0831-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 31 Aug 14, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Halle Berry was once runner-up for this : MISS USA
The beautiful and talented actress Halle Berry is the only African American woman to win a best Actress Oscar, which she received for her performance in the 2001 movie “Monster’s Ball”. She also won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in 2005 for playing the title role in “Catwoman”, and she very graciously accepted the award in person. Good for her!

13. Hanes competitor : BVD
The men’s underwear known as BVDs are made by the Bradley, Voorhees & Day. The company was started in 1876 to make bustles for women, and is named for its founders.

20. French filmmaker who led the Cinéma Pur movement : RENE CLAIR
René Clair was a film director from Paris who made movies in France, the UK and in the US. I must admit, the only René Clair film that I’ve seen is 1945’s “And Then There Were None”, an adaptation of the Agatha Christie mystery novel that stars Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston.

“Cinéma Pur” (meaning “Pure Cinema”) was a movement that started in French filmmaking that focused on the cinematic elements of film such as motion and visual composition, demoting a film’s storyline and plot.

22. When Earth Day is celebrated: Abbr. : APR
Earth Day was founded in the US, an event introduced by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Earth Day was designed to increase awareness and appreciation of our planet’s natural environment. The original Earth Day was on April 22nd, 1970. Decades later, the day is observed in over 175 countries.

23. Jewish bread/Played, as a violin/Throw (1950) : CHALLAH BOWED HEAVE (“All About Eve”)
I must confess that I have a problem watching movies starring Bette Davis. I think I must have seen her play one of her more sinister roles when I was a kid and it gave me nightmares or something. So, I have never seen the 1950 classic film “All About Eve”, given that Bette Davis gets top billing. But, the title role of Eve Harrington was played by Anne Baxter, and Ms Baxter’s movies I do enjoy. Coincidentally, on the epic television series “Hotel”, when Bette Davis became ill, it was Anne Baxter who was chosen to take on her role.

Challah is a special braided bread that is eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath. The bread is served to commemorate the manna that fell from the heavens as the Israelites wandered around the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.

26. Ring material : CANVAS
The floor of a boxing or wrestling ring is traditionally made from canvas.

27. ___ cloud (source of comets) : OORT
The Oort Cloud is a hypothetical spherical cloud of comets that lies about a light-year from the sun. It is postulated that periodic comets that enter our solar systems (like Halley’s Comet) originate in this cloud. The phenomenon was named for Dutch astronomer Jan Oort.

28. Org. in “The Sopranos” : FBI
“The Sopranos” is an outstanding television drama that was made by HBO and is a story about Italian-American mobsters in New Jersey. “The Sopranos” has made more money than any other television series in the history of cable television. It’s “must see TV” …

30. One quarter of a quartet : ALTO
In choral music, an alto is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, contr(alto), tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.

31. Toyota rival/Measure of power/Insult (1954) : HONDA WATT AFFRONT (“On the Waterfront”)
The 1954 drama “On the Waterfront”, starring Marlon Brando, told a story of violence and corruption among longshoremen. The movie was based on a series of 24 articles written by investigative journalist Malcolm Johnston and published in “The New York Sun”. The original news stories uncovered mob infiltration on the New York City Waterfront, but the location for the film was chosen as Hoboken, New Jersey.

36. Parisian possessive : SES
“Ses” is the French word for “his”, “her” or “its”, when referring to a group of items.

37. Sound units : BELS
In the world of acoustics, one bel is equal to ten decibels.

40. Peace in the Middle East : SALAAM
The word “salaam” is an Anglicized spelling of the Arabic word for “peace”. It can mean an act of deference, in particular a very low bow.

42. Forbes competitor : INC
“Inc.” is a business magazine that specializes in articles about growing companies. “Inc.” publishes a list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the country each year, calling it the “Inc. 500”. The “Inc 5000” is an expanded list also published by the magazine.

