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The full solution to today’s crossword that appears in the New York Times
The full solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword that appears in all other publications
THEME: CIRCLE OF LIFE … some squares of the puzzle contain multiple letters, the names of the twelve signs of the CHINESE ZODIAC, that has a TWELVE-YEAR CYCLE. The signs are abbreviated in the grid as follows, in alphabetical order:
1. DOG: dog
2. DRA: dragon
3. HOR: horse
4. MON: monkey
5. OX: ox
6. PIG: pig
7. RAB: rabbit
8. RAM: ram
9. RAT: rat
10. ROO: rooster
11. SNA: snake
12. TIG: tiger
COMPLETION TIME: 43m 27s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
I add a splash of Galliano to my brass monkey cocktail. Equal parts of rum, vodka and orange juice, then that all important splash. It’s usually served over ice, but my preference is martini-style.
7. “Little” barnyard bird with an alliterative name in a classic Willie Dixon blues song : RED ROOSTER
The red rooster figures in a whole host of blues songs from the twenties and thirties, and these earlier tunes are believed to have been the inspiration for the Willie Dixon song released in 1961 by Howlin’ Wolf. There’s a Sam Cooke and a Rolling Stones version too.
17. Pope after Marinus I : ADRIAN III
Pope Adrian III is sometimes called Hadrian III, but also Pope Saint Adrien III as he was canonized in 1891, over a thousand years after his death.
Ike & Tina Turner were together as a husband/wife duo recording music for 16 years in the sixties and seventies. Their biggest hit has to be “Proud Mary”, released in 1971. The partnership ended, along with their marriage, in the late seventies with Tina making accusations of abuse by her drug-addicted husband.
24. Interludes : ENTR’ACTES
The term entr’acte comes to us from French, and is the interval between two acts (“entre” les deux “actes”) of a theatrical performance. It often describes some entertainment provided during that interval.
25. Cultural grp. : NEA
The National Endowment for the Arts is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and financing for artistic projects. It was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170m annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100m in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150m mark
Dame Ngaio Marsh was a New Zealand crime writer. She is known as one of the four original “Queens of Crime”, namely: Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Marsh. All her novels feature her hero, a British CID detective, Roderick Alleyn.
29. EarthLink and others : ISPS
An Internet Service Provider is just what its name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way that the end users are connected to the ISPs network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs. I’d go with cable if it’s available in your area …
34. New England’s Cape ___ : ANN
Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston, and is the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda, in memory of the woman.
39. Public person? : NOTARY
A notary public is a public officer licensed to perform specific legal actions in non-contentious legal matters. The main duties are to administer oaths, take affidavits and witness the execution of documents.
Nic Cage was born Nicolas Coppola. He is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, both of whom are his father’s siblings.
45. Fellowship foes : ORCS
According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth. They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.
49. So-called “Heart of Texas” : WACO
In recent years, Waco is perhaps most famous as the site of a siege and shootout between ATF agents and members of the Protestant sect known as the Branch Davidians. Shortly after the ATF agents tried to execute a search warrant, shots were fired and at the end of the fight six people inside the Branch Davidian compound were dead, as were four agents. A fifty-day siege ensued at the end of which a final assault resulted in members of the community setting fire to the compound. Only nine people walked away from that fire. 50 adults and 25 children perished.
The Great Fire of Rome raged for five and a half days in 64 AD. Of the fourteen districts of Rome, three were completely destroyed, and seven more suffered serious damage. The emperor at the time was of course Nero, although reports that he fiddled, played his lyre or sang while the city burned, those accounts are probably not true. In fact, Nero was staying outside of Rome when the fire started, and rushed home on hearing the news. He organized a massive relief effort, throwing open his own home to house many of the citizens who were left living on the street.
53. Words to a traitor : ET TU
Shakespeare uses the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?) in his play “Julius Caesar”, but the phrase was around long before he assigned them to his Caesar. It’s not known what Julius Caesar’s actual last words were.
54. Steering system parts : TIE RODS
The modern car uses a rack and pinion steering system. The turning motion of the steering wheel turns the pinion gear. This pinion gear meshes with a linear gear called a rack, so the torque is converted to linear motion, side to side. This side to side motion turns the wheels at either end of the axle via tie rods and the steering arm.
The unit of horsepower was introduced along with the steam engine, where the output of the engine was compared with the power of draft horses. Largely, this comparison with the horse was a marketing ploy, as the intent was to demonstrate that one steam engine could negate the need for a number of draft horses used for work.
