Constructed by: Brad Wiegmann
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme Mother’s Day Concert
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Themed answers are song titles reinterpreted with reference to a mother giving birth:
- 24A Mom’s comment to her child during prenatal bonding? [Frank Sinatra, 1954] : I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU
- 30A What Mom is obligated to do as her due date approaches? [The Beatles, 1969] : CARRY THAT WEIGHT
- 49A Mom’s reaction to her first mild contractions? [John Cougar, 1982] : HURTS SO GOOD
- 54A Midwife’s advice to Mom in the delivery room? [Salt-N-Pepa, 1987] : PUSH IT
- 66A Mom’s remark as contractions grow stronger? [The Ramones, 1978] : I WANNA BE SEDATED
- 83A Mom’s reaction as delivery draws closer? [Usher, 2012] : SCREAM
- 85A Child’s response to Mom’s actions? [Diana Ross, 1980] : I’M COMING OUT
- 103A Nurse’s remark after Mom delivers the first twin? [Britney Spears, 1998] : BABY ONE MORE TIME
- 112A Doctor’s comment after Mom delivers the second twin? [The Who, 1965] : THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment
Bill’s time: 17m 36s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
18 Shout at a Greek wedding : OPA!
“Opa!” is a celebratory cry very much associated with Greece and Greek restaurants, where it often accompanies the celebratory smashing of plates and glasses.
21 More than half of humanity : ASIANS
Most of the world’s population lives in Asia (60%), and Asia is the largest continent in terms of landmass (30% of the world). Asia also has the highest population density (246 people per square mile), and the most populous city on the continent is Shanghai, China.
23 ___ state : REM
“REM” is an acronym standing for “rapid eye movement”. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.
24 Mom’s comment to her child during prenatal bonding? [Frank Sinatra, 1954] : I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU
“I Get a Kick Out of You” is a Cole Porter song that was written for the 1934 musical “Anything Goes”. Ethel Merman performed the song in the show, and the most famous cover version was recorded by Frank Sinatra. The lyrics caused a few problems over the years. The original has a reference to the Lindberghs, which had to be removed in response to the Lindbergh kidnapping, so:
I shouldn’t care for those nights in the air
That the fair Mrs. Lindbergh goes through
became:
Flying too high with some guy in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do
The original also has a reference to cocaine, which had to be taken out for the 1936 movie version of the show. The first line below:
Some get a kick from cocaine
I’m sure that if
I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrif-
ically, too
became:
Some like the perfume in Spain
28 Bishop’s hat : MITER
A miter (also “mitre”) is a traditional headdress worn by bishops in some Christian traditions. The term “miter” comes from a Greek word for “headband, turban”.
30 What Mom is obligated to do as her due date approaches? [The Beatles, 1969] : CARRY THAT WEIGHT
“Golden Slumbers” is one of two songs recorded as one track on the “Abbey Road” album released in 1969. The second part of the track is the song “Carry That Weight”. John Lennon’s voice was dubbed in after the main recording of “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight”. Lennon was in hospital for the original recording due to an auto accident.
37 Yes, in Yokohama : HAI
Yokohama is the second-most populous city in Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, and is just a 40-minute drive from the nation’s capital.
39 Part of a drivetrain : AXLE
The drivetrain of a car is made up of the components that deliver power to the driving wheels. The drivetrain excludes the engine, which produces that power. The combination of the engine and the drivetrain is known as the powertrain.
40 The Renaissance, for one : ERA
The Renaissance is the period in European history that bridges the Dark Ages and the Modern Era. “Renaissance” is French for “rebirth”, and is a term reflecting the rebirth of interest in the learnings from ancient Greece and ancient Rome.
42 Team ___ (late-night host’s following) : COCO
Team Leno and Team Coco were the two “sides” in the so-called “War for Late Night” of 2010.
43 Cancer fighter, for short : T CELL
T cells are a group of white blood cells that are essential components of the body’s immune system. T cells are so called because they mature in the thymus, a specialized organ found in the chest.
44 Henley Royal ___ (annual July event) : REGATTA
The Henley Regatta is a rowing competition that has been held every year since 1839 on the River Thames near the town of Henley-on-Thames.
