NYXCrossword.com

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Sonata movement : RONDO
A rondo was often chosen by composers for the last movement of a sonata (or symphony or concerto, for that matter). In rondo form there is a principal theme that alternates with a contrasting theme(s). So, the original theme anchors the whole piece in between secondary digressions.

11. Org. for Lt. Columbo : LAPD
“Columbo” is a police drama that aired from 1971-78, with some more episodes made as recently as 2003. Columbo was of course played by Peter Falk, although the character of Columbo was first played by Bert Freed in 1960 in an episode of “The Chevy Mystery Show”, . That first appearance was so successful that the episode was adapted for the stage in 1962, with Thomas Mitchell playing the role. Then the same episode was stretched into a TV movie in 1968, with Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo for the first time.

15. 33 1/3 and others : RPMS
The first vinyl records designed to play at 33 1/3 rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. Years later, the first Long Play (LP), 33 1/3 rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year.

21. Cross letters : INRI
The letters on the cross on which Jesus died were INRI. INRI is an acronym for the Latin “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum”, which translates into English as Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.

22. “___ la Douce” : IRMA
“Irma la Douce” is a wonderful Billy Wilder movie, released in 1963. It stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Lemmon plays a maligned Parisian policeman, and MacLaine is the popular prostitute, Irma la Douce (literally “Irma the Sweet”). Don’t let the adult themes throw you, it’s a very entertaining movie …

31. Modern: Ger. : NEU
“Neu” is the German word for “new”.

33. Old Turkish V.I.P.’s : AGAS
“Aga”, or “Agha”, is a title that was used by both civil and military officials in the Ottoman Empire.

35. Skippy alternative : JIF
Jif is the leading brand of peanut butter in the US, and has been since 1981. Introduced in 1958, it is now produced by Smuckers.

Skippy is a brand of peanut butter that has been around since 1933 when it was introduced by Rosefield Packing Co., just down the road here in Alameda, California. The companies that have owned the “Skippy” brand name have for decades been in dispute with the estate of Percy Crosby, the creator of the “Skippy” comic strip, over use of the name.

42. Finnish city near the Arctic Circle : OULU
Oulu is the largest city in Northern Finland. It is one of the most northerly cities in the world, lying just 200km south of the arctic circle.

48. Street on old TV : DELLA
Della Street was Perry Mason’s very capable secretary in the Erle Stanley Gardner novels. Della was played in the TV show by the lovely Barbara Hale.

51. “Ideas for life” sloganeer : PANASONIC
Not so long ago, Panasonic was called Matsushita Electronics, the name it took from its founder when the company started in 1918. The products manufactured back then were lamp sockets, and in 1927 the company introduced a bicycle lamp. Even after the company became famous for producing electrical and electronic goods, Matsushita had a very successful line of Panasonic bicycles, as the founder was raised in a family with a bicycle shop and he was passionate about cycling.

53. Skips on water : DAPS
“To dap” is to skip or bounce across the surface of the water. Dapping is also the name given to fishing technique of letting a baited hook fall gently onto the water’s surface.

55. “The Canterbury Tales” pilgrim : REEVE
“The Reeve’s Tale” is the third of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”. A reeve was a senior official in the days of Anglo-Saxon England, perhaps a chief magistrate of a town.

62. Mark Twain, e.g., religiously speaking : DEIST
Deism (from the Latin “deus” meaning god) is the belief that a supreme being created the universe, a belief based on observation and reason and without the need for faith. Further, a deist does not accept divine intervention, but rather believes that the supreme being having created the universe, leaves the world to it own devices.

65. Human, e.g., foodwise : OMNIVORE
The term “omnivore” comes from Latin, meaning “one who devours all”. That would be me …

70. Mercedes competitor : LEXUS
Lexus is a division of the Toyota Motor Company, ans is Toyota’s luxury brand. As an aside, Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Acura is the more luxurious version of Honda’s models.

77. Mother of Horus, in Egyptian myth : ISIS
Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, and the mother of Horus. The Egyptian pharaohs were supposedly incarnations of Horus.

79. “Mona Lisa” feature : SMILE
Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece that we know in English as the “Mona Lisa” is called “La Gioconda” in Italian, the language of the artist. It’s also known as “La Joconde” by the Government of France which owns the painting and displays it in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The title comes from the name of the subject, almost certainly Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. Giocondo was a wealthy silk merchant in Florence who commissioned the painting for the couple’s new home to celebrate the birth of their second son.

