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Constructed by: Gary Larson
Edited by: Rich Norris
Today’s Theme: Creature Features
Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted with reference to the CREATURE FEATURED within:
- 23A Playlist for Bullwinkle? : MOOSE TRACKS
- 25A Pot for Sebastian of “The Little Mermaid”? : CRAB GRASS
- 47A Soul mate for Jiminy? : CRICKET MATCH
- 92A Emotional triggers for Mickey? : MOUSE BUTTONS
- 116A Topping Daffy created? : DUCK SAUCE
- 118A Online news source for Henny Penny? : CHICKEN FEED
- 31D Healthy snack for Yogi? : BEAR FRUIT
- 33D Old joke told by Quick Draw McGraw? : HORSE CHESTNUT
- 60D Ping-Pong gear for Goofy? : DOG PADDLE
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment
Bill’s time: 15m 23s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 “Skip to __”: 1840s partner-stealing dance : MY LOU
“Skip to My Lou” is a children’s dance that can also be used at a barn dance as an icebreaker. Couples dance to the tune, with an extra male in the middle of the group. The odd man “steals” a lady with whom to dance, leaving her partner to find another. The word “lou” is Scottish for “love”.
11 Tree on the Lebanese flag : CEDAR
The Lebanese flag has two red stripes, one at the top and one at the bottom, designed to symbolize the blood that was shed in the cause of the country’s liberation. Between each red stripe is a white background that represents peace as well as the snow on the Lebanese mountains. In the center of the flag is a green cedar tree, a reference to the cedars of Lebanon that are mentioned several times in the Bible.
21 One of the ABC islands : ARUBA
Aruba is one of the so-called ABC islands located off the northern coast of Venezuela. “ABC Islands” is a name given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
22 Bambi’s cousin Faline, for one : DOE
In the 1942 animated feature “Bambi”, the title character is a white-tailed deer. His best friends are a pink-nosed rabbit named Thumper, a skunk named Flower, and another deer named Faline with whom Bambi eventually falls in love.
23 Playlist for Bullwinkle? : MOOSE TRACKS
“The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show” is a cartoon series that originally aired on television in the late fifties and early sixties. The title characters are a moose (Bullwinkle) and a squirrel (Rocky). Rocky the Flying Squirrel is formally known as Rocket J. Squirrel, and Bullwinkle’s full name is Bullwinkle J. Moose.
25 Pot for Sebastian of “The Little Mermaid”? : CRAB GRASS
“Potiguaya” is the Mexican-Spanish word for “marijuana leaves”. The slang name “pot” comes from “potiguaya”.
“The Little Mermaid” is a 1989 animated feature from Disney that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. It tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the human Prince Eric. Ariel’s father is chief merman King Triton. Her best friend is Flounder, who despite his name is not a flounder at all and is actually a tropical fish. Ariel is also friends with Sebastian, a red Jamaican crab whose full name is Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian.
34 Vaccine pioneer : SALK
Jonas Salk was an American medical researcher who developed the first safe polio vaccine. In the fifties, especially after the 1952 epidemic, polio was the biggest health fear in the US. It killed thousands and left even more with disabilities, and most of the victims were children. The situation was dire and the authorities immediately quarantined the family of any polio victim. That quarantine was so strict that in many cases the families were not even permitted to attend the funeral of a family member who died from the disease.
47 Soul mate for Jiminy? : CRICKET MATCH
In the 1883 children’s novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi, there is a character referred to as “the Talking Cricket”. When Walt Disney made his animated version of the story, 1940’s “Pinnochio”, the Talking Cricket was given the name “Jiminy Cricket”. The name already existed as a minced oath for “Jesus Christ”, and is even used in that context by the seven dwarfs in the earlier Disney cartoon feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.
53 Defunct Houston hockey team : AEROS
The Aeros were a professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas until 2013. The Houston Aeros were added to the International Hockey League in 1994. The franchise name was taken from the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros of the seventies, the team for whom Gordie Howe played. When the team moved to Des Moines in 2013, they became the Iowa Wild.
56 Shin armor that’s a homophone for a synonym of “mourn” : GREAVE
A greave is a piece of armor that protects the leg.
63 Preserve, in a way, as beef : CORN
Corned beef is beef that has been cured with salt. “Corn” is an alternative term describing a grain of salt, giving the dish its name. Corned beef is also known as “salt beef”, and “bully beef” if stored in cans (from the French “bouilli” meaning “boiled”).
