output_trainer_0_0 Flashcards
The Beach Boys’ “Barbara ___”. 3 letters
ANN. The Beach Boys “Barbara Ann” was actually a cover version released in 1965, of a song first recorded by the Regents in 1961 (with a different spelling “Barbara Anne”).
Common French word with two accents. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) on the River Seine in Paris.
Enterprise position: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign (ens.)
It has a blast. 3 letters
TNT. TNT is an abbreviation for TriNitroToluene. The explosive chemical was first produced by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand in 1863, who used it as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate, so it was used as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.
Stat for Jon Lester. 3 letters
ERA. Earned run average (ERA)
Winged Greek god. 4 letters
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.
Setting for a panel of Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. 4 letters
EDEN. Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter who worked late 15th and early 16th centuries. Perhaps his most recognized work is his triptych titled “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.
Called previously. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Center of excellence?. 3 letters
ELS. There are two letters L (els) in the center of the word ‘excellence’.
Org. 3 letters
IRA. The actual branch of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that ended its armed campaign in 2005 was the Provisional IRA, the most active group pursuing a united Ireland. Since the ‘Provos’ ended their campaign, two splinter groups have continued to engage in paramilitary activity, namely the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA.
Chicago trains. 3 letters
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 around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use. (especially in crosswords as “ELS”).
Telepath’s “gift,” in brief. 3 letters
ESP. Extra Sensory Perception.
Peyton’s QB brother. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning is quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback.
Hits from the 1960s?. 3 letters
LSD. LSD (also 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 …
Wordsworth’s “___ to Duty”. 3 letters
ODE. William Wordsworth wrote his poem ‘Ode to Duty’ in 1805. In the poem, Wordsworth uses the term ‘duty’ to mean a devotion to things such as childhood hope and an alignment with natural world. I guess the message is ‘leave the rat race behind’.
Sinner’s heart?. 3 letters
ENS. There are two letters N (ens) at the heart of the word ‘sinner’.
___ Canal, waterway through Schenectady. 4 letters
ERIE. The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal, and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, it had immediate impact on the economy of New York City, and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal, that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname, the Empire State.
Greek vowel. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.
Paradise lost in “Paradise Lost”. 4 letters
EDEN. ‘Paradise Lost’ is an epic poem written by Englishman John Milton. It is indeed an epic work, published originally in ten volumes with over ten thousand lines of verse. The ‘paradise’ that is ‘lost’ is the Garden of Eden, from which Adam and Eve were expelled by God in the ‘Fall of Man’.
Player who followed in Player’s footsteps. 3 letters
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.
Blaster’s buy. 3 letters
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.
Season after printemps. 3 letters
ETE. In French, spring (printemps) is followed by summer (été).
Home for King Harald. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo, the capital of Norway, is an ancient city that was founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV and renamed to Christiana. In 1877 there was an official change of the spelling of the city’s name to “Kristiana”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have almost gone full circle and now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has apparently been renamed to Christiana.
Pop singer Carly ___ Jepsen. 3 letters
RAE. Carly Rae Jepsen is a singer/songwriter from Mission, British Columbia. Jepsen got her start on TV’s ‘Canadian Idol’ when she placed third in the show’s fifth season.
Brian who wrote the score for “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno is a musician, composer and record producer from England who first achieved fame as the synthesiser player with Roxy Music. As a producer, Eno has worked with David Bowie, Devo and U2.
Member of a noted quintet. 4 letters
ERIE. A famous mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES: standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
It’s a “gift”. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
U.S. 3 letters
ALI. Ali Krieger was a member of the 2015 Women’s World Cup-winning US soccer team. Krieger lived for five years in Germany, playing for FFC Frankfurt.
Green org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Two of nine?. 3 letters
ENS. There are two letters N (ens) in the word ‘nine’.
Losing tribe in the Beaver Wars. 4 letters
ERIE. The Beaver Wars fought in the middle of the 1600s were the result of the Iroquois expanding their territory in the northeastern part of North America. The Iroquois were largely incited to take such steps by their trading partners, the Dutch and English, who profited from the gains in territory. On the losing side of the expansion were the Huron, Neutral, Erie and Susquehannock tribes.
Musician Brian. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. However, his most oft played composition (by far!) is Microsoft’s “startup jingle”, the 6-second sound you’d hear when the Windows 95 system starts up.
___ oil (Australian folk medicine). 3 letters
EMU. ‘Emu oil’ is an oil that comes from the adipose tissue of some emus. Emu oil is touted as a dietary supplement, but apparently all claims of health benefits are fraudulent.
N.L. 3 letters
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.
Name connector. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Capital of Norway. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo is the capital of Norway. The city of Oslo burns trash to fuel half of its buildings, including all of its schools. The problem faced by the city is that it doesn’t generate enough trash. So, Oslo imports trash from Sweden, England and Ireland, and is now looking to import some American trash too.
New York canal. 4 letters
ERIE. The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed ‘Clinton’s Folly’ and ‘Clinton’s Ditch’.
