Tag: Like a deformed tree trunk crossword clue

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Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Musical Keys

Themed answers are the names of MUSICAL pieces. Each includes a computer KEY as a hidden word:

23A Slogan from a cola jingle first aired in 1971 : IT’S THE REAL THING (hiding “ALT”)

36A Broadway revue featuring pop standards that won a 1997 Grammy : SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE (hiding “ESC”)

48A Classic novelty song involving wing-flapping imitations : THE CHICKEN DANCE (hiding “END”)

70A Song played at Blues home games : MEET ME IN ST LOUIS (hiding “INS”)

83A 2000 Grammy-winning hit featuring Eminem : FORGOT ABOUT DRE (hiding “TAB”)

98A French folk tune used in basic instrument lessons : AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE (hiding “DEL”)

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

Bill’s time: 16m 39s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 2020 Anya Taylor-Joy title role : EMMA

Actress Anya Taylor-Joy had quite the international upbringing. She was born in Miami, and raised in Buenos Aires and then London. She is perhaps best known for playing the title character in the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, and the lead role in the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”.

The 2020 film “Emma” is a very entertaining adaptation of the 1815 novel of the same name by Jane Austen. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the title role, and musician/actor Johnny Flynn plays “Mr. Knightly”. Veteran actor Bill Nighy makes a welcome appearance as Emma’s father “Mr. Woodhouse”. I enjoyed this one …

14 Oldies players : HI-FIS

Hi-fi systems were introduced in the late 1940s. A hi-fi is a piece of audio equipment designed to give a much higher quality reproduction of sound than cheaper systems available up to that point. “Hi-fi” stands for “high fidelity”.

20 G.I. Joe nemesis : COBRA

In the G.I. Joe universe, the “bad guys” are known as Cobra, or Cobra Command. The list of members in Combra include Cobra Commander, Serpentor, Destro, Baroness and Doctor Mindbender.

23 Slogan from a cola jingle first aired in 1969 : IT’S THE REAL THING (hiding “ALT”)

Coca-Cola has used many advertising slogans over the life of the brand, including:

• The Great National Temperance Beverage (1906)
• Where There’s Coke There’s Hospitality (1948)
• It’s the Real Thing (1971)
• Catch the Wave (1986, for “new Coke”)
• Red, White & You (1986, for “Coke Classic”)

26 Amber, for one : RESIN

Amber’s technical name is “resinite”, reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

27 Pekoe holder : TEA CADDY

A caddy is a container used for tea. “Caddy” comes from the Malay word “kati”, a unit of weight used as a standard by British tea companies in the East Indies.

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.

28 Origami staple : CRANE

Origami is the traditional Japanese art form of paper folding. The best-known example of the craft is the paper crane (“orizuru“). The word “origami” is derived from “ori“ (folding) and “kami” (paper).

30 River inlets : RIAS

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

31 Con’s decoy : SHILL

A shill is someone planted, perhaps in an audience, with the job of feigning enthusiasm.

33 Professional spinners : PR FIRM

“Spin doctor” is a slang term describing a professional in the field of public relations (PR).

36 Broadway revue featuring pop standards that won a 1997 Grammy : SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE (hiding “ESC”)

“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is a musical revue featuring songs by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. The show ran for over 2,000 performances on Broadway, and is the longest-running musical revue in the history of Broadway. The list of 39 songs performed includes classics like “Searchin’”, “Charlie Brown”, “Pearl’s a Singer”, “Hound Dog”, “Love Potion No. 9”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand by Me”.

43 CD-__ : ROM

“CD-ROM” stands for “compact disc read only memory”. The name indicates that you can read information from the disc (like a standard music CD for example), but you cannot write to it. You can also buy a CD-RW, which stands for “compact disc – rewritable”, with which you can read data and also write over it multiple times using a suitable CD drive.

46 __ wave : SINE

A sine wave is a mathematical function that describes a simple, smooth, repetitive oscillation. The sine wave is found right throughout the natural world. Ocean waves, light waves and sound waves all have a sine wave pattern.

47 Kitchenware brand : EKCO

The EKCO brand of kitchenware dates back to 1888 when Edward Katzinger founded his company in Chicago to make baking pans. The acronym “EKCO” stands for “Edward Katzinger Co”.

