LA Times Crossword 28 Jun 20, Sunday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Breakfast with Your Sunday Puzzle

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted with reference to BREAKFAST:

  • 23A Wry suggestion at breakfast about what to feed the cat when you’re out of milk? : GIVE IT SOME JUICE
  • 34A Suggested which breakfast bread to brown? : PROPOSED A TOAST
  • 52A Sign of a sloppy breakfast eater? : EGG ON ONE’S FACE
  • 71A Secure a breakfast supply? : BRING HOME THE BACON
  • 92A Breakfast complaint about getting the oolong by mistake? : NOT MY CUP OF TEA
  • 107A Breakfast go-with that comes from a plant? : CREAM OF THE CROP
  • 124A Reference with rows and columns covering all varieties of a breakfast drink? : COFFEE TABLE BOOK

Bill’s time: 16m 11s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • PROEM (proym)
  • ARTE (Arty!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Kind of pool : TIDAL

A tidal pool (also “rock pool”) is a pool of seawater that is left along a rocky coastline after an ebb tide.

6 Arthur Ashe’s alma mater : UCLA

The great American tennis player Arthur Ashe spent the last years of his life writing his memoir called “Days of Grace”. He finished the manuscript just a few days before he passed away, dying from AIDS caused by a tainted blood transfusion.

10 Clyde cap : TAM

A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap traditionally worn by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam O’Shanter”.

The Clyde is the second-longest river in Scotland, after the River Tay. The River Clyde passes through Glasgow, the country’s largest city.

18 Antipasto morsel : OLIVE

Antipasto (plural “antipasti”) is the first course of a meal in Italy. “Antipasto” translates as “before the meal”.

20 Asian nurse : AMAH

“Amah” is an interesting word in that we associate it so much with Asian culture and yet the term actually comes from the Portuguese “ama” meaning “nurse”. Ama was imported into English in the days of the British Raj in India when a wet-nurse became known as an amah.

26 “A Passage to India” heroine : ADELA

“A Passage to India” is a wonderful 1924 novel by E. M. Forster set in the days of the British Raj. There are two excellent adaptations for the screen that I would recommend. There’s a BBC television version from 1965 starring a wonderful cast including Virginia McKenna and Cyril Cusack. There is also an Oscar-winning movie version from 1984 with Alec Guinness and Peggy Ashcroft. Forster had first-hand knowledge of life during the Raj, having worked in India during the twenties.

27 Nostradamus, e.g. : SEER

Nostradamus is the Latin name given to the French apothecary and purported seer Michel de Nostredame. His book “The Prophecies” is a famous source for predictions of world events. It is so popular that “The Prophecies” has rarely been out of print since it first appeared in 1555!

28 Seagoing force : ARMADA

The most famous armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. It failed in its mission, partly due to bad weather encountered en route. Ironically, the English mounted a similar naval attack against Spain the following year, and it failed as well.

32 Retired flier : SST

The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Concorde was developed and produced under an Anglo-French treaty by France’s Aérospatiale and the UK’s British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Concordes were mainly operated by Air France and British Airways, with both companies buying the planes with substantial subsidies from the French and British governments. The final Concorde flight was a British Airways plane that landed in the UK on 26 November 2003.

40 R&B’s Boyz II __ : MEN

BOYZ II Men are an R&B vocal trio from Philadelphia who started out in 1988. The original BOYZ II Men lineup included a fourth member, Michael McCary. McCary left the group in 2003 due to chronic back pain. The BOYZ II Men 1992 hit “End of the Road” stayed at number-one in the Billboard charts for an amazing thirteen weeks, shattering the 11-week record that had been held by Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” since 1956.

41 Story featuring Paris : ILIAD

“Iliad” is an epic poem by the Greek poet Homer that tells the story of the ten-year siege of “Ilium” (i.e. “Troy”) during the Trojan war. “The Odyssey”, also attributed to Homer, is sometimes described as a sequel to “Iliad”.

In Greek legend, Paris was the son of the King of Troy. Paris eloped with Helen, Queen of Sparta, and this act was a major trigger for the Trojan War. Also, it was Paris who fatally wounded Achilles by shooting him in the heel with an arrow.

