QuickLinks:
Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
CROSSWORD SETTER: Dick Shlakman & Jeff Chen
THEME: Toil and Trouble … today’s grid is replete with references to William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. The themed answers are phrases used or coined in the famous play (as is the title of puzzle “toil and trouble”). We also have some BLOOD dripping from a “dagger” that “we see before us” that is outlined by the circled letters, letters spelling out MACBETH:
42D. Superstitious thespian’s name for a work of Shakespeare … from which 21-, 23-, 37-, 58- and 60-Down all come : THE SCOTTISH PLAY
21D. Compassion, figuratively : MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS
23D. Start of many jokes : KNOCK KNOCK! WHO’S THERE?
37D. Tautological statement of finality : WHAT’S DONE IS DONE
58D. A single stroke : ONE FELL SWOOP
60D. What the lucky person leads : A CHARMED LIFE100D. Drippings appropriately positioned under the circled letters : BLOOD
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 29m 38s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Turns left : HAWS
“Haw!” is a command given to a trained animal that is hauling something (like a horse or an ox). “Haw!” is used to instruct the animal to turn to the left. The equivalent command for a right turn is “Gee!” Just to confuse things, the same commands are used in the British Isles but with the opposite meanings. That must be pretty unsettling for jet-setting plow horses …
12. One for the money? : UNUM
From 1776, “E pluribus unum” was the unofficial motto of the United States. “E pluribus unum” is Latin for “Out of many, one”. It was pushed aside in 1956 when an Act of Congress designated “In God We Trust” as the country’s official motto.
16. Actors Ken and Lena : OLINS
Ken Olin was one of the stars on the hit television series “Thirtysomething”, playing Michael Steadman. After “Thirtysomething”, Olin moved behind the camera and is now a producer and director.
The lovely Lena Olin is a Swedish actress, clearly someone who had acting in her blood. Her mother was the actress Britta Holmberg and her father the actor and director Stig Olin. Olin had a very successful career in Sweden, often working with the great Ingmar Bergman. Olin’s breakthrough international and English-speaking role was playing opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” released in 1988. Way back in 1974, the lovely Miss Olin was crowned Miss Scandinavia in a beauty pageant for Nordic women held in Helsinki, Finland.
19. ___ Foods : WHOLE
The first Whole Foods Market was opened in 1980 by John Mackey and partners in Austin, Texas. For the two years prior to the Whole Foods launch, Mackay was operating his natural foods store that he called “Saferway”, as opposed to “Safeway”. Clever name …
23. Big gun : KAHUNA
Like many words in Hawaiian, the term “kahuna” has several English translations, everything from a priest to an expert in some profession. The expression “the Big Kahuna” comes from the movie “Gidget”, released in 1959. The Big Kahuna was the leader of one of the surfing gangs in the film, and was played by Cliff Robertson.
26. Popular British band named after the villain in “Barbarella” : DURAN DURAN
Duran Duran is a New Wave band from Birmingham in England. Duran Duran’s success was partially driven by some well-received MTV music videos in the 1980s. The band also worked hard on their image and paid a lot of money for very fashionable clothes in which they performed. As a result, one of Duran Duran’s nicknames is “the prettiest boys in rock”.
28. Sinister señor : BANDOLERO
“Bandelero” is a Spanish word for “bandit”.
29. Lacoste offering : POLO SHIRT
René Lacoste was a French tennis player known for being very tenacious on court. This tenacity earned him the nickname “the Crocodile”. When he went into the clothing business, specializing in tennis apparel, his Lacoste brand became famous for its green crocodile logo.
30. Soul maker : KIA
The Kia Soul is a compact car produced in South Korea, although it was designed by Kia here in Irvine, California.
31. Channel showing old Hollywood hits : TCM
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels, delivering just what its name promises: classic movies.
34. Disposables maker : BIC
Société Bic is a French company, based in Clichy in France. The first product the company produced, more than fifty years ago, was the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen that is still produced today. Bic also makes other disposable products such as lighters and razors.
35. Modus operandi : HOW
“Modus operandi” is the Latin for “mode of operating”, a term we’ve been using since the mid-1600s. It’s often used by the police when referring to the methods typically employed by a particular perpetrator of a crime, and is usually abbreviated to “M.O.”
39. Bistro glassful : EAU
“Eau” is a French word for “water”.
“Bistro” was originally a Parisian slang term for a “little wine shop or restaurant”.
