0707-19 NY Times Crossword 7 Jul 19, Sunday

Constructed by: Jack Reuter
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Hidden Tactics

Themed answers refer to a game of chess, and the central 64 squares of the grid represent the board on which that game is being played. Black pieces are shown with triangles, and white pieces with circles. In the position shown, we have CHECKMATE IN ONE, as we can move the white KNIGHT TO B8 (checkmate!):

  • 70D Subject game of this puzzle : CHESS
  • 31A Side represented by △ : BLACK
  • 116A Side represented by ◯ : WHITE
  • 25A Possible move in 70-Down : KNIGHT TO B-EIGHT
  • 122A Possible result of 25-Across : CHECKMATE IN ONE

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 26m 29s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • NOSFERATU (Notferatu)
  • SIA (Tia)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Cleaning product in a dangerous 2010s viral internet challenge : TIDE POD

The dark side of social media struck again in late 2017 when “The Tide Pod Challenge” became an Internet sensation. Participants were eating Tide detergent pods on camera, and getting very sick and dangerously injured.

8 “Home” in a classic song : THE RANGE

The words of “Home on the Range” came before the music, from an 1870s poem called “My Western Home” penned by a Dr. Brewster Higley of Kansas. The music was added by Daniel Kelley, a friend of Higley. And now, a version of the song is the state song of Kansas.

16 Jack of children’s rhyme : SPRAT

Jack Sprat was a nickname given in the 16th century to people of small stature. Jack featured in a proverb of the day:

Jack will eat not fat, and Jull doth love no leane. Yet betwixt them both they lick the dishes cleane.

Over time, this mutated into a nursery rhyme that is still recited in England:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. And so between them both, you see, they licked the platter clean.

22 Escapes, as molasses : OOZES OUT

When sugarcane is processed to extract sugar, it is crushed and mashed to produce a juice. The juice is boiled to make a sugary concentrate called cane syrup, from which sugar crystals are extracted. A second boiling of the leftover syrup produces second molasses, from which more sugar crystals can be extracted. A third boiling results in what is called blackstrap molasses.

23 Irregularly notched, as a leaf : EROSE

An edge that is erose is irregularly notched or indented.

27 Watson’s creator : IBM

Watson is a computer system developed by IBM. Watson is designed to answer questions that are posed in natural language, so that it should be able to interpret questions just as you and I would, no matter how the question is phrased. The program is named after the founder of IBM, Thomas J. Watson. Today’s Watson competed in a few memorable episodes of “Jeopardy!” in 2011 taking out two of the best players of the quiz show. That made for fun television …

34 Adams and Elgort : ANSELS

As an avid amateur photographer, I have been a big fan of the work of Ansel Adams for many years and must have read all of his books. Adams was famous for clarity and depth in his black and white images. Central to his technique was the use of the zone system, his own invention. The zone system is a way of controlling exposure in an image, particularly when there is a high contrast in the subject. Although the technique was developed primarily for black & white film, it can even apply to digital color images. In the digital world, the main technique is to expose an image for the highlights, and one or more images for the shadows. These images can then be combined digitally giving a final photograph with a full and satisfying range of exposures.

Ansel Elgort is a relatively young actor, and someone who has had a remarkable string of successful roles. He played Tommy Ross in 2013’s “Carrie”, Caleb Prior in “The Divergent Series” movies, Augustus Waters in 2014’s “The Fault in Our Stars”, and the title character in 2017’s “Bay Driver”.

37 Dorothy’s caretaker in “The Wizard of Oz” : AUNTIE EM

In the children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

41 Irritable : TESTY

Somebody described as testy is touchy, irritably impatient. The term “testy” comes into English from Old French, ultimately deriving from “testu” meaning “stubborn, headstrong”, literally “heady”. So, our word “testy” comes from the same root as the French word “tête” meaning “head”.

43 Nabisco product with an exclamation point in its name : CHIPS AHOY!

Chips Ahoy! is a Nabisco brand of chocolate chip cookies.

52 Santa ___ winds : ANA

The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.