82. Prince Valiant’s son : ARN
Arn was the eldest son of Prince Valiant, the comic strip hero. Edward, the Duke of Windsor, called the “Prince Valiant” comic strip the “greatest contribution to English Literature in the past one hundred years”. I’m not so sure …

83. Part of the Hindu Godhead : DIVINE MOTHER
In Hinduism, Shatki is the name given to dynamic forces that pervade the universe. Shatki is sometimes referred to as “the Great Divine Mother”.

91. Organic compound : ENOL
An enol is an alkene with a hydroxyl group, sort of part alkene, part alcohol. The term “enol” therefore, is a portmanteau of “alkene” and “alcohol”.

92. Rights of passage : EASEMENTS
In the world of law, an “easement” is the right given to an individual to make limited use of someone else’s real property. Usually this is a right of way, allowing someone to cross the property.

94. 1936 Loretta Young title role : RAMONA
“Ramona” is a 1936 screen adaption of an 1884 novel of the same name written by Helen Hunt Jackson. The title role is played by Loretta Young.

Loretta Young was a marvelous Hollywood actress, an Oscar winner for her role in the 1947 movie “The Farmer’s Daughter”. Off screen she was famous (years after the event) for the affair that she had with the then-married Clark Gable. Young became pregnant with Gable’s child, and was whisked off for a supposed vacation in England. She was actually in a house in Venice Beach, California where she gave birth to a daughter. The baby girl was kept out of the public eye until she was 19 months old, when it was announced that Young was “adopting” her. The girl was raised as Judy Lewis, taking the name of Loretta Young’s second husband, Tom Lewis.

96. Pioneering computer : ENIAC
The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for “Computer”). ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was designed to calculate artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it’s not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

100. Carolina university : ELON
Elon is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, close to the city of Burlington. Elon University is a private liberal arts school, founded in 1889.

104. ___ Banos, Calif. : LOS
Los Banos isn’t too far from here, and lies in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The original name of the city was Los Baños, the Spanish for “the baths”, a homage to the nearby source of water, the San Joaquin River. Even though today the city’s name is spelled without the tilde, it is still pronounced “los banyos”. Go figure …

107. Edible Andean tubers : OCAS
The plant called an oca is also known as the New Zealand Yam. The tubers of the oca are used as a root vegetable.

108. Cousin on “The Addams Family” : ITT
In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family had a frequent visitor, Cousin Itt. Itt is a short man, with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

110. Prepared for YouTube, say : VIDEOED
YouTube is a video-sharing website. It was started in 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees. Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Yep, $1.65 billion … less than two years after it was founded …

113. Tyson nickname : IRON MIKE
The boxer Mike Tyson has said some pretty graphic things about his opponents, for example:

– About Lennox Lewis, “My main objective is to be professional but to kill him.”
– To Razor Ruddock, “I’m gonna make you my girlfriend.”
– About Tyrell Biggs, “He was screaming like my wife.”

116. Suffix with planet : -OID
Planetoid is another word for “asteroid”.

121. Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi : STATESWOMEN
When Hillary Rodham Clinton was appointed US Secretary of State, she became the first former First Lady to serve in a president’s cabinet. Hillary met her husband, President Bill Clinton, when the two were studying at Yale law school.

Nancy Pelosi is a former Speaker of the House, the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She is the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker, she was also second in line, after the Vice President, to take over if President Obama could not finish his term. That made Nancy Pelosi the highest-ranking female politician in US history.

124. “Fargo” director : COEN
“Fargo” is one of my favorite films of all time, and stars perhaps my favorite actress, Frances McDormand. Fargo was directed by the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. Frances McDormand is Joel’s wife.

Down
1. Maven : PRO
I’ve always loved the word “maven”, another word for an expert. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn”, someone who understands (at least that’s how I understand it!).

2. Bit of Viking writing : RUNE
A rune is a character in an alphabet (including the Viking alphabet), believed to have mysterious powers.

6. Nicolas who directed “The Man Who Fell to Earth” : ROEG
The 1976 British film “The Man Who Fell to Earth” is perhaps most famous for its star, David Bowie. The movie was directed by Nicolas Roeg, and is based on a 1963 novel of the same name written by Walter Tevis.