Tom Sawyer is of course a favorite character created by Mark Twain. He turns up in four of Twain’s books:
– “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”
– “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”
– “Tom Sawyer Abroad”
– “Tom Sawyer, Detective”
But that’s not all, as he appears in at least three works that Twain left unfinished:
– “Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians” (a sequel to “Huckleberry Finn”)
– “Schoolhouse Hill”
– “Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy” (a sequel to “Tom Sawyer, Detective”)
Porky Pig was the first of the characters created by Warner Bros. to become a hit with audiences. Porky Pig is the guy with the line at the end of each cartoon, “Th-th-th-that’s all folks!” If you don’t mind a little adult language, there’s a very funny 11-second Porky Pig clip that the studio released on a blooper reel in 1938. Porky Pig stutters out “Son of g-g-gun”, only he doesn’t say “gun” …
![Porky Pig Tales [VHS]](https://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=630112667X&tag=wesneyoticrso-20)
68. British isle : AIT
Aits are little islands found usually in a river. Aits aren’t typically formed by erosion, but by the deposition of silt over time. As a result, aits often have a long and narrow shape running parallel to the banks as the sediment builds up with the flow of the water. Many of the islands in the River Thames that flows through London have been given the name Ait, like Raven’s Ait in Kingston-upon-Thames, and Lot’s Ait in Brentford.
71. Driller’s letters : DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery.
The TV show “CSI” gets a lot of criticism from law enforcement agencies for its unrealistic portrayal of the procedures and science of criminal investigation. I don’t care though, as I just think it’s a fun show to watch. The original “CSI” set in Las Vegas seems to have “gone off the boil” lately, but the addition of Sela Ward to the cast of “CSI: NY” has really, really raised the level of the sister show set in New York City.
77. What the 41-Down has : TWELVE-YEAR CYCLE
(41. Collection of animals featured in this puzzle : CHINESE ZODIAC)
One animal for each sign, twelve signs and one sign assigned to each year, that adds up to a 12-year cycle!
Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo is based on one of his son’s (Christopher Robin Milne) stuffed toys.
83. Mauna ___ : KEA
Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed. So, the real height of the volcano is over 33,000 feet, quite a bit higher than Mount Everest (at 29,029 feet).
84. Land of Ephesians : IONIA
The ancient region of Ionia was located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of Ancient Greece although it wasn’t a unified state, but rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities rather than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian American actress, born in Budapest as Sári Gábor (the older sister of the actress Eva). Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married a whopping nine times, including a 5-year stint with Conrad Hilton and another 5 years with George Sanders. One of Gabor’s famous quips was that she was always a good housekeeper, as after every divorce, she kept the house! At 94 years of age, Zsa Zsa is pretty sick right now. She had a hip replacement in 2010 and has been in and out of hospital ever since. In January 2011 she had to have her right leg amputated.
87. ___ system (way of classifying blood) : ABO
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected by the recipient. However, blood type O-Neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, AB or O, positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a “universal donor”.
On political maps, red states are Republican, and blue states Democrat. The designations of red and blue states is a very recent concept, introduced in the 2000 presidential election by TV journalist, the late Tim Russert. In retrospect, the choice of colors is surprising, as in other democracies around the world red is usually used to describe left-leaning, socialist parties (the reds under the bed!), and blue is used for conservative, right-wing parties.
102. Soldier’s meal container : MESS TIN
“Mess” first came into English about 1300 and described the list of food needed for a meal, from the Old French word “mes” which was a portion of food, or a course at a meal. This usage in English evolved into “mess” meaning a jumbled mass 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 where a “mess” was a communal eating place.
Ice dancing was first introduced as an event at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and in the Winter Olympics in 1976.
110. Den ___, Nederland : HAAG
Den Haag is the Dutch name for the city in the Netherlands that we know in English as The Hague. Even though The Hague is the seat of the Dutch parliament, and is where Queen Beatrix resides, it is not the country’s capital. That honor goes to Amsterdam.
111. Ubangi tributary : UELE
The Uele River is a tributary to the Ubangi River, and is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Uele is the 5th longest river in Africa.
112. Phalanx’s weaknesses : GAPS
In ancient warfare, a phalanx was a group of soldiers that stood or marched together as a unit using their shields as an outer barrier around the formation. “Phalanx” (plural “phalanges”) is the Greek word for “finger”. “Phalanx” was used for the military formation probably because of the finger-like movements that such formations made on field of battle.
114. Driller’s letters : ROTC
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when, as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be a part of a new school’s curriculum.