49 Mom’s reaction to her first mild contractions? [John Cougar, 1982] : HURTS SO GOOD
John Mellencamp started to use the stage name Johnny Cougar in 1976, a name that evolved into John Cougar, and then to John Cougar Mellencamp in the eighties. In 1992 the “Cougar” was dropped altogether and Mellencamp has been performing under his own name since then. Mellencamp was married to former supermodel Elaine Irwin for eighteen years, but the two decided to split. Mellencamp’s longtime girlfriend is actress Meg Ryan.
54 Midwife’s advice to Mom in the delivery room? [Salt-N-Pepa, 1987] : PUSH IT
Salt-N-Pepa are an all-female hip hop trio from New York made up of “Salt” (Cheryl James), “Pepa” (Sandra Denton) and “DJ Spinderella” (Deidra Roper). The group’s 1991 song “Let’s Talk Sex” created quite a fuss as the lyrics explored the subject of sex, and safe sex in particular. A later version addressed the dangers of AIDS.
56 Wanna-bees, e.g.? : PUPAE
A pupa is a stage in the life of some insects. All four stages are embryo, larva, pupa and imago. Pupae can look like little dolls, hence the name. “Pupa” is the Latin for “doll”.
57 ___ of Maine (toothpaste) : TOM’S
Tom’s of Maine is a brand of personal-care products that emphasises the use of natural ingredients and that does not test products on animals. The brand was introduced when Tom and Kate Chappell started their own company in Kennebunk, Maine in 1970. I’m a big fan of Tom’s lavender-scented deodorant …
61 Sport whose participants call “Pull!” : SKEET
There are three types of competitive shotgun target shooting sports:
- Skeet shooting
- Trap shooting
- Sporting clays
63 Tennis star with the highest career winning percentage in singles matches (89.97%) : EVERT
Chris Evert is a former professional tennis player from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has the best winning percentage in professional tennis, man or woman worldwide, losing fewer than 10% of all her matches. Evert was also the first female athlete to host “Saturday Night Live”, doing so in 1994 just after she had retired from professional tennis.
66 Mom’s remark as contractions grow stronger? [The Ramones, 1978] : I WANNA BE SEDATED
The Ramones were an American punk rock band. The group formed in Forest Hills, New York in the mid-seventies. The band members took on the stage names Dee Dee, Joey, and Johnny Ramone, even though they were not related. The “Ramone” name was imitative of the pseudonym used by Paul McCartney when he booked into hotels anonymously, namely “Paul Ramon”. Arguably, the Ramones were the first punk rock group, defining the genre. Something else that’s not my cup of tea …
70 Org. that delivers : USPS
The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government’s right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And, the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.
82 Sappho’s “___ to Aphrodite” : ODE
Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet born on the Greek island of Lesbos. Sappho was much admired for her work, although very little of it survives today. She was renowned for writing erotic and romantic verse that dealt with the love of women as well as men. It was because of this poetry that the word “lesbian” (someone from Lesbos) is used to describe a gay woman.
83 Mom’s reaction as delivery draws closer? [Usher, 2012] : SCREAM
“Usher” is the stage name of R&B singer Usher Terry Raymond IV.
85 Child’s response to Mom’s actions? [Diana Ross, 1980] : I’M COMING OUT
Diana Ross is one of the most prolific recording artists in history. She sang with the Supremes from 1959 to 1970 and then launched an incredibly successful solo career. Ross was listed in the 1993 edition of “The Guinness Book of World Records” as the most successful music artist ever, with eighteen #1 records.
90 Actress in eight Bond films : DENCH
Dame Judi Dench is an outstanding English actress who has appeared for decades in her home country on stage and screen. Dench’s film career took off in the nineties with a relatively trivial role as “M” in the James Bond series of films. Since then she has played leading roles in several excellent movies including “Shakespeare in Love”, “Mrs. Brown”, “Notes on a Scandal” and “Philomena”.
92 Like sea horses that give birth : MALE
Seahorses belong to the genus Hippocampus. The genus name comes from the Greek “hippo” meaning “horse” and “kampos” meaning “sea monster”. It’s the male seahorse who carries the fertilized eggs, and not the females. The region of the brain known as the hippocampus, is so called because it resembles a seahorse in shape.
93 Beast with a humped shoulder : GNU
The gnu is also known as the wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is a Dutch meaning “wild beast”.
94 Utah ski resort : ALTA
Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont. The ski resort of Snowbird, located next to Alta, has been in operation since 1971.
