NYT Crossword Trainer - Saturday Flashcards

Question

New York county on the Canadian border

Answer 1

ERIE Erie County lies just west of Wyoming County in New York State. Erie County is home to the city of Buffalo, and sits right on the shores of lake Erie.

Answer 2

ERIE Erie Insurance, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, started out in 1925 offering auto insurance. Today, Erie also offer home, commercial and life insurance.

Answer 3

ERA The pitching stat, earned run average (ERA), measures how many runs a pitcher tends to give up per nine innings.

Answer 4

ERA The designations Anno Domini (AD, "year of Our Lord") and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC, without a year "0" in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays, a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) replacing BC.

Answer 5

ERA There were concerted efforts to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages in the US from the 1840s right up until the lobbyists achieved success with ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1919. While there were several factors that influenced legislators at that time, one was the perceived need to take political power away from German-based brewing industry during WWI.

Answer 6

ERA Earned run average (ERA)

Answer 7

ERA Ronald Reagan started out his political career as a member of the Democratic Party, but switched to the Republicans in the early fifties. He served as Governor of California for eight years, and vied unsuccessfully for the nomination for US President on two occasions. He finally succeeded in 1980 and defeated President Jimmy Carter to become the 40th US President in 1981.

Answer 8

ERA President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) is one of only four people to have held all four elected federal offices, namely US Representative, US Senator, US Vice-President and US President. As President he is perhaps best remembered for escalating involvement in the Vietnam War, and for his 'Great Society' legislation.

Answer 9

ERA Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. He is known for pitching the first perfect game of baseball's modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the best pitcher of a particular baseball season.

Answer 10

IRA Nice clue ... I have to tell you, when I first came to the US from Ireland, it was pretty confusing seeing big signs along the freeway touting contributions to the IRA! Back in Ireland, that was pretty illegal (where IRA means the Irish Republican Army).

Answer 11

IRA Ira Stein is an American pianist who does a lot of work combining classical and jazz music.

Answer 12

IRA Ira Berkow is a sports reporter and writer.

Answer 13

IRA Fidelity Investments is financial services corporation that is based in Boston. Fidelity was founded back in 1946.

Answer 14

IRA 'Patriot Games' is a 1987 novel from Tom Clancy that features his hero Jack Ryan. The story opens with Ryan saving the lives of the Prince and Princess of Wales during a kidnapping attempt by an Irish terrorist group. In the 1992 film adaptation of the book, the Prince and Princess of Wales are dropped from the story, and replaced by the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Answer 15

ENO Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. However, his most oft played composition (by far!) is Microsoft's "start-up jingle", the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system is booting up.

Answer 16

ENO 'Warszawa' is a song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, released in 1977. 'Warszawa' is the Polish word for 'Warsaw'.

Answer 17

ENO Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. However, Eno's most oft-played composition (by far!) is Microsoft's "start-up jingle", the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system is booting up. Eno might have annoyed the Microsoft folks when he stated on a BBC radio show:

Answer 18

ENO Brian Eno's 2016 studio album entitled 'The Ship' is named for the sinking of the Titanic, according to Eno himself.

Answer 19

ETE The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. The country is often, mistakenly, referred to as the Ivory coast, the direct translation from the French. The official language of the country is French, as for many years it was a French colony.

Answer 20

ETE One might spend the summer (été) in Roquefort in France.

Answer 21

ETE In French, the longest days (journées) are in summer (été).

Answer 22

ETE In French, 'juillet' (July) is a month in the 'été' (summer).

Answer 23

ANA An ana (or plural anas) is a collection, including literature, that represent the character of a particular place or a person. Ana can be used as a noun, or as a suffix.

Answer 24

ARI Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio.

Answer 25

ARI Ari Emanuel is the co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, the largest talent agency in the world. Emanuel represents the likes of Martin Scorsese, Michael Moore, Matt Damon, and Conan O'Brien.

Answer 26

ARI "Exodus" is a wonderful novel written by American writer Leon Uris, first published in 1947. The book was incredibly well received by the public and is the second biggest bestseller in the US after "Gone with the Wind". The hero of the piece is Ari Ben Canaan, played by Paul Newman in the 1960 film adaptation directed by Otto Preminger.

Answer 27

ARI Ari Graynor is an American actress who first came to national attention playing the character of Caitlin Rucker in a few episodes of the HBO series "The Sopranos".

Answer 28

ARIA A cantatrice is a female professional singer, especially one who sings opera.

Answer 29

ARIA "La donna è mobile" is a very famous aria from Verdi's opera "Rigoletto".

Answer 30

SNL 'Saturday Night Live' ('SNL')

Answer 31

SNL 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL).

Answer 32

SNL "Celebrity Jeopardy!" was a regular skit on 'Saturday Night Live' that aired on the show between 1996 and 2002. Comedian Will Ferrell always played the host Alex Trebek in the sketches, and other cast members played celebrity contestants.

Answer 33

SNL Al Franken is the junior US Senator from Minnesota. Franken won the seat in 2009 after an extremely close race, a race that he eventually won by just 312 votes. Prior to serving in the Senate, Franken was a noted satirist and writer for 'Saturday Night Live'.

Answer 34

SNL 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL)

Answer 35

ANA All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline, second in size only to Japan Airlines (JAL).

Answer 36

ANA Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian tennis player, and former world number one. As well as playing tennis, she also studied finance at university in her native Belgrade.

Answer 37

ARI The male name 'Ari' when written backwards spells the name 'Ira'.

Answer 38

ARI The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball's National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, the Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

Answer 39

SNL 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL)

Answer 40

EDEN The Fall of Man in the Christian doctrine is the name given to Adam and Eve's succumbing to temptation in the Garden of Eden.

Answer 41

ELS The Chicago "L" is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. It is also the second oldest, again with the New York Subway system having the honor of being the oldest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the "L", although the term "El" is also in common use (especially in crosswords as "ELS"). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

Answer 42

EDEN According to the Book Of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden "in" Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers, including the Tigris and Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.

Answer 43

NEE Michelle Obama grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and is sister to Craig Robinson, the coach of men's basketball at Oregon State University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she worked as an associate at the Chicago office of the Sidley Austin law firm. Barack Obama joined the firm as a summer associate and Michelle Robinson was assigned to mentor him, and as they say, one thing led to another ...

Answer 44

ELS Ernie Els is a South African golfer. He's a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname "The Big Easy". Els has a child who suffers from autism and the golfer has been very effective in raising money for charities that focus on the condition.

Answer 45

ELS Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname "The Big Easy". He has a child who suffers from autism and so Els has been very effective in raising money for charities that focus on the condition.

Answer 46

NEE "Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".

Answer 47

ELS 'Els' are elevated railroads.

Answer 48

EDEN In the Christian tradition, the 'fall of man' took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, against the bidding of God. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

Answer 49

EDEN 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.

Answer 50

NEE Michelle Obama nee Robinson grew up on the South Side of Chicago and is sister to Craig Robinson, the coach of men's basketball at Oregon State University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Michelle Robinson worked as an associate at the Chicago office of the Sidley Austin law firm. Barack Obama joined the firm as a summer associate and Michelle Robinson was assigned to mentor him, and as they say, one thing led to another ...

Answer 51

EDEN According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden "in" Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers including the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.

Answer 52

NEE "Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".

Answer 53

EDEN I suppose it's a little ironic that there were only five popes who took the name 'Sixtus', and not six. 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.

Answer 54

NEE "Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".

Answer 55

EROS As always seems to be the case with Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, and Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.

Answer 56

EROS Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.

Answer 57

EROS Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.

Answer 58

RNA A virus is a small, infectious agent, made up of either two or three parts:

Answer 59

RNA A virus is an infective agent, composed of RNA protected by a coating of protein. A viroid is a smaller pathogen, also composed of RNA, but without the protection of proteins.

Answer 60

OSLO The 1952 Winter Olympic Games took place in Oslo, Norway. The games is remembered as the first time a purpose-built athletes' village was constructed.

Answer 61

OSLO Queen Sonja is married to King Harald V of Norway. Prior to their marriage, Sonja and Harald had to see each other in secret because Sonja was a non-royal, the daughter of a clothing merchant. The couple dated for nine years before Harald's father and the Norwegian government sanctioned the marriage, which took place in 1968.

