0703-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 3 Jul 16, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Carol opening : ADESTE
The lovely Christmas hymn “Adeste Fideles” (translated from Latin as “O Come, All Ye Faithful”) was written by one John Francis Wade in the 13th century. Well, he wrote the original four verses, with four more verses being added over time.

7. Unable to make a mess? : AWOL
The Military Police (MPs) often track down personnel who go AWOL (absent without leave).

“Mess” first came into English about 1300 and described the list of food needed for a meal, from the Old French word “mes” meaning a portion of food or a course at a meal. This usage in English evolved into “mess” meaning a jumbled mass of anything from the concept of “mixed food”. At the same time, the original usage in the sense of a food for a meal surfaced again in the military in the 1500s when a “mess” was a communal eating place.

19. Crankcase base : OIL PAN
In most internal combustion engines the pistons that move up and down are arranged in a line, and connected to a crankshaft that runs along the bottom of the engine. The up and down motion of the pistons turns the crankshaft, which turning motion is “transmitted” (via the transmission) to the wheels. The case surrounding the crankshaft is called the crankcase. The crankcase contains a lot of oil that is squirted onto the crankshaft to lubricate it. Excess oil falls to the bottom of the crankcase and into a reservoir called the oil pan.

21. “S.N.L.” cast member, 1985-90 : NORA DUNN
Nora Dunn is a comedian best known as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live”. Nora is the sister of actor Kevin Dunn, known for many supporting roles including Chief of Staff Ben Cafferty in TV’s “Veep”.

22. Emmerich who directed “Independence Day” : ROLAND
Roland Emmerich is a Hollywood director from Germany. Emmerich is best known for directing action-packed “disaster movies”, such as “Independence Day” (1996), “Godzilla” (1998) and “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004).

23. Portrayer of Buffett in “Too Big to Fail” : ASNER
Ed Asner is most famous for playing the irascible but lovable Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and on the spin-off drama “Lou Grant”. Off-screen Asner is noted for his political activism. He served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild, and was very involved in the 1980 SAG strike. When “Lou Grant” was cancelled in in 1982, despite decent ratings, there was a lot of talk that the cancellation was a move by the network against Asner personally. In fact, one of Asner’s activist colleagues, Howard Hesseman (who played Johnny Fever) found that his show “WKRP in Cincinnati” was also cancelled … on the very same day.

Warren Buffett is one of my heroes, a man with the nicknames “Wizard of Omaha” and “Oracle of Omaha”. Despite being one of the wealthiest men in the world, Buffet 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.

“Too Big to Fail” is a 2009 book written by Andrew Ross Sorkin that describes the events surrounding the 2008 financial crisis and the collapse of Lehman Brothers in particular. Sorkin’s book was adapted into an excellent HBO television movie of the same name in 2011.

25. What’s involved in a tongue twister? : TRICKY DICTION (Tricky Dick + shun)
President Richard Nixon was sometimes referred to as “Tricky Dick”. He was given the moniker by his opponents in the 1949 race for the US Senate seat for California. The inference was that Nixon ran a campaign full of “tricks”.

28. Alternative to “la” : UNE
In French, feminine nouns take the indefinite article “une”, and the definite article “la”.

35. Outback baby : JOEY
“Joey” is the name given to all infant marsupials, not just kangaroos. No one really seems to know for sure what the etymology is of the term “joey”.

In Australia, the land outside of urban area is referred to as “the outback” or “the bush”. Although, I think that “outback” can also be used for the more remote parts of the bush.

37. ___ Na Na : SHA
Do you remember the band “Johnny Casino & The Gamblers” in the movie “Grease”? That was actually the real-world group Sha Na Na. Johnny Casino & the Gamblers sang “Those Magic Changes” at the high school dance, in between “Rock’N Roll Is Here to Stay” and “Hound Dog”. Sha Na Na got together in the sixties and are still performing today.

