LA Times Crossword 25 Jun 23 Sunday

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Constructed by: Dan Schwartz & Shannon Rapp
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: State of Disrepair

Themed answers each include an anagram of a US state name hidden within. Themed clues each include a nickname used for the corresponding state. Clever …

• 22A Natural wonder that’s roughly 1,100 times bigger than the Grand Canyon? : AMAZON RAINFOREST (giving “ARIZONA”, the Grand Canyon State)
• 33A “Show Me where I went wrong!?” elicitor, maybe? : SERIOUS MISTAKE (giving “MISSOURI”, the Show Me State)
• 52A Hawkeyed writer of “To the Lighthouse”? : VIRGINIA WOOLF (giving “IOWA”, the Hawkeye State)
• 69A Question before making a Pine Tree disappear? : DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC (giving “MAINE”, the Pine Tree State)
• 93A The NHL’s North Stars in 1967, for one? : EXPANSION TEAM (giving “MINNESOTA”, the North Star State)
• 109A Wolverine’s snack dispenser? : VENDING MACHINE (giving “MICHIGAN”, the Wolverine State)
• 124A Secluded place in Lhasa to think about Treasure? : TIBETAN MONASTERY (giving “MONTANA”, the Treasure State)

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

Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment

Bill’s time: 14m 02s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Landlocked African nation : CHAD

The landlocked African country called Chad takes its name from the second largest wetland on the continent, which is known as Lake Chad.

5 Teng known as the “Eternal Queen of Asian Pop” : TERESA

Some refer to Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng as Asia’s first musical superstar, and dubbed her the “Eternal Queen of Asian Pop”.

18 Basketball Hall of Famer Leslie : LISA

Lisa Leslie is a former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks. Leslie is rather tall, and was the first player to dunk the ball in a WNBA game.

19 Spotted cat : OCELOT

The ocelot is a wild cat found mainly in South and Central America, although there have been sightings as far north as Arkansas. An ocelot doesn’t look too different from a domestic cat, and some have been kept as pets. Perhaps most famously, Salvador Dali had one that he carried around everywhere with him.

20 Spanakopita cheese : FETA

Spanakopita is a savory pastry from Greece. The term “spanakopita” translates from Greek as “spinach pie”. The pie’s filling includes feta cheese, onions and egg, along with the spinach.

21 Jasmine __ : RICE

Jasmine rice is a variety of fragrant, long-grain rice that is named for its color, as it is said to be as white as the jasmine flower.

22 Natural wonder that’s roughly 1,100 times bigger than the Grand Canyon? : AMAZON RAINFOREST (giving “ARIZONA”, the Grand Canyon State)

The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest, covering 1.4 billion acres in nine different countries of South America. Those 1.4 billion acres represent more than half of the rainforest that’s left on the planet.

Arizona was admitted as a Confederate Territory in February 1862, in a declaration signed by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Almost exactly 50 years later, Arizona became the 48th state of the Union, on Valentine’s Day in 1912.

The Grand Canyon is in Arizona. The canyon continues to be carved out of layers of rock by the Colorado River. It is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and over a mile deep.

26 __ scheme : PONZI

Charles Ponzi was born in Luigi, Italy in 1882 and arrived in the US in 1903, flat broke having gambled away all his money on the voyage to Boston. Ponzi devised a scheme to buy what were known as “international reply coupons” through friends in Italy, which he had sent to him in the US so that he could redeem them on this side of the Atlantic. As the value in the US was greater than that in Italy, he could make a handsome profit. This was in itself an “illegal” transaction, buying an asset in one market at a low price, then immediately selling it in another market at a higher price. But it’s what he did next that became known as a Ponzi Scheme. He couldn’t redeem his coupons quickly enough due to red tape so he approached other investors, initially friends, and had them give him cash so that he could buy more coupons in Italy. He promised the investors he would double their money, which they did initially. Many people wanted to get in on the scheme seeing that Ponzi was able to make the new investors a profit and double the money of the original investors. Eventually, somebody did the math and word started to get out that the investment was risky, so the number of new investors started to fall. Without sufficient new investors Ponzi couldn’t double the money of his latest investors, and the whole scheme unraveled.

