0327-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 27 Mar 16, Sunday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today’s New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Blindauer
THEME: Pitch Imperfect … today’s themed answers are advertising slogans with the letters in one word rearranged:

23A. Warren Buffett’s rule about hugging? : DON’T SQUEEZE THE RICH MAN (Charmin)
39A. Encouraging words from slug enthusiasts? : WE LOVE TO SEE YOU SLIME (smile)
64A. Shout to one about to be knighted? : THIS DUB’S (Bud’s) FOR YOU
73A. Take a clothing slogan too seriously? : OBEY YOUR T-SHIRT (thirst)
100A. Tulle, to brides? : THE FABRIC OF OUR VEILS (lives)
118A. “After all that hard work, I’ll order some cake”? : YOU DESERVE A BAKER (break) TODAY

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 22m 51s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

16. When Hamlet says “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” : ACT V
In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, there is a scene when Prince Hamlet holds in his hand the skull of the deceased court jester Yorick. Hamlet starts into a famous monologue at this point:

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is …

The opening line is often misquoted as “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well.”

20. Sponsor of classic radio’s “Little Orphan Annie” : OVALTINE
Ovaltine is a milk-flavoring product that was developed in Berne, Switzerland in the early 1900s. It is still called by its original name in its native Switzerland, namely “Ovomaltine”. The “ovo-maltine” name reflects the main ingredients back then: eggs and malt.

21. Lindbergh, e.g. : AVIATOR
The renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh was dubbed “Lucky Lindy” by the press, which was perhaps a reference to his narrow escape in four airplane crashes, including two incidents when he had to deploy his parachute.

22. Japanese noodle : SOBA
Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word soba tends to be used to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodles that are called udon.

23. Warren Buffett’s rule about hugging? : DON’T SQUEEZE THE RICH MAN (Charmin)
Charmin is a brand of toilet paper made by Procter & Gamble.

Warren Buffett is one of my heroes, a man with the nickname “Wizard of Omaha”. Despite being one of the wealthiest men in the world, he lives a relatively frugal and modest life. Buffett also has a very Jeffersonian attitude towards the role his wealth plays within his family. He has set up his estate so that his children get enough money to be independent, but the vast majority of his assets are going to charity, both before and after he dies.

26. Toymaker Rubik : ERNO
What was originally called the “Magic Cube” became better known as Rubik’s Cube, named for its inventor Ernő Rubik. Rubik’s Cube is the world’s biggest selling puzzle game, with over 350 million sold in just over 30 years.

27. Cone head? : SNO-
A sno-cone (also “snow cone”) is just a paper cone filled with crushed ice and topped with flavored water. Italian ice is similar, but different. Whereas the flavoring is added on top of the ice to make a sno-cone, Italian ice is made with water that is flavored before it is frozen.

28. Actor Stephen : REA
Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast. Rea’s most successful role was Fergus in 1992’s “The Crying Game”, for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In “The Crying Game”, Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.

29. Like some prose : PURPLE
“Purple prose” is prose that is overly ornate and flowery, so much so that it draws attention to itself, detracting from the narrative.

30. You are, in español : ERES
“Español” is Spanish for “Spanish”.

33. Math ordinal : NTH
Ordinal numbers express a position in a series, i.e. first, second, third etc.

35. Tiger Stadium sch. : LSU
The LSU Tigers are the sports teams of Louisiana State University (LSU). They are officially known as the Fightin’ Tigers, and the school mascot is “Mike the Tiger”. The name comes from the days of the Civil War, when two Louisiana brigades earned the nickname the “Louisiana Tigers”. Given the French/Cajun history of Louisiana, the LSU fans use the cheer “Geaux Tigers” instead of “Go Tigers”.

39. Encouraging words from slug enthusiasts? : WE LOVE TO SEE YOU SLIME (smile)
“We love to see you smile” is a slogan used by McDonald’s.

47. Grp. that gets the lead out? : NRA
National Rifle Association (NRA)

51. Fifth-to-last word in the Lord’s Prayer : GLORY
The Lord’s Prayer is a central prayer in Christian religions, and is found in two places in the New Testament. In the version in the Gospel of Matthew, the last line of the prayer is “deliver us from evil”. In the Gospel of Luke, the last line is “lead us not into temptation”. The last words of the prayer as it most often said today are:

For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever,
Amen

56. Creature on the Australian coat of arms : EMU
The official symbol of Australia is a coat of arms that features a kangaroo and an emu.

