Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: Eats Up
Today’s themed answers are all in the down-direction. Each contains a hidden word, an item of food written in the UP-direction:
- 3D. Track activity, to Brits : MOTOR RACING (hiding “CARROT”)
- 6D. Lava : MOLTEN ROCK (hiding “CORN”)
- 11D. “Lucky Guy” was her last play : NORA EPHRON (hiding “PEAR”)
- 14D. Minnesota’s annual one is held in Falcon Heights : STATE FAIR (hiding “FETA”)
- 38D. Time-out at work : COFFEE BREAK (hiding “BEEF”)
- 72D. Boston Marathon Expo display : RUNNING GEAR (hiding “EGG”)
- 76D. “Tsk tsk” : THAT’S A PITY (hiding “PASTA”)
- 78D. Pet shelter’s concern : ANIMAL CARE (hiding “CLAM”)
- 82D. Topper made from the jipijapa palm : PANAMA HAT (hiding “HAM”)
Bill’s time: 17m 25s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Octopus octet : ARMS
The name “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural. Language does evolve, even though it drives me crazy …
20. Russian wolfhound : BORZOI
The borzoi breed of dog looks like a hairy version of a greyhound. The borzoi is also known as the Russian wolfhound.
21. Jazz home : UTAH
The Utah Jazz professional basketball team moved to their current home in Salt Lake City in 1979. As one might guess from the name, the team originated in New Orleans, but only played there for five seasons. New Orleans was a tough place to be based because venues were hard to come by, and Mardi Gras forced the team to play on the road for a whole month.
24. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU
Bolognese sauce is a meat-based sauce originating from Bologna in Italy, hence the name. The recipe is usually referred to as “ragù alla bolognese” in Italian, or simply “ragù”. Note that the Ragú brand of sauces introduced in North America in 1937 takes its name from the same source (pun … sauce!). However, the brand name uses the wrong accent (“Ragú” instead of “Ragù”), which drives a pedant like me crazy ..
25. Pandora genre : EMO
The emo musical genre originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. “Emo” is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea …
Pandora is a clever music streaming site that runs what’s called the Music Genome Project. The idea behind the project is that particular pieces of music can be classified by specific characteristics (genes). The assumption is that given a person’s liking for the genome of a particular song, then a recommendation of another song with a similar genome will also be enjoyed by that person. I’ve used Pandora quite a lot, and it seems to work!
28. The Heart of Dixie: Abbr. : ALA
Alabama is known as the Yellowhammer State, in honor of the state bird. Alabama is also called the “Heart of Dixie”.
44. The Pac-12’s Golden Bears : CAL
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams of the University of California, Berkeley. The University of California, Berkeley (Cal) is the most difficult public university to get into in the world. It opened in 1869 and is named for Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley.
45. LAX abbr. : ARR
Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the busiest here on the West Coast of the US. The airport was opened in 1930 as Mines Field and was renamed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941. On the airport property is the iconic white structure that resembles a flying saucer. This is called the Theme Building and I believe it is mainly used as a restaurant and observation deck for the public. The airport used to be identified by the letters “LA”, but when the aviation industry went to a three-letter standard for airport identification, this was changed to “LAX”. Apparently, the “X” has no significant meaning.
51. Safari runners? : MACS
Safari is Apple’s flagship Internet browser, one that is used on its Mac line of computers. A mobile version of Safari is included with all iPhones.
56. Article in Der Spiegel : EINE
“Der Spiegel” is a very successful German magazine found on newsstands all over Europe. The name “Der Spiegel” translates from German into “the Mirror”.
57. Pink Floyd label : EMI
EMI was a British music company, with the initialism standing for Electric and Musical Industries.
Pink Floyd was an English rock band founded in 1965. The band’s most famous albums are probably “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”.
58. Iridescent shell lining : NACRE
Nacre is the strong iridescent material laid down by some mollusks on the inside of their shells, and it’s also what makes up pearls. The creature lays down nacre as a defensive mechanism, protecting the soft tissue of its body from the rough surface of the outer shell. Similarly, it uses nacre to encapsulate harmful debris or a parasite that penetrates the shell, and that’s how a pearl is formed.
59. Biceps, for one : FLEXOR
A flexor muscle is one that works to bend a limb. An extensor muscle is one that straightens it.