Answer 62

ENS The bumpers (letters at either end) of the word 'Nissan' are two letters N (en).

Answer 63

ENS 50% of the letters in the word 'nonunion' are Ns (ens).

Answer 64

RNA Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

Answer 65

ENS The are two letters N (ens) sitting side-by-side in the word 'Cannes'.

Answer 66

ENS Half of the letters in the word 'nine' are Ns (ens).

Answer 67

ENS There are three letters N in the word 'inning'.

Answer 68

ENS In typography, there are em dashes and en dashes. The em dash is about the width of an "m" character, and an en dash about half that, the width of an "n' character. An en dash is used, for example, to separate numbers designating a range, as in 5-10 years. Th em dash seems to be going out of style, and indeed the application I am using to write this paragraph won't let me show you one!

Answer 69

ENS There are two letters N (ens) in the word 'nation', one at each end ('boundary').

Answer 70

ENS Ensign (ens.)

Answer 71

ENS There is a quarter of letters N (ens) in the title 'No, No, Nanette'.

Answer 72

OSLO 'Hedda Gabler' is a play by the great Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, first published in 1890. Considered one of the greatest theater roles, the title character of Hedda Gabler is sometimes referred to as 'the female Hamlet'.

Answer 73

RNA A virus is a small, infectious agent, made up of either two or three parts:

Answer 74

RNA Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

Answer 75

TNT TNT stands for Turner Network Television. It made a big splash in the eighties when it started to broadcast old MGM movies that had been "colorized", not something that was a big hit with the public. In recent years, the TNT programming lineup is governed by the tag-line "We Know Drama", and includes shows like "Judging Amy", "ER" and "Cold Case".

Answer 76

TNT TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. The chemical was first produced by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand in 1863, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

Answer 77

ABE Shinzō Abe is the current Prime Minister of Japan, and has been in office since 2012. Abe also served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007.

Answer 78

TNT TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

Answer 79

TNT TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

Answer 80

TNT TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

Answer 81

ESP Extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 82

ESP Extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 83

ESP Extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 84

ABE Shinzo Abe first became Prime Minister of Japan in 2006, at which time he was the youngest person to hold the post since WWII and was the first PM born after the war. Abe was in office for less than a year, but was voted in again in 2012. Abe is usually characterized as a right-wing nationalist.

Answer 85

ESP Extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 86

RIO The Museu do Índio (Portuguese for 'the Museum of the Indian') is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The museum focuses on collecting and displaying artifacts from the indigenous cultures of the country.

Answer 87

EPA 'The Simpsons' television show spawned 'The Simpsons Movie' in 2007. The film is all about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) taking on Homer Simpson after he pollutes the local lake.

Answer 88

RIO Duran Duran is a New Wave band from Birmingham in England. Duran Duran's success was partially driven by some well-received MTV music videos in the 1980s. The band also worked hard on their image and paid a lot of money for very fashionable clothes in which they performed. As a result, one of Duran Duran's nicknames is 'the prettiest boys in rock'.

Answer 89

RIO The next three FIFA World Cups (soccer) will be hosted by Brazil (2014), Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022).

Answer 90

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.

Answer 91

EPA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Answer 92

STE Suite (Ste.)

Answer 93

STE Suite (Ste.)

Answer 94

STE Sainte (Ste.)

Answer 95

STE Sainte (Ste.)

Answer 96

STE Sainte-Adèle is a municipality located about 70 kilometres northwest of Montreal in Quebec. The town was really built on the back of the skiing and tourism industries, with the first ski area opening up in 1914.

Answer 97

RIO Rio' is a 2011 animated movie about a male blue macaw who is brought to mate with a female blue macaw in Rio de Janeiro, hence the movie's title. Fans can go see 'Rio 2' that was released in 2014.

Answer 98

RIO The 1942 movie 'Now, Voyager' stars Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. Prouty got the title of her book from the Walt Whitman poem 'The Untold Want':

Answer 99

RIO The Rio Negro (Spanish for 'black river') is a tributary of the Amazon in South America. The Rio Negro is the largest blackwater river in the world. A blackwater river is a slow-moving waterway that flows through forestation, collecting decaying vegetable matter that turns the water to a dark coffee color.

Answer 100

STE Sainte-Chapelle is a beautiful Gothic chapel located on the Île de la Cité, the same island in the Seine that is home to Notre-Dame Cathedral. The name 'Sainte-Chapelle' is usually translated as 'Holy Chapel'. The chapel was built in the mid-1200s by Louis IX to house a relic that he believed to be the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus just prior to the Crucifixion.

Answer 101

ALE Moose Drool and Trout Slayer are two beers brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, Montana. Moose Drool is the most popular "crafted" beer consumed in the state.

Answer 102

EPEE The hilt of a sword consists of a grip and a guard (also called a bell guard). One grasps the sword with the grip, and the bell guard is a metal shell that is designed to protect the fingers. Epee is the French word for sword.

Answer 103

ONO Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Her father moved around the world for work, and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan, before moving on to New York, Hanoi, and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war, the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko's father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father returned, life started to return to normal, and Yoko was able to attend university, and was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.

Answer 104

ALE Full Sail is a craft brewery in Hood River, Oregon.

Answer 105

EPEE The French word for sword is "épée". In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent's body.

Answer 106

EPEE The French word for sword is "épée". In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent's body.

Answer 107

ONO Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Her father moved around the world for work and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war the Ono family was far from prosperous. While Yoko's father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father was repatriated, life started to return to normal and Yoko was able to attend university. She was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.

Answer 108

EPEE The French word for sword is "épée". In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent's body.

Answer 109

ONO Every Man Has a Woman" is a tribute album recorded for Yoko Ono's 50th birthday, in 1984. The tracks are songs from albums recorded by Ono, but recorded as cover version by artists such as Harry Nilsson, Roberta Flack and Ono's husband, John Lennon. This album was supposedly Lennon's idea, but sadly he was murdered before he could see it completed.

Answer 110

ONO Ono is the name given in Hawaii to the fish better known as the wahoo.

Answer 111

EPEE The French clergyman Abbé Charles-Michel de l'Épée is often referred to as the 'Father of the Deaf'. Épée dedicated much of his life to helping the deaf. He opened the world's first free school for the deaf in 1760 in Paris, initially using it to provide shelter for those who were poor and hearing-impaired. Épée developed a type of sign language that is believed to be the first example of a formal and complete visual-gesture system for the deaf.

Answer 112

ALE What's known as 'bitter ale' in the UK corresponds to 'pale ale' in the US. I'm a fan ...

Answer 113

NRA The NRA is the National Rifle Association, and has been around since 1871. The group was founded as the American rifle Association, and had some celebrated presidents, including President Ulysses S. Grant. It's often been said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.

Answer 114

NRA 'Heat' is slang for a firearm.

Answer 115

NRA The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The group 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.

Answer 116

NRA District of Columbia v. Heller was a 2008 case decided by the US Supreme Court. The Court held that the US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment protected an individual's right to own a firearm for lawful use.

Answer 117

NRA National Rifle Association (NRA)

Answer 118

EMU The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an "Emu War" in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the "invading force". The emus were clever, breaking their usual formation and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of "war", the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious ...

Answer 119

RAE John Rae was a Scottish explorer, who took on the task of searching for the ill-fated Franklin Expedition of 1845. The Franklin Expedition was itself searching for the elusive Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific. John Rae created much controversy back in England when he reported evidence of cannibalism among the ill-fated Franklin explorers.

Answer 120

EMU Emu eggs are very large, with a thick shell that is dark-green in color. One emu egg weighs about the same as a dozen chicken eggs.

Answer 121

LEE Lee Pace is an actor most famous for playing Ned in the television comedy-drama 'Pushing Daisies'.

Answer 122

LSD LSD (colloquially known as 'acid') is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn't until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man ...

Answer 123

LEE Robert E. Lee is of course renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state. During the Civil War, Lee's men referred to him affectionately as 'Marse Robert', with 'marse' being slang for 'master'.

Answer 124

EMU The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an "Emu War" in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the "invading force". The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of "war", the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious ...

Answer 125

EMU Emu eggs are very large, with a thick shell that is dark-green in color. One emu egg weighs about the same as a dozen chicken eggs.