125. King Arthur’s family name : PENDRAGON
In Arthurian legend, the King was given the name Pendragon to emphasize his status as leader. “Pendragon” translates as “chief dragon”.
127. Make out, in York : SNOG
“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US. Interestingly, the use of “make out” in American society started around the same time, just before the war.
133. Italian liqueurs : AMARETTOS
Amaretto is an Italian liqueur with a sweet, almond flavor. Even though the drink is sweet, it has a bitterness lent to it by the bitter almonds that are often used as a flavoring. The name “amaretto” is a diminutive of the Italian “amaro” meaning “bitter”.
Brian Eno composed the music for the 2009 film “The Lovely Bones”.
“The Lovely Bones” is a remarkable film directed by Peter Jackson (of “Lord of the Rings” fame). It stars the incredibly talented Irish actress, Saoirse Ronan, who plays a 14-year-old girl who has been murdered and is living in a surreal “in-between” world that is neither Heaven nor Earth. Often I find computer-generated graphics in movies overpowering and distracting, but this movie uses the technique to create a beautiful backdrop that really brings the story to life.
142. Source of enlightenment : ZEN
Zen is one of the Buddhist schools, and it developed it’s own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. Zen is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word “chan”, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word “dhyana” meaning “meditation”.
The 1960 novel by John Updike called “Rabbit Run” tells the story of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom as he tries to escape from his constraining, middle-class life. “Rabbit Run” is the first in a series of novels from Updike that feature the character, the others being:
– “Rabbit Redux”
– “Rabbit is Rich”
– “Rabbit at Rest”
– “Rabbit Remembered”
By now, everyone must know everything there is to know about Tiger Woods. But did you know that his real name is Eldrick Tont Woods? “Tont” is a traditional Thai name.
Down
1. Two-letter combinations : BIGRAMS
A bigram is a grouping of two letters, mainly used to statistically analyse written text. In English, the most common bigrams are, in order of frequency of use:
– th
– he
– in
– er
– an
The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, the invention of an architect named Alfred Moshoer Butts. Butts determined the optimum number of tiles of each letter and the appropriate point value of each tile, by analyzing letter distributions in publications like … “The New York Times” …
Sid Caesar achieved fame in the fifties on TV’s “Your Show of Shows”, but to be honest, I know him mainly from the fun film version of “Grease” in which he played Coach Calhoun.
5. Priory in “The Da Vinci Code” : SION
The Priory of Sion is presented in the preface of Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”, as a secret society that did in fact exist. However, there is a lot of evidence that the priory was an invention, created in forged documents in the sixties. Regardless, Dan Brown’s book is a really enjoyable read.
7. City NNE of Tahoe : RENO
Reno, Nevada takes its name from Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War. There is a famous “Reno Arch”, a structure that stands over the city’s main street erected in 1926 to promote an exposition planned for the following year. The city council decided to keep the arch and held a competition to decide what wording should be displayed, and the winner was “The Biggest Little City in the World”.
9. Patriotic women’s org. : DAR
In order to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, an applicant has to prove that she is a descendant of someone closely associated with and supportive of the American Revolution.
Hot-pants were quite the fad. They were introduced in fashion shows in the winter of 1970/71, and became a huge sensation in the summer of ’71. By the end of the year, hot pants were “gone”.
12. Cereal mixes : MUESLIS
“Meusli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of oats, nuts, fruit and milk. Delicious …
13. Ed.’s work pile : MSS
Editors work with manuscripts.
15. Low-priced furniture source : IKEA
Did you know that IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old??!! IKEA is an acronym that stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.
“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer, and if you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarity in the characters.
19. Finnish transport? : RAFT
Clever wording, transport used by Huck Finn might be described as “Finnish” …
30. Samaritans : DO-GOODERS
“The Good Samaritan” is a parable told by Jesus that can be read in the Gospel of Luke. According to the story, a Jewish traveler is robbed and beaten and left for dead at the side of the road. A priest happens by, sees the poor man, but does not stop to help. A fellow Jew also passes and refuses to help. A third man stops and gives aid. This kind person is a Samaritan, a native of Samaria. Back then Jewish and Samarian people were said to generally despise each other, and yet here a detested creature gives aid. Jesus told to the story to a self-righteous lawyer, the intent being (I assume) to shake up his self-righteousness.
33. State in French : ETAT
In French, a state (état) is a political division.
35. Peeved pout : MOUE
Moue comes from French, and it means a small grimace, or a pout.