The biceps muscle is made up of two bundles of muscle, both of which terminate at the same point near the elbow. The heads of the bundles terminate at different points on the scapula or shoulder blade. “Biceps” is Latin for “two-headed”.
60. Soho stroller : PRAM
Another word used in the UK that’s rarely used over here is “pram”, which in my day was the most common term for what is called a baby carriage in the US. “Pram” is short for “perambulator”.
The area of London called Soho had a very poor reputation for most of the 20th century as it was home to the city’s red light district. Soho has been transformed though, and has been a very fashionable neighborhood since the 1980s.
61. Perfect __ : TENSE
Although we often say “perfect tense” in English, we are usually referring to the “present perfect tense”. The present perfect takes its place alongside the past perfect and future perfect. Verbs in the perfect form use the auxiliary verb “to have” alongside a past participle. For example:
- I had solved the puzzle (past perfect)
- I have solved the puzzle (present perfect)
- I will have solved the puzzle (future perfect)
63. “The Piano” actor : KEITEL
Harvey Keitel is an actor from New York City who grew up in Brighton Beach. He is best known for playing “tough guy” roles, as he did in “Reservoir Dogs”, “Pulp Fiction” and “Taxi Driver”. Keitel was in a 12-year relationship with fellow actor Lorraine Bracco (who played psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on “The Sopranos”).
“The Piano” is a 1993 film set and filmed in New Zealand starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. The movie tells the story of a mute piano player and her daughter, and her efforts to regain her piano after it is sold. Holly Hunter managed to get three screen credits in “The Piano”. She was credited for her acting role, for playing her own piano pieces in the film, and for being the sign-language coach for young Anna Paquin.
69. Japan is in it : FAR EAST
In geographical terms there are three “Easts”. The Near East and Middle East are terms that are often considered synonymous, although “Near East” tends to be used when discussing ancient history and “Middle East” when referring to the present day. The Near/Middle East encompasses most of Western Asia and Egypt. The term “Far East” describes East Asia (including the Russian Far East), Southeast Asia and South Asia.
The nation of Japan is an archipelago comprising almost 6.9000 islands, with 97% of the nation’s land area made up by the four largest: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The people of Japan can look forward to the highest life expectancy in the world (83.7 years as of 2015). For comparison, we in the US rank 31st in the same study by the World Health Organization (WHO). We can look forward to 79.3 years of life on average.
77. Brand for cold sores : ABREVA
Docosanol is a saturated fatty alcohol that can act as an antiviral agent against the herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores. Docosanol is sold as an over-the-counter medication under the brand name Abreva.
83. Begin successor : SHAMIR
Yitzhak Shamir was the seventh Prime Minister of Israel. Shamir was born Yitzhak Yezernitsky in part of the Russian Empire that is now Belarus. Both of his parents and two sisters were killed during the Holocaust. The future Prime Minister adopted the name Shamir as he had used it on a forged identity card.
Menachem Begin was Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983. Perhaps most notably, Begin signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, following the Camp David Accords of 1978. This agreement earned Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat the Nobel Peace Prize.
85. Harry’s love : GINNY
In the “Harry Potter” series of books, Ginny Weasley is the sister of Harry’s friend, Ron Weasley. Late in the series, Harry and Ginny become boyfriend and girlfriend. It is revealed in the epilogue that the couple eventually get married and have three children.
88. “Dies __” : IRAE
“Dies Irae” is Latin for “Day of Wrath”. It is the name of a famous melody in Gregorian Chant, one that is often used as part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.
91. Org. for the Sky, the Stars and the Sun : WNBA
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) includes the Connecticut Sun, San Antonio Stars and the Chicago Sky.
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded in 1996. The WNBA had to compete with the American Basketball League (ABL), a professional women’s basketball league that started playing games the same year the WNBA was founded. The ABL folded in its third season.
96. Chum, in Cherbourg : AMI
Cherbourg is a port on the northern coast of France lying on the English Channel. Interestingly (I think!), the wreck of the Confederate States of America warship CSS Alabama was discovered just outside the port not that long ago. The Alabama was sunk by the Union cruiser Kearsarge in 1864, after she left the port of Cherbourg to engage the Kearsarge who was lying in wait offshore.