Bernie Madoff is serving a 150-year sentence for having operated what is described as the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Basically Madoff took investor’s money and instead of investing it in the markets as agreed, he put the money into a bank account. He used some of the money he collected from new investors to pay the older investors the anticipated monthly returns. This worked just fine, until too many investors started looking for the return of the original investment. The money was “gone”, paid to new investors (and Madoff), so the whole scheme collapsed.

27 Afro puff, for one : UPDO

The Afro puff hairdo is created by parting the hair in the middle and then tying the hair on either side of the parting in two “puffs”.

28 Actor Holbrook : HAL

Hal Holbrook was an actor from Cleveland, Ohio. Although Holbrook was well known for many roles on the big and small screens, he is best known for a series of plays that he developed called “Mark Twain Tonight!”. Holbrook depicted Twain on stage giving recitations from several of Twain’s writings, varying the script for each performance. “Mark Twain Tonight!” was first performed in 1959, and Holbrook last portrayed Twain in the work in 2017, just before he retired at the age of 92. With well over 2,000 appearances in 58 years, Holbrook portrayed Twain longer than Samuel Langhorne Clemens himself.

33 “Show Me where I went wrong!?” elicitor, maybe? : SERIOUS MISTAKE (giving “MISSOURI”, the Show-Me State)

“Show-Me State” is the unofficial nickname of Missouri. The moniker was given to the state apparently because the population was noted for being conservative and non-credulous.

42 Muscat’s land : OMAN

Muscat is the capital of Oman. The city lies on the northeast coast of the state on the Gulf of Oman, a branch of the Persian Gulf.

52 Hawkeyed writer of “To the Lighthouse”? : VIRGINIA WOOLF (giving “IOWA”, the Hawkeye State)

Virginia Woolf was an English author who was active in the period between the two World Wars. Woolf’s most famous novels were “Mrs. Dalloway”, “To the Lighthouse” and “Orlando”. She also wrote a long essay entitled “A Room of One’s Own” in which she states “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

Iowa is nicknamed the Hawkeye State in honor of Chief Black Hawk, a leader of the Sauk people during the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War.

58 Deux halved : UNE

In French, half of “deux” (two) is “un, une” (one).

59 Large chau gong : TAM-TAM

The tam-tam is a gong that also goes by the names “chau gong” or “bullseye gong”. It is the kind of gong that has become part of a symphony orchestra, having been introduced by French composer François-Joseph Gossec in 1790.

60 Tartan pattern : PLAID

“Tartan” is sometimes called “plaid” over here in the US, and is a word not used in the same sense outside of this country. In Scotland, a plaid is a blanket or a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder.

63 Tablelands : MESAS

“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table” and is how we get the term “mesa” that describes the geographic feature. A mesa is similar to a butte. Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide.

69 Question before making a Pine Tree disappear? : DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC (giving “MAINE”, the Pine Tree State)

Maine is the least-densely populated state east of the Mississippi, with almost 90% of its land covered with forests. Perhaps that’s why the state’s nickname is “The Pine Tree State” …

79 “Metropolis: The Chase Suite” artist Janelle : MONAE

Janelle Monáe is a singer and actress. I’m not familiar with her as a singer, but did see Monáe play NASA engineer Mary Jackson in the excellent 2016 film “Hidden Figures”.

2007’s “Metropolis: The Chase Suite” is the first installment of Janelle Monáe’s seven-part “Metropolis” conceptual series of recordings. The series was inspired by Fritz Lang’s science fiction classic film “Metropolis”, released in 1927. Monáe’s “Metropolis” is a tale about android Cindi Mayweather who is mass-produced in the year 2719. Mayweather falls in love with a human, and is sentenced to disassembly.

81 Bigelow product : TEA

The Bigelow Tea Company is a family-owned business that was founded in 1945 by Ruth C. Bigelow. The company is headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, and owns America’s only tea plantation, which is located in Charleston, South Carolina.