44. Ca, Ce, Co or Cu : ELEM
Calcium (Ca), Cerium (Ce), Cobalt (Co) and Copper (Cu) are all chemical elements.

47. Reside/Savage/Puzzle (out)/Wash (2013) : DWELL FIERCE SUSS LAVE (“12 Years a Slave”)
“12 Years a Slave” is a powerful 2013 film adapted from the memoir “Twelve Years a Slave” by Solomon Northup. Northup was an African American who was born a free man in Upstate New York where he worked as a farmer and a violinist. He was lured to Washington, D.C. where slavery was legal, and there was kidnapped by slave traders. Northup spent twelve years as a slave in Louisiana before an intermediary made contact with friends and family who were able to obtain his release. The slave trader in Washington who committed the crime was arrested and tried, although he was acquitted, because D.C. law prohibited an African American from testifying against Caucasians.

53. Greatly desired objects : GRAILS
The Holy Grail is theme found throughout Arthurian legend. The grail itself is some vessel, with the term “grail” coming from the Old French “graal” meaning “cup or bowl made of earth, wood or metal”. Over time, the legend of the Holy Grail became mingled with stories of the Holy Chalice of the Christian tradition, the cup used to serve wine at the Last Supper. Over time, the term “grail” came to be used for any desired or sought-after object.

54. Any of the “South Park” characters : TOON
“South Park” is an adult-oriented cartoon series on Comedy Central. I don’t do “South Park” …

59. Number by a door? : CAROL
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.

61. Islamic spirit : JINN
The “genie” in the bottle takes his or her name from “djinn” (sometimes “jinn”). Djinns were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book “The Thousand and One Nights” was translated into French, the word “djinn” was transformed into the existing word “génie”, because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This “génie” from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived “genius”, a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the “djinn” that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …

64. Hooligan/Strange/Silo contents (1972) : THUG ODD FODDER (“The Godfather”)
“The Godfather” series of films is of course based on “The Godfather” novel by Mario Puzo, first published in 1969. Francis Ford Coppola worked with Puzo in partnership to adapt his novel into the screenplay for the first film, and to write the screenplays for the two sequels. Coppola holds that there are really only two films in “The Godfather” series, with “The Godfather Part III” actually being the epilogue.

68. Only non-U.S. M.L.B. team: Abbr. : TOR
The Toronto Blue Jays baseball franchise was founded in 1977. The Blue Jays are the only team based outside the US to have won a World Series, doing so in 1992 and 1993. And since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, the Blue Jays are the only Major League Baseball team now headquartered outside of the US.

69. Some cameras, for short : SLRS
SLR stands for “single lens reflex”. Usually cameras with changeable lenses are the SLR type. The main feature of an SLR is that a mirror reflects the image seen through the lens out through the viewfinder, so that the photographer sees exactly what the lens sees. The mirror moves out of the way as the picture is taken, and the image that comes through the lens falls onto unexposed film, or nowadays onto a digital sensor.

72. Like a milquetoast : WUSSY
Someone described a “milquetoast” is particularly weak and timid. The term comes from a character called Caspar Milquetoast in the comic strip “The Timid Soul” drawn by H. T. Webster. Webster came up with Caspar’s name by deliberately misspelling “milk toast”, which is a bland food that is suitable for someone with a weak stomach.

75. Comedian Kevin : HART
Kevin Hart is an actor and comedian from Philadelphia. Hart plays the lead role on a reality TV parody on BET called “Real Husbands of Hollywood”.

77. Obama follower? : -CARE
The official name for what has been dubbed “Obamacare” is the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”.

79. Wildlife protector/Difficult/Hotel door feature (1980) : WARDEN HAIRY PEEPHOLE (“Ordinary People”)
“Ordinary People” is a fascinating 1980 film about a family dealing with the death of one their sons in a boating accident. Starring Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, “Ordinary People” was the first film directed by Robert Redford.

