Quicklinks:
The full solution to today’s crossword that appears in the New York Times
The full solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword that appears in all other publications
THEME: The Long and Short of It … each of the theme answers is a well-known expression with a word changed. The changed word is a “short I” sound changed to a “long I” sound, or vice versa:
– SATURDAY KNIT FEVER (Saturday Night Fever)
– EYE WHITENESS NEWS (Eyewitness News)
– SLIGHT SKIRTS (slit skirts)
– ZIPPO LITTER (Zippo lighter)
– AFRAID OF HITS (afraid of heights)
– BRIGHTISH AIRWAYS (British Airways)
– THEM’S FITTING WORDS (them’s fighting words)
– TENDER VITALS (Tender Vittles)
– WALTER MIGHTY (Walter Mitty)
COMPLETION TIME: 20m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
The Notorious B.I.G. was the stage name of rap star Christopher Wallace. While at the height of his fame Wallace was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, a murder case that has never been solved. There is 2009 biopic, called “Notorious”, about Wallace’s life starring fellow rap artist Jamal Woolard (aka Gravy) in the title role.
9. Some special deals : TWOFERS
Two-for-ones …
From “Saturday Night Fever” …
“Saturday Night Fever” was a phenomenal movie in its day, but to be honest I don’t think it has aged well. I still love the soundtrack, the second best selling movie soundtrack of all time (number one is “The Bodyguard”, would you believe?). “Saturday Night Fever” was the first film for which the soundtrack was launched before the movie itself, in a cross-marketing exercise designed to hype the movie before its release.
26. Certain corp. takeover : LBO
A leveraged buyout (LBO) is a transaction in which an investor acquires a controlling volume of stock in a company, but buys that stock with borrowed funds (hence “leveraged”). Often the assets of the acquired company are used as collateral for the borrowed money. There is a special form of LBO known as a management buyout, in which the company’s own management team purchases the controlling interest.
27. Musical virtuosity : CHOPS
“Chops” is a slang term used mainly in the jazz and rock music worlds, where it means technical skill at performing music.
From “Eyewitness News” …
“Eyewitness News” is a title used by many local television stations for their local news broadcasts. The term seems to have originated in Cleveland, Ohio with the launch of the first 90-minute local newscast in the country, combined with a 15-minute national newscast. The newscast was given the name “Eyewitness”, and the station’s owners extended the format and name to other stations around the country.
37. Empty words : PAP
One meaning of “pap” is soft or semi-liquid food for babies and small children. “Pap” comes into English, via French, from the Latin word used by children for “food”. In the 1500s, “pap” also came to mean “an over-simplified” idea. This gives us a usage that’s common today, describing literature or perhaps TV programming that lacks real value or substance. Hands up those who think there’s a lot of pap out there, especially on television …
39. Half brother of Athena : ARES
In Greek mythology the god Ares was the half-brother of the goddess Athena, although the two were regarded as enemies. Both deities are associated with war, with Athena representing strategic warfare whereas Ares is linked to momentary, passionate violence.
40. Naval need of old :
There was a lot of tar used in the old days of sail, as tar was invaluable for waterproofing.
Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The name tarpaulin comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.
A Jack Tar was a seaman in the days of the British Empire. The term probably arose due to a sailor’s various uses of tar in those days, including waterproofing of their clothes, and using tar in their hair to slick down their ponytails.
From “slit skirts” …
51. Music category : SOUL
Soul music originated in the United States, and was born out of gospel music and rhythm & blues. I read one quotation that describes soul as “music that arose out of the black experience in America”.
59. Chock-a-block : SOLID
A “chock” is a lump of wood, possibly from the old French word “choque” meaning “block”. The term “chock-a-block” comes from the world of sailing and describes two blocks from a “block and tackle” that are located side by side touching, in the sense that they are crowded together.
61. Author in the 1950s “angry young men” movement : AMIS
The “angry young man” were a group of British playwrights and novelists from the fifties, noted for their expressions of dissatisfaction with English society at that time. Leading members of the group were the playwright John Osborne, author of the play “Look Back In Anger”, and novelist Kingsley Amis.