Paradise lost. 4 letters
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.
It separates two names. 3 letters
NEE. Nee it the French word for “born”.
John who searched for the Northwest Passage. 3 letters
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.
“Life of Pi” director. 3 letters
LEE. Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.
Norway’s capital. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiana. In 1877, there was an official change of the name’s spelling to “Kristiana”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle, as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has recently been named Christiana again.
St.-Tropez season. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France.
Prime minister who helped his country land the 2020 Summer Olympics. 3 letters
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.
Laura Nyro album “___ and the Thirteenth Confession”. 3 letters
ELI. Laura Nyro was a singer-songwriter from the Bronx, New York. Nyro had success with her own recordings, but her songs were even more successful when recorded by other big names. Two of Nyro’s compositions were ‘Eli’s Coming’ recorded by Three Dog Night, and ‘Stoney End’ by Barbra Streisand.
One may trip on it. 3 letters
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 …
Comic Charlotte. 3 letters
RAE. Charlotte Rae is an American actress, best known for playing the character Edna Garrett on two sitcoms from the seventies and eighties, “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life”.
NBC weekend show since ‘75. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) in 1975 under the title ‘NBC’s Saturday Night’. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from ‘The Tonight Show’. Back then ‘The Tonight Show’ had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call ‘Saturday Night Live’.
Unsuccessful ’70s-‘80s cause. 3 letters
ERA. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was written by the American suffragist leader, Alice Paul. Although Paul was successful in her campaign to get passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution (guaranteeing voting rights regardless of sex), her 1923 Equal Rights Amendment didn’t make it to the Senate floor until 1972. The amendment was passed by the Senate, and then headed to the state legislatures for the required ratification. 38 states had to approve the legislation for the amendment to be adopted, but only 35 states voted in favor before the deadline. So the amendment is still pending, although about half of the fifty states have adopted the ERA into their state constitutions.
The “A” in IPA. 3 letters
ALE. India Pale Ale is a style of beer that comes from England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.
Former Texas governor Richards. 3 letters
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.
Some of Vanna’s letters?. 3 letters
ENS. Vanna White is the lady who turns the letters on the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ game show. White is big into knitting and crochet, and has her own line of yarns called ‘Vanna’s Choice’.
Some people movers. 3 letters
ELS. Elevated railroad (El)
Will ___, “The Realistic Joneses” playwright. 3 letters
ENO. Will Eno is an American playwright working in Brooklyn, New York. That said, Eno’s plays are mainly produced across the pond in the UK.
Something that’s not hard to drink?. 3 letters
ALE. Ale is not hard liquor.
Strawberry Fields benefactor. 3 letters
ONO. Strawberry Fields’ is a memorial in Central Park in New York City. The memorial is a triangular piece of land found directly across from the Dakota Apartments where Lennon lived and was murdered. At the center of the triangle of land is a circular pathway mosaic of stones with the word ‘Imagine’ in the middle. Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, contributed over one million dollars to help pay for the memorial’s design and upkeep.
Mine blower. 3 letters
TNT. TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. The explosive 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.
NBC fixture since ‘75. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
Summer, in about one-sixth of Canada. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in the French-speaking parts of Canada.
Country music’s ___ Young Band. 3 letters
ELI. The Eli Young Band is a country group from Texas founded by Mike Eli and James Young when they were roommates in the University of North Texas.
Cellular messenger. 3 letters
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.
Grp. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
The “E” of the old NY&E Rail Road. 4 letters
ERIE. The Erie Railroad operated from 1832 to 1960, and connected New York City with Lake Erie. The Erie Railroad was largely built as compensation for the towns in the Southern Tier of New York who lost business when the Erie Canal was completed in 1825. The railroad operated from 1832 until 1861 as the New York and Erie Rail Road (NY&E).
Stein filler. 3 letters
ALE. A stein is a type of beer glass. The term is German in origin, and is short for ‘Steinkrug’ meaning ‘stone jug’. ‘Stein’ is the German for ‘stone’.
Massachusetts’ Cape ___. 3 letters
ANN. Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston, and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda, in her memory.
Figure taking a bow?. 4 letters
EROS. Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.
P.G.A. 3 letters
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 he has been very effective raising money for charities that focus on the condition.
Cousin of an ostrich. 3 letters
EMU. The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. The aborigines used them for food and are very adept at hunting them using a variety of traditional techniques. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food, and knocked down fences. Soldiers were sent in using machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the emus. The emus were clever though, and broke formation and adopted guerrilla tactics, operating as small units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers was refused.
Packers’ org.?. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
QB Manning. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning is quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback.
British musician Brian. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. However, his most oft played composition (by far!) is Microsoft’s “startup jingle”, the 6-second sound you’d hear when the Windows 95 system starts up.
Amal Clooney ___ Alamuddin. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Former “S.N.L.” comic Gasteyer. 3 letters
ANA. Ana Gasteyer is an actress best known for being a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” from 1996 to 2002. Gasteyer was famous on SNL for playing Martha Stewart … topless!