95 Cable news anchor Cabrera : ANA
Ana Cabrera is a journalist from Denver who joined CNN in 2013. She took over as anchor of CNN’s weekend show “CNN Newsroom” in 2017.
99 Simple life? : AMEBA
An ameba (also “amoeba”) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.
108 Spanish archipelago, with “the” : … CANARIES
The Canary Islands are located off the northwest coast of Africa. The islands aren’t named for the canary bird and in fact the bird is named for the islands. The name of the Canary Islands comes from the Latin “Canariae Insulae” which translates as “Island of the Dogs”. This was the original name for the third largest island, now called Gran Canaria. In the days of ancient Rome the island was noted as a home to a large number of very large dogs.
111 Witty saying : MOT
“Bon mot” translates from French as “good word”. We use “bon mot” (and sometimes just “mot”) to mean “quip, witticism”.
112 Doctor’s comment after Mom delivers the second twin? [The Who, 1965] : THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
The Who were an English rock band formed in 1964, bringing together famed musicians Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. According to “Rolling Stone” magazine, the Who were the third arm of the holy trinity of British rock, alongside the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
117 Director DuVernay : AVA
Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker who became the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a feat she achieved in 2012 for her feature film “Middle of Nowhere”. “Middle of Nowhere” tells the story of a woman who drops out of medical school to focus on her husband when he is sentenced to 8 years in prison. DuVernay also directed the 2014 film “Selma” about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
122 Mother’s Day delivery : ROSES
Note the official punctuation in “Mother’s Day”, even though one might think it should be “Mothers’ Day”. President Wilson and Anna Jarvis, who created the tradition, specifically wanted Mother’s Day to honor the mothers within each family and not just “mothers” in general, so they went with the “Mother’s Day” punctuation.
Down
1 Kind of column : DORIC
The Doric was one of the three classical orders of architecture, the others being the Corinthian and the Ionic. The Doric was the earliest of the three orders, and the simplest.
5 Beginning that leads to a sum? : COGITO …
The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”. Anything pertaining to the philosophy of Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.
6 Singer with the 1968 hit “Think,” familiarly : ARETHA
I think that Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 13-years-old, and her second at 15. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one on its list of the greatest singers of all time.
9 X : CHI
The Greek letter chi is the one that looks like our Roman letter X.
10 Drink with the flavors Poppin’ Lemonade and Grabbin’ Grape : HI-C
Hi-C orange drink was created in 1946, and introduced to the market in 1948, initially in the south of the country. The name “Hi-C” was chosen to emphasize the high vitamin C content in the drink, as it contained added ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
11 Wyoming’s National ___ Refuge : ELK
The elk (also “wapiti”) is one of the largest species of deer in the world, with only the moose being bigger. Early European settlers were familiar with the smaller red deer back in their homelands, so when they saw the “huge” wapiti they assumed it was a moose, and incorrectly gave it the European name for a moose, namely “elk”. The more correct name for the beast is “wapiti”, which means “white rump” in Shawnee. It’s all very confusing …
14 Food delivery route? : ESOPHAGUS
The esophagus is the gullet, the “pipe” that carries food from the mouth down into the stomach. The term comes from the Greek “oisophagos” that can be translated as “to carry to eat”.
15 Piece of equipment for a biathlete : RIFLE
A biathlon is an event requiring expertise in two sporting disciplines. The most common biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. This traditional biathlon was born out of an exercise for Norwegian soldiers.
16 Oscar ___ : MAYER
The Oscar Mayer brand of meats was named for a German immigrant named Oscar F. Mayer who sold German sausages in the Chicago area in the late 1800s. The Oscar Mayer company has a famous vehicle called the Wienermobile that it has used in promotions for over 70 years.
25 Aesthete’s interest : ART
An aesthete (also “esthete”) is someone who appreciates beauty in art or in nature. Often someone described as an aesthete might show excessive or affected admiration of beauty.
32 U.S. city whose name is composed of two state abbreviations : WACO
The Texas city of Waco is named for the Wichita people known as the “Waco”, who occupied the area for thousands of years.
42 Fishing bait : CHUM
The word “chum” meaning “fish bait”, is perhaps derived from the Scottish word “chum” meaning food.
48 J.D. holder: Abbr. : ATTY
The law degree that is abbreviated to J.D. stands for “Juris Doctor” or “Doctor of Jurisprudence”.