101. Old theaters : RKOS
The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.
105. Big Sky Brewing Company home : MONTANA
Big Sky Brewing Company was founded in 1995 and is located in Missoula, Montana. The brewery’s most famous beer is probably a brown ale called Moose Drool.
108. PC key used in combinations : CTRL
The Control (CTRL) key on a PC keyboard is used to modify the function of other keys. For example, pressing CTRL+C copies a selection to the clipboard, and CTRL+V pastes the contents of the clipboard to a location defined by the cursor. Control keys were introduced on teletypewriters to generate “control characters”, which are non-printing characters that instruct a computer to do something like print a page, ring a bell etc.
115. Bench for a flock : PEW
A pew is a bench in a church, one usually with a high back. The original pews were raised and sometimes enclosed seats in the church used by women and important men or families. “Pew” comes from the Old French “puie” meaning “balcony, elevation”.
116. “Casablanca” setting : MOROCCO
The country of Morocco is located in North Africa, but lies just 9 miles south of Spain. Spain and Morocco, and hence Europe and Africa, are separated by those 9 miles across the Mediterranean Sea known as the Straits of Gibraltar.
The movie “Casablanca” was released in January of 1943, timed to coincide with the Casablanca Conference, the high-level meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. The film wasn’t a box-office hit, but gained critical acclaim, winning three Oscars including Best Picture. The signature song “As Time Goes By” was written many years earlier for a 1931 Broadway musical called “Everybody’s Welcome”, and was a hit in 1931 for Rudy Vallee. But today we all remember the Casablanca version, sung by Dooley Wilson (who played “Sam” in the film). Poor Dooley didn’t get to record it as a single, due to a musician’s strike in 1943. The 1931 Rudy Vallee version was re-released that year and became an even bigger hit second time round.
118. Kaplan Test Prep focus: Abbr. : GRE
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.
Kaplan Inc. was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, who started out tutoring students for the New York State Regents Exam in the basement of his parents’ home in Brooklyn. He opened up locations for tuition around the country, and in 1984 sold the company to the Washington Post. Revenue for Kaplan was over 2½ billion dollars in 2009.
120. Loud insect : CICADA
Cicadas are insects that are found all over the world. Although they resemble locusts, cicadas are an unrelated family. The name “cicada” is Latin and translated as “tree cricket”. However, the name is imitative of the clicking sound the insect makes using parts of its exoskeleton known as “tymbals”.
122. Flat across the pond? : APARTMENT
“Flat” is a word more commonly used in the British Isles than here, in the sense of an apartment or condominium. The word “flat” is Scottish in origin, in which language it meant a “floor in a house”.
128. Heat-resistant glass : PYREX
Pyrex is a brand of glassware that was developed by Corning. As well as being used in bakeware and laboratory glassware, Pyrex is often the material of choice for optics in large telescopes used in astronomy. Corning’s PYREX (note the capital letters) is made from borosilicate glass, the main ingredients of which are silica and boron trioxide. Such Corning products are only available now outside of the US. Corning divested its consumer products division in 1998, resulting in the formation of World Kitchen. World Kitchen purchased the rights to the “Pyrex” name in the US, and market it as “pyrex” (all lowercase letters). So “PYREX” glassware is made from borosilicate glass, and “pyrex” products are made from cheaper tempered soda-lime glass.
130. “Symphony in Black” 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.
Down
1. Temporary lack of inspiration? : APNEA
Sleep apnea (“apnoea” in British English) can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.
2. Shangri-La offerings : ROOMS
The Shangri-La chain of luxury hotels was founded in 1971 and is based in Hong Kong. The chain’s name comes from the mythical location of Shangri-La found in James Hilton’s 1933 novel “Lost Horizon”.
4. 35mm camera type : SLR
At the beginning of the 20th century, 35mm was chosen as a standard size for film used in still cameras. 35mm was selected as it was already the standard film size used in motion pictures.
5. Wings, in zoology : ALAE
In Latin, an “avis” (bird) has “alae” (wings).
7. Like miso, typically : SALTY
Miso is the name of the seasoning that makes the soup. Basic miso seasoning is made by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans with salt and a fungus to produce a paste. The paste can be added to stock to make miso soup, or perhaps to flavor tofu.