48 Classic novelty song involving wing-flapping imitations : THE CHICKEN DANCE (hiding “END”)

The Chicken Dance is performed to an oom-pah tune, usually called “The Birdie Song”, that was composed in Switzerland in the fifties. A version of “The Birdie Song” was released in 1981 by the Tweets as a novelty tune and it became a surprising chart hit, and everyone started doing the Chicken Dance at dances right across the country.

54 UFO pilots : ETS

One might speculate that an unidentified flying object (UFO) is flown by an extraterrestrial (ET).

55 Coupling device : YOKE

A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of animals so that they are forced to work together.

56 Start of a counting rhyme : EENIE …

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

58 67, for Beethoven’s Fifth : OPUS

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” has one of the most recognizable openings in the whole of the classical repertoire, and comprises just four simpel notes. The work is sometimes referred to as the “Fate Symphony”, with that opening motif representing Fate knocking at the door.

61 Burt’s Bees parent : CLOROX

Burt’s Bees is a line of personal care products that uses natural ingredients with minimal processing. The company started out in 1984 as a partnership between two entrepreneurs making candles out of excess beeswax from hives owned by one of the partners. Today the company has over $250 million in sales and is a division of Clorox.

65 Antitoxins : SERA

Antivenom (also “antivenin”) is made by extracting venom from say a snake (so called “milking”) and then diluting it and injecting it into a host animal (like a cat, horse or sheep). The animal undergoes an immune response and produces antibodies to neutralize the poison. The antibodies are harvested from the animal’s blood and are stored for use with victims who are bitten by the same snake, or by some other creature that injects the same or a similar venom. I guess antivenom might also be called antiserum …

66 “Today” rival, briefly : GMA

“Good Morning America” (GMA) is ABC’s morning show, and has been since 1975. There was even a spin-off show called “Good Afternoon America”, although that only lasted for a few months in 2012.

NBC’s “Today” show first aired way back in 1952 when it was the first “morning show” in the world. The first host of “Today” was Dave Garroway.

70 Song played at Blues home games : MEET ME IN ST LOUIS (hiding “INS”)

“Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” is a song that was published in 1904 to celebrate the St. Louis World’s Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The song, and the exposition, went on to inspire the 1944 movie “Meet Me in St. Louis” starring Judy Garland.

The St. Louis Blues hockey team takes its name from the song “St. Louis Blues”, a jazz and popular music classic.

73 Fords of the past : LTDS

There has been a lot of speculation about what the abbreviation “LTD” stands for in the car model known as “Ford LTD”. Many say it is an initialism standing for “Luxury Trim Decor”, and others say that it is short for “limited”. Although the car was produced in Australia with the initialism meaning “Lincoln Type Design”, it seems that “LTD” was originally chosen as just three meaningless letters that sound well together.

74 Hawaii County seat : HILO

Hilo is the largest settlement on the Big Island of Hawaii, and has a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …

76 __ Cong : VIET

During the Vietnam War, the political organization opposing the US and South Vietnamese governments was the National Liberation Front (NLF). The NLF was referred to as “Viet Cong” by the Western media, which is a contraction of “Viet Nam Cong-san” meaning “Vietnamese communist”.

77 Nice summer : ETE

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera. Something described as “à la niçoise” is “of Nice”.

78 “Bro!” : DUDE!

Our term “dude” arose as slang in New York City in the 1880s, when it was used to describe a fastidious man. In the early 1900s, the term was extended to mean “city slickers”, easterners who vacationed in the West. The first use of the term “dude ranch” was recorded in 1921.

79 Showy parrots : MACAWS

Macaws are beautifully colored birds native to Central and South America that are actually a type of parrot. Most species of macaws are now endangered, with several having become extinct in recent decades. The main threats are deforestation and illegal trapping and trafficking of exotic birds.

82 Symphony orchestra members : CELLI

The word “cello” (plural “celli” or “cellos”) is an abbreviation for “violoncello”, an Italian word for “little violone”, referring to a group of stringed instruments that were popular up to the end of the 17th century. The name violoncello persisted for the instrument that we know today, although the abbreviation “‘cello” was often used. Nowadays, we just drop the apostrophe.

83 2000 Grammy-winning hit featuring Eminem : FORGOT ABOUT DRE (hiding “TAB”)

“Forgot About Dre” is a single recorded by rap artist Dr. Dre. It includes a verse that is performed by fellow rapper Eminem.