55 Some ovations : BRAVOS

To express appreciation for a male performer at an operatic performance, traditionally one calls out “bravo!”. Appreciation for a female performer is shown by using “brava!”, and for more than one performer of either sex by using “bravi!”

65 Cowboy flick : OATER

The term “oater” that is used for a Western movie comes from the number of horses seen, as horses love oats!

The slang term “flick” meaning “movie” came into use in the mid-1920s. It comes from the “flickering” appearance of films back then.

72 When doubled, a Thor Heyerdahl book : AKU

“Aku-Aku: the Secret of Easter Island” is a book by Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl that was first published in 1958.

73 Mother ___ : TERESA

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in the city that is now called Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. At birth she was given the names Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (“Gonxha” means “little flower” in Albanian). She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, and headed to Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham in Dublin, Ireland in order to learn English. Her goal was to teach in India, and English was the language used there for instruction by the nuns. After Mother Teresa passed away in 1997 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II. She was canonized by Pope Francis in 2016, and is now known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

76 Set aside for now : TABLED

These “tabling” and “shelving” idioms drive me crazy, because they are often misused. If a topic is shelved, it is set aside. If a topic is tabled, it is brought “off the shelf” and put “on the table” for discussion. I know that language evolves, but I think it should at least make sense …

78 Score elements: Abbr. : PTS

Points (pts.)

80 Old gold coin : DUCAT

The ducat was a coin introduced by the Republic of Venice in 1284.

82 1974 Gould/Sutherland C.I.A. spoof : S*P*Y*S

“S*P*Y*S” is a 1974 comedy starring Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland as two men mistaken as spies and targeted by the KGB. With all those asterisks in the film’s title, one has to assume the movie was intended to capitalize on the success of the 1970 Gould/Sutherland vehicle called “M*A*S*H”.

84 Deteriorate with age : SENESCE

To senesce is to grow old. The Latin for “to grow old” is “senescere”, from “senex” meaning “old”.

88 Prevents, legally : ESTOPS

The term “estop” means to block or stop by using some legal device. “Estop” comes from Old French, in which “estopper” means “to stop up” or “to impede”.

89 Letters near an X-ray machine : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

92 “While I have you …,” in a text : BTW

By the way (BTW)

95 Classic 1922 film subtitled “A Symphony of Horror” : NOSFERATU

The full name in English of the 1922 German film starring Max Schreck is “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror”. The movie is an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula”, but as they say, the names have been changed to protect the innocent. The studio could not get the rights to the novel, so changed some key words and names to avoid legal problems. “Nosferatu” is the name used in the film for “vampire”, and Count Dracula becomes “Count Orlok”.

104 “Fighting” college team : IRISH

The athletic teams of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana are known as the Fighting Irish. There are several debated etymologies for the moniker “Fighting Irish”, with the most generally accepted being that it was applied by the press in the 1920s, reflecting the team’s’ fighting spirit and grit, determination and tenacity. I guess “grit, determination and tenacity” are characteristics often associated with the Irish.

107 Maker of pens and lighters : BIC

Société Bic is a company based in Clichy in France. The first product the company produced, more than fifty years ago, was the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen that is still produced today. Bic also makes other disposable products such as lighters and razors.

109 First commercial film shown in stereophonic sound : FANTASIA

“Fantasia” was Disney’s third feature length movie, and was released in 1940. The film had a disappointing critical reception and pushed the Disney company into financial difficulties. RKO took over the film’s distribution in 1946. The folks at RKO cut a full hour off the running time and relaunched the movie into a successful run. If you haven’t seen “Fantasia”, I urge you to do so. It’s a real delight …

111 Key of Bizet’s first symphony : C MAJOR

Georges Bizet was a French composer active in the Romantic era. Bizet’s most famous work has to be his opera “Carmen”. “Carmen” initially received a lukewarm reception from the public, even though his fellow composers had nothing but praise for it. Sadly, Bizet died very young at only 36, before he could see “Carmen’s” tremendous success.