51 Capital of Fiji : SUVA
Suva is the capital city of Fiji, and is located on the island of Viti Levu. Suva is the largest city in the southern Pacific Ocean.
60 Wind down? : SLALOM
“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom
64 Janet Yellen’s former post, with “the” : … FED
The Federal Reserve System is more usually known simply as “the Fed”, and is the central banking system of the US. It was introduced in 1913 in response to a number of financial panics at the beginning of the 20th century. The original role for the Fed was to act as a lender of last resort, in case there was a run on a bank. This can happen as most of the money that is deposited by customers in a bank is reinvested by that bank, so it has very little liquid cash available. If too many customers look for their money at one time, then the bank can be short of cash and this can start a “run”. The Fed’s responsibilities have broadened since those early days …
Economist Janet Yellen was appointed Chair of the Federal Reserve in 2014 by President Obama. When her appointment was confirmed by the US Senate, Yellen became the first woman to hold the position. In the Biden administration, Yellen became the first woman to hold the post of Secretary of the Treasury.
68 Garr of “Tootsie” : TERI
Actress Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“Tootsie” is a hilarious 1982 comedy starring Dustin Hoffman in the title role, a male actor who adopts a female identity in order to land an acting job. Jessica Lange won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in the film. “Tootsie” also provided Geena Davis with her first movie role.
69 Setting for a scene in the Sistine Chapel : EDEN
The Sistine Chapel is located in the Pope’s residence in Rome. The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who was responsible for restoring the old Capella Magna in the 15th century. It was about a century later (1508-1512) that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel under the patronage of Pope Julius II.
70 Major part of the night sky? : URSA
The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland, “the Plough”.
72 Olympic athlete category : PARA
The Winter and Summer Paralympic Games grew out of a gathering of British disabled WWII veterans that coincided with 1948’s Summer Olympic Games. The first official Paralympic Games was held in Rome in 1960.
75 Lions and tigers and bears : ZOO ANIMALS
The world’s first zoo opened in Britain in 1820. Now known as “London Zoo”, the facility was referred to back then as the “Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London”. The term “zoo” is a shortening of “zoological”.
79 Stick in the refrigerator? : MARGARINE
Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. A French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something he called oleomargarine in 1869, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.
84 Sun follower? : MON
The days of the week are named for celestial bodies and gods
- Sunday — Sun’s Day
- Monday — Moon’s Day
- Tuesday — Tiu’s day
- Wednesday — Woden’s day
- Thursday — Thor’s day
- Friday — Freya’s day
- Saturday — Saturn’s day
86 Last name in shoes : MCAN
Thom McAn footwear was introduced in 1922 by the Melville Corporation (now CVS Caremark). The brand was named after a Scottish golfer called Thomas McCann. The Thom McAn line is epitomized by the comfortable leather casual and dress shoe, so sales have really been hurt in recent decades by the growing popularity of sneakers.
87 Exam for some aspiring C.E.O.s : GMAT
If you want to get into a business school’s graduate program then you might have to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), which will cost you about $250, I believe …
91 Ron who played Tarzan : ELY
Ron Ely is most famous for playing the title role in the “Tarzan” TV series in the sixties. Years later, Ely hosted the 1980 and 1981 “Miss America” pageants right after longtime host Bert Parks retired, before the job was taken over by Gary Collins. And Ely is a successful mystery novelist. He wrote “Night Shadows” and “East Beach” in the mid-nineties, both of which featured his private eye Jake Sands.
96 Part of a Milky Way bar : NOUGAT
“Nougat” is an Occitan word (Occitania being a region of Southern Europe) that translates as “nut bread”.
99 Book that’s the source of the line “It is more blessed to give than to receive” : ACTS
The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the Christian New Testament. It is believed that the author of the Gospel of Luke was the same person who wrote “Acts”.
100 Host of HBO’s “Real Time” : MAHER
Bill Maher is a stand-up comedian and political commentator. Maher has an HBO television show called “Real Time with Bill Maher” which is essentially a follow-on from the very successful “Politically Incorrect” program that started out on Comedy Central.
101 Año starter : ENERO
In Spanish, we start “el año” (the year) in “enero” (January) as noted on a “calendario” (calendar).