83 “August: __ County” : OSAGE

“August: Osage County” is a dark comedy play by Tracy Letts that won a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I saw the 2013 movie adaptation that has a great cast including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, and Benedict Cumberbatch. I really enjoyed it …

86 “Thank U, Next” singer Ariana : GRANDE

“Thank U, Next” is a 2018 song co-written and recorded by Ariana Grande. The title is a phrase that Grande apparently uses with reference to the breakup of a relationship. I guess it means “Thank you for the past relationship, let’s move onto the next one”. After the song’s release, the phrase “Thank U, next” became popular on the Internet, used in the same way it is used in the song.

90 Tiny ammo : BBS

A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.070″ in diameter) to size FF (.230″). Birdshot that is size BB (0.180″ in diameter) gives the airgun its name.

91 Insect marching in a column : ARMY ANT

Army ants are a collection of over two hundred different species of ants. Each species is known for aggressively raiding a certain area en masse, foraging for food. Army ants also stay on the move, never building permanent nests.

93 The NHL’s North Stars in 1967, for one? : EXPANSION TEAM (giving “MINNESOTA”, the North Star State)

The Dallas Stars hockey team was founded in 1967, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, and was back then called the Minnesota North Stars. The team moved to Dallas in 1993.

Minnesota is called the North Star State because it is the northernmost state in the contiguous United States. The state’s motto, “L’Étoile du Nord,” is French for “The Star of the North.” The North Star is still a symbol of Minnesota, and is featured on the state flag and seal.

96 Draws from a Juul, say : VAPES

Juul is a brand of e-cigarette on sale in the US. Cigarette supplier Altria (formerly Philip Morris) purchased a 35% share in manufacturer Juul Labs in 2018.

97 Heavy-duty cooler brand : IGLOO

Igloo Products is a Texas-based manufacturer of coolers. The company started up in 1947 making metal water coolers, and introduced its first all-plastic ice chest in 1962. The Igloo name was adopted in 1971.

99 Big name in cheese balls : UTZ

Utz is the largest privately-held producer of snack foods in the US. The company was founded in 1921 and is based in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

101 Writer/activist __ B. Wells : IDA

Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and leader of the civil rights movement. She published a pamphlet in 1892 called “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases”, which publicized the horrors of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the South.

102 Actress Fey : TINA

Comedian and actress Tina Fey was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Fey is perhaps best known to television viewers as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” (1997-2006), and as the creator and star of the sitcom “30 Rock” (2006-2013).

109 Wolverine’s snack dispenser? : VENDING MACHINE (giving “MICHIGAN”, the Wolverine State)

In the 1800s, wolverine pelts were highly prized for their thick, warm fur. Michigan was a major center for the fur trade, and wolverine pelts were often shipped from the state to eastern markets. It’s possible that traders began referring to Michigan as the “Wolverine State” because of the abundance of wolverine pelts in the area.

114 California wine valley : SONOMA

Did you know that there are far more wine grapes produced in Sonoma than Napa? Within Sonoma County some of the more well-known appellations are Chalk Hill, Anderson Valley and Russian River Valley. Personally, when I want to visit the wine country, I head for the Russian River Valley as it’s far less crowded and much more fun than Napa Valley.

118 Woodland deities : FAUNS

Fauns are regarded as the Roman mythological equivalent of the Greek satyrs, but fauns were half-man and half-goat and much more “carefree” in personality than their Hellenic cousins. In the modern age we are quite familiar with Mr. Tumnus, the faun-like character encountered by the children entering the world of Narnia in C. S. Lewis’s “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”.

123 “Smooth Operator” singer : SADE

“Smooth Operator” is a 1984 song written and performed by English band Sade. The song’s lyrics tell the story of a smooth-talking, charming man who is able to charm women effortlessly.

124 Secluded place in Lhasa to think about Treasure? : TIBETAN MONASTERY (giving “MONTANA”, the Treasure State)

Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, with the name “Lhasa” translating as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

Montana is called the Treasure State because of its rich mineral resources, particularly gold and silver. The first major gold discovery in Montana was in 1862, and the resulting Gold Rush brought thousands of prospectors to the state. The nickname “Treasure State” was first used in the 1960s by the Montana State Highway Department during a tourism promotion.