117 87 is a common one : OCTANE

The difference between a premium and regular gasoline is its octane rating. The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of the gasoline to auto-ignition i.e. its resistance to ignition just by virtue of being compressed in the cylinder. This auto-ignition is undesirable as multiple-cylinder engines are designed so that ignition within each cylinder takes place precisely when the plug sparks, and not before. If ignition occurs before the spark is created, the resulting phenomenon is called “knocking”. We sometimes use the adjective “high-octane” to mean “intense, dynamic, high-powered”

121 Yuletide contraction : ‘TIS

The music for the Christmas song “Deck the Halls” is a traditional Welsh tune that dates back to the 16th century. The same tune was used by Mozart for a violin and piano duet. The lyrics with which we are familiar (other than the “f-la-la”) are American in origin, and were recorded in 19th century.

“’Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la!”

Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

122 Possible result of 25-Across : CHECKMATE IN ONE
(25A Possible move in 70-Down : KNIGHT TO B-EIGHT)

In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.

128 Outpost for an osprey : AERIE

The osprey is also known as the sea hawk or fish eagle. Osprey nests are large heaps of sticks usually built in forks of trees and rocky outcrops. I’ve seen quite a few osprey nest built on the tops of light poles and utility poles.

130 Senator Tammy Duckworth or former senator Max Cleland : AMPUTEE

Tammy Duckworth has been a US Senator for Illinois since 2017. Duckworth is a veteran of the Iraq War, in which she served as a helicopter pilot and suffered severe combat wounds, including the loss of both her legs. She continued to serve in the Illinois National Guard after her recovery, and retired in 2014 at the rank of lieutenant colonel. Duckworth has racked up quite a few firsts while in Congress. For example, she was the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, and the first Senator to give birth while in office. Senate rules were changed following the birth of her daughter, which allowed Duckworth to bring her baby onto the Senate floor and breastfeed her during votes.

133 Swollen area : ABSCESS

An abscess, often on the skin, is a collection of pus that has built up, and is usually the result of a bacterial infection. The term comes from “abscessus”, the Latin name for the condition. “Abscessus” translates literally as “departure”, reflecting the belief that damaging humors in the body “depart” through the pus in the swollen tissue.

Down

1 Hangout often near a pool : TIKI BAR

The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). The bar became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.

3 Like Mount Kilimanjaro : DORMANT

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, and is the highest mountain in the whole of Africa.

4 Doe in Bambi : ENA

Ena is Bambi’s aunt in the 1942 Disney film “Bambi”. The movie is based on the novel “Bambi, A Life in the Woods” written by Austrian author Felix Salten and first published in 1923. There is a documented phenomenon known as the Bambi Effect, whereby people become more interested in animal rights after having watched the scene where Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

5 Polling fig. : PCT

Percent (pct.)

7 Title 1962 film villain : DR NO

“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. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. Julius No and Fu Manchu. By the way, author Ian Fleming tells us that Julius No attended medical school in Milwaukee.

8 Valentine heart, e.g. : TOKEN

Saint Valentine’s Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

9 Urban cacophony : HONKS

“Cacophony” is such a lovely word, a word used to describe a harsh or jarring sound. The term arises from the Greek “kakos” (bad) and “phone” (voice).

10 Slate, e.g. : E-ZINE

“Slate” is an online magazine that was founded in 1996. “Slate” was originally owned by Microsoft and was part of the MSN online offering. The magazine has been available for free since 1999 (it is ad-supported) and has been owned by the Washington Post Company since 2004.

13 What dashes may represent in internet searches : NOTS

Boolean logic is a logic system used in computers. The system takes its name from the man who devised it in 1854, George Boole. Boolean logic is used by many Internet search engines. Using Boolean logic in a search you can combine words into one search term “like this” by using quotation marks. You can also search for pages that contain “term one” but not “term two” by searching for “term one” – “term two”.

15 Ike’s W.W. II command : ETO

General Dwight D. Eisenhower (“Ike”) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII. If you’re a WWII buff like me, then I recommend you take a look at a great, made-for-TV movie starring Tom Selleck as Eisenhower called “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” that came out in 2004.