102 Competes on a British cooking show : BAKES
“The Great British Bake Off” is a television baking competition introduced by the BBC in the UK in 2010. The show was a phenomenal and perhaps surprising success almost immediately. “Bake Off” is rebroadcast in the US by PBS as “The Great British Baking Show”. There was great controversy in the UK in 2016 when the BBC couldn’t find the fund to pay the producers for the show, and so it had moved to a new channel, with a new set of hosts. The BBC hosts decided not to move with the show, saying they weren’t interested in the “dough” (their pun!).
105 Lead-in to trumpet or drum : EAR-
The eardrum lies at the intersection of the outer ear and middle ear. Also called the tympanic membrane, the eardrum picks up vibrations in air caused by sound waves, and transmits these vibrations to three tiny bones called “ossicles”. These ossicles (hammer, anvil and stirrup) are in the middle ear, and transmit the vibration to an oval window. The oval window is the membrane-covered opening lying at the intersection of the middle ear and the inner ear. The vibrations are transmitted into fluid in the inner ear, and converted into nerve impulses in the cochlea that are transmitted to the brain.
107 Tour de France stage : ETAPE
“Étape” is the French word for stage, as in a “stage” in the Tour de France. The term is used in English military circles to describe where troops halt overnight, but can also describe the section of the march itself. So, a march can be divided into stages, into étapes.
Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication “L’Auto” decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.
109 The 13th or 15th : IDES
There were three important days in each month of the old Roman calendar. These days originally depended on the cycles of the moon but were eventually “fixed” by law. “Kalendae” were the first days of each month, originally the days of the new moon. “Nonae” were originally the days of the half moon. And “idus” (the ides) was originally the day of the full moon, eventually fixed at the 15th day of a month. Well, actually the ides were the 15th day of March, May, July and October. For all other months, the ides fell on the 13th. Go figure …
115 Inoculation location : ARM
Immunization is the process used to boost an individual’s immune system making it less likely to succumb to a particular disease. Before we learned to intervene, the immune system was bolstered only by contracting the disease and surviving it. Inoculation was developed specifically for the prevention of smallpox, and involves the introduction of small samples of diseased tissue into the body resulting in a mild case of the disease, and significant boost to the immune system. The related process of vaccination involves the introduction of a benign form of the microorganism or virus into the body so that a boost to the immune system can occur without catching the disease itself.
Read on, or …
… return to top of page
Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Computer file, informally : DOC
4 Wound up on top? : SCAB
8 Feels it the next day, say : ACHES
13 Things served in prison : TERMS
18 Shout at a Greek wedding : OPA!
19 Country singer McKenna : LORI
20 “Whoa, settle down” : CHILL
21 More than half of humanity : ASIANS
23 ___ state : REM
24 Mom’s comment to her child during prenatal bonding? [Frank Sinatra, 1954] : I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU
27 Hot state : IRE
28 Bishop’s hat : MITER
29 They’re used mostly on corners : STAPLERS
30 What Mom is obligated to do as her due date approaches? [The Beatles, 1969] : CARRY THAT WEIGHT
36 “___ the deal …” : HERE’S
37 Yes, in Yokohama : HAI
38 Bran material : OAT
39 Part of a drivetrain : AXLE
40 The Renaissance, for one : ERA
42 Team ___ (late-night host’s following) : COCO
43 Cancer fighter, for short : T CELL
44 Henley Royal ___ (annual July event) : REGATTA
49 Mom’s reaction to her first mild contractions? [John Cougar, 1982] : HURTS SO GOOD
54 Midwife’s advice to Mom in the delivery room? [Salt-N-Pepa, 1987] : PUSH IT