86 Many a binoculars toter : BIRDER

A birder is a bird watcher, an ornithologist.

87 Counterfeit : BOGUS

Our word “bogus”, meaning “not genuine” was coined (pun!) in the 1830s, when it applied to counterfeit money.

88 Geeky-sounding candy : NERDS

Originally, a geek was a sideshow performer, perhaps one at a circus. Sometimes the term “geek” is used today for someone regarded as foolish or clumsy, and also for someone who is technically driven and expert, but often socially inept.

92 Race of Norse gods : AESIR

The gods and goddesses of Norse mythology generally belong to either the Aesir tribe or the Vanir tribe. Most of the Norse gods with which we are familiar belong to Aesir, including Odin, Thor, Frigg and Tyr. Examples of the Vanir gods are Freya and Njord. The Aesir live in Asgard, and the Vanir in Vanaheim. The Aesir and Vanir eventually united into one pantheon after the Aesir-Vanir War.

93 Mythical hero who captured Cerberus : HERCULES

“The Twelve Labors of Hercules” is actually a Greek myth, although Hercules is the Roman name for the hero that the Greeks called “Heracles”. The labors occurred in the following order:

1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra.
3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
9. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.
10. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.
11. Steal the apples of the Hesperides.
12. Capture and bring back Cerberus.

Cerberus is a dog with three heads that appears in both Greek and Roman mythology. Cerberus had the job of guarding the gates of Hades and preventing those who had crossed the River Styx from ever escaping. A sop is a piece of food that has been dipped in some liquid, as one might sop a piece of bread in soup. There is an idiomatic expression, “to give a sop to Cerberus”, which means “to give someone a bribe, pay someone off”. The idea is that if one could bribe Cerberus, give him a sop to eat, then he would let you pass and escape from Hades.

98 French folk tune used in basic instrument lessons : AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE (hiding “DEL”)

“Au clair de la lune” (By the Light of the Moon) is an 18th-century folk song from France.

By the light of the moon,
My friend Pierrot,
Lend me your quill
To write a word.
My candle is dead,
I have no light left.
Open your door for me
For the love of God.

101 Small decorative case : ETUI

An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui” from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui”, using the term to depict a case for carrying CDs.

102 Sporty Chevy : ‘VETTE

The Chevrolet Corvette was introduced to the world in 1953, and was named after the small maneuverable warship called a corvette. The “Vette” has legs. It is the only American sports car that has been around for over 50 years.

103 Art Deco artist : ERTE

“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian-born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. “Erté” is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”, as well as the 1925 epic movie “Ben-Hur”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

104 Small fry : TYKES

“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.

105 Boosts : COPS

“To boost” and “to cop” are slang terms meaning “to steal”.

106 Like chalet roofs : EAVED

“Chalet” is a Swiss-French name for an alpine cottage.

107 Rolltop, for one : DESK

A rolltop desk is one with a sliding cover made of wooden slats. The slat mechanism is also known as a “tambour”.

Down

3 Road Runner cartoons landscape feature : MESA

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are two much-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote was created first, and Road Runner was invented as someone for Wile E. to play off. I love this cartoon; it’s definitely one of the best …

4 Mobile judge, perhaps : ART CRITIC

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist. Calder is famous for having invented the mobile sculpture, a work made up of several pieces hanging on a string in equilibrium. In effect they are what we might know as “mobiles”, operating on the same principle as mobiles that sit over cribs in a nursery. Calder refers to his large, stationary sculptures as “stabiles”.

5 Winter cause of a roof leak, maybe : ICE DAM

Ice dams are build-ups of ice along the edge of a roof. The term “dam” is used because the ice can trap water on the roof as snow melts or rain falls. That “dammed” water might get under the shingles and inside the house.

6 Parachute lines : CORDS

The term “parachute” was coined by Frenchman François Blanchard, from “para-” meaning “defense against” and “chute” meaning “a fall”.

7 Toe the line : OBEY

The idiomatic expression “to toe the line” means “to obey”. The etymology of the phrase is disputed, although it is likely to come from the Royal Navy. Barefooted sailors were required to stand to attention for inspection lined up along the seams for the wooden deck, hence “toeing the line”.