Conrad Hilton was a native of New Mexico, but he bought his first hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919. He did well on the deal and opened up hotels all over Texas in the following years, and built the first high rise Hilton Hotel in Dallas. He went on to build the world’s first international hotel chain. Hilton was married three times, most famously to actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, from 1942 to 1946.
38. South American tuber : OCA
The plant call an oca is also known as the New Zealand Yam. The tubers of the oca are used as a root vegetable.
41. Collection of animals featured in this puzzle : CHINESE ZODIAC
The Chinese Zodiac is a scheme that relates each year to the attributes of a particular animal, in a 12-year cycle. So, the Chinese Zodiac has one sign for each of twelve years, whereas the Western Zodiac has one sign for each of the twelve months.
44. Fat underwater creature : SEA PIG
Sea pig is the name given to some species of porpoise and dolphin.
47. Dalmatian’s home : CROATIA
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, with most of its area falling in modern-day Croatia.
55. Foppish courtier in “Hamlet” : OSRIC
In William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, Osric is the courtier that Claudius dispatches to invite Hamlet to participate in a duel.
60. Revelation comes after it : JUDE
The Epistle of Jude is the second to last book of the New Testament, coming right before the Book of Revelation.
Nicholas Gage is a Greek-American author and investigative journalist. He wrote two memoirs, “Eleni” and “A Place for Us”. “Eleni” tells of his life in Greece during WWII and the Greek Civil War. The title is a tribute to his mother, Eleni, who was executed by Communists who occupied her village simply because she helped her children escape from the ravages of a war of occupation. “Eleni” was adapted into a movie in 1985, and starred John Malkovitch as Gage.
Reggie Miller is a retired basketball player who played his whole professional career with the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers are the professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, who play in the NBA. The name was chosen when the team was formed in 1967. “Pacers” is a homage harness racing pacers (famed in Indiana) and the pace car used in the Indianapolis 500.
“RoboCop” is a film that was released in 1987, starring Peter Weller in the title role. Weller wore a very impressive “robot” suit for the film, the most expensive item on the set, costing over a million dollars. Weller would lose three pounds a day in sweat alone as temperatures inside the suit went to over 100 degrees F.
81. “Hair” co-writer James : RADO
James Rado is best known as the co-writer of the musical “Hair” (Gerome Ragni was the other writer).
(88. See 91-Down : HIDDEN DRAGON)
Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre, not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense and Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, and “Brokeback Mountain”.
92. One of the tribes of Israel : ASHER
In the Book of Genesis, Asher was the second son of Jacob, and the founder of the tribe of Asher. Asher collaborated in the plot to sell his brother Joseph into slavery.
96. Director Vittorio De ___ : SICA
Vittoria De Sica was an Italian director and actor. He was director of the film “The Bicycle Thief”, released in 1948. Many deem “The Bicycle Thief” to be the greatest movie ever made.
Willard Scott, the gregarious weatherman for many years on NBC’s “The Today Show”, claims that he created the Ronald McDonald character for the hamburger chain. He did so at their request in 1963, and performed the role on television for three years.
103. London tourist stop : TATE
“The Tate” is actually made now made up of four separate galleries in England. The original Tate gallery was founded by Sir Henry Tate as the National Gallery of British Art. It is located on Millbank in London, on the site of the old Millbank Prison, and is now called Tate Britain. There is also the Tate Liverpool in the north of England located in an old warehouse, and the Tate St. Ives in the west country located in an old gas works. My favorite of the Tate galleries is the Tate Modern which lies on the banks of the Thames in London. It’s a beautiful building, a converted power station, that you have to see to believe.
Wolf Blitzer is currently the host of the CNN news show “The Situation Room”.
114. Much-wanted toon in Toontown : ROGER RABBIT
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was released in 1988, a clever film featuring cartoon characters that interact directly with human beings. The film is based on a novel written by Gary K. Wolf, called “Who Censored Roger Rabbit?” There is a prequel floating around that has never been produced, and it’s called “Who Discovered Roger Rabbit”.
115. Dumas’s “La Dame ___ Camélias” : AUX
“The Lady of the Camellias” (in French, “La Dame aux Camélias”) is a novel written by Alexandre Dumas, fils (the son of Alexandre Dumas, père, author of “The Three Musketeers” etc.). “The Lady of the Camellias” was a smash hit, and it was adapted for the stage many times. Most famously, it became Verdi’s opera “La Traviata”.