42. Org. using X-rays : TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
50. Legit : KOSHER
According to Jewish dietary law, “kosher” food is “fit” to eat, and food that is not kosher is called “treif” (or tref).
52. Words before and after “my lads” in the United States Merchant Marine anthem : HEAVE HO
The official US Merchant Marine song is “Heave Ho! My Lads, Heave Ho!” The song was written in 1943 by Jack Lawrence who had joined the US Maritime Service during WWII.
54. ___ acid : OLEIC
Oleic Acid is a fatty acid, found in many animal and plants sources, but most notably in olives. As such, “Oleic” means “derived from the olive”.
55. Sides are often alongside them : ENTREES
“Entrée” of course means “entry” in French. An entrée can be something that helps one get “a way in”, an interview for example perhaps helped along by a recommendation letter. In Europe, even in English-speaking countries, the entrée is the name for the “entry” to the meal, the first course. I found it very confusing to order meals when I first came to America!
56. Entry fee? : ANTE
One has to ante up to play in some card games.
59. Bell or shell preceder : TACO
Taco Bell was founded by a former US Marine, 25-year-old Glen Bell. His first restaurant was Bell’s Drive-In, located in Southern California. After opening that first establishment, Bell bought up some more restaurants including four named El Taco. He sold off the El Taco restaurants but used the name in part when he opened his first Taco Bell in 1962. Bell sold then sold franchises, with the 100th Taco Bell opening in 1967. The ex-Marine sold off the whole chain to PepsiCo in 1978, and I am guessing he made a pretty penny.
63. Key of Bach’s most famous Mass : B MINOR
Perhaps the most famous mass in classical music is J. S. Bach’s “Mass in B minor”, fittingly completed just before he died. It was one of the last of Bach’s compositions, although much of the music was composed earlier in his life.
65. Furniture style of Louis XV : ROCOCO
The Late Baroque is sometimes also called Rococo, and merged with the Rococo era that succeeded the Baroque.
Louis XV took over the French throne in 1715 when he was just 5 years old, on the death of his great-grandfather Louis XIV. Louis married Marie Leszczyńska, the daughter of the deposed King of Poland. Marie was to become the longest-serving queen consort of France, a tenure of over 42 years. However, her husband’s famous mistress, Madame de Pompadour, eventually eclipsed the queen’s social standing. The mistress even had her own apartments in the Palace of Versailles.
68. ___ the Explorer : DORA
“Dora the Explorer” is a cartoon series shown on Nickelodeon. Part of Dora’s remit is to introduce the show’s young viewers to some Spanish words and phrases.
70. “That’s all folks,” for Mel Blanc : EPITAPH
Mel Blanc is known as “The Man of a Thousand Voices”. We’ve all heard Mel Blanc at one time or another, I am sure. His was the voice behind such cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Woody Woodpecker, Elmer Fudd and Barney Rubble. And the words on Blanc’s tombstone are … “That’s All Folks”.
72. Batman : Robin :: Green Hornet : ___ : KATO
In “The Green Hornet” television series, Kato was famously played by Bruce Lee. The Kato role has been cited as a driving force behind the increase in popularity of martial arts in the US during the sixties.
80. John Cusack’s co-star in “Say Anything …” : IONE SKYE
Ione Skye is an American actress born in Hertfordshire in England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything …”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.
86. Actor Richard who played Jaws in Bond films : KIEL
Jaws is a character who turns up in two “James Bond” films: “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker”. Jaws is a tall and scary villain with steel-capped teeth. In both movies, Jaws is played by actor Richard Kiel.
87. Some A.L. (but not N.L.) players : DHS
Designated hitters (DHs)
88. It may be indicated with a ring : MOOD
Mood rings were invented relatively recently, in 1975, and became a bit of a fad for a few years. A mood ring is one containing a “stone” that changes color with temperature, although the color change is touted as being dependent on the wearer’s mood. The part of the ring that changes color is actually a liquid crystal that responds to temperature changes.
89. More than pique : IRE
Our term “pique” meaning a “fit of ill feeling” is a French word meaning a “prick, sting, irritation”.
92. Dudley Do-Right’s love : NELL
Dudley Do-Right appeared on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, a cartoon that appeared on television in a couple of different versions from 1959-1964. Dudley was a bungling Mountie who struggled with his nemesis, the evil Snidely Whiplash, while pursuing the romantic intentions of Nell Fenwick (who always seemed to prefer Dudley’s horse!).