Although I love almost everything produced by HBO, I am giving the drama series “True Blood” a miss. The show is based on the novels by Charlaine Harris that go under the name “The Southern Vampire Mysteries”. The show is award-winning and recommended by many, but I don’t do vampires …
63. Addison’s “___ to Creation” : ODE
Joseph Addison was an English man of letters and a politician. Most famously, Addison is remembered for publishing “The Spectator” magazine from 1711-12 along with his friend Richard Steele. In fact, Addison’s famous poem “Ode to Creation” first appeared in “The Spectator”. Back in my home country, Addison is noted for holding the political post of Chief Secretary for Ireland in the early 1700s.
From “Zippo lighter” …
The first Zippo lighter was made in 1933, in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The name “Zippo” was simply a word invented by the company founder, George Blaisdell, as he liked the word “zipper”. You can buy one today for $12.95, or if you want the solid gold model … for $8,675.95.
“Ghosts of the Abyss” is a documentary film directed by James Cameron and released in 2003. The film deals with the undersea exploration of the wreck of the Titanic, a fitting project for Cameron who directed the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic”. The film was released by Walt Disney Pictures and was the studio’s first 3-D movie.
73. Whither Cain fled : NOD
According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, after Cain murdered his brother Abel he fled to the Land of Nod, located “east of Eden” (which, by the way, is the source for the title of John Steinbeck’s celebrated novel “East of Eden”).
76. Musician Brian : ENO
Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. Eno’s most oft played composition (by far!) can’t be found on an album. It’s Microsoft’s “start-up jingle”, the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system starts up.
Casa Rosada is the official residence of the President of Argentina. The building takes its name from the color of the exterior walls, as Casa Rosada translates to “Pink House”.
81. Punchophobic? : AFRAID OF HITS
From “afraid of heights” …
88. Getting help, in a way : ON RELIEF
On relief … on public financial assistance.
The Old Vic is a very famous theater (or I should I say “theatre”?) in London, previously known as the Royal Coburg Theatre and then the Royal Victorian Theatre (giving it the current name “The Old Vic”). The theater owes a lot of its fame and standing to the fact that it housed the National Theater of Great Britain after it was founded in 1963 by Sir Laurence Olivier. Today the National Theater has new, modern premises, but the Old Vic Theatre Company stills garners a lot of attention. The current, and very energetic, artistic director of the company is American actor, Kevin Spacey.
93. 2006 Verizon acquisition : MCI
MCI was a giant telecom company that suffered a similar fate to Enron, around about the same time. MCI’s stock price fell in 2000 and in maneuvers designed to protect the price, the company committed illegal acts. The larger than life CEO back then, Bernie Ebbers, is now serving a 25 year sentence in Louisiana.
From “British Airways” …
British Airways (BA) is of course the flag carrier airline of the UK, founded in 1974 by the merger of four existing airlines. The two most noted of the older airlines were the UK’s previous flag carriers, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA). BA is currently merging with Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier airline, and the result will be the world’s third largest airline (based on revenue).
“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” is a fun movie from 1989 starring Rick Moranis as a goofy professor who accidentally shrinks his children. The movie was written with Chevy Chase in mind for the starring role, but he was busy filming “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. John Candy was a second choice, but he decided to pass and suggested Rick Moranis instead. I think the final choice was a good one …
105. Org. that supports water fluoridation : ADA
Fluoridation is the addition of a fluoride salt to the public drinking water system, a measure taken to reduce tooth decay. What I find interesting is that bottled water usually has no added fluoride, and most domestic water filters remove the fluoride from the water coming out of the faucet.
106. “That thar was an appropriate thing to say!”? : THEM’S FITTING WORDS
From “them’s fighting words” …
As manager, Joe Torre was part of four World Series wins, all of them with the New York Yankees. Torre is an Italian American, born in Brooklyn, New York. During the run up (pun intended!) to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Torre carried the Olympic flame part of the way through Florence, handing it over to the next runner at the famous Ponte Vecchio. I’d say that was quite a thrill …
114. Urban rollers : ELS
The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. It is also the second oldest, again with the New York Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use. (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
115. Message in a bottle : SOS
The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots), but in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so SOS is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are simply mnemonics, introduced after the SOS signal was adopted.
