Category: Will Nediger

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
15. Noted brand once owned by a utopian colony in Iowa : AMANA
The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa. Today, the Amana name is very much associated with household appliances. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.

“The Amana Colonies” is the collective name given to seven villages in east-central Iowa, namely Amana, East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana and Homestead. All seven villages were founded by German immigrants who called themselves the Community of True Inspiration.

20. Theodore, for one : CHIPMUNK
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a cartoon musical group that was created for the recording of a novelty song in 1958 called “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”. The three Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore) were all voiced by singer Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. but with a speedy playback to create high-pitched voices.

27. Bite stopper : DEET
DEET is short for N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing. It is also used to protect against tick bites.

29. When Juno Beach was attacked : D-DAY
The Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The worst fighting by far took place on Omaha Beach, a sector assigned to the US Army that was transported by elements of the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

30. Herb in absinthe : FENNEL
Absinthe is an alcoholic spirit that is distilled from various plants and herbs, including “wormwood”. Absinthe was banned in the US in 1915 as it was deemed to be an addictive psychoactive drug. However, the accepted opinion today seems to be that absinthe is no more addictive or dangerous than any other spirit.

39. “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” e.g. : SPOOF
The second film in the Austin Powers series, “The Spy Who Shagged Me” ran into a few problems over in the UK and other parts of the world. Over there, the word “shag” is pretty rude.

The character Austin Powers was created by the actor who plays him, namely Mike Myers. Apparently Myers came up with the idea for Powers while listening to the Burt Bacharach song “The Look of Love”.

41. One of the singing Carpenters : KAREN
Karen Carpenter was an accomplished drummer, although she only started playing drums in high school, as a member of the school band. After she graduated she started playing jazz with her brother, Richard, and a college friend. Later, she and Richard played with a group called Spectrum, and submitted many demo tapes to recording companies, but all were unsuccessful. Finally, Karen and Richard got a recording contract with A&M Records, and when they had Karen take the lead on their songs, they hit the big time and toured as the Carpenters. Sadly, Karen passed away at only 32-years-old, dying from heart failure brought on by anorexia.

47. Neighbor of Turkey : IRAN
Before 1935, the country we know today as Iran was called Persia by the Western world. The official name of the country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.

50. Lugosi of film fame : BELA
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian stage and screen actor, best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film “Dracula” and for playing the same role on Broadway. Lugosi found himself typecast for the rest of his career and almost always played the role of the villain, often in horror movies. When he passed away in 1956, his wife had him buried in the costume he wore playing Count Dracula on Broadway.

51. Cry of Pontius Pilate : ECCE HOMO!
According to the Gospel of John, when Pilate presented a scourged and beaten Jesus to the crowd he used the words “Ecce homo”, Latin for “Behold the man”.

53. Company behind the Falcon 9 launch vehicle : SPACEX
SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is a space transportation company that was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, veteran of PayPal and Tesla Motors. In 2012, SpaceX became the first private concern to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station. Apparently, SpaceX is the lowest-price player in the game.

57. Ancient Greek vessel : TRIREME
Triremes were galleys used in the Mediterranean by a number of cultures, including the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The trireme was so called because there were three rows of oars on each side of the vessel. The term “trireme” comes from the Latin “tres remi” meaning “three-oar”. There was also a less ambitious version of the trireme that had only two banks of oars, and that was known as a bireme.

59. Diamond stat : RBI
Run batted in (RBI)

60. Mountain in the logo of Yerevan State University : ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat as the Great Flood subsided.

Yerevan is a the capital of Armenia, and the nation’s largest city. Yerevan was founded in 782 BC with the building of the fortress of Erebuni. That makes it one of oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world. Yerevan’s skyline is dominated by the twin peaks of Mount Ararat.

61. Sweetheart, in slang : BAE
“Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment, a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”.

63. Brother who’s a criminal? : FELONIOUS MONK (from “Thelonious Monk”)
Thelonious Monk was a jazz pianist and composer, the second-most recorded jazz composer after the great Duke Ellington. That’s a pretty impressive statistic given that Ellington wrote more than 1,000 songs, whereas Monk only wrote about 70. Monk was a pioneer in the development of the jazz style called “bebop”, which gained popularity in the 1940s.