39. Subject of many an internet meme : CAT
A “meme” (short for “mineme”) is a cultural practice or idea that is passed on verbally or by repetition from one person to another. The term lends itself very well to the online world where links, emails, files etc. are so easily propagated.

44. Handler of many trays, for short : TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks. TSA personnel carry out the baggage and body searches at US airports. The TSA has a Trusted Traveler program that allows certain passengers to move more quickly through security screening. These passengers pay the TSA a one-time fee that covers a background check after which successful applicants are issued a Known Traveler Number (KTN).

47. Beryl and bornite : ORES
The mineral beryl is a source of a number of different, semi-precious stones, depending on the nature of the impurities present. Pure beryl is colorless; blue beryl is called aquamarine, and green beryl is emerald. The source of the green color is mainly chromium.

Bornite is a sulfide mineral that was named in 1845 for the Hungarian mineralogist Ignaz von Born. The surfaces of bornite samples readily tarnish to give iridescent shades of blue and purple. This appearance led to the mineral being called “peacock copper” and “peacock ore”.

48. Mary Kay rival : AVON
In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

Mary Kay Ash founded her skincare and cosmetics company, somewhat ominously on Friday, 13th September 1963. In 1968, Mary Kay Ash bought herself a pink Cadillac, specially painted to match the color of one of her compacts. The car became so famous that she gave away five of them to her top saleswoman, a tradition that endures to this day.

49. First home of the three rich little pigs? : STRAW MANSION (straw man + shun)
The fairy tale of “The Three Little Pigs” has been around for centuries, although it first appeared in print in the 1840s. One little pig built a house using straw and another built one using wood. The cleverest little pig built its house using bricks.

55. Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls : MEL C
The five members of the English pop group the Spice Girls are:

– Scary Spice (Melanie Brown, or Mel B)
– Baby Spice (Emma Bunton, and my fave!)
– Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell)
– Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham)
– Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm, or Mel C)

57. Recently retired Laker great, to fans : KOBE
Kobe Bryant played basketball for the LA Lakers. Kobe Bryant got his name from a menu would you believe? His parents were in a Japanese restaurant and liked the name of “Kobe” beef, the beef from around the city of Kobe on the island of Honshu in Japan.

58. Green Day drummer : TRE COOL
Green Day is a punk rock band from just down the road here, from Berkeley, California. The name “Green Day” was chosen by the band to reflect their fondness for marijuana. “Green day” is a slang term used to describe a day spent smoking the drug.

63. Gussying up : PRETTYING
“To gussy up” is to dress showily, and is derived from the slang term “gussy” that was used for an overly-dressed person.

66. Wally’s bro, on ’50s-’60s TV : BEAV
Wally Cleaver and his younger brother “the Beaver” were the children of Ward and June Cleaver on the fifties sitcom “Leave It to Beaver”.

We used to see a lot of American television programming growing up in Ireland, but “Leave It to Beaver” was one show that didn’t make it across the Atlantic. I’ve seen a couple of episodes, and I am not sure it would travel well. The show went on the air for the first time the day that Sputnik was launched by the Russians, and aired its last show just a few months before President Kennedy was assassinated. An iconic series, by all accounts.

68. Raw footage? : PORNO
The word “pornography” comes from the Greek “pornographos” meaning “writing of prostitutes”.

69. Counting rhyme start : EENIE

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

70. Bank window letters : FDIC
During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Banking Act of 1933. The legislation established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), intended to be a temporary government corporation that provided insurance on deposits made by customers of qualified financial institutions. The first accounts to be covered, in 1934, had an insurance limit of $2,500. Since the financial crisis of 2008, that limit is $250,000.

72. Donald Duck’s nephews, e.g. : TRIO
Donald Duck’s nephews are identical triplets called Huey, Dewey and Louie, and they first appeared on the screen in 1938. Once in awhile due to errors in production, a fourth duck can be seen in the background. This little “mistake” is affectionately called “Phooey Duck” by folks in the industry.