Answer 126

LEE The Second Battle of Deep Bottom (also called 'Fussell's Mill') was fought in the middle of August 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia during the Civil War. The Union forces were led by Maj. Gen Winfield S. Hancock, and the Confederates by Gen Robert E. Lee and Maj, Gen W. Field.

Answer 127

LSD LSD (colloquially known as 'acid') is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn't until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man ...

Answer 128

LSD LSD (colloquially known as 'acid') is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn't until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man ...

Answer 129

LSD The drug LSD is often sold impregnated into blotter paper. The paper blotter is usually divided into squares with ¼-inch sides, with each square referred to as a 'tab'.

Answer 130

LSD LSD (colloquially known as 'acid') is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn't until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man ...

Answer 131

RAE Bob Rae is a former politician who was the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada for almost two full years starting in 2011. Rae was replaced by Justin Trudeau as party leader in 2013.

Answer 132

RAE Rae Sremmurd is hip hop act consisting of two brothers from Tupelo, Mississippi: Khalif 'Swae Lee' Brown and Aaquil 'Slim Jxmmi' Brown. The pair used to perform as Dem Outta St8 Boyz, with the brothers using the names Kid Krunk and Caliboy, along with a third brother known as Lil Pantz. Sometimes I think I over-complicate things by using the name 'Bill' ...

Answer 133

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.

Answer 134

ODE A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. 'Paean' comes from the ancient Greek 'paian' meaning "song of triumph'.

Answer 135

ORR Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players who ever played the game. By the time he retired in 1978, Orr had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, Orr concluded that he just couldn't skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking ...

Answer 136

ANN Ann Davies knew Mitt Romney way back in elementary school, and the pair started dating when Ann was 16 and were married in 1968 when she was 19 years old. Ann Romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, and she has been very active with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Answer 137

ANN Ann Packer is a novelist from Stanford. California who is probably best known for her first book called 'The Dive from Clausen's Pier'.

Answer 138

ORR Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn't skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking ...

Answer 139

ANN Heart is a rock band from Seattle, Washington, founded in the seventies and still going strong. The band has had a changing lineup, except for sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson.

Answer 140

ORR Bobby Orr is a former hockey player from Ontario who played most of his professional career with the Boston Bruins. Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. A bronze statue of Orr was erected outside Boston's TD Garden in 2010. By the time he retired in 1978, Orr had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn't skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking ...

Answer 141

ORR Orr has no other name, just "Orr", in Joseph Heller's novel "Catch 22".

Answer 142

ANN Barack Obama, Sr. was first married at the age of 18 in his home country of Kenya, and had two children during that marriage. He left his wife and children back in Kenya when he enrolled in the University of Hawaii in 1959 as the school's first African foreign student. There Obama met Ann Dunham in a Russian language course. The two entered into a romantic relationship and Dunham became pregnant. Obama told Dunham that he was divorced from his first wife (not true), and the pair were married on Maui in 1961. Six months later, Barack Obama II was born, destined to become the 44th President of the United States. The couple divorced in 1964. After the divorce, Dunham was able to marry Lalo Soetoro, a Javanese surveyor who she met while he was studying for a masters degree at the university. Soetoro returned to Indonesia in 1966, and Dunham joined him there the following year with her 6-year-old son. Barack Obama spent four years in Indonesia before returning to Hawaii to live with his grandparents.

Answer 143

ADA The American Dental Association members at times have to build bridges between teeth.

Answer 144

ESAU Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. He is portrayed as being very different from his brother, a hunter, someone who loves the outdoor life.

Answer 145

ESAU Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother, Rebekah, gave birth to the twins "the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)". As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father's wealth (it was his "birthright"). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a "mess of pottage" (a meal of lentils).

Answer 146

SSN Prior to the June 2011, the first three digits of the Social Security Number (SSN) was designated as an Area Number. In recent decades this Area Number reflects the ZIP code in the mailing address of the person for which the SSN was applied. From June 2011, all SSNs issued have been assigned randomly. I always think that’s a good idea …

Answer 147

SSN The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation although, given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an "identity number" to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. There was concern that a lot of people were claiming children as dependents on their tax returns who did not exist, so from 1986 onwards it was a requirement to get a SSN for any dependents over the ago of 5. Sure enough, in the following year's returns, seven million dependents "disappeared".

Answer 148

ESAU Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother Rebekah gave birth to the twins "the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)". As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father's wealth (it was his "birthright"). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a "mess of pottage" (a meal of lentils).

Answer 149

ONE The New York Yankees retired the uniform with the number 1 in 1986, the number worn by second baseman and manager Billy Martin.

Answer 150

OREO The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been produced since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

Answer 151

OREO The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been produced since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

Answer 152

ADA Ada Leverson was a British writer, a great friend of Oscar Wilde. Leverson was played by actress Zoë Wanamaker in the 1997 film 'Wilde' starring Stephen Fry in the title role.

Answer 153

ESAU Esau, was the grandson of Abraham and the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When Esau was born, the event was described, 'Now the first came forth, red all over like a hairy garment'. Esau is portrayed later in life as being very different from his brother, as a hunter and someone who loves the outdoor life.

Answer 154

ESAU Esau, was the grandson of Abraham and the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When Esau was born to Isaac and Rebekah, the event was described, 'Now the first came forth, red all over like a hairy garment'. Esau is portrayed later in life as being very different from his brother, as a hunter and someone who loves the outdoor life.

Answer 155

OREO The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

Answer 156

ADA American Dental Association (ADA)

Answer 157

OREO The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

Answer 158

SSN A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSN’s are assigned randomly.

Answer 159

SSN Generally speaking, I think it's a good idea to shred documents that show a social security number (SSN), rather than just toss them in the garbage.

Answer 160

ESAU 'The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau' is a painting by Sir Peter Paul Rubens.

Answer 161

ESAU Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother Rebekah gave birth to the twins "the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)". As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father's wealth (it was his "birthright"). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a "mess of pottage" (a meal of lentils).

Answer 162

ONE Marine One is the call sign used by a Marine Corps helicopter when it is carrying the US president. In fact, the call sign can be used by any Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president, but usually refers either a Sea King or White Hawk helicopter that is used routinely in transportation to and from the White House.

Answer 163

OREO The Oreo cookie was introduced in 1912. The Oreo was intended to be a competitor to the very similar Hydrox cookie which had debuted four years earlier. The Oreo won the resulting battle on the grocery store shelves ...

Answer 164

SSN A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSn's are assigned randomly.

Answer 165

EMO Dashboard Confessional is an emo band from Boca Raton, Florida.

Answer 166

EMO The musical genre of "emo" originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from "emotional hardcore". Not my cup of tea ...

Answer 167

LEI "Lei" is the Hawaiian word for "garland, wreath", although in more general terms a "lei" is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

Answer 168

LEI What's known as May Day around the world is also called Lei Day in Hawaii. Lei Day started in the twenties and is a celebration of native Hawaiian culture.

Answer 169

EMO The musical genre of "emo" originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from "emotional hardcore". Not my cup of tea ...

Answer 170

EMO The musical genre of "emo" originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from "emotional hardcore". 'Emo' is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea ...

Answer 171

EMO The musical genre of "emo" originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from "emotional hardcore". Not my cup of tea ...

Answer 172

LEI "Lei" is the Hawaiian word for "garland, wreath", although in more general terms a "lei" is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

Answer 173

EMO The musical genre of 'emo' originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from 'emotional hardcore'. 'Emo' is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea ...

Answer 174

LEI "Lei" is the Hawaiian word for "garland, wreath", although in more general terms a "lei" is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

Answer 175

ELK Elk Mountain Ski Area is located about 30 miles north of Scranton, in the Endless Mountain region of Pennsylvania.

Answer 176

IAN Ian Somerhalder had his big break as an actor in the TV drama "Lost", and now has a part in TV's "The Vampire Diaries".

Answer 177

OBI An obi is a sash worn in from dress in Japan, both by men and women, although there tend to be many different ornate versions for women.

Answer 178

ELK Buckskin is the skin of a male deer, moose or elk.

Answer 179

IAN Evan is a Scottish form of the name John.

Answer 180

IAN Ian Rankin is crime writer from Scotland. Rankin's most famous novels feature his hero 'Inspector Rebus' and are set in and around Edinburgh.