86. Load bearer? : HAMPER
A laundry hamper might bear a load of laundry.

90. California roll ingredient : CRAB
A California roll is a kind of sushi roll that is made inside-out, with the seaweed inside and the rice on the outside. A California roll often includes rice, seaweed, cucumber and avocado. The dish originated in Los Angeles where a chef at the Tokyo Kaikan restaurant substituted avocado for fatty tuna (“toro”) in a traditional sushi recipe. The chef also put the seaweed on the inside, as his American customers preferred not to look directly at seaweed while they were eating it!

97. “In what way?”/Like overcooked steak/Possess/European capital on a gulf (1985) : HOW TOUGH HAVE RIGA (“Out of Africa”)
“Out of Africa” is a Sydney Pollack film released in 1985, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. The storyline is based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Karen Blixen (written under the pen name Isak Dinesen).

103. British author who wrote “The Old Devils” : AMIS
Kingsley Amis (what a great name!) was a very successful English writer, famous for producing entertaining, comedic novels. His most famous novel probably is his first, “Lucky Jim” published in 1954, although he won a Booker Prize for a later novel, “The Old Devils” published in 1986. He passed on some of his talent through his genes, it seems, as his son Martin Amis is a very successful novelist too.

105. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE
The Native American people known as the Otoe were the first tribe encountered by the Lewis and clark Expedition. The meeting took place at a point on the Missouri River that is now known as Council Bluff.

106. Brave group, informally? : NL EAST
The Atlanta Braves baseball team has announced that it will move from Turner Field in Atlanta to a new park to be built in Cobb County, Georgia, which is just northwest of Atlanta.

108. Kind of garden : ZEN
Japanese Zen gardens are inspired by the meditation gardens of Zen Buddhist temples. Zen gardens have no water in them, but often there is gravel and sand that is raked in patterns designed to create the impression of water in waves and ripples.

116. ___ Islas Filipinas : LAS
When the Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos discovered the islands of Leyte and Samar, he called them Felipinas, after King Philip II of Spain. Eventually, the name was used for the whole archipelago, becoming what we now call in English, the Philippines.

117. “Inglourious Basterds” org. : OSS
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed during WWII in order to carry out espionage behind enemy lines. A few years after the end of the war the OSS functions were taken up by a new group, the Central Intelligence Agency that was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.

I tried hard to enjoy the 2009 movie “Inglourious Basterds”, but I find the violence in a Quentin Tarantino film so very hard to take. However, it got good reviews, so maybe you shouldn’t let me put you off.

118. ___ nous : ENTRE
“Entre nous” is French for “between us”.

Down
1. Shopping malls on Black Friday, e.g. : MECCAS
In the world of retail, “Black Friday” is the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Black Friday is when many stores start the holiday shopping season, and so offer deep discounts to get ahead of the competition.

2. Scarf down : INHALE
“To scarf down” is teenage slang from the sixties meaning “to wolf down, to eat hastily”. The term is probably imitative of “to scoff”.

4. Round of shots : SALVO
A salvo is a simultaneous discharge of guns. Ironically, “salvo” comes from the Latin “salve” meaning “be in good health”. Salvo was originally the name given to the firing of guns in the air as a sign of respect or greeting for an important visitor. Good health!

5. Campus attended by Elle in “Legally Blonde” : UCLA
“LEGALLY blonde” is a 2001 comedy film starring Reese Witherspoon as a girlish sorority president who heads to Harvard to earn a law degree. “LEGALLY blonde” was successful enough to warrant two sequels as well as a spin-off musical that played most successfully in London’s West End (for 974 performances).

10. Pair of socks? : ONE-TWO
A one-two punch …

12. Duke, e.g.: Abbr. : SCH
Duke University was founded in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse. The school was renamed to Trinity College in 1859, and to this day the town where the college was located back then is known as Trinity, in honor of the school. The school was moved in 1892 to Durham, North Carolina in part due to generous donations from the wealthy tobacco industrialist Washington Duke. Duke’s donation required that the school open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men. Trinity’s name was changed to Duke in 1924 in recognition of the generosity of the Duke family.