128 Italian automaker since 1899 : FIAT

Fiat is the largest car manufacturer in Italy, and is headquartered in Turin in the Piedmont region in the north of the country. Fiat was founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli, when the company’s name was “Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino” (FIAT). A few years ago, Fiat became the majority shareholder in Chrysler.

135 “Don’t dele” : STET

“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

Down

3 Yoga position : ASANA

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”

5 Unit of measure for elephants or cargo : TON

Here in the US, a ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds. In the UK, a ton is 2,240 pounds. The UK unit is sometimes referred to as an Imperial ton, long ton or gross ton. Folks over there refer to the US ton then as a short ton. To further complicate matters, there is also a metric ton or tonne, which is equivalent to 2,204 pounds. Personally, I wish we’d just stick to kilograms …

6 Neutral shade : ECRU

The color ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

7 Harvests : REAPS

Back in the Middle Ages, the noun “harvest” was the name of a season, the season we now call “fall, autumn”. As crops were gathered in that season, the term “harvest” gradually took on its contemporary meaning.

8 Skipped over : ELIDED

To elide is to pass over, omit or slur a syllable when speaking.

9 Chihuahua neighbor : SONORA

Sonora is the state in Mexico that lies just south of Arizona and New Mexico. It is the second-largest state in the country, after Chihuahua.

10 DOJ arm concerned with explosives : ATF

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today is part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

12 UFO pilots, probably : ETS

One might speculate that an unidentified flying object (UFO) is flown by an extraterrestrial (ET).

13 Uses Blue Apron, say : EATS IN

Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that has been providing customers across the US with a weekly supply of meals since 2012. The “kit” for a meal comes pre-proportioned with ingredients for a home-cooked repast.

15 Carrier in French Polynesia : AIR TAHITI

Air Tahiti is a French airline operating in French Polynesia. The company was founded in 1950 with one plane ferrying passengers between islands. The name was changed in 1953 to “RAI” (abbreviation for “Inter-Island Aviation Network”, in French). The airline rebranded in 1970 and adopted the name “Air Polynesia”. The Air Tahiti name reappeared in 1985.

French Polynesia (Polynésie française) is a vast overseas territory of France that is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It comprises 118 islands and atolls dispersed over 1,609 square miles, the most populous being Tahiti.

16 Olympian Nathan Chen, notably : ICE-SKATER

Nathan Chen is a figure skater from Salt Lake City who is known for performing the most technically difficult of programs in competition. He is a recognized master of the quadruple jump, and is sometimes referred to as the Quad King.

20 German woman : FRAU

In German, a “Herr” (Mr.) is married to a “Frau” (Mrs.), and they live together in a “Haus” (house).

23 Aromatherapy array : OILS

Essential oils are concentrated liquids containing volatile chemical compounds that have a smell or odor. The term “essential” oil comes from the fact that it contains the “essence” of a plant’s fragrance.

30 Counterpart of “ser,” in Spanish : ESTAR

The Spanish verb “estar” translates as “to be”.

32 Steamy spot : SAUNA

As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word. It is pronounced more correctly as “sow-nah” (“sow”, as in the female pig).

34 “If u ask me” : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

36 Slow Churned brand : EDY’S

Edy’s is a brand of premium ice cream that was founded in 1928 in Oakland, California. The company’s two signature brands, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and Edy’s Grand Ice Cream, are named after its founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

38 Caprice : WHIM

“Whim”, meaning “sudden fancy”, is such a lovely word, and one that we’ve been using in English since the 1640s. “Whim” is actually a shortened form of “whimwham”, which has a similar meaning and has been around since the early 1500s.

48 Swiss peak : ALP

The Swiss Alps are home to over 4,000 glaciers, which cover an area of about 1,000 square miles. These glaciers are a crucial source of freshwater for much of Europe. In fact, 6% of the continent’s freshwater is found within the borders of Switzerland, giving it the nickname “Water Tower of Europe”.