Answer 181

OTIS Elevators (simple hoists) have been around for a long time. What Elisha Otis did was come up with the "safety elevator", a design that he showcased at the 1853 World's Fair in New York. At the Fair, Otis would stand on an elevated platform in front of onlookers and order his assistant to cut the single rope holding up the platform. His safety system kicked in when the platform had only fallen a few inches, amazing the crowd. After this demonstration, the orders came rolling in.

Answer 182

OTIS Elevators (simple hoists) have been around for a long time. What Elisha Otis did was come up with the "safety elevator", a design that he showcased at the 1853 World's Fair in New York. At the Fair, Otis would stand on an elevated platform in front of onlookers and order his assistant to cut the single rope holding up the platform. His safety system kicked in when the platform had only fallen a few inches, amazing the crowd. After this demonstration, the orders came rolling in.

Answer 183

RHO Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter "p".

Answer 184

A LA The term 'in the style of' can be translated in 'alla' in Italian and 'à la' in French.

Answer 185

IAN Ian Kinsler is a second baseman for the Texas Rangers MLB baseball team.

Answer 186

IAN Ian Harding is an actor best known for playing Ezra Fitz in the teen drama TV series 'Pretty Little Liars'.

Answer 187

OTIS Otis Campbell is the town drunk on the sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show'. Campbell was played by actor Hal Smith. The character was dropped in the late sixties as sponsors became concerned about being associated with heavy drinking.

Answer 188

OTIS Elevators (simple hoists) have been around for a long time. What Elisha Otis did was come up with the "safety elevator", a design that he showcased at the 1853 World's Fair in New York. At the Fair, Otis would stand on an elevated platform in front of onlookers and order his assistant to cut the single rope holding up the platform. His safety system kicked in when the platform had only fallen a few inches, amazing the crowd. After this demonstration, the orders came rolling in.

Answer 189

RHO Rho is the symbol used for density, i.e. mass/volume.

Answer 190

A LA The phrase 'in the style of' can be translated in 'alla' in Italian and 'à la' in French.

Answer 191

A LA The phrase 'in the style of' can be translated in 'alla' in Italian and 'à la' in French.

Answer 192

IAN The name 'John' translates into Scottish as 'Ian', and into Irish as 'Seán'.

Answer 193

OTIS The first moving walkway was installed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

Answer 194

ELK Elk County in Pennsylvania was created in 1843. The county was named for the eastern elk that used to live in the area. Sadly, the subspecies is now extinct, with the last eastern elk being shot and killed in 1877.

Answer 195

OTIS 'The Canterville Ghost' is a short story by Oscar Wilde about a 'Mr. Otis' and family who move into a home that is haunted by the Canterville Ghost. The most famous of many adaptations of the story is probably the 1944 film of the same name, starring Charles Laughton as the ghost.

Answer 196

RHO Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter "p". Rho is the symbol used for density, i.e. mass/volume.

Answer 197

EAU One might boil water (eau) in Bordeaux in France.

Answer 198

EAU Fish (in French, "des poissons") need water ("eau") to survive.

Answer 199

ELO "Out of the Blue" is a double album released in 1977 by ELO. All the tracks were written by band leader Jeff Lynne in just three weeks in a rented chalet in the Swiss Alps. Creative environment I guess ...

Answer 200

ELO ELO of course stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. Their manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

Answer 201

ELO ELO of course stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. Their manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

Answer 202

ETON The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders, including David Cameron who took power in the recent UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming.

Answer 203

ELO ELO of course stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. Their manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

Answer 204

ETON Captain Hook is the bad guy in 'Peter Pan', the famous play by J. M. Barrie. Hook is Peter Pan's sworn enemy, as Pan cut off Hook's hand causing it to be replaced by a 'hook'. It is implied in the play that Hook attended Eton College, just outside London. Hook's last words are 'Floreat Etona', which is Eton College's motto.

Answer 205

ELO The Elo rating system is used to compare the skill levels of competing chess players. The system is named for a Hungarian-born professor of physics called Arpad Elo, who was also a master-level chess player active in the US Chess Federation.

Answer 206

LEO The company that made Fender electric guitars was founded in Fullerton, California in 1946 by Leo Fender.

Answer 207

EAU In French, ice (glace) is frozen water (eau).

Answer 208

ETON Captain Hook is the bad guy in 'Peter Pan', the famous play by J. M. Barrie. Hook is Peter Pan's sworn enemy, as Pan cut off Hook's hand causing it to be replaced by a 'hook'. It is implied in the play that Hook attended Eton College, just outside London. Hook's last words are 'Floreat Etona', which is Eton College's motto.

Answer 209

LEO The constellation called Leo can be said to resemble a lion. Others say that it resembles a bent coat hanger. 'Leo' is the Latin for 'lion', but I'm not sure what the Latin is for 'coat hanger' ...

Answer 210

LEO Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo. Regulus is a multiple star and what we see as one entity is actually made up of four stars rotating around a common center of mass. 'Regulus' is Latin for 'prince'.

Answer 211

ELO Out of the Blue' is a double album released in 1977 by ELO. All the tracks were written by band leader Jeff Lynne in just three weeks in a rented chalet in the Swiss Alps. A creative environment I guess ...

Answer 212

ETON "A Yank at Eton" was released in 1942, and is a sequel to the 1938 comedy "A Yank at Oxford". The film had some use as "propaganda" as the movie's message was that "Yanks" and "Limeys" could get along. This was helpful as American forces were pouring into the UK in preparation for the invasion of Europe during WWII.

Answer 213

ETON The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).

Answer 214

LEO Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is from Los Angeles, California. DiCaprio's mother was visiting a museum in Italy when she was pregnant and felt the first kick of her unborn child. At the moment of that first kick, Mama DiCaprio was looking at a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and so named her son Leonardo.

Answer 215

UMA "Prime" is a romantic comedy from 2005. It has an interesting storyline. 37-year-old divorcee (Uma Thurman) falls for 23-year-old man (Bryan Greenberg) and shares her thought about the affair with her therapist (Meryl Streep). The therapist turns out to be the 23-year-old man's mother. Hilarity ensues, I am sure (I have yet to see this one ...).

Answer 216

CSI (54. See 40-Down : DNA TESTS)

Answer 217

UMA Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter "Uma" as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name "Dbuma".

Answer 218

ANNE James I of England was also James VI of Scotland, until he died in 1625. He became king of Scotland when he was just 13 months old after his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. He inherited the title of James I of England when Elizabeth I died in 1603 without issue. That marked the end of the Tudor monarchy, and the beginning of the House of Stuart reign (Mary was James's mother, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was his father). A suitable marriage was arranged for James, to 14-year-old Anne of Denmark. The couple had three children, two boys and a girl. the eldest boy died as a teenager, so the youngest son inherited the throne from his father, as Charles I.

Answer 219

EVA Despite the English sounding name, Eva Green is a French actress. She played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 2006 movie "Casino Royale", opposite Daniel Craig.

Answer 220

LES Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a Hungarian composer, and a fabulous pianist. Particularly towards the end of his life, he gained a tremendous reputation as a teacher. While he was in his sixties, his teaching profession demanded that he commute regularly between the cities of Rome, Weimar and Budapest. It is quite remarkable that a man of such advanced age, in the 1870s could do so much annual travel, estimated to be at least 4,000 miles every year.

Answer 221

NED Ned Vizzini is an American author of books aimed at young adults. His most famous novel is "Be More Chill", a science fiction tale about a nerdy kid who takes a "magic" pill that makes him cool.

Answer 222

OMAN Oman is lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula, neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The city of Muscat, with its strategic location, 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 century until finally 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 ever since.

Answer 223

OMAN O, man! It's Oman!

Answer 224

EEL The Eel River in California was named in 1850 by an explorer Josiah Gregg, after he made a trade with some Native Americans, swapping a frying pan for a large catch of eels.

Answer 225

EEL Electrophorus electricus is the biological name for the electric eel. Despite its name, the electric "eel" isn't an eel at all, but rather what is called a knifefish, a fish with an elongated body and related to the catfish. The electric eel has three pairs of organs along its abdomen, each capable of generating an electric discharge. The shock can go as high as 500 volts with 1 ampere of current (that's 500 watts), and that could perhaps kill a human.