94. Second place? : TENS
Someone adding up numbers might count the ones, tens, hundreds etc.
95. Part of N.R.A.: Abbr. : ASSN
National Rifle Association (NRA)
98. Erne or tern : SEABIRD
The ern (also erne) is also called the white-tailed eagle or sea-eagle.
Terns are seabirds that are found all over the world. The Arctic Tern makes a very long-distance migration. One Arctic Tern that was tagged as a chick in Great Britain in the summer of 1982, was spotted in Melbourne, Australia just three months later. The bird had traveled over 14,000 miles in over those three months, an average of about 150 miles a day. Remarkable …
102. Baloney, in Bristol : TOSH
“Tosh” is British slang for “foolish nonsense”, and is likely a combination of “trash” and “bosh”.
Bristol is the most populous city in the southwest of England. Bristol is a port city, one that had an important role in growth of slavery in America. Manufactured goods from the UK were shipped from Bristol to West Africa where they were traded for Africans who were forcibly transported across the Atlantic for trade in the Americas. The slave ships brought back plantation goods to Bristol.
107. East Asian stew : HOT POT
The “hot pot” of East Asian cuisine is a stew that is cooked in the center of the table in a pot that is full of simmering stock. Often the cooking pot is sunk into a hole in the center of a special table.
112. It may be radical : ION
A free radical in chemistry is a an atom, molecule or ion that requires one or more electrons to achieve stability. Hence, radicals are very reactive.
115. They may be sprayed on : TANS
The most effective fake tans available today are not dyes or stains. Instead, they are sprays with the active ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA reacts chemically with amino acids in the dead layer of skin on the surface of the body. Sounds a little risky to me …
117. Bill’s partner : COO
When birds “bill and coo” together they touch beaks and make noises to each other. The term is also used when two lovers talk quietly to each other, and kiss.
122. Summer White House setting: Abbr. : EDT
Eastern daylight savings time (EDT)
124. Rocky shout-outs : YOS
You might remember Rocky Balboa saying, “Yo, Adrian!” in the original Rocky movie. Adrian was Rocky’s wife played by the lovely Talia Shire, sister of director Francis Ford Coppola.
Down
1. Biblical peak : HOREB
In the Book of Deuteronomy, it is stated that Moses was given the Ten Commandments on Mount Horeb. In other parts of the Bible the same event is described as taking place on Mount Sinai. So, many think that Horeb is an alternative name for Sinai.
2. Actress Vega of “Spy Kids” : ALEXA
The actress Alexa Vega was just a kid when she played Carmen Cortez in the first “Spy Kids” movie in 2001, but now she is “all growed up”. I remember taking the kids to see “Spy Kids”. I think I slept through most of it though …
4. Mortimer of old radio : SNERD
Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen’s most famous character was Charlie McCarthy, but Bergen also worked with Mortimer Snerd.
5. Contributors to The Paris Review, e.g. : LITERATI
Literati are men and women of letters, learned people.
“The Paris Review” is a literary magazine that was established by a team of French and American editors in Paris in 1953. The magazine relocated its operations to New York City in 1973.
6. First of 12 in South America : ENERO
In Spanish, a year (año) starts in January (enero) and ends in December (diciembre).
8. Band with the 1994 album “Monster” : REM
R.E.M. was a rock band from Athens, Georgia formed in 1980. The name “R.E.M.” was chosen randomly from a dictionary, apparently.
11. Dance popularized by Michael Jackson : THE ROBOT
hen the Jackson 5 performed the song “Dancing Machine” on television, Michael Jackson famously showed off his Robot dance technique. Since then, the Robot has become extremely popular as a street dance, with performing artists making robotic moves to popular songs.
13. Iraqi P.M. ___ al-Maliki : NOURI
Nouri al-Maliki is the Prime Minister of Iraq. Nouri al-Maliki had fled his native Iraq in 1979 after the Saddam Hussein regime discovered that he was a member of an outlawed political movement. He continued to work for his cause as an exile, from Syria and Iran, until he was able to return home after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. al-Maliki was installed as the country’s second, post-war Prime Minister in 2006.
14. Like one of the arm bones : ULNAR
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”.
17. Like vino de Rioja : SECO
“Seco” is the Spanish for “dry”.