Capital with more than 300 lakes within its limits. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiania. In 1877 there was an official change of the name’s spelling to “Kristiania”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has recently been named Christiania again.
Atlanta-based cable channel. 3 letters
TNT. TNT stands for Turner Network Television. The TNT cable channel 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 touted with the tagline “We Know Drama”, and includes shows like “Judging Amy”, “ER” and “Cold Case”.
Yale Bowl fan. 3 letters
ELI. Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.
Trip cause. 3 letters
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 …
Homewrecker?. 3 letters
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.
Org. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.
Actor Marvin. 3 letters
LEE. I’ve always thought Lee Marvin a very talented actor. Marvin had an amazing voice, and the appearance of a man who was hard and villainous. Yet he was able to break free from the villain roles in which he was typecast and played some characters with more depth. He won an Academy Award for his dual-role performance in 1965’s “Cat Ballou”. His totally unique rendition of the song “Wand’rin Star” from the 1969 musical film “Paint Your Wagon” made it to number one in the UK charts, keeping the Beatles hit “Let it Be” in the number-two spot. I’ll bet that surprised even Marvin himself!
“The Garden of ___,” Oscar Wilde poem. 4 letters
EROS. If you didn’t know Oscar Wilde was Irish, you will when you see the name he was given at birth: Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde!
Author Levin. 3 letters
IRA. As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. His first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a work that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here), but it also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite Levin novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.
Explosion maker. 3 letters
TNT. TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. TNT was first produced by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand in 1863, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. The material is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.
Acid. 3 letters
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 …
Attic character. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.
U.S.N.A. grad: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign (ens.)
County west of Wyoming. 4 letters
ERIE. Erie County lies just west of Wyoming County in New York State. Erie County is home to the city of Buffalo, and of course sits right on the shores of lake Erie.
Cousin of mead. 3 letters
ALE. Mead is a lovely drink, made from fermented honey and water.
Wallach of “The Misfits”. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Wallach has been appearing consistently and making great performances on the big and small screens since the 1950s. Wallach’s most famous role was probably as ‘the Ugly’ in ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’. More recently he gave a very strong performance in 2006’s ‘The Holiday’.
Trip preparation. 3 letters
LSD. LSD 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. But it wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that the psychedelic properties of the drug were discovered. Trippy, man …
Z follower. 3 letters
ETA. In the Greek alphabet, Z (zeta) is the sixth letter. H (eta) is the seventh.
Addison’s “___ to Creation”. 3 letters
ODE. Joseph Addison was an English man of letters and a politician. Most famously, Addison is remembered for publishing “The Spectator” magazine from 1711-12 along with his friend Richard Steele. In fact, Addison’s famous poem “Ode to Creation” first appeared in “The Spectator”. Back in my home country, Addison is noted for holding the political post of Chief Secretary for Ireland in the early 1700s.
NOW political cause, once. 3 letters
ERA. The National Organization of Women was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1966. NOW is focused on six core issues:
Solo for Pavarotti. 4 letters
ARIA. Luciano Pavarotti has to have been one of the most celebrated tenors of all time. He was able to appeal to audiences beyond the traditional fans of opera, helped by his performances “The Three Tenors”, Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. Pavarotti made his final performance on stage at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where he sang his famous rendition of the moving aria “Nessum dorma” and brought the house down. Pavarotti passed away from pancreatic cancer the following year, at the age of 71.
Two-time Art Ross Trophy winner. 3 letters
ORR. Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players who ever played the game. 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 any more. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …
Face on a fiver. 3 letters
ABE. The US five-dollar bill is often called an ‘Abe’, as President Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a ‘fin’, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.
Dingo dodger. 3 letters
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 …
Song in a libretto. 4 letters
ARIA. ‘Libretto’ is the diminutive form of ‘libro’, the Italian word for a book. We use ‘libretto’ to mean the text used in a musical work, or perhaps the ‘book’ of that musical work.
One of the Mannings. 3 letters
ELI. Even I know that Eli Manning and his older brother, Peyton, are quarterbacks!
Show announced by Don Pardo for 30+ years, for short. 3 letters
SNL. Don Pardo’s distinctive voice announces the show “Saturday Night Live, and has been doing so since Pardo’s was the first voice heard in the premiere episode that aired in 1975. Pardo has been the announcer for all the SNL shows except for the 1981-82 season. Pardo retired from NBC in 2004 and moved to Tucson, Arizona, but the producers of “Saturday Night Live” persuaded him to stay on as announcer for their show. He has a lifetime contract, one of only two people ever to have such an arrangement with NBC (the other was Bob Hope!). He is still doing the job, and celebrated his 90th birthday on air, blowing out candles on his birthday cake at the end of an episode of SNL.
Trip producer. 3 letters
LSD. LSD 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. But it wasn’t until some five years later, when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally, that its psychedelic properties were discovered. That is so trippy, man …
Greek god with a bow and arrow. 4 letters
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, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.