67. Subject of the photo “Guerrillero Heroico” : CHE
“Guerrillero Heroico” is the name of an iconic photograph taken Alberto Korda of the revolutionary Che Guevara. With the title translating into English as “Heroic Guerrilla Fighter”, the image shows Guevara in a dark beret, with an “implacable” stare. It is versions of this photo that have been used so many time in tattoos, poster, paintings, etc. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has determined that “Guerrillero Heroico” has been reproduced more than any other image in the history of photography.

70. Friend of Huck : TOM
Tom Sawyer is 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”)

73. Cirrus clouds, e.g. : WISPS
Cirrus (plural “cirri”) clouds are those lovely wispy, white strands that are often called “mare’s tails”.

74. King of the Titans, in Greek legend : KRONOS
In Greek mythology, Cronus (also “Kronos”) was one of the Titans. Cronus overthrew his father Uranus and rook over rule of the Titans. Eventually, Cronus was ousted by own son, Zeus.

77. Movie starring Michael J. Fox as a lycanthrope : TEEN WOLF
“Teen Wolf” is a 1985 comedy film starring Michael J. Fox in the title role, a high school student who transforms into a werewolf. There’s a TV series that’s loosely based on the movie. The show features Tyler Posey as the “teen wolf”. Neither movie nor TV show would be my cup of tea …

A “lycanthrope” is a werewolf, with the term coming from the Greek for wolf (lykos) and man (anthropos).

80. French press alternative : DRIP
That would be coffee.

84. How Bilbo Baggins traveled : AFAR
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel “The Hobbit”, the title character is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who stumbles across a magical ring and then embarks on a series of adventures.

85. Currency with notes in denominations of 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 : YEN
The Korean Won, the Chinese Yuan, and the Japanese Yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

86. Annoy actors Keaton and Crabbe? : MIFF BUSTERS (from “MythBusters”)
Buster Keaton was a comic actor who was most famous for his work during the silent era. Keaton starred in and co-directed the 1926 silent comedy “The General”, lauded by some as the greatest movie of all time.

As an actor, Buster Crabbe was best known for playing Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Before taking up acting, Crabbe was a championship swimmer, the winner of the 1932 Olympic gold medal for the 400 meter freestyle.

92. Scotland’s ___ Islands : ORKNEY
Orkney (also called “The Orkney Islands”) is a group of about 70 islands in the very north of Scotland. When locals who inhabit the archipelago refer to the Mainland, they aren’t talking about Scotland that is just ten miles away. Instead, the Mainland in Orkney is the name of the largest of all the islands.

96. Soprano Fleming : RENEE
Renée Fleming is a marvelous soprano from Indiana, Pennsylvania. Famous for her appearances in opera houses and concert halls all over the world, Fleming is also noted for her willingness to bring her craft to the masses. She was a guest on “Sesame Street”, singing “counting lyrics” to an aria from “Rigoletto”, and she has appeared a few times on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion”.

97. Cold treat eaten with a spoon : FROYO
Frozen yogurt (froyo)

100. Boris Pasternak heroine : LARA
The heroine of Boris Pasternak’s epic novel “Doctor Zhivago” is Lara. The Lara character was inspired by Pasternak’s mistress Olga Ivinskaya.

102. Org. that might come pounding at the door : FBI
What we know today as the FBI was set up in 1908 as the BOI, the Bureau of Investigation. The name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. The Bureau was set up at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was largely moved to do so after the 1901 assassination of President McKinley, as there was a perception that anarchists were threatening law and order. The FBI’s motto uses the organization’s initialism, and is “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity”.

