTLUDES
“Ludus” is a Latin word meaning “play”. The term gave rise to “interlude” in the early 1300s, meaning “performance” between acts of a play”. “Prelude” came along in the mid-1500s, and “postlude” in the mid-1800s.
35 Post-op places : ICUS
Intensive care unit (ICU)
36 Chance-of-rain nos. : PCTS
Percent (pct.)
38 Utah city that’s an anagram of an Italian city : OREM
Orem, Utah was originally known as “Sharon” (a Biblical name), then “Provo Bench”, and in 1914 it was given the family name of a local railroad operator called “Orem”. Orem gave itself the nickname “Family City USA” and sure enough in 2010, “Forbes” rated Orem the 5th best place in the country to raise a family.
“Orem” is an anagram of “Rome”.
42 Cigar end, in two senses : ASH
The ash is found at the end of a cigar, and the end of a cigar is when it turns to ash (I guess …).
44 Examined by touch : PALPATED
Palpation is an examination by touch, especially by a medical professional. The verb “to palpate” comes from the Latin “palpare” meaning “to touch”.
55 Ferret relatives : POLECATS
“Polecat” is a term used for several different animals, most of which are in the weasel family.
56 Largest of the Inner Hebrides : SKYE
The Isle of Skye is off the northwest coast of Scotland in the Inner Hebrides. It is the second largest island in the country, and has been linked to the mainland by a road bridge since 1995. I’ve never been there, but I hear the views are spectacular.
58 __ wolf : CRY
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is one of Aesop’s fables, and the tale that gives rise to our phrase “to cry wolf” meaning “to give a false alarm”. In the fable, a shepherd boy is in the habit of tricking nearby villagers into thinking a wolf is attacking his flock by crying “Wolf!”. When an actual attack is made, the villages assume it’s another false alarm and the sheep are eaten by the wolf.
62 Yale, for five U.S. presidents : ALMA MATER
Five US presidents attended Yale University:
- William Howard Taft
- Gerald Ford
- George H. W. Bush
- Bill Clinton
- George W. Bush
69 Mashed into a paste : PUREED
A purée is a food that has been made smooth by straining or blending. “Purée” is a French term, which I believe is now used to mean “pea soup” (more completely written as “purée de pois”). The French verb “purer” means “to strain, clean”, from the Latin “purare” meaning “to purify, clean”.
70 French vineyards : CRUS
“Cru” is a term used in the French wine industry that means “growth place”. So, “cru” is the name of the location where the grapes are grown, as opposed to the name of a specific vineyard. The terms “premier cru” and “grand cru” are also used, but the usage depends on the specific wine region. Generally it is a classification awarded to specific vineyards denoting their potential for producing great wines. “Grand cru” is reserved for the very best vineyards, with “premier cru” the level just below.
71 “__ Beso”: 1962 Anka hit : ESO
“Eso Beso” is Spanish for “That Kiss”, and is the title of a 1962 hit song recorded by Canadian-born singer Paul Anka.
81 Tyke on a trike : TOT
“Tyke” has been used playfully to describe a young child since at least 1902 For centuries before that, a tyke was a cur or mongrel, or perhaps a lazy or lower-class man.
84 Prime time time : NINE
In the world of television, prime time is that part of the day when networks and advertisers maximize revenues due to the high number of viewers. Prime time is often defined as 7-10 p.m. Mountain and Central Time, and 8-11 p.m. Pacific and Eastern Time.
89 Third-century date : CCX
In Roman numerals, the year 210 is written as “CCX”.
93 “Arabian Nights” vehicle : CARPET
The magical flying carpet is a mode of transportation in one of the stories in “One Thousand and One Nights”.
94 Colorful songbird : ORIOLE
The songbird called an oriole builds an interesting nest. It is a woven cup-like structure that is suspended from a branch like a hammock.