74. ___ Barkley, Truman’s vice president : ALBEN
Alben Barkley served as Vice President of the US under President Truman. Truman and Barkley fought the famously close presidential race against Thomas Dewey and Earl Warren in 1948. As President Truman finished his second term, Vice President Barkley announced his candidacy for the highest office, but was pressured to pull out of the race as he was considered too old at 74 years.

76. Dixie term of address : Y’ALL
“Dixie” is a nickname sometimes used for the American South, and often specifically for the original 11 states that seceded from the Union just prior to the Civil War. It’s apparently not certain how the name “Dixie” came about. One theory is that it comes from the term “dixie” which was used for currency issued by banks in Louisiana. The 10-dollar bills had the word “dix” on the reverse side, the French for “ten”. From the banknote, the French speaking area around New Orleans came to be known as Dixieland, and from there “Dixie” came to apply to the South in general.

78. Curt ___, 2001 World Series M.V.P. : SCHILLING
Curt Schilling is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher who played most notably for the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Red Sox. After retiring from the game, he founded a video game company that was eventually named 38 Studios, a reference to Schilling’s jersey number.

80. Suffragist Elizabeth Cady ___ : STANTON
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the earliest leaders of the woman’s rights and woman’s suffrage movements in the United States. Notably, she opposed the extension of voting rights to African American men (the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments), even though she was an outspoken abolitionist. She believed that increasing the number of male voters in the country would just make it harder for women to get the vote.

87. Two things the candy lover took to the beach? : SWEET’N LOTION (Sweet’n Low + shun)
Sweet’n Low is an artificial sweetener with saccharin as the main ingredient. Well, that’s in the US. In Canada the main ingredient is sodium cyclamate. Saccharin was banned in Canada in 1977 due to fears that the sweetener causes cancer. The original studies showing the incidence of cancer in lab rats were eventually shown to be faulty, and so the ban was lifted in 2014.

95. Abbr. on a copier tray : LTR
Our paper sizes here in North America don’t conform with the standards in the rest of the world. ISO standard sizes used elsewhere were chosen so that the ratio of width to length is usually one to the square root of two. This mathematical relationship means that when you cut a piece of paper in two each half preserves the aspect ratio of the original, which can be useful in making reduced or enlarged copies of documents. Our standard size of “letter” (8.5 x 11 inches) was determined in 1980 by the Reagan administration to be the official paper size for the US government. Prior to this, the “legal” size (8.5 x 14 inches) had been the standard, since 1921.

96. Every leader of North Korea so far : KIM
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a lengthy list of official titles, including:

– Bright Sun of the 21st Century
– Amazing Politician
– Ever-Victorious, Iron-Willed Commander
– Glorious General, Who Descended from Heaven

99. Sci-fi-inspired toys of the 1980s : EWOKS
The Ewoks are creatures who live on the moon of Endor, first appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. They’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

101. Suffix with Darwin : -IAN
Englishman Charles Darwin studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland but neglected his studies largely due to his interest in nature and natural history. In the early 1830s, a friend put forward Darwin’s name as a candidate for the post of “collector” on the voyage of HMS Beagle. The Beagle was intending to spend two years at sea primarily charting the coast of South America. The voyage ended up taking five years, during which time Darwin sent back copious letters describing his findings. Back in Britain these letters were published as pamphlets by a friend and so when Darwin eventually returned home in 1836, he had already gained some celebrity in scientific circles. It was while on the Beagle that Darwin developed his initial ideas on the concept of natural selection. It wasn’t until over twenty years later that he formulated his theories into a scientific paper and in 1859 published his famous book “On the Origin of the Species”. This original publication never even mentioned the word “evolution” which was controversial even back then. It was in 1871 that Darwin addressed head-on the concept that man was an animal species, in his book “The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex”.

