1214-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 14 Dec 14, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jim Peredo
THEME: Well, Golly! … each of today’s themed answers sounds like a well-known phrase, but with a G-sound inserted:

23A. Religious rituals for cats? : KITTY LITURGY (from “kitty litter”)
42A. Master of Japanese writing? : KANJI ARTIST (from “con artist”)
52A. Strange pond scum? : WEIRD ALGAE (from “Weird Al”)
67A. “Grant your own damn wishes,” e.g.? : GENIE JERK REACTION (from “knee-jerk reaction”)
87A. “How deep is your love?” or “You should be dancing”? : BEE GEE LINE (from “beeline”)
93A. Comment from a driver who finally reached his destination? : GPS, I LOVE YOU (from “P.S. I Love You”)
115A. Surprised comment upon rummaging through a tea chest? : OH, DARJEELING! (from “Oh, darling!”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 26m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

12. Symbol in the logo of “The Big Bang Theory” : ATOM
“The Big Bang Theory” is very clever sitcom aired by CBS since 2007. “The Big Bang Theory” theme song was specially commissioned for the show, and was composed and is sung by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The theme song was released in 2007 as a single and is featured on a Barenaked Ladies greatest hits album.

20. Title hunter of a 1922 film : NANOOK
Nanook is a character from Inuit mythology, the master of the bears. The name “Nanook” came into the general consciousness of the public with the release of the silent documentary film “Nanook of the North” in 1922.

22. It may be beaten, with “the” : RAP
A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap” and “to beat the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.

25. Web browsers : NETIZENS
A netizen is an “Internet citizen”, someone with a presence on the Internet.

28. Cookware brand : T-FAL
Tefal (also T-Fal) is a French manufacturer of cookware, famous for its non-stick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau, of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.

29. Tofurky, to turkey, e.g. : ANALOGUE
Tofurky is the brand name of a turkey “replacement” made from wheat protein and tofu. I am a vegan and have tried Tofurky, and it is disgusting …

32. Demanding sort : DIVA
“Diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.

35. Having left the company, maybe : AWOL
Absent without leave (AWOL)

40. “Let’s Be Cops” org. : LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the third largest local law enforcement agency in the country, after New York PD and Chicago PD. Among other things, LAPD is famous for creating the first Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team in the US, in 1965.

“Let’s Be Cops” is a 2014 comedy film starring Damon Wayans, Jr. and Jake Johnson as two buddies who pretend to be police officers with the LAPD. Doesn’t sound great …

42. Master of Japanese writing? : KANJI ARTIST (from “con artist”)
Japanese writing comes in a number of forms, including romaji (which uses the Latin alphabet), kanji (which uses Chinese characters) and hiragana (which has a cursive and flowing appearance).

49. Orbitz offering : CAR RENTAL
Orbitz is one of the big online travel companies, one that is based in Chicago. Orbitz was originally set up as a joint-venture of several airlines including Continental, Delta, Northwest and United.

51. Poet who wrote “Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass on” : DANTE
“Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass on.” is a line from Dante’s “Divine Comedy”.

Dante Alighieri (usually just “Dante”) was an Italian poet of the Middle Ages. Dante’s “Divine Comedy” is widely considered to be the greatest literary work ever written in the Italian language.

52. Strange pond scum? : WEIRD ALGAE (from “Weird Al”)
“Weird Al” Yankovich is a singer-songwriter who is noted for writing and performing parodies of popular songs. Of the 150 or so such songs, the best known are probably “Eat It” (parodying “Beat It” by Michael Jackson) and “Like a Surgeon” (parodying “Like a Virgin” by Madonna).

54. Ingredient in some London pies : EEL
Eel pie is a traditional dish associated with the working classes in London, England especially during the Victorian era. Eel was chosen as an ingredient as it was one of the few fish that could live in the polluted River Thames.