108. Home to some flying monkeys : LAND OF OZ
“The Wizard of Oz” scares me, as the flying monkeys creep me out. There, I’ve admitted it in public …

113. Hollywood resident, e.g. : ANGELENO
An Angeleno is someone who lives in Los Angeles.

115. Kind of acting : METHOD
Method acting is a term referring to techniques in which actors really try to get into the thoughts and emotions of the character in order to give a better performance. By contrast, a classical actor would simulate the thoughts and emotions by using external means such as tone of voice or facial expression.

Down
3. With 44-Down, half-dozen real estate agents? : SIX CHARACTERS IN …
44D. See 3-Down : … SEARCH OF AN OFFER (from “Six Characters in Search of an Author”)
“Six Characters in Search of an Author” is a play by Italian dramatist Luigi Pirandello. It is an absurdist work, which means that I wouldn’t like it …

4. Longtime news inits. : UPI
Founded in 1958, United Press International (UPI) used to be one of the biggest news agencies in the world, sending out news by wire to the major newspapers. UPI ran into trouble with the change in media formats at the end of the twentieth century and lost many of its clients as the afternoon newspapers shut down due to the advent of television news. UPI, which once employed thousands, still exists today but with just a handful of employees.

5. “Breaking Bad” channel : AMC
AMC, formerly known as American Movie Classics, is one of my favorite television channels. Although the channel’s focus has shifted from airing classic movies to including other programming, there’s still a lot of quality output. AMC’s flagship shows are “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad”.

8. Terrier named after a Scottish island : SKYE
The Skye terrier is a breed of dog that is actually under threat of extinction. A few years ago there were only 30 Skye terriers born in the breed’s native land of the UK.

The Isle of Skye is off the northwest coast of Scotland in the Inner Hebrides. It is the second largest island in the country, and has been linked to the mainland by a road bridge since 1995. I’ve never been there, but I hear the views are spectacular.

9. Real pal, for short : BFF
Best friend forever (BFF)

16. ___ sauce (macaroni and cheese ingredient) : MORNAY
Béchamel sauce is a roux made from butter and flour cooked in milk. It is sometimes known simply as white sauce. Béchamel is also considered the “mother sauce” in French cuisine as it is the base of other sauces. For example, Mornay sauce is Béchamel with cheese.

18. Post on a banister : NEWEL
A newel is a principal upright post that supports a handrail beside a staircase. Newels are found at the top and bottom of the banister, and sometimes in between. Newels are often adorned with decorative trim to set them apart from the other posts by the staircase.

28. Plain dwelling? : TEPEE
A tepee (also written as “tipi” and “teepee”) is a cone-shaped tent traditionally made from animal hides that is used by the Great Plains Native Americans. A wigwam is a completely different structure and is often a misnomer for a tepee. A wigwam is a domed structure built by Native Americans in the West and Southwest, intended to be a more permanent dwelling. The wigwam can also be covered with hides but more often was covered with grass, reeds, brush or cloth.

36. Name for a cat : FELIX
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character who dates back to the era of silent movies. A papier-mâché model of Felix was used in one of the first ever broadcasts of a television image, in 1928. At that time, RCA was using a Felix doll in experimental transmissions in New York.

37. Depression Era refugee : OKIE
“Okies” is a derogatory term used during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s for farming families who migrated from Oklahoma (hence the name), Arkansas, Kansas and Texas in search of agricultural jobs in California. The road used by many of these migrant families was Route 66, which is also called “Mother Road”.

42. About which you might ask “One lump or two?” : CAMEL
The dromedary, also known as the Arabian Camel or Indian Camel, is the camel that has only one hump. The other species of camel is the Bactrian, which has two humps. The hump of a dromedary contains up to 80 pounds of fat, which can be broken down into water and energy if no food or water is available.

43. Theme in “To Kill a Mockingbird” : RACISM
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was first published in 1960. The book is a mainstay in English classes all around the world and is a great ambassador for American literature.

45. Name on the Saudi flag : ALLAH
The flag of Saudi Arabia has a green background on which there is a white sword, and above the sword an inscription in white lettering. The inscription is the Islamic declaration of faith, and translates as “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. Manufacturing the flag is a little tricky as it has two different sides, so the writing must read correctly (from right-to-left) on both sides. Also, the sword which lies horizontally under the inscription, it has to point away from the flagpole on both sides. If you think about it, each side is therefore a different design.