55 Cause of wear and tear : USE
56 Wanna-bees, e.g.? : PUPAE
57 ___ of Maine (toothpaste) : TOM’S
61 Sport whose participants call “Pull!” : SKEET
62 Pet sound : MEW
63 Tennis star with the highest career winning percentage in singles matches (89.97%) : EVERT
64 Stress test? : FINAL
65 “Whoa boy, settle down” : EASY
66 Mom’s remark as contractions grow stronger? [The Ramones, 1978] : I WANNA BE SEDATED
70 Org. that delivers : USPS
73 Unenthusiastic : TEPID
74 Went sniggling : EELED
75 Vaporize, say : ZAP
78 Empire : REALM
80 Roughly : OR SO
81 Be crazy about : ADORE
82 Sappho’s “___ to Aphrodite” : ODE
83 Mom’s reaction as delivery draws closer? [Usher, 2012] : SCREAM
85 Child’s response to Mom’s actions? [Diana Ross, 1980] : I’M COMING OUT
88 Briskly : AT A TROT
90 Actress in eight Bond films : DENCH
92 Like sea horses that give birth : MALE
93 Beast with a humped shoulder : GNU
94 Utah ski resort : ALTA
95 Cable news anchor Cabrera : ANA
98 Prey for a formicivorous creature : ANT
99 Simple life? : AMEBA
103 Nurse’s remark after Mom delivers the first twin? [Britney Spears, 1998] : BABY ONE MORE TIME
108 Spanish archipelago, with “the” : CANARIES
110 Touches : ABUTS
111 Witty saying : MOT
112 Doctor’s comment after Mom delivers the second twin? [The Who, 1965] : THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
117 Director DuVernay : AVA
118 Quiet : SERENE
119 Settle down, say : MARRY
120 Pacific crop : TARO
121 Something you might gloss over : LIP
122 Mother’s Day delivery : ROSES
123 Apologetic remark during a breakup : IT’S ME
124 Hang it up : STOP
125 Consult : SEE
Down
1 Kind of column : DORIC
2 Venue for trill seekers? : OPERA HOUSE
3 TV reporter’s entourage : CAMERA CREW
4 Like snails’ trails : SLIMY
5 Beginning that leads to a sum? : COGITO …
6 Singer with the 1968 hit “Think,” familiarly : ARETHA
7 Nibble : BITE AT
8 “Oh no!” : ACK!
9 X : CHI
10 Drink with the flavors Poppin’ Lemonade and Grabbin’ Grape : HI-C
11 Wyoming’s National ___ Refuge : ELK
12 Spill clumsily : SLOSH
13 “Bye!” : TA-TA!
14 Food delivery route? : ESOPHAGUS
15 Piece of equipment for a biathlete : RIFLE
16 Oscar ___ : MAYER
17 Bad thing to do in class : SNORE
22 Figure (out) : SUSS
25 Aesthete’s interest : ART
26 Complete : UTTER
31 Hilarious sort : RIOT
32 U.S. city whose name is composed of two state abbreviations : WACO
33 Struck out : EXED
34 Poorly : ILL
35 Toothpaste option : GEL
41 Solicit sales (for) : REP
42 Fishing bait : CHUM
43 Keeps the beat with one’s foot : TOE-TAPS
45 “Who ___ you?” : ASKED
46 Woman’s name meaning “goddess” : THEA
47 Relations : TIES
48 J.D. holder: Abbr. : ATTY
50 What a shaken soda bottle will do when uncapped : SPEW
51 Capital of Fiji : SUVA
52 Not dismissive of : OPEN TO
53 Earn : GARNER
57 Quaint contraction : ‘TIS
58 Rule for trick-or-treaters : ONE EACH
59 Improvised : MADE DO
60 Wind down? : SLALOM
64 Janet Yellen’s former post, with “the” : … FED
66 Site of offshore banks? : ISLET
67 Life, briefly : BIO
68 Garr of “Tootsie” : TERI
69 Setting for a scene in the Sistine Chapel : EDEN
70 Major part of the night sky? : URSA
71 It’s broken off : SECT
72 Olympic athlete category : PARA
75 Lions and tigers and bears : ZOO ANIMALS
76 Raw footage? : ADULT MOVIE
77 Davidson of “S.N.L.” : PETE
79 Stick in the refrigerator? : MARGARINE
84 Sun follower? : MON
85 Loving : INTO
86 Last name in shoes : MCAN
87 Exam for some aspiring C.E.O.s : GMAT
89 Go down the ___ : TUBES
90 Little bit : DAB
91 Ron who played Tarzan : ELY
95 Boundaries : AMBITS
96 Part of a Milky Way bar : NOUGAT
97 Joint: Prefix : ARTHRO-
99 Book that’s the source of the line “It is more blessed to give than to receive” : ACTS
100 Host of HBO’s “Real Time” : MAHER
101 Año starter : ENERO
102 Competes on a British cooking show : BAKES
104 “Same here” : AS AM I
105 Lead-in to trumpet or drum : EAR-
106 Legally foreclose : ESTOP
107 Tour de France stage : ETAPE
109 The 13th or 15th : IDES
113 Mobster’s undoing : RAT
114 Places to take breaks, for short? : ERS
115 Inoculation location : ARM
116 Cleaning solution : LYE
Leave a comment (below), or …
… return to top of page