5. Some barks SHIPS
A barque (also “bark”) is a sailboat with three or more masts, all square-rigged except the aftermast which has triangular sails
10. Model material BALSA
Balsa is a very fast growing tree that is native to parts of South America. Even though balsa wood is very soft, it is actually classified as a hardwood, the softest of all the hardwoods (go figure!). Balsa is light and strong, so is commonly used in making model airplanes. Amazingly, in WWII a full-size British plane, the de Havilland Mosquito, was built largely from balsa and plywood. No wonder they called it "The Wooden Wonder" and "The Timber Terror".
15. Sticks figure RUBE
A “rube” is person lacking sophistication, often described as "a country bumpkin". The term derives from the masculine name “Reuben”, which was considered back in the early 1800s to be a typical name used in rural areas.
19. Former Wall Street acronym AMEX
The American Stock Exchange (AMEX) merged with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2008.
20. Philosopher __-Louis Bergson HENRI
Henri Bergson was a French philosopher who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927.
21. First of 12 ARIES
Aries the Ram is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, and is named after the constellation. Your birth sign is Aries if you were born between March 21 and April 20, but if you are an Aries you would know that! “Aries” is the Latin word for “ram”.
23. eHarmony, e.g.? MATE MARKET (from “meat market”)
eHarmony is a high-profile online dating service based in Pasadena, California.
25. Member of a trendsetting family? JONES
The phrase “keep up with the Joneses” was popularized by the comic strip called “Keep up with the Joneses” that first appeared in American newspapers in 1913. The eponymous “Jones” family never appeared in person in the strip, but were referred to constantly,
27. Brazen SHAMELESS
Someone described as “brazen” might also be described as “shameless”. The term “brazen” comes from the Middle English “brasen” meaning “made of brass”. The suggestion is that a shameless person has a hardened, brass-like face.
28. Pride of a pride protector? MANE STREAKS (from “mean streaks”)
A group of lions is known as a “pride”.
30. Party planner, briefly? POL
Politician (pol.)
31. Pueblo pronoun ESO
“Eso” is Spanish for “that”.
“Pueblo” is Spanish for “village, small town”.
33. Stuns, in a way TASES
Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle". The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon named its product as a homage to the novel, with TASER standing for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle".
45. Second part of a Latin conjugation AMAS
"Amo, amas, amat: ... "I love, you love, he/she/it loves", in Latin.
46. Bone, to Benito OSSO
Osso is the Italian word for bone as in the name of the dish "Osso Buco", braised veal shanks.
49. Designer sportswear label GANT
Gant is a clothing brand that was established in New York City by Bernard Gantmacher, a Jewish immigrant from the Russian Empire.
51. High-ranking NCO MSGT
A master sergeant (MSgt) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO).
62. Andalusian address SENORA
Andalusia (Andalucia in Spanish) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities in the Kingdom of Spain, and is the most southerly. The capital of Andalusia is the old city of Seville. The name Andalusia comes from its Arabic name, Al-Andalus, reflecting the region's history as the center of Muslim power in Iberia during medieval times.
65. Common odds ending ONE
For example, ten-to-one or a hundred-to-one.
66. Ashes? GRATE EXPECTATIONS (from “Great Expectations”)
The novel "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens is written in the first person, through the eyes of the hero of the piece. a young orphan boy called Pip.
71. L.A.'s __ Center AON
The Aon Center on Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles is the second-tallest building in the California (after US Bank Tower, also in Los Angeles). There is also an Aon Center in Chicago, which is the third-tallest building in that city.
73. __ test BETA
In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the "alpha" version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a "beta" and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as "beta". The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, bug-free. Yeah, right ...
82. Colorful bird TANAGER
The Scarlet Tanager is a beautiful-looking bird, truly scarlet in color other than its wings and tail. It is in the cardinal family.
83. Bobby's "Dallas" wife PAMELA
The TV soap "Dallas" revolved around the Ewings family. The series that ran for 13 years was originally intended as a five-part mini-series, with the main characters being newlyweds Bobby and Pam Ewing. But, the devious character in the piece, Bobby's brother J. R., became so popular with audiences that the series as extended with J. R. at the center of the story. Who can remember who shot J.R.? (It was Kristin Shepard: J.R.’s mistress, who was also his sister-in-law).
85. William the pirate KIDD
William Kidd was a Scottish privateer who went by the name “Captain Kidd”. Although Kidd was a privateer, someone authorized by the government to attack foreign shipping, he was eventually arrested and executed for piracy. There is common opinion held today that the charges against Kidd were actually trumped up. Captain Kidd’s story was the basis of a 1945 film called “Captain Kidd” starring Charles Laughton in the title role. Laughton also appeared as Captain Kidd in 1952’s comic movie “Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd”.