43 A, in Arles : UNE

Quite a few years ago now, I had the privilege of living just a short car-ride from the beautiful city of Arles in the South of France. Although Arles has a long and colorful history, the Romans had a prevailing influence over the city’s design. Arles has a spectacular Roman amphitheater, arch, circus as well as old walls that surround the center of the city. In more modern times, it was a place Vincent van Gogh often visited, and was where he painted many of his most famous works, including “Cafe Terrace at Night” and “Bedroom in Arles”.

46 Title sitcom bookstore owner : ELLEN

Ellen DeGeneres is a very, very successful TV personality, having parlayed her career in stand-up comedy into lucrative gigs as an actress and talk show host. Back in 1997, DeGeneres chose the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to announce that she was a lesbian. Her character on “The Ellen Show” also came out as a lesbian in a scene with her therapist, who was played by Oprah Winfrey. Nice twist!

48 Columnist Bombeck : ERMA

Erma Bombeck wrote for newspapers for about 35 years. She produced more than 4,000 witty and humorous columns under the title “At Wit’s End”, with all describing her home life in suburbia.

56 Nine-digit ID : SSN

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot. Since 2011 SSNs are assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

58 Chit : IOU

I owe you (IOU)

A chit is a note or a short letter. The term tends to be used these days in the sense of an amount owed (as in a poker game). The word used to be “chitty”, which is now obsolete but was closer to the original Hindi term. I feel a tad obsolete myself, because when we are at school we would be excused from class if we had a “chitty”.

59 Code word : DAH

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash. When words are spelled aloud in Morse code, a dot is pronounced as “dit”, and a dash is pronounced as “dah”.

60 “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” e.g. : TV PILOT

The sitcom “Seinfeld” had a rocky start. A pilot episode titled “The Seinfeld Chronicles”, filmed in 1989, was received very poorly by test audiences. NBC aired the pilot later that year, garnering some more positive feedback from TV critics, but not enough for the network to pick up the show. It took a year of internal wrangling to convince NBC to place an order for a first season. Even then, the order for the new series was for only four episodes, the small sitcom order in the history of television. The show was renamed to “Seinfeld”, the pilot and four episodes were aired in 1990, and audiences lapped it up.

61 @@@@ : ATS

The “at symbol” (@) originated in the commercial word, as shorthand for “each at, per” and similar phrases. I suppose we see the symbol most commonly these days as part of email addresses.

65 Mex. miss : SRTA

“Señorita” (Srta.) is Spanish, and “Mademoiselle” (Mlle.) is French, for “Miss”.

67 Brain scan letters : EEG

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

70 Mantegna’s “Criminal Minds” role : ROSSI

Joe Mantegna is an Italian-American actor from Chicago, Illinois. Mantegna has played a lot of Hollywood roles and can now be seen regularly on the television show “Criminal Minds” in which he portrays FBI Special Agent David Rossi.

71 Secure a breakfast supply? : BRING HOME THE BACON

Back in the day, a wealthy person would “bring home the bacon”, and sit around with guests “chewing the fat”.

78 Beast of Borden : ELSIE

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

79 One of the Reagans : RON

Ron Reagan’s views couldn’t be any further from those of his father President Ronald Reagan, I’d say. Before the radio network Air America went bust, Ron had a daily 3-hour spot, and these days he makes frequent appearances on MSNBC. Young Reagan is quite the dancer, and for a while was a member of the Joffrey Ballet.

83 Introduction : PROEM

A proem is a brief introduction, a prelude. The term “proem” comes into English via Old French and is ultimately derived from the Greek “prooimion” meaning “prelude”, especially a prelude to music or poetry.

84 St. with a panhandle : IDA

The US state of Idaho has a panhandle that extends northwards between Washington and Montana, right up to the border with Canada. Across that border is the Canadian province of British Columbia. Most of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone, but Northern Idaho (the Panhandle) is in the Pacific Time Zone.

85 Monterey County seat that’s the birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS

Salinas is a California city located south of the San Francisco Bay Area, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. Salinas was the hometown of Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck, and was the setting of his 1952 novel “East of Eden”.

88 50 Cent piece : RAP

Rap star 50 Cent’s real name is Curtis James Jackson III, and is from South Jamaica in Queens, New York. 50 Cent had a rough life starting out, first dealing drugs at the age of 12. He dropped his illegal activities to pursue a rap career, but still fell victim to an assailant who pumped nine bullets into him. The alleged shooter was himself shot three weeks later, and died. 50 Cent’s alleged attacker was a bodyguard and close friend of Mike Tyson.

