LA Times Crossword 27 Oct 19, Sunday

Advertisement

Constructed by: Robin Stears
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: What About Bob?

Themed answers are 3-word phrases starting with the letters B-O-B:

  • 23A Flop : BOX-OFFICE BOMB
  • 34A Colorful Bobby Vinton album (and hit song) : BLUE ON BLUE
  • 49A 1936 Edward G. Robinson gangster film : BULLETS OR BALLOTS
  • 68A Sun metaphor : BIG ORANGE BALL
  • 89A Make extreme efforts : BEND OVER BACKWARD
  • 103A 1998 Stephen King “haunted love story” : BAG OF BONES
  • 118A “You’re in my space, pal!” : BACK OFF, BUSTER!

Bill’s time: 19m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Narratives of deeds : ACTA

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

5 Dental alloys : AMALGAMS

Amalgam is an alloy of mercury with some other metal. Many dental fillings are made of an amalgam of silver and mercury. We started using “amalgam” to mean “blend of different things” around 1790.

13 Hamlet relative : VILLAGE

A hamlet is a small village, especially one without a church (it says here …).

20 Bubbly name : MOET

Moët & Chandon is a French winery, and one of the world’s largest producers of champagne. The company was founded by wine trader Claude Moët in 1743. The name was changed to Moët & Chandon in the 1830s when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon, an in-law to the Moët family, was given co-ownership. Moët & Chandon owns the famous Dom Pérignon brand name, honoring the Benedictine monk who did so much to improve the quality of champagne.

22 It’s usually taken in twos : ASPIRIN

“Aspirin” used to be a brand name for the drug acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin was introduced by the German drug company Bayer AG in the late 1800s. As part of the war reparations paid by Germany after WWI, Bayer AG lost the use of the trademark “Aspirin” (as well as the trademark Heroin!) and it became a generic term.

25 He plays Armstrong in “First Man” : GOSLING

Ryan Gosling is a Canadian actor who really seems to be riding high right now. He is one of a string of entertainers to graduate from the Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel.

“First Man” is a 2018 film based on the biography “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong” by James R. Hansen. Ryan Gosling plays Armstrong in the movie, which follows the years leading up to the first moon landing in 1969. The film disappointed at the box office, although I must say I enjoyed it …

26 Cub : bear :: cria : __ : LLAMA

“Cria” is a name given to baby llamas, as well as similar creatures such as alpacas. “Cria” is a Spanish word meaning “baby”.

27 Not quite cuatro : TRES

In Spanish, “tres” (three) is the number before “cuatro” (four).

29 Silent letters? : ASL

It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.

30 Article in Die Zeit : EIN

“Die Zeit” is the most widely read, weekly newspaper in Germany. It was first published soon after the end of WWII, in February of 1946. “Zeit” is the German word for “time”.

31 English class assignment : ESSAY

34 Colorful Bobby Vinton album (and hit song) : BLUE ON BLUE

“Blue on Blue” is a song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David that was released by Bobby Vinton in 1963.

38 Certain flower cultivator : ROSARIAN

A rosarian is a cultivator of roses.

40 Town __ : CRIER

Town criers make public announcements on the streets, usually shouting “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!” to attract attention. The term “oyez” derives from the Anglo-Norman word for “listen” and is used in this instance to me “Hear ye!”

42 Eur. land on the Atlantic : POR

Portugal is the most westerly country in Europe, and is located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula alongside Spain. The name “Portugal” comes from the Latin “Portus Cale”, the name used by ancient Romans for Porto, now the country’s second largest city. Portugal was a far-reaching power in the 15th and 16th centuries, at the center of the world’s first truly global empire. A legacy of the Portuguese Empire is that today there are more than 240 million Portuguese speakers across the world.

43 Gravlax herb : DILL

“Gravlax” is the Swedish name for a dish consisting of raw salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill. Gravlax dates back to the Middle Ages when fishermen fermented salted salmon by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The name gravlax comes from the Scandinavian “grav” meaning “grave, hole in the ground” and “lax” meaning “salmon”.

Dill is a herb in the celery family. Dill seeds can be used for flavoring food, as can dill leaves. In this sense, dill leaves are sometimes referred to as “dill weed”.

44 Perform at the Improv, say : AD LIB

“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage, the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage, the concept of an ad lib is very familiar.

The Improv is a chain of comedy clubs with over a dozen locations across the country. The original Improv was founded in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City in 1963 by Budd Friedman, who also served as the clubs MC and warm-up act.

49 1936 Edward G. Robinson gangster film : BULLETS OR BALLOTS

“Bullets or Ballots” is a 1936 movie starring Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a cop who infiltrates a crime organization, and Bogart plays a mob boss who suspects the subterfuge.

Actor Edward G. Robinson was born in Bucharest, Romania who emigrated as a boy to the US with his family. Robinson often played a gruff and tough thug on the big screen, which was in contrast to his actual persona. He was actually a soft-spoken and well-educated man who spoke seven languages.

55 Troon turndowns : NAES

Troon is a town on the west coast of Scotland just north of Glasgow. One of Troon’s claims to fame is the Royal Troon golf course, which regularly hosts the Open Championship.

56 It borders three oceans : ASIA

Asia borders three oceans in all: the Pacific, the Indian and the Arctic Oceans.

58 Entirely fill : SATE

“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

60 Baseball’s “Stan the Man” : MUSIAL

Stan Musial was a baseball player who went by the nickname “Stan the Man”, a moniker he was awarded by the Brooklyn Dodgers fans in 1946. Off the field, Stan was quite the harmonica player.

63 Gillian’s role on “The X-Files” : DANA

“The X-Files” is a very successful science fiction show that originally aired on the Fox network from 1993 to 2002. The stars of the show are David Duchovny (playing Fox Mulder) and the very talented Gillian Anderson (playing Dana Scully). By the time the series ended, “The X-Files” was the longest running sci-fi show in US broadcast history. An “X-Files” reboot started airing in 2016 with Duchovny and Anderson reprising their starring roles.

The marvelous actress Gillian Anderson came to prominence playing FBI agent Dana Scully on TV’s “The X-Files” alongside David Duchovny. Anderson was born in Chicago, but grew up in London in the UK. After spending most of her adult life in the US, Anderson now lives in London.

73 Like sashimi : RAW

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish, although it can also be raw meat. The word “sashimi” translates literally as “pierced body”, which may be a reference to the practice of sticking the tail and fin to sliced fish to identify it.

75 Currency replaced by the euro : PESETA

The peseta is the former currency of Spain, and the de facto currency of Spain’s neighbor, the Principality of Andorra. The peseta was replaced by the euro in 2002.

77 Two-master : YAWL

A yawl is a two-masted sailing vessel. There is a main mast forward, and a smaller mizzen mast close to the stern. A yawl is similar to a ketch, in that both rigs have two masts. The mizzen mast is forward of the rudderpost in a ketch, and aft of the rudderpost in a yawl.

88 Clobber : DRUB

A drubbing is a beating, one given either literally or figuratively. The term “drub” dates back in English to the 17th century when it was imported from the Arabic word for a beating, i.e. “darb”.

96 1985 movie with three possible endings : CLUE

“Clue” is a 1985 comedy mystery film that is based on the board game of the same name. This film did poorly at the box office, but I found it to be very entertaining and cleverly written. One unique feature of the movie is that it has three different endings.

97 Asian holiday : TET

The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is “Tet Nguyen Dan” meaning “Feast of the First Morning”, with the reference being to the arrival of the season of spring. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

99 Lemonade-and-lager drinks : SHANDIES

A shandy is beverage made by mixing beer and lemon-lime soda, often in a 50/50 ratio. I drank many a shandy in my younger years back in Ireland …

103 1998 Stephen King “haunted love story” : BAG OF BONES

“Bag of Bones” is a 1998 horror novel from the pen of Stephen King. I really don’t do Stephen King, and so haven’t read it. That said, this book has been compared with Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca”, one that I did enjoy, and so maybe one day …

107 Mike __, “Glee” character : CHANG

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

108 “United Shades of America” channel : CNN

“United Shades of America” is a CNN documentary series that is hosted by comedian W. Kamau Bell. In each episode, Bell explores the challenges faced by various communities across the country.

109 “Xanadu” gp. : ELO

The title song of the 1980 movie “Xanadu” was performed by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and Olivia Newton-John (who starred in the film). Despite the popularity of ELO around the world, the song “Xanadu” was the band’s only number one hit back in their homeland of the UK.

111 “Lucky Guy” playwright Ephron : NORA

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.

113 “Band of Gold” singer Payne : FREDA

Freda Payne is somewhat of a one-hit wonder as she is mostly known for her fabulous 1970 hit single “Band of Gold”. Freda’s younger sister is Scherrie Payne, who was one of the Supremes.

124 Saltimbocca meat : VEAL

Saltimbocca is a dish from southern Europe made of veal topped with prosciutto and sage, and then marinated in perhaps wine. The name “saltimbocca” is Italian for “jump in the mouth”.

127 Links numbers : PARS

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

Down

1 “Epitaph for a Spy” author Eric : AMBLER

Eric Ambler was a British author of spy novels, an author that I read voraciously for relaxation as I worked my way through college. One of his books was “The Light of Day”, which provided inspiration for the comic movie adaptation called “The Pink Panther”. Ambler also wrote the screenplay for the excellent film “A Night to Remember” which told the story of the fateful maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.

2 “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper : COOLIO

Coolio is the stage name of rapper Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. In 2009, Coolio joined fellow-American Le Toya Jackson as one of the house guests in “Celebrity Big Brother” (UK version) and apparently he created quite a stir on the show with some outrageous comments. But Coolio also showed a softer side with a spontaneous and emotional reaction to the election of Barack Obama to the office of US President as he watched the election results coming in live in the Big Brother house.

3 AFC South team : TEXANS

The Houston Texans football team has been in the NFL since 2002. Houston had been home to the Oilers football team, but that franchise moved to Nashville in 1997 to become the Tennessee Titans.

5 DOJ division : ATF

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today is part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

6 Miss Piggy tagline : MOI?

The Muppet named Miss Piggy has a pretentious air, and so refers to herself as “moi”. In 1998, Miss Piggy even released her own perfume called “Moi”.

7 Trig function : ARCTAN

The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to “sin, cos and tan”). Each of these is a ratio: a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The “reciprocal” of these three functions are cosecant, secant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent. These inverted ratios should not be confused with the “inverse” trigonometric functions e.g. arcsine, arccosine and arctangent. These inverse functions are the reverse of the sine, cosine and tangent.

10 Muchos meses : ANOS

In Spanish, “muchos meses” (many months) can add up to “años” (years).

11 “Newhart” production co. : MTM

MTM Enterprises was a television production company founded in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore, originally to produce the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. The company subsequently produced the likes of “The Bob Newhart Show”, “Rhoda”, “WKRP in Cincinnati”, “Hill Street Blues” and “St. Elsewhere”. That’s a lot of great television …

“Newhart” is a very entertaining sitcom starring Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as innkeepers in rural Vermont. The show is remembered by many for its last episode, which aired in 1990. In that final episode, Bob Newhart wakes up in bed and suggests that the whole of the show’s eight-year run was just a dream. He is lying beside actress Suzanne Pleshette who played his wife in an earlier sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show”. Very, very clever …

14 U-235 and C-14 : ISOTOPES

An isotope is a variant of an element. All isotopes of an element have the same number of protons and electrons, but not the same number of neutrons. This means that isotopes of an element have different atomic weights. The term “isotope” was coined in 1913, and translates from Greek “having the same place”. The idea is that isotopes may have different atomic weights, but they occupy the same place in the periodic table.