55. Jim of children’s TV : HENSON
Jim Henson was a puppeteer, and most famously the creator the Muppets characters. Henson produced his first puppets for a local television station in Hyattsville, Maryland while he was still in high school. As well as the famous Muppet characters, Henson created, operated and voiced the character Yoda in most of the “Star Wars” movies. Henson died from a streptococcal infection in 1990, on the same day Sammy Davis, Jr. passed away.

62. The tiniest amount : ONE IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

65. “Gilgamesh,” e.g. : EPIC
The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is an epic poem from Mesopotamia. It is one of the earliest known works of literature that has survived. Fragments of the first version of the epic date back to the 18th century BC.

71. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria : SAL’S
“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie, released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

74. Part of E.U.: Abbr. : EUR
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 nations. Today’s union grew out of an economic alliance of six countries in the 1950s. These “Inner Six” nations are Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

75. Former auto exec Lee : IACOCCA
Lee Iacocca was a lot more successful at Chrysler than he was earlier in his career at Ford. Iacocca is credited with the turnaround of Chrysler in the eighties, but he is also credited with the failure of the Ford Pinto. He didn’t get on well with Henry Ford II so he was fired from the Ford Motor Company.

78. Way of the East : TAO
The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

79. Former White House press secretary Perino : DANA
Dana Perino served as the White House Press Secretary from 2007 until 2009, working in the administration of President George W. Bush. Perino was the second woman to work as White House Press Secretary, with Dee Dee Myers having paved the way during the Clinton Administration.

85. Born abroad? : NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

87. “How deep is your love?” or “You should be dancing”? : BEE GEE LINE (from “beeline”)
The Brothers Gibb (hence, the name “The Bee Gees”) were born in England but grew up and started their musical careers in Australia. They moved back to Manchester in the north of England as youths, and there hit the big time.

89. Abnormal swelling : EDEMA
Both animals and plants can suffer from edema, a swelling cause by excessive accumulation of fluid.

90. Olive Garden starter : ANTIPASTO
Antipasto is the first course of a meal in Italy. “Antipasto” translates as “before the meal”.

Olive Garden is a chain of Italian-American restaurants that has over 800 locations worldwide. The chain was originally established as part of General Mills. The current owners of the chain also operate Red Lobster restaurants. Apparently there are plans to co-located Olive Garden and Red Lobster eateries so that they have separate entries but share kitchens.

92. Full complement for a Quidditch team : SEVEN
Quidditch is a game that is famously played in the “Harry Potter” series of books and films. The game is contended by two teams of seven wizards or witches flying on broomsticks. The are four animated balls and six ring-shaped goals floating in mid-air.

93. Comment from a driver who finally reached his destination? : GPS, I LOVE YOU (from “P.S. I Love You”)
“P.S. I Love You” was recorded by the Beatles way back in 1962. On the recording, Ringo Starr is playing the maracas, not the drums. A session musician played the drums, replacing Pete Best who had just been fired by Brian Epstein. Ringo had not yet been “anointed” as Best’s replacement.

99. ___ bean : MUNG
Mung beans are native to India and are used in both savory and sweet dishes in many Asian cuisines.

103. Arsenal workers : ARMORERS
Our word “arsenal” comes from the Italian “arzenale”, a work adapted from the Arabic for “workshop”. There was a large wharf in Venice called the Arzenale that became associated with the storage of weapons and ammunition, and this led to our contemporary usage of “arsenal”.

107. Viet ___ : CONG
“Viet Cong” was the name of the political and military organization based in South Vietnam that fought the US and South Vietnamese government during the Vietnam War. The American military referred to the Viet Cong as “the VC”. “VC” could be extended to “Victor Charlie” in the phonetic alphabet, and this was shortened to “Charlie”, which became a military slang term for the Viet Cong and other Communists.

115. Surprised comment upon rummaging through a tea chest? : OH, DARJEELING! (from “Oh, darling!”)
Darjeeling tea comes from the Darjeeling district of West Bengal in India.