90 “__ voyage!” : BON

“Bon voyage” translates literally from French into English as “good journey”.

92 Breakfast complaint about getting the oolong by mistake? : NOT MY CUP OF TEA

The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon”.

106 Damon appears as him in five films : BOURNE

The “Bourne” series of films are based on a series of three “Bourne” novels penned by Robert Ludlum. The first three “Bourne” movies star Matt Damon in the title role of Jason Bourne. Damon opted out of the fourth movie (“The Bourne Legacy”), and so a new lead character was added and played by Jeremy Renner. That said, Damon’s image was used in the fourth film, and references were made to his character Jason Bourne. Damon returned for the fifth film in the series, but has suggested that he is unlikely to take on the role again.

115 French Alps river : ISERE

The Isère river gives its name to the French Department of Isère, located partly in the French Alps. In turn, Isère gave its name to a somewhat famous ship called the Isère, which in 1885 delivered the Statue of Liberty from France to America in 214 shipping crates.

122 Like many elephants : ASIAN

There are only three species of elephant living today, with all others being extinct. These are the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant (or “Indian elephant”). As is well known, the African elephant is distinguished from the Asian/Indian elephant by its much larger ears. The African bush elephant is the largest living land animal.

127 Cheesy snack : NACHO

The dish known as “nachos” was supposedly created by the maître d’ at a restaurant called the Victory Club in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The name of the maître d’ was Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya.

128 1984 Peace Nobelist : TUTU

Desmond Tutu is a South African, a former Anglican bishop who is an outspoken opponent of apartheid. Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, among other distinguished awards.

129 Sitcom sign-off word : NANU

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 …

130 Pan-fry : SAUTE

“Sauté” is a French word. The literal translation from the French is “jumped” or “bounced”, a reference to the tossing of food while cooking it in a frying pan.

131 Relatively cool heavenly body : K STAR

Stars are commonly classified by the color of the light that they emit. These classifications are, from hottest to coolest, O, B, A, F, G, K and M. One way to remember the order of these letters is to use the mnemonic “Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me”. The colors of these stars range from blue (class O) to red (class M). Our sun is class G, a yellow star. I think we all know that …

132 Damascus is its cap. : SYR

Damascus is the second largest city in Syria (after Aleppo), and is the country’s capital. Damascus has the distinction of being the oldest, continuously-inhabited city in the world, having been settled in the 2nd millennium BC. Also, it has the nickname “City of Jasmine”.

134 Scarecrow stuff : STRAW

Apparently, the noun “straw” is related to the verb “to strew”. The idea is that, in days of old, “straw” was commonly “strewn” over floors as carpeting and over beds as bedding.

Down

1 Clothes : TOGS

The verb “to tog up”, meaning “to dress up”, comes from the Latin “toga” describing the garment worn in ancient Rome. “Tog” can also be used as an informal word for a coat or a cloak. Back in Ireland, togs are what we call swimming shorts.

2 Tennis great Nastase : ILIE

I think that Ilie Nastase was the most entertaining tennis player of the 1970s, the days of Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. No matter how much pressure there was in a match, Nastase always had time to share a joke with the crowd. After retiring from the sport, he had a few novels published (in French) during the eighties. Then Nastase went into politics, making an unsuccessful run for the mayorship of Bucharest in 1996. He made a successful run for the Romanian Senate though, and was elected senator in 2014.

5 Floral necklace : LEI

“Lei” is a Hawaiian word meaning “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

6 World power initials until 1991 : USSR

When the former Soviet Union (USSR) dissolved in 1991, it was largely replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The formation of the CIS underscored the new reality, that the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) were now independent states. Most of the 15 former SSRs joined the CIS. Notably, the three Baltic SSRs (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) opted not to join the new commonwealth, and in 2004 joined NATO and the EU.

8 Truman’s Missouri birthplace : LAMAR

Lamar, Missouri was named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second President of the Republic of Texas. Notably, Lamar was the birthplace of President Harry S. Truman.

9 Tarzan’s realm : APEDOM

Kala is the fictional ape that rescues the infant Tarzan from the dangerous leader of the apes. In the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, Kala is killed a few years later by a hunter, for which Tarzan exacts the ultimate revenge. In the 1999 Disney adaptation of the story, Kala doesn’t die.