13. Start of a children’s rhyme : BAA BAA
The old English nursery rhyme “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” is usually sung as:

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

The tune that accompanies the rhyme is a variant of the French melody “Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman”, which we know best in English as the tune for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.

15. Rap mogul, briefly : DRE
Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

16. Prohibited : TABOO
The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

18. President after Johnson : GRANT
Ulysses S. Grant had been a career soldier when he was elected as the 18th president of the US, and had risen to commander of all the Union armies by the end of the Civil War. Grant served two nonconsecutive terms as president, and also made a failed bid for a third term. Grant’s reputation was tarnished by his apparent tolerance of corruption in his administration. On the other hand, Grant worked hard to protect African Americans during Reconstruction after the Civil War, and pursued peaceful relations with Native Americans.

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the US, the man who came to power after the assassination of President Lincoln. As well as being Lincoln’s successor, Johnson is remembered as the first sitting president to be impeached. Johnson fell foul of the so-called “Radical Republicans” due to his efforts to quickly incorporate the southern states back into the Union. His political opponents chose the Tenure of Office Act as their “weapon” for impeachment. The Act prevented a president from removing an appointee of a past-president without the consent of the Senate. Johnson had removed the sitting Secretary of War without consulting Congress creating the opportunity for an impeachment trial in Congress. He was acquitted though, as his opponents fell one vote shy of the majority needed. The impeachment of President Johnson was the only presidential impeachment until that of President Clinton in 1999.

24. Growing art form? : BONSAI
The term “bonsai” is used more correctly to describe the Japanese art of growing carefully shaped trees in containers. Bonsai has come to be used as the name for all miniature trees in pots.

29. Fred Flintstone’s boss : MR SLATE
In “The Flintstone” animated TV show, Fred Flintstone operates a bronto-crane at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company, which is owned by Fred’s boss Mr. Slate.

32. Minnesota’s St. ___ College : OLAF
St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota is named after the former king and patron saint of Norway, Olaf II.

34. Heavenly bodies? : TENS
Tradition has it that a beautiful body is given a rating of “ten”.

37. Plebiscite, e.g. : BALLOT
Today a “ballot” is a piece of paper used to cast a vote. Back in the 1500s, a “ballot” was a small “ball” used in the process of voting.

A plebiscite is a vote in which the entire electorate accepts or rejects a proposition. A referendum might be termed a plebiscite, as are propositions that appear on the ballot in some states.

40. Número of Mexican states that border the U.S. : SEIS
In Spanish, the number (número) of Mexican states bordering the US is six (seis), and they are:

– Baja California
– Sonora
– Chihuahua
– Coahuila
– Nuevo León
– Tamaulipas

There are four American states along the US-Mexico border, and they are:

– California
– Arizona
– New Mexico
– Texas

41. Subway systems : METROS
The Paris Métro is the busiest underground transportation system in western Europe, carrying about 4.5 million passengers a day, about the same as the New York City Subway. The system took its name from the company that originally operated it: “La Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris”, which was shorted to “Métro”. The term “Metro” was then adopted for similar systems in cities all over the world.

43. Figures on some Valentine’s Day cards : CUPIDS
Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.

Saint Valentine’s Day was chosen by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saints’ day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

46. “Careless Hands” crooner : MEL TORME
Mel Tormé was a jazz singer, with a quality of voice that earned him the nickname “The Velvet Fog”. Tormé also wrote a few books, and did a lot of acting. He was the co-author of the Christmas classic known as “The Christmas Song”, which starts out with the line “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …”

“Careless Hands” is a song that was first recorded in 1948. A 1948 version of “Careless Hands” topped the charts for Mel Tormé, making it Tormé’s first number one.

49. Cross : ROOD
A rood is a crucifix that specifically symbolizes the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

50. It was satirized in “Dr. Strangelove” : COLD WAR
“Dr. Strangelove” is a black comedy directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, released in 1964. The big star in the film is the great Peter Sellers, who plays three key roles.

