LA Times Crossword 13 Dec 20, Sunday

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Constructed by: Garry Morse
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Paper Trail

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as fictional NEWSPAPERS:

  • 23A Newspaper for jeans wearers? : CASUAL OBSERVER
  • 39A Newspaper for newlyweds? : HITCHING POST
  • 57A Newspaper for attorneys? : TRYING TIMES
  • 81A Newspaper for chefs? : GARLIC PRESS
  • 98A Newspaper for traffic cops? : TWO-WAY MIRROR
  • 118A Newspaper for Schwinn owners? : BICYCLE COURIER
  • 32D Newspaper for hairstylists? : SETTING SUN
  • 53D Newspaper for metalworkers? : BRONZE STAR

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

Bill’s time: 21m 14s

Bill’s errors: 4

  • AVEENO (Aveena)
  • LOLA (Lala!)
  • MARRED (marked)
  • RAMAPO (Kamapo)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Springlike : VERNAL

Something related to the season of spring is described as vernal, with “vernal” coming from the Latin “ver” meaning “spring-time”.

7 Word in France’s national motto : EGALITE

“Égal” (feminine “égale”) is the French word for “equal, alike”, and a word we sometimes use in English. The national motto of France is “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, meaning “Liberty, equality, fraternity”.

20 Skin care brand : AVEENO

Aveeno is a manufacturer of skincare and haircare products that was founded in 1945. The name Aveeno comes from the Latin name for the common oat, i.e. Avena sativa.

21 Michelle’s successor : MELANIA

When President Donald Trump took office, his wife Melania Trump was the first naturalized US citizen to become First Lady of the US. President Trump’s wife was born Melanija Knavs (often Germanized to “Melania Knauss”) in the city of Novo Mesto in Slovenia, which was then part of former Yugoslavia. But, Melania Trump isn’t the first First Lady born overseas. That honor goes to London-born Louisa Adams, the wife of President John Quincy Adams.

23 Newspaper for jeans wearers? : CASUAL OBSERVER

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

26 Rodeo ropes : RIATAS

A riata is a lariat or a lasso. “Riata” comes from “reata”, the Spanish word for “lasso”.

27 Essen article : DER

Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany. The city experienced major population growth in the mid-1800s that was driven by the iron works established by the Krupp family.

29 “Leaves and Navels” artist : ARP

Jean Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. Arp was sent home …

30 Philippine money : PESOS

The writing on bank notes in the Philippines used to be in English, so the national currency was recorded as the “peso”. Since 1967 the language on the notes has been Filipino, and now the name of the currency is written as “piso”.

33 General on a menu : TSO

General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

34 “A Beautiful Mind” mathematician : NASH

The wonderful 2001 movie “A Beautiful Mind” was adapted from a very successful book of the same name written by Sylvia Nasar. Both book and film tell the life story of John Nash (played by Russell Crowe on the big screen). Nash was a mathematician and Nobel Laureate who struggled with paranoid schizophrenia. Sadly, Nash and his wife died in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in 2015. They were on their way home from the airport, returning from Norway where Nash had been awarded the Nobel Prize.

38 Apple platform : IOS

iOS is what Apple now calls its mobile operating system. Previously, it was known as iPhone OS.

43 Venetian Renaissance artist : TITIAN

Titian was an Italian painter and a founding member of the Venetian School of the 16th century. His most famous work is probably “Assumption of the Virgin”, which was commissioned for the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice and which can be seen there on the high altar to this very day.

The Renaissance is the period in European history that bridges the Dark Ages and the Modern Era. “Renaissance” is French for “rebirth”, and is a term reflecting the rebirth of interest in the learnings from ancient Greece and ancient Rome.

45 Chinese currency : YUAN

The Korean won, Chinese yuan, and Japanese yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

47 Six-time NBA MVP, familiarly : KAREEM

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s name at birth was Ferdinand Lewis “Lew” Alcindor. Alcindor changed his name when he converted to Islam.

48 Hi-tech medical image : CAT SCAN

A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays. High doses of radiation can be harmful, causing damage that is cumulative over time.

52 Like a solid theory : TENABLE

Something tenable can be maintained or defended. The term “tenable” comes from the Latin verb “tenere” meaning “to hold, keep”.