86. Singer Peeples NIA
Actress Nia Peeples played the character Nicole Chapman in the TV series "Fame".
87. Score symbol CLEF
Clef is the French word for "key". In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. Usually, a G-clef is used for high parts, a C-clef for middle parts and an F-clef for low parts.
88. Cutting-edge company? X-ACTO
The X-Acto knife was invented in the thirties by a Polish immigrant, although his intention was to come up with a scalpel for surgeons. The knife couldn't cut it as a scalpel though (pun intended!), because it was difficult to clean. The inventor's brother-in law suggested it be used as a craft knife, and it is still around today.
91. __ Lackawanna Railway ERIE
The Erie Lackawanna Railway operated between New Jersey and Chicago, and ran from 1960 to 1976. Although some of the routes are still in service today, the original company went bankrupt in the seventies, partly due to the completion of Interstate 80.
94. Brayer group? ASSES
An ass or a donkey might be braying. Hee haw ...
100. Old-style street show RAREE
A raree show (from “rarity show”), was traditionally a display of photographs of in a closed box, with the viewer peeping through a hole. This form of entertainment became known as a peep show, and over the years the genre moved into the world of eroticism.
102. Traveler's insurance?: Abbr. TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
104. Precious river stone? NILE DIAMOND (from “Neil Diamond”)
I saw Neil Diamond in concert about 15 years ago, and I must say he does put on a great show. His voice is cracking a bit, but that didn't seem to spoil anyone's enjoyment. I've also seen Diamond interviewed a few times on television, and I wouldn't say he has the most scintillating of personalities.
Depending on definition, the Nile is generally regarded as the longest river on the planet. The Nile forms from two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which join together near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From Khartoum the Nile flows north, traveling almost entirely through desert making it central to life for the peoples living along its length.
109. Nearly wipes out DECIMATES
“To decimate” is wipe out a large proportion of a population. The term arose in the from the ancient practice of punishing military units found guilty of mutiny. One in ten soldiers in the rebellious group would be executed, with the choice made in a lottery. The term comes from the Latin “decimare” meaning “to remove one-tenth”.
115. Arabian Peninsula nation OMAN
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The capital city of Muscat has a strategic location on the Gulf of Oman and has a history of invasion and unrest. Centuries of occupation by the Persians ended in 1507 when the Portuguese took the city in a bloody attack. The Portuguese held Muscat for much of the next one hundred years until finally being ousted by local Omani forces in 1648. A Yemeni tribe invaded the area in 1741 and set up a monarchy that has been in place in Oman ever since.
119. Spanish castle city LORCA
Lorca is a town in southeastern Spain.
121. __ balls: chocolaty snacks OREO
Oreo balls are a homemade dessert or snack usually made around Christmas. As such, oreo balls also go by the unappetizing name of “reindeer droppings”.
122. 1979 disco classic YMCA
"YMCA" was released in 1978 by Village People and has been adopted as an anthem by the gay community. The song was written by Victor Willis, a straight member of the mostly gay band, and he clarifies that the lyrics are extolling the virtues of the "YMCA" as a source of recreation for black urban youth. I think he might have been winking when he said that ...
123. Teutonic town STADT
"Stadt" is the German word for "city" or "town".
The Germanic peoples of Northern Europe are often called Teutonic, a term which originated with the Teutons, one of the Germanic tribes that lived in the region in the days of Ancient Greece and Rome.
124. Aladdin's helper GENIE
The "genie" in the bottle takes his or her name from "djinn". "Djinns" were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book "The Thousand and One Nights" was translated into French, the word "djinn" was transformed into the existing word "génie", because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This "génie" from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived "genius", a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the "djinn" that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …
“Aladdin” is a famous tale in the “Arabian Nights”, also called “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights”. However, there is no evidence at all that the story was in the original collection. It is generally believed that one Antoine Galland introduced the tale when he translated the “Arabian Nights” into French in the early 1700s.
125. Seine tributary OISE
The River Oise rises in Belgium and joins up with the River Seine just outside Paris.
Down
2. Asian nurse AMAH
"Amah" is an interesting word in that we associate it so much with Asian culture and yet it actually comes from the Portuguese "ama" meaning "nurse". Ama was imported into English in the days of the British Raj in India when a wet-nurse became known as an amah.
10. Cabo locale BAJA
Cabo San Lucas is a major tourist destination at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. “Cabo” is sometimes referred to as the “Fort Lauderdale of Mexico”.