8. Big name in upscale retail : NEIMAN
Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Nieman, and her husband A. L. Neiman, were partners with a tidy of profit of $25,000 from a business they had founded. This was 1907 Atlanta, and they were offered the chance to invest in a new company that was just starting to make “sugary soda drinks”, a company called Coca-Cola. The partners declined, instead returning to their home of Dallas and founding a department store they called Nieman-Marcus.

10. What Rihanna or Prince uses : ONE NAME
Rihanna was born and grew up on the island of Barbados, moving to the US when she was 16-years-old to pursue a singing career.

The singer Prince was born in Minneapolis, and he lives there to this day. He took his stage name from his father, a jazz musician who used the name Prince Rogers when performing.

11. City of the Kings : LIMA
Lima is the capital city of Peru. It was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who named it “la Ciudad de los Reyes” (the City of Kings). He chose this name because the decision to found the city was made on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany that commemorates the visit of the three kings to Jesus in Bethlehem.

12. Former Texas governor Richards : ANN
Ann Richards was the second woman to serve as Governor of Texas, and held the office from 1991 to 1995. Richards was a Democrat, and she was defeated in the 1994 election by George W. Bush.

18. Ed.’s convenience : SASE
Editors often receive manuscripts with self-addressed stamped envelopes.

24. French island WSW of Mauritius : REUNION
Réunion is a French island in the Indian Ocean, located east of Madagascar. As the island is a department of France, and has the same status as French domestic departments, it is actually part of the European Union.

29. Tryster with Tristan : ISOLDE
“Tristan und Isolde” is an epic opera by Richard Wagner (Wagner … not one of my favorites!). Many see it as the first serious move away from the traditional harmony and tonality of the classical and romantic eras.

35. Teased : JAPED
To jape is to joke or quip. The exact origins of “jape” are unclear, but it does seem to come from Old French. In the mid-1600’s “to jape” was a slang term meaning “to have sex with”. No joke!

37. 2003 Pixar film : FINDING NEMO
“Finding Nemo” is a 2003 animated blockbuster from Pixar, winner of the Oscar that year for Best Animated Feature. Believe it or not, “Finding Nemo” is the best-selling DVD of all time, and until 2010’s “Toy Story 3”, it was the highest-grossing G-rated movie at the box office.

41. ___ Bator, Mongolia : ULAN
The name “Ulan Bator” translates from Mongolian as “the Red Hero”, and is Mongolia’s capital city. Ulan Bator lies north of the Gobi Desert.

44. Occasional ingredient in turkey dressing : LIVER
Turkey dressing or stuffing is sometimes flavored with organ meat, such as liver or brain. Ugh …

45. 1972 Bill Withers hit : USE ME
Bill Withers was working as an assembly operator while he was trying to make a name for himself in the music industry. Even as he found success with his glorious 1971 single “Ain’t No Sunshine”, he held onto his day job worried that the music industry was unpredictable.

50. Banks and Pyle : ERNIES
First baseman Ernie Banks was known as “Mr. Cub”, and played his entire 19-year professional career with the Chicago Cubs.

Ernie Pyle was a journalist, truly a roving reporter, never happy unless he was filing stories from some remote part of the country or some far-flung corner of the globe. He was noted for his intimate style of reporting, emphasizing the human element of the story. His reports written during WWII in Europe, stressing the experiences of the soldiers in the front lines, won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. After Germany surrendered he decided to follow the war in the Pacific. One day towards the end of the war Pyle was traveling in a jeep on the island of le Shima in the Okinawa Islands when he was hit by enemy machine gun fire and was killed. Pyle was one of very few civilians killed during WWII who was awarded the Purple Heart.

54. Lower layer of the earth’s crust : SIMA
In the field of geology, the sima is the name given to the lowest layer of the earth’s crust. It is made up of rocks that are rich in magnesium silicate. The name “sima” was taken from the first two letters of silicate and magnesium. In the same way, the sial is the upper layer of the earth’s crust, and is made from rocks rich in silicates and aluminum minerals.

58. Suffix with Capri : -OTE
A Capriote is a woman from the Isle of Capri.

59. Magazine with an annual Hot 100 : MAXIM
“Maxim” is an international men’s magazine featuring revealing photo spreads (non-nude in the US) of female celebrities and models.

66. Improvised musically : VAMPED
“To vamp” is to improvise musically, usually on a piano, and is often an accompaniment to a solo.