9. Many a University of Zagreb student : CROAT
Zagreb is the capital city of the Republic of Croatia. Zagreb has been around a long, long time, and dates back to the diocese of Zagreb that was founded at the end of 11th century.
The University of Zagreb in Croatia has been around along time. It was founded in The year 1669 as the Jesuit Academy of the Royal Free City of Zagreb.
10. Augusta National shrub : AZALEA
The Augusta National Golf Club was built on a former plant nursery. As such, each hole on the course is named for a tree or shrub associated with that hole. For example, the par-5 thirteenth hole is named “Azalea”.
11. “Lucky Guy” was her last play : NORA EPHRON (hiding “PEAR”)
Nora Ephron had many talents, including writing film scripts and novels. Many of the movies that she wrote, she also directed. These would include some of my favorite movies of all time like “Sleepless in Seattle”, “You’ve Got Mail” and most recently, the wonderful “Julie & Julia”. And, did you know that Nora Ephron’s second marriage was to journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame? She wrote an autobiographical novel based on her life with Bernstein, which deals in particular with Bernstein’s affair with the daughter of British Prime Minister James Callaghan.
The Broadway play “Lucky Guy” garnered quite a bit of attention for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was the last work by the great Nora Ephron, who had passed away nine months before the play opened in 2013. Secondly, the star of “Lucky Guy” was Hollywood actor Tom Hanks in his first appearance on Broadway.
12. PBS “Science Kid” : SID
“Sid the Science Kid” is a children’s show aired by PBS. “Sid the Science Kid” is made using CGI technology, and is a production of the Jim Henson Company that was founded on the success of “The Muppets”.
13. Holiday in the month of Adar : PURIM
Purim is a festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to wipe them out by Haman the Agagite, as recorded in the Book of Esther.
Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical calendar. Adar is equivalent to February-March in the Gregorian calendar.
14. Minnesota’s annual one is held in Falcon Heights : STATE FAIR (hiding “FETA”)
The Minnesota State Fair has been held almost every year since 1859. The state fairgrounds are located in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. The Minnesota State Fair gets more daily visitors than any other state fair in the nation.
15. Guru : SAGE
“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.
18. Luxury handbag : FENDI
Fendi is an Italian fashion house that was founded in 1925 by Adele Casagrande. Fendi started out as a fur and leather shop in Rome, and these days is famous for its line of handbags.
19. President between Harrison and Polk : TYLER
William Henry Harrison died in 1841, after only one month in office, simply from complications arising from a cold. Harrison was the oldest person to assume the office of US president, until President Reagan in 1981. He was the first president to die in office, and served the shortest tenure.
John Tyler was the tenth President of the US, and the first to take the office on the death of the incumbent. Tyler’s predecessor was President William Henry Harrison, who was in office only 32 days before he died of natural causes. For a while there was a little confusion about the wording in the constitution that covered such an eventuality. There was an argument made that Tyler would continue as Vice-President but would assume the responsibilities of the office of President, in effect as “Acting President”. However, Tyler proceeded as though he was taking over as President and took the oath of office in his hotel room in Washington. Soon afterwards, Congress declared that Tyler was indeed President, although many continued to dispute the fact. Many of President Tyler’s opponents referred to him as “His Accidency”. His term in office ended in 1845. When the Civil War began in 1861, Tyler sided with the Confederacy and was even elected to the Confederate House of Representatives for the 3rd District of Virginia. President Tyler passed away only a few days after taking his seat in the House. His death was the only one in presidential history that was not recognized in the nation’s capital, as he sided with the Confederate States.
James Knox Polk was the 11th US President. Polk is known as a president who delivered on promises that he made during his election campaign. He left office after serving only one term, as he had promised the voters, and then contracted cholera on a goodwill tour of the South. Polk died at only 53 years of age, the youngest age for any president to die in retirement. He also enjoyed the shortest retirement of any president, at only 103 days.
29. Captain of the Adventure Galley : KIDD
William Kidd was a Scottish privateer who went by the name “Captain Kidd”. Although Kidd was a privateer, someone authorized by the government to attack foreign shipping, he was eventually arrested and executed for piracy. There is common opinion held today that the charges against Kidd were actually trumped up. Captain Kidd’s story was the basis of a 1945 film called “Captain Kidd” starring Charles Laughton in the title role. Laughton also appeared as Captain Kidd in 1952’s comic movie “Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd”.