Answer 226

EEL Electrophorus electricus is the biological name for the electric eel. Despite its name, the electric "eel" isn't an eel at all, but rather what is called a knifefish, a fish with an elongated body and related to the catfish. The electric eel has three pairs of organs along its abdomen, each capable of generating an electric discharge. The shock can go as high as 500 volts with 1 ampere of current (that's 500 watts), and that could perhaps kill a human.

Answer 227

EEL Electrophorus electricus is the biological name for the electric eel. Despite its name, the electric "eel" isn't an eel at all, but rather what is called a knifefish, a fish with an elongated body and related to the catfish. The electric eel has three pairs of organs along its abdomen, each capable of generating an electric discharge. The shock can go as high as 500 volts with 1 ampere of current (that's 500 watts), and that could perhaps kill a human.

Answer 228

IOTA Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use "iota" to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Answer 229

ASTI Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The region is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine.

Answer 230

LES 'Les' is French for 'the', when used with a plural noun.

Answer 231

ANNE Anne Rice is an American author of erotic and Gothic novels. She was born Howard Allen O'Brien (no wonder she changed her name!). Her famous series of novels, "The Vampire Chronicles", centers on her character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman who was turned into a vampire in the 18th century. One of the stories, "Interview with the Vampire", was adapted for the big screen in 1994 and features Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and others in a star-studded cast. Not my kind of movie though, as I don't do vampires ...

Answer 232

ASTI Asti is a sparkling white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, and is named for the town of Asti around which the wine is produced. The wine used to be called Asti Spumante, and it had a very bad reputation as a 'poor man's champagne'. The 'Spumante' was dropped in a marketing attempt at rebranding associated with a reduction in the amount of residual sugar in the wine.

Answer 233

EEL You might be able to order a caterpillar roll in your local sushi restaurant. A caterpillar is an inside-out sushi roll topped with thinly sliced avocado.

Answer 234

ETNA Mt. Etna is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy. Mt Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius.

Answer 235

IKE South Park' is an adult-oriented cartoon series on Comedy Central. I don't do 'South Park' ...

Answer 236

IOTA Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word "iota" to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Answer 237

NERO Seneca the Younger was a playwright as well as a tutor and advisor to the Emperor Nero of Ancient Rome. Although maybe innocent, Seneca was forced to commit suicide by Nero as it was alleged that Seneca participated in a plot to kill the emperor. To kill himself, Seneca cut into a number of veins in order to bleed to death.

Answer 238

NERO Following the great fire of 64 AD in Rome, many large homes on the slopes of Palatine Hill in the center of the city were burned to the ground. The emperor Nero cleared the area completely and used the land to construct an extravagant villa called the Domus Aurea (Latin for 'Golden House').

Answer 239

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization's nickname ... "No Such Agency".

Answer 240

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization's nickname ... "No Such Agency".

Answer 241

IKE 'I Like Ike' was a political slogan that originated with the grassroots movement to get Dwight D. Eisenhower to run for president in the 1952 presidential election.

Answer 242

IKE I Like Ike' was a political slogan that originated with the grassroots movement to get Dwight D. Eisenhower to run for president in the 1952 presidential election. The slogan was modified in the president's reelection campaign four years later to 'Ike in '56'.

Answer 243

INCA The Inca Empire was known as the Tawantinsuyu, which translates as 'land of the four quarters'. The Inca Empire was a federal organization having a central government that sat above four 'suyu' or 'quarters', four administrative regions.

Answer 244

NSA National Security Agency (NSA)

Answer 245

ASTI Barbera d'Asti is a red wine from Italy. Barbera d'Asti is produced not only in the famed Asti wine region of northern Italy, but also in neighboring Alexandria.

Answer 246

ASTI Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The region is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine.

Answer 247

EVA Despite the English sounding name, Eva Green is a French actress. Green played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 2006 movie "Casino Royale", opposite Daniel Craig.

Answer 248

EVA Little Eva is a character in the 1852 novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Eva's full name is Evangeline St. Clare.

Answer 249

IKE Mike and Ike is a brandname of fruit-flavored candy made by Just Born starting in 1940. Just Born launched quite a clever marketing campaign in 2012 asserting that Mike and Ike had 'split up due to creative differences'. The campaign involved production of two different boxes for the candy showing one or the other name scratched out. Clever ...

Answer 250

LES "Les Jeunes de Paris" is a recurring sketch on 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL). The sketch features a French TV series called "Les Jeunes de Paris", in which angry teens break into dance. Star of the piece is SNL cast member Taran Killam as François.

Answer 251

LES 'Die' is the German for 'the' in the plural, and 'les' is French.

Answer 252

LES Issy-les-Moulineaux is a suburb of Paris lying on the banks of the Seine. Issy's economy was based on manufacturing, but now it is known as a nexus for the French telecommunications and media industries.

Answer 253

NED Ned Sparks was a Hollywood character actor noted for his grumpy deadpan expression as he chewed on a cigar. Sparks became so enamoured with his facial expression that the story is he insured his face for $100,000.

Answer 254

NED Ned Flanders lives next door to Homer on TV's "The Simpsons". Ned is voiced by actor Harry Shearer and has been around since the very first episode aired in 1989.

Answer 255

NSA The NSA are famous as code crackers.

Answer 256

OMAN The Arabian Peninsula is shaped like a boot, with the Sultanate of Oman occupying the toe of that boot.

Answer 257

OMAN The coalition forces that engaged in the Gulf War of 1990 to 1991 comprised mainly US military personnel. The next largest contributors of forces were Saudi Arabia, the UK and Egypt, in that order.

Answer 258

ASTI Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. It is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine. Moscato d'Asti is produced from the same grape (Moscato Bianco) but is a much sweeter wine with a lower alcohol content. It is usually served as a dessert wine.

Answer 259

EEL The species of cusk-eel Abyssobrotula galatheae is deepest-living fish known to man. In 1970, one of these cusk-eels was trawled from the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench at a depth of almost 27,500 feet, setting a record for the deepest fish ever caught.

Answer 260

EVA Little Eva is a character in the 1852 novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Eva's full name is Evangeline St. Clare.

Answer 261

NED South Park' is an adult-oriented cartoon series on Comedy Central. I don't do 'South Park' ...

Answer 262

NED Ned Land was one of the protagonists in Jules Verne's classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". In the famous movie adaptation from 1955, Ned Land was played by Kirk Douglas.

Answer 263

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization's nickname ... "No Such Agency".

Answer 264

NSA 'Citizenfour' is a 2014 documentary about Edward Snowden and his leaking of classified NSA information. Much of the film consists of footage that director Laura Poitras shot while interviewing Snowden in a hotel room in Hong Kong before the story broke.

Answer 265

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) seal was introduced in 1965 and features an eagle perched upon a key. The eagle represents the agency's national mission, and the key represents security.

Answer 266

AOL A keyword is a reference point for finding other words, especially in using search engines like Google or AOL Search. In August of 2006 an AOL researcher published a text file online containing words that over 650,000 users had searched for, listed by users who were only identified by an anonymous user number. The degree of anonymity was insufficient though, as some users could be identified by the terms in their search histories. "The New York Times" tracked down several users just from the information in the released file, one of whom even gave permission for the paper to publish her name. One user in particular (#927) was singled out as a very"scary" person based on his or her search history, spawning a play called "User 927".

Answer 267

AOL Founded as Quantum Computer Services in 1983, America Online changed its name in 1989. As the company went international, the acronym AOL was used in order to shake off the "America-centric" sound to the name. During the heady days of AOL's success, the company could not keep up with the growing number of subscribers, so people trying to connect often encountered busy signals. That's when users called AOL "Always Off-Line".

Answer 268

RENE At the end of WWI, of all the allied nations, Rene Fonck was the top flying ace. He was credited with 75 victories.

Answer 269

RENE I have no interest in shoes, but I found it interesting that in 2007 Harrods hired a live cobra to sit in a display protecting some ruby, diamond and sapphire encrusted sandals designed and launched by Rene Caovilla.

Answer 270

SOS The combination of three dots, three dashes, three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress signal in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS, although there is no pause between the letters, so this is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship" are also only mnemonics, introduced after the Morse signal was adopted.

Answer 271

SSR The Soviet Socialist Republics were part of the USSR.