95 Cocktail named for a plant : MIMOSA
Where I come from, the cocktail known in North America as a mimosa is called a buck’s fizz, with the latter named for Buck’s Club in London where it was introduced in 1921. The mimosa came along a few years later, apparently first being served in the Paris Ritz. If you want to make a mimosa, it’s a 50-50 mix of champagne and orange juice, and it is very tasty …
Some members of the Mimosa genus of plant are capable of rapid movement. For example, if you touch the leaves of the Mimosa pudica, they curl up in less than a second.
102 Sealy rival : SERTA
Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the Serta company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement. Serta advertisements feature the Serta Counting Sheep. Each numbered sheep has a different personality, such as:
- #1 The Leader of the Flock
- #½ The Tweener
- #13 Mr. Bad Luck
- #53 The Pessimist
- #86 Benedict Arnold
105 Down source : EIDER
Eiders are large sea ducks. Their down feathers are used to fill pillows and quilts, giving the name to the quilt called an “eiderdown”.
106 Valentine’s Day gift : ROSES
Saint Valentine’s Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …
108 Traditionally, amount of land plowable by one man in one day with a team of oxen : ACRE
At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. Then, an acre was more precisely defined as a strip of land “one furrow long” (i.e. one furlong) and one chain wide. The length of one furlong was equal to 10 chains, or 40 rods. An area of one furlong times 10 rods was one rood.
109 Common par : FOUR
That would be golf.
111 Govt. accident investigator : NTSB
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is responsible for the investigation of major accidents involving transportation. Included in this broad definition is the transportation of fluids in pipelines. The organization is independent in that it has no ties to other government agencies or departments so that its investigations can be viewed as “impartial”. The NTSB also earns a little money for the US as it hires out its investigation teams to countries who don’t have the necessary resources available on their own soil.
115 “Brockmire” network : IFC
“Brockmire” is a comedy series that ran on IFC from 2017 to 2020. The title character, played by the talented Hank Azaria, is an ex-MLB play-by-play announcer trying to resurrect his career by calling minor league games in a small town. I haven’t seen this one, but it’s on the list …
116 Confucian path : TAO
The sayings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (anglicized from “K’ung Fu-Tse”) are collected in a work called “The Analects” or “Linyu”. It wasn’t Confucius who wrote down his thoughts though, but rather his pupils, some 40 or so years after his death in 479 BC.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Well-trodden ways : PATHS
6 Fountain favorite : MALTED
12 Encountered : MET
15 Darns, say : SEWS
19 In the area of : ABOUT
20 Go too far : OVERDO
21 The Pac-12’s Sun Devils: Abbr. : ASU
22 Fall lead-in? : PRAT-
23 Grill a bit too long? : COMBUST ONE’S CHOPS (from “bust one’s chops”)
26 19-Across, on a memo : IN RE
27 Title TV role for Sandra Oh : EVE
28 Comme une jeune fille : PETITE
29 Sound from a snorter : OINK!
30 Stairway alternative : RAMP
31 Oppressive ruler : DESPOT
33 Won’t let go : DETAINS
36 __ bean : PINTO
37 Estimate words : OR SO
39 “No Time for Sergeants,” e.g.? : NONCOM FICTION (from “nonfiction”)
42 Venomous slitherers : ASPS
45 Text letters often in blue : URL
47 Way more than drizzle : POUR
48 Qtys. : AMTS
49 One may be saved or taken : SEAT
50 Stew veggies : PEAS
52 Fishing nets : SEINES