56 U.S. maritime agcy. : ONI

The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the oldest of the US intelligence services. The ONI was set up in 1882 to determine the state of advancement of foreign naval forces.

62 Div. that, in its first year of existence, produced a World Series champ : NL EAST

Major League Baseball’s National and American leagues each added two expansion teams for the 1969 season. The expansion allowed the leagues to divide into National League East and West, and American League East and West.

The New York Mets baseball team was founded in 1962 as a replacement for two teams that the city had lost, namely the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. For several years the Mets played very poorly, finishing no better than second-to-last in their division. Then along came the “Miracle Mets” (aka “Amazin’ Mets”) who beat the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 to claim the World Series in a huge upset.

65 Phnom Penh river : MEKONG

At over 2,700 miles in length, the Mekong is the twelfth longest river in the world. It rises in the Tibetan Plateau and empties into the South China Sea at the famed Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Phnom Penh (also “Pnom Penh”) is the capital of Cambodia, and has been so since the French colonized the country in the late 1800s. The city’s name translates from the Khmer language as “Hill of Penh”.

66 Saltimbocca spice : SAGE

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”.

68 Company whose spoofed horror film ad has the line, “Why can’t we just get in the running car?” : GEICO

GEICO was founded in 1936 with a very specific mission, to provide auto insurance for employees of the federal government and their families, hence the name Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO). GEICO is a private company, despite the word “government” in its name. The founders’ idea was to focus on government employees as they believed such a group represented a lower risk profile than the rest of the population. Nowadays any qualifying person can take out a policy with GEICO.

71 Swimmer Ledecky : KATIE

Katie Ledecky is a swimmer who won her first Olympic gold medal at just 15 years of age, in the 800-meter freestyle. In 2016, Ledecky also became the youngest person to make “Time” magazine’s “Time 100” annual list of most influential people in the American world. Katie’s uncle is Jon Ledecky, owner of the New York Islanders hockey team.

73 Racer Ferrari : ENZO

Enzo Ferrari was an Italian race car driver, and founder of the Ferrari car manufacturing company. Ferrari died in 1988, and in 2003 the company named the Enzo model after its founder.

78 Fake : ERSATZ

Something described as ersatz is a copy, and usually not a good one. “Ersatz” comes from the German verb “ersetzen” meaning “to replace”.

80 Island with Dutch as an official language : 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.

81 Newspaper for chefs? : GARLIC PRESS

Our word “garlic” evolved via Old English from “gar” (spear) and “leac” (leek). The use of “spear” is apparently a reference to the shape of a clove.

87 12th-century English king : HENRY II

Henry II was a Plantagenet King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. Famously, Henry was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Three of Henry and Eleanor’s eight children ascended to the throne, most notably Richard the Lionheart and John, King of England.

98 Newspaper for traffic cops? : TWO-WAY MIRROR

A one-way mirror is a mirror that reflects when viewed from one-side, but is transparent when viewed from the other. In order for a one-way mirror to work properly, one side of the mirror must be brightly lit, while the other side is dark. One-way mirrors are also known as two-way mirrors. I tried to work out which is the “correct” name, and just got a headache …

102 2010 health law: Abbr. : ACA

The correct name for what has been dubbed “Obamacare” is the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (ACA).

104 Coal-rich valley : SAAR

Saarland, often referred to in English as “the Saar”, is one of Germany’s sixteen federal states and is located in the west of the country, on the borders with France and Luxembourg. Saarland is named for the Saar River that runs through the state. There is a lot of industry in the Saar region, historically “fueled” by the region’s plentiful supply of coal.

107 Four-term prez : FDR

Since the days of President George Washington, there was an informal tradition that a US President could hold office for two terms, but would not run for a third. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president to break with this tradition. Roosevelt was elected US president four times, and died a few months after starting his fourth term. It was President Roosevelt’s decision to ignore the term limit tradition that led to the adoption of the Twenty-Second Amendment of the Constitution, which provides that “no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice”.

109 Seine summer : ETE

The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. The Seine empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.

112 Deg. for drillers : DDS

Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)

118 Newspaper for Schwinn owners? : BICYCLE COURIER

Schwinn is an American bicycle company that was founded in Chicago in 1895. The founder was Ignaz Schwinn, a German-born mechanical engineer. Schwinn dominated the market for domestic bicycles in the fifties, helped along by hefty tariffs imposed on imported cycles by the Eisenhower administration.