118. Chef Paula : DEEN
Paula Deen is a celebrity chef from Savannah, Georgia who is noted for her Southern cooking. Deen has been criticized for the amount of salt, fat and sugar in her recipes. The criticism became even more intense when Deen disclosed that she herself has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

120. Calrissian of “Star Wars” : LANDO
The actor Billy Dee Williams is most famous for playing the character Lando Calrissian in two of the “Stars Wars” movies.

123. Literary prefaces : PROEMS
A “proem” is a brief introduction, a prelude. The term comes into English via Old French and is ultimately derived from the Greek “prooimion” meaning “prelude”, especially a prelude to music or poetry.

Down
1. Deity in the Edda : LOKI
Loki is a god appearing in Norse mythology. In one story about Loki, he was punished by other gods for having caused the death of Baldr, the god of light and beauty. Loki is bound to a sharp rock using the entrails of one of his sons. A serpent drips venom which is collected in a bowl, and then his wife must empty the venom onto Loki when the bowl is full. The venom causes Loki great pain, and his writhing results in what we poor mortals experience as earthquakes.

The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century, in Iceland.

3. Cavils : NITS
To cavil is to make petty objections that really aren’t necessary.

4. James of jazz : ETTA
Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song “At Last”. Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.

5. “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You” group : NSYNC
NSYNC was a boy band from Orlando, Florida that was formed in 1995. The name of the group came from a comment by the mother of band member Justin Timberlake, who said the boys voices sounded “in sync”. But, it’s also true that the letters of the name NSYNC are the last letters of the given names of the five band members:

– Justin Timberlake
– Chris Kirkpatrick
– Joey Fatone
– Lance “Lansten” Bass
– JC Chasez

6. College for a Brit : UNI
In Australia (Down Under) and in the British Isles the term “Uni” is routinely used for “university”.

7. “Tennessee Waltz” singer : PATTI PAGE
Patti Page is the stage name of Clara Ann Fowler, the best-selling female artist in the 1950s. Patti Page’s signature song is “Tennessee Waltz”, a big hit for her that spent 13 weeks at number one in the charts in 1950. She also had a number one with “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window” in 1953.

9. Santa Claus-tracking org. : NORAD
The North American Defense Command (NORAD) isn’t just a US operation but is a cooperative arrangement between Canada and the United States. The two countries entered into an agreement to establish NORAD in 1958, mainly due to the concern that there would be little or no warning of a missile attack from the Soviet Union that came over the North Pole. NORAD also tracks Santa Claus coming from the North Pole every Christmas, and these days publishes
Santa’s location on Christmas Eve on its website. The tracking of Santa started into 1955 when a local Sears store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper with a phone number that could be used to call Santa Claus. The newspaper accidentally printed the number for the Continental Air Defense Command (a precursor to NORAD). The officer on duty instructed his staff to give all children who called a “current location” for Santa. Today, NORAD gets about 120,000 phone queries about Santa’s location every year, and website gets about 20 million visitors.

10. Descriptive of dingos and jackals : DOGLIKE
The dingo is a wild dog of Australia. The dingo is thought to have originated from domesticated dogs that were brought to Australia with humans that settled the land centuries ago.

Jackals are carnivorous mammals closely related to the dog. Jackals are native to parts of Africa and Eurasia.

12. Actress Paquin : ANNA
Anna Paquin is an actress from New Zealand who won an Oscar as an 11-year-old for her role in “The Piano”. In the HBO series “True Blood” she plays Sookie Stackhouse, a role for which she won a Golden Globe.

14. Capital on a river of the same name : OTTAWA
Ottawa is the second largest city in the Province of Ontario (after Toronto) and is the capital city of Canada. The name “Ottawa” comes from an Algonquin word “adawe” which means “to trade”.

15. Like early Sears business : MAIL ORDER
Richard Sears was a station agent on the railroad. In the late 1800s, he bought up a shipment of unwanted watches that was left at his depot and sold the watches to other agents up and down the line. He was so successful that he ordered more watches and then came up with the idea of using a catalog to promote more sales. The catalog idea caught on, and by the mid 1900s Sears was the biggest retailer in the whole country.