52. Last word of an annual holiday song : SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

57. “S.N.L.” producer Michaels : LORNE
Lorne Michaels is a television producer, best known as the creator of “Saturday Night Live”. We can get some insight into Michaels’ character and demeanor by watching the show “30 Rock”. The character played by Alec Baldwin is inspired by Michaels.

60. First name in mysteries : AGATHA
Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time, having sold about 4 billion copies worldwide in total. The only books to have sold in higher volume are the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible.

61. Rachel’s firstborn, in the Bible : JOSEPH
According to the Bible, Joseph was the eleventh of Jacob’s twelve sons. Ten of Jacob’s sons were borne by his first wife Leah, and two by his second wife Rachel. Joseph was Rachel’s firstborn. Joseph proved to be Jacob’s favorite son, to whom he gave a “long coat of many colors”. Joseph’s half-brothers plotted against him and sold him into slavery. This Biblical story is retold in the hit musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice called “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.

According to the Bible, Leah was one of the two wives of Jacob, the other being Leah’s sister Rachel. Jacob’s intention had been to marry Rachel, but the Leah and Rachel’s father “switched” his daughters and provided Leah as the veiled bride. Jacob married Rachel a week later, and lived with the two wives concurrently.

66. Alecto, Megaera or Tisiphone : FURY
The Furies in Roman mythology were the female personification of vengeance. They were also known as the Dirae, “the terrible”. There were at least three Furies:

– Alecto: the “unceasing”
– Megaera: the “grudging”
– Tisiphone: the “avenging murder”

74. One of the superheroes in 2012’s “The Avengers” : THOR
Thor is a superhero who was introduced to us by Marvel Comics in 1962. The character is of course based on the Norse god Thor, and comes complete with a magical hammer. Like so many comic book heroes it seems, Thor has made it to the big screen. Actor Chris Hemsworth played the role in the 2011 film “Thor” directed by the great Kenneth Branagh. Branagh must have needed the cash. Thor’s father Odin is played by Anthony Hopkins. He must have needed the cash too …

77. Former Oldsmobile model : CIERA
Oldsmobile made the Cutlass Ciera from 1982 to 1996. The Ciera was the brand name’s most successful model.

78. Road starting at the Porta Capena : APPIAN WAY
The Appian Way has to be the most famous of the amazing roads of Ancient Rome. It stretched from Rome right into the south of Italy, terminating in the city of Brindisi in the southeast. The first section of the military road was completed in 312 BC, by the Roman censor called Appius Claudius Caecus, who gave the road its name “Via Appia”, or “Appian Way”.

80. Film villain with prosthetic hands : DR NO
“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. No and Fu Manchu.

83. Kindle purchase, in brief : E-MAG
I finally bought myself a Kindle Fire HD not too long ago. I’ve started reading e-books for the first time in my life. I’ve always been behind the times …

88. “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” artist : RUBENS
Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish painter who worked in the city of Antwerp in Belgium. When Rubens was 53-years-old, four years after the death of his first wife, he married a 16-year-old girl. It was his young wife who inspired many of the voluptuous figures with whom Rubens became associated later in his career.

The painting “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” by Rubens can be viewed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

91. Long-legged shorebird : AVOCET
The avocet is found in warm climates, usually in saline wetlands where it uses its upcurved bill to sweep from side-to-side in water searching for aquatic insects on which it feeds. Avocets, and other similar species, may go by the common name of “stilts”, a moniker applied to them because of their long legs.

94. “Happy Days” girl : JOANIE
Erin Moran is the lovely actress most famous for playing Joanie Cunningham on “Happy Days” and the resulting (short-lived) spin-off sitcom called “Joanie Loves Chachi”. Long before she got her big break in “Happy Days”, Moran played Jenny Jones on the children’s drama “Daktari” from the late sixties.