8 Heston was its pres. from 1998 to 2003 : NRA

As well as having a fine career as an actor, Charlton Heston was a noted political activist. In the fifties he was very much a progressive and left-leaning in his political views. He was one of the few in Hollywood to speak out against racism and support the Civil Rights Movement. Later in his life, Heston became more associated with the conservative right, and was president of the National Rifle Association.

9 Leap named for a Swedish skater : SALCHOW

The salchow jump in figure skating is named for Swedish skater Ulrich Salchow, who invented the move.

10 Asthmatic’s device : INHALER

In the human body, the windpipe (trachea) divides into the left and right bronchi, which enter the lungs. Inflammation of the bronchi can cause the airways to contract and narrow, leading to the condition known as asthma.

12 Dudek of “Mad Men” : ANNE

American actress Anne Dudek is perhaps best known to American audiences for playing the antagonistic radiologist Dr. Amber Volakis on the medical drama “House”. Prior to getting the role on “House”, Dudek played the lead on the hit British show “The Book Group”.

“Mad Men” was the flagship show on the AMC television channel for several seasons. Set in the sixties, it’s all about an advertising agency located on Madison Avenue in New York (hence the title). “Mad Men” became the first show created by a basic cable channel to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

14 Equestrian gear : HARNESS

Something described as equestrian is related to horses or horsemanship. The term “equestrian” comes from the Latin “equus” meaning “horse”.

15 Former poisoning treatment : IPECAC

Syrup of ipecac is a preparation made from the dried roots and rhizomes of the ipecacuanha plant. The syrup is used as an emetic, a substance that induces vomiting. Ipecac accomplishes this by irritating the lining of the stomach.

16 Sole source : FISH MARKET

The group of flatfish known as soles take their name from “solea”, the Latin word for “sandal”. And, they do have that shape, kind of …

17 Rival of Bjorn : 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.

Björn Borg is a retired tennis player from Sweden, and a former World No. 1. Borg won 41% of the 27 Grand Slam singles tournaments that he entered, which is a record that stands to the day. He was known for reacting very calmly under pressure on the tennis court and hence earned the nicknames “Ice Man” and “Ice Borg”, the latter being my personal favorite.

24 Split __ : HAIRS

We’ve been using the phrase “to split hairs” to mean “to make over-fine distinctions” for a long time, at least since 1650.

29 Bedard who voiced Pocahontas in the 1995 Disney film : IRENE

Irene Bedard is an actress from Anchorage, Alaska who is perhaps best known for voicing the title character in the 1995 Disney animated feature “Pocahontas”. Interestingly, Bedard played Pocahontasis’ mother in the 2005 movie “The New World”.

The 1995 Disney movie “Pocahontas” is a fictionalized account of the Native-American Pocahontas and her interactions with the Jamestown settlers led by Englishman John Smith. The title character is voiced by Irene Bedard, and Smith is voiced by Mel Gibson. In the film, Pocahontas and Smith fall in love. In reality, there is no evidence of any romantic relationship between them.

31 Campfire treat : S’MORE

S’mores are treats peculiar to North America that are usually eaten around a campfire. A s’more consists of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. The earliest written reference to the recipe is in a 1927 publication called “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”. Girl Scouts always did corner the market on cookies and the like!

33 Jabber : PRATE

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

35 Course warnings : FORES

No one seems to know for sure where the golfing term “fore!” comes from. It has been used at least as far back as 1881, and since then has been called out to warn other golfers that a wayward ball might be heading their way. My favorite possibility for its origin is that it is a contraction of the Gaelic warning cry “Faugh a Ballagh!” (clear the way!) which is still called out in the sport of road bowling. Road bowling is an Irish game where players bowl balls along roads between villages, trying to reach the end of the course in as few bowls as possible, just like in golf!

45 Sitting Bull’s people : SIOUX

The Sioux are a group of Native American peoples who are also known as the Dakota. There are three divisions of Sioux, based on language: the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota.

Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota Native American who led his people in resisting settlement of tribal lands. Sitting Bull is most notably associated with the victory over the US Cavalry, led by Lt. Col. Custer, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. US forces pursued Sitting Bull for five years after Little Bighorn until he surrendered in 1881. He was held as a prisoner of war for almost two years before being released onto a reservation. In 1884, he was allowed to leave the reservation and joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, where he earned a tidy sum for a few months. Several years later an order was issued for his arrest due to concern that he was about to flee his reservation. Sitting Bull was shot during an altercation as he was being taken into custody.