34. Former FAO Schwarz parent : TOYS R US
FAO Schwarz was perhaps the most famous, and certainly the oldest, toy store in the United States. The FAO Schwarz outlet on Fifth Avenue in New York City closed in 2015. This store was famously used in several Hollywood movies. For example, it was home to the Walking Piano that Tom Hanks played in the movie “Big”.
36. Lady of pop : GAGA
“Lady Gaga” is the stage name of Stefani Germanotta. Germanotta is a big fan of the band Queen, and she took her stage name from the marvelous Queen song titled “Radio Ga Ga”.
42. Sicilian hot spot : ETNA
Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts.
44. Engraved jewelry item : CAMEO
Cameo is a method of carving, often the carving of a gemstone or a piece of jewelry. The resulting image is in relief (sits proud of the background), whereas an engraved image would be produced by the similar carving method known as intaglio. Nowadays, the term “cameo” is used for any piece of oval-shaped jewelry that contains the image of a head, usually in profile (maybe even a photograph).
51. Team covered at amazinavenue.com : METS
There is an online community of New York Mets fans called Amazin’ Avenue (at amazinavenue.com). I guess the website is named for the Amazin’ Mets, the 1969 team that won the World Series.
53. Princess with a twin brother : LEIA
Princess Leia is Luke Skywalker’s twin sister in the original “Star Wars” trilogy and was played by Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher has stated that she hated the famous “cinnamon bun hairstyle” that she had to wear in the films, as she felt it made her face look too round. She also had to to sit for two hours every day just to get her hair styled. Two hours to get your hair done? It takes me just two seconds …
55. Permit to leave : EXIT VISA
A visa is a usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.
62. Sotomayor replaced him : SOUTER
David Souter was an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court. Souter was appointed in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush, even though over time Justice Souter tended to vote with the more liberal members of the court. Souter retired in 2009. Personally, I have to admire Justice Souter’s choice of a relatively low-tech lifestyle. He writes with a fountain pen, does not use email, and doesn’t own a cell phone.
Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice on the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.
66. Fix, as a pet : SPAY
Our verb “to spay”, meaning “to surgically remove the ovaries of” (an animal) comes from an old Anglo-French word “espeier” meaning “to cut with a sword”.
70. Genesis creator : SEGA
Genesis is a video game console sold in the US by the Japanese company Sega. Genesis is sold as Mega Drive in the rest of the world, as Sega couldn’t get the rights to the Mega Drive name in the US.
72. Boston Marathon Expo display : RUNNING GEAR (hiding “EGG”)
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, outside of the Olympic event. The first Boston Marathon was held way back in 1897 to celebrate Patriots’ Day, which commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord at the start of the American Revolution.
82. Topper made from the jipijapa palm : PANAMA HAT (hiding “HAM”)
Panama hats are traditional headgear from Ecuador, and have never been made in Panama. The “panama” moniker came about as many of the hats were shipped to the Isthmus of Panama for transportation by sea to the rest of the world. Authentic panama hats are made from the leaves of a palm-like plant known locally as the jipijapa palm.
84. K2 and Hood: Abbr. : MTS
K2 is the second highest mountain on the planet (at 28, 251 ft), with Mount Everest being higher by over 700 feet. K2 is known the “Savage Mountain” as it is relatively difficult to climb, having claimed 1 in 4 mountaineers who have attempted to reach the summit. It has never been climbed in winter. The name K2 dates back to what was called the Great Trigonometric Survey, a British survey of the geography of India carried out during the 19th century. Included in this survey were the heights of many of the Himalayan peaks, including Everest. The original surveyor, a Thomas Montgomerie, included two peaks he first called K1 and K2. He discovered later that the locals called K1 Masherbrum (the 22nd highest mountain in the world), but the remote K2 had no local name that he could find, so it was christened Mount Godwin-Austen. This name was rejected by the Royal Geographic Society although it does still appear on some maps. So, the most common name used is K2, that original notation in a surveyor’s notebook.
Mount Hood is a volcanic peak in northern Oregon. It is the highest peak in the state, and is located about 50 miles southeast of Portland. There are six ski areas on the mountain, including a resort called Timberline that has North America’s only lift operating year-round for skiing.