16 Veto on movie night : SEEN IT

The verb “veto” comes directly from Latin and means “I forbid”. The term was used by tribunes of ancient Rome to indicate that they opposed measures passed by the Senate.

19 One-named singer with the 2002 #1 hit “Foolish” : ASHANTI

Ashanti Douglas is an American R&B singer who uses just “Ashanti” as her stage name.

20 Some cuppas : TETLEYS

Tetley was founded by Joseph Tetley in Yorkshire in 1837. Joseph and his brother used to sell salt door-to-door from a pack horse and started to distribute tea the same way. They became so successful selling tea that they relocated to London. Notably, Tetley’s was the first company to introduce tea bags in the UK, back in 1953.

29 Computing acronym : RAM

Random-access memory (RAM) is a form of computer storage.

32 Silicon Valley start-up V.I.P. : CTO

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

33 Baby fox : KIT

Kits are the young of several mammalian species, including the ferret and fox. “Kit” is probably a shortened form of “kitten”.

36 Prefix with planet : EXO-

An exoplanet is simply a planet that exists outside of our own solar system. Astronomers have detected thousands of exoplanets, most of which are quite large (the size of Jupiter), no doubt because bigger planets are easier to find.

38 St. Louis’s ___ Bridge, the oldest span over the Mississippi : EADS

James Eads was an American Civil Engineer and inventor. He designed and built the first road and rail bridge to cross the Mississippi River in St. Louis, a bridge which went into service in 1874 and is still used to this day. Aptly enough, it is known as the Eads Bridge.

39 Biblical high priest : ELI

In the Bible, Eli is the High Priest of Shiloh and teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both of whom are described as wicked. As a result of their wayward lifestyle, it is prophesied that all of Eli’s male descendents will die before reaching old age.

40 The “u” spelling of 50-Across, e.g.: Abbr. : VAR
(50A Ill repute, to a Brit : DISHONOUR)

Variant (var.)

43 Figures in the Sistine Chapel : CHERUBS

A cherub (plural “cherubim”) is an angel. The term “cherub” ultimately comes from the Hebrew “kerubh” (plural “kerubhim”) meaning “winged angel”.

The Sistine Chapel, in the Pope’s residence in Rome, 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.

44 Part of Africa or an orchestra : HORN

The Horn of Africa is that horn-shaped peninsula at the easternmost tip of the continent, containing the countries Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia as well as Somalia. The Horn of Africa is also known as the Somali Peninsula.

51 City that hosted the 1974 World’s Fair : SPOKANE

Spokane, Washington is named for the Spokan people who lived in the eastern portion of Washington and northern Idaho. Back in 1974, Spokane was the smallest city ever to host a World’s Fair. The theme of the fare was “the environment”, which I suppose was ahead of its time. Notably, Expo ’74 was the first American-hosted World’s Fair attended by the Soviet Union after WWII.

57 Stat : AT ONCE

The exact etymology of “stat”, a term meaning “immediately” in the medical profession, seems to have been lost in the mists of time. It probably comes from the Latin “statim” meaning “to a standstill, immediately”. A blog reader has helpfully suggested that the term may also come from the world of laboratory analysis, where the acronym STAT stands for “short turn-around time”.

58 Lush : VERDANT

Back in the late 1500s, “verdant” simply meant “green”, but we now tend to use the term to mean “green and lush with vegetation”. “Viridis” is the Latin for “green”.

59 Son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon : ORESTES

Orestes is a character appearing in Greek mythology, and is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays. In a story by Homer, Orestes kills his mother Clytemnestra. He does so in revenge as Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon, who was her husband and father to Orestes. Agamemnon was killed by his wife for sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia in order to get favorable winds on a sea voyage. Heavy stuff …

62 Jawbone of ___ (biblical weapon) : AN ASS

According to the Bible, Samson slayed one thousand Philistines using “the jawbone of an ass”.