16. Leftover bit : DREG
The “dregs” of a liquid are the sediment, what’s left behind after pouring. We also use the term figuratively to describe the least valuable part of anything.

17. When doubled, part of many a Robin Williams tribute : NANU
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

18. Abbey area : APSE
The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

24. Faithful, in old poetry : LEAL
“Leal” is an old Scot word meaning “loyal, faithful”.

26. Korda who directed “Sahara” : ZOLTAN
Zoltan Korda was a Hollywood screenwriter and director who was born in Hungary. Korda’s best-known directorial work was on the 1939 British film “The Four Feathers” starring Sir Ralph Richardson. He also directed Humphrey Bogart in 1943’s “Sahara”, for which Korda also wrote the screenplay.

The 1943 war movie called “Sahara” stars Humphrey Bogart. Bogart plays an American tank commander in Libya who gets separated from his unit, along with his crew, as Rommel’s forces make a rapid advance. I’ve seen this one a couple of times and I recommend it. It is of course pretty one-sided given that it was made in the middle of WWII, but still is a good film.

31. Chemical compound often labeled “S” : NACL
NaCl is sodium chloride, common salt. As such, NaCl might be in a salt shaker that is labelled “S”, next to the pepper pot labelled “P”.

39. Fighter pilots fly them : SORTIES
A sortie is an attack by an armed unit, usually a breakout by forces that are besieged, The term “sortie” comes directly from French and means “a going out”. “Sortie” is also used for a mission by a combat aircraft.

41. Friday night series? : DRAGNET
“Dragnet” was a very successful police drama that developed into quite a franchise. The show started out on radio in 1949, and then also ran on television from 1952. There were even a couple of movies. Star of the show, and the producer, was Jack Webb who played Sgt. Joe Friday.

Jack Webb played Sergeant Joe Friday on “Dragnet” on both TV and radio … and what a voice he had! Off the screen Webb was a lover of jazz, and he played the cornet. It was within the world of jazz that he met and fell in love with Julie London, the famous singer with “the smoky voice”. The couple married and had two kids together.

43. Veracruz’s capital : JALAPA
Jalapa (more usually Xalapa) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz. A rough translation of the Xalapa is “spring in the sand”.

48. Classic theater : ODEON
Several older movie theaters in the US bear the name “Odeon Theater”.

In Ancient Greece an odeon (also odeum) was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning a “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

55. About 2 1/2 acres : HECTARE
The hectare is a non-SI unit of area that is mainly used to measure land. One hectare is equal to 10,000 square meters (100 meters x 100 meters), and equivalent to 2.47 acres.

58. Made a false move? : DEKED
A deke, also known as a dangle, is a technique used to get past an opponent in ice hockey. “Deke” is a colloquial shortening of the word “decoy”.

60. End of a famous boast : VICI
The oft-quoted statement “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) is believed by many to have been written by Julius Caesar. The words date back to 47 BC and refer to the short war between Rome and Pharnaces II of Pontus.

63. “___ Flux,” 2005 sci-fi film : AEON
“Aeon Flux” is a sci-fi film from 2005 starring Charlize Theron in the title role.

68. Actress Woodward : JOANNE
Joanne Woodward is perhaps best-known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve”, and for being married to Paul Newman.

69. Relative of the cha-cha : RUMBA
The rumba is a Cuban dance, with influences brought by African slaves and Spanish colonists. The name “rumba” comes from “rumbo”, the Spanish word for “party, spree”.

71. Larsson who wrote “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” : STIEG
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a sensational hit novel by the Swedish author Stieg Larsson, originally titled in Swedish as “Men Who Hate Women”. It is the first in a trilogy of successful books, all of which were only published after Larsson’s death.

72. U.S.’s first grocery chain : A AND P
The supermarket chain commonly known as A&P is more correctly called the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. The company started out selling tea directly from plantations in China in 1859, and by cutting out the middle man became very successful selling tea at lower prices. A&P moved into groceries, still with the philosophy of undercutting prices, building large stores and even getting into legal trouble for using predatory pricing tactics. The company completely dominated the retail grocery market until competition ate into their share starting in the seventies.