11. "East of Eden" son ARON
John Steinbeck considered "East of Eden" his magnus opus. Most of the storyline takes place near Salinas, just south of where I live in the Bay Area. Two of the characters in the story are brothers Cal and Aron, representative of the biblical Cain and Abel.
According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, after Cain murdered his brother Abel he fled to the Land of Nod, located "east of Eden" (which, by the way, is the source for the title of John Steinbeck's celebrated novel "East of Eden").
13. Is omniscient SEES ALL
“Omniscience” is the quality of having complete knowledge and awareness. The term comes from the Latin “omnis” meaning “all” and “scientia” meaning “knowledge”.
16. Visual layer UVEA
The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball.
17. Take in BILK
The word "bilk", meaning "to defraud", comes from the card game of cribbage.
18. Swell pair? ELLS
There is a pair of letters L (ells) in the word “swell”.
24. Calico call MEOW
Domestic cats with a white coat and patches of brown and black are called calico cats in this country. In Ireland, and the rest of the world I think, such cats are called tortoiseshell-and-white. "Calico" is not a breed of cat, simply a coloring.
28. Animated TV barkeep MOE
Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in "The Simpsons" animated TV show. I don't really care for "The Simpsons", but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character ... him I like ...
29. "Man on the Moon" group REM
“Man on the Moon” is a song released by the American rock band R.E.M. in 1992. The song is a tribute to comedian and comic actor Andy Kaufman (Latka on “Taxi”) who died in 1984. The title is an oblique reference to rumors that Kaufman had faked his own death, as there are also persisting conspiracy theories that the moon landings were also faked. The subsequent 1999 film about Kaufman’s life was titled “Man on the Moon”, after the song.
35. Hockey Hall of Famer Francis EMILE
Emile Francis is a hockey player, coach and manager whose name is mostly associated with the New York Rangers.
37. Clothes TOGS
The verb "tog", meaning to dress up, comes from the Latin "toga", the garment worn in Ancient Rome. "Tog" can be use as an informal word for a coat or a cloak. Back in Ireland, togs are what we call swimming shorts.
38. Only pres. born in Missouri HST
The initial “S” in the middle of the name Harry S. Truman (HST) doesn’t stand for anything. The future-president was named “Harry” in honor of his mother’s brother Harrison “Harry” Young. The initial “S” was chosen in honor of young Harry’s two grandfathers: Anderson S-hipp Truman and S-olomon Young.
39. Japanese pufferfish for risk-taking eaters FUGU
Fugu is the Japanese name for pufferfish. Fugu is a notorious dish on a Japanese menu as it can be extremely poisonous. The liver, ovaries and eyes of the pufferfish contain lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin, which paralyses muscles causing death by asphyxiation.
40. U.K. decorations OBES
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry in the UK that was established in 1917 by King George V. There are five classes within the order, which are in descending seniority:
- Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
- Knight Commander (KBE)
- Commander (CBE)
- Officer (OBE)
- Member (MBE)
42. Antenna pickup RADIO SIGNAL
An antenna’s job is to convert electrical power into radio waves, and radio waves into an electrical signal. The first antennas were built by the German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1888.
43. Company infamous for shredding ENRON
After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow's wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).
44. "Funny Girl" composer STYNE
Jule Styne was an English songwriter who made a name for himself in America with a series of popular musicals. Styne wrote a number of famous songs including “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl”, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from “Gypsy”.
48. Port-of-Spain's island TRINIDAD
Port of Spain is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. The city is located on northwest coast of Trinidad.
51. Airport city near Montreal MIRABEL
When Montréal–Mirabel International Airport opened in 1975, it was the largest airport in the world in terms of surface area. Mirabel has been relegated to a cargo airport as it is located almost 25 miles northwest of Montreal, and that has proven to be too far to attract passengers and passenger airlines.
52. Paycheck reduction for most STATE TAX
There are seven states in the US that don’t collect state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
58. One of two N.T. books COR
The seventh and eighth books of the New Testament are the First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians.
59. Harrison of the stage REX
Rex Harrison was an English actor who played many memorable roles on stage and screen. On stage, Harrison famously played Henry VIII in “Anne of the Thousand Days” and Professor Higgins in “My Fair Lady”. His best known film appearances were in “Anna and the King of Siam”, “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”, “My Fair Lady”, “Cleopatra” and “Doctor Dolittle”. Harrison was married six times. He had an affair with actress Carole Landis during his second marriage, and Harrison’s refusal to get a divorce led to Landis’s suicide. His fifth wife was actress Rachel Roberts. Years after the couple divorced, Roberts also committed suicide after repeated attempts to win back Harrison’s affection.
61. Pin cushion? MAT
A wrestler might pin his or her opponent to the mat.