57. Mozart’s “___ kleine Nachtmusik” : EINE
Mozart’s Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, is better known as “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”, which translates into “a little serenade”, but the more literal English translation of “a little night music” is often used. It is a delightful piece in four, very recognizable movements, although there is much debate about a “lost” fifth movement.

59. Rap’s Dr. ___ : 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.

60. Hayek of “Frida” : SALMA
Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, for her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

62. Longtime soap actress Hall : DEIDRE
Deidre Hall is the actress who has played Dr. Marlena Evans on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives” since 1976.

64. Shout to one about to be knighted? : THIS DUB’S (Bud’s) FOR YOU
Kneel, and the Queen might “dub thee a knight”. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” has come to mean “give someone a name”.

The American beer named Budweiser (often shortened to “Bud”) is named for the Czech town of Budweis (“České Budějovice” in Czech). The name is the subject of a dispute as here is an original Czech beer with a similar name, Budweiser Budvar. American Budweiser is sold in most European countries as “Bud”.

71. Milo of stage and screen : O’SHEA
Milo O’Shea was a great Irish character actor from Dublin who has appeared in everything from “Romeo and Juliet” to “The West Wing”. Sadly, O’Shea passed away in 2013, in New York City.

72. Voice from a phone : SIRI
Siri is software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You’ve probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There’s no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google’s ads! By the way, voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri not that long ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

73. Take a clothing slogan too seriously? : OBEY YOUR T-SHIRT (thirst)
“Obey Your Thirst” is a slogan used to promote Sprite.

Sprite is Coca-Cola’s answer to the very successful soft drink called 7 Up. Sprite was introduced in 1961, and Coca-Cola used its muscle to topple 7 Up from its dominant position in the market. Sprite has been the number-one selling lemon soda since 1978.

78. Like Loyola and Xavier universities : JESUIT
Saint Ignatius of Loyola (also known as Inigo Lopez de Loyola) was a Spanish knight from a noble family in the Basque region of Spain. He left behind his easy life to become a hermit and a priest, and eventually founded the Society of Jesus (The Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church).

84. 1 + 2, in Germany : DREI
The German for “one, two, three” is “eins, zwei, drei”.

86. Prefix with -scope : ENDO-
An endoscope is an instrument used to make a visual examination of the inside of an organ or cavity of the body.

87. Investment sometimes pronounced as a name : IRA
Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

96. ___ Day (Hawaiian holiday) : LEI
What’s known as May Day around the world is also called Lei Day in Hawaii. Lei Day started in the twenties and is a celebration of native Hawaiian culture.

97. SEAL Team 6 mission : RAID
The US Special Forces unit that is popularly referred to as SEAL Team Six, is more correctly known as the US Naval Warfare Development Group (NSWDG). “SEAL Team Six” was actually the name of the unit’s predecessor, which was disbanded in 1987. The original group was created soon after the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. Two SEAL teams were deployed, and the name SEAL Team Six was used as a ruse in order to confuse the Russian intelligence services about the actual number of teams in existence.

99. Chinese calendar animal : RAT
The 12-year cycle in the Chinese calendar uses the following animals in order:

– Rat
– Ox
– Tiger
– Rabbit
– Dragon
– Snake
– Horse
– Goat
– Monkey
– Rooster
– Dog
– Pig

100. Tulle, to brides? : THE FABRIC OF OUR VEILS (lives)
“The Fabric of Our Lives” is a slogan used by the cotton industry.

Tulle is a lightweight net fabric often used in veils, wedding gowns and ballet tutus.

104. Carriage : MIEN
One’s “mien” is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

105. Dundee turndown : NAE
The city of Dundee lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay in Scotland. The origins of the name “Dundee” are a little obscure, although the omnipresent “dùn” in place names all over Scotland and Ireland is the Celtic word for “fort”.

106. Messenger of biochemistry : RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

107. French film director Clair : RENE
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.

108. Gray matter? : BOTANY
Asa Gray was an important American botanist in the nineteenth century. He was a lifelong friend of Charles Darwin, albeit mainly through correspondence. Darwin’s book “Forms of Flowers”, was dedicated to Gray.