63 How early Beatles songs were recorded : IN MONO

Monophonic sound (“mono”) is sound reproduced using just one audio channel, which is usually played out of just one speaker. Stereophonic sound is reproduced using two audio channels, with the sound from each channel played out of two different speakers. The pair of stereo speakers are usually positioned apart from each other so that sound appears to come from between the two. Quadraphonic sound (4.0 surround sound) uses four audio channels with the sound played back through four speakers that are often positioned at the corners of the room in which one is listening.

68 Self-inflicted ritual death of a samurai : SEPPUKU

“Harakiri” translates from Japanese into “cutting the belly”, and is a form of ritual suicide. Harakiri is the term used in speech which is equivalent to “seppuku”, the term used in writing for the same ritual suicide. The act is carried out by plunging a short blade into the belly and moving it from left to right, slicing through the organs within the abdomen.

70 Subject game of this puzzle : CHESS

It is believed that the game of chess originated in northwest India. It evolved from a 6th-century game called “chaturanga”, a Sanskrit word meaning “four divisions”. These four (military) divisions were represented in the game:

  • Infantry (now “pawns”)
  • Cavalry (now “knights”)
  • Elephants (now “bishops”)
  • Chariots (now “rooks”)

77 Dulce de ___ (confection) : LECHE

“Dulce de leche” is Spanish for “candy of milk”, and is a confection made by slowly heating milk and sugar until it develops a pleasing flavor and color.

85 ___ Luis Obispo : SAN

The city of San Luis Obispo is one of the oldest communities in California. The name “San Luis Obispo” translates as “Saint Louis, the Bishop of Toulouse”. In 1990, San Luis Obispo was the first municipality in the world to ban smoking in all indoor public areas.

87 One of 24 in un giorno : ORA

In Italian, an “ora” (hour) is 1/24 of “un giorno” (a day).

90 Banned aerosol propellant, for short : CFC

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used to be widely used as propellants in aerosols, and as refrigerants in cooling systems. CFCs make their way up into the ozone layer and trigger a chain reaction that converts ozone (O3) into regular oxygen (O2). That conversion creates “holes” in the ozone layer. Regular O2 is good stuff, but we need O3 to absorb harmful UV radiation raining down on us. CFC is not good stuff …

92 Like some lenses : BIFOCAL

Benjamin Franklin was a prolific inventor, coming up with bifocal glasses among other things. Franklin never filed for patents for his creations, and wrote:

… as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.

93 Wrong pipe, so to speak : TRACHEA

The windpipe, or trachea, connects the lungs to the pharynx, the cavity of the mouth.

96 Bit of judo attire : OBI

The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied at the back in what is called a butterfly knot. The term “obi” is also used for the thick cotton belts that are an essential part of the outfits worn by practitioners of many martial arts. The color of the martial arts obi signifies the wearer’s skill level.

97 One-named singer with the 2014 hit “Chandelier” : SIA

“Sia” is the stage name of Australian singer Sia Furler from Adelaide. Sia is a cousin of Australian Christian Rock musician Peter Furler.

103 Boutique stock : DRESSES

“Boutique” is a French word describing a small shop.

105 Barbie’s younger sister : STACIE

Stacie and Todd Roberts are twin siblings of Barbie, the doll. Barbie’s full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts, the daughter of George and Margaret Roberts.

108 Part of an M.A. program application : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

110 Religious sch. : SEM

Originally, a seminary was where plants were raised from seeds, as “semen” is the Latin for “seed”. The first schools labeled as seminaries were established in the late 1500s. Those first schools were more likely to be academies for young ladies back then, rather than for trainee priests.

112 Any of the Apennines : MONTE

The Apennines are the chain of mountains running the length of the Italian peninsula. The highest peak of the range is in the central Apennines and is the Corno Grande, which rises to over 9,500 feet.

114 War hawk : JINGO

Jingoism is an extreme form of nationalism exhibited by a country that uses threats or force internationally in order to advance its national interests. The term originated in England and comes from the expression “by jingo”, a euphemism for “by Jesus” that was used as an oath.

115 Situation after a leadoff single : ONE ON

That would be baseball.