54 Tough H.S. tests : APS
57 Palatial mansion navigation need? : HALL COMPASS (from “hall pass”)
61 Old Norse poetic work : EDDA
62 Wild way to run : AMOK
63 Dismiss contemptuously : SPURN
64 Novel features : PLOTS
66 Na+ or Cl- : ION
67 “The Munsters” matriarch : LILY
68 Sheltered from the sun : SHADY
69 TV series with funny animals? : PET SITCOM (from “pet-sit”)
71 Host : EMCEE
72 Make special mention of : NOTE
73 Beer nickname : BUD
74 Joan __ : OF ARC
75 Name on the “Robot” sci-fi series : ISAAC
76 Miner’s finds : ORES
77 Stuck in __ : A RUT
79 Fresh food fight? : FRUIT COMBAT (from “fruit bat”)
82 Go beyond dating : WED
83 Neckwear accessory : TIE PIN
85 Arid : SERE
86 Prefix with cumulus : ALTO-
87 Achy : SORE
88 More than just comfortable : RICH
91 Weaken : SAP
92 Source of class struggle? : TEST
93 Endorse certain property barriers? : COMMEND FENCES (from “mend fences”)
98 Cut : PARE
100 Opera highlights : ARIAS
101 Commercial bigwigs : AD EXECS
103 Less verbose : TERSER
107 Edges : RIMS
108 Grooming style named for a continent : AFRO
110 Saturate : DRENCH
112 Miembro de la familia : TIO
113 “Hunny” lover : POOH
114 Immortal confection? : COMFIT FOR THE GODS (from “fit for the gods”)
118 Besides that : ELSE
119 Feel bad about : RUE
120 Court errors : FAULTS
121 Confused conflict : MELEE
122 Oolong and pekoe : TEAS
123 Boot a grounder, say : ERR
124 Joint effort, briefly : COLLAB
125 Visionaries : SEERS
Down
1 Measured, with “off” : PACED …
2 Too good for : ABOVE
3 Reference library array : TOMES
4 Wheel center : HUB
5 Daze : STUPOR
6 Apple juice eponym : MOTT
7 Confront opposite : AVOID
8 Far from festive : LENTEN
9 Arboreal apex : TREETOP
10 Harris and a horse : EDS
11 Happy companion? : DOC
12 20th-century Chinese ideology : MAOISM
13 “Around the Horn” channel : ESPN
14 Elephant feature : TUSK
15 Haunted house occupants, it’s said : SPIRITS
16 Titular Verdi bandit : ERNANI
17 Become fond of : WARM TO
18 Go faster, with “it” : STEP ON …
24 Attacks : SETS UPON
25 Award recipient : HONOREE
32 Closing pieces : POSTLUDES
34 Portuguese year : ANO
35 Post-op places : ICUS
36 Chance-of-rain nos. : PCTS
38 Utah city that’s an anagram of an Italian city : OREM
40 Admirers, as a group : FANDOM
41 “Let me clarify … ” : I MEAN …
42 Cigar end, in two senses : ASH
43 Coast : SEASHORE
44 Examined by touch : PALPATED
46 Eagerly accepted, as compliments : LAPPED UP
51 Shaker grains : SALT
53 Foolish ways : IDIOCIES
54 Friendly : AMICABLE
55 Ferret relatives : POLECATS
56 Largest of the Inner Hebrides : SKYE
58 __ wolf : CRY
59 Just fair : SO-SO
60 Word after scared or bored : … STIFF
62 Yale, for five U.S. presidents : ALMA MATER
65 Big name : STAR
68 Winter forecast : SNOW
69 Mashed into a paste : PUREED
70 French vineyards : CRUS
71 “__ Beso”: 1962 Anka hit : ESO
73 Scot’s tot : BAIRN
75 Winter road hazard : ICE PATCH
78 Done with, perhaps : TIRED OF
80 Ensnare : TRAP
81 Tyke on a trike : TOT
83 One may stand on them to reach a high shelf : TOES
84 Prime time time : NINE
87 Big hits : SMASHES
89 Third-century date : CCX
90 Attentive : HEEDFUL
93 “Arabian Nights” vehicle : CARPET
94 Colorful songbird : ORIOLE
95 Cocktail named for a plant : MIMOSA
96 __ John: meat brand : FARMER
97 Book predecessor : SCROLL
99 Fixes the edge of : REHEMS
102 Sealy rival : SERTA
104 Didn’t take well? : STOLE
105 Down source : EIDER
106 Valentine’s Day gift : ROSES
108 Traditionally, amount of land plowable by one man in one day with a team of oxen : ACRE
109 Common par : FOUR
111 Govt. accident investigator : NTSB
115 “Brockmire” network : IFC
116 Confucian path : TAO
117 “I had no idea” : GEE
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