10 Upsilon preceder : TAU

Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the letter which gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

12 Longtime Lehrer partner : MACNEIL

Robert MacNeil is a retired Canadian journalist who co-anchored “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report” on PBS for twenty years.

Jim Lehrer was a news anchor with PBS for the “PBS Newshour” show. He was also associated with presidential debates, and moderated twelve such events.

13 Cascades peak : SHASTA

Only two volcanoes in the Cascade Range in the northwest have erupted in the 20th century: Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Mount Lassen in 1915. The last significant eruption of Mount Shasta, a third volcano in the Cascades, was about 200 years ago. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens resulted in ash being deposited in eleven US states and 5 Canadian provinces.

14 Atlantic catch : COD

In Britain and Ireland, the most common fish that is used in traditional “fish and chips” is Atlantic cod. Cod has been overfished all over the world, and is now considered to be an endangered species by many international bodies. Confrontations over fishing rights in the North Atlantic led to conflicts called “the Cod Wars” between Iceland and the UK in the 1950s and the 1970s, with fishing fleets being protected by naval vessels and even shots being fired.

15 Palais Garnier performance : OPERA

The Paris Opera company is currently housed in the beautifully ornate Palais Garnier. The Paris Opera was founded by Louis XIV in 1669, and the Palais Garnier is the 13th theater to house the company and has done so since 1875.

16 “Frasier” character : NILES

In the sitcom called “Frasier”, Niles Crane is the brother of the title character Frasier Crane. Frasier is played by Kelsey Grammer and Niles is played by David Hyde Pierce. Frasier was originally intended to be an only child in the show’s storyline, but the producers decided to add a brother when they noted the remarkable similarity in appearance between David Hyde Pierce and Kelsey Grammer.

21 Like Irving’s horseman : HEADLESS

The Headless Horseman is a character in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow “.

24 London art gallery : TATE

The museum known as “the Tate” is actually made up of four separate galleries in England. The original Tate gallery was founded by Sir Henry Tate as the National Gallery of British Art. It is located on Millbank in London, on the site of the old Millbank Prison, and is now called Tate Britain. There is also the Tate Liverpool in the north of England that is located in an old warehouse, and the Tate St. Ives in the west country located in an old gas works. My favorite of the Tate galleries is the Tate Modern which lies on the banks of the Thames in London. It’s a beautiful building, a converted power station that you have to see to believe.

25 Jest : JAPE

“To jape” means “to joke or quip”. The exact origins of “jape” are unclear, but it does seem to come from Old French. In the mid-1600s, “to jape” was a slang term meaning “to have sex with”. No joke …!

33 Surgical tube : STENT

In the world of surgical medicine, a stent is an artificial tube inserted inside a vessel in the body, say an artery, in order to reduce the effects of a local restriction in the body’s conduit.

35 Ten sawbucks : ONE C

“Sawbuck” is slang for “10-dollar bill”. The term was applied to the bill as the Roman numeral X (which used to appear on the reverse) resembles the end of sawhorse.

36 Gray’s “The Progress of Poesy,” e.g. : ODE

Thomas Gray was an 18th-century poet from England. Gray’s most famous work is his “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, which is the source of many oft-quoted phrases, including:

  • Celestial fire
  • Far from the Madding Crowd
  • Kindred spirit

38 “Enigma Variations” composer : ELGAR

Edward Elgar’s famous “Enigma Variations” are more correctly titled “Variations on an Original Theme for Orchestra (“Enigma”)”. There are fourteen variations in the piece, with each named for one of Elgar’s close friends, a family member, and there is even one named for Elgar himself. Each variation is an affectionate portrayal of the person for which it is named. The “enigma” in the piece is quite a mystery. It is not even clear that the variations are based on a musical theme. Elgar’s notes tell us that the theme is “not played”, but he would never explain during his lifetime just what “the enigma” is.

39 Jeanie’s hair color, in an old song : LIGHT BROWN

Stephen Foster wrote the song “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”, first published in 1854. The song became very famous in 1941, in which year there was a strike due to a dispute over licencing fees. Radio broadcasters weren’t allowed to play contemporary tunes during the strike and had to turn to their limited collection of recorded music in the public domain, such as “Jeanie”. An article in “Time” magazine at the time remarked about how often “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” was being played saying that “she was widely reported to have turned grey”. Good one …!

43 Allow to fluctuate, as a currency : UNPEG

When an exchange rate is unpegged, it means that the currencies in question float freely on the market, with the rate of exchange being determined by demand for one currency over another. A government might choose to peg its currency with another, fixing the exchange rate. The US dollar is often chosen as the currency to which others are pegged.

45 Immigrant’s class: Abbr. : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

47 Boxer’s director : LEASH

The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, and is another gorgeous animal.

49 Humdinger : RIPSNORTER

“Ripsnorter” is a slang term for a person or thing noted for strength or excellence, a “lulu”.

A humdinger or a pip is someone or something outstanding. “Humdinger” is American slang dating back to the early 1900s, and was originally used to describe a particularly attractive woman.

50 Homer’s hangout : MOE’S

The regulars on “The Simpsons” hang out at Moe’s Tavern, which is named for and run by Moe Szyslak. The most popular beer at Moe’s is Duff Beer. The name “Duff” is a reference to the real-life Duffy’s Tavern that used to be East 13th Street in Eugene, Oregon. “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening used to frequent Duffy’s regularly, and Moe’s looks very much like Duffy’s in terms of decor and floor plan.

51 Autobahn auto : AUDI

The Audi name 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”.

The federal highway system in Germany is known as the Autobahn (plural “Autobahnen” in German). Famously, there are no federally mandated speed limits on the autobahn, although many, many stretches of the highway do indeed have posted and enforced limits. Where there is no speed limit posted, there is an advisory speed limit of 130 km/hr (81 mph). It is not illegal to travel over this speed limit, but legal liability may increase at higher speeds if that speed contributes to an accident.

55 Believer’s antithesis : ATHEIST

The term “atheism”, meaning “disbelief in the existence of a god or gods”, comes from the Greek “atheos” meaning “without god”.

57 Bust maker : NARC

Back in the 1800s, to nark was to act as a police informer. The spelling of the verb “nark” evolved into “narc” due to the influence of the noun “narc”, slang for “narcotics officer”.

62 Storied Robin Hood target : THE RICH

Robin Hood is a figure from English folklore, celebrated in story and song. Some stories suggest that Robin Hood the outlaw was actually a real nobleman, the Earl of Huntingdon. Robin Hood’s famous companion was Maid Marian. Interestingly, the legend of Maid Marian (full name Lady Marian of Leaford) had been around for centuries before she became associated with Robin Hood starting in the 1700s.

64 Debatable : MOOT

To moot is to bring up as a subject for discussion or debate. So, something that is moot is open to debate. Something that is no longer moot, is no longer worth debating. We don’t seem to be able get that right, which drives me crazy …

66 Johnson of “Laugh-In” : ARTE

Arte Johnson, as well as being a frequent judge on “The Gong Show”, played the German soldier on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”. Johnson’s character’s famous catchphrase was, “Very interesting, but …”

“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” was originally recorded as a one-off special for NBC in 1967, but it was so successful that it was brought back as a series to replace the waning spy show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Personally, I loved both shows!

72 Foot in a poem : IAMB

An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The lines in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” use five sequential iambs, e.g. “Shall I / compare / thee to / a sum- / -mer’s day?” With that sequence of five iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic pentameter.

73 Chan portrayer Warner __ : OLAND

Warner Oland was a Swedish actor who is best remembered for his portrayal of Charlie Chan in a series of 16 highly successful Hollywood movies. Before playing Charlie Chan, Oland made a name for himself in another Asian role on screen, playing Dr. Fu Manchu.

76 Nos. affecting UV exposure : SPFS

In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …

77 Crumbled sundae topper : OREO

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

81 Song of joy : PAEAN

A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. “Paean” comes from the ancient Greek “paian” meaning “song of triumph”.

82 Fictional falcon seeker : SPADE

The classic detective novel “The Maltese Falcon” was written by Dashiell Hammett and first published in 1930. The main character is Sam Spade, a character played by Humphrey Bogart in the third movie adaptation of the book, a film of the same name and released in 1941.

86 Alkaline solution : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide, although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

91 Blends : OLIOS

“Olio” is a term meaning “hodgepodge, mixture” that comes from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.

93 Bone head? : OSTE-

The prefix “osteo-” is a combining form meaning “bone”. The term comes from “steon”, the Greek for “bone”.

96 Govt. benefits org. : SSA

The Social Security Administration (SSA) was set up as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The first person to receive a monthly retirement benefit was Ida May Fuller of Vermont who received her first check for the sum of $22.54 after having contributed for three years through payroll taxes. The New Deal turned out to be a good deal for Ms. Fuller, as she lived to be 100 years of age and received a total benefit of almost $23,000, whereas her three years of contributions added up to just $24.75.

98 Laughing gas, familiarly : NITROUS

“Laughing gas” is a common name for nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide is used as an anesthetic, particularly by dentists. It is also used in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. Laughing gas was first synthesized by the English chemist Joseph Priestley, but it was Humphry Davy who discovered its potential as an anesthetic. Once it was realized that the gas could give the patient a fit of the giggles, “laughing gas parties” became common among those who could afford them.

102 Key of Brahms’ First Symphony : C MINOR

According to the composer himself, Johannes Brahms spent 21 years working on his “Symphony No. 1”. The work premiered in 1876, and is sometimes referred to as “Beethoven’s Tenth” due to some similarities to Beethoven’s Ninth and Fifth Symphonies.

Johannes Brahms was a leading German composer during the Romantic period. Brahms is one of the “Three Bs”, often grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.

104 Pinnacle : ACME

The acme is the highest point. The term “acme” comes from the Greek word “akme” that has the same meaning.

105 Targets marked with flags : GREENS

That would be golf.

106 Tab : BILL

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

108 Gift for el 14 de febrero : ROSAS

In Spanish, a gift of “rosas” (roses) might be given on the “14 de febrero” (14th of February).

112 Instrument for Joel or John : PIANO

Billy Joel is the third-best selling solo artist in the US, after Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks. Joel’s name has been associated with two supermodels in his life. He dated Elle Macpherson, and wrote two songs about their relationship: “This Night” and “And So It Goes”. Joel’s second wife was Christie Brinkley, to whom he was married from 1985 to 1994. Brinkley appeared in the title role in the music video for “Uptown Girl”.

“Elton John” is the stage name of English singer and pianist Reginald Dwight. John is an avid football (soccer) supporter, and is especially enthusiastic about Watford Football Club, which was his local team growing up. After he achieved financial success, John was able to purchase Watford FC, and owned the club from 1976 to 1987, and again from 1997 until 2002.

120 Letter before kappa : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

126 Capital of Switzerland? : ESS

The word “Switzerland” starts with a capital letter S (ess).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Kind of pool : TIDAL
6 Arthur Ashe’s alma mater : UCLA
10 Clyde cap : TAM
13 British bakery buy : SCONE
18 Antipasto morsel : OLIVE
19 Insulted smack : SLAP
20 Asian nurse : AMAH
22 Welcome words to a hitchhiker : HOP IN
23 Wry suggestion at breakfast about what to feed the cat when you’re out of milk? : GIVE IT SOME JUICE
26 “A Passage to India” heroine : ADELA
27 Nostradamus, e.g. : SEER
28 Seagoing force : ARMADA
29 Thumb-and-finger sounds : SNAPS
31 __ center : REC
32 Retired flier : SST
34 Suggested which breakfast bread to brown? : PROPOSED A TOAST
37 Strike out : DELETE
40 R&B’s Boyz II __ : MEN
41 Story featuring Paris : ILIAD
42 Choice group : ELITE
43 A, in Arles : UNE
46 Title sitcom bookstore owner : ELLEN
48 Columnist Bombeck : ERMA
52 Sign of a sloppy breakfast eater? : EGG ON ONE’S FACE
56 Nine-digit ID : SSN
58 Chit : IOU
59 Code word : DAH
60 “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” e.g. : TV PILOT
61 @@@@ : ATS
63 Intensified : AMPED
65 Mex. miss : SRTA
67 Brain scan letters : EEG
68 Make __ of: botch : A HASH
70 Mantegna’s “Criminal Minds” role : ROSSI
71 Secure a breakfast supply? : BRING HOME THE BACON
76 Somewhat, informally : SORTA
78 Beast of Borden : ELSIE
79 One of the Reagans : RON
80 First-rate : TOPS
83 Introduction : PROEM
84 St. with a panhandle : IDA
85 Monterey County seat that’s the birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS
88 50 Cent piece : RAP
89 Handful : FEW
90 “__ voyage!” : BON
92 Breakfast complaint about getting the oolong by mistake? : NOT MY CUP OF TEA
95 Family lads : SONS
97 Advances : LENDS
99 “Come again?” replies : EHS
100 Apprehension : DREAD
101 Video store section : SCI-FI
103 It’s game : TAG
106 Damon appears as him in five films : BOURNE
107 Breakfast go-with that comes from a plant? : CREAM OF THE CROP
113 Sundial marking : III
114 Curtain holder : ROD
115 French Alps river : ISERE
116 Humble : MENIAL
118 Not that : THIS
122 Like many elephants : ASIAN
124 Reference with rows and columns covering all varieties of a breakfast drink? : COFFEE TABLE BOOK
127 Cheesy snack : NACHO
128 1984 Peace Nobelist : TUTU
129 Sitcom sign-off word : NANU
130 Pan-fry : SAUTE
131 Relatively cool heavenly body : K STAR
132 Damascus is its cap. : SYR
133 Detect : SPOT
134 Scarecrow stuff : STRAW

Down

1 Clothes : TOGS
2 Tennis great Nastase : ILIE
3 One may be done from a cliff : DIVE
4 Put off by : AVERSE TO
5 Floral necklace : LEI
6 World power initials until 1991 : USSR
7 Walk noisily : CLOMP
8 Truman’s Missouri birthplace : LAMAR
9 Tarzan’s realm : APEDOM
10 Upsilon preceder : TAU
11 Awry : AMISS
12 Longtime Lehrer partner : MACNEIL
13 Cascades peak : SHASTA
14 Atlantic catch : COD
15 Palais Garnier performance : OPERA
16 “Frasier” character : NILES
17 Legislate : ENACT
21 Like Irving’s horseman : HEADLESS
24 London art gallery : TATE
25 Jest : JAPE
30 What careful people take : PAINS
33 Surgical tube : STENT
35 Ten sawbucks : ONE C
36 Gray’s “The Progress of Poesy,” e.g. : ODE
37 Accomplishments : DEEDS
38 “Enigma Variations” composer : ELGAR
39 Jeanie’s hair color, in an old song : LIGHT BROWN
43 Allow to fluctuate, as a currency : UNPEG
44 Whinnied, say : NEIGHED
45 Immigrant’s class: Abbr. : ESL
47 Boxer’s director : LEASH
49 Humdinger : RIPSNORTER
50 Homer’s hangout : MOE’S
51 Autobahn auto : AUDI
53 Baker : OVEN
54 Brewery heads : FOAMS
55 Believer’s antithesis : ATHEIST
57 Bust maker : NARC
62 Storied Robin Hood target : THE RICH
64 Debatable : MOOT
66 Johnson of “Laugh-In” : ARTE
69 Elite unit : A-TEAM
72 Foot in a poem : IAMB
73 Chan portrayer Warner __ : OLAND
74 Perk : BONUS
75 Take __: rest : A NAP
76 Nos. affecting UV exposure : SPFS
77 Crumbled sundae topper : OREO
81 Song of joy : PAEAN
82 Fictional falcon seeker : SPADE
84 Essentially : IN EFFECT
86 Alkaline solution : LYE
87 “Same here” : SO DO I
91 Blends : OLIOS
93 Bone head? : OSTE-
94 Large flying mammal : FRUIT BAT
96 Govt. benefits org. : SSA
98 Laughing gas, familiarly : NITROUS
102 Key of Brahms’ First Symphony : C MINOR
104 Pinnacle : ACME
105 Targets marked with flags : GREENS
106 Tab : BILL
107 Annoying, as a call : CRANK
108 Gift for el 14 de febrero : ROSAS
109 Decree : EDICT
110 Substantial : HEFTY
111 Ready to pour : ON TAP
112 Instrument for Joel or John : PIANO
117 Adjoin : ABUT
119 Rush __ : HOUR
120 Letter before kappa : IOTA
121 Bias : SKEW
123 “Bingo!” : AHA!
125 Cat coat : FUR
126 Capital of Switzerland? : ESS