118 Ball ___ : PEEN

The peen of a hammer is on the head, and is the side of the head that is opposite the striking surface. Often the peen is in the shape of a hemisphere (as in a ball-peen hammer), but usually it is shaped like a claw (mainly for removing nails).

119 Big org. in Saturday afternoon TV : NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

120 “Indiana Jones” setting : TOMB

George Lucas created a lead character named “Indiana Smith” for what was to be his “Indiana Jones” series of films. Lucas asked Steven Spielberg to direct the first film, and Spielberg wasn’t too fond of the name “Smith”. Lucas then suggested “Jones” as an alternative, and Indiana Jones was born.

123 Half of a 1955 union merger : AFL

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1886, making it one of the first federations of unions in the country. Over time the AFL became dominated by craft unions, unions representing skilled workers of particular disciplines. In the early thirties, John L. Lewis led a movement within the AFL to organize workers by industry, believing this would be more effective for the members. But the craft unions refused to budge, so Lewis set up a rival federation of unions in 1932, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The two federations became bitter rivals for over two decades until finally merging in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

126 They’ll sound sped up at 45 r.p.m. : LPS

The first vinyl records designed to play at 33⅓ rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first long play (LP) 33⅓ rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Cleaning product in a dangerous 2010s viral internet challenge : TIDE POD
8 “Home” in a classic song : THE RANGE
16 Jack of children’s rhyme : SPRAT
21 “Agreed” : I CONCUR
22 Escapes, as molasses : OOZES OUT
23 Irregularly notched, as a leaf : EROSE
24 Protein found in hair and hooves : KERATIN
25 Possible move in 70-Down : KNIGHT TO B-EIGHT
27 Watson’s creator : IBM
28 Pain for a tiler, maybe : SORE KNEES
30 Yearbook : ANNUAL
31 Side represented by △ : BLACK
34 Adams and Elgort : ANSELS
35 Doctor’s order : MEDICINE
37 Dorothy’s caretaker in “The Wizard of Oz” : AUNTIE EM
40 Irritate : VEX
41 Irritable : TESTY
42 Verify the addition of : RETOTAL
43 Nabisco product with an exclamation point in its name : CHIPS AHOY!
49 That guy’s : HIS
50 Ill repute, to a Brit : DISHONOUR
52 Santa ___ winds : ANA
55 Some ovations : BRAVOS
60 Become attentive : PERK UP
61 Succeeds : MAKES IT
65 Cowboy flick : OATER
66 Eve’s counterpart : MORN
67 What a plant may exude : RESIN
69 Freak out : PANIC
71 Treasure : ADORE
72 When doubled, a Thor Heyerdahl book : AKU
73 Mother ___ : TERESA
74 [Grumble, grumble] : [HUMPH]
75 Pith holders : RINDS
76 Set aside for now : TABLED
78 Score elements: Abbr. : PTS
79 Digital message : E-NOTE
80 Old gold coin : DUCAT
81 Map of Hawaii or Alaska, often : INSET
82 1974 Gould/Sutherland C.I.A. spoof : S*P*Y*S
83 Lushes : WINOS
84 Deteriorate with age : SENESCE
86 Cut into bits : CHOP UP
88 Prevents, legally : ESTOPS
89 Letters near an X-ray machine : TSA
90 People native to Tennessee and the Carolinas : CHEROKEES
92 “While I have you …,” in a text : BTW
95 Classic 1922 film subtitled “A Symphony of Horror” : NOSFERATU
98 Brown-headed nest appropriator : COWBIRD
104 “Fighting” college team : IRISH
107 Maker of pens and lighters : BIC
108 Sheer fabric : GOSSAMER
109 First commercial film shown in stereophonic sound : FANTASIA
111 Key of Bizet’s first symphony : C MAJOR
116 Side represented by ◯ : WHITE
117 87 is a common one : OCTANE
118 Conspicuous : PROMINENT
121 Yuletide contraction : ‘TIS
122 Possible result of 25-Across : CHECKMATE IN ONE
125 Arrests : COLLARS
128 Outpost for an osprey : AERIE
129 No longer needed for questioning : FREE TO GO
130 Senator Tammy Duckworth or former senator Max Cleland : AMPUTEE
131 Symbol of directness : LASER
132 Arrived at, as an answer : LANDED ON
133 Swollen area : ABSCESS