It was dropped at Woodstock. 3 letters
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 …
Aboriginal food source. 3 letters
EMU. The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. The aborigines used them for food and are very adept at hunting them using a variety of traditional techniques. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food, and knocked down fences. Soldiers were sent in using machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the emus. The emus were clever though, and broke formation and adopted guerrilla tactics, operating as small units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers was refused.
New England’s Cape ___. 3 letters
ANN. Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda in her memory.
Singer Carly ___ Jepsen. 3 letters
RAE. Carly Rae Jepsen is a singer/songwriter from Mission, British Columbia. Jepsen got her start on ‘Canadian Idol’, when she placed third in the show’s fifth season.
Avian source of red meat. 3 letters
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 …
Stout ___. 3 letters
ALE. The term ‘stout’ was first used for a type of beer in the 1600s when was used to describe a ‘strong, stout’ brew, and not necessarily a dark beer as it is today.
Wordsworth work. 3 letters
ODE. The great English poet William Wordsworth lived in the Lake District in the north of England, a beautiful part of the country. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Dove Cottage in Grasmere a couple of times, where Wordsworth lived with his wife, Dorothy.
Weapon with a bell guard. 4 letters
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. And, ‘épée’ is the French word for sword.
Who said “It’s not bragging if you can back it up”. 3 letters
ALI. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ‘96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
Inventor Whitney. 3 letters
ELI. The inventor Eli Whitney is a best known for inventing the cotton gin. Whitney also came up with the important concept of ‘interchangeable parts’. Parts that are interchangeable can be swapped out of equipment or perhaps used in related designs.
When le Tour de France is held. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in French-speaking countries.
“The Book of ___” (2010 film). 3 letters
ELI. “The Book of Eli” was released in January of this year and stars Denzel Washington in the title role. It is one of those post-apocalyptic movies, so I skipped it.
Language related to Wyandot. 4 letters
ERIE. The language of the Erie people was an Iroquoian language that was similar to Wyandot.
Bus. 3 letters
STE. Suite (ste.)
Glass of public radio. 3 letters
IRA. Ira Glass is a well-respected presenter on American Public Radio, most noted for his show “This American Life”. I was interested to learn that one of my favorite composers, Philip Glass, is Ira’s first cousin.
Ginger ___. 3 letters
ALE. The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario. Prohibition in the United States helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally-produced homemade liquor.
N.L. 3 letters
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.
N.L. 3 letters
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.
Overseas relig. 3 letters
STE. Sainte (ste.)
“Di quella pira,” e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. Di quella pira’ is an aria from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera ‘Il trovatore’. Written for Manrico, the tenor part, the aria contains a famous and somewhat controversial ‘high C’ note. This high C is tough for many tenors to reach, and those who manage to do so tend to get a round of applause during a performance. Interestingly, the high C does not appear on Verdi’s original score. Apparently, one of the first tenors to sing the part decided to introduce the note to add some drama to the role, and subsequent tenors have been asked to follow his lead.
Beatle lover. 3 letters
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 from the US 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 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.
Home of the first U.N. 4 letters
OSLO. Trygve Lie was a Norwegian politician who served as the first UN Secretary-General, from 1946 to 1952. Prior to his time at the UN, during WWII, Lie was the Foreign Minister of the Norwegian government-in-exile during the Nazi occupation.
Org. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
Pennsylvania’s Flagship City. 4 letters
ERIE. Erie is a city in the very north of Pennsylvania, right on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area.
Big name in jeans. 3 letters
LEE. The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.
Sport with a French name. 4 letters
EPEE. The French word for sword is “épée”, which is also the name given to the Olympic sport of fencing.
Lake ___, home of Presque Isle. 4 letters
ERIE. Presque Isle State Park is off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania and sits on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie. The name ‘Presque Isle’ translates from French as ‘peninsula’, or more literally ‘almost an island’.
Actress Issa ___ of “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”. 3 letters
RAE. Issa Rae is Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called ‘Awkward Black Girl’. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named ‘J’.
Steroid ___ (1990s-early 2000s, in baseball). 3 letters
ERA. Steroids are found commonly in nature, with familiar examples being cholesterol and testosterone. The controversial class of drugs called anabolic steroids (known informally as ‘roids’ or simply “steroids”) are artificially produced chemicals designed to mimic the effect of the male sex hormone, testosterone. They are termed “anabolic” as they build up cellular tissue (particularly muscle) in a process called anabolism.
Eleanor Roosevelt ___ Roosevelt. 3 letters
NEE. Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902, and the two started ‘walking out together’ the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Roosevelt.
Giant Manning. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning is quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback.
Québec map abbr. 3 letters
STE. ‘Sainte’ (ste.) is French for ‘saint’, when referring to a female.
Donator of Lennon’s home to the National Trust. 3 letters
ONO. John Lennon grew up in a modest home in Liverpool in the northwest of England. Named ‘Mendips’, the house belonged to Lennon’s maternal aunt and her husband. Lennon was raised by his aunt from the age of five, after his mother was persuaded that the arrangement would be of benefit to young John. Mendips was purchased by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono in 2002, who then handed it over the National Trust, a British conservation organization.