Rioja wines come from the province of La Rioja in Northern Spain. In my days living back in Europe, Rioja wines were noted for their heavy oaky flavors and it wasn’t uncommon to order a “rough Rioja” when out for dinner of an evening.
21. Compassion, figuratively : MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS
The phrase “milk of human kindness” comes from William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. The actual quotation is:
Yet doe I feare thy Nature, It is too full o’ th’ Milke of humane kindnesse.
23. Start of many jokes : KNOCK KNOCK! WHO’S THERE?
There’s a “knock, knock” line in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, although it’s no joke:
Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ th’ name of Beelzebub? Here’s a farmer that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty. Come in time, have napkins enough about you, here you’ll sweat for ’t.
25. Dos x tres : SEIS
In Spanish, two x three (dos x tres) equals six (seis).
31. Blue-green : TEAL
The beautiful color of teal takes it name from the duck called a “teal”, which has dark greenish-blue (teal) markings on its head and wings.
33. Tax-free bond, for short : MUNI
A municipal bond (muni) is one that is issued by a city or local government, or some similar agency. Munis have an advantage over other investments in that any interest earned on the bond is usually exempt from state and federal income taxes.
35. Pair of cymbals in a drum kit : HI-HAT
In a drum kit, a hi-hat is that pairing of cymbals that sits on a stand and is played by using a foot pedal. The top cymbal is raised and lowered by the foot, hence creating a crashing sound.
37. Tautological statement of finality : WHAT’S DONE IS DONE
Although William Shakespeare did not coin the phrase “What’s done is done”, his use of the expression in his play “Macbeth” is the first recorded instance. Lady Macbeth expresses the sentiment twice:
– “Things without all remedy Should be without regard: what’s done, is done”
– “Give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone. – To bed, to bed, to bed!”
“Tautology” is one of my favorite words. It describes needless repetition, the redundant use words to convey the same message perhaps in the same sentence.
38. Cavs, on a scoreboard : CLE
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970. The team plays at the Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, a facility that the locals refer to as “the Q”.
41. Elbow-bender : SOT
Our word “sot” comes from the Old English “sott”, meaning a fool. The word “sot” started to be associated with alcohol and not just foolery in the late 1500s.
42. Superstitious thespian’s name for a work of Shakespeare … from which 21-, 23-, 37-, 58- and 60-Down all come : THE SCOTTISH PLAY
There is a superstition in the theatrical world that uttering the name “Macbeth” in a theater will bring disaster of some sort. To avoid this, the euphemism “the Scottish Play” is used instead.
46. One of 17 on a Monopoly board: Abbr. : AVE
The street names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.
49. Army threats? : OCTOPI
An octopus has lots of arms, so might be described as “army”.
The name “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural.
51. Mendoza Mrs. : SRA
Mendoza is a city in Argentina located on the eastern side of the Andes. The area around Mendoza is an emerging wine producing region.
58. A single stroke : ONE FELL SWOOP
The phrase “one fell swoop” was either coined or popularized by Shakespeare in his play “Macbeth”. The phrase appears in lines spoken by Macduff:
All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?
60. What the lucky person leads : A CHARMED LIFE
The phrase “a charmed life” first appeared in “Macbeth” by Shakespeare:
Thou losest labour:
As easy mayst thou the
intrenchant air
With thy keen sword impress
as make me bleed:
Let fall thy blade on
vulnerable crests;
I bear a charmed life,
which must not yield,
To one of woman born.
64. Piqued : RILED
Our term “pique” meaning a “fit of ill feeling” is a French word meaning a “prick, sting, irritation”.
65. 500 events : RACES
The first Indianapolis 500 race was held on Memorial Day in 1911. The winner that day was one Ray Harroun. Harroun had seen someone using a rear view mirror on a horse-drawn vehicle, and decided to fit one on his Marmon “Wasp” motor car. Supposedly, that was the first ever use of a rear view mirror on a motor vehicle.
71. “The Addams Family” nickname : TISH
Gomez and Morticia (“Tish”) Addams were the parents in “The Addams Family”, a creation of the cartoonist Charles Addams. In the sixties television show, Gomez was played by John Astin and Morticia was played by Carolyn Jones.
73. ___ Maria : TIA
Tia Maria is a coffee liqueur that was invented just after WWII in Jamaica, using Jamaica coffee beans. The name of course translates to “Aunt Maria”.
75. Carol : NOEL
“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, ultimately coming from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). Noel has come to be used as an alternative name for a Christmas carol.