96. 96 for Big Ben, heightwise : METRES
Strictly speaking, I think that this clue is incorrect as the bell called “Big Ben” isn’t 96 metres tall. It’s the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, in which Big Ben is housed, that’s 96 metres tall.

Big Ben is the name commonly used for the large bell in the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster (aka the Houses of Parliament). Big Ben’s official name is the Great Bell, and there is some debate about the origins of the nickname. It may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall who oversaw the bell’s installation, or perhaps the English heavyweight champion of the day Benjamin Caunt.

98. Symbol for ohms : OMEGA
The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.

102. Three-time French Open champ : LENDL
Ivan Lendl is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia. Lendl appeared in eight consecutive US Open finals in the eighties, a record that stands to this day.

107. Euros replaced them : LIRE
The word “lira” is used in a number of countries for currency. “Lira” comes from the Latin for “pound” and is derived from a British pound sterling, the value of a Troy pound of silver. For example, the lira (plural “lire”) was the official currency of Italy before the country changed over to the euro in 2002.

109. Work for Plutarch, informally : BIO
Plutarch was a Greek historian who became a Roman citizen. Plutarch’s most famous work is probably “Parallel Lives”, a series of paired biographies, with each pair comparing the lives of one Greek and one Roman.

111. Hog’s Head, in the Harry Potter books : INN
The Hog’s Head is a pub in the village of Hogsmeade in the “Harry Potter” series of books. The Hog’s Head is owned by Aberforth Dumbledore, who is the brother of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts.

112. Tip of the tongue? : -ESE
The suffix “-ese” is seen in languages (tongues) such as Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Halle Berry was once runner-up for this : MISS USA
8. Foreheads : BROWS
13. Hanes competitor : BVD
16. Identify on Facebook : TAG
19. Ties up : ENLACES
20. French filmmaker who led the Cinéma Pur movement : RENE CLAIR
22. When Earth Day is celebrated: Abbr. : APR
23. Jewish bread/Played, as a violin/Throw (1950) : CHALLAH BOWED HEAVE (“All About Eve”)
25. Tan line producer, maybe : BRA
26. Ring material : CANVAS
27. ___ cloud (source of comets) : OORT
28. Org. in “The Sopranos” : FBI
29. Spend time in idle reverie : MOON
30. One quarter of a quartet : ALTO
31. Toyota rival/Measure of power/Insult (1954) : HONDA WATT AFFRONT (“On the Waterfront”)
36. Parisian possessive : SES
37. Sound units : BELS
38. Strip club fixture : POLE
39. Anagram – and synonym – of 71-Across : AYES
40. Peace in the Middle East : SALAAM
42. Forbes competitor : INC
44. Ca, Ce, Co or Cu : ELEM
47. Reside/Savage/Puzzle (out)/Wash (2013) : DWELL FIERCE SUSS LAVE (“12 Years a Slave”)
53. Greatly desired objects : GRAILS
54. Any of the “South Park” characters : TOON
55. Strike concern : PAY
56. Kiss’s partner : TELL
58. Bananas : NUTSO
59. Number by a door? : CAROL
61. Islamic spirit : JINN
62. Inner: Prefix : ENTO-
63. Dating service datum : AGE
64. Hooligan/Strange/Silo contents (1972) : THUG ODD FODDER (“The Godfather”)
68. Only non-U.S. M.L.B. team: Abbr. : TOR
69. Some cameras, for short : SLRS
71. See 39-Across : YEAS
72. Like a milquetoast : WUSSY
73. Complete reversal : U-TURN
75. Comedian Kevin : HART
76. Seed : PIT
77. Obama follower? : -CARE
78. Sad news : A SHAME
79. Wildlife protector/Difficult/Hotel door feature (1980) : WARDEN HAIRY PEEPHOLE (“Ordinary People”)
84. Have the lead : STAR
85. “Chances ___ …” : ARE
86. Load bearer? : HAMPER
87. Memo opener : IN RE
90. California roll ingredient : CRAB
93. “That’s what she ___” : SAID
94. Road block? : JAM
97. “In what way?”/Like overcooked steak/Possess/European capital on a gulf (1985) : HOW TOUGH HAVE RIGA (“Out of Africa”)
102. Get whipped : LOSE
103. British author who wrote “The Old Devils” : AMIS
104. “___ man!” : BE A
105. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE
106. Brave group, informally? : NL EAST
108. Kind of garden : ZEN
109. What you get when you say 23-, 31-, 47-, 64-, 79- or 97-Across out loud : BEST PICTURE WINNER
113. Meringue ingredient : EGG
114. P.O.W.’s, e.g. : INTERNEES
115. Rush-hour subway rider, facetiously : SARDINE
116. ___ Islas Filipinas : LAS
117. “Inglourious Basterds” org. : OSS
118. ___ nous : ENTRE
119. Holes in shoes : EYELETS