46 Grumpy mood : SNIT

The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Boothe Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

49 Sources of shots : HYPOS

Anything described as hypodermic (such as “hypodermic needle”) is related to parts under the skin. The term “hypodermic” comes from the Greek “hypo-” meaning “under” and “derma” meaning “skin”.

51 Casual material : DENIM

Denim fabric originated in Nimes in France. The French phrase “de Nimes” (meaning “from Nimes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.

52 “Yu-Gi-Oh!” genre : ANIME

“Yu-Gi-Oh!” is a Japanese manga series about a young gamer named Yugi Mutou. Yugi solves an ancient puzzle, which results in his body being occupied by a spirit gambler.

57 Start of two U.S. state names : NORTH …

The Dakota Territory was formed in 1861 and ceased to exist with the admission to the Union of the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The territory was split into two states in 1889 largely due to lobbying by the Republican Party, which enjoyed a lot of support in the Dakota Territory. The admission of two states added to the political power of the party in the US Senate, by adding four safe Republican seats.

The Province of Carolina was an English colony that was chartered by the Crown in 1629. At one point the territory covered by the colony included modern-day North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and parts of Florida and Louisiana. The province was named for King Charles I, who granted the charter (“Carolus” is Latin for “Charles”). By 1720, lands included in the Province of Carolina had shrunk drastically, and there was dissent between the north and south of the province. Following a rebellion, separate governments were set up for North and South Carolina.

59 Muffin topping : OLEO

Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. A French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something he called oleomargarine in 1869, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.

In North America, a muffin is a sweet, cupcake-like sweetbread. In Great Britain and Ireland, a muffin is a part-raised flatbread that is usually leavened with yeast. The latter is referred to as an “English muffin” here in North America.

60 Three-piece pieces : VESTS

Here’s another word that often catches me out. What we call a vest here in the US is a waistcoat back in Ireland. And, the Irish use the word “vest” for an undershirt.

61 Symbol seen in viola music : C-CLEF

“Clef” is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on a stave. The bass clef is also known as the F-clef, the alto clef is the C-clef, and the treble clef is the G-clef.

The viola looks like and is played like a violin, but is slightly larger. It is referred to as the middle voice in the violin family, lying between the violin and the cello.

62 Numbers game : LOTTO

Originally, lotto was a type of card game, with “lotto” being the Italian for “a lot”. We’ve used “lotto” to mean a gambling game since the late 1700s.

64 Paparazzi quarry : CELEB

The title of the celebrated 1960 Federico Fellini film “La Dolce Vita” translates from Italian as “The Good Life”. There is a character in the film called Paparazzo who is a news photographer. It is this character who gives us our word “Paparazzi”, a term used for photographers who make careers out of taking candid shots of celebrities.

65 Former Maine senator Olympia : SNOWE

Olympia Snowe was believed by many pundits to be the most moderate Republican Senator in the US Congress towards the end of her tenure. Snowe retired in January 2013. I think that she is sorely missed by those who like to see moderate politicians in Washington, on either side of the aisle.

67 High-end German appliance brand : MIELE

Miele is a manufacturer of kitchen equipment based in Germany. The company was founded by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann in 1899, and is still privately-held and family-run. One of Miele’s first products was a butter churn.

70 King with a magic touch : MIDAS

King Midas of Greek mythology might be termed an alchemist as he had the power to turn everything he touched into gold i.e. the Midas touch. That power became a curse, as everything he touched turned to gold, including his food and drink, and even his children.

74 Most Rwandans : HUTUS

The Hutu are the largest population in Rwanda, with the Tutsi being the second largest. The bloody conflict that has existed between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples dates back to about 1880 when Catholic missionaries arrived in the region. The missionaries found that they had more success converting the Hutus than the Tutsi, and when the Germans occupied the area during WWI they confiscated Tutsi land and gave it to Hutu tribes in order to reward religious conversion. This injustice fuels fighting to this very day.