The isotope of uranium that is mostly found in nature in uranium-238. Natural uranium also contains a small amount (less than 1%) of uranium-235. When uranium is “enriched”, the percentage of uranium-235 is increased. Uranium containing 80% or more uranium-235 is known as “weapons grade”.

Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that is found in nature in small amounts Carbon-14 is used in the technique known as radiocarbon dating, a relatively accurate way of determining the age of something up to about 60,000 years old. When an organism is alive, the amount of radioactive carbon-14 it has compared to the amount of regular carbon-12, is a fixed ratio. After the organism dies, it is no longer exchanging carbon with the atmosphere through metabolism. So, the stable carbon-12 stays in the body as it rots but the radioactive carbon-14 gradually decays, causing the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 to fall. Scientists can determine the age of remains by measuring this carbon-14/carbon-12 ratio.

16 Rapper __ Nas X : LIL

“Lil Nas X” is the stage name of rapper Montero Lamar Hill. He was born and raised just outside of Atlanta. His first hit was “Old Town Road”, which is classified as country rap.

17 Sans-serif typeface : ARIAL

Serifs are details on the ends of characters in some typefaces. Typefaces without serifs are known as sans-serif, using the French word “sans” meaning “without” and “serif” from the Dutch “schreef” meaning “line”. Some people say that serif fonts are easier to read on paper, whereas sans-serif fonts work better on a computer screen. I’m not so sure though …

18 Infomercial cutlery brand : GINSU

Ginsu knives are more famous for their hard-sell television ads than they are for their efficacy in the kitchen. The Ginsu phenomenon took off in the seventies when two brothers found a set of knives called “Eversharp” that were being manufactured in Ohio. The brothers changed the brand name to something more exotic, and Japanese in particular (Ginsu), and then produced ads that made references to Japanese martial arts. I think they made a fortune …

19 Author Madeleine L’__ : ENGLE

Madeleine “L’Engle” was an author who specialized in writing fiction for young adults. Her most famous work is “A Wrinkle in Time”, which spawned a series of sequels. Published in 1962, “A Wrinkle in Time”is described as a science fantasy. Included in the book’s cast of characters are Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, all of whom turn out to be supernatural beings who transport the protagonists through the universe.

24 Spenser’s “The __ Queene” : FAERIE

“The Faerie Queene” is an epic poem by Edmund Spenser. It is one of the longest poems written in the English language.

28 Round-bodied flatfish : TURBOT

Turbot is an asymmetric flatfish with eyes on its upper-left side. Some turbot can grow to be very large, up to 55 pounds in weight.

33 Huevos rancheros condiment : SALSA

The popular breakfast dish huevos rancheros consists mainly of fried eggs served on tortillas and topped with salsa. The dish’s name translates as “eggs ranch-style”.

34 Collector’s items? : BILLS

That would be a bill collector.

35 Girl in Byron’s “Don Juan” : LEILA

Lord Byron wrote the poem “Don Juan” based on the legend of Don Juan the libertine. For the poem, Byron created the character Leila, a 10-year-old Muslim orphan girl whom Juan rescues from the city of Ismail.

36 Postal creed word : NOR

There is no official creed or motto for the US Postal Service (USPS). However, there is the oft-quoted inscription that is posted (pun!) over the entrance to the James Farley Post Office in New York City:

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

37 Former Alabama-based grocery chain : BRUNO’S

Bruno’s was a chain of grocery stores based in Birmingham, Alabama that was founded by Joseph Bruno in 1932. Bruno’s was sold in the mid-nineties, reportedly as the company floundered following the tragic death of much of the management team when their corporate jet crashed in 1991.