Down
1. Shopping malls on Black Friday, e.g. : MECCAS
2. Scarf down : INHALE
3. Some wide receiver routes : SLANTS
4. Round of shots : SALVO
5. Campus attended by Elle in “Legally Blonde” : UCLA
6. Beach homes? : SEASHELLS
7. Kind of blond : ASH
8. Ponder, with “on” : BROOD
9. Prepare to put back in the fridge, say : REWRAP
10. Pair of socks? : ONE-TWO
11. Unite : WED
12. Duke, e.g.: Abbr. : SCH
13. Start of a children’s rhyme : BAA BAA
14. Make more intense, as colors : VIVIFY
15. Rap mogul, briefly : DRE
16. Prohibited : TABOO
17. Where a golf fairway transitions into a green : APRON
18. President after Johnson : GRANT
21. One half of a 10-Down : LEFT
24. Growing art form? : BONSAI
29. Fred Flintstone’s boss : MR SLATE
32. Minnesota’s St. ___ College : OLAF
33. Strange : ALIEN
34. Heavenly bodies? : TENS
35. Mood : FEEL
37. Plebiscite, e.g. : BALLOT
40. Número of Mexican states that border the U.S. : SEIS
41. Subway systems : METROS
43. Figures on some Valentine’s Day cards : CUPIDS
45. Ultimate : EVENTUAL
46. “Careless Hands” crooner : MEL TORME
47. Narcs enforce them : DRUG LAWS
48. Marsh rodent : WATER RAT
49. Cross : ROOD
50. It was satirized in “Dr. Strangelove” : COLD WAR
51. Kind of blond : SANDY
52. Last word of an annual holiday song : SYNE
53. Grind : GNASH
57. “S.N.L.” producer Michaels : LORNE
59. Bring up to speed : CUE IN
60. First name in mysteries : AGATHA
61. Rachel’s firstborn, in the Bible : JOSEPH
65. Build up : HYPE
66. Alecto, Megaera or Tisiphone : FURY
67. Made haste : RUSHED
70. Some shipping routes : STRAITS
74. One of the superheroes in 2012’s “The Avengers” : THOR
77. Former Oldsmobile model : CIERA
78. Road starting at the Porta Capena : APPIAN WAY
80. Film villain with prosthetic hands : DR NO
81. Cheeky : ARCH
82. Less puzzling : EASIER
83. Kindle purchase, in brief : E-MAG
88. “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” artist : RUBENS
89. Discharges : EGESTS
91. Long-legged shorebird : AVOCET
92. Surpass : BETTER
94. “Happy Days” girl : JOANIE
95. Green light : ASSENT
96. 96 for Big Ben, heightwise : METRES
97. Eye shade : HAZEL
98. Symbol for ohms : OMEGA
99. Common bar food : WINGS
100. Kind of mail : HATE
101. Get up : ROUSE
102. Three-time French Open champ : LENDL
107. Euros replaced them : LIRE
109. Work for Plutarch, informally : BIO
110. Not post- : PRE-
111. Hog’s Head, in the Harry Potter books : INN
112. Tip of the tongue? : -ESE

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