116. Bringing forth young, as sheep : YEANING
“To yean” is to bring forth young, and is a word that is especially used for sheep and goats.
117. Springe : SNARE
A springe is a snare set to catch small game, the one that uses a noose attached to a branch that is bent so that it springs straight if an an animal steps into the trap.
118. Batiking need : DYE
Genuine batik cloth is produced by applying wax to the parts of the cloth that are not to be dyed. After the cloth has been dyed, it is dried and then dipped into a solvent that dissolves the wax.
Down
Comedian Joe Piscopo is best known for being a member of the “Saturday Night Live” cast from 1980 to 1984. He appeared on the show at the same time as Eddie Murphy, but never enjoyed the same level of success as Murphy did after SNL.
2. Residents of Canyon County : IDAHOANS
Canyon County is on the western border of the state of Idaho. The Snake River runs alongside the county in a canyon that possibly gives it the name “Canyon”. Emigrants heading west on the Oregon Trail used to pass through Canyon County.
3. Legal impediment : ESTOPPEL
The legal term “estop” means to block or stop by using some legal device. The word “estop” comes from Old French, in which “estopper” means “to stop up” or “to impede”.
6. ___ mater (cranial membrane) : PIA
“Pia mater” is Latin, and means “tender mother”. It is the name given to the mesh-like envelope that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The pia mater brings blood to some of the exterior parts of the brain, and provides physical support for larger blood vessels passing over the brain’s surface.
Trini Lopez is a noted singer and guitarist from Dallas, Texas. He is perhaps best known for his international hit “If I Had a Hammer” from 1963, as well as “Lemon Tree” from 1965.
English actor Ralph Fiennes comes from a very aristocratic family, as one might guess from his full name, Ralph Nathaniel Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes. He is in fact an eighth cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. Fiennes has played some nasty characters in his time, including the commandant of the concentration camp in “Schindler’s List” and the dreaded Lord Voldemont in the “Harry Potter” movies.
15. Div. of a former union : SSR
The former Soviet Union was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. The new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent geographically to the old Russian Empire, and was made up of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics.
Walter Cronkite was the anchor for the CBS Evening News for 19 years in the sixties and seventies, and reported on many dramatic news stories including the Vietnam War, the assassination of President Kennedy, Watergate, and perhaps most notably, the first landing on the moon. Cronkite enjoyed such respect among the public that he was often called “the most trusted man in America”. One of the causes that Cronkite felt most passionately about was the allocation of free airtime to political candidates, short-circuiting the purchase of airtime by special interests. He pointed out that all European nations give free airtime to candidates, and only seven democracies in the world fail to do so, putting the US on the same list as Taiwan, Tanzania and Honduras. As someone not native to this country, I’ve always wondered why the amount of a candidate’s airtime is a function of “wealth”. An undemocratic paradox in the world’s greatest democracy, I would have thought …
17. The radius extends from it : ELBOW
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.
Elihu Root was an American statesman, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1912 for his diplomatic work that brought “nations together through arbitration and cooperation”.
![Historic Print (S): [Elihu Root, 1845-1937, bust portrait, facing left]](https://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003ASB3C8&tag=wesneyoticrso-20)
“Yentl” is a play, that opened in New York City in 1975. The move to adapt the play for the big screen was led by Barbara Streisand, and indeed she wrote the first outline of a musical version herself as far back as 1968. The film was eventually made and released in 1983, starring Streisand in the lead role.