104. Peer onstage : GYNT
Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” is based on a Scandinavian fairy tale “Per Gynt”. The incidental music to the play, written by Edvard Grieg, is some of the most approachable classical music ever written, at least in my humble opinion …

105. What an overbearing sergeant causes? : BASE TENSION (base ten + shun)
We use a base ten numbering system, with ten digits (0 – 9). The binary system, or base two, uses just two digits (0 & 1). The binary system is used at a fundamental level in computing, because the number 0 and 1 can be represented by microcircuits being switched “on” or “off”.

108. Green org. : EPA
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

110. Actress Hayek : 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”.

114. …, to Samuel Morse : ESS
The Morse code symbol for the letter S is “dot-dot-dot”.

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash.

116. What improved tire tread produces? : BONUS TRACTION (bonus track + shun)
A bonus track is a song provided on a CD as an “extra”, an incentive perhaps for someone to buy a CD-version of an album they already own. A bonus track is different from a “hidden track”, which is a song that isn’t even listed on the album cover. Some folks may never find a hidden track, whereas a bonus track is included in the listing of songs on the CD.

119. Something you might have a handle on : CHAT ROOM
One’s “handle” is one’s name, especially one used on a CB radio or in an Internet chat room.

122. New Mexico natives : ZUNIS
The Zuni are one of the Pueblo peoples. They live on the Zuni River in western New Mexico, a tributary of the Little Colorado River.

124. IMAX predecessor : CINERAMA
Cinerama is a widescreen format that was introduced in some theaters in the fifties. A Cinerama screen is very curved, and it takes three movie projectors operating simultaneously to provide the full image.

The IMAX Corporation, which is behind the IMAX film format, is a Canadian company. The impetus for developing the system came after Expo ’67 in Montreal. Back then large format screenings were accomplished using multiple projectors with multiple screens, with images basically stitched together. The team behind the IMAX technology set out to simplify things, and developed a single-camera, single-projector system.

125. Cousin of an impala : ELAND
An eland is a large African antelope, in fact the largest on the continent. Both male and female elands have horns, and those horns have a steady spiral ridge along their length.

“Impala” is the Zulu word for “gazelle”.

126. Seinfeld’s “puffy shirt,” e.g. : BLOUSE
A blouse is a loose-fitting shirt, particularly worn by women or children. The term “blouse” is French, and originally described a peasant’s smock.

“But I don’t wanna be a pirate!” is a famous line from a “Seinfeld” episode called “The Puffy Shirt”. In the episode, Jerry inadvertently agrees to wear a puffy shirt on “The Today Show”, as the shirt was designed by Kramer’s new girlfriend. The puffy shirt makes Jerry look like a pirate.

127. Painkillers : ANODYNES
Something described as “anodyne” is analgesic, capable of removing pain. “Anodyne” comes from the Greek “an-” meaning “without” and “odyne” meaning “pain”.

Down
1. It helps get the blood flowing : AORTA
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

2. Some gowns : DIORS
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, drawing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped reestablish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

3. “American Psycho” author : ELLIS
Bret Easton Ellis wrote a trio of novels that were made into very successful movies: “Less Than Zero” (1987, starring Andrew McCarthy), “American Psycho” (2000, starring Christian Bale) and “The Rules of Attraction” (2002, starring James van der Beek).

4. The cantina in “Star Wars,” e.g.? : SPACE JUNCTION (space junk + shun)
In the original “Star Wars” movie (later called “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”), Mos Eisley is an outpost and hangout of less than reputable traders. The main drinking hole in the outpost is Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker get attacked there by Sandtroopers, but make their escape.

5. Bit of summer wear : TANK TOP
“Tank top” is another one of those terms that always catches me out, as it has a different meaning on each side of the Atlantic. In the US a tank top is a sleeveless shirt, something we would call a “vest” back in Ireland (and the US “vest” is what we call a “waist coat”). A tank top in Ireland is a sleeveless sweater, which further adds to the confusion. The name “tank top” is derived from “tank suit”, an old name for a woman’s one-piece bathing suit. The use of “tank” for the bathing suit came from “swimming tank”, an obsolete term used in the 1920s for a swimming pool.