39 He lost to Ike twice : ADLAI

Adlai Stevenson (AES) ran for president unsuccessfully against Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE), once in 1952 and again in 1956. Some years after his second defeat, Stevenson served under President Kennedy (JFK) as Ambassador to the United Nations. Stevenson was always noted for his eloquence and he had a famous exchange in a UN Security Council meeting during the Cuban missile crisis. Stevenson bluntly demanded that the Soviet representative on the council tell the world if the USSR was installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. His words were “Don’t wait for the translation, answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’!” followed by “I am prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over!”

40 Pool room : CABANA

Our word “cabana” comes from the Spanish “cabaña”, the word for a small hut or a cabin. We often use the term to describe a tent-like structure beside a pool.

41 Nutritional amt. : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

46 Broad view : PANORAMA

Panoramic paintings have existed for centuries, but the word “panorama” was coined around 1790 to describe an invention by the artist Robert Barker. He created an apparatus for exhibiting pictures on the inside of a cylindrical surface, allowing the viewer to stand in the middle with access to a 360-degree vista. The term comes from Greek “pan-” meaning “all” and “horama” meaning “sight, spectacle”.

47 Many a “Stranger Things” character : TEENAGER

“Stranger Things” is a sci-fi horror TV show made for Netflix that aired its first season in 2016. I don’t do horror, and so haven’t seen it …

48 Old draft org. : SSS

The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

49 Ole Miss rival : BAMA

The athletic teams of the University of Alabama (“Bama”) are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, which is a reference to the team colors of crimson and white.

“Ole Miss” is the nickname for the University of Mississippi. The name “Ole Miss” dates back to 1897, the first year a student yearbook was published. The graduating class held a competition to name the yearbook and “Ole Miss” emerged as the winner. The name stuck to the yearbook, and also as a nickname for the school itself. The University of Mississippi sports teams have been known as the Rebels since 1936. Prior to 1936, they were known as the Mississippi Flood.

50 Ones taking things the wrong way : USURPERS

To usurp is to seize and hold by force. The term “usurp” comes to us from Latin via French, from “usus” (a use) and “rapere” (to seize).

52 Great Seal word : ORDO

The Latin phrase “novus ordo seclorum” means “new order of the ages”. These words appear on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, a device used to authenticate some US federal documents. “Novus ordo seclorum” also appears on the back of one-dollar bills. The phrase itself is lifted from one of the works of the ancient Roman poet Virgil.

59 Angels baseball cap feature : HALO

The Anaheim Angels baseball team are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (LAA). The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels are also known as “the Halos”.

61 Five-spots : ABES

The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Abraham Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

70 Ore that’s a source of silver : GALENA

Galena is the most commonly used mineral to produce lead. It is a form of lead sulfide. Galena is the state mineral of Missouri and of Wisconsin.

80 “Jerry’s Kids” telethon org. : MDA

The world’s first telethon was took place in 1949. It was a 16-hour fundraiser hosted by Milton Berle that raised over a million dollars for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The term “telethon”, a portmanteau of “television” and “marathon”, was coined in the news media the day after the event. One of the most famous annual telethons was the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, which raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for over twenty years, from 1966 until 2010.

86 Russian cottage : DACHA

Dachas are usually second homes in Russia and the former Soviet Union that are located outside the city limits in rural areas. Residents/tenants of dachas are often called “dachniks”.

92 Panda’s skill, in a 2008 film : KUNG FU

“Kung Fu Panda” is a 2008 animated film from DreamWorks. It’s all about a panda who is expert in kung fu, as one might guess …

94 Foul caller : REF

Back in the early 17th century, a referee was someone who examined patent applications. We started using the same term for a person presiding over a sporting event in the 1820s. “Referee” is a derivative of the verb “to refer”, and literally describes someone who has the authority to make a decision by “referring to” a book, archive etc.

102 Corgi complaints : SNARLS

The Welsh corgi is a herding dog that originated in Britain, with two recognized breeds: the Pembroke and Cardigan. Corgis aren’t fast enough to do their job by running around livestock like collies, and instead nip at the heels. “Corgi” is Welsh for “dwarf dog”.