69. "Star Trek" spinoff, briefly TNG
When Gene Roddenberry first proposed the science fiction series that became "Star Trek", he marketed it as "Wagon Train to the Stars", a pioneer-style Western in outer space. In fact his idea was to produce something more like "Gulliver's Travels", as he intended to write episodes that were adventure stories on one level, but morality tales on another. Personally I think that he best achieved this model with the spin-off series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (TNG). If you watch individual episodes you will see thinly disguised treatments of moral issues such as racism, homosexuality, genocide etc. For my money, TNG is the best of the whole franchise ...
70. Gun lobby gp. NRA
The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The NRA has had some celebrity presidents, including US President Ulysses S. Grant. It's often said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.
71. Watchdog org.? ASPCA
Unlike other developed countries, there is no "umbrella" organization in the US with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.
72. Whitish gems OPALS
97% of the world’s opals come from Australia, so it’s no surprise perhaps that the opal is the national gemstone of the country. The state of South Australia provides the bulk of the world’s production, about 80%.
76. Sam of "The Piano" NEILL
Sam Neill is a very talented actor from New Zealand. I really enjoyed Neill in a 1983 television miniseries called “Reilly, Ace of Spies”, about a British spy operation during WWI. He is perhaps better-known for his roles in the movies “Omen III”, “Dead Calm”, "Jurassic Park” and “The Hunt for Red October”.
“The Piano" is a 1993 film set and filmed in New Zealand starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. The movie tells the story of a mute piano player and her daughter, and her efforts to regain her piano after it is sold. Holly Hunter managed to get three screen credits in “The Piano”. She was credited for her acting role, for playing her own piano pieces in the film, and for being the sign-language coach for young Anna Paquin.
77. "Six Days of the Condor" author James GRADY
I haven't read the novel "Six Days of the Condor" by James Grady, but the 1975 movie adaptation, called "Three Days of the Condor", is an excellent thriller. It stars Robert Redford as a relatively low-level CIA employee who gets caught up in agency politics and murders. Grady wrote a follow-up novel that was published in 1978 called "Shadow of the Condor".
79. Some ballot items REFERENDA
A referendum (also called a “plebiscite” or “initiative”) is a direct vote by an entire electorate on a particular proposal. In a representative democracy such as the US, where most major decisions are made by our elected legislature, referenda and ballot initiatives are relatively rare.
85. Optima, e.g. KIA
The Kia Optima is a mid-size four-door sedan that was sold for a while in Canada and Europe as the Kia Magentis.
90. Aptly named coffee lightener CREMORA
Cremora is a non-dairy creamer made for lightening coffee by Borden.
92. Colts' former home RCA DOME
The RCA Dome was probably better known as the Hoosier dome, home to the Indianapolis Colts from 1984-2007. It was torn down in 2008, but the inflated roof was put to good use afterwards. The material was re-purposed by local artisans, creating wallets, messenger bags etc. These can still be purchased, with proceeds going to charity.
93. Bete noire BUGABOO
“Bugaboo” is another term for a bogeyman, an imaginary and scary creature used to frighten children. More generally, a bugaboo is something that creates fear or worry.
"Bête noire" translates from French as "black beast" and is used in English to describe something or someone that is disliked.
97. Itinerary entry: Abbr. ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)
101. Muscat money RIALS
The Rial is name of the currency of Oman (as well as that of Yemen , Iran, Cambodia and Tunisia!).
Muscat is the capital of Oman,and lies on the northeast coast of the state on the Gulf of Oman, a branch of the Persian Gulf.
105. Sunni leader IMAM
An imam is a Muslim leader, often the person in charge of a mosque or perhaps a Muslim community.
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.
106. Of the flock LAIC
Anything described is laic (or “laical, lay”) is related to the laity, those members of the church who are not clergy. The term "laic" ultimately comes from the Greek "laikos" meaning "of the people".
110. Actor McGregor EWAN
Ewan McGregor is a very talented Scottish actor, one who got his break in the 1996 film "Trainspotting". McGregor's first big Hollywood role was playing the young Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the "Star Wars" prequels. Less known is his televised marathon motorcycle journey from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Siberia, Mongolia and Canada. The 2004 trip was shown as "Long Way Round" on TV. McGregor did a similar trip in 2007 called "Long Way Down", which took him and the same travelling companion from the north of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa.
112. Spelling on TV TORI
Tori Spelling is an American actress who made a name for herself playing Donna Martin on television’s “Beverly Hills, 90210”. Tori is the daughter of film and television producer Aaron Spelling.
114. Wild plum SLOE
The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. The sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually very tart in taste.
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