Answer 272

ASP In William Shakespeare's play 'Antony and Cleopatra', the heroine of the piece addresses the asp as she uses the snake to commit suicide:

Answer 273

ASP The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

Answer 274

RENE René Lacoste was a French tennis player known for being very tenacious on court. This tenacity earned him the nickname 'the Crocodile'. When he went into the clothing business, specializing in tennis apparel, his Lacoste brand became famous for its green crocodile logo.

Answer 275

SOS The ABBA song "S.O.S." was originally titled "Turn Me On". In the movie "Mama Mia!", it is performed by Meryl Streep (brilliantly) and by Pierce Brosnan (terribly).

Answer 276

SSR The former Soviet Union was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. The new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent geographically to the old Russian Empire, and was made up of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics.

Answer 277

SSR The former Soviet Union was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution that overthrew the Tsar in 1917. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was made up of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics.

Answer 278

AOL Patch Media (owned by AOL) is the company that operates the website Patch.com, which uses a concept the company calls 'hyperlocal journalism'. Patch.com employs a network of local community news editors that manage local community news websites. There are over 500 such websites available on Patch.com today.

Answer 279

SOS The combination of three dots - three dashes - three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots - pause - three dashes - pause - three dots), although in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so SOS is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship" are also mnemonics, introduced after the "SOS" signal was adopted.

Answer 280

TED 'How I Met Your Mother' is a sitcom that CBS has been airing since 2005. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

Answer 281

TED Better Off Ted' was a comedy series that aired for two seasons on ABC. Never saw it ...

Answer 282

CIA Operation Cyclone was the codename for the CIA's program to arm the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Operation Cyclone is at the center of the very entertaining 2007 movie 'Charlie Wilson's War'.

Answer 283

ORCA The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name "orca", rather than "killer whale", is becoming more and more common. The Latin word "Orcinus" means "belonging to Orcus", with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

Answer 284

ORCA "Blackfish" is a 2013 documentary film that examines the dangers of keeping orca in captivity.'Star' of the movie is a killer whale (orca) called Tilikum who was responsible in whole or in part for the deaths of three people. Tilikum was captured in 1983 and has been a 'guest' of SeaWorld since 1992. Most recently, Tilikum killed a 40-year old trainer called Dawn Brancheau in 2010.

Answer 285

RENE René Leibowitz was a French composer who had been born in Warsaw, Poland. Liebowitz studied with Maurice Ravel in Paris in the 1930s, but then studied with Anton Webern and became part of the Second Viennese School and embraced the concept of atonality. Not my cup of tea ...

Answer 286

RENE René Cassin drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after WWII that was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. This work led to Cassin being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968.

Answer 287

SSR The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

Answer 288

SSR The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

Answer 289

TED 'Ted' is a movie written, directed, produced and starring Seth MacFarlane. In the story, MacFarlane voices a teddy bear who is the best friend of a character played by Mark Wahlberg.

Answer 290

TED 'Ted' is a movie written, directed, produced and starring Seth MacFarlane. In the story, MacFarlane voices a teddy bear who is the best friend of a character played by Mark Wahlberg.

Answer 291

ASP A clever misdirection, pointing us towards the Agatha Christie novel 'Death on the Nile'.

Answer 292

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) formed during WWII. The CIA was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.

Answer 293

IRS The IRS logo has to be one of the most poorly-designed logos used by the US government. The main components are a branch, scales and eagle ... but ... you have to look very closely to make out those features.

Answer 294

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

Answer 295

ORCA The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name "orca", rather than "killer whale", is becoming more and more common. The Latin word "Orcinus" means "belonging to Orcus", with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

Answer 296

RENE Dr. René Belloq is the main 'bad guy' in the movie 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Belloq is a French character, but is played by English actor Paul Freeman.

Answer 297

SOS The combination of three dots - three dashes - three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots - pause - three dashes - pause - three dots), although in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so SOS is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship" are also mnemonics, introduced after the "SOS" signal was adopted.

Answer 298

SSR The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

Answer 299

TED I have no idea who Ted Leo is quite frankly ...

Answer 300

ASP The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in Ancient Egypt.

Answer 301

CIA Argo' is a 2012 movie that is based on the true story of the rescue of six diplomats hiding out during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The film was directed by and stars Ben Affleck and is produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney, the same pair who produced the excellent 'Good Night, and Good Luck'. I saw 'Argo' recently and recommend it highly, although I found the scenes of religious fervor pretty frightening ...

Answer 302

IRS IRS Records is a label that was founded in 1979, with the name standing for International Record Syndicate.

Answer 303

ORCA The orca that starred in the 1993 movie "Free Willy" was actually called Keiko, with Willy being his "stage name". Keiko had a sad life. He was captured near Iceland in 1979 and sold to a local aquarium. Subsequently he was sold on to Marineland in Ontario, and then Six Flags Mexico in 1985. After starring in the movie, his fans raised money with the intent of returning Keiko to the wild. Keiko had become very ill, partly from being confined in a small tank in Mexico, so a lot of money had to be spent returning him to good health. He was purchased by the Oregon Coast Aquarium who undertook the task of treating him and preparing him for the wild. You might recall the dramatic journey he took from Mexico to Oregon in US Air Force transport plane in 1996. Having regained his health, he was flown to Iceland and there was gradually reintroduced into the wild. Sadly, Keiko did not fare too well back in the ocean. He was never adopted by a pod, so lived a solitary life. He lost weight, would sometimes follow fishing boats and play with any humans who would give him attention. In 2003 he beached himself in Taken Bay in Norway, where he died.

Answer 304

RENE 'René' and 'Renée' are French for the adjective 'reborn', when applied to masculine and feminine nouns respectively.

Answer 305

SSR The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

Answer 306

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

Answer 307

TED 'How I Met Your Mother' is a sitcom that CBS has been airing since 2005. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

Answer 308

ASP The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

Answer 309

ASP The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in Ancient Egypt.

Answer 310

CIA "American Dad!" is an adult-oriented animated sitcom. Famously, one of the show's creators is Seth MacFarlane, who also created 'Family Guy'. Personally, I cannot stand either show ...

Answer 311

SOS The combination of three dots - three dashes - three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots - pause - three dashes - pause - three dots), although in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so SOS is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship" are also mnemonics, introduced after the "SOS" signal was adopted.

Answer 312

ABA The American Bar Association.

Answer 313

TAO The Chinese character "tao" translates as "path", but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

Answer 314

ABA The American Basketball Association (ABA) merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976.

Answer 315

TAO The Chinese character "tao" translates as "path", but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

Answer 316

ATARI At one point, the electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was the fastest growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983.

Answer 317

ATARI At one point, the electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was the fastest growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983.

Answer 318

ABA The American Bar Association (ABA)

Answer 319

ESSO The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of Standard and Oil (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but it is still used all over the rest of the world.

Answer 320

ESSO I don't think Esso Blue was sold over here in the US, but it was very big back in Ireland and the UK. We called it paraffin oil, our name for kerosene, and used it in domestic heaters.

Answer 321

ATRA Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. It was sold as the Contour in some markets, and its derivative products are still around today.

Answer 322

IRENE The Broadway musical 'Irene' is based on a play by James Montgomery called 'Irene O'Dare'. When the musical opened for the first time, in 1919, it ran for 675 performances, a record for Broadway that stood for nearly 20 years. The show was revived in 1973, with Debbie Reynolds in the title role, and ran for 594 performances.

Answer 323

TRE Rai 3 is one of three television channels owned and operated by the Italian government. They also operate Rai 1 and Rai 2. Rai stands for 'Radiotelevisione Italiana', Italian public broadcasting.

Answer 324

ATRA Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

Answer 325

IRENE Samuel Johnson (also known as Dr. Johnson) was a British author active in the 1700s. Johnson is famous for producing a "Dictionary of the English Language" published in 1755. Johnson's dictionary was the standard used until the OED was published 150 years later. As a creative writer, Johnson wrote one play, called 'Irene', a work that he believed to have been his worse, and the critics apparently agreed.

Answer 326

IRENE The character Irene Adler only appeared in one of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In that story, 'A Scandal in Bohemia', Holmes expresses remarkable admiration for Adler as a woman and as a foe. As a result, derivative works in the Holmes genre often feature Adler as something of a romantic interest for Sherlock.