71. Hope grp. : USO
The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of FDR “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

I remember my first non-business visit to Los Angeles. I was a typical tourist and bought a map showing the homes of the stars and drove around Beverly Hills absorbing all the glitz. At one point I drove past a Rolls Royce that was stopped in oncoming traffic, waiting to make a left turn. The window was down, and the driver was puffing away on a big cigar. It was none other than Bob Hope, and seeing him there beside me, that was a big thrill …

74. One concerned with el niño : MADRE
In Spanish a madre’s (mother’s) boy is a niño.

75. Sans-serif typeface : ARIAL
Serifs are details on the ends of characters in some typefaces. Typefaces without serifs are known as sans-serif (using the French word “sans” meaning “without”). Some people say that serif fonts are easier to read on paper, whereas sans-serif fonts work better on a computer screen. I’m not so sure though …

80. Pick 6, e.g. : LOTTO
Originally “Lotto” was a type of card game, with “lotto” being the Italian for “a lot”. We’ve used “lotto” to mean a gambling game since the late 1700s.

85. “Sense and Sensibility” sister : ELINOR
Elinor Dashwood is the delightful main character in Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”. She is played by Emma Thompson in my favorite adaptation of the story, the 1995 movie directed by Ang Lee.

90. Treats with scorn : CONTEMNS
“To contemn” is to view with contempt. There’s a surprise!

95. Fatigue may be a symptom of it: Var. : ANAEMIA
Anemia (or “anaemia” as we write it back in Ireland) is from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. It is actually a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition.

98. O.K. Corral gunfighter : CLANTON
Ike and Billy Clanton participated in what has to be the most famous gunfight in the history of the Old West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that took place in Tombstone, Arizona. Strangely enough, the fight didn’t happen at the O.K. Corral, but took place six doors down the street in a vacant lot next to a photography studio.

103. Capital of Eritrea : ASMARA
Eritrea is a country located in the Horn of Africa, surrounded  by Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea. Some scientists believe that the area now known as Eritrea was the departure point for the anatomically modern humans who first left Africa to populate the rest of the world.

106. Little hopper? : ROO
The name “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable looking animal, and the native responded with “kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

110. Viva ___ : VOCE
“Viva voce” translates literally from Latin as “with living voice”, and we use it today to mean “by word of mouth”.

115. Sergeant in “The Thin Red Line” : KECK
“The Thin Red Line” is a 1998 war movie with a huge ensemble cast. The performances of some actors never made the final cut, including clips featuring Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman and Micky Rourke. Cast members that made it to the screen included Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, John Cusack, Nick Nolte and John Travolta. Wow!

120. Annual b-ball event : NIT
The NCAA holds two National Invitation Tournaments each season, both men’s college basketball events.
Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. One going into an outlet : PRONG
6. Sonata movement : RONDO
11. Org. for Lt. Columbo : LAPD
15. 33 1/3 and others : RPMS
19. Buzz : RUMOR
20. Huge quantity : OCEAN
21. Cross letters : INRI
22. “___ la Douce” : IRMA
23. Again : ONE MORE TIME
25. “I before E except after C” and others : MNEMONICS
27. Tampa-to-Orlando dir. : ENE
28. Swelling of the head : EGOMANIA
30. Carry illicitly : SMUGGLE
31. Modern: Ger. : NEU
33. Old Turkish V.I.P.’s : AGAS
34. “Now you ___ …” : SEE IT
35. Skippy alternative : JIF
38. Attachment points under the hood : ENGINE MOUNTS
42. Finnish city near the Arctic Circle : OULU
46. Oodles : A MILLION
48. Street on old TV : DELLA
49. Racketeer’s activity? : TENNIS
51. “Ideas for life” sloganeer : PANASONIC
53. Skips on water : DAPS
55. “The Canterbury Tales” pilgrim : REEVE
56. Sight near a drain : EDDY
57. Also : NOT TO MENTION
61. Dues payer: Abbr. : MEM
62. Mark Twain, e.g., religiously speaking : DEIST
64. Sp. miss : SRTA
65. Human, e.g., foodwise : OMNIVORE
67. Salad orderer’s request : NO OIL
70. Mercedes competitor : LEXUS
73. Bothered : ATE AT
74. Attractive : MAGNETIC
77. Mother of Horus, in Egyptian myth : ISIS
79. “Mona Lisa” feature : SMILE
82. Prince Valiant’s son : ARN
83. Part of the Hindu Godhead : DIVINE MOTHER
88. Summer hangout : POOL
89. Italian 10 : DIECI
91. Organic compound : ENOL
92. Rights of passage : EASEMENTS
94. 1936 Loretta Young title role : RAMONA
96. Pioneering computer : ENIAC
99. Back end of a time estimate : LATE DATE
100. Carolina university : ELON
101. Terminology : NOMENCLATURE
104. ___ Banos, Calif. : LOS
105. Skipping syllables : TRA-LA
107. Edible Andean tubers : OCAS
108. Cousin on “The Addams Family” : ITT
110. Prepared for YouTube, say : VIDEOED
113. Tyson nickname : IRON MIKE
116. Suffix with planet : -OID
119. “Just a sec” : ONE MOMENT
121. Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi : STATESWOMEN
124. “Fargo” director : COEN
125. “This ___!” : IS IT
126. Inner tube-shaped : TORIC
127. Perplexed : AT SEA
128. Objectives : ENDS
129. Firm part: Abbr. : ATTY
130. Bag of chips, maybe : SNACK
131. Unlocked? : SHORN

Down
1. Maven : PRO
2. Bit of Viking writing : RUNE
3. Sign : OMEN
4. Ladies’ club restriction : NO MEN
5. Miracle-___ : GRO
6. Nicolas who directed “The Man Who Fell to Earth” : ROEG
7. Twice tetra- : OCTO-
8. Big name in upscale retail : NEIMAN
9. Cracked or torn : DAMAGED
10. What Rihanna or Prince uses : ONE NAME
11. City of the Kings : LIMA
12. Former Texas governor Richards : ANN
13. Like the alarm on many alarm clocks : PRESET
14. Least hopeful : DIMMEST
15. Notes to pick up on? : RINGTONE
16. Self-righteous sort : PRIG
17. Mid 22nd-century year : MMCL
18. Ed.’s convenience : SASE
24. French island WSW of Mauritius : REUNION
26. Non’s opposite : OUI
29. Tryster with Tristan : ISOLDE
32. Slippery ones : EELS
34. Awake suddenly : SNAP TO
35. Teased : JAPED
36. “Have ___ myself clear?” : I MADE
37. 2003 Pixar film : FINDING NEMO
39. “___ further …” : GO NO
40. U.S.A. or U.K. : INITS
41. ___ Bator, Mongolia : ULAN
43. Stoic : UNEMOTIONAL
44. Occasional ingredient in turkey dressing : LIVER
45. 1972 Bill Withers hit : USE ME
47. Applies, as paint : LAYS ON
50. Banks and Pyle : ERNIES
52. PC key : CTRL
54. Lower layer of the earth’s crust : SIMA
58. Suffix with Capri : -OTE
59. Magazine with an annual Hot 100 : MAXIM
60. Neighbor of Que. : ONT
63. Stood like a pigeon : TOED IN
66. Improvised musically : VAMPED
68. “Lord, is ___?” : IT I
69. In concert : LIVE
71. Hope grp. : USO
72. Spot : SITE
74. One concerned with el niño : MADRE
75. Sans-serif typeface : ARIAL
76. Field of stars? : CINEMA
78. Will of the Bible : SHALT
80. Pick 6, e.g. : LOTTO
81. Someone ___ : ELSE’S
84. Zero : NONE
85. “Sense and Sensibility” sister : ELINOR
86. “___ Wood sawed wood” (old tongue-twister) : ESAU
87. Hears again, as a case : RETRIES
90. Treats with scorn : CONTEMNS
93. It often has dashes : MEET
95. Fatigue may be a symptom of it: Var. : ANAEMIA
97. Approaches boldly : ACCOSTS
98. O.K. Corral gunfighter : CLANTON
102. Senior : OLDEST
103. Capital of Eritrea : ASMARA
106. Little hopper? : ROO
109. Crown holder : TOOTH
110. Viva ___ : VOCE
111. Home ___ : IN ON
112. One may be good or dirty : DEED
113. Wee, informally : ITTY
114. Suffix with arthr- : -ITIC
115. Sergeant in “The Thin Red Line” : KECK
117. “___ sorry!” : I’M SO
118. One of them does? : DEER
120. Annual b-ball event : NIT
122. Has been : WAS
123. Palindromic girl’s name : NAN
Return to top of page