112. ___-d’Oise (French department) : VAL
Val-d’Oise is a French department located just to the north of Paris. Part of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is located in Val-d’Oise.

115. “American Greed” channel : CNBC
“American Greed” is documentary series in the “true crime” genre that is aired weekly on CNBC. The crimes explored are corporate and white collar crimes.

118. “After all that hard work, I’ll order some cake”? : YOU DESERVE A BAKER (break) TODAY
“You Deserve a Break Today” is a slogan that was used by McDonald’s for decades.

124. Latin word on the back of a dollar bill : ORDO
The Latin phrase “novus ordo seclorum” means “new order of the ages”. These words appear on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, a device used to authenticate some US federal documents. “Novus ordo seclorum” also appears on the back of one-dollar bills. The phrase itself is lifted from one of the works of the ancient Roman poet Virgil.

125. Compact : ENTENTE
An “entente cordiale” (sometimes just “entente”) is a friendly understanding, usually between two nations. The term, which translates from French as “cordial agreement”, was first used to describe a set of agreements between the UK and France that were put in place 1904.

128. Antarctic waters : ROSS SEA
The Ross Sea is a bay in the Southern Ocean of Antarctica. It was discovered by one James Ross in 1841. A more recent discovery, in the waters of the Ross Sea, was a 33 feet long giant squid that was captured in 2007.

Down
2. Composer Novello : IVOR
Ivor Novello was one of the most popular entertainers in Britain in the early 20th century. Novello was a Welsh composer, singer and actor. On top of his success on the stage and in front of the camera, he even wrote the dialogue for the 1932 movie “Tarzan the Ape Man” starring Johnny Weissmuller.

3. Cylindrical pasta : CANNELLONI
Cannelloni differs from manicotti, even though both are essentially tubes of pasta. Manicotti (Italian for “sleeves”) are pre-shaped tubes. Cannelloni (Italian for “large reeds”) are rectangular sheets of pasta that are rolled into tubes after having been stuffed with some filling.

4. The matador’s foe : EL TORO
“Matador” is a Spanish word used in English for a bullfighter, although the term isn’t used in the same way in Spanish. The equivalent in Spanish is “torero”. “Matador” translates aptly enough as “killer”.

8. Member of Generation Z : TEEN
Definitions vary, but it seems that Generation Z is reserved for the children of Generation X.

The term Generation X originated in the UK, the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book detailed the results of her study of British youth in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle to those of previous generations. However, Canadian author Douglas Coupland was responsible for popularizing the term, with his more successful publication “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”. By the latest accepted definition, Gen Xers were born from 1961 to 1981.

9. Looney Tunes devil, for short : TAZ
The “Looney Tunes” character known as the Tasmanian Devil, or “Taz”, first appeared on screens in 1964 but gained real popularity in the 1990s.

The carnivorous marsupial known as the Tasmanian devil is aptly named, in the sense that the only place the animal is found in the wild is on the island of Tasmania. The “little devils” are about the size of a small dog, and they have the strongest bite for their size of any known mammal.

12. Thanks, in Hawaii : MAHALO
In Hawaiian, “mahalo” means “thank you” and “mahalo nui loa” translates as “thank you very much”.

13. Juillet et août : ETE
“Août” is the French for August, and “juillet” is French for July (note that the name of months aren’t capitalized in French). Both are months in the season of “été” (summer).

14. Ibsen’s homeland: Abbr. : NOR
Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright, considered by many to be the greatest playwright since William Shakespeare. Ibsen was famous for shocking his audiences by exploring subjects that offended the sensibilities of the day (the late 1800s).

16. Indian retreats : ASHRAMS
“Ashram” is a Hindu term that traditionally describes a place of spiritual retreat, one that is typically located in a remote location conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.

31. “Climb ___ Mountain” : EV’RY
“Climb Ev’ry Mountain” is a famous show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The Sound of Music”. The song is performed by the Mother Abbess, and is an inspirational number. She is encouraging people to take whatever steps are necessary in pursuing one’s dream.

32. Sicilian six : SEI
In the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, the “boot” is the mainland of Italy, and the the ball being kicked by the boot is the island of Sicily.