Supposed skill of some hotline operators. 3 letters
ESP. That would be the Psychic Hotline.
Sports stat that’s best when low. 3 letters
ERA. The pitching stat, earned run average (ERA), measures how many runs a pitcher tends to give up per nine innings.
Napoleonic ___. 3 letters
ERA. By most definitions, the Napoleonic era started with Napoleon Bonaparte’s coup d’état that effectively ended the French Revolution. The era itself ended with Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
“Habanera” from “Carmen” is one. 4 letters
ARIA. When Georges Bizet wrote his famous opera “Carmen”, he used the melody of what he thought was an old folk song as a theme in the lovely aria “the Habanera”. Not long after he finished “Carmen” he discovered that the folk song was in fact a piece that had been written by another composer, who had died just ten years before “Carmen” was published. Fittingly, Bizet added a note to the score declaring the original source.
Adam’s apple site. 4 letters
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 the fruit 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.
___ de Janeiro. 3 letters
RIO. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). ‘Rio de Janeiro’ translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Years Day in 1502.
Rumble in the Jungle participant. 3 letters
ALI. The Rumble in the Jungle was the celebrated 1974 fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman that took place in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The fight was set in Zaire because of financial arrangements between promoter Don King and Zaire’s President Mobutu Seko. Ali coined the term ‘Rope-a-dope’ to describe his incredibly successful strategy in the contest. From the second round onwards, Ali adopted a protected stance on the ropes letting Foreman pound him with blows to the body and head, with Ali using his arms to dissipate the power of the punches. He kept this up until the eighth round and then opened up and downed the exhausted Foreman with a left-right combination. I hate boxing but I have to say, that was an fascinating fight.
Makeup of some strands. 3 letters
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. Amino acids are delivered in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA and then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.
Jeanne d’Arc, e.g.: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. Joan of Arc led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured, she was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.
Old Third Ave. 3 letters
ELS. The IRT Third Avenue El was one of the last elevated trains to operate in Manhattan. The line opened in 1878, and the last of the service was shut down in 1973. Trains running along the Third Avenue El were a popular backdrop used in movies set in New York City.
Biblical garden. 4 letters
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.
Detergent brand. 3 letters
ERA. Era was the first liquid laundry detergent produced by Procter & Gamble.
India pale ___. 3 letters
ALE. India Pale Ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.
Actress Charlotte. 3 letters
RAE. Charlotte Rae is an American actress, best known for playing the character Edna Garrett on two sitcoms from the seventies and eighties: “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life”. Towards the end of the series, the Edna Garrett character operated her own gourmet food shop called ‘Edna’s Edibles’.
Modern pentathlon event. 4 letters
EPEE. The original pentathlon of the ancient Olympic games consisted of a foot race, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus. When a new pentathlon was created as a sport for the modern Olympic Games, it was given the name the “modern pentathlon”. First introduced in 1912, the modern pentathlon consists of:
Record producer Brian. 3 letters
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:
Airport posting, for short. 3 letters
ETA. Expected time of arrival (ETA)
“Fifty Shades of Grey” woman. 3 letters
ANA. “Fifty Shades of Grey” is an incredibly popular erotic novel by British writer E. L. James. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is the fastest-selling paperback of all time. And there are two other titles to complete the trilogy: ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ and “Fifty Shades Freed”.
The People’s Champion. 3 letters
ALI. The boxer Muhammad Ali is recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the greatest sports figures of the 1900s. In 1999, Ali was named ‘Sportsman of the Century’ by ‘Sports Illustrated’ and ‘Sports Personality of the Century’ by the BBC.
Cupid, to the Greeks. 4 letters
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, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.
Santa ___ winds. 3 letters
ANA. The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.
Boxer who floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali first used his famous catchphrase ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’ before his world title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Back then Ali still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay.
Genetic stuff. 3 letters
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.
Arctic explorer John. 3 letters
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 stirred up much controversy back in England when he reported evidence of cannibalism among the ill-fated Franklin explorers.
Rope-a-dope boxer. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had three memorable fights. The first was billed as the “Fight of the Century” and took place in 1971 in Madison Square Garden. It was a fight between two great boxers, both of whom were undefeated up till that point. Frazier won in a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds. A couple of years later, in 1973, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Ali and Frazier had a non-title rematch in 1974, with Ali coming out ahead this time, also in a unanimous decision. Later that year, Ali grabbed back the World Heavyweight Title in “The Rumble in the Jungle”, the famous “rope-a-dope” fight against George Foreman. That set the stage for the third and final fight between Ali and Frazier, “The Thrilla in Manila”. Ali won the early rounds, but Frazier made a comeback in the middle of the fight. Ali took control at the end of the bout, so much so that Frazier wasn’t able to come out of his corner for the 15th and final round. He couldn’t come out of his corner because both of his eyes were swollen shut, giving Ali a victory due to a technical knockout (TKO).