103 Name probably derived from scat singing : BEBOP

The jazz term “bebop” probably came from “Arriba! Arriba!”, which were words of encouragement uttered by Latin American bandleaders to their musicians.

104 Coeur d’__ : ALENE

The city, lake and river in Idaho called Coeur d’Alene are all named for the Coeur d’Alene People, Native Americans who lived in the area when it was first explored by French Canadian fur traders. “Coeur d’Alene” translates from French as “heart of an awl”. The Native American people were given this name as they were perceived as shrewd traders by their Canadian counterparts.

106 “them” author : OATES

Joyce Carol Oates is a remarkable writer, not just for the quality of her work (her 1969 novel “them” won a National Book Award, for example) but also for how prolific is her output. She published her first book in 1963 and since then has published over fifty novels as well as many other written works.

111 Barracks bosses, briefly : NCOS

Non-commissioned officer (NCO)

112 “The Grapes of Wrath” figure : OKIE

John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” is set during the Great Depression. The novel tells the story of the Joad family from Oklahoma, farmers who had to leave their home and head for California due to economic hardship.

114 Invitation letters : RSVP

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

116 Peyton’s quarterback brother : ELI

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

117 __ Schwarz : FAO

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”.

118 Actress Arthur : BEA

Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

119 Reno and others: Abbr. : AGS

Janet Reno was Attorney General (AG) of the US from 1993 to 2001, and part of the Clinton administration. Reno was second-longest holder of the office, and our first female Attorney General. In 2002, Reno ran for Governor of Florida but failed to win the Democratic nomination. Thereafter she retired from public life, and passed away at the end of 2016.

121 Pre-A.D. : BCE

The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Narratives of deeds : ACTA
5 Dental alloys : AMALGAMS
13 Hamlet relative : VILLAGE
20 Bubbly name : MOET
21 Attacked aggressively : TORE INTO
22 It’s usually taken in twos : ASPIRIN
23 Flop : BOX-OFFICE BOMB
25 He plays Armstrong in “First Man” : GOSLING
26 Cub : bear :: cria : __ : LLAMA
27 Not quite cuatro : TRES
28 Relative of tsk : TUT
29 Silent letters? : ASL
30 Article in Die Zeit : EIN
31 English class assignment : ESSAY
34 Colorful Bobby Vinton album (and hit song) : BLUE ON BLUE
38 Certain flower cultivator : ROSARIAN
40 Town __ : CRIER
42 Eur. land on the Atlantic : POR
43 Gravlax herb : DILL
44 Perform at the Improv, say : AD LIB
45 Blows : ERUPTS
49 1936 Edward G. Robinson gangster film : BULLETS OR BALLOTS
55 Troon turndowns : NAES
56 It borders three oceans : ASIA
57 Carpet layer’s concern : AREA
58 Entirely fill : SATE
59 Fine-tunes : HONES
60 Baseball’s “Stan the Man” : MUSIAL
63 Gillian’s role on “The X-Files” : DANA
65 Justification : REASON
67 Finesse : ART
68 Sun metaphor : BIG ORANGE BALL
73 Like sashimi : RAW
75 Currency replaced by the euro : PESETA
77 Two-master : YAWL
78 Search for provisions : FORAGE
80 Waiter’s handouts : MENUS
81 Medication container : VIAL
85 Usher : LEAD
87 Sign sometimes upsetting : OMEN
88 Clobber : DRUB
89 Make extreme efforts : BEND OVER BACKWARD
93 Shoot for, with “to” : ASPIRE …
95 Use a password, say : LOG IN
96 1985 movie with three possible endings : CLUE
97 Asian holiday : TET
98 Something in the air : AROMA
99 Lemonade-and-lager drinks : SHANDIES
103 1998 Stephen King “haunted love story” : BAG OF BONES
107 Mike __, “Glee” character : CHANG
108 “United Shades of America” channel : CNN
109 “Xanadu” gp. : ELO
110 Pub pal : LAD
111 “Lucky Guy” playwright Ephron : NORA
113 “Band of Gold” singer Payne : FREDA
115 Help : BENEFIT
118 “You’re in my space, pal!” : BACK OFF, BUSTER!
122 Like many a covered bridge : ONE-LANE
123 Selfish : EGOISTIC
124 Saltimbocca meat : VEAL
125 Time frames : PERIODS
126 Property tax payer, e.g. : ASSESSEE
127 Links numbers : PARS