50. It has two cups : BRA
The word “brassière” is French in origin, but it isn’t the word that the French use for a “bra”. In France, what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

52. LP players : HI-FIS
Hi-fi systems were introduced in the late forties, and is audio equipment designed to give a much higher quality reproduction of sound than cheaper systems available up to that point. “Hi-fi” stands for “high fidelity”.

55. ___-Bakr (father-in-law of Muhammad) : ABU
The Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia Muslims differ in the belief of who should have taken over leadership of the Muslim faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of the Sunni tradition agree with the decision that the Prophet Muhammad’s confidante Abu Bakr was the right choice to become the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Followers of the Shia tradition believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet Muhammad’s own family, and favoured the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali.

56. Like Mork : ORKAN
The sitcom “Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

60. Aconcagua’s range : ANDES
The Andes range is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world, running right down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles. The highest peak in the Andes is Mt. Aconcagua, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.

61. Like most Judd Apatow comedies : BAWDY
Judd Apatow is known for producing the TV series “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared”. Those shows aren’t my cup of tea, but he also collaborated with Lena Dunham to create the show “Girls”. I could drink that tea all day long. “Girls” is a very entertaining series …

66. “Golden Boy” playwright : ODETS
“Golden Boy” was a play written by Clifford Odets that was first performed in 1937 on Broadway. There was a film adaptation released in 1939 that starred a young William Holden. “Golden Boy” was the film that launched Holden’s career.

69. Pokémon Go, for one : APP
“Pokémon GO!” is a reality-based video game in which players must locate, capture, battle and train virtual creatures known as Pokémon. The Pokémon are hidden in the real world, in the sense that they have to be located on an electronic device (like a smartphone) in “the real world”, for which a GPS location is needed. Players see the Pokémon overlaid on a view of the real world on their smart device.

72. Posh : SWANKY
No one really knows the etymology of the word “posh”. The popular myth that POSH is actually an acronym standing for “Port Out, Starboard Home” is completely untrue, and is a story that can actually be traced back to the 1968 movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. The myth is that wealthy British passengers travelling to and from India would book cabins on the port side for the outward journey and the starboard side for the home journey. This trick was supposedly designed to keep their cabins out of the direct sunlight.

74. Yogurtlike beverage : KEFIR
Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.

76. “Gymnopédies” composer : SATIE
Erik Satie was a French composer most famous for his beautiful composition, the three “Gymnopédies”. I have tried so hard to appreciate other works by Satie but I find them so very different from the minimalist simplicity of the lyrical “Gymnopédies”.

78. Africa’s ___ Chad : LAKE
The landlocked African country called Chad takes its name from the second largest wetland on the continent, which is known as Lake Chad.

79. James who wrote the best seller “A Million Little Pieces” : FREY
“A Million Little Pieces” is a somewhat controversial memoir by James Frey. It tells the story of the young Frey overcoming alcohol and drug abuse. The controversy arose after when it was revealed after the book was published that what Frey wrote was “essentially” true, but a lot of details were changed. Later editions describe the memoir as “semi-fictional”.

83. Cut at a slant : BEVEL
A bevelled edged is like a chamfered edge. The edge of a mirror is often bevelled, meaning that it is cut at an angle that isn’t perpendicular to the mirror’s surface.

88. City on the Italian Riviera : SAN REMO
The Italian city of San Remo sits on the Mediterranean, right on the border with France. In Italian the city is named Sanremo, just one word, although the spelling of “San Remo” dates back to ancient times.

“Riviera” is an Italian word meaning “coastline”. The term is often applied to a coastline that is sunny and popular with tourists. The term “the Riviera” is usually reserved for the French Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline in southeastern France), and the Italian Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline centered on Genoa).