Down

1 Hangout often near a pool : TIKI BAR
2 Glacial hue : ICE BLUE
3 Like Mount Kilimanjaro : DORMANT
4 Doe in Bambi : ENA
5 Polling fig. : PCT
6 French acceptances : OUIS
7 Title 1962 film villain : DR NO
8 Valentine heart, e.g. : TOKEN
9 Urban cacophony : HONKS
10 Slate, e.g. : E-ZINE
11 Touch up, as styled hair : REGEL
12 Some airborne particulates : ASHES
13 What dashes may represent in internet searches : NOTS
14 Kind of reaction : GUT
15 Ike’s W.W. II command : ETO
16 Veto on movie night : SEEN IT
17 Figure in many a fairy tale : PRINCE
18 Mischievous : ROGUISH
19 One-named singer with the 2002 #1 hit “Foolish” : ASHANTI
20 Some cuppas : TETLEYS
26 No longer edible : BAD
29 Computing acronym : RAM
32 Silicon Valley start-up V.I.P. : CTO
33 Baby fox : KIT
35 Unexceptional : MEH
36 Prefix with planet : EXO-
38 St. Louis’s ___ Bridge, the oldest span over the Mississippi : EADS
39 Biblical high priest : ELI
40 The “u” spelling of 50-Across, e.g.: Abbr. : VAR
43 Figures in the Sistine Chapel : CHERUBS
44 Part of Africa or an orchestra : HORN
45 Your signature might be in this : INK
46 Came down hard : POURED
47 Terrific : SUPER
48 Chatter : YAK
51 City that hosted the 1974 World’s Fair : SPOKANE
53 Rare beneficiaries of royal succession : NEPHEWS
54 Together : AS A UNIT
55 Equipment for 70-Down : BOARD
56 Dating app distance metric : RADIUS
57 Stat : AT ONCE
58 Lush : VERDANT
59 Son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon : ORESTES
61 Enter incorrectly : MISTYPE
62 Jawbone of ___ (biblical weapon) : AN ASS
63 How early Beatles songs were recorded : IN MONO
64 Best : TIP-TOP
66 Suffix on many an infomercial product’s name : -MATIC
68 Self-inflicted ritual death of a samurai : SEPPUKU
70 Subject game of this puzzle : CHESS
73 Leash : TETHER
77 Dulce de ___ (confection) : LECHE
82 Notice : SPOT
85 ___ Luis Obispo : SAN
87 One of 24 in un giorno : ORA
88 Those: Sp. : ESOS
90 Banned aerosol propellant, for short : CFC
91 Green: Prefix : ECO-
92 Like some lenses : BIFOCAL
93 Wrong pipe, so to speak : TRACHEA
94 Spends December through March (in) : WINTERS
96 Bit of judo attire : OBI
97 One-named singer with the 2014 hit “Chandelier” : SIA
99 Indianapolis-to-St. Louis dir. : WSW
100 “Phooey!” : BAH!
101 Ape : IMITATE
102 Calls it quits : RETIRES
103 Boutique stock : DRESSES
105 Barbie’s younger sister : STACIE
106 Long (for) : HANKER
108 Part of an M.A. program application : GRE
110 Religious sch. : SEM
111 Called out : CRIED
112 Any of the Apennines : MONTE
113 In ___ (grumpy) : A MOOD
114 War hawk : JINGO
115 Situation after a leadoff single : ONE ON
118 Ball ___ : PEEN
119 Big org. in Saturday afternoon TV : NCAA
120 “Indiana Jones” setting : TOMB
123 Half of a 1955 union merger : AFL
124 Singer’s syllable : TRA
126 They’ll sound sped up at 45 r.p.m. : LPS
127 French director Besson : LUC