65 Soybean paste : MISO
Miso is the name of the seasoning that makes miso 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.
67 Goatee site : CHIN
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.
68 Johnny’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” role : RAOUL
“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is a 1998 film adapted from a 1971 novel of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. The film was directed and co-written by Terry Gilliam of “Monty Python” fame. The cast is led by Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro, playing Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. Hunter S. Thompson has a cameo in the film, playing an older version of Raoul Duke.
69 Name on a “Little Women” book jacket : LOUISA
“Little Women” is a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of “little women” comprises Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy, the main character in the story, and is based on Alcott herself.
71 “The Elements of Style” co-author : EB WHITE
E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White was an American writer. His most famous creations were the children’s stories “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little”, but he also co-authored the writing guide “The Elements of Style” (usually referred to as “Strunk & White”).
73 The Indian Ocean’s Bay of __ : BENGAL
The Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean is the largest bay in the world.
74 Sambuca flavoring : ANISE
Sambuca is an Italian liqueur that is flavored with anise. Sambuca is often served straight up with three coffee beans floating on the surface. The beans are said to represent health, happiness and prosperity. A more “saucy” representation for the beans is the husband, wife and mistress.
78 PC “brains” : CPUS
The central processing unit (CPU) is the main component on the motherboard of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.
79 Hot dog entrepreneur Handwerker : NATHAN
Nathan’s Famous is a chain of fast food restaurants that specialize in hot dogs. The chain’s first outlet was a hot dog stand in Coney Island set up by husband and wife Nathan and Ida Handwerker. Nathan’s Famous has held a Hot Dog Eating Contest every July 4th since 1916, and always at the same place on Coney Island, where that first hot dog stand was located..
81 Muss : TOUSLE
“Muss” means “state of disorder”, and is a term that probably evolved from “mess”. The phrase “no muss, no fuss” means “no bother, no mess made, no excessive hustle and bustle”.
83 Obama daughter : SASHA
Sasha is the younger of the two Obama children, having been born in 2001. She was the youngest child to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr. moved in with his parents as a small infant. Sasha’s Secret Service codename is “Rosebud”, and her older sister Malia has the codename “Radiance”.
87 Edison rival : TESLA
Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia, but later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.
92 Emotional triggers for Mickey? : MOUSE BUTTONS
Walt Disney’s iconic cartoon character Mickey Mouse, was introduced to the public in 1928 in the cartoon “Steamboat Willie”. Mickey was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978, making him the first cartoon character to be so honored. Walt Disney had some nice words to say in Disneyland in 1954:
I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.
97 Annual 103-Across-planting event : ARBOR DAY
(103A Peach or beech : TREE)
Arbor Day is a holiday each year in which people traditionally plant and care for trees. The first Arbor Day was held way back in 1872.
100 __ space : OUTER
The exploration and use of outer space is governed by the Outer Space Treaty that came into force in 1967. The initial signatories were the US, UK and USSR, and now 102 nations are party to the treaty. For the purposes of the treaty, outer space begins at the Kármán line, a theoretical sphere that lies at an altitude of 100km about the Earth’s sea level.
103 Peach or beech : TREE
There are two broad categories of peaches: freestones and clingstones. Clingstones (also “cling peaches”) have flesh that clings tightly to the pit. Freestones are easier to consume as the flesh separates easily from the pit.
Beech bark is very thin and delicate, and is often scarred by people carving their initials or other forms of graffiti. These markings are permanent because the tree cannot heal itself. There is also a fungal infection that damages the American beech that is called beech bark disease, which can be fatal to the tree.
106 Gritty film genre : NOIR
The expression “film noir” has French origins, but only in that it was coined by a French critic in describing a style of Hollywood film. The term, meaning “black film” in French, was first used by Nino Frank in 1946. Film noir often applies to a movie with a melodramatic plot and a private eye or detective at its center. Good examples would be “The Big Sleep” and “D.O.A”.
108 Private __ : EYE
A private eye is a private investigator, a PI, a private “I”.
116 Topping Daffy created? : DUCK SAUCE
Daffy Duck first appeared on the screen in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” in 1937. In the original cartoon, Daffy was just meant to have a small role, but he was a big hit as he had so much sass. Even back then, Daffy was voiced by the ubiquitous Mel Blanc.
118 Online news source for Henny Penny? : CHICKEN FEED
In a famous folk tale, Chicken Little is a young chick who panics when an acorn falls on his head. Chicken Little assumes that the sky is falling. “The sky is falling!” is a phrase often used in English today that originated in the folk tale. The protagonist’s name is “Chicken Little” in most American versions of the story, whereas “Henny Penny” is used in many European versions.
122 Tony winner Hagen : UTA
Uta Hagen was a German-born American actress. Hagen married Jose Ferrer in 1938, but they were divorced ten years later after it was revealed that she was having a long-running affair with Paul Robeson. Her association with Robeson, a prominent civil rights activist, earned her a spot on the Hollywood Blacklist during the McCarthy Era. This forced her away from film, but towards a successful stage career in New York City.
124 Valium maker : ROCHE
The giant pharmaceutical and medical diagnostics company Hoffmann-La Roche is based in Basel, Switzerland. The company was founded back in 1896 by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, and initially produced vitamins.
The generic name for Valium is diazepam. The drug was developed by Dr. Leo Sternbach of Hoffman-La Roche, and approved for use in 1963. This was the second of Dr. Sternbach’s major developments, as he was responsible for the diazepam’s sister drug Librium, that went to market in 1960.
125 Score : TALLY
Back in the mid-1600s, a tally was a stick marked with notches that tracked how much one owed or paid. The term “tally” came from the Latin “talea” meaning “stick, rod”. The act of “scoring” the stick with notches gave rise to our word “score” for the number in a tally.
128 Like some jackets : TWEED
Tweed is a rough woolen fabric that is very much associated with Scotland in the UK, and with County Donegal in Ireland. The cloth was originally called “tweel”, the Scots word for “twill”. Apparently a London merchant misinterpreted some handwriting in the early 1800s and assumed the fabric was called “tweed”, a reference to the Scottish River Tweed, and the name stuck …
129 Snail trail : SLIME
Snails and slugs are referred to collectively as gastropods. There are many, many species of gastropods, found both on land and in the sea. Gastropods with shells are generally described as snails, and those species without shells are referred to as slugs.
Down
2 Plastic __ Band : ONO
The Plastic Ono Band was a so-called “super-group”, brought together by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969. Members of the group included John and Yoko, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Keith Moon.
3 “Horton Hears a __!” : WHO
Horton the Elephant turns up in two books by Dr. Seuss, “Horton Hatches the Egg” and “Horton Hears a Who!”
5 Hesse-based automaker : OPEL
Adam Opel founded his company in 1863, first making sewing machines in a cowshed. Commercial success brought new premises and a new product line in 1886, namely penny-farthing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, leaving his two sons with a company that made more penny-farthings and sewing machines than any other company in the world. In 1899 the two sons partnered with a locksmith and started to make cars, but not very successfully. Two years later, the locksmith was dropped in favor of a licensing arrangement with a French car company. By 1914, Opel was the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Germany. My Dad had an Opel in the seventies, a station wagon (we’d say “estate car” in Ireland) called an Opel Kadett.
Hesse is a German state. The capital of Hesse is Wiesbaden, although the largest city is Frankfurt.
6 Harshman of “Even Stevens” : MARGO
Margo Harshman is an actress who I best know for playing Sheldon Cooper’s assistant (Alex Jensen) on the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”.
“Even Stevens” is a Disney Channel sitcom that originally aired from 2000 to 2003. The title refers to the Stevens family of Sacramento. Stars of the show are the two youngest Stevens children, Ren and Louis, played by Christy Carlson Romano and Shia LaBeouf.
7 More frothy : YEASTIER
The term “yeasty” can be used figuratively to mean “immature, unsettled” or even “full of vitality”. I guess the idea is that something unsettled is like bread rising due to the activity of the yeast.
8 Plague bug : LOCUST
According to the biblical Book of Exodus, God inflicted ten plagues on Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. For example, the first was the changing of water in the Nile to blood, the eighth was a plague of locusts that consumed all the Egyptian crops, and the tenth was the death of firstborn sons.
9 Doing mess work : ON KP
The initialism “KP” is US military slang that stands for either “kitchen police” or “kitchen patrol”.
10 Seagoing letters : USS
The abbreviation “USS” stands for “United States Ship”. The practice of naming US Navy vessels in a standard format didn’t start until 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order that addressed the issue.
11 Store : CACHE
A cache is a secret supply. We imported the term “cache” into English from French-Canadian trappers in the 17th century. Back then, “cache” was slang for “hiding place for stores”, derived from the French verb “cacher” meaning “to hide”.
13 Pair : DUAD
A duad is a pair, with “duad” coming from the Greek “duo” meaning “two”.
16 Unyielding : ADAMANT
The words “adamant” and “adamantine” can mean “hard like rock, stony”, in the literal sense. In the more figurative sense, someone who is adamant or adamantine is stubborn or inflexible, like a mule, mulish.
18 “Owner of a Lonely Heart” band : YES
Yes Is a rock band from England that formed in 1968 and was most successful in the 1980s. The band’s biggest hit was “Owner of a Lonely Heart” from 1983.
24 Skater Harding : TONYA
Tonya Harding won the US Figure Skating Championships in 1991. Harding’s reputation was greatly tarnished in the run up to the 1994 Olympics, when her former husband and her bodyguard contracted someone to attack Harding’s main competitor, Nancy Kerrigan. During a practice session for the US Championship, a hired thug assaulted Kerrigan with a police baton, attempting to break her leg. Kerrigan was forced to withdraw, and Harding won the championship. Both Harding and Kerrigan were selected for the Olympic team, and despite attempts to get Harding removed, both skated at the Games in Lillehammer. Harding finished in eighth place, and Kerrigan won the silver medal. Harding admitted that she helped cover up the attack when she found out about it, and was stripped of her US Championship title.
26 Many a Marley fan : RASTA
I must admit that I don’t really know much about Rastafarianism. I do know that a “Rasta”, such as Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say that Rastafarianism is a religion, some not. I also know that it involves the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.
Bob Marley was the most widely-known reggae performer, with big hits such as “I Shot the Sheriff”, “No Woman, No Cry” and “One Love”. A little sadly perhaps, Marley’s best-selling album was released three years after he died. That album would be the “legendary” album called “Legend”.
28 __ torch: party light : TIKI
A tiki torch is a bamboo torch that’s commonly used in Tiki culture. Tiki culture is a relatively modern invention dating from the 20th century, and is the experience created in Polynesian-style restaurants. The word “Tiki” is borrowed from Polynesia.
29 MADD concerns : DUIS
In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.
Candace Lightner lost her 13-year-old child to a drunk-driver in 1980. Soon after, Lightner formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
30 Year in Tuscany : ANNO
Tuscany is a beautiful region in central Italy, the capital of which is the city of Florence. Tuscany is considered to be the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, which was centered around Florence. It was home to great artistic icons such as Dante, Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Galileo and Puccini.
31 Healthy snack for Yogi? : BEAR FRUIT
Yogi Bear made his debut for Hanna-Barbera in 1958, on “The Huckleberry Hound Show” before he was given his own series. Do you remember that collar that Yogi wore around his neck? That was a little trick from the animators. By using the collar, for many frames all they had to do was redraw everything from the collar up, saving them lots and lots of time. Yogi and Boo-Boo lived in Jellystone Park, and made Ranger Smith’s life a misery.
33 Old joke told by Quick Draw McGraw? : HORSE CHESTNUT
“Quick Draw McGraw” was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon show starring a horse named Quick Draw who was a sheriff in the old West. His deputy was also an equine creature, a Mexican burro named Baba Looey. When I was a little kid, I had curtains on my bedroom window featuring Yogi Bear and Quick Draw McGraw. Happy days …
35 Rapper Tone-__ : LOC
Tone Lōc (sometimes “Tone-Lōc”) is the stage name of rapper Anthony Smith. He was somewhat of a pioneer in the world of rap as he was only the second ever act to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s album charts (after the Beastie Boys), doing so in 1989 with “Lōc-ed After Dark”.
36 Elec. bill unit : KWH
The kilowatt hour (kWh) is a unit of energy, made up of the product of power (kilowatts – kW) and time (hour – h). We see “kWh” all the time, on our electricity bills.
43 However, in texts : OTOH
On the other hand (OTOH)
46 “Ashes to Ashes” author Hoag : TAMI
Tami Hoag is a novelist best known for writing romances and thrillers. She is a prolific writer and once had five consecutive titles on the New York Times bestsellers list, all in a 20-month period.
49 A Wayans brother : KEENEN
Keenen Ivory Wayans is a member of the Wayans family who are so very successful in the world of entertainment. Keenen is perhaps best known for the sketch comedy show “In Living Color” that ran from 1990 to 1994. Keenen created, wrote and starred in the show with his brother Damon Wayans. Keenen also directed the horror comedy film “Scary Movie”, which was co-written by two other brothers, Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
55 Actress Thurman : UMA
Uma Thurman started her working career as a fashion model, at the age of 15. She appeared in her first movies at 17, with her most acclaimed early role being Cécile de Volanges in 1988’s “Dangerous Liaisons”. Thurman’s career really took off when she played the gangster’s moll Mia in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” in 1994. My favorite of all Thurman’s movies is “The Truth About Cats & Dogs”, a less acclaimed romcom released in 1996. She took a few years off from acting from 1998 until 2002 following the birth of her first child. It was Tarantino who relaunched her career, giving her the lead in the “Kill Bill” films.
57 Sushi serving : AHI
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.
60 Ping-Pong gear for Goofy? : DOG PADDLE
Disney’s Goofy first appeared as Dippy Dawg in 1932. Goofy became famous for his “How to …” series of cartoons in the 1940s which dealt with everything from snow skiing to sleeping, and from football to riding a horse. Goofy’s last theatrical appearance was in a 2007 work called “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater”.
Ping-Pong is called table tennis in the UK, where the sport originated in the 1880s. Table tennis started as an after-dinner activity among the elite, and was called “wiff-waff”. To play the game, books were stacked in the center of a table as a “net”, two more books served as “”rackets” and the ball used was actually a golf ball. The game evolved over time with the rackets being upgraded to the lids of cigar boxes and the ball becoming a champagne cork (how snooty is that?). Eventually the game was produced commercially, and the sound of the ball hitting the racket was deemed to be a “ping” and a “pong”, giving the sport its alternative name. The name “Ping-Pong” was trademarked in Britain in 1901, and eventually sold to Parker Brothers in the US.
61 Hilo feast : LUAU
The Hawaiian party or feast known as a “luau” really dates back to 1819, when King Kamehameha II removed religious laws that governed the eating of meals. These laws called for women and men to eat separately. At the same time as he changed the laws, the king initiated the luau tradition by symbolically eating with the women who moved in his circle.
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 …
64 O’Neill’s daughter : OONA
Oona Chaplin is an actress from Madrid in Spain. Chaplin is getting a lot of airtime these days as she plays Talisa Maegyr on HBO’s hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones”. Oona is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, and is named for her maternal grandmother Oona O’Neill, the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.
66 Deadly sins, e.g. : SEPTET
The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven sins are:
- Wrath
- Greed
- Sloth
- Pride
- Lust
- Envy
- Gluttony
70 Naval builder : SEABEE
The Seabees are members of the Construction Battalions (CB) of the US Navy, from which the name “Seabee” originates. There’s a great 1944 movie called “The Fighting Seabees” starring John Wayne that tells the story of the birth of the Seabees during WWII. The Seabees’ official motto is “Construimus. Batuimus”, Latin for “We build. We fight.” The group’s unofficial motto is “Can Do!”
72 Cougars of the Pac-12 : WSU
Washington State University (WSU) was founded in 1890 as a land-grant college under the Morrill Act. Located in Pullman, the original name of WSU was “Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington”. The name was changed to its current form in 1959, with branch campuses opening in 1989: WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities and WSU Vancouver.
82 “__ we forget” : LEST
“Lest we forget” is an oft-quoted phrase, one that comes from a poem by Rudyard Kipling called “Recessional”. Kipling wrote the piece on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 and used it to express sadness at the waning of the British Empire. The phrase “lest we forget” is used in this context, a warning that the empire will decline. Ever since WWI we’ve been using the words on memorials as a plea not to forget the sacrifices made by others in the past.
88 ’70s-’80s NHLer Pierre : LAROUCHE
Pierre Larouche is a retired Canadian hockey player who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers. After giving up the ice, Larouche started playing golf, and very successfully. He came close to qualifying for the US Open in 1993, and has won several times on the Celebrity Player Tour.
90 Like Cheerios : OATY
Cheerios breakfast cereal has the distinction of being the first oat-based cereal introduced into the market, hitting the grocery store shelves in 1941. Back then, Cheerios were known as CheeriOats.
92 “The A-Team” actor : MR T
“The A-Team” is an action television series that originally ran in the eighties. The A-Team was a group of ex-US special forces personnel who became mercenaries. Star of the show was Hollywood actor George Peppard (as “Hannibal” Smith), ably assisted by Mr. T (as “B.A.” Baracus) and Robert Vaughn (as Hunt Stockwell).
93 Dinghy mover : OAR
Our term “dinghy” comes from the Hindi “dingi”, a word meaning “small boat”.
94 It may be a lemon : USED CAR
Long before we associated the term “lemon” with a defective car, it was used to describe defective items in general.
95 Mideast chief : SHEIK
“Sheikh” (also “sheik”) is an Arabic title used by the head of a family or by the head of a Muslim religious order. The term arose in the 16th century and came from the Arabic word “shaykh”, meaning “chief, old man”.
96 Klutz’s cry : OOPS!
A klutz is an awkward individual, with the term “klutz” coming from Yiddish. The Yiddish word for a clumsy person is “klots”.
98 Delta of “Designing Women” : BURKE
Actress and comedian Delta Burke is best known for playing Suzanne Sugarbaker in the sitcom “Designing Women”. Burke ended up leaving the cast in 1991 due to her poor relationship with the creators of the show.
101 Inveigle : ENTICE
“To inveigle” is to win over by deceit. Back in the late 1400s, the term meant “to blind someone’s judgment”.
104 Vied for the America’s Cup : RACED
The America’s Cup is a trophy that has been awarded for yacht racing since 1851. It was first presented to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight in England that was won by a schooner called “America”. The trophy was eventually renamed to “The America’s Cup” in honor of that first race winner.
110 Rush job letters : ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)
111 Serious blow : GALE
A gale is a very strong wind, one defined by the Beaufort scale as having wind speeds from 50 to just over 100 kilometers per hour.
113 Vegas draw : SHOW
The stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard on which most of the big casinos are concentrated is referred to as the “Las Vegas Strip”. The Strip was named for LA’s Sunset Strip by former Los Angeles law enforcement officer Guy McAfee. McAfee was a notoriously corrupt head of the LAPD vice squad in the 1920s and 1930s who ran several brothels and gambling saloons. McAfee moved to Las Vegas in 1939 where he opened several casinos, including the Golden Nugget.
115 Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL
Tefal (also “T-Fal”) is a French manufacturer of cookware that is famous for its nonstick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.
117 Beehive State native : UTE
When Mormon pioneers were settling what is today the state of Utah, they referred to the area as Deseret, a word that means “beehive” according to the Book of Mormon. Today Utah is known as the Beehive State and there is a beehive symbol on the Utah state flag. In 1959, “Industry” was even chosen as the state motto, for the term’s association with the beehive.
118 Old PC component : CRT
Cathode ray tube (CRT)
119 Peyton’s brother : ELI
Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played 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.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Folksy greeting : HOW DO?
6 “Skip to __”: 1840s partner-stealing dance : MY LOU
11 Tree on the Lebanese flag : CEDAR
16 At all : ANY
19 Square : UNHIP
20 Long periods : AEONS
21 One of the ABC islands : ARUBA
22 Bambi’s cousin Faline, for one : DOE
23 Playlist for Bullwinkle? : MOOSE TRACKS
25 Pot for Sebastian of “The Little Mermaid”? : CRAB GRASS
27 Prevents from draining : CLOGS UP
28 Really good thing to live : THE DREAM
29 Little bit : DAB
32 Have-__: disadvantaged ones : NOTS
33 Made haste, old-style : HIED
34 Vaccine pioneer : SALK
37 Restless : UNEASY
40 “Everything’s fine” : IT’S OK
42 “I need this ASAP!” : DO IT NOW!
45 Abnormally tense : IN A STATE
47 Soul mate for Jiminy? : CRICKET MATCH
50 Somewhat, informally : SORTA
51 Gray ones are hard to resolve : AREAS
53 Defunct Houston hockey team : AEROS
54 Online message board : FORUM
56 Shin armor that’s a homophone for a synonym of “mourn” : GREAVE
58 Obstacle : HURDLE
63 Preserve, in a way, as beef : CORN
65 Soybean paste : MISO
67 Goatee site : CHIN
68 Johnny’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” role : RAOUL
69 Name on a “Little Women” book jacket : LOUISA
71 “The Elements of Style” co-author : EB WHITE
73 The Indian Ocean’s Bay of __ : BENGAL
74 Sambuca flavoring : ANISE
75 Model position : POSE
76 Wild about : INTO
78 PC “brains” : CPUS
79 Hot dog entrepreneur Handwerker : NATHAN
81 Muss : TOUSLE
83 Obama daughter : SASHA
85 Puts out there : BARES
87 Edison rival : TESLA
89 Deceived : LED ON
92 Emotional triggers for Mickey? : MOUSE BUTTONS
97 Annual 103-Across-planting event : ARBOR DAY
99 Least considered : RASHEST
100 __ space : OUTER
102 Horseshoe-shaped fasteners : U-BOLTS
103 Peach or beech : TREE
104 Absorbed : RAPT
106 Gritty film genre : NOIR
108 Private __ : EYE
109 Technical drawings : DIAGRAMS
113 Didn’t do well at all : STUNK AT
116 Topping Daffy created? : DUCK SAUCE
118 Online news source for Henny Penny? : CHICKEN FEED
122 Tony winner Hagen : UTA
123 Foreign : ALIEN
124 Valium maker : ROCHE
125 Score : TALLY
126 Possessive pronoun : HER
127 Remains unsettled : PENDS
128 Like some jackets : TWEED
129 Snail trail : SLIME
Down
1 Run smoothly : HUM
2 Plastic __ Band : ONO
3 “Horton Hears a __!” : WHO
4 Computer insert : DISC
5 Hesse-based automaker : OPEL
6 Harshman of “Even Stevens” : MARGO
7 More frothy : YEASTIER
8 Plague bug : LOCUST
9 Doing mess work : ON KP
10 Seagoing letters : USS
11 Store : CACHE
12 Transposed letters, say : ERRED
13 Pair : DUAD
14 Briefly, briefly : ABBR
15 Steamed state : RAGE
16 Unyielding : ADAMANT
17 Refusals : NOS
18 “Owner of a Lonely Heart” band : YES
24 Skater Harding : TONYA
26 Many a Marley fan : RASTA
28 __ torch: party light : TIKI
29 MADD concerns : DUIS
30 Year in Tuscany : ANNO
31 Healthy snack for Yogi? : BEAR FRUIT
33 Old joke told by Quick Draw McGraw? : HORSE CHESTNUT
35 Rapper Tone-__ : LOC
36 Elec. bill unit : KWH
38 Floor : ASTONISH
39 Target of a wish? : STAR
41 Emotional injury : SCAR
42 German article : DER
43 However, in texts : OTOH
44 “Yeah, right” : I’M SURE
46 “Ashes to Ashes” author Hoag : TAMI
48 Hollows : CAVITIES
49 A Wayans brother : KEENEN
52 Bit of encouragement : EGO BOOST
55 Actress Thurman : UMA
57 Sushi serving : AHI
59 Southwestern farm owner : RANCHERO
60 Ping-Pong gear for Goofy? : DOG PADDLE
61 Hilo feast : LUAU
62 Some additions : ELLS
63 Close-knit group : CLAN
64 O’Neill’s daughter : OONA
66 Deadly sins, e.g. : SEPTET
70 Naval builder : SEABEE
72 Cougars of the Pac-12 : WSU
73 Feathery wrap : BOA
77 Old Russian ruler : TSAR
80 Snatches : NABS
82 “__ we forget” : LEST
84 Untidy sort : SLOB
86 Boring routine : RUT
88 ’70s-’80s NHLer Pierre : LAROUCHE
90 Like Cheerios : OATY
91 Nasdaq rival : NYSE
92 “The A-Team” actor : MR T
93 Dinghy mover : OAR
94 It may be a lemon : USED CAR
95 Mideast chief : SHEIK
96 Klutz’s cry : OOPS!
98 Delta of “Designing Women” : BURKE
101 Inveigle : ENTICE
104 Vied for the America’s Cup : RACED
105 Cries from flocks : AMENS
107 Signed : INKED
110 Rush job letters : ASAP
111 Serious blow : GALE
112 Wreckage : RUIN
113 Vegas draw : SHOW
114 Sugar bowl marchers? : ANTS
115 Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL
116 “Obviously!” : DUH!
117 Beehive State native : UTE
118 Old PC component : CRT
119 Peyton’s brother : ELI
120 Shade tree : ELM
121 Coloring medium : DYE
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