123 Insect-sized superhero : ANT-MAN

In the Marvel universe, Ant-Man has been the superhero persona of three different fictional characters: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady. In the 2015 film “Ant-Man”, Michael Douglas plays Hank Pym, and Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang.

125 Poetic Bible book : PSALMS

The Greek word “psalmoi” originally meant “songs sung to a harp”, and gave us the word “psalms”. In the Jewish and Western Christian traditions, the Book of Psalms contains 150 individual psalms, divided into five sections.

127 Large chamber groups : SEPTETS

In the world of chamber music, a trio often includes a piano. Common forms are:

  • Clarinet-cello-piano
  • Clarinet-viola-piano
  • Clarinet-violin-piano

Down

1 Short cleaner : VAC

The first practical portable vacuum cleaner was invented by James Spangler in 1907. Spangler sold the patent for the design to his cousin’s husband, William Henry Hoover. Hoover then made his fortune from manufacturing and selling vacuum cleaners. Hoover was so successful in my part of the world that back in Ireland we don’t use the verb “to vacuum” and instead say “to hoover”. Also, “hoover” is what we call a vacuum cleaner, regardless of who makes it.

2 “Casino Royale” (2006) actress Green : EVA

Despite the English-sounding name, Eva Green is a French actress. Green played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 2006 movie “Casino Royale” opposite Daniel Craig.

2006’s “Casino Royale” is the 21st film in the “James Bond” series, and the first to star Daniel Craig in the lead role. The film was directed by New Zealander Martin Campbell, someone who my next door neighbor for a couple of years (my claim to fame!). Campbell also directed “GoldenEye” in 1995, which introduced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. I find it interesting that Campbell was asked back to oversee the introduction of Daniel Craig to the role.

5 Diarist first name with a diaeresis : ANAIS

Anaïs Nin was a French author who was famous for the journals that she wrote for over sixty years from the age of 11 right up to her death. Nin also wrote highly regarded erotica and cited D. H. Lawrence as someone from whom she drew inspiration. Nin was married to banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in 1923. Decades later in 1955, Nin married former actor Rupert Pole, even though she was still married to Guiler. Nin and Pole had their marriage annulled in 1966, but just for legal reasons, and they continued to live together as husband and wife until Nin passed away in 1977.

An umlaut (also “diaeresis”) is a diacritical mark consisting of two horizontal dots placed over a letter, usually a vowel. Here in the West, we are perhaps most familiar with umlauts in German, as in “Schön”.

6 Glaudini of early “Criminal Minds” episodes : LOLA

Lola Glaudini is an actress from New York City who is perhaps best known for playing FBI Special Agent Ella Greenaway on the CBS crime drama “Criminal Minds”.

“Criminal Minds” is a police drama that has aired on CBS since 2005. The stories revolve around the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia.

8 Artwork base coat : GESSO

“Gesso” is the Italian word for “chalk” and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. Gesso is mixed with glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.

10 Frying medium : LARD

Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered, purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.

17 NY/NJ’s __ Mountains : RAMAPO

The Ramapos are a chain of mountains that form part of the Appalachians in New Jersey and New York.

19 Absolute ruler : DESPOT

A despot is a ruler with absolute power, and often one who wields that power oppressively. “Despot” is an old French term from the 14th century that is ultimately derived from the Greek “despotes” meaning “master of a household, absolute ruler”.

24 Due times four : OTTO

In Italian, “due” (two) times four is “otto” (eight).

28 Team in some pickup games : SHIRTS

In a casual game of say basketball, teams can be identified by one side wearing shirts, and the other not. You’d want me to be on the shirts team, trust me. Not a pretty sight on the skins team …

A pick-up game is one that is started spontaneously by a group of players, with those competing usually just dropping by in the hope of participating.

30 San Diego’s __ Park : PETCO

Petco Park is the ballpark used by the San Diego Padres since 2004. Before Petco Park was opened, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. When the new Padres stadium was being built, fans were offered the chance to buy bricks on which a dedication could be written. The animal rights group PETA tried to buy a brick in order to write a protest message against Petco’s treatment of animals, but were denied. PETA managed to sneak their message onto a brick, which reads “Break Open Your Cold Ones, Toast the Padres, Enjoy This Champion Organization”. If you take the first letters of each word in the message you come up with “BOYCOTT PETCO”.