40. Kemper of “The Office” : ELLIE
When Pam gave up her spot at the reception desk in the US version of the hit sitcom “The Office”, it was taken over by Kelly Erin Hannon. Erin, as she is known, is played by Ellie Kemper. Kemper had auditioned for the sitcom “Parks and Recreation”. She did get a call she did get a callback, but was offered a part on “The Office” instead of “Parks and Recreation”. I think it’s a great show, and the addition of the character called Erin adds a lot …

42. Stoned : ON POT
“Potiguaya” is the Mexican-Spanish word for “marijuana leaves”. The slang name “pot” comes from “potiguaya”.

44. Mormons, for short : LDS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often abbreviated to “LDS”, is known colloquially as the Mormon Church.

49. What a bandoleer holds : AMMO
A “bandolier” (also “bandoleer”) is a belt with small pockets that hold ammunition. A bandolier is usually worn over the shoulders, rather than around the waist. The term derives from the Spanish “banda” meaning “scarf, sash”.

50. Party with pu pu platters : LUAU
In Hawaiian, “pu-pu” is a word originally meaning “snail”. Nowadays “pu-pu” denotes many different types of food that are usually served as an hors d’oeuvres. A “pupu platter” then is a selection of such foods served in a Hawaiian restaurant. The term “pupu platter” somehow became absorbed into American Chinese cuisine in the fifties, so one can order the same dish in a Chinese restaurant and get a plate of Chinese morsels.

52. Cotton candy additive : RED DYE
What we call “cotton candy” here in the US has some interesting names in the rest of the world. Back in Ireland it’s candyfloss, and in France it “barbe à papa” (Dad’s beard). In Australia it is called fairy floss, which is actually the original name for cotton candy, first used when it was introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

54. Mummy in “The Mummy” : IMHOTEP
Imhotep was early Egyptian polymath who was a noted architect, engineer and physician. He designed and supervised the construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which held the remains of Imhotep’s Pharaoh Djoser. Imhotep also constructed his own tomb, the existence of which is well documented, although it has never been located. It is believed that Imhotep constructed his tomb in such a way that it would remain hidden.

“The Mummy” is a 1999 horror film, a remake of the 1932 film of the same name starring Boris Karloff in the title role. Arnold Vosloo plays Karloff’s role in the 1999 version.

55. Saverin who co-founded Facebook : EDUARDO
If you’ve seen the 2010 movie “The Social Network”, you’ll know about the turmoil that surrounded the launch of the website Facebook. The company’s co-founders are Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). The way things are portrayed in the movie, Saverin was poorly treated by Zuckerberg after the “sharks” moved in, i.e. the professional investors. Supposedly Saverin’s stock position in the company was diluted “without his knowledge” from 34% to about 5%, to the benefit of the remaining investors.

58. Musical lead-in to -smith : AERO-
Aerosmith is a hard rock band from Boston that formed in 1970. Aerosmith is the best-selling American rock band of all time, and holds the record for most gold albums by any American group.

63. Rogers, Orbison and Yamaguchi : ROYS
Cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers’ real name was Leonard Franklin Slye, and his nickname was “King of the Cowboys”. Roy Rogers married Dale Evans in 1947. Evans’ nickname was “Queen of the West”.

Roy Orbison had to be one the sickliest looking performers I’ve ever seen. Orbison had a very sallow complexion, pock-marked from teenage acne. The yellowish skin tone came from a severe bout of jaundice as a child. Perhaps poor nutrition affected him and his siblings, because all of them had very poor eyesight, with Roy almost blind and wearing very thick lenses from a very young age. He was also very ashamed of his head of hair, which was almost a ghostly white, and so he dyed it jet black even when he was young. Despite all this, he was immensely popular in his heyday with teenage girls, particularly in Canada and Ireland for some reason. On a tour of Ireland in 1963, the Irish police had to stop one of his performances in order to pull a bevy of local lasses off poor Mr. Orbison …

Roy Yamaguchi is celebrity chef and founder of Roy’s Restaurants, a chain of Hawaii-inspired eating establishments.

65. Magazine edition: Abbr. : ISS
Issue (Iss.)

67. Roman gods : DEI
“Deus” (plural “dei”) is Latin for “god”.

68. Country whose name is one letter different from a mountain : FIJI
The island nation of Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific made up of over 330 islands, 110 of which are inhabited. Fiji was occupied by the British for over a century and finally gained its independence in 1970.

Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest and most famous mountain. It is an active volcano, situated just west of Tokyo.

70. Gheorghe ___, former 7’7″ N.B.A. player : MURESAN
Gheorghe Mureșan is a retired NBA basketball player from Romania. Standing at 7 foot 7 inches tall, Mureșan is the tallest man in his native land, and the second tallest man in the European Union.

74. 1-5 on a cellphone screen : BARS
The strength of cell phone reception is usually illustrated by a series of five bars.

76. iRobot vacuum : ROOMBA
The Roomba vacuum cleaner is a cool-looking device that navigates its way around a room by itself, picking up dirt as it goes. Like I said, it’s cool-looking but I am not sure how effective it is …

77. Cape Cod town : TRURO
Truro is a town in the Outer Cape, close to the northern tip of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The area was settled in the late 1600s by English colonists who named it for the city of Truro in Cornwall, England. Truro is home to the Highland Light (also called “the Cape Cod Light”), which was the first lighthouse to be built on Cape Cod. The first Highland Lighthouse was built in 1797, and the current structure was erected in 1857. The whole structure had to be moved a tenth of a mile inland in 1996, as it had become endangered by coastal erosion.

79. Cut ties with, in a way : UNFRIENDED
That would be on Facebook, I assume …

81. Law school class : TORTS
The word “tort” is a French word meaning “mischief, injury or wrong”. Tort law is generally about negligence, when the action of one party causes injury to another but that action falls outside of the scope of criminal law.

85. Whom “I saw” on a seesaw, in a tongue twister : ESAU

I saw Esau, he saw me.
I saw Esau, sitting on a see-saw,
I saw Esau, he saw me.
I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.

How many S’s in that?

88. Peter Pan rival : JIF
Jif is the leading brand of peanut butter in the US, and has been since 1981. Introduced in 1958, it is now produced by Smuckers.

The Peter Pan brand of peanut butter is named for the character in the J. M. Barrie play.

89. Ring master : ALI
Muhammad Ali won 56 professional fights, 37 of which were knockouts. He lost 5 fights, 4 being decisions and one being a technical knockout (TKO). The TKO-loss was Ali’s second-last fight, against Larry Holmes. By the time Ali took on Holmes, he was already showing signs of Parkinson’s Syndrome, although the diagnosis would not come until four years later. Ali turned out for his last two fights largely because he needed the money. A sad end to a career, I’d say …

91. One-named hitmaker of the 1950s-’60s : DION
Dion and the Belmonts were a vocal group from the fifties who had success in the late fifties. The four singers were from the Bronx in New York, with two living on Belmont Avenue, hence the name that was chosen. Perhaps the biggest hits for Dion and the Belmonts were “A Teenager in Love” and “Where or When”.

92. Word with two apostrophes : I’D’VE
I would have can be abbreviated to “I’d’ve”.

95. Pasta whose name is Italian for “feathers” : PENNE
Cylindrical pasta is known in general as “penne”, and there are many variants. For example, ziti is a particularly large and long tube with square-cut ends. “Penne” is the plural of “penna”, the Italian for “feather, quill”.

98. Sale tag abbr. : IRR
Irregular (irr.)

101. “Speed” star : REEVES
Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor whose most celebrated roles were a metalhead in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989), a cop in “Speed” (1994) and the main antagonist Neo in “The Matrix” series of films. Although Reeves is a Canadian national, he was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Reeves has some Hawaiian descent, and the name “Keanu” is Hawaiian for “the coldness”.

“Speed” is a 1994 action film, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, as well as the late Dennis Hopper as the bad guy.

104. “Where to Invade Next” filmmaker : MOORE
“Where to Invade Next” is a 2015 documentary from Michael Moore. Moore travels the world highlighting ways that various countries deal with the social and economic pressures experienced back home in the US.

108. Letters of invitation? : BYOB
Bring Your Own Beer/Bottle/Booze (BYOB)

109. 1914 battle site : YSER
The Yser river originates in northern France and flows through Belgium into the North Sea. The Yser is often associated with WWI as it figured in a major battle early in the conflict. In the first three months of the war, the German Army pushed almost completely through Belgium, inflicting heavy losses on the Belgian Army as the defenders were forced to fight a fast-moving rearguard action. The Germans were intent on pushing right through Belgium and across France in a “race to the sea”. But the Belgians, with the help of their Allies, decided to make a final stand at the Yser Canal in an effort to prevent the Germans reaching the French ports of Calais and Dunkirk. The 22-mile long defensive line was chosen at the Yser because the river and canal system could be flooded to create a barrier that might be defended. The plan was successful and the front was “stabilized”. As we now know, millions of lives were lost over the coming years with very little movement of that battle line.

111. Desires : YENS
The word “yen”, meaning “urge”, has been around in English since the very early 1900s. It comes from the earlier word “yin” imported from Chinese, which was used in English to describe an intense craving for opium!

114. Golf’s Champagne Tony : LEMA
Tony Lema was a golfer, a native of Oakland, California. In 1962-1966 he had an impressive run of PGA victories, including a famous 1962 win at the Orange County Open. As a joke, he promised that should he win he would serve champagne to the press corps, who quickly gave him the nickname “Champagne Tony”, a name that stuck. In 1966, Lema and his wife were flying in a small, chartered plane to an exhibition tournament in Illinois, when the aircraft ran out of fuel. Ironically, it crashed into a water hazard near the seventh green of a country club in Lansing, Illinois, killing all four people on board. Lema was 32-years-old.

116. City and province of southern Italy : BARI
Bari is a major port city on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Bari has the unfortunate distinction of being the only city in Europe to experience chemical warfare during WWII. Allied stores of mustard gas were released during a German bombing raid on Bari in 1943. Fatalities caused by the chemical agent were reported as 69, although other reports list the number as maybe a thousand military personnel and a thousand civilians.

119. Composer of the Windows 95 start-up sound : ENO
Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. However, Eno’s most oft-played composition (by far!) is Microsoft’s “start-up jingle”, the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system is booting up. Eno might have annoyed the Microsoft folks when he stated on a BBC radio show:
I wrote it on a Mac. I’ve never used a PC in my life; I don’t like them.

120. Some offensive linemen: Abbr. : RTS
In American football, linemen specialize in playing in the line of scrimmage. RT stands for Right Tackle. That’s about all I know, and even that I am unsure about …

122. New York engineering sch. : RPI
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

123. ___ Aviv : TEL
The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into “Spring Mound”, a name chosen in 1910.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Comment after a bull’s-eye : NICE SHOT
9. Distress : TORMENT
16. When Hamlet says “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” : ACT V
20. Sponsor of classic radio’s “Little Orphan Annie” : OVALTINE
21. Lindbergh, e.g. : AVIATOR
22. Japanese noodle : SOBA
23. Warren Buffett’s rule about hugging? : DON’T SQUEEZE THE RICH MAN (Charmin)
26. Toymaker Rubik : ERNO
27. Cone head? : SNO-
28. Actor Stephen : REA
29. Like some prose : PURPLE
30. You are, in español : ERES
33. Math ordinal : NTH
35. Tiger Stadium sch. : LSU
38. Skyscraping : TALL
39. Encouraging words from slug enthusiasts? : WE LOVE TO SEE YOU SLIME (smile)
45. Word said with right or rise : ALL
46. Nothing: Fr. : RIEN
47. Grp. that gets the lead out? : NRA
48. Bust supporter : PEDESTAL
51. Fifth-to-last word in the Lord’s Prayer : GLORY
53. “Sharp” fashion : SPIKE HEELS
56. Creature on the Australian coat of arms : EMU
57. Mozart’s “___ kleine Nachtmusik” : EINE
58. Tiny powerhouse : ATOM
59. Rap’s Dr. ___ : DRE
60. Hayek of “Frida” : SALMA
62. Longtime soap actress Hall : DEIDRE
64. Shout to one about to be knighted? : THIS DUB’S (Bud’s) FOR YOU
69. One side of a quad, say : DORM
71. Milo of stage and screen : O’SHEA
72. Voice from a phone : SIRI
73. Take a clothing slogan too seriously? : OBEY YOUR T-SHIRT (thirst)
78. Like Loyola and Xavier universities : JESUIT
82. Clobbers : WAXES
83. Fish eggs : ROE
84. 1 + 2, in Germany : DREI
86. Prefix with -scope : ENDO-
87. Investment sometimes pronounced as a name : IRA
88. Risky : JEOPARDOUS
92. Surmise : INFER
93. Video game playing, e.g. : ESCAPISM
96. ___ Day (Hawaiian holiday) : LEI
97. SEAL Team 6 mission : RAID
99. Chinese calendar animal : RAT
100. Tulle, to brides? : THE FABRIC OF OUR VEILS (lives)
104. Carriage : MIEN
105. Dundee turndown : NAE
106. Messenger of biochemistry : RNA
107. French film director Clair : RENE
108. Gray matter? : BOTANY
110. Have in view : EYE
112. ___-d’Oise (French department) : VAL
115. “American Greed” channel : CNBC
118. “After all that hard work, I’ll order some cake”? : YOU DESERVE A BAKER (break) TODAY
124. Latin word on the back of a dollar bill : ORDO
125. Compact : ENTENTE
126. People holding things up : IMPEDERS
127. Bellyache : BEEF
128. Antarctic waters : ROSS SEA
129. “Perfecto!” : NAILED IT!

Down
1. Terminal in a computer network : NODE
2. Composer Novello : IVOR
3. Cylindrical pasta : CANNELLONI
4. The matador’s foe : EL TORO
5. Peter and Francis: Abbr. : STS
6. Peg solitaire puzzle brand : HI-Q
7. Burden : ONUS
8. Member of Generation Z : TEEN
9. Looney Tunes devil, for short : TAZ
10. Possible reply to “Where are you?” : OVER HERE
11. Confirmation, e.g. : RITE
12. Thanks, in Hawaii : MAHALO
13. Juillet et août : ETE
14. Ibsen’s homeland: Abbr. : NOR
15. Hit the ground running? : TRIP
16. Indian retreats : ASHRAMS
17. Hook, line and sinker : COMPLETELY
18. Game for little sluggers : T-BALL
19. Fan part : VANE
24. Huge spans : EONS
25. Little darling : CUTIE
31. “Climb ___ Mountain” : EV’RY
32. Sicilian six : SEI
34. Long race, in brief : TEN-K
36. Top-notch : SUPERB
37. Like most trivia, in the real world : USELESS
39. Carried on : WAGED
40. Kemper of “The Office” : ELLIE
41. Try : TEST
42. Stoned : ON POT
43. Derisive cry : YAH!
44. Mormons, for short : LDS
49. What a bandoleer holds : AMMO
50. Party with pu pu platters : LUAU
52. Cotton candy additive : RED DYE
54. Mummy in “The Mummy” : IMHOTEP
55. Saverin who co-founded Facebook : EDUARDO
58. Musical lead-in to -smith : AERO-
60. Like some losers : SORE
61. Up : ARISEN
63. Rogers, Orbison and Yamaguchi : ROYS
65. Magazine edition: Abbr. : ISS
66. “Hey, I want to listen here!” : SHH!
67. Roman gods : DEI
68. Country whose name is one letter different from a mountain : FIJI
70. Gheorghe ___, former 7’7″ N.B.A. player : MURESAN
73. “Ooh, dat hurt!” : OWIE!
74. 1-5 on a cellphone screen : BARS
75. Precision : EXACTITUDE
76. iRobot vacuum : ROOMBA
77. Cape Cod town : TRURO
79. Cut ties with, in a way : UNFRIENDED
80. Best : IDEAL
81. Law school class : TORTS
85. Whom “I saw” on a seesaw, in a tongue twister : ESAU
88. Peter Pan rival : JIF
89. Ring master : ALI
90. Play : RECREATE
91. One-named hitmaker of the 1950s-’60s : DION
92. Word with two apostrophes : I’D’VE
94. Leading : AHEAD OF
95. Pasta whose name is Italian for “feathers” : PENNE
98. Sale tag abbr. : IRR
101. “Speed” star : REEVES
102. ___ bean : FAVA
103. Make secret : ENCODE
104. “Where to Invade Next” filmmaker : MOORE
108. Letters of invitation? : BYOB
109. 1914 battle site : YSER
111. Desires : YENS
113. Comparable (to) : AKIN
114. Golf’s Champagne Tony : LEMA
116. City and province of southern Italy : BARI
117. Anatomical sac : CYST
119. Composer of the Windows 95 start-up sound : ENO
120. Some offensive linemen: Abbr. : RTS
121. “___ sport!” : BE A
122. New York engineering sch. : RPI
123. ___ Aviv : TEL

Return to top of page