122. Hindu deity : SIVA
The Hindu Trinity is composed of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva (also Siva) the destroyer or transformer. Shiva is a Sanskrit word meaning “auspicious, kind, gracious”.
123. Designer Cassini : OLEG
Oleg Cassini, the French-born American fashion designer has had two big names particularly associated with his designs. In the sixties he designed the state wardrobe for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and he was also the exclusive designer for Hollywood’s Gene Tierney, Cassini’s second wife.
125. W. or J.F.K. : PREZ
George W. Bush (“W”) and John F. Kennedy (“J.F.K.”) were both presidents.
126. A, to Zimmermann : EINE
One German word for “a” is “eine”, used with feminine nouns.
128. 60 minuti : ORA
In Italian, 60 minutes (minuti) make up an hour (ora).
We all know Meow Mix cat food because of its advertising jingle that was meowed out by a cat, with subtitles below.
133. Enzyme ending : -ASE
Enzymes are basically catalysts, chemicals that act to increase the rate of a particular chemical reaction. So, for example, starches will break down into sugars over time, especially under the right conditions. However, in the presence of the enzyme amylase (found in saliva, say) this production of sugar happens very, very quickly.
134. Norse war god : TYR
Týr is the Norse god of single combat, victory and heroic glory.
135. The Horned Frogs, for short : TCU
The athletic teams of Texas Christian University go by the name TCU Horned Frogs. The Texas horned lizard is known colloquially as the “horned frog”.
138. Something about nothing? : ADO
“Much Ado About Nothing” is a favorite of mine, a play of course by William Shakespeare. It is a comedic tale of two pairs of lovers with lots of mistaken identities and double meanings. I once saw it performed in the fabulous Globe Theatre in London … by an all-female cast!
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Rum, vodka and orange juice drink : BRASS MONKEY
7. “Little” barnyard bird with an alliterative name in a classic Willie Dixon blues song : RED ROOSTER
11. “Let me think …” : HMM
14. Costume party accessory : WIG
17. Pope after Marinus I : ADRIAN III
20. Trying : VEXATIOUS
22. Turner of records : IKE
23. Felt like forever : DRAGGED ON
24. Interludes : ENTR’ACTES
25. Cultural grp. : NEA
26. Viewable, to a camera operator : IN FRAME
27. Author Marsh : NGAIO
29. EarthLink and others : ISPS
30. Result of turning the corner? : DOG-EAR
31. Became annoyed : GOT SORE
34. New England’s Cape ___ : ANN
35. Roman 1,150 : MCL
37. Detached : ALOOF
39. Public person? : NOTARY
41. Pillow talk? : COOS
42. Cage in Hollywood : NICOLAS
45. Fellowship foes : ORCS
49. So-called “Heart of Texas” : WACO
50. Eschew : SHUN
51. “See you then!” : IT’S A DATE
52. Famous fiddler : NERO
53. Words to a traitor : ET TU
54. Steering system parts : TIE RODS
56. “___ bien” (Spanish for “It’s good”) : ESTA
57. Bit of a muscle car’s muscle : HORSEPOWER
59. ___ Joe, “Tom Sawyer” character : INJUN
61. Do-do connector : AS I
62. Looney Tunes character with a snout : PORKY PIG
64. Fashionista’s concern : BRAND
65. Abide : ENDURE
66. Surprise visitors : DROP-INS
68. British isle : AIT
69. Suffix with torrent : -IAL
71. Driller’s letters : DDS
72. Poker declaration : I CALL
73. Pound sound : GRR
76. Top-rated show of 2002-05 : CSI
77. What the 41-Down has : TWELVE-YEAR CYCLE
82. Pooh’s young pal : ROO
83. Mauna ___ : KEA
84. Land of Ephesians : IONIA
85. When doubled, first name in old Hollywood : ZSA
86. Spanish “that” : ESA
87. ___ system (way of classifying blood) : ABO
88. Most divine : HOLIEST
90. Rattletrap : OLD CAR
93. Cobra product : VENOM
95. Cobra products : SNAKESKINS
98. Ariz. neighbor : NEV