78. Towel designation : HERS
The word “carol” came into English via the Old French word “carole”, which was a “dance in a ring”. When “carol” made it into English, about 1300 AD, the term was used to describe a dance as well as a joyful song. Around 1500 AD, carols that were sung came to be associated with Christmas.
79. Elysium : EDEN
In Greek mythology Elysium was part of the Underworld where heroic and virtuous souls were laid to rest. Nowadays we use the word Elysium to mean a place or condition of ideal happiness, a Garden of Eden.
91. Moccasin decorations : BEADS
The moccasin is a traditional form of footwear worn by members of many Native American tribes.
93. You might bow your head to receive one : LEI
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.
94. Play about Capote : TRU
“Tru” was written by Jay Presson Allen and is a play about Truman Capote that premiered in 1989. There is a classic anachronism in the piece. It is set in Capote’s New York City apartment at Christmas 1975. At one point the Capote character talks about suicide, saying that he has enough pills to stage his own Jonestown Massacre. The Jonestown Massacre didn’t happen until three years later, in 1978.
95. Famous Titanic victim : ASTOR
John Jacob Astor IV was a member of the famous and wealthy Astor family of New York. Astor and his second wife Madeleine were passengers on the RMS Titanic when it made its fateful journey in 1912. John did not survive the tragedy, and was the wealthiest person to go down with the ship. Madeleine was picked up in a lifeboat, along with her nurse and maid.
97. Zilch : NIL
We use the term “zilch” to mean “nothing”. Our current usage evolved in the sixties, before which the term was used to describe “meaningless speech”. There was a comic character called Mr. Zilch in the 1930s in “Ballyhoo” magazine. Mr. Zilch’s name probably came from the American college slang “Joe Zilch” that was used in the early 1900s for “an insignificant person”.
99. One of “The Honeymooners” : ALICE
In “The Honeymooners”, Jackie Gleason’s character was married to Alice Kramden who was played originally by Pert Kelton, but ultimately by Audrey Meadows. Art Carney’s character was married to Thelma “Trixie” Norton, played originally by Elaine Stritch, and then by Joyce Randolph.
104. Director Preminger : OTTO
Otto Preminger was noted for his films that pushed the envelope in terms of subject matter, at least in the fifties and sixties. Great examples would be 1955’s “The Man with the Golden Arm” that dealt with drug addiction, 1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder” that dealt with rape, and 1962’s “Advise and Consent” that dealt with homosexuality. If you’ve seen these films, you’ll have noticed that the references are somewhat indirect and disguised, in order to get past the censors.
108. Prefix with -phile : OENO-
In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oeno-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.
114. Intimidate : COW
The verb “to cow” means to intimidate, to scare. The exact etymology of the term seems unclear.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Turns left : HAWS
5. Ogles offensively : LEERS AT
12. One for the money? : UNUM
16. Actors Ken and Lena : OLINS
18. Gettable : IN REACH
19. ___ Foods : WHOLE
20. Cash in : REDEEM
22. Tiny tunneler : TERMITE
23. Big gun : KAHUNA
24. Ones doing aerobics : EXERCISERS
26. Popular British band named after the villain in “Barbarella” : DURAN DURAN
28. Sinister señor : BANDOLERO
29. Lacoste offering : POLO SHIRT
30. Soul maker : KIA
31. Channel showing old Hollywood hits : TCM
34. Disposables maker : BIC
35. Modus operandi : HOW
38. Kind of accounting : COST
39. Bistro glassful : EAU
40. Sturdy ones : OAKS
42. Org. using X-rays : TSA
45. Equally, say : IN HALF
47. Tangled : IN A KNOT
50. Legit : KOSHER
52. Words before and after “my lads” in the United States Merchant Marine anthem : HEAVE HO