31 Aquafina rival : EVIAN

Évian-les-Bains (or simply “Évian”) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …

Aquafina is a Pepsico brand of bottled water. Aquafina is just plain old municipal water that has been purified.

35 Doo-wop syllable : SHA

Doo-wop developed in the 1940s and can be described as a vocal-based R&B music. Even though the style has been around since the forties, the name doo-wop wasn’t introduced until the early sixties.

36 Short seller’s concern : UP MARKET

When an investor purchases a stock, it is usually in the hope that the value of the stock increases so that it can be sold at a later date for a profit. Making such a purchase is said to be taking a “long” position. On the other hand, an investor taking a “short” position makes a profit if the specified stock loses value.

39 Reagan’s first secretary of state : HAIG

Alexander Haig was secretary of state under President Reagan, and White House chief of staff under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Famously, Haig took over temporary control of the country immediately after President Reagan was shot in 1981. To do so was a pragmatic move, while waiting on Vice President Bush to arrive in Washington. There was much debate at the time about the legality of the steps taken, as the presidential line of succession called out in the US Constitution is vice president, speaker of the House, president pro tempore of the US Senate, and then secretary of state.

40 Photo-sharing app, briefly : INSTA

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

41 Once called : NEE

“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”. The term “née” is mainly used in English when referring to a married woman’s birth name, assuming that she has adopted her husband’s name, e.g. Michelle Obama née Robinson, and Melania Trump née Knavs.

42 1992 Robin Williams role : GENIE

The Disney animated feature “Aladdin” was released in 1992. It is one of the best movies to come out of the studio, in my opinion, largely due to the great performance by Robin Williams who voiced the Genie. “Aladdin” was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $500 million worldwide, an unusual feat for an animated movie.

44 Part of un opéra : ACTE

In French, “un opéra” (an opera) usually comprises several “actes” (acts).

46 Keats’ “Sylvan historian” : URN

Here’s the first verse of the poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats:

THOU still unravish’d bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

49 Where Coca-Cola is KO : NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) can give some quite descriptive ticker symbols to companies, for example:

  • Anheuser-Busch (BUD, for “Budweiser”)
  • Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP, as in “beer tap”)
  • Steinway Musical Instruments (LVB, for “Ludwig van Beethoven”)
  • Sotheby’s (BID, for the auction house)

54 Emmy winner Kay : LENZ

Kay Lenz is an American television actress who is most famous for playing Kate Jordache in the TV mini-series adaptation of Irwin Shaw’s novel “Rich Man, Poor Man”. Off the screen, Lenz was noted as the first wife of singer and actor, David Cassidy.

55 Wafflers brand : EGGO

Eggo is a line of frozen waffles and related products made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced “Froffles”, the original name chosen by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

58 Singer Turner’s memoir : I, TINA

“I, Tina” is a 1986 autobiography by Tina Turner. The book was so successful it was adapted into a movie called “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” The film version was released in 1993 and stars Angela Bassett as Tina Turner.

60 Glyceride, for one : ESTER

Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol known as glycerides.

Lipids are a group of naturally occurring molecules including fats, waxes and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D and E). Sometimes we use the words “fat” and “lipid” interchangeably but fats are a subgroup of lipids, specifically a group best called triglycerides.

63 Longtime “Band of Renown” leader : LES BROWN

Les Brown and His Band of Renown are a big band that started to perform in the late thirties and are still going strong today. Les Brown led the band from the start, and worked with the likes of Doris Day, Bob Hope and Tony Bennett. Brown passed away in 2001, and the band is now led by his son Les Brown, Jr.

65 “Ben-Hur” villain : MESSALA

In Lew Wallace’s novel “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ”, Messala is a childhood friend of Judah Ben-Hur. The friendship ends when Messala condemns Judah to imprisonment and life below decks on the galleys. Messala was played by Irish actor Stephen Boyd in the 1959 movie version of the novel.

66 Ousted Iranian : SHAH

The last Shah of Iran was Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

67 Bern’s river : AARE

The Aar (also called the “Aare” in German) is the longest river entirely in Switzerland. The Aar is a major tributary of the Rhine and flows through Bern, the nation’s capital.

69 Caboose, for one : CAR

The word “caboose” originally came from Middle Dutch and was the word for a ship’s galley. When the last car in a train in North America was given a stove for the comfort of the crew, it took on the name “caboose”. The term has also become slang for a person’s backside.

75 Clapton woman who’s “got me on my knees” : LAYLA

“Layla” is one of the great rock anthems of the seventies, released by Derek and the Dominos as a single in 1971. It is a masterpiece of composition, with the first half of the song a great vehicle for the guitar-playing talents of Eric Clapton. The second half is a beautifully melodic piano coda (a coda … taking up half the length of the track!). To top things off we have the “unplugged” version recorded by Clapton in 1992, a fabulous and inventive variation on the original.

Layla, you’ve got me on my knees.
Layla, I’m begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won’t you ease my worried mind.

79 Italian wine hub : ASTI

Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. It is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine. Moscato d’Asti is produced from the same grape (Moscato Bianco). Moscato is a much sweeter wine with a lower alcohol content, and is usually served as a dessert wine.

81 2000 A.L. MVP Jason : GIAMBI

Jason Giambi is a retired Major League first baseman and designated hitter. In recent years, Giambi’s reputation has been tarnished as he admitted to the FBI in 2003 that he injected himself with human growth hormone. Giambi has apologized to the public since then for the wrongdoing.

82 Gideon Fell creator John Dickson __ : CARR

John Dickson Carr was an American author of crime fiction. Carr’s most famous work is “The Hollow Man” published in 1935, a so-called “locked-room mystery” in which two murders are committed in apparently impossible circumstances. “The Hollow Man” was selected in 1981 as the best “locked-room mystery” of all time.

Dr. Gideon Fell is the protagonist in a large series of mystery novels penned by American author John Dickson Carr. Reputedly, Fell’s appearance and personality is based on English author G. K. Chesterton, who wrote the “Father Brown” short stories.

83 Bk. fair organizer : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

85 Key of Schumann’s “Spring Symphony” : B-FLAT

Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 is also called the “Spring Symphony”. Schumann started work on the piece in January of 1841, and it premiered just two months later in Leipzig. That first performance was conducted by his friend Felix Mendelssohn.

86 Joyce __, Winona Ryder’s “Stranger Things” role : BYERS

“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 …

Hollywood actress Winona Ryder’s real name is Winona Horowitz. Ryder was born near the town of Winona in Minnesota, from which she got her name. Her success on the screen has garnered as much media attention as her life off the screen. The papers had a field day when she was arrested in 2001 on a shoplifting charge followed by a very public court appearance. Her engagement with Johnny Depp in the early nineties was another media frenzy. Depp had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm, which he had changed after the breakup to “Wino Forever”. A man with a sense of humor …

88 Mount __: Charley Weaver’s home : IDY

Mount Idy is a fictional town featured in the TV show “Charley Weaver’s Hobby Lobby” starring Cliff Arquette in the title role. The show ran from September 1959 to March 1960.

93 Grissom on “CSI” : GIL

Actor William Petersen is best known for portraying forensic scientist Gil Grissom on the “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Petersen quit acting in the show after nine seasons, and moved into the role of executive producer.

94 Scholarly : ERUDITE

“Erudite” is a lovely-sounding word meaning “learned, well-educated”. The term comes from the Latin verb “erudire” meaning “to educate”, or more literally “to bring out of the rough”.

96 “O, that way __ lies”: Lear : MADNESS

“That way madness lies” is a phrase meaning “taking such an action could drive one crazy”, and is a direct quote from Shakespeare’s “King Lear”. The title character speaks the line while expressing grief for the selfish and cruel behavior of his daughters:

O Regan, Goneril,
Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all—
Oh, that way madness lies. Let me shun that.
No more of that.

101 Baggage porter : REDCAP

“Redcap” is a term used for a railroad station porter here in North America. That term comes from the fact that redcaps wear red caps!

103 Foam footwear : CROC

Crocs are foam clogs that were originally designed as shoes to be worn at health spas.

107 Sole order : FILET

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

108 Tenth of 12 popes : PIUS X

There have been twelve popes named Pius, the latest being Pope Pius XII. He led the Roman Catholic Church until his death in 1958.

110 Nonstick kitchen 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.

111 Ex-Cub Sandberg : RYNE

Ryne “Ryno” Sandberg is a former second baseman who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs. Sandberg holds the major league fielding percentage record at second base.

113 Part of DOS: Abbr. : SYST

MS-DOS (short for “Microsoft Disk Operating System”) was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties.

118 Undergrad degs. : BSS

Bachelor of Science (BS)

119 Friend of Fidel : CHE

Ernesto “Che” Guevara was born in Argentina, and in 1948 he started to study medicine at the University of Buenos Aires. While at school he satisfied his need to “see the world” by taking two long journeys around South America, the story of which are told in Guevara’s memoir later published as “The Motorcycle Diaries”. While travelling, Guevara was moved by the plight of the people he saw and their working conditions and what he viewed as capitalistic exploitation. In Mexico City he met brothers Raul and Fidel Castro and was persuaded to join their cause, the overthrow of the US-backed government in Cuba. He rose to second-in-command among the Cuban insurgents, and when Castro came to power Guevara was influential in repelling the Bay of Pigs Invasion and bringing Soviet nuclear missiles to the island. Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to continue his work as a revolutionary. He was captured by Bolivian forces in 1967, and was executed. Fidel Castro led the public mourning of Guevara’s death, and soon the revolutionary was an icon for many left-wing movements around the world.

Fidel Castro studied law at the University of Havana and there became a follower of left-wing ideals. He launched his first rebellion against Cuban president Fulgencio Batista in 1953, which landed him in jail for a year. He later led rebels in a guerrilla war against the Cuban government, which led to the Cuban Revolution and the overthrow of Batista in 1959. Castro took control of the country, and immediately formed a strong relationship with the Soviet Union. Concern over the alliance in the US led to the botched Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. There followed the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Fidel Castro started to transfer power to his brother Raúl in 2008, and passed away in 2016.

120 Dockworker’s gp. : ILA

International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA)

121 CPR expert : EMT

An emergency medical technician (EMT) might administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

122 Blog feed format letters : RSS

Many websites and blogs publish content in a format known as Rich Site Summary (RSS). The “feed” can be read using an RSS reader. The advantage of using an RSS reader, is that the user doesn’t have to check the website for new content. That new material is fed to the RSS reader as soon as it is published.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Springlike : VERNAL
7 Word in France’s national motto : EGALITE
14 Scratched, say : MARRED
20 Skin care brand : AVEENO
21 Michelle’s successor : MELANIA
22 Alpine climbing tool : ICE AXE
23 Newspaper for jeans wearers? : CASUAL OBSERVER
25 Shake and bake, e.g. : RHYMES
26 Rodeo ropes : RIATAS
27 Essen article : DER
28 For example : SAY
29 “Leaves and Navels” artist : ARP
30 Philippine money : PESOS
33 General on a menu : TSO
34 “A Beautiful Mind” mathematician : NASH
36 At the discretion of : UP TO
37 Preceding periods : EVES
38 Apple platform : IOS
39 Newspaper for newlyweds? : HITCHING POST
43 Venetian Renaissance artist : TITIAN
45 Chinese currency : YUAN
47 Six-time NBA MVP, familiarly : KAREEM
48 Hi-tech medical image : CAT SCAN
50 Investor’s concern : RISK
52 Like a solid theory : TENABLE
56 U.S. maritime agcy. : ONI
57 Newspaper for attorneys? : TRYING TIMES
61 Not std. : IRREG
62 Div. that, in its first year of existence, produced a World Series champ : NL EAST
64 Best poker pair : ACES
65 Phnom Penh river : MEKONG
66 Saltimbocca spice : SAGE
68 Company whose spoofed horror film ad has the line, “Why can’t we just get in the running car?” : GEICO
71 Swimmer Ledecky : KATIE
73 Racer Ferrari : ENZO
74 Paperwork, often : HASSLE
76 Get exactly right : NAIL
78 Fake : ERSATZ
80 Island with Dutch as an official language : ARUBA
81 Newspaper for chefs? : GARLIC PRESS
84 Diminish : EBB
87 12th-century English king : HENRY II
89 Place to park it : SEAT
90 Fulfill : SATISFY
92 It starts in the 60s, by most reckonings : OLD AGE
95 Mine car : TRAM
97 Wee bit : LITTLE
98 Newspaper for traffic cops? : TWO-WAY MIRROR
102 2010 health law: Abbr. : ACA
104 Coal-rich valley : SAAR
105 Cut : HEWN
106 Sad : BLUE
107 Four-term prez : FDR
108 Auto repair bill component : PARTS
109 Seine summer : ETE
110 Prefix with cycle : TRI-
112 Deg. for drillers : DDS
114 Like an accomplice : IN ON IT
116 Make changes to : MODIFY
118 Newspaper for Schwinn owners? : BICYCLE COURIER
123 Insect-sized superhero : ANT-MAN
124 Puts away : STASHES
125 Poetic Bible book : PSALMS
126 __ skills : PEOPLE
127 Large chamber groups : SEPTETS
128 Americans in Paris, maybe : EX-PATS

Down

1 Short cleaner : VAC
2 “Casino Royale” (2006) actress Green : EVA
3 High-__ monitor : RES
4 Phobia, e.g. : NEUROSIS
5 Diarist first name with a diaeresis : ANAIS
6 Glaudini of early “Criminal Minds” episodes : LOLA
7 Consulate cousin : EMBASSY
8 Artwork base coat : GESSO
9 Bar order : ALE
10 Frying medium : LARD
11 Create : INVENT
12 Clothing store display aid : TIE RACK
13 Kernel holder : EAR
14 “Look!,” to Luis : MIRA!
15 Sore : ACHY
16 King of Spain : REY
17 NY/NJ’s __ Mountains : RAMAPO
18 Applies : EXERTS
19 Absolute ruler : DESPOT
24 Due times four : OTTO
28 Team in some pickup games : SHIRTS
30 San Diego’s __ Park : PETCO
31 Aquafina rival : EVIAN
32 Newspaper for hairstylists? : SETTING SUN
35 Doo-wop syllable : SHA
36 Short seller’s concern : UP MARKET
38 Steamed : IN A RAGE
39 Reagan’s first secretary of state : HAIG
40 Photo-sharing app, briefly : INSTA
41 Once called : NEE
42 1992 Robin Williams role : GENIE
44 Part of un opéra : ACTE
46 Keats’ “Sylvan historian” : URN
49 Where Coca-Cola is KO : NYSE
51 Complain : KICK
53 Newspaper for metalworkers? : BRONZE STAR
54 Emmy winner Kay : LENZ
55 Wafflers brand : EGGO
58 Singer Turner’s memoir : I, TINA
59 “Give __ minute … ” : ME A
60 Glyceride, for one : ESTER
63 Longtime “Band of Renown” leader : LES BROWN
65 “Ben-Hur” villain : MESSALA
66 Ousted Iranian : SHAH
67 Bern’s river : AARE
69 Caboose, for one : CAR
70 Artist’s medium : OILS
72 Angers : IRES
75 Clapton woman who’s “got me on my knees” : LAYLA
77 Deceive : LIE TO
79 Italian wine hub : ASTI
81 2000 A.L. MVP Jason : GIAMBI
82 Gideon Fell creator John Dickson __ : CARR
83 Bk. fair organizer : PTA
85 Key of Schumann’s “Spring Symphony” : B-FLAT
86 Joyce __, Winona Ryder’s “Stranger Things” role : BYERS
88 Mount __: Charley Weaver’s home : IDY
91 “Don’t go in there!” : IT’S A TRAP!
93 Grissom on “CSI” : GIL
94 Scholarly : ERUDITE
96 “O, that way __ lies”: Lear : MADNESS
98 On __: famous : THE MAP
99 Sloppy kiss : WET ONE
100 Had because of : OWED TO
101 Baggage porter : REDCAP
103 Foam footwear : CROC
107 Sole order : FILET
108 Tenth of 12 popes : PIUS X
110 Nonstick kitchen brand : T-FAL
111 Ex-Cub Sandberg : RYNE
113 Part of DOS: Abbr. : SYST
115 “Nuh-uh” : NOPE
117 Little dickens : IMP
118 Undergrad degs. : BSS
119 Friend of Fidel : CHE
120 Dockworker’s gp. : ILA
121 CPR expert : EMT
122 Blog feed format letters : RSS