89. Sign of a hit : SRO
Standing room only (SRO)

95. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE
Mother-of-pearl is another name for nacre. Nacre is the strong iridescent material laid down by some mollusks on the inside of their shells, and it’s also what makes up pearls. The creature lays down nacre as a defensive mechanism, protecting the soft tissue of its body from the rough surface of the outer shell. Similarly, it uses nacre to encapsulate harmful debris or a parasite that penetrates the shell, and that’s how a pearl is formed.

99. Nasdaq alternative : NYSE
The roots of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) go back to 1792 when a group of 24 stock brokers set up the New York Stock & Exchange Board. They did so in an agreement signed under a buttonwood tree outside 68 Wall Street. That document became known as the Buttonwood Agreement. Today, the NYSE is located in National Historic Landmark building with the address 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

The NASDAQ trading system created in 1971 is the successor to the over-the-counter (OTC) trading system that was common at the time. OTC trading is done directly between two parties without being facilitated by an exchange.

101. “C’est la vie!” : ALAS!
“C’est la vie” is French for “that’s life”.

103. Paleontologist’s find : BONE
Paleontology is the study of prehistoric life. My favorite “paleontologist” is Dr. David Huxley played by Cary Grant opposite Katharine Hepburn in the wonderful 1938 comedy “Bringing Up Baby”.

104. Polo brand : IZOD
Jack Izod was a tailor of some repute over in England, producing shirts for King George V as well as other members of the Royal Family. As Izod was about to retire, he was approached for the use of his name by an American clothing manufacturer based in New York. The brand Izod of London was introduced to America in 1938.

106. Cook who’s entrepreneurial : TIM
Tim Cook has been Apple’s CEO since 2011, when he succeeded Steve Jobs. Cook had joined the company back in 1998 as senior vice president in charge of worldwide operations. He came out as gay in October of 2014, making Cook the first openly gay CEO of a company on the Fortune 500 list.

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

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Relieves : ASSUAGES
9. “You ___!” : BETCHA
15. Noted brand once owned by a utopian colony in Iowa : AMANA
20. Theodore, for one : CHIPMUNK
21. Display no talent for : FAIL AT
22. Like boots : SOLED
23. Deadliness : TOXICITY
24. Make lots of people stop in their tracks? : FREEZE A CROWD (from “three’s a crowd”)
26. Heartbeat : SEC
27. Bite stopper : DEET
29. When Juno Beach was attacked : D-DAY
30. Herb in absinthe : FENNEL
31. Be watchfully ever-present : HOVER
34. Flub : ERROR
36. Obtain through trickery : FINAGLE
37. Roughly equal : ON A PAR
39. “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” e.g. : SPOOF
40. Demanding : NEEDY
41. One of the singing Carpenters : KAREN
42. Unnecessary extras that don’t cost much? : CHEAP FRILLS (from “cheap thrills”)
44. One may be circular : SAW
47. Neighbor of Turkey : IRAN
48. Did some farm work : BALED
49. Sharp : ACID
50. Lugosi of film fame : BELA
51. Cry of Pontius Pilate : ECCE HOMO!
53. Company behind the Falcon 9 launch vehicle : SPACEX
56. Grad student headaches : ORALS
57. Ancient Greek vessel : TRIREME
59. Diamond stat : RBI
60. Mountain in the logo of Yerevan State University : ARARAT
61. Sweetheart, in slang : BAE
63. Brother who’s a criminal? : FELONIOUS MONK (from “Thelonious Monk”)
67. Subject of the photo “Guerrillero Heroico” : CHE
68. Trembling, say : AFRAID
70. Friend of Huck : TOM
71. Hectic scramble : MAD DASH
73. Cirrus clouds, e.g. : WISPS
74. King of the Titans, in Greek legend : KRONOS
77. Movie starring Michael J. Fox as a lycanthrope : TEEN WOLF
80. French press alternative : DRIP
81. Look ecstatic : BEAM
82. Neighbors : ABUTS
84. How Bilbo Baggins traveled : AFAR
85. Currency with notes in denominations of 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 : YEN
86. Annoy actors Keaton and Crabbe? : MIFF BUSTERS (from “MythBusters”)
89. Clog clearer : SNAKE
90. On again : RELIT
91. Green : NAIVE
92. Scotland’s ___ Islands : ORKNEY
93. Doomed : DONE FOR
96. Soprano Fleming : RENEE
97. Cold treat eaten with a spoon : FROYO
98. Strapped, say : IN A FIX
99. ___ relative : NEAR
100. Boris Pasternak heroine : LARA
102. Org. that might come pounding at the door : FBI
105. Safety worry? : SECURITY FRET (from “security threat”)
108. Home to some flying monkeys : LAND OF OZ
111. Heals : CURES
112. “Am I the only one thinking this …?” : IS IT ME …?
113. Hollywood resident, e.g. : ANGELENO
114. Said “C-O-L-O-U-R,” e.g. : SPELT
115. Kind of acting : METHOD
116. Made fun of mercilessly : SKEWERED