86. Wax Ready-Strips maker : NAIR
Nair is a hair removal product that has some pretty harsh ingredients. The most important active constituents are calcium hydroxide (“slake lime”) and sodium hydroxide (“caustic soda”). Other Nair components seem to be there to soothe the skin after the harsher chemicals have done their job. The name “Nair” probably comes from combining “no” and “hair”.
95. Bonkers : LOCO
The word “bonkers” meaning “crazy” originated in the fifties. The term might come from navy slang meaning “slightly drunk”, behaving as though one received a “bonk” on the head.
104. “Dilbert” creator Adams : SCOTT
“Dilbert” is a comic strip drawn by Scott Adams, a “neighbor” of mine here in the Bay Area. Adams used to be co-owner of a restaurant at the end of my street that had a menu replete with “Dilbertesque” comments.
111. Max of Dadaism : ERNST
Max Ernst was a painter and sculptor, and a pioneer in the Dada movement and Surrealism. Ernst was born near Cologne in Germany in 1891 and he was called up to fight in WWI, as were most young German men at that time. In his autobiography he writes “Max Ernst died the 1st of August, 1914” a statement about his experiences in the war. In reality, Ernst died in 1976 having lived to the ripe old age of 85.
112. Sicilian seven : SETTE
In the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, the “boot” is the mainland of Italy, and the the ball being kicked by the boot is the island of Sicily.
113. Hit the mall : SHOP
Surprisingly (to me!), our word “mall”, meaning “shady walk” or “enclosed shopping space”, comes from the Italian for “mallet”. All of our shopping-style malls are named for “The Mall” in St. James’s Park in London. This tree-lined promenade was so called as it used to a famous spot to play the croquet-like game called “pall-mall”. The game derived its name from the Italian for ball (palla) and mallet “maglio”. The London thoroughfare called the Mall still exists, at one end of which is Buckingham Palace. Indeed, parallel to the Mall is a street called Pall Mall.
121. Fort in New Jersey : DIX
Fort Dix is the name commonly used for what is now more correctly called Joint Base McGuire -Dix-Lakehurst, a US Army base located near Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix was established in 1917 by the Army, and was consolidated with nearby Air Force and Navy facilities in 2009.
123. Toon bartender Szyslak : MOE
Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpsons” animated TV show. I don’t really care for “The Simpsons”, but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character … him I like …
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Octopus octet : ARMS
5. Pro-__: fundraisers : AMS
8. Looks over quickly : SCANS
13. “Hey, you!” : PSST!
17. Backyard raft : POOL FLOAT
20. Russian wolfhound : BORZOI
21. Jazz home : UTAH
22. “Just kidding” : NOT REALLY
23. On deck : ABOARD
24. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU
25. Pandora genre : EMO
26. Annoyed : NETTLED
28. The Heart of Dixie: Abbr. : ALA
29. They have strings attached : KITES
30. Comparable to a beet : AS RED
32. Gave the once-over : EYED
33. Driver’s reservation? : TEE TIME
35. Run the country : REIGN
37. CDs and LPs : RECS
40. Like two peas in __ : A POD
41. Supplied in a comedy skit, as straight lines : FED
44. The Pac-12’s Golden Bears : CAL
45. LAX abbr. : ARR
47. Pitch indicator : NOTE
49. Supply with fluid : HYDRATE
51. Safari runners? : MACS
52. The puck stops here : GOAL
54. Reasons for missing school : FEVERS
56. Article in Der Spiegel : EINE
57. Pink Floyd label : EMI
58. Iridescent shell lining : NACRE
59. Biceps, for one : FLEXOR
60. Soho stroller : PRAM
61. Perfect __ : TENSE
63. “The Piano” actor : KEITEL
65. Like a locked bathroom : IN USE
67. “Mmm, delish!” : SO GOOD!