6. Onetime Expos/Mets outfielder Chávez : ENDY
Endy Chávez is a baseball player from Venezuela who played for several MLB teams, starting with the Kansas City Royals in 2001.

7. X-coordinate : ABSCISSA
When something is plotted on a graph with x- and y-coordinates, the x-coordinate is called the abscissa, and the y-coordinate is the ordinate.

8. Custom : WONT
The word “wont” can be used as an adjective meaning “accustomed”, as in “I am wont to solving the crossword of an evening”. The term can also be used as a noun, e.g. I solved the crossword today, as is my wont, as is my custom.

9. New York native : ONEIDA
The Oneida people originally lived in the area that is now Central New York. The Oneida were one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Five Nations (the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca).

10. “Vive ___!” : LE ROI
“Vive le roi!” is French for “Long live the king!”

13. Product that works, and is stored, under the sink : DRANO
To clean out drains we might buy Crystal Drano which is sodium hydroxide (lye) mixed with sodium nitrate, sodium chloride (table salt) and aluminum. The contents of Drano work in concert to clear the clog. The lye reacts with any fats creating soap which may be enough to break up the clog. Also, the finely-divided aluminum reacts with water creating tremendous heat so that that mixture boils and churns, then any hair or fibers are cut by the sharp edges of the nitrate and chloride crystals. Having said all that, I find that boiling water poured down the drain almost always does the job …

14. Mystery writer Dorothy : SAYERS
Dorothy L Sayers is a mystery writer, best known for her “Lord Peter Wimsey” series of novels. She is known as one of the four original “Queens of Crime”, namely: Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dame Ngaio Marsh.

15. “___ bodkins!” : ODS
“Odds bodkins!” (sometimes “ods bodkins!”) is a minced oath, a euphemistic version of “God’s body!”.

17. Like some soap : ON A ROPE
“Soap on a rope” is a bar of soap that has been molded around a loop of rope. The idea is that someone showering can place the loop around the wrist or over the head in order to prevent the soap falling to the floor.

27. Fed. reactor monitor : NRC
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

33. Ink : TATS
The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”.

36. Will work : ESSAY
George Will is a journalist and author who is noted for his conservative political commentary. Outside the world of politics, Will is a big baseball fan and wrote the bestseller “Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball”.

43. Cornmeal dish : POLENTA
Polenta is a porridge made from finely ground corn. The term “polenta” is Italian.

46. Winter Olympics powerhouse: Abbr. : NOR
Norway has been ranked as the country in the world with the highest standard of living almost every year since 2001. Norway is rich in natural resources and has a relatively low population. The people benefit from a comprehensive social security system, subsidized higher education for all citizens and universal health care. And Norway is famous for her success at the Winter Olympic Games, having won more gold medals than any other nation in the world.

50. “Glad the week’s almost over!” : TGIF!
“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF) is a relatively new expression that apparently originated in Akron, Ohio. It was a catchphrase used first by disk jockey Jerry Healy of WAKR in the early seventies. That said, one blog reader wrote me to say that he has been using the phrase in the fifties.

54. Only country with a nonrectangular flag : NEPAL
The flag of Nepal is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular in shape. Rather it has the shape of two pennants, two triangles, one atop the other.

64. Red Cross setup : TENTS
Back in 1859, a Swiss businessman called Henri Dunant went to meet French emperor Napoleon III, to discuss making it easier to conduct commerce in French-occupied Algeria. The Emperor was billeted at Solferino, where France and Austria were engaged in a major battle. In one day, Dunant witnessed 40,000 soldiers die in battle and countless wounded suffering on the battlefield without any organized medical care. Dunant abandoned his business agenda and instead spent a week caring for the sick and wounded. Within a few years he had founded the precursor to the Red Cross, and in 1901 he was awarded the first ever Nobel Peace Prize.

73. Only state with a nonrectangular flag : OHIO
Ohio’s state flag is referred to as the Ohio Burgee. A burgee is a roughly triangular flag, with two tails at one end. The Ohio Burgee is the only US state flag that is nonrectangular.

77. Rap epithet : LIL’
Lil’ is a short form of the word “little”. There are a whole slew of rappers named Lil’ something, like Lil’ Wayne, Lil’ J, and Lil’ Kim.

79. “Nope, huh-uh” : IXNAY
Pig Latin is in effect a game. One takes the first consonant or consonant cluster of an English word and moves it to the end of the word, and then adds the letters “ay”. So the Pig Latin for the word “nix” is “ix-n-ay” … ixnay, and for “scram” is “am-scr-ay”

84. Villain in “The Avengers” : LOKI
“The Avengers” is a 2012 movie that features a whole load of superheroes battling a supervillain called Loki. Loki is the brother of Thor, one of the superhero team.

91. Daphne du Maurier novel made into a Best Picture : REBECCA
Daphne du Maurier’s wonderful novel “Rebecca” was published in 1938. The title refers to the first wife of the main male character, Maxim de Winter, who is now a widower. The main female character in the novel is a woman who Maxim meets in Monte Carlo, briefly courts, marries and brings back to his estate in Cornwall, England named Manderley.

“Rebecca” is a fabulous film from 1940, the first Hollywood movie for director Alfred Hitchcock , and winner of a Best Picture Oscar. The story is adapted from Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name, and stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. I don’t normally like movies or books with Gothic themes, but I highly recommend this one.

93. “South Pacific” star ___ Brazzi : ROSSANO
Rossano Brazzi was an a Hollywood actor originally from Bologna in Italy. Brazzi starred in “Three Coins in the Fountain” (1954), “The Barefoot Contessa” (1954) and “The Italian Job” (1969). Perhaps his most famous role was playing Frenchman Emile De Becque in the 1958 film version of the musical “South Pacific”.

102. Quill tip : NIB
“Nib” is a Scottish variant of the Old English word “neb”, with both meaning the beak of a bird. This usage of “nib” as a beak dates back to the 14th century, with “nib” meaning the tip of a pen or quill coming a little later, in the early 1600s.

Quills have been used as writing implements since the 6th century. Historically, goose, swan and turkey feathers have been the quills of choice. A bird’s feather is well suited for writing, as the hollow shaft acts as a reservoir for ink which then flows to the tip due to capillary action. Choice of feather is important. Right-handed writers are best served by feathers from the left wing, as the feather curves away from the palm of the hand when writing. The tip of the quill is sharpened using a “quill knife”. This quill knife is the ancestor of what we know today as a “penknife”.

103. Yearly tree growths : ANNULI
The growth rings on the cross section of a tree are also known as “annuli” (singular “annulus”).

104. Long-nosed fish : GAR
The fish known as a gar is very unusual in that it is often found in very brackish water. What is interesting about gar is that their swim bladders are vascularized so that they can actually function as lungs. Many species of gar can actually be seen coming to the surface and taking a gulp of air. This adaptation makes it possible for them to live in conditions highly unsuitable for other fish that rely on their gills to get oxygen out of the water. Indeed, quite interesting …

106. Online finance firm : E-LOAN
E-Loan used to be based just down the road from me in the San Francisco Bay Area, but after takeover by a Rosemont, Illinois company it was moved to the parent’s headquarters. E-Loan was founded in 1997 to provide customers access to mortgages over the Internet.

109. Concern for vets : PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

111. “Peanuts” thumb-sucker : LINUS
In Charles Schulz’s fabulous comic strip “Peanuts”, Charlie Brown is friends with at least three members of the van Pelt family. Most famously there is Lucy van Pelt, who bosses everyone around, particularly Charlie. Then there is Linus, Lucy’s younger brother, the character who always has his security blanket at hand. Lastly there is an even younger brother, Rerun van Pelt. Rerun is constantly hiding under his bed, trying to avoid going to school.

112. North Woods denizen : MOOSE
North Woods is a familiar name for the US portion of the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province. The region covers much of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as parts of New England.

113. Queen ___ lace : ANNE’S
What we call “Queen Anne’s Lace” over here in the US is known by many in the British Isles as “wild carrot”. The roots of Queen Anne’s Lace are indeed edible, just like carrots, but only when they are very young because later in life they get very woody. The wild carrot was given the name Queen Anne’s Lace when it was introduced into America as the flowers do resemble white lace. There is one small red flower in the center of the plant that is said to be a drop of blood that Queen Anne spilled when she pricked herself as she was making the lace.

118. Some Wall St. traders : ARBS
“Arb” is short for an arbitrageur, one who profits from the purchase of securities in one market and the subsequent sale in another, hence taking advantage of price discrepancies across markets.

120. “Ideas worth spreading” grp. : TED
The acronym TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as “TED Talks”.

121. “Live ___” (Taco Bell slogan) : MAS
Taco Bell was founded by a former US Marine, 25-year-old Glen Bell. His first restaurant was Bell’s Drive-In, located in Southern California. After opening that first establishment, Bell bought up some more restaurants including four named El Taco. He sold off the El Taco restaurants but used the name in part when he opened his first Taco Bell in 1962. Bell sold then sold franchises, with the 100th Taco Bell opening in 1967. The ex-Marine sold off the whole chain to PepsiCo in 1978, and I am guessing he made a pretty penny. Taco Bell has been using the “Live Más” slogan since 2012, with “más” being the Spanish word for “more”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Carol opening : ADESTE
7. Unable to make a mess? : AWOL
11. “Yeah, same here” : AND SO DO I
19. Crankcase base : OIL PAN
20. Rib-eye alternative : T-BONE
21. “S.N.L.” cast member, 1985-90 : NORA DUNN
22. Emmerich who directed “Independence Day” : ROLAND
23. Portrayer of Buffett in “Too Big to Fail” : ASNER
24. Doesn’t cool down : STAYS MAD
25. What’s involved in a tongue twister? : TRICKY DICTION (Tricky Dick + shun)
28. Alternative to “la” : UNE
29. School leader? : PRE-
30. Good looks or a nice personality : ASSET
31. Who said “If you even dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologize” : ALI
32. Very, very top of the earth’s crust? : DIRT PORTION (dirt poor + shun)
35. Outback baby : JOEY
37. ___ Na Na : SHA
39. Subject of many an internet meme : CAT
40. Did some housecleaning : SWEPT
41. Internet annoyances : POP-UPS
44. Handler of many trays, for short : TSA
45. Unit of bricks, so to speak : TON
47. Beryl and bornite : ORES
48. Mary Kay rival : AVON
49. First home of the three rich little pigs? : STRAW MANSION (straw man + shun)
55. Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls : MEL C
56. We all do it : AGE
57. Recently retired Laker great, to fans : KOBE
58. Green Day drummer : TRE COOL
63. Gussying up : PRETTYING
66. Wally’s bro, on ’50s-’60s TV : BEAV
68. Raw footage? : PORNO
69. Counting rhyme start : EENIE
70. Bank window letters : FDIC
72. Donald Duck’s nephews, e.g. : TRIO
74. ___ Barkley, Truman’s vice president : ALBEN
75. Sing about? : RAT ON
76. Dixie term of address : Y’ALL
78. Curt ___, 2001 World Series M.V.P. : SCHILLING
80. Suffragist Elizabeth Cady ___ : STANTON
83. Polish site : NAIL
85. Entrance requirements, informally : TIX
86. The first step : A TO B
87. Two things the candy lover took to the beach? : SWEET’N LOTION (Sweet’n Low + shun)
90. Going ___ : RATE
91. Still quite red : RARE
95. Abbr. on a copier tray : LTR
96. Every leader of North Korea so far : KIM
97. Like supermarkets, theaters and planes : AISLED
99. Sci-fi-inspired toys of the 1980s : EWOKS
101. Suffix with Darwin : -IAN
103. Point : AIM
104. Peer onstage : GYNT
105. What an overbearing sergeant causes? : BASE TENSION (base ten + shun)
108. Green org. : EPA
110. Actress Hayek : SALMA
114. …, to Samuel Morse : ESS
115. Spirits: Abbr. : ALC
116. What improved tire tread produces? : BONUS TRACTION (bonus track + shun)
119. Something you might have a handle on : CHAT ROOM
122. New Mexico natives : ZUNIS
123. Ruin, as a parade : RAIN ON
124. IMAX predecessor : CINERAMA
125. Cousin of an impala : ELAND
126. Seinfeld’s “puffy shirt,” e.g. : BLOUSE
127. Painkillers : ANODYNES
128. Spine part : DISK
129. Detects : SENSES

Down
1. It helps get the blood flowing : AORTA
2. Some gowns : DIORS
3. “American Psycho” author : ELLIS
4. The cantina in “Star Wars,” e.g.? : SPACE JUNCTION (space junk + shun)
5. Bit of summer wear : TANK TOP
6. Onetime Expos/Mets outfielder Chávez : ENDY
7. X-coordinate : ABSCISSA
8. Custom : WONT
9. New York native : ONEIDA
10. “Vive ___!” : LE ROI
11. Response: Abbr. : ANS
12. Too tired for the task, say : NOT UP TO IT
13. Product that works, and is stored, under the sink : DRANO
14. Mystery writer Dorothy : SAYERS
15. “___ bodkins!” : ODS
16. More run-down : DUMPIER
17. Like some soap : ON A ROPE
18. Shifts to the right : INDENTS
20. Follow : TAIL
26. Appointment book page : DAY
27. Fed. reactor monitor : NRC
33. Ink : TATS
34. Wee hour : TWO
36. Will work : ESSAY
38. Peddle : HAWK
41. Coddles : PAMPERS
42. Have thirds, say : OVEREAT
43. Cornmeal dish : POLENTA
44. Hot : TRENDY
46. Winter Olympics powerhouse: Abbr. : NOR
50. “Glad the week’s almost over!” : TGIF!
51. Pitchfork-wielding group : MOB
52. Help illegally : ABET
53. Narrows the gap with : NEARS
54. Only country with a nonrectangular flag : NEPAL
59. Where they sell accessories at a pet shop? : COLLAR STATION (collar stay + shun)
60. Like a satellite’s path : ORBITAL
61. Unvarying in tone : ONE-NOTE
62. Kind of truck : LONG-BED
64. Red Cross setup : TENTS
65. Humongous : GIANT
67. Mark : VICTIM
71. Group sharing a tartan : CLAN
73. Only state with a nonrectangular flag : OHIO
77. Rap epithet : LIL’
79. “Nope, huh-uh” : IXNAY
81. Night ___ : OWL
82. Bottom-line figure : NET INCOME
84. Villain in “The Avengers” : LOKI
88. Historic blocks : ERAS
89. Internet surfing, often : TIME SINK
91. Daphne du Maurier novel made into a Best Picture : REBECCA
92. Flooded with : AWASH IN
93. “South Pacific” star ___ Brazzi : ROSSANO
94. Squeak (by) : EKE
98. Proportionate : IN SCALE
100. Like a clear night sky : STARRY
102. Quill tip : NIB
103. Yearly tree growths : ANNULI
104. Long-nosed fish : GAR
106. Online finance firm : E-LOAN
107. Moved like sap : OOZED
109. Concern for vets : PTSD
111. “Peanuts” thumb-sucker : LINUS
112. North Woods denizen : MOOSE
113. Queen ___ lace : ANNE’S
117. Some, to Spaniards : UNAS
118. Some Wall St. traders : ARBS
120. “Ideas worth spreading” grp. : TED
121. “Live ___” (Taco Bell slogan) : MAS

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