76. University of Miami athletes, for short : CANES
Sebastian the Ibis is the mascot of the Miami Hurricanes (also “Canes”), the athletics teams of the University of Miami. “The Ibis” was chosen as the name of the school’s yearbook in 1926, and was adopted as the mascot decades later in the eighties. The ibis was selected by the Hurricanes as the bird is known for its bravery when a hurricane approaches.

103. Rarity in un desierto : AGUA
In Spanish, a desert (un desierto) lacks water (agua).

104. One of the friends on “Friends” : ROSS
Ross Geller is the character on “Friends” played by David Schwimmer. The role was actually written with Schwimmer in mind, so Ross was the first of the “Friends” to be cast.

106. Electronics giant : SONY
Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. The two partners met in the Japanese Navy during WWII.

108. ___ the Great of children’s lit : NATE
The ‘Nate the Great” series of children’s novels was written (mainly) by Marjorie Sharmat. Nate is like a young Sherlock Holmes, with a dog for a sidekick called Sludge. Some of the books have been adapted for television.

111. Brown who founded The Daily Beast : TINA
Tina Brown is a British journalist, best known in America as author of “The Diana Chronicles”, a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, of whom Brown was a personal friend. Brown moved to the US in 1984 to take up the post of editor for “Vanity Fair”. After also serving as editor of “The New Yorker”, she co-founded “The Daily Beast” news website.

116. Attorneys’ degs. : JDS
The law degree abbreviated to J.D. stands for Juris Doctor.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bed cover : LINEN
6. Flips : UPENDS
12. Symbol in the logo of “The Big Bang Theory” : ATOM
16. ___ test : DNA
19. Drops : OMITS
20. Title hunter of a 1922 film : NANOOK
21. “___ chance!” : NOT A
22. It may be beaten, with “the” : RAP
23. Religious rituals for cats? : KITTY LITURGY (from “kitty litter”)
25. Web browsers : NETIZENS
27. “Off the hook” : INSANE
28. Cookware brand : T-FAL
29. Tofurky, to turkey, e.g. : ANALOGUE
30. Nagging question? : CAN I?
32. Demanding sort : DIVA
35. Having left the company, maybe : AWOL
36. Seeds : SOWS
40. “Let’s Be Cops” org. : LAPD
42. Master of Japanese writing? : KANJI ARTIST (from “con artist”)
47. Sound before a big blow? : ACHOO!
49. Orbitz offering : CAR RENTAL
51. Poet who wrote “Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass on” : DANTE
52. Strange pond scum? : WEIRD ALGAE (from “Weird Al”)
54. Ingredient in some London pies : EEL
55. Jim of children’s TV : HENSON
56. Shred : TATTER
57. “Zounds!” : EGADS!
59. Swear : AVER
61. Day care attendee : TOT
62. The tiniest amount : ONE IOTA
64. Never: Ger. : NIE
65. “Gilgamesh,” e.g. : EPIC
66. Turns down : DIPS
67. “Grant your own damn wishes,” e.g.? : GENIE JERK REACTION (from “knee-jerk reaction”)
71. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria : SAL’S
73. Fire proof? : SOOT
74. Part of E.U.: Abbr. : EUR
75. Former auto exec Lee : IACOCCA
78. Way of the East : TAO
79. Former White House press secretary Perino : DANA
80. Cop (to) : ADMIT
82. Markdown marker : RED TAG
83. Futilely : IN VAIN
85. Born abroad? : NEE
87. “How deep is your love?” or “You should be dancing”? : BEE GEE LINE (from “beeline”)
89. Abnormal swelling : EDEMA
90. Olive Garden starter : ANTIPASTO
92. Full complement for a Quidditch team : SEVEN
93. Comment from a driver who finally reached his destination? : GPS, I LOVE YOU (from “P.S. I Love You”)
95. Jog : TROT
97. Stop what you’re doing : REST
98. Goggle : GAPE
99. ___ bean : MUNG
101. Per : A POP
103. Arsenal workers : ARMORERS
107. Viet ___ : CONG
109. Closest friend, slangily : BESTIE
114. Discusses at length : GOES INTO
115. Surprised comment upon rummaging through a tea chest? : OH, DARJEELING! (from “Oh, darling!”)
117. Cause of wear and tear : USE
118. Chef Paula : DEEN
119. See 80-Down : PENTAD
120. Calrissian of “Star Wars” : LANDO
121. “Just ___” : ASK
122. Start to go down the drain : EDDY
123. Literary prefaces : PROEMS
124. Convinces : SWAYS