Home of King Harald V. 4 letters
OSLO. King Harald V is the current king of Norway, and has been on the throne since 1991 when his father passed away, King Olav V. You know how incestuous things are in the European Royal houses, so King Harald V of Norway is in the line of succession for the throne of England, albeit around no. 60).
Debatable ability. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
Pro golfer Ernie. 3 letters
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.
The Atlantic’s Cape ___. 3 letters
ANN. Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda, in her memory.
Met melody. 4 letters
ARIA. The Metropolitan Opera of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you.
Santa ___, Calif. 3 letters
ANA. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California and takes its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city.
___ Lilly and Company. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Lilly is the largest corporation in the state of Indiana. The founder, Eli Lilly, was a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War, and a failed Mississippi plantation owner. Later in life he returned to his first profession and opened a pharmaceutical operation to manufacture drugs and sell them wholesale. Under Lilly’s early guidance, the company was the first to create gelatin capsules to hold medicines and the first to use fruit flavoring in liquid medicines.
Born on the bayou?. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Once known as. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
“Exodus” character. 3 letters
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.
Jeanne d’Arc, e.g.: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. Joan of Arc (also Jeanne d’Arc) led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured she was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.
Jeans name. 3 letters
LEE. The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.
Trip inits. 3 letters
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 …
Ursule, e.g.: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. ‘Sainte’ (ste.) is French for ‘saint’, when referring to a female.
Mind reader’s inits. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
Public house potable. 3 letters
ALE. Something that is ‘potable’ is fit to drink. The term derives from the Latin verb ‘potare’ meaning ‘to drink’, which is also the root for our word ‘potion’.
Electrified bit of sports equipment. 4 letters
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.
“Her name is ___ and she dances on the sand” (1983 pop lyric). 3 letters
RIO. ‘Rio’ is a 1982 song released by Duran Duran.
“Aladdin” prince. 3 letters
ALI. ‘Aladdin’ is a famous tale in the ‘Arabian Nights’, also called ‘The Book of One Thousand and One Nights’. However, there is no evidence at all that the story was in the original collection. It is generally believed that one Antoine Galland introduced the tale when he translated the ‘Arabian Nights’ into French in the early 1700s.
Shell filler. 3 letters
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.
“I know what you’re thinking” ability. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
One half of an iconic 1981 Rolling Stone cover. 3 letters
ONO. The wonderful, wonderful photographer Annie Leibovitz was given the assignment to capture iconic musician John Lennon. During the photoshoot, Lennon insisted that his wife Yoko Ono be included in the shot. The result was the memorable ‘Rolling Stones’ cover in which a naked Lennon is is kissing Yoko Ono while the two lie on the ground. Sadly, very sadly, Lennon was shot and killed just five hours later.
Santa ___ winds. 3 letters
ANA. The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically ‘falls’ down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” boxer. 3 letters
ALI. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ‘96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
Hot time on the Riviera. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France.
Microscopic messenger. 3 letters
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.
Big name in jeans. 3 letters
LEE. The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.
High rails. 3 letters
ELS. The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The “L” is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
Officer on a PT boat: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign is (usually) the most junior rank of commissioned officer in the armed forces. The name comes from the tradition that the junior officer would be given the task of carrying the ensign flag.
Noted press conference rhymer. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali first used his famous catchphrase ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’ before his world title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Back then Ali still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay.
City on Presque Isle Bay. 4 letters
ERIE. Presque Isle State Park is off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania, sitting on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie. The name ‘Presque Isle’ translates from French as ‘peninsula’, or more literally as ‘almost an island’.
It’s H-shaped. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.
Tree of Life locale. 4 letters
EDEN. There is mention in the Bible of both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Apparently there is some debate over whether or not the two trees are one and the same.
Name-dropper’s word. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Amtrak listing, for short. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
Québec map abbr.. 3 letters
STE. Sainte (Ste.)
J.F.K. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
Tax planner’s recommendation, for short. 3 letters
IRA. Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
Ginger ___. 3 letters
ALE. The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario, Canada. Prohibition helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally produced, homemade liquor.
Home to King Harald V. 4 letters
OSLO. King Harald V is the current king of Norway, and has been on the throne since 1991 when his father King Olav V passed away. The European Royal houses are famously quite ‘incestuous’, so King Harald V of Norway is in the line of succession for the throne of England (albeit around no. 60).
Santa ___, Calif. 3 letters
ANA. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California and takes its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city.
Carrier letters?. 3 letters
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. Amino acids are delivered in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA and then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.
“The Closer” airer. 3 letters
TNT. “The Closer” is a crime drama aired on TNT, with Kyra Sedgwick in the lead role. Sedgwick is married to actor Kevin Bacon.
Peyton Manning’s brother. 3 letters
ELI. Even I know that Eli Manning and his older brother, Peyton, are quarterbacks!
New York’s ___ Canal. 4 letters
ERIE. The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed ‘Clinton’s Folly’ and ‘Clinton’s Ditch’.
2000s Japanese P.M. 3 letters
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.
Nitrogen symbols. 3 letters
ENS. The symbols for the element nitrogen is the letter N (en).