49 Super Bowl org. : NFL

Super Bowl I was played in January 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers emerged victorious in a game with a score of 35-10. That game was officially known as the AFL-NFL Championship Game, as the name “Super Bowl” wasn’t applied until two seasons later. That “first” Super Bowl is now known as Super Bowl III and was played between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts. The Jets came out on top.

51 Complete a Monopoly circuit : PASS GO

The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 by a Quaker woman named Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord’s Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.

55 Luxury hotel chain : OMNI

Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

57 Mild Dutch cheese : EDAM

Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

61 Pacific tuna : AHI

Ahi tuna is also known as yellowfin tuna and is a popular fish for sushi and sashimi. However, due to overfishing, ahi tuna populations are at risk.

64 Lemur with long fingers and ratlike teeth : AYE-AYE

The aye-aye is a lemur that is native to Madagascar. It is the largest nocturnal primate in the world, and has an unusual way of feeding. The aye-aye taps on trees to find grubs, rather like a woodpecker. Having located its meal, it then uses its rodent-like teeth to gnaw into the wood and uses a specially-adapted long and narrow middle finger to pull out the grubs.

66 Tab, for one : KEY

Like most features on our computer keyboards, the tab key is a hangover from the days of typewriters. When using a typewriter, making entries into a table was very tedious, involving lots of tapping on the spacebar and backspace key. So, a lever was added to typewriters that allowed the operator to “jump” across the page to positions that could be set by hand. Later this was simplified to a tab key which could be depressed, causing the carriage to jump to the next tab stop in much the same way that the modern tab key works on a computer.

68 Shio or shoyu dish : RAMEN

Ramen is a noodle dish composed of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish broth flavored with soy or miso sauce. Ramen is usually topped with sliced pork and dried seaweed. The term “ramen” is also used for precooked, instant noodles that come in single-serving, solid blocks.

70 Noodles served in dashi : UDON

Dashi is a style of cooking stock used in Japanese cuisine. Most famously, dashi” is the stock that is used as the base for miso soup. Traditional dashi is a fish stock to which is added edible kelp called kombu and shavings of preserved and fermented skipjack tuna called katsuobushi.

72 Clean air agcy. : EPA

The Clean Air Act of 1963 is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

73 Star in Lyra : VEGA

Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. Vega (along with Altair and Deneb from other constellations) is also part of the group of three stars that is called the Summer Triangle. Vega is the star at the right-angle of said triangle.

76 Group of schemers : CABAL

A cabal is a small group of plotters acting in secret, perhaps scheming against a government or an individual. The use of “cabal” in this way dates back to the mid-1600s. It is suggested that the term gained some popularity, particularly in a sinister sense, during the reign of Charles II in the 1670s. At that time, it was applied as an acronym standing for “Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale”, a group of ministers known for their plots and schemes.

80 “Twilight” vampire : ESME

Author Stephenie Meyer is best-known for her “Twilight” series of vampire romance novels. The “Twilight” books are aimed at young adults. Meyer also wrote a 2008 adult sci-fi novel called “The Host”, which went straight to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. Obsessive fans of the “Twilight” series of books can be referred to as “Twihards”, a portmanteau of “Twilight” and “die-hard”.

82 Latin American pastries : EMPANADAS

An empanada is a dish made by folding pastry around cooked meat and vegetables. To me an empanada looks very similar to a dish I grew up with called a Cornish pasty.

84 Ultrasound goop : GEL

A sonogram is an image made using ultrasound. “Ultrasound” is the name given to sound energy that has frequencies above the audible range.

87 Sparky the Sun Devil’s sch. : ASU

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

91 Tel __, Israel : AVIV

Israel’s Tel Aviv is known as the “White City” because of its many Bauhaus-style buildings. In fact, it has the largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings in the world, with over 4,000 buildings in this style. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 as a suburb of the ancient port city of Jaffa.

92 Sean of “Stranger Things” : ASTIN

Sean Astin is best known for playing the title role in the 1993 film “Rudy” and the character Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” movies. You might also have seen him playing Lynn McGill in the 5th season of “24”. Astin is the son of actress Patty Duke, and the adopted son of actor John Astin (of “The Addams Family” fame).

94 Swanky : POSH

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 traveling 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.

95 Condition sometimes treated with hearing aids : TINNITUS

Tinnitus is a ringing sound in the ears when there is actually no sound present. The term derives from the Latin verb “tinnire” meaning “to ring”.

98 Handheld Nintendo system : GAME BOY

The Game Boy is a hugely successful handheld video game player that was released in 1989 by Nintendo. I remember that my kids were so eager to get hold of the devices when they first came out that I bought a couple of them in a Japanese railroad station, while over there on a business trip.

105 Duelers at some bars? : PIANOS

What was remarkable about the piano when it was invented, compared to other keyboard instruments, was that notes could be played with varying degrees of loudness. This is accomplished by pressing the keys lightly or firmly. Because of this quality, the new instrument was called a “pianoforte”, with “piano” and “forte” meaning “soft” and “loud” in Italian. We tend to shorten the name these days to just “piano”.

121 Mario Kart console, for short : SNES

The name “Super NES” (or “SNES”) stands for “Super Nintendo Entertainment System”.

123 NorCal hub : SFO

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) served as the main base of operations for Virgin America (sold to Alaska Airlines), and is also the maintenance hub for United Airlines. Even though SFO is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport is located to the south in San Mateo County.

125 Two-time French Open winner Swiatek : IGA

Iga Swiatek is a professional tennis player, and the first from Poland to win a major singles title (the French Open in 2020).

127 __ Technica: tech news website : ARS

Ars Technica is a technology news website that launched in 1998. The site was purchased by Condé Nast Publications in 2008.

Read on, or …
… return to top of page

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Landlocked African nation : CHAD
5 Teng known as the “Eternal Queen of Asian Pop” : TERESA
11 Broker’s charge : FEE
14 Shadow : TAIL
18 Basketball Hall of Famer Leslie : LISA
19 Spotted cat : OCELOT
20 Spanakopita cheese : FETA
21 Jasmine __ : RICE
22 Natural wonder that’s roughly 1,100 times bigger than the Grand Canyon? : AMAZON RAINFOREST (giving “ARIZONA”, the Grand Canyon State)
25 Neighborhood : AREA
26 __ scheme : PONZI
27 Afro puff, for one : UPDO
28 Actor Holbrook : HAL
29 Post-breakup parties? : SECTS
31 Front-of-the-rack sizes, often : SMALLS
33 “Show Me where I went wrong!?” elicitor, maybe? : SERIOUS MISTAKE (giving “MISSOURI”, the Show-Me State)
37 “__ it first!” : I SAW
39 Reservoir creator : DAM
40 Family member : AUNT
41 “You __ one job!” : HAD
42 Muscat’s land : OMAN
45 Speech fillers : UHS
47 Good at repairs : HANDY
50 “Too bad” : A PITY
52 Hawkeyed writer of “To the Lighthouse”? : VIRGINIA WOOLF (giving “IOWA”, the Hawkeye State)
56 Scolds harshly : BERATES
58 Deux halved : UNE
59 Large chau gong : TAM-TAM
60 Tartan pattern : PLAID
62 Title of honor : SIR
63 Tablelands : MESAS
65 Body art : INK
67 Listens to : HEARS
69 Question before making a Pine Tree disappear? : DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC (giving “MAINE”, the Pine Tree State)
77 Finish (as) : END UP
78 Pro vote : YEA
79 “Metropolis: The Chase Suite” artist Janelle : MONAE
81 Bigelow product : TEA
83 “August: __ County” : OSAGE
86 “Thank U, Next” singer Ariana : GRANDE
90 Tiny ammo : BBS
91 Insect marching in a column : ARMY ANT
93 The NHL’s North Stars in 1967, for one? : EXPANSION TEAM (giving “MINNESOTA”, the North Star State)
96 Draws from a Juul, say : VAPES
97 Heavy-duty cooler brand : IGLOO
99 Big name in cheese balls : UTZ
100 Inactive : IDLE
101 Writer/activist __ B. Wells : IDA
102 Actress Fey : TINA
104 Place for a mineral scrub : SPA
107 Stitched : SEWN
109 Wolverine’s snack dispenser? : VENDING MACHINE (giving “MICHIGAN”, the Wolverine State)
114 California wine valley : SONOMA
118 Woodland deities : FAUNS
119 Prefix with tourism : ECO-
120 Broadcasts : AIRS
122 Some spouses : WIVES
123 “Smooth Operator” singer : SADE
124 Secluded place in Lhasa to think about Treasure? : TIBETAN MONASTERY (giving “MONTANA”, the Treasure State)
128 Italian automaker since 1899 : FIAT
129 Big personalities : EGOS
130 “Turn it up!” : LOUDER!
131 Encourage : URGE
132 Ish : OR SO
133 Wages : PAY
134 Size up : ASSESS
135 “Don’t dele” : STET