99. Swingers in a saloon : DOORS
100. Person who likes the blues? : DEMOCRAT
101. Mottled : PIED
102. Soldier’s meal container : MESS TIN
104. Very : OH SO
106. Palliative plant : ALOE
107. Winter Olympics performance since 1976 : ICE DANCE
110. Den ___, Nederland : HAAG
111. Ubangi tributary : UELE
112. Phalanx’s weaknesses : GAPS
113. Thinned out : TAPERED
114. Driller’s letters : ROTC
115. Facing, with “from” : ACROSS
117. Halved : IN TWO
118. Be shy : OWE
119. “What?!” : HUH
120. Serves : WAITS ON
125. King Arthur’s family name : PENDRAGON
127. Make out, in York : SNOG
129. Old saw : MAXIM
131. With craft : FOXILY
132. Getup : RIG
133. Italian liqueurs : AMARETTOS
136. Strip in a darkroom : NEGATIVES
139. “The Lovely Bones” composer, 2009 : ENO
140. Topic at an owners/players meeting : SALARY CAP
141. Heyday : GOLDEN AGE
142. Source of enlightenment : ZEN
143. Terminal : END
144. 1960 Updike novel : RABBIT RUN
145. Four-time Masters winner : TIGER WOODS
Down
1. Two-letter combinations : BIGRAMS
2. Continue, as an uncontrolled fire : RAGE ON
3. Most common draw in Scrabble : AN E
4. Comic Caesar : SID
5. Priory in “The Da Vinci Code” : SION
6. Tomfoolery : MONKEYING AROUND
7. City NNE of Tahoe : RENO
8. Bus. line : EXT
9. Patriotic women’s org. : DAR
10. Wakes thrown up behind speedboats : ROOSTER-TAILS
11. Revealing 1970s wear : HOT-PANTS
12. Cereal mixes : MUESLIS
13. Ed.’s work pile : MSS
14. Portable red or white holder : WINE FLASK
15. Low-priced furniture source : IKEA
16. Tent or sleeping bag, e.g. : GEAR
17. Take ___ at (insult) : A DIG
18. 1962 action film set in Jamaica : DR NO
19. Finnish transport? : RAFT
20. Mark in marble : VEIN
21. Suffix with rhythm : -ICS
28. Whichever : ANY
30. Samaritans : DO-GOODERS
32. Galley figure : ROWER
33. State in French : ETAT
35. Peeved pout : MOUE
36. Hotelier Hilton : CONRAD
38. South American tuber : OCA
40. Be part of, as a film : ACT IN
41. Collection of animals featured in this puzzle : CHINESE ZODIAC
43. Lawyer: Abbr. : ATTY
44. Fat underwater creature : SEA PIG
45. Like a Mountie : ON HORSEBACK
46. Musical echo : REPRISE
47. Dalmatian’s home : CROATIA
48. Like wild oats : SOWN
50. Strong : STURDY
51. Dumbness : IDIOCY
55. Foppish courtier in “Hamlet” : OSRIC
58. It may be limited or late : EDITION
60. Revelation comes after it : JUDE
62. Doctor’s orders : PILLS
63. Away for a while : ON LEAVE
65. 1985 John Malkovich drama : ELENI
67. Reggie Miller, for one : PACER
70. People leaving the company? : AWOLS
73. Breakfast in a bar : GRANOLA
74. High-tech officer in film : ROBOCOP
75. Hotel figures : ROOM RATES
78. Mortgage holder, e.g. : LIENEE
79. Florist’s supply : VASES
80. Comparable in reach : AS LONG
81. “Hair” co-writer James : RADO
88. See 91-Down : HIDDEN DRAGON
89. Pilot program? : TV SHOW
91. With 88-Down, 2000 Ang Lee film : CROUCHING TIGER
92. One of the tribes of Israel : ASHER
94. Online publication, for short : EMAG
95. Place where a person may be bitten : SNAKE PIT
96. Director Vittorio De ___ : SICA
97. Sticking with it : KEEPING ON
100. ___ number on (mentally abuses) : DOES A
102. Noted Ronald : MCDONALD
103. London tourist stop : TATE
105. Dull : SLOW
108. Works at a museum : ART
109. Blitzer, e.g. : NEWSMAN
114. Much-wanted toon in Toontown : ROGER RABBIT
115. Dumas’s “La Dame ___ Camélias” : AUX
116. Combed (through) : SIFTED
119. Lock plate : HASP
121. Cobra products : TOXINS
122. Hindu deity : SIVA
123. Designer Cassini : OLEG
124. Nasdaq alternative : NYSE
125. W. or J.F.K. : PREZ
126. A, to Zimmermann : EINE
128. 60 minuti : ORA
129. Grouse : MOAN
130. ___ Mix : MEOW
133. Enzyme ending : -ASE
134. Norse war god : TYR
135. The Horned Frogs, for short : TCU
137. Mop & ___ : GLO
138. Something about nothing? : ADO