35. John Steinbeck’s middle name : ERNST
John Steinbeck was born not far from here, in Salinas, California in 1902. His most famous novels are probably “The Grapes of Wrath” from 1939, “East of Eden” from 1952 and the novella “Of Mice and Men” from 1937. For his work, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
Even though Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been the driving force behind the Rolling Stones for decades, they didn’t start the group. The band was the idea of guitarist and harmonica player Brian Jones, and it was he who invited Richards and Jagger to join, as well as Ian Stewart, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts to make an original lineup of six musicians. Jones called the band “Rollin’ Stone” back then in 1962, named for the song by Muddy Waters. Jones was the leader, manager and decision maker for the first few years until songs written by Richards and Jagger became hits and he started to lose artistic control. In 1967, Jones was arrested for drug possession, and again in 1968. When his trouble with the law prevented him from getting a US work visa, Jones wasn’t able to accompany the Stones on a 1969 US tour. That was the last straw, it seems, and Jones and the Stones parted company. Famously, one month later, Jones was found dead, at the bottom of his swimming pool.
Nikolai Gogol was a Russian writer, born in Ukraine. He wrote a lot of satirical pieces that attacked corrupt bureaucracy in Russia, which led to his being exiled. His most famous work is probably “Taras Bul’ba”, from 1836.
Galileo Galilei may be the most famous son of the city of Pisa in Italy, considered by many to have been the father of modern science. In the world of physics, he postulated that objects of different masses would fall at the same rate provided they did so in a vacuum so that there was no air resistance. There is a story that he dropped two balls of different masses from the top of the Leaning Tower to demonstrate this, but this probably never happened. Famously, centuries later Astronaut David Scott performed Galileo’s proposed experiement when he dropped a hammer and feather on the moon during the Apollo 15 mission and we all saw them hit the moon surface, at exactly the same time.
45. Most hopeless moment : NADIR
The nadir is the direction pointing immediately below a particular location (through to the other side of the Earth for example). The opposite direction, the direction pointing immediately above, is called the zenith. “Nadir” is used metaphorically to describe a low point, a hopeless moment perhaps.
Anubis is the Greek name for the Ancient Egyptian deity called Inpu, a god associated with death and mummification. Anubis’s role was to protect the dead and their tombs.
47. Nonstarters? : LEMONS
The slang term “lemon” describes something that is considered worthless or defective, most often these days, an automobile. We’ve been using “lemon” in this context since the early 1900s when it was criminal slang for a mark, someone one could suck the juice out of. Well, that’s one explanation anyway …
C. Everett Koop was the Surgeon General from 1982-89, appointed by President Reagan. Koop was a somewhat controversial character and one who brought the position of Surgeon General into the spotlight more than was historically the case. Partly this was due to his pro-life position, he is anti-tobacco stance and the fact that AIDS became a prominent issue while he was in office.
57. Dexterous : ADROIT
The French for “to the right” is “à droit”, from which we get our word “adroit”. The original meaning of “adroit” was “rightly, properly”, but it has come to mean dexterous and skillful.
58. Easily damaged major organs? : TENDER VITALS
From “Tender Vittles” …
Tender Vittles is a brand of cat food. It isn’t sold in the US anymore as it was shown to cause health problems in cats due to its high salt and sugar content.
60. “___ Story,” 1989 best seller : DIANA’S
“Diana’s Story” was a book by English author Deric Longden first published in 1989. The book tells of the life of his wife, Diana Hill, whose health rapidly deteriorated due to an illness that doctors could not diagnose. Eventually Diana died from her disease, and it is thought today that she suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
64. Ethan Frome’s sickly wife : ZEENA
“Ethan Frome” is a novel by Edith Wharton, first published in 1911.
Deanna Troi, the character on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, is played by the lovely Marina Sirtis. Sirtis is a naturalized American citizen and has what I would call a soft, American accent on the show. However, she was born in the East End of London and has a natural accent off-stage that is more like that of a true Cockney.
69. Program problem : GLITCH
Glitch comes into English from German via Yiddish. The original German word is “glitschen” meaning “to slip”. It is a relatively new term, generally applied to computer software bugs.
American figure skater Sarah Hughes won the Ladies Singles’ gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
77. Brooklyn’s ___ Island : CONEY
Cony, or coney, is an old English word for rabbit or rabbit fur, and Coney Island in New York takes its name from the same root. The Dutch used the name “Conyne Eylandt” (Rabbit Island) after the large population of rabbits that was hunted there.