Down

1 “Epitaph for a Spy” author Eric : AMBLER
2 “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper : COOLIO
3 AFC South team : TEXANS
4 Elementary particle : ATOM
5 DOJ division : ATF
6 Miss Piggy tagline : MOI?
7 Trig function : ARCTAN
8 Suspicious : LEERY
9 Taunt : GIBE
10 Muchos meses : ANOS
11 “Newhart” production co. : MTM
12 Audible sign of distress : SOB
13 Hard to pin down : VAGUE
14 U-235 and C-14 : ISOTOPES
15 Records in a collection : LPS
16 Rapper __ Nas X : LIL
17 Sans-serif typeface : ARIAL
18 Infomercial cutlery brand : GINSU
19 Author Madeleine L’__ : ENGLE
24 Spenser’s “The __ Queene” : FAERIE
28 Round-bodied flatfish : TURBOT
32 Bank deposit : SILT
33 Huevos rancheros condiment : SALSA
34 Collector’s items? : BILLS
35 Girl in Byron’s “Don Juan” : LEILA
36 Postal creed word : NOR
37 Former Alabama-based grocery chain : BRUNO’S
39 He lost to Ike twice : ADLAI
40 Pool room : CABANA
41 Nutritional amt. : RDA
46 Broad view : PANORAMA
47 Many a “Stranger Things” character : TEENAGER
48 Old draft org. : SSS
49 Ole Miss rival : BAMA
50 Ones taking things the wrong way : USURPERS
51 “I’m only going to say this once” : LISTEN UP
52 Great Seal word : ORDO
53 Raise : REAR
54 Giga- x 1,000 : TERA-
59 Angels baseball cap feature : HALO
61 Five-spots : ABES
62 Inebriated : LIT
64 Whatever or whichever : ANY
66 Polar worker : ELF
69 Yielded : GAVE
70 Ore that’s a source of silver : GALENA
71 Piece in a still-life : EWER
72 Tell all : BLAB
74 Make (one’s way) : WEND
76 Suddenly, in music : SUBITO
79 Crossed the lake, in a way : ROWED
80 “Jerry’s Kids” telethon org. : MDA
82 Not near the coast : INLAND
83 Cherish : ADORE
84 Apple’s apple and Target’s target : LOGOS
86 Russian cottage : DACHA
89 Wager without looking at one’s cards : BET BLIND
90 Energetic spirit : VIM
91 Close-knit group : CLAN
92 Panda’s skill, in a 2008 film : KUNG FU
94 Foul caller : REF
99 Vertical mine accesses : SHAFTS
100 Summer cooler : ICE TEA
101 Win the love of : ENDEAR
102 Corgi complaints : SNARLS
103 Name probably derived from scat singing : BEBOP
104 Coeur d’__ : ALENE
105 Hopeless case : GONER
106 “them” author : OATES
107 Snappish : CROSS
111 Barracks bosses, briefly : NCOS
112 “The Grapes of Wrath” figure : OKIE
114 Invitation letters : RSVP
116 Peyton’s quarterback brother : ELI
117 __ Schwarz : FAO
118 Actress Arthur : BEA
119 Reno and others: Abbr. : AGS
120 Shakespearean cry of disgust : FIE!
121 Pre-A.D. : BCE