Down
1. Deity in the Edda : LOKI
2. “Sure, put me down for that” : I’M IN
3. Cavils : NITS
4. James of jazz : ETTA
5. “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You” group : NSYNC
6. College for a Brit : UNI
7. “Tennessee Waltz” singer : PATTI PAGE
8. Sufficient, informally : ENUF
9. Santa Claus-tracking org. : NORAD
10. Descriptive of dingos and jackals : DOGLIKE
11. Blue expanse : SKY
12. Actress Paquin : ANNA
13. It might be clipped and filed : TOENAIL
14. Capital on a river of the same name : OTTAWA
15. Like early Sears business : MAIL ORDER
16. Leftover bit : DREG
17. When doubled, part of many a Robin Williams tribute : NANU
18. Abbey area : APSE
24. Faithful, in old poetry : LEAL
26. Korda who directed “Sahara” : ZOLTAN
31. Chemical compound often labeled “S” : NACL
33. Barn attachments : VANES
34. Pot money : ANTE
36. Took care of : SAW TO
37. Blue expanse : OCEAN
38. Some queenly attire : WHITE GLOVES
39. Fighter pilots fly them : SORTIES
41. Friday night series? : DRAGNET
43. Veracruz’s capital : JALAPA
44. Not learned : INSTINCTIVE
45. Keep a low profile? : STOOP
46. Circus sights : TENTS
48. Classic theater : ODEON
50. Play again : RE-AIR
53. Mosaicist or glassblower : ARTISAN
55. About 2 1/2 acres : HECTARE
58. Made a false move? : DEKED
60. End of a famous boast : VICI
63. “___ Flux,” 2005 sci-fi film : AEON
65. Most chill-inducing : EERIEST
66. Many a bored student : DOODLER
68. Actress Woodward : JOANNE
69. Relative of the cha-cha : RUMBA
70. Brain-freeze drinks : ICEES
71. Larsson who wrote “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” : STIEG
72. U.S.’s first grocery chain : A AND P
76. University of Miami athletes, for short : CANES
77. Means : AGENT
79. Transportation service for the disabled : DIAL-A-RIDE
80. Alphabetical 119-Across : AEIOU
81. Any four-letter word : TETRAGRAM
84. Pals : AMIGOS
86. Dict. info : ETYM
88. Hair gel, e.g. : GOOP
90. Sidestepped : AVERTED
91. Ending with cow or hole : PUNCHER
94. Warmed up the crowd (for) : OPENED
96. “___ honest …” : TO BE
100. “Heaven forbid!” : GOD NO!
102. Strips : PEELS
103. Rarity in un desierto : AGUA
104. One of the friends on “Friends” : ROSS
105. Deferential : MEEK
106. Electronics giant : SONY
108. ___ the Great of children’s lit : NATE
110. Picnic side dish : SLAW
111. Brown who founded The Daily Beast : TINA
112. Annual “500” : INDY
113. Vanity cases? : EGOS
115. Antithesis: Abbr. : OPP
116. Attorneys’ degs. : JDS

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3 thoughts on “1214-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 14 Dec 14, Sunday”

  1. Hi there jman,

    I looked this one up just now. Like you, my gut would tell me that the spelling should be "antepasto", given the Latin for "before" is "ante-", with "anti-" meaning "against". But, it seems that our Italian friends use the spelling "antipasto", as do we.

    A strange one …

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