78 Greyhound crash sites? : DOG BEDS

Greyhound dogs were originally bred for coursing game, and today are bred for greyhound racing. Coursing is the pursuit of game by sight, rather than scent. As such, coursing dogs like greyhounds are often referred to as “sighthounds”.

79 Cold oatmeal cereals : MUESLIS

“Muesli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of oats, nuts, fruit and milk. “Muesli” is a diminutive of the German word “Mues” meaning “puree”. Delicious …

80 Heart chambers : ATRIA

The heart has four chambers. The two upper chambers (the atria) accept deoxygenated blood from the body and oxygenated blood from the lungs. The atria squeeze those blood supplies into the two lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles), “priming” the pump, as it were. One ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, and the other pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

81 Obsolescent laptop feature : CD DRIVE

Something described as obsolescent is going out of use, becoming obsolete.

82 Approximately : CIRCA

“Circa” is a Latin word meaning “around, near, about the time of”. We use “circa” directly in English to mean “about the time of”, as well as in derivative words such as “circle” and “circus”.

84 Colonel Sanders trademark : GOATEE

A goatee is a beard formed by hair on a man’s chin. The name probably comes from the tuft of hair seen on an adult goat.

The famous “Colonel” of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fame was Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur from Henryville, Indiana. Although not really a “Colonel”, Sanders did indeed serve in the military. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1906 at the age of 16, lying about his age. He spent the whole of his time in the Army as a soldier in Cuba. It was much later, in the 1930s, that Sanders went into the restaurant business making his specialty deep-fried chicken. By 1935 his reputation as a “character” had grown, so much so that Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky gave Sanders the honorary title of “Kentucky Colonel”. Later in the fifties, Sanders developed his trademark look with the white suit, string tie, mustache and goatee. When Sanders was 65 however, his business failed and in stepped Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s. Thomas simplified the Sanders menu, cutting it back from over a hundred items to just fried chicken and salads. That was enough to launch KFC into the fast food business. Sanders sold the US franchise in 1964 for just $2 million and moved to Canada to grow KFC north of the border. He died in 1980 and is buried in Louisville, Kentucky. The Colonel’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices is indeed a trade secret. Apparently there is only one copy of the recipe, a handwritten piece of paper, written in pencil and signed by Colonel Sanders. Since 2009, the piece of paper has been locked in a computerized vault surrounded with motion detectors and security cameras.

86 Like a deformed tree trunk : BURLED

A burl is a small knot in a piece of wood or in cloth. The term “burl” is derived from the Old French “bourle” meaning “tuft of wool”.

89 Golfer Calvin : PEETE

Calvin Peete was the most successful African-American golfer on the PGA tour before Tiger Woods hit the circuit. Peete played on the Ryder Cup teams of 1983 and 1985.

91 Ali, once : CLAY

Boxer Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Mercellus Clay Jr. in Lousville, Kentucky in 1942. Clay joined the Nation of Islam in the early sixties, at which point he changed his name to Muhammad Ali. The name he chose translates into “one who is worthy of praise” (Muhammad) and “most high” (Ali).

93 Samsung product : HDTV

Samsung is a huge multinational company based in Seoul, South Korea. We tend to think of Samsung as a supplier of consumer electronics perhaps, but the company is into so much more. Samsung Heavy Industries is the world’s second-biggest shipbuilder, and Samsung Techwin is a major manufacturer of aeronautic and weapons systems. The name “Samsung” means “three stars” in Korean.

95 Laryngitis docs : ENTS

The branch of medicine known as “ear, nose and throat” (ENT) is more correctly called “otolaryngology”.

The suffix “-itis” is used to denote inflammation, as in laryngitis (inflammation of the larynx), otitis (inflammation of the ear), tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon), tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) and sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses).

98 Post-Manhattan Project org. : AEC

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (NRDA). The NRDA was merged with the Federal Energy Administration in 1977 to form the Department of Energy.

The Manhattan project was the joint US-Canada-UK project to develop an atomic bomb during WWII. Initially, the Army headquarters for the program was located on the 18th floor of a building on Broadway in New York City. Eventually, because of that first location, the project adopted the name “Manhattan”.

99 “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” singer Chris : REA

Chris Rea is a singer-songwriter and respected blues guitar player from England. Rea’s biggest hit is a song that he wrote himself called “Fool (If You Think It’s Over”), released in 1978.