Bit of finan. 3 letters
IRA. Individual Retirement Account (IRA).
Geneviève, for one: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. St. Genevieve is the patron saint of Paris, in the Roman Catholic tradition. In the year 451CE, she led what was termed a ‘prayer marathon’ that many believed saved Paris from being sacked by Attila the Hun.
A famous one begins “Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness”. 3 letters
ODE. “Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness” is the first line of the famous ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ by John Keats.
Munch Museum’s city. 4 letters
OSLO. Edvard Munch was a Norwegian expressionist, most famous for his painting ‘The Scream’, painted in 1893. What a wonderful work that is, a true representation of expressionism. The Munch Museum in Oslo is dedicated to his work and life. In 2004, two of Munch’s paintings, ‘The Scream’ and ‘Madonna’, were stolen from the Munch Museum by armed robbers who subdued the museum guards. The paintings were missing for two years, but recovered in 2006.
Puccini piece. 4 letters
ARIA. Giacomo Puccini is was an Italian composer, famous for his operas that are so often performed all over the world. Included in the list of his works are ‘La bohème’, ‘Tosca’, ‘Madama Butterfly’ and ‘Turandot’. Puccini died in Brussels, Belgium in 1924 having suffered from throat cancer. An audience attending a performance of ‘La bohème’ in Rome heard of the composer’s death in the middle of the performance. At the news, the opera was stopped, and the orchestra instead played Chopin’s ‘Funeral March’.
Québec map abbr.. 3 letters
STE. ‘Sainte’ (ste.) is French for ‘saint’, when referring to a female.
“The Book of ___” (2010 film). 3 letters
ELI. 2010’s “The Book of Eli” is one of those “end of the world” type movies, with Denzel Washington playing a tough guy traveling across what is left of the United States after some apocryphal event.
Clean energy grp. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
“Votre toast,” e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre’ is more commonly called ‘The Toreador Song’, and is one of the most famous arias in Georges Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen’.
Falstaff’s quaff. 3 letters
ALE. Sir John Falstaff is the lead character in Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and a supporting character in the two ‘Henry IV’ plays. Falstaff is a self-promoting, obese and cowardly man. In “King Henry IV, part I”, Falstaff refers to his portly size, saying, “thou seest I have more flesh than another man, and therefore more frailty.”
Moose Drool or Trout Slayer. 3 letters
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.
“Norma ___”. 3 letters
RAE. “Norma Rae” is a 1979 movie starring Sally Field, a tale of union activities in a textile factory in Alabama. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called “Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance”.
Roxy Music co-founder. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno started out his musical career with Roxy Music. However, his most oft played composition (by far!) is Microsoft’s “startup jingle”, the 6-second sound you’d hear when the Windows 95 system starts up.
Bow-toting god. 4 letters
EROS. Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.
Portfolio part, for short. 3 letters
IRA. Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
2010 title role for Denzel Washington. 3 letters
ELI. “The Book of Eli” is one of those “end of the world” type movies, with Denzel Washington playing a tough guy traveling across what is left of the United States after some apocryphal event.
Buffalo’s county. 4 letters
ERIE. Buffalo is the second most-populous city in the state of New York. The city takes its name from Buffalo Creek that runs through the metropolis (although the waterway is called Buffalo River within the city). The source of the name Buffalo Creek is the subject of much speculation, but one thing is clear, there were never any bison in the area.
Scapegoat for the Fab Four breakup. 3 letters
ONO. The artist and singer Yoko Ono was married several times, most notably to John Lennon of the Beatles. Ono’s first husband was composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, whom she married in 1956 and divorced in 1962 after being separated for several years. Later in 1962 she married an American jazz musician called Anthony Cox. Ono and Cox had to marry twice as Ono’s divorce hadn’t been properly finalized. The marriage to Cox ended in divorce in 1969, with Ono being awarded full custody of their daughter. Ono married Lennon in 1969.
Diva’s delivery. 4 letters
ARIA. “Diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.
Water-quality org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Born. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Well-known Tokyo-born singer. 3 letters
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, so she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan, then moved onto New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to be living in Tokyo at the time of the great fire-bombing of 1945. Immediately after the war, the family was far from prosperous. While her father was being held in a concentration camp in Vietnam, Yoko’s mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. But, when her father returned, life started to return to normal. Yoko was able to attend university, the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin Univeristy.
Quarterback Manning. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning is quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback.
Fuel economy org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The Gem City, so-called because of its sparkling lake. 4 letters
ERIE. Erie is a city in the very north of Pennsylvania, right on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area. Erie is nicknamed the Gem City, a reference to the ‘sparkling’ Lake Erie.
Adam and Eve’s first home. 4 letters
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.
Daniels who directed “The Butler”. 3 letters
LEE. Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ is a 2013 movie that is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House for 34 years before retiring as head butler in 1986. Forest Whitaker plays the title role. My wife saw this one, and really enjoyed it. It has been on my list for quite a while now …
Olympian’s blade. 4 letters
EPEE. The French word for sword is épée.
Radio journalist Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR).