78. “Hair” hairstyles : AFROS
The full name of the famed musical from the sixties is “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”. This controversial work outraged many when it was first performed in the sixties, as it attacked many aspects of life at the time. For example, the song “Air” is a satirical look at pollution, sung by a character who comes onto the stage wearing a gas mask. The opening lines are “Welcome, sulfur dioxide. Hello carbon monoxide. The air … is everywhere”. How things have changed in fifty years said he … satirically …
Satchel Paige pitched baseball in the Negro leagues and then the majors, retiring in 1966. When he moved to the Major League, he was 42 as he pitched his first game, making him the oldest ever “rookie” to play Major League Baseball. And when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, he was the first person to be so honored from the Negro leagues.
Fala was a Scottish Terrier, the much-loved companion of President Franklyn D. Roosevelt. When I visited President Roosevelt’s grave in Hyde Park in 2010, I noted that Fala had been buried right beside his master and mistress.
89. Savoir-faire : FINESSE
“Savoir-faire” is of course a French term, and literally means “to know (how) to do”. There’s a similar term in French that we haven’t absorbed into English, “savoir-vivre” meaning “to know how to live”. Savoir-vivre describes the ability to acquit oneself well in the world, in society.
96. Chevy S.U.V. : TAHOE
The term SUV, Sports Utility Vehicle was introduced by our marketing friends. Sports Utility Vehicle was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis.
James Watt was a Scottish inventor, a man who figured prominently in the Industrial Revolution in Britain largely due to the improvements he made to the fledgling steam engine. The SI unit of power is called the watt, named in his honor.
104. “Little ___’ Pea” (1936 cartoon) : SWEE
Originally Popeye used the term “swee’pea” to address his girlfriend, Olive Oyl. Then along comes a baby, found on Popeye’s doorstep. Popeye adopts the little guy and raises him, calling him “Swee’Pea”.
107. Mumbai Mr. : SRI
Sri is a title of respect for a male in India.
Mumbai is the most populous city in India, and the second most populous city in the world (after Shanghai). The name of the city was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995.
109. Big D.C. lobby : NRA
The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The group has had some celebrity presidents, including US President Ulysses S. Grant. It’s often said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Thanksgiving staple : PIE
4. “Big ___,” 1995 Notorious B.I.G. hit : POPPA
9. Some special deals : TWOFERS
16. Entanglement : WEB
19. Beer buyers’ needs : IDS
20. Low profile maintainer : ALIAS
21. Purifies : REFINES
22. Exclusively : ALL
23. Manic desire to make sweaters when the weekend starts? : SATURDAY KNIT FEVER
26. Certain corp. takeover : LBO
27. Musical virtuosity : CHOPS
28. Uncharitable : MEAN
29. One side of a shutout : NIL
30. Put away : STOW
31. “I shouldn’t have done that” : OOPS
32. Contents of the Visine Gazette? : EYE WHITENESS NEWS
37. Empty words : PAP
38. Spot for a stream : GLEN
39. Half brother of Athena : ARES
40. Naval need of old : TAR
41. Like the narrowest of wins : ONE POINT
43. Mends : DARNS
45. Hardly surprising : NORMAL
48. Parts of many cheerleading uniforms? : SLIGHT SKIRTS
50. Where brown and white meet : TAN LINE
51. Music category : SOUL
52. Bit of chicken feed : OAT
53. Plumbing, e.g. : TRADE
55. Sticky sticks : GUM
56. Disastrous : FATAL
59. Chock-a-block : SOLID
61. Author in the 1950s “angry young men” movement : AMIS
62. “True Blood” network : HBO
63. Addison’s “___ to Creation” : ODE