Answer 327

TRE 'One, two, three' in Italian is "uno, due, tre".

Answer 328

TRE 'Dieci' is Italian for 'ten'. 'Tre' is Italian for 'three'.

Answer 329

ESSO The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

Answer 330

ESSO Standard Oil was founded by John D. Rockerfeller in 1870 and became the largest oil refining company in the world. Standard Oil was judged to be an illegal monopoly and was broken up in 1911 into 33 smaller companies. That list of 33 included Standard Oil of New Jersey, branded as Esso (from SO, the initials of Standard Oil).

Answer 331

ISLE A "key" (also "cay") is a low island offshore, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish "cayo" meaning "shoal, reef".

Answer 332

ISLE The famous Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator published his first collection of maps in 1578. Mercator's collection contained a frontispiece with an image of Atlas the Titan from Greek mythology holding up the world on his shoulders. That image gave us our term "atlas".

Answer 333

LAS 'Las Meninas' is a painting by Diego Velázquez, the name of which translates to 'The Maids of Honor'. 'Las Meninas' is the most famous painting owned by the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Answer 334

LAS Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, may be grand but it isn't quite as big as Tenerife, the largest island of the group and the most populated. The capital of Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, which was a port of call for Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his way to the Americas.

Answer 335

ASHE Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

Answer 336

ESSO The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

Answer 337

IRENE Eirene (also 'Irene') was the Greek goddess of peace, with 'eirene' being the Greek word for 'peace'. The Roman equivalent to Eirene was the goddess Pax.

Answer 338

TRE In Italian, tre (three) precedes quattro (four).

Answer 339

ATRA Fortunately for crossword constructors, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

Answer 340

ISLE The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn't part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I've seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

Answer 341

LAS La la la la la ...

Answer 342

ENYA Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ni Braonain, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful career. Personally, I don't like her music, as it all sounds the same to me, but she sure does turn up in crosswords a lot!

Answer 343

IRIS Actually it's specifically the Purple Iris that is the state flower of Tennessee.

Answer 344

TSAR At the second party congress of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903, a split developed. The faction with the most support was led by Vladimir Lenin, and as they were in the majority, they became known as the Bolsheviks, derived from the Russian word for "more" or "majority".

Answer 345

ENYA Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ni Braonain, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya left Clannad launched a very successful solo career. Personally, I don't like her music, as it all sounds the same to me, but she sure does turn up in crosswords a lot!

Answer 346

ETTA Etta James is best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she discloses in her autobiography, James has lived a life that has been ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.

Answer 347

ETTA Etta James is best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she discloses in her autobiography, James has lived a life that has been ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.

Answer 348

TSAR The first Tsar of the famous House of Romanov was Mikhail I, coming to power in 1613.

Answer 349

AMA The American Medical Association (AMA) might be said to wage war on the common cold.

Answer 350

AMA 'Advocacy Update' is a newsletter published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Answer 351

AMA The American Medical Association (AMA) was founded in 1847 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The first female member was allowed to join the AMA in 1868, but the first African American members weren't admitted until one hundred years later, in 1968.

Answer 352

IRIS The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

Answer 353

ETTA Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.

Answer 354

SAL In Spanish, one might partner set the pepper (pimienta) by the salt (sal).

Answer 355

ENYA The Irish singer Enya wrote and performed two songs for the 2001 film 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'. Her song 'May It Be' was nominated to that season's Best Original Song Academy Award. The second number, called 'Aniron', was sung in Tolkien's Elvish language called Sindarin.

Answer 356

IRIS Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term 'iris' is a Greek word meaning 'rainbow'. Many species of irises are called 'flags'. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English 'flagge' meaning 'reed'. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

Answer 357

AMA American Medical Association (AMA)

Answer 358

REA Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast. Rea's most successful role was Fergus in 1992's 'The Crying Game', for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In 'The Crying Game', Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.

Answer 359

REA The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was one of the New Deal agencies set up by President Franklin Roosevelt. Created in 1935, the agency's goal was to provide electrical power to rural areas, something that the profit-conscious power companies weren't willing to take on by themselves.

Answer 360

ALOE Hydrocortisone is also known as Cortisol. Cortisol is a naturally occurring chemical, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. In the body it is produced as a response to stress or when there is low blood sugar, and is primary purpose is to increase blood sugar levels. Cortisol also has the effect of suppressing the bodies immune response. As such, the pharmaceutical form of cortisol (usually called hydrocortisone) is used to treat allergic reactions. Hydrocortisone can calm down skin irritation if applied as a cream (usually mixed with aloe).

Answer 361

ARA The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".

Answer 362

DRE Dré Bly is a football cornerback who won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams in the year 2000. Bly's real name is Donald André Bly, hence the nickname "Dré".

Answer 363

ENOS The TV series "Enos" is a spinoff of the "The Dukes of Hazard". Enos Strate (played by Sonny Shroyer) was the small-town deputy in the original series, and the success of his character merited the follow-on show. It only ran for 18 episodes though.

Answer 364

TSA The Transportation Security Administration was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.

Answer 365

ARA The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".

Answer 366

ARA The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".

Answer 367

DRE Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. He is perhaps as well known for his own singing career as he is for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dog, Eminem and 50 Cent.

Answer 368

DRE 'Forgot About Dre' is a single recorded by rap artist Dr. Dre, 'featuring Eminem'.

Answer 369

ENOS Enos Cabell was a Major League Baseball player who played for most of the seventies and eighties. Sadly, one of his claims to fame is that he was suspended for the entire 1986 season after having admitted cocaine abuse before a grand jury, in the so called "Pittsburgh drug trials".

Answer 370

ENOS Enos Strate (played by Sonny Shroyer) was the small-town deputy in the original series of 'The Dukes of Hazzard', and the success of his character merited a follow-on show. The spinoff "Enos" only ran for 18 episodes though.

Answer 371

SPA Évian-les-Bains (or simply Évian) is in the very east of France on the shores of Lake Geneva, directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As you might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. I can't stand the taste of Évian water ...

Answer 372

ARA The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".

Answer 373

ALEC Alec Wilkinson has been a staff writer for 'The New Yorker' since 1980. Wilkinson is also the author of ten books.

Answer 374

ALEC Alec Wilder was an American popular songwriter and composer of classical pieces. One of Wilder's more famous songs was 'I'll Be There' that was a hit for the Mills Brothers.

Answer 375

ALOE Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

Answer 376

ANNA Anna Gunn is an actress from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is best known for playing Skyler White on the TV show 'Breaking Bad'.

Answer 377

ARA The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".

Answer 378

DRE In the original 1984 movie, the Karate Kid was named Daniel LaRusso, and in the 2010 remake was named Dre Parker.

Answer 379

ROO The collective noun for kangaroos is court, troop or mob.

Answer 380

ALEC 'New Moon' is the second in the 'Twilight' series of novels by Stephenie Meyer. "The Twilight Saga" is a series of films based on the books. The novels and films are about vampires. I don't do vampires ...

Answer 381

ALOE Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

Answer 382

DRE Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products that was founded by rapper Dr. Dre.

Answer 383

IDA "Die Fledermaus" is a really lovely operetta composed by Johann Strauss II, first performed in 1874. "Fledermaus" is German for "bat" (literally "flying mouse"). The title comes from the fact that one of the characters (Falke) was abandoned drunk, dressed as a bat, in the center of town one evening. As Falke was subject to ridicule, the machinations of the story are designed as revenge for his humiliation.

Answer 384

IDA Ida Rubinstein was an actress, dancer and patron of the arts from Russia. Rubinstein inherited her wealth and used it to form her own dance company and to commission artistic works. One of the more famous works that she commissioned was a ballet called 'Boléro' from Maurice Ravel, which nowadays is performed almost exclusively as an orchestral piece.

Answer 385

ROO Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh", Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son, Christopher Robin.

Answer 386

ALOE Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

Answer 387

ARA The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".

Answer 388

ARA Ara Vos Prec' is the title of a 1920 collection of poems by T. S. Eliot. The phrase 'Ara vos prec' is a phrase from Dante's 'Inferno'.

Answer 389

DRE Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

Answer 390

IDA Mount Ida College is a private school in Newton, Massachusetts that was founded in 1899 as an all-female high school. Mount Ida became co-educational in 1972, and offered its first bachelor's degrees in the eighties.