54. ___ acid : OLEIC
55. Sides are often alongside them : ENTREES
56. Entry fee? : ANTE
57. “Don’t look now …” : UH-OH
59. Bell or shell preceder : TACO
61. Regarding : AS TO
62. Super Bowl successes, for short : TDS
63. Key of Bach’s most famous Mass : B MINOR
65. Furniture style of Louis XV : ROCOCO
67. Dupe : CON
68. ___ the Explorer : DORA
70. “That’s all folks,” for Mel Blanc : EPITAPH
72. Batman : Robin :: Green Hornet : ___ : KATO
74. Strand, somehow : SNOW IN
76. Girl’s name meaning “happiness” : FELICIA
77. Squirm : WRITHE
80. John Cusack’s co-star in “Say Anything …” : IONE SKYE
82. Dir. of the Missouri between S.D. and Neb. : ESE
83. Like leftovers, often : REHEATED
85. Born : NEE
86. Actor Richard who played Jaws in Bond films : KIEL
87. Some A.L. (but not N.L.) players : DHS
88. It may be indicated with a ring : MOOD
89. More than pique : IRE
90. Too smooth : GLIB
92. Dudley Do-Right’s love : NELL
94. Second place? : TENS
95. Part of N.R.A.: Abbr. : ASSN
96. Email button : SEND
98. Erne or tern : SEABIRD
102. Baloney, in Bristol : TOSH
104. Entitle to wear vestments : ORDAIN
106. Headstrong : WILLFUL
107. East Asian stew : HOT POT
110. “Ta-ta!” : TOODLE-OO
112. It may be radical : ION
113. Places where polar bears fish : ICE HOLES
115. They may be sprayed on : TANS
116. HBO competitor : SHO
117. Bill’s partner : COO
118. Pro : FOR
119. Major, for example : RANK
120. Poetic rhapsody : ODE
121. Soak (up) : SOP
122. Summer White House setting: Abbr. : EDT
123. “Lady” of the lea : EWE
124. Rocky shout-outs : YOS
Down
1. Biblical peak : HOREB
2. Actress Vega of “Spy Kids” : ALEXA
3. Expand : WIDEN
4. Mortimer of old radio : SNERD
5. Contributors to The Paris Review, e.g. : LITERATI
6. First of 12 in South America : ENERO
7. Muffs : ERRS
8. Band with the 1994 album “Monster” : REM
9. “He” and “she” follower : SAID
10. Not perform as expected : ACT UP
11. Dance popularized by Michael Jackson : THE ROBOT
12. “Yep” : UH-HUH
13. Iraqi P.M. ___ al-Maliki : NOURI
14. Like one of the arm bones : ULNAR
15. Destined (for) : MEANT
17. Like vino de Rioja : SECO
19. Gobs : WADS
21. Compassion, figuratively : MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS
23. Start of many jokes : KNOCK KNOCK! WHO’S THERE?
25. Dos x tres : SEIS
27. Latin “others” : ALIA
31. Blue-green : TEAL
32. Part of many an anniversary celebration : CAKE
33. Tax-free bond, for short : MUNI
35. Pair of cymbals in a drum kit : HI-HAT
36. Ceaselessly : ON END
37. Tautological statement of finality : WHAT’S DONE IS DONE
38. Cavs, on a scoreboard : CLE
41. Elbow-bender : SOT
42. Superstitious thespian’s name for a work of Shakespeare … from which 21-, 23-, 37-, 58- and 60-Down all come : THE SCOTTISH PLAY
43. Take care of : SEE TO
44. Cause of an insurance investigation : ARSON
46. One of 17 on a Monopoly board: Abbr. : AVE
48. What a goner has : NO HOPE
49. Army threats? : OCTOPI
51. Mendoza Mrs. : SRA
53. “___ get it!” : OH I
55. System prefix : ECO-
58. A single stroke : ONE FELL SWOOP
60. What the lucky person leads : A CHARMED LIFE
63. Lively : BRISK
64. Piqued : RILED
65. 500 events : RACES
66. Equipped to row : OARED
69. Have debts : OWE
71. “The Addams Family” nickname : TISH
73. ___ Maria : TIA
74. Rat : SING
75. Carol : NOEL
78. Towel designation : HERS
79. Elysium : EDEN
81. Cry before “haw” : YEE!
84. Big stretch? : EON
91. Moccasin decorations : BEADS
93. You might bow your head to receive one : LEI
94. Play about Capote : TRU
95. Famous Titanic victim : ASTOR
97. Zilch : NIL
99. One of “The Honeymooners” : ALICE
100. Drippings appropriately positioned under the circled letters : BLOOD
101. Alternatively : IF NOT
103. “Lo-o-ovely!” : OOH!
104. Director Preminger : OTTO
105. You may find a fork in it : ROAD
108. Prefix with -phile : OENO-
109. Some reproaches : TSKS
111. Palindromic cry : OHO!
114. Intimidate : COW
The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections