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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Steinberg
THEME: Alien Invasion
We are playing the old videogame SPACE INVADERS today. The circled letters give us a CANNON at the bottom of the grid shooting a LASER at a MOTHERSHIP at the top. There are also four “blockades/shields” (shaped like inverted U’s) aligned horizontally near the bottom of the grid. The most important elements are the SPACE INVADERS, the circled letters ET that interrupt the spelling of several of the across-answers, resulting in the spelling of a word or phrase that doesn’t seem to match the clue:
91A. 1970s-’80s craze that’s the theme of this puzzle : SPACE INVADERS
39A. Admire oneself a little too much : PREEN (PRETEEN)
42A. Homer Simpson exclamation : D’OH! (DOETH)
44A. – : MINUS (MINUETS)
60A. Expired : DIED (DIETED)
62A. Occupied, as a seat : TAKEN (TAKE TEN)
66A. “___ over” (dispiriting message) : GAME (GAMETE)
76A. Twosome : DUO (DUE TO)
78A. Stripe on a zebra, e.g. : MARKING (MARKETING)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 31m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
7. Platter letters : RPM
Revolutions per minute (RPM)
“Platter” is a slang term for a phonograph record.
10. Boston megaproject completed in 2007, informally : BIG DIG
The Big Dig was a huge construction project in Boston designed to reduce traffic congestion through the center of Boston. More correctly called the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, The Big Dig saw construction work starting in 1991, and completing in 2006. It turned out to be the most expensive highway project in the history of the US. The Big Dig cost $14.6 billion, which represented a cost overrun of a massive 190%.
16. Semiformal jacket : BLAZER
A blazer is a less formal version of a suit jacket, usually with a less formal cut and often metal buttons. The original “blazer” was a red jacket worn by members of the rowing club at a Cambridge university in England. The “blazer” is so called because the Cambridge version was “blazing red” in color.
27. Pinstriped team : THE YANKEES
The New York Yankees baseball team has the nickname “the Bronx Bombers”. The nickname reflects where the team plays (the Bronx) and the team’s reputation for hitting (bombers). The New York Yankees were the first team to retire a uniform number, doing so on July 4, 1939. That day they retired the number 4 in honor of Lou Gehrig.
29. Cybercrime target, for short : SSN
Social Security number (SSN)
30. Newsman Brown : AARON
Aaron Brown is broadcast journalist who reported for ABC for many years, and is perhaps best known for hosting CNN’s evening show “NewsNight with Aaron Brown”. Brown is also known for his coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks that took place on his fist day on the air with CNN.
34. Pass, of sorts : BYE
The word “bye”, as used in sport, originated in cricket. A bye is a run scored due to an error by the wicketkeeper (similar to a catcher in baseball) when he fails to stop a ball bowled by the bowler (like a pitcher in baseball). Later the word “bye” in sport came to mean the position of a player in a tournament who is left without a competitor when the rest have drawn pairs. In these commercial times, those byes tend to be awarded to the best (seeded) players, so that the most popular players always advance past the first round of competition.
42. Homer Simpson exclamation : D’OH!
“The Simpsons” is one of the most successful programs produced by the Fox Broadcasting Company. Homer Simpson’s catchphrase is “D’oh!”, which became such a famous exclamation that it has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) since 2001. “D’oh!” can be translated as “I should have thought of that!”
52. Precollege : ELHI
“Elhi” is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from grades 1 through 12, i.e. elementary through high school.
54. Bris official : MOHEL
A mohel is a man who has been trained in the practice of brit milah (circumcision). Brit milah is known as “bris” in Yiddish. The brit milah ceremony is performed on male infants when they are 8-days old.
70. They can sleep if you play with them : YO-YOS
A basic yo-yo trick is to make it “go to sleep”. The idea is to get the yo-yo spinning at the bottom of the extended string, then give it a little jerk so that the yo-yo jumps up the string into the hand.
71. Arctic lights : AURORAS
The spectacular aurora phenomenon is seen lighting up the night sky at both poles of the earth (the Aurora Borealis in the north, and the Aurora Australis in the south). The eerie effect is caused by charged particles colliding with atoms at high latitudes.
72. Washington suburb : MCLEAN
McLean, Virginia is an extremely prosperous suburb of Washington, D.C. that is home to many diplomats and members of Congress. McLean’s ZIP code is 22102, which is the wealthiest ZIP code in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The community is named for the former owner of “The Washington Post” John Roll McLean.
74. Palindromic elemento : ORO
In Spanish, “oro” (gold) is an “elemento” (element).
75. PC task-switching combo : ALT-TAB
By pressing the Alt and Tab key at the same time on a PC, a user can alternate between windows open on the desktop. This keyboard shortcut is known as Task Switcher or Flip.
78. Stripe on a zebra, e.g. : MARKING
The name “zebra” comes from an old Portuguese word “zevra” meaning “wild ass”. Studies of zebra embryos show that zebras are basically black in color, with white stripes that develop with growth. Before this finding, it was believed they were white, with black stripes.
81. The pack in a six-pack : ABS
The abdominal muscles (“abs”) are more correctly referred to as the rectus abdominis muscles. They are all called a “six-pack” in a person who has developed the muscles and who has low body fat. In my case, more like a keg …
84. Legendary Bruin : ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …
87. Capone rival : MORAN
Bugs Moran was a Chicago gangster, the main rival to the slightly more famous Al Capone. Moran tried twice to kill Capone. In the first attempt Moran and his gang shot at Capone from their car as their target was getting out of his own automobile. They missed Capone, and he took to driving in an armored vehicle after that. The second, more famous attempt (in 1926), involved Moran and a fleet of cars driving by Capone’s hotel and spraying the lobby in which he was standing. Again, Capone escaped unharmed. Three years later, in February 1929, six members of Moran’s gang were lined up against a wall and shot by order of Capone, an incident we now remember as the famous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
89. P : RHO
Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”.
90. “Silent Spring” subject : DDT
DDT is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (don’t forget now!). DDT was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book “Silent Spring”, suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book, and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of the chemical in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.
91. 1970s-’80s craze that’s the theme of this puzzle : SPACE INVADERS
Space Invaders is one of my favorite video games, a classic from the good old days (not that I play videogames anymore). When Space Invaders was first released in video arcades in Japan in 1978, it was so popular that it caused a shortage of 100-yen coins.
96. Anise-flavored drink : OUZO
Ouzo is an aperitif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to pastis from France and also has a flavor like sambuca from Italy.
100. Lat. or Lith., once : SSR
Latvia is one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics. People from Latvia are called Letts.
The nation of Lithuania is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) sitting on the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius, and 16 miles north of Vilnius is a point that is officially recognized as the Geographic Center of Europe.
102. One who’s been tapped on the shoulder? : SIR
The rite of passage that conferred knighthood on an apprentice was known as the ”accolade” or “dubbing” back in the Middle of Ages. Part of that ceremony is still used today, including the tapping of the flat side of a sword by a monarch on the shoulders of the new knight.
108. Defunct spy org. : OSS
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed during WWII in order to carry out espionage behind enemy lines. A few years after the end of the war the OSS functions were taken up by a new group, the Central Intelligence Agency that was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.
110. Response on un questionnaire : OUI
In French, a response on “un questionnaire” (a questionnaire) might be “oui” (yes) or “non” (no).
121. Inspiration for “Lolita” : ANNABEL LEE
“Annabel Lee” was the last complete poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. The opening lines are:
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
The closing lines are:
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” has a famously controversial storyline, dealing with a middle-aged man’s obsession and sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl. Although “Lolita” is considered a classic today, after Nabokov finished it in 1953 the edgy subject matter made it impossible for him to find a publisher in the US (where Nabokov lived). In 1955, he resorted to publishing it in English at a printing house in Paris. Publication was followed by bans and seizures all over Europe. A US printing house finally took on the project in 1958, by which time the title had such a reputation that it sold exceptionally quickly. “Lolita” became the first book since “Gone with the Wind” to sell over 100,000 copies in its first three weeks in stores.
122. Alfredo, for one : CREAM SAUCE
Alfredo sauce is usually associated with the Italian dish called fettuccine Alfredo. The sauce is made from Parmesan cheese and butter, and is named for the Italian restaurant owner Alfredo Di Lelio. Di Lelio’s nephews still own and run a restaurant in Rome called “Il Vero Alfredo”. Here in the US, we often add other ingredients to the basic cheese and butter recipe. And the name “fettuccine Alfredo” is unknown in Italy today.
123. “Never ___ Give You Up” (1988 #1 hit) : GONNA
Rick Astley is an English singer, best known for his 1987 worldwide hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”. He retired in 1993 but became a huge hit on the Internet in 2007 when a YouTube video of “Never Gonna Give You Up” was chosen by tricksters as a link (labeled as something else) that was sent around the world so that the clip was seen by millions online. The phenomenon was given the name “Rickrolling”. With all the new exposure that the song received Astley made a whopping $12 in royalties from YouTube. Yep, 12 whole dollars.
126. Ball to keep an eye on : EIGHT
The Magic 8-Ball is a toy, supposedly a fortune-telling device, introduced by Mattel in 1946. There are 20 answers that the Magic 8-Ball can provide, including:
Without a doubt
Ask again later
My sources say no
Outlook not so good
Signs point to yes
Down
4. Color of la Méditerranée : AZUR
I think that this clue is a little off. In French, “la Méditerranée” (the Mediterranean, a feminine noun) is “azure” (azure-colored). “Azur” is the spelling used with feminine nouns. The confusion might come from the phrase “Côte d’Azur”, which describes part of the French Mediterranean coast.
The word “azure” came into English from Persian via Old French. The French word “l’azur” was taken from the Persian name for a place in northeastern Afghanistan called “Lazhward” which was the main source of the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli. The stone has a vivid blue color, and “azure” has been describing this color since the 14th century.
The Côte d’Azur is on the Mediterranean coast of France and stretches from Saint Tropez in the west and to the Italian border in the east. In English we often refer to the area as the French Riviera. It’s a little crowded for me (okay, “expensive”), especially in the summer.
5. Some complications : RED TAPE
Back in the days of yore in England, official documents were bound in bundles with red ribbon. So, getting through all the paperwork required “cutting through the red tape”.
8. Six-pack inits. : PBR
Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is the most recognizable brand of beer from the Pabst Brewing Company. There appears to be some dispute over whether or not Pabst beer ever won a “blue ribbon” prize, but the company claims that it did so at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The beer was originally called Pabst Best Select, and then just Pabst Select. With the renaming to Blue Ribbon, the beer was sold with an actual blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle until it was dropped in 1916 and incorporated into the label.
9. Chandon’s partner : MOET
Moët & Chandon is a French winery, one of the world’s largest producers of champagne. The company was founded by wine trader Claude Moët in 1743. The name was changed to Moët & Chandon in the 1830s when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon, an in-law to the Moët family, was given co-ownership. Moët & Chandon owns the famous Dom Pérignon brand name, honoring the Benedictine monk who did so much to improve the quality of champagne.
10. Common Coke go-with : BACARDI
The Bacardi company is still family-owned and operated, and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. The company was founded in Santiago de Cuba and became successful by selling a refined form of rum, something new to a market that was used to a crude dark rum. The Bacardi family opposed the Castro regime as it came to power, so the company had to relocate to Bermuda.
12. Grasp intuitively : GROK
“To grok” is to understand, a slang word that’s really only used in “techie” circles. “Grok” is the creation of science fiction author Robert Heinlein, who coined the term in his 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land”.
13. Sights in New Orleans : DIKES
A dike is an embankment usually made of earth and rock that is used to prevent floods.
14. Prestigious school group : IVIES
The term “Ivy League” originally defined an athletic conference, but now it is used to describe a group of schools of higher education that are associated with both a long tradition and academic excellence. The eight Ivy League Schools are: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.
17. George on an annual Forbes list : SOROS
Hungarian businessman George Soros was born György Schwartz in Hungary in 1930. Famously, Soros made a short sale of $10 billion worth of UK pounds during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis, making him a profit of over $1 billion. The move led to him being dubbed “the man who broke the Bank of England”.
18. ___ Academy (means of online education) : KHAN
“Khan Academy” is a not-for-profit organization that aims to provide a “free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere”. Founded by educator Sal Khan in 2006, the academy mainly teaches mathematics and science through the medium of YouTube videos. Check out some of the videos. They are really excellent …
19. Iolani palace locale : OAHU
The ‘Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu is unique within this country. It is the only royal palace in the US that was used as an official residence by a reigning monarch. The Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in 1893 so the palace was used by successive governments even after Hawaii was awarded statehood in 1959. The palace has been a public museum since 1978.
20. Statistical tool for comparing means : T-TEST
A “t-test” in the world of statistics is one that makes use of a “Student’s t distribution”. The t-statistic was introduced by a chemist working in the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, back in 1908. “Student” was the chemist’s pen name.
28. Buckingham Palace guards : YEOMEN
The Yeoman of the Guard are the oldest military corps still existing in the UK. The role of the Yeoman of the Guard is to provide bodyguard protection for the British Monarch, although in modern times this role is purely ceremonial. One of the more famous duties of the Yeomen is a ceremonial search of the cellars of the Houses of Parliament prior to the State Opening of Parliament. The search commemorates the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in which Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Parliament building.
Buckingham Palace is a stately home that has been the official residence of the British monarch since the days of Queen Victoria. Buckingham Palace was originally a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, hence the name.
33. Detoxing hurdle, for short : DTS
The episodes of delirium that can accompany withdrawal from alcohol are called Delirium Tremens (the DTs). The literal translation of this Latin phrase is “trembling madness”.
34. Tree hugger? : BOA
Boa constrictors are members of the Boidae family of snakes, all of which are non-venomous. Interestingly, the female boa is always larger than the male.
36. It may change because of weather, in brief : ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)
41. Friend of Lucy Ricardo : ETHEL MERTZ
In the hit television show “I Love Lucy”, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The Ricardos’ best friends were also their landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. The Mertz’s were played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance.
46. Trig angle symbol : THETA
The Greek letter theta is commonly used in geometry to represent the angle between two lines (say at the corner of a triangle).
50. Agitated, with “up” : HET
Someone who is “het up” is “worked up, angry”. “Het” is an archaic word meaning “heated”.
54. Popular reds : MERLOTS
Merlot is one of the main grapes used to make Bordeaux wines, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
55. Yellow dog of the funnies : ODIE
Odie is Garfield’s best friend and is a slobbery beagle. Both are characters in Jim Davis’s comic strip named “Garfield”.
64. Literary governess : EYRE
“Jane Eyre” is a celebrated novel written by Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name Currer Bell. Over the years, I’ve shared here on my blogs that the “Jane Eyre” story line is a little too dark and Gothic for my taste, but a very persuasive blog reader convinced me to look more at the romantic side of the story and give it a second chance. I watched a wonderful 4-hour television adaptation of the novel made by the BBC a while back and I have to say that because I was focused on the relationship between Jane and Rochester, I was able to push past the Gothic influences (that depress me) so I really enjoyed the story. I thoroughly recommend the 2006 BBC adaptation to fans of the novel.
67. Biblical kingdom : MOAB
In the Bible, Moab was the first son of Lot, and the founder of the Kingdom of Moab. Moab was located on a plateau above the Dead Sea.
69. Language with only 14 letters : SAMOAN
The official name for the South Pacific country formerly known as Western Samoa is the Independent State of Samoa. “Samoa” is the western part of the island group, with American Samoa lying to the southeast. The whole group of islands used to be known as Navigators Island, a name given by European explorers in recognition of the seafaring skills of the native Samoans.
71. Nelson ___, “The Man With the Golden Arm” novelist : ALGREN
Nelson Algren was an author from Detroit who is best known today for his 1949 novel “The Man with the Golden Arm”. The famous novel won the National Book Award and was made into a celebrated 1955 film of the same name starring Frank Sinatra. Algren also wrote a novel called “A Walk on the Wild Side”, the title of which was used in a great 1972 Lou Reed song.
73. “You betcha!” : NATCH!
“Natch” is a slang term meaning “naturally, of course”. “Natch” is simply a shortening of the word “‘naturally”, and was first recorded at the end of WWII.
75. Jumper cable connection : ANODE
A battery is a device that converts chemical energy into electric energy. A simple battery is made up of three parts: a cathode, an anode and a liquid electrolyte. Ions from the electrolyte react chemically with the material in the anode producing a compound and releasing electrons. At the same time, the electrolyte reacts with the material in the cathode, absorbing electrons and producing a different chemical compound. In this way, there is a buildup of electrons at the anode and a deficit of electrons at the cathode. When a connection (wire, say) is made between the cathode and anode, electrons flow through the resulting circuit from the anode to cathode in an attempt to rectify the electron imbalance.
76. Dummy : DODO
The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago (last recorded alive in 1681) and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when man arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests. The dodo was deemed to be an awkward flightless bird and so the term “dodo” has come to mean a dull-witted person.
77. Language that gave us “punch” : URDU
Urdu is one of the two official languages of Pakistan (the other being English), and is one of 22 scheduled languages in India. Urdu partly developed from Persian and is written from right to left.
79. Sister of Cronus : RHEA
In Greek mythology Rhea was one of the Titans. She was the sister and husband of Cronus, and together they had six children, the last of which was Zeus. Cronus swallowed all of his children as soon as they were born, except for Zeus, who Rhea managed to hide from her husband.
80. Eastern ecclesiastic : IMAM
An imam is a Muslim leader, often the person in charge of a mosque or perhaps a Muslim community.
83. 10th: Abbr. : SOPH
The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.
93. Spinoff series with two spinoffs of its own : NCIS
NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The service gives its name to the CBS TV show “NCIS”, a spin-off drama from “JAG” in which the main “NCIS” characters were first introduced. The big star in “NCIS” is the actor Mark Harmon. “NCIS” is now a franchise, with spinoff shows “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS: New Orleans”.
94. Luxury Italian label : VERSACE
Gianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer. His death was perhaps as famous as his llife. He was murdered in 1997 outside his mansion in Miami Beach by Andrew Cunanan. It is not certain that Cunanan knew who his victim was, as this was the last in a spree of five murders committed by him over a four month period. A few days after killing Versace, Cunanan used the same gun to commit suicide.
97. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN
The Japanese city of Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka sometime before 1500. “Osaka” can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”. Osaka is sometimes referred to as “the Chicago of Japan” as it is a major center of commerce and industry.
Honshu is the largest island in Japan, with the name “Honshu” translating as “Main Island”. Honshu is the seventh largest island in the world.
99. Umbrella holder, maybe : MAI TAI
The Mai Tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum.
101. Queen of ___ : SHEBA
Sheba is referenced in the Bible several times. The “Queen of Sheba” is mentioned as someone who traveled to Jerusalem to behold the fame of King Solomon. No one knows for sure where the kingdom of Sheba was located, although there is evidence that it was actually the ancient Semitic civilization of Saba. The Sabeans lived in what today is Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula.
104. Sleeping Beauty was under one : CURSE
The 1959 Disney animated feature “Sleeping Beauty” was an adaptation of the 1697 Charles Perrault version of the classic fairytale. The soundtrack of the movie drew on the wonderful 1890 “Sleeping Beauty” ballet by Tchaikovsky. The Disney film took up almost the entire decade of the fifties in production, with work on the story beginning in 1951. The voices were recorded in 1952, and then it took from 1953 to 1958 to produce all of the hand-inked animation.
105. OB/GYN’s prefix with -gram : SONO-
A sonogram is an image made created using ultrasound. “Ultrasound” is the name given to sound energy that has frequencies above the audible range.
107. “___ Lang Syne” : AULD
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.
113. Fareed Zakaria’s channel : CNN
Journalist and author Fareed Zakaria hosts the weekly CNN public affairs show “Fareed Zakaria GPS”, with GPS standing for “Global Public Square”.
114. ___-Jo (’80s track star) : FLO
The American track and field athlete Florence Griffith-Joyner was also known as Flo-Jo. Flo-Jo’s world records for the 100 and 200 meters were set in 1988, and amazingly they still stand today. Sadly, Flo-Jo was only 38 years old when she died in her sleep in 1998 due to epilepsy.
118. Digs : PAD
Back in the 16th century a “pad” was a bundle of straw to lie on, and came to mean a “sleeping place” in the early 1700s. The term was revitalized in the hippie era.
“Digs” is short for “diggings” meaning “lodgings”, but where “diggings” came from, no one seems to know.
120. Not working anymore: Abbr. : RET
Retired (ret.)
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Note in the B major scale : A-SHARP
7. Platter letters : RPM
10. Boston megaproject completed in 2007, informally : BIG DIG
16. Semiformal jacket : BLAZER
17. Item of winter gear with multiple straps : SKI BOOT
21. Touch down, say : ARRIVE
22. Bro’s greeting : YO DUDE!
23. Sarcastic “Wonderful!” : OH GREAT!
24. Word after smart or sugar : COOKIE
25. Some female athletic gear : SPORTS BRAS
27. Pinstriped team : THE YANKEES
29. Cybercrime target, for short : SSN
30. Newsman Brown : AARON
31. ___ manual : USERS
32. Sacramento-to-San Diego dir. : SSE
33. Grade to be concerned about : D-PLUS
34. Pass, of sorts : BYE
37. Bothers : TO-DOS
39. Admire oneself a little too much : PREEN
42. Homer Simpson exclamation : D’OH!
44. – : MINUS
48. Healthy yogurt mix-ins : OATS
49. One not looking for an expensive night on the town : CHEAP DATE
52. Precollege : ELHI
53. High degree in math? : NTH
54. Bris official : MOHEL
56. Approached aggressively : RAN AT
59. Scout group : DEN
60. Expired : DIED
62. Occupied, as a seat : TAKEN
66. “___ over” (dispiriting message) : GAME
68. Latin for “of the sun” : SOLARIS
70. They can sleep if you play with them : YO-YOS
71. Arctic lights : AURORAS
72. Washington suburb : MCLEAN
74. Palindromic elemento : ORO
75. PC task-switching combo : ALT-TAB
76. Twosome : DUO
78. Stripe on a zebra, e.g. : MARKING
81. The pack in a six-pack : ABS
84. Legendary Bruin : ORR
85. A kid may exchange it for money : TOOTH
87. Capone rival : MORAN
89. P : RHO
90. “Silent Spring” subject : DDT
91. 1970s-’80s craze that’s the theme of this puzzle : SPACE INVADERS
95. Radio format : RAP
96. Anise-flavored drink : OUZO
98. Bettering : ENHANCEMENT
99. Loch Ness monster, e.g. : MYTH
100. Lat. or Lith., once : SSR
102. One who’s been tapped on the shoulder? : SIR
103. Big name in electronics : RCA
106. Cry from the enlightened : AHA!
108. Defunct spy org. : OSS
110. Response on un questionnaire : OUI
112. Mission requirement : ROCKET FUEL
116. Place to get drunk before getting high? : AIRPORT BAR
121. Inspiration for “Lolita” : ANNABEL LEE
122. Alfredo, for one : CREAM SAUCE
123. “Never ___ Give You Up” (1988 #1 hit) : GONNA
124. Sometimes-sung pieces : ODES
125. Scraped (out) : EKED
126. Ball to keep an eye on : EIGHT
Down
1. No miniature gulf : ABYSS
2. Pours poorly : SLOPS
3. Wore : HAD ON
4. Color of la Méditerranée : AZUR
5. Some complications : RED TAPE
6. Event for select customers : PRESALE
7. Ocean eyesores : RIGS
8. Six-pack inits. : PBR
9. Chandon’s partner : MOET
10. Common Coke go-with : BACARDI
11. Affixes, as a patch : IRONS ON
12. Grasp intuitively : GROK
13. Sights in New Orleans : DIKES
14. Prestigious school group : IVIES
15. Noisy flight crew? : GEESE
17. George on an annual Forbes list : SOROS
18. ___ Academy (means of online education) : KHAN
19. Iolani palace locale : OAHU
20. Statistical tool for comparing means : T-TEST
26. It may start at 10 : BRUNCH
28. Buckingham Palace guards : YEOMEN
33. Detoxing hurdle, for short : DTS
34. Tree hugger? : BOA
35. “You betcha!” : YEP!
36. It may change because of weather, in brief : ETD
38. Not let bygones be bygones, say : SUE
39. Golf course obstacles : PONDS
40. 24/7, for instance : RATIO
41. Friend of Lucy Ricardo : ETHEL MERTZ
42. Live broadcast feature, oxymoronically : DELAY
43. Symbols of speed : HARES
45. Fruit used in wines and syrups : ELDERBERRY
46. Trig angle symbol : THETA
47. Trig’s law of ___ : SINES
50. Agitated, with “up” : HET
51. Beach shade : TAN
54. Popular reds : MERLOTS
55. Yellow dog of the funnies : ODIE
57. Bust ___ (guffaw) : A GUT
58. Highlands designs : TARTANS
61. Politician’s asset : TACT
63. Palindromic nut : KOOK
64. Literary governess : EYRE
65. Palindromic blast : TOOT
67. Biblical kingdom : MOAB
69. Language with only 14 letters : SAMOAN
71. Nelson ___, “The Man With the Golden Arm” novelist : ALGREN
73. “You betcha!” : NATCH!
75. Jumper cable connection : ANODE
76. Dummy : DODO
77. Language that gave us “punch” : URDU
79. Sister of Cronus : RHEA
80. Eastern ecclesiastic : IMAM
82. Unnamed object : THAT
83. 10th: Abbr. : SOPH
86. Manage : OPERATE
88. Sketchy place? : ART ROOM
92. Parts of sneakers : INSOLES
93. Spinoff series with two spinoffs of its own : NCIS
94. Luxury Italian label : VERSACE
97. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN
99. Umbrella holder, maybe : MAI TAI
101. Queen of ___ : SHEBA
104. Sleeping Beauty was under one : CURSE
105. OB/GYN’s prefix with -gram : SONO
107. “___ Lang Syne” : AULD
109. Advertising buzzword : FREE
111. Apiece : EACH
112. It may collect dust : RAG
113. Fareed Zakaria’s channel : CNN
114. ___-Jo (’80s track star) : FLO
115. Specialty shoe spec : EEE
117. Bother : IRK
118. Digs : PAD
119. Bother : BUG
120. Not working anymore: Abbr. : RET
48:39, no errors, iPad. I never played "Space Invaders" (or, indeed, any other video game), which put me at a slight disadvantage with this one. Also, on my iPad, those little circles were hard to see, so it wasn't until the very end that I figured out the MOTHER SHIP thing abd the CANNON thing. Still, an enjoyable puzzle …
It got easy once we figured out the ET stuff. We never did figure out MOTHERSHIP, CANNON, or LASER, but we completed the puzzle nevertheless. We are in awe of the constructor — what a tour de force in cleverness, wordplay, letterplay, etc. And oh, yes… we didn't have to look anything up!
HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” – “ALFREDO DI ROMA” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30
With reference to your article about fettuccine Alfredo I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1908 in the “trattoria” run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This “trattoria” of Piazza Rosa has become the “birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the “fettuccine all’Alfredo", this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 "Il Vero Alfredo" (“Alfredo di Roma”), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous “gold cutlery” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See also the website of “Il Vero Alfredo” .
I must clarify that other restaurants "Alfredo" in Rome do not belong and are out of my brand "Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma".
I inform you that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo –Alfredo di Roma” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.
Best regards Ines Di Lelio
59:01, 7 errors.
Wish I could blast this one out of orbit. STUPID theme, stupid gimmick, needless aggravation. Judging by the redacted comments, I'm not alone in my disdain for this piece of garbage.
And, they'd been doing so well all last week…..
40:49, no errors. Today's theme seemed like a whole lot of work, for very little result. The construction of the puzzle to resemble a Space Invaders screen is clever; but, outside of sprinkling ET's around the puzzle, the theme had nothing to do with solving the puzzle. I have enjoyed playing video games from Pong to Pokémon Go (mostly to remain conversant with grand kids today), and have played many a game of Space Invaders. But the CANNON, LASER and MOTHERSHIP eluded me, until after the puzzle was finished.
Enjoyed the challenge of the puzzle, originally had Sleeping Beauty under a SPELL, rather than a CURSE; and had kids exchanging a TOKEN for money rather than a TOOTH.
Thank you @Ines for the history lesson; kudos to your grandfather.
I completed the puzzle and after taking out all the 'et's I used the leftover letters to make a sentence, not the individual words CANNON, LASER & MOTHERSHIP. Instead I came up with the sentence "HER ALIENS MARCH NONSTOP". Someone please correct me if I'm in error.
I thought of keeping an eye on the 8 Ball as related to the game of pool . . .
Way too much going on in this puzzle. I couldn't come close to solving it. Of course, I've never played–or heard of–Space Invaders. I guess this one was for an audience that doesn't include me.
Omg did this puzzle suck. I noticed the et theme and aliens, I've never played this game on my life. And what's up with the YOYOS clue? Ugh. I wait about three fourths of the way through.
Phone home, already! Those obscure (circular) answers made no sense, except to confound the audience. Does that make sense?