Down

1 Applauds : CLAPS
2 Start of a call home, perhaps : HI, MOM …
3 Yoga position : ASANA
4 Truly brilliant : DAZZLING
5 Unit of measure for elephants or cargo : TON
6 Neutral shade : ECRU
7 Harvests : REAPS
8 Skipped over : ELIDED
9 Chihuahua neighbor : SONORA
10 DOJ arm concerned with explosives : ATF
11 Are blue : FEEL SAD
12 UFO pilots, probably : ETS
13 Uses Blue Apron, say : EATS IN
14 Land parcel : TRACT
15 Carrier in French Polynesia : AIR TAHITI
16 Olympian Nathan Chen, notably : ICE-SKATER
17 Grazing ground : LEA
20 German woman : FRAU
23 Aromatherapy array : OILS
24 “Lookee here!” : OHO!
30 Counterpart of “ser,” in Spanish : ESTAR
32 Steamy spot : SAUNA
34 “If u ask me” : IMHO
35 Spanish “Very good!” : MUY BIEN
36 Slow Churned brand : EDY’S
38 Caprice : WHIM
42 Egg cell : OVUM
43 Went for the gold? : MINED
44 Playground retort : ARE SO!
46 Convened : SAT
48 Swiss peak : ALP
49 Super Bowl org. : NFL
51 Complete a Monopoly circuit : PASS GO
53 “Showtime!” : IT’S ON!
54 Cry miserably : WAIL
55 Luxury hotel chain : OMNI
57 Mild Dutch cheese : EDAM
61 Pacific tuna : AHI
64 Lemur with long fingers and ratlike teeth : AYE-AYE
66 Tab, for one : KEY
68 Shio or shoyu dish : RAMEN
70 Noodles served in dashi : UDON
71 Lowering in rank : BUSTING
72 Clean air agcy. : EPA
73 Star in Lyra : VEGA
74 Deserve : EARN
75 Retired, maybe : IN BED
76 Group of schemers : CABAL
80 “Twilight” vampire : ESME
81 Industry-wide expo : TRADE FAIR
82 Latin American pastries : EMPANADAS
84 Ultrasound goop : GEL
85 Outer: Pref. : EXO-
87 Sparky the Sun Devil’s sch. : ASU
88 Minor criticisms : NITS
89 Naps : DOZES
91 Tel __, Israel : AVIV
92 Sean of “Stranger Things” : ASTIN
94 Swanky : POSH
95 Condition sometimes treated with hearing aids : TINNITUS
98 Handheld Nintendo system : GAME BOY
103 Arched foot part : INSTEP
105 Duelers at some bars? : PIANOS
106 Ill will : ANIMUS
108 Amazes : WOWS
110 Because of : DUE TO
111 Scores 100% on : ACES
112 Foldable bed : COT
113 Wear with time : ERODE
115 In the open : OVERT
116 On-ramp sign : MERGE
117 So far : AS YET
121 Mario Kart console, for short : SNES
123 NorCal hub : SFO
125 Two-time French Open winner Swiatek : IGA
126 In the style of : A LA
127 __ Technica: tech news website : ARS

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