69. Japan is in it : FAR EAST
71. Fire starters : SPARKS
75. Team up : UNITE
77. Brand for cold sores : ABREVA
79. Carry __: sing on pitch : A TUNE
80. Was visibly moved : WEPT
83. Begin successor : SHAMIR
85. Harry’s love : GINNY
87. Negative link : NOR
88. “Dies __” : IRAE
89. Tell the teacher : TATTLE
90. Where the Indus flows : ASIA
91. Org. for the Sky, the Stars and the Sun : WNBA
92. Went wild : RAN RIOT
94. Sign of approval : SEAL
96. Chum, in Cherbourg : AMI
97. __ Majesty : HIS
98. Pueblo pronoun : ESA
99. -ish, after a number : OR SO
101. Old theaters : RKOS
103. Firing offense? : ARSON
105. Big Sky Brewing Company home : MONTANA
108. PC key used in combinations : CTRL
110. Zoo keepers : CAGES
113. Lasting marks : SCARS
115. Bench for a flock : PEW
116. “Casablanca” setting : MOROCCO
118. Kaplan Test Prep focus: Abbr. : GRE
119. “Funny joke!” : HA HA!
120. Loud insect : CICADA
122. Flat across the pond? : APARTMENT
124. 44-Down shape : OVAL
125. Classic game consoles : ATARIS
126. “This looks bad for us!” : WE’RE TOAST!
127. Shelter adoptees : PETS
128. Heat-resistant glass : PYREX
129. Drops at dawn : DEW
130. “Symphony in Black” artist : ERTE
Down
1. Temporary lack of inspiration? : APNEA
2. Shangri-La offerings : ROOMS
3. Track activity, to Brits : MOTOR RACING (hiding “CARROT”)
4. 35mm camera type : SLR
5. Wings, in zoology : ALAE
6. Lava : MOLTEN ROCK (hiding “CORN”)
7. Like miso, typically : SALTY
8. Cry out loud : SOB
9. Many a University of Zagreb student : CROAT
10. Augusta National shrub : AZALEA
11. “Lucky Guy” was her last play : NORA EPHRON (hiding “PEAR”)
12. PBS “Science Kid” : SID
13. Holiday in the month of Adar : PURIM
14. Minnesota’s annual one is held in Falcon Heights : STATE FAIR (hiding “FETA”)
15. Guru : SAGE
16. As a result : THUS
18. Luxury handbag : FENDI
19. President between Harrison and Polk : TYLER
20. Spoiled : BAD
27. Adam’s garden : EDEN
29. Captain of the Adventure Galley : KIDD
31. Sushi fish : EELS
34. Former FAO Schwarz parent : TOYS R US
36. Lady of pop : GAGA
38. Time-out at work : COFFEE BREAK (hiding “BEEF”)
39. Outstanding : STELLAR
42. Sicilian hot spot : ETNA
43. View as : DEEM
44. Engraved jewelry item : CAMEO
46. Perfect game, e.g. : RARE FEAT
48. Adam’s love : EVE
50. Run over : REPEAT
51. Team covered at amazinavenue.com : METS
53. Princess with a twin brother : LEIA
55. Permit to leave : EXIT VISA
58. Night light : NEON
62. Sotomayor replaced him : SOUTER
64. Mobile home : TRAILER
66. Fix, as a pet : SPAY
68. Twist : DISTORT
70. Genesis creator : SEGA
72. Boston Marathon Expo display : RUNNING GEAR (hiding “EGG”)
73. Drawer openers : KNOBS
74. Toxin fighters : SERA
76. “Tsk tsk” : THAT’S A PITY (hiding “PASTA”)
78. Pet shelter’s concern : ANIMAL CARE (hiding “CLAM”)
80. Finish line : WIRE
81. Mound stats : ERAS
82. Topper made from the jipijapa palm : PANAMA HAT (hiding “HAM”)
84. K2 and Hood: Abbr. : MTS
86. Wax Ready-Strips maker : NAIR
91. “Easy there!” : WHOA!
93. Charged bits : IONS
95. Bonkers : LOCO
100. Garage capacity : ONE-CAR
102. Juice bar freebie : STRAW
104. “Dilbert” creator Adams : SCOTT
106. Doctoral hurdles : ORALS
107. In the know : AWARE
109. Drew (in) : ROPED
111. Max of Dadaism : ERNST
112. Sicilian seven : SETTE
113. Hit the mall : SHOP
114. Way into the mountain : CAVE
116. More, to Miguel : MAS
117. Backstage staff : CREW
120. Limit : CAP
121. Fort in New Jersey : DIX
123. Toon bartender Szyslak : MOE