64. Cleanup crew’s goal? : ZIPPO LITTER
67. Badge material : TIN
68. Caterer’s vessel : URN
69. Part of a code : GENE
70. Photography problem : GLARE
71. “Ghosts of the ___” (James Cameron documentary about the Titanic) : ABYSS
73. Whither Cain fled : NOD
74. Furnishes : LENDS
76. Musician Brian : ENO
77. ___ Rosada (Argentine presidential manor) : CASA
79. Dandy things? : TIE PINS
81. Punchophobic? : AFRAID OF HITS
86. Layers : STRATA
87. Asks for help, in a way : PRAYS
88. Getting help, in a way : ON RELIEF
90. London’s Old ___ : VIC
91. Unwelcome stocking stuffer : COAL
92. Like some highlighter colors : NEON
93. 2006 Verizon acquisition : MCI
94. Company whose motto is “Our pilots are moderately intelligent”? : BRIGHTISH AIRWAYS
100. Black : EBON
101. Repetition : ROTE
102. “Giant” in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” : ANT
103. Layer : COAT
104. All-too-public tiff : SCENE
105. Org. that supports water fluoridation : ADA
106. “That thar was an appropriate thing to say!”? : THEM’S FITTING WORDS
111. Many a hand sanitizer : GEL
112. Undeniable success : HOME RUN
113. Major-league manager Joe : TORRE
114. Urban rollers : ELS
115. Message in a bottle : SOS
116. Bringing forth young, as sheep : YEANING
117. Springe : SNARE
118. Batiking need : DYE
Down
1. Sinatra portrayer on “S.N.L.” : PISCOPO
2. Residents of Canyon County : IDAHOANS
3. Legal impediment : ESTOPPEL
4. Three, four and five, usually : PARS
5. Outdated : OLD
6. ___ mater (cranial membrane) : PIA
7. Checks, e.g. : PAYMENTS
8. Not straight : ASKEW
9. Singer Lopez : TRINI
10. Like some snow : WET
11. Vacationing : OFF
12. Voldemort’s portrayer in the Harry Potter films : FIENNES
13. Begrudges : ENVIES
14. Reacts to a shock : REELS
15. Div. of a former union : SSR
16. Cronkite when at the top of the ratings? : WALTER MIGHTY
17. The radius extends from it : ELBOW
18. Explodes : BLOWS
24. Boom markets : UPS
25. “On second thought, forget it” : NAH
30. Tie-up : SNARL
32. Root of diplomacy : ELIHU
33. Musical featuring “The Way He Makes Me Feel” : YENTL
34. Like crab apples : TART
35. John Steinbeck’s middle name : ERNST
36. Top-grossing concert act of 1989, ’94 and ’05, with “the” : STONES
38. “The Government Inspector” playwright : GOGOL
42. Home of Galileo Galilei Airport : PISA
43. ___ box (computer screen pop-up) : DIALOG
44. Big guns : ARTILLERY
45. Most hopeless moment : NADIR
46. Jackal-headed god : ANUBIS
47. Nonstarters? : LEMONS
49. Reagan-era surgeon general : KOOP
50. Unexciting : TAME
54. Insurance quote : RATE
56. Water sources : FOUNTS
57. Dexterous : ADROIT
58. Easily damaged major organs? : TENDER VITALS
59. Tore : SPED
60. “___ Story,” 1989 best seller : DIANA’S
64. Ethan Frome’s sickly wife : ZEENA
65. Wayhouses : INNS
66. Half-human counselor on “Star Trek: T.N.G.” : TROI
69. Program problem : GLITCH
71. Drained of blood : ASHEN
72. Help (out) : BAIL
75. ___ Hughes, 2002 Olympic skating gold medalist : SARAH
77. Brooklyn’s ___ Island : CONEY
78. “Hair” hairstyles : AFROS
80. Baseball Hall-of-Famer with the autobiography “Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever” : PAIGE
82. 1940s White House dog : FALA
83. Political caller’s request : DONATION
84. Covered with trees : TIMBERED
85. “For another thing …” : SECONDLY
87. They deliver : POSTMEN
89. Savoir-faire : FINESSE
91. Industry built around shooting stars? : CINEMA
94. Talks big : BRAGS
95. Barrel racing venue : RODEO
96. Chevy S.U.V. : TAHOE
97. Winter windshield problem : ICING
98. Cheap booze : ROT
99. Light figures? : WATTS
100. Sphere or system starter : ECO
104. “Little ___’ Pea” (1936 cartoon) : SWEE
106. Your alternative : THY
107. Mumbai Mr. : SRI
108. Beer and skittles : FUN
109. Big D.C. lobby : NRA
110. Dog’s sound : GRR