Down
1. Doesn’t just sit there : ACTS
2. Flat, e.g. : SHOE
3. With 44-Down, half-dozen real estate agents? : SIX CHARACTERS IN …
4. Longtime news inits. : UPI
5. “Breaking Bad” channel : AMC
6. One escorting : GUIDER
7. Log : ENTER
8. Terrier named after a Scottish island : SKYE
9. Real pal, for short : BFF
10. Bit of jewelry with a pendant : EAR DROP
11. Attached with a knot at the end : TIED OFF
12. Not nebulous : CLEAR
13. Nebulous : HAZY
14. Downed : ATE
15. Climbs : ASCENDS
16. ___ sauce (macaroni and cheese ingredient) : MORNAY
17. Word after sing or string : … ALONG
18. Post on a banister : NEWEL
19. Perplex : ADDLE
25. Off the beaten path : AFIELD
28. Plain dwelling? : TEPEE
32. Part of a concert that many people impatiently sit through : OPENER
33. Moving vehicle : VAN
35. Some infrastructure : ROADS
36. Name for a cat : FELIX
37. Depression Era refugee : OKIE
38. Stash hunter : NARC
39. Hebrew name that means “his peace” : SHLOMO
40. Annotation on Santa’s list : NICE
42. About which you might ask “One lump or two?” : CAMEL
43. Theme in “To Kill a Mockingbird” : RACISM
44. See 3-Down : … SEARCH OF AN OFFER (from “Six Characters in Search of an Author”)
45. Name on the Saudi flag : ALLAH
46. Refuse : WASTE
48. Not engaged : BORED
50. It has two cups : BRA
52. LP players : HI-FIS
54. Teaser : PROMO
55. ___-Bakr (father-in-law of Muhammad) : ABU
56. Like Mork : ORKAN
58. Put in a crypt : ENTOMB
60. Aconcagua’s range : ANDES
61. Like most Judd Apatow comedies : BAWDY
62. In flames : AFIRE
64. One may be polyatomic : ION
65. Ripe : MATURE
66. “Golden Boy” playwright : ODETS
69. Pokémon Go, for one : APP
72. Posh : SWANKY
74. Yogurtlike beverage : KEFIR
75. Whole lot : RAFT
76. “Gymnopédies” composer : SATIE
78. Africa’s ___ Chad : LAKE
79. James who wrote the best seller “A Million Little Pieces” : FREY
81. City next to Gulfport : BILOXI
83. Cut at a slant : BEVEL
86. Selfish demand : ME FIRST!
87. Discover : UNEARTH
88. City on the Italian Riviera : SAN REMO
89. Sign of a hit : SRO
90. What jets may do midair : REFUEL
92. Word often said to lack a rhyme : ORANGE
93. Contents of drives : DISCS
94. Do better than : ONE-UP
95. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE
96. Size again : REFIT
97. Candid : FRANK
99. Nasdaq alternative : NYSE
101. “C’est la vie!” : ALAS!
103. Paleontologist’s find : BONE
104. Polo brand : IZOD
106. Cook who’s entrepreneurial : TIM
107. ___ talks : TED
109. It might get your feet wet : DEW
110. Stadium cry : OLE!

Return to top of page