Answer 391

TSA The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks. TSA personnel carry out the baggage and body searches at US airports.

Answer 392

ALEC The full name of Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel is "Tess of the d'Urbervilles' A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented". When it was originally published, "Tess ..." received very mixed reviews, largely because it addressed some difficult sexual themes including rape, and sexual double standards (attitudes towards men vs women). I suppose the most celebrated screen adaptation is Roman Polanski's "Tess" released in 1979. Polanski apparently made "Tess" because his wife, Sharon Tate, gave him Hardy's novel as her last act before she was murdered by the Manson family. There is a dedication at the beginning of the movie that just says "To Sharon".

Answer 393

ALEC "The Black Stallion" is the first book in a series about a stallion and its offspring, written by author Walter Farley. The owner of the horse whose life is chronicled is Alec Ramsay, a young man with a remarkably close bond with 'The Black Stallion'.

Answer 394

DRE Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products made by Beats Electronics, a company that was co-founded by rapper Dr. Dre. Apple bought Beats for $3 billion in 2014, the largest acquisition by far in the company's history.

Answer 395

IDA Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant' is a Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera. It was first performed in 1884 at the Savoy Theatre in London that was famous for staging the duo's works.

Answer 396

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 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.

Answer 397

ROO In Australia, male kangaroos are known by several names including bucks, boomers, jacks or old men. Females are called does, flyers, or jills. There seems to be just the one name for young kangaroos: joeys. A group of kangaroos might be called a mob, troop or court.

Answer 398

SPA The word "spa" migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name "Spa" comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".

Answer 399

ARAL The capital of the Aral district in Kazakhstan is the city of Aral, once a fishing port and harbor on the coast of the Aral Sea. However, since the Aral Sea has shrunk in size Aral is now landlocked, with the sea 12km away from the city.

Answer 400

ARES The Greek god Ares is indeed bellicose. He is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter.

Answer 401

ARLO Joan Baez followed Arlo Guthrie in the line up at the Woodstock music festival.

Answer 402

ELAN Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which it has a similar meaning, "style" or "flair".

Answer 403

ELAN Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which it has a similar meaning, "style" or "flair".

Answer 404

ELLE "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 and today has the biggest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she".

Answer 405

KEN Barbie's counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken's family name is Carson. Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts.

Answer 406

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

Answer 407

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

Answer 408

NES The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one somewhere ...

Answer 409

OTTO Anne Frank has to be one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust, largely because the story of this young girl lives on in her widely published diary, and in adaptations of the diary for stage and screen. Anne Frank was a German national, until she lost her nationality in 1941 when the Nazis came to power. By this time, she was living with her family in Amsterdam, as the Franks chose to flee Germany in 1933. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, the family went into hiding in the attic of Otto Frank's office building (Otto was Anne's father). There the family hid for two whole years, until they were betrayed. The family was split up, and Anne and her sister died in a concentration camp in 1945 from typhus.

Answer 410

SRO Standing Room Only.

Answer 411

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

Answer 412

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

Answer 413

KEN Ken Berry is an actor, singer and dancer from Moline, Illinois. Berry is most associated with his role as single parent Sam Jones on television's 'Mayberry RFD'. Berry led the cast of this 'Andy Griffiths Show' spin-off, in effect taking over from Andy Griffith when he decided to leave the original show.

Answer 414

ARES The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

Answer 415

ARES Otrera was a Queen of the Amazons in Greek mythology, and the consort of Ares, the Greek god of war.

Answer 416

ESS The leading letter in the word 'squad' is S (ess).

Answer 417

NES Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Answer 418

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.

Answer 419

OTTO Jim Otto played professional football for the Oakland Raiders.

Answer 420

RTE US Route 1 runs from Fort Kent in Maine right down to Key West in Florida.

Answer 421

SRO Standing Room Only (SRO)

Answer 422

STET "Stet" is the 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.

Answer 423

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.

Answer 424

ARES IN Greek mythology, Diomedes was a hero who participated in the Trojan War. In one engagement, the war god Ares descended onto the battlefield to assist the Trojans. With the help of the goddess Athena, Diomedes attacked Ares by throwing his spear and wounding him in the stomach. Ares screamed with the voice of 10,000 men and fled the scene.

Answer 425

ELAN Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".

Answer 426

ELAN Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".

Answer 427

ELAN Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".

Answer 428

ESS '...' is the letter 'S' in Morse code.

Answer 429

NES Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). "Duck Hunt" is video game.

Answer 430

NES Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Answer 431

OTTO Otto Mann drives the school bus on the TV show "The Simpsons". Otto is a Germanic character voiced by Harry Shearer, and his name is a play on "Ottoman Empire". Whenever Bart sees him, he greets Otto with the words "Otto, man!"

Answer 432

RTE The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government's right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.

Answer 433

ARLO The comic strip "Arlo and Janis" is written by Jimmy Johnson. Introduced in 1985, Arlo and Janis are a baby booming couple with an easy approach to life, and who are very much in love.

Answer 434

ELLE The Elle Style Awards have been presented annually since 2002 by 'Elle' magazine.

Answer 435

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.

Answer 436

OTTO Otto' sounds like 'auto', so might be a good name for your chauffeur, if you have one ...

Answer 437

RTE A Global Positioning System (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).

Answer 438

RTE I guess a metro line is route (rte.), unless I am missing something …

Answer 439

ARES The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera.

Answer 440

ARLO The comic strip "Arlo and Janis" is written by Jimmy Johnson. Introduced in 1985, Arlo and Janis are a baby booming couple with an easy approach to life, and who are very much in love.

Answer 441

KEN Ken' is a noun meaning 'understanding, perception'. One might say, for example, 'half the clues in Saturday's crossword are beyond my ken, beyond my understanding'.

Answer 442

NES Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Answer 443

OBOE An oboe might be found in an orchestra pit.

Answer 444

RTE Route (rte.)

Answer 445

SRO Standing room only (SRO)

Answer 446

SRO Standing room only (SRO)

Answer 447

SRO A packed theater might display a Standing Room Only (SRO) sign.

Answer 448

DNA Forensic scientists use DNA, usually taken from blood, semen, skin, saliva or hair follicles. Often DNA left at a crime scene can be used to identify a perpetrator of a crime, in a process called genetic fingerprinting.

Answer 449

AJAR Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".

Answer 450

ENT Ents are those tree-like creatures that live in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, in his series of books "The Lord of the Rings". 'Ent' is an Old English word for 'giant'.

Answer 451

ESL English as Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Answer 452

LOO When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when toilets started to be installed indoors they often displaced clothes in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure.

Answer 453

UTE A utility vehicle is often called a "ute" for short. Nowadays one mainly hears about sports utes and crossover utes.

Answer 454

LOO When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!

Answer 455

ORO 'Oro' is Spanish for 'gold'.

Answer 456

PSI The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.

Answer 457

UNO In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that's used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

Answer 458

UTE The Uto-Aztecan language family consists of about 30 languages spoken in the Western United States and Mexico. Included in the list of Uto-Aztecan languages is Ute, Comanche and Hopi.

Answer 459

ESL English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Answer 460

ESL English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Answer 461

NEA The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.

Answer 462

EDS Editor (ed.)

Answer 463

ENT Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)

Answer 464

ENT Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)

Answer 465

ENT Ents are those tree-like creatures that live in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth in his series of books "The Lord of the Rings". 'Ent' is an Old English word for 'giant'.

Answer 466

ESL English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Answer 467

ESL English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Answer 468

ORO In Spanish, a medal (medallo) might be made out of gold (oro).

Answer 469

PSI Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.

Answer 470

UTE Chief John Duncan was an influential member of the Ute people, who served as a liaison between several Native American tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C. after the Civil War. There is a marble bust of Chief John Duncan in the Utah State Capitol building.

Answer 471

UTE The Ute are a group of Native American tribes that now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups.

Answer 472

UTE The Utah Utes and Arizona State Sun Devils are college football teams.

Answer 473

DNA Nucleobases are molecules that form the backbone of DNA and RNA chains. It is the sequence of these bases in the DNA chain that makes up the so-called "genetic code". In DNA the four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil (U). In DNA, the nucleobases exist in 'base pairs'.

Answer 474

EDS Editor (ed.)

Answer 475

EDS The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper's editorial board.

Answer 476

LOO It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!