Vegas resort with a musical name. 4 letters
ARIA. Aria is one of the newer casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. ‘Popular Mechanics’ magazine described Aria as ‘the most technologically-advanced hotel ever built’.
Sketch comedy TV series since ‘75. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
Director Daniels of “The Butler”. 3 letters
LEE. Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ is a 2013 movie that is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House for 34 years before retiring as head butler in 1986. Forest Whitaker plays the title role. My wife saw this one, and really enjoyed it …
Flashback cause, maybe. 3 letters
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 …
Actress Graynor. 3 letters
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”.
Olympic sword. 4 letters
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.
Rubble maker, for short. 3 letters
TNT. TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. The explosive 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.
Golf pro Ernie. 3 letters
ELS. Ernie Els is a South African golfer. He’s a big guy, but has an easy, fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. Els has a child who suffers from autism, and has been very effective raising money for charities that focus on the condition.
U.S.N.A. grad: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign (ens.)
Brian of ambient music. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno was one of the pioneers of the ‘ambient’ genre of music. Eno composed an album in 1978 called ‘Ambient 1: Music for Airports’, the first in a series of four albums with an ambient theme. Eno named the tracks somewhat inventively: 1/1, 2/1, 2/1 and 2/2.
Cleveland’s lake. 4 letters
ERIE. Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes by area (Lake Ontario is the smallest). The lake takes its name from the Erie tribe of Native Americans that used to live along its southern shore. Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes by volume and the shallowest, something for which nearby residents must be quite grateful. Being relatively shallow, much of Erie freezes over part way through most winters putting an end to most of the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake’s edge.
Miscellany. 3 letters
ANA. An ana (plural ‘anas’) is a collection, perhaps of literature, that represents the character of a particular place or a person. Ana can be used as a noun or as a suffix (e.g. Americana).
Piece corps, briefly?. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
Born abroad?. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Fidelity offering, briefly. 3 letters
IRA. Fidelity Investments is financial services corporation that is based in Boston. Fidelity was founded back in 1946.
Word after ginger or brown. 3 letters
ALE. The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario, Canada. Prohibition helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally-produced homemade liquor.
Psychic’s “gift,” briefly. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
Born, in Brittany. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
“O mio babbino caro,” for one. 4 letters
ARIA. O mio babbino caro’ is a really beautiful aria from Giacomo Puccini’s opera ‘Gianni Schicchi’.
“Exodus” hero. 3 letters
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 best seller 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.
Singer with the site imaginepeace.com. 3 letters
ONO. The artist Yoko Ono operates the website ImaginePeace.com. I checked it out once and found these lovely two quotes:
Julius Wilbrand invention of 1863, for short. 3 letters
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.
Met solo. 4 letters
ARIA. The Metropolitan Opera (the Met) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …
Starter home?. 4 letters
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.
Janis Ian, Billy Preston and George Carlin were its first guests. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, under the title “NBC’s Saturday night”. The show was created in the first place in order to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. In those days, “The Tonight Show” has a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday episodes and hold them for weeknights in which Carson was taking a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to pull together a variety show to fill the vacant slot.
South American cruise stop, for short. 3 letters
RIO. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). ‘Rio de Janeiro’ translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Years Day in 1502.
Alternative to Century 21. 3 letters
ERA. ERA Real Estate was founded in 1971 as Electronic Realty Associates, hence the abbreviation.
Sault ___ Marie. 3 letters
STE. Sault Ste. Marie is the name of two cities on either side of the Canada-US border, one in Ontario and the other in Michigan. The two cities were originally one settlement in the 17th century, established by Jesuit Missionaries. The missionaries gave the settlement the name ‘Sault Sainte Marie’, which can be translated as ‘Saint Mary’s Falls’. The city was one community until 1817, when a US-UK Joint Boundary Commission set the border along the St. Mary’s River.
Fin. 3 letters
ABE. The US five-dollar bill is often called an ‘Abe’, as President Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a ‘fin’, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.
Boston Garden legend Bobby. 3 letters
ORR. Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players who ever played the game. 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 any more. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …
Stuff of life. 3 letters
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.
Telesthesia, e.g. 3 letters
ESP. Telesthesia is a type of extrasensory perception (ESP) that operates over long distances. Someone who is purported to have such a gift has a sensibility to sights an sounds that beyond the range of the sense organs.
Trains in Chicago. 3 letters
ELS. The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The “L” is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
It contains uracil. 3 letters
RNA. 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).
Second letter after epsilon. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.
Naval rank: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign is (usually) the most junior rank of commissioned officer in the armed forces. The name comes from the tradition that the junior officer would be given the task of carrying the ensign flag.
Journalist Flatow. 3 letters
IRA. “Science Friday” is an excellent talk show broadcast every Friday on NPR, and hosted by Ira Flatow. Flatow is known to television audiences as the host of ‘Newton’s Apple’, which ran from 1983 to 1998.
Name that’s one syllable in English, two syllables in Japanese. 3 letters
ABE. Abe is a common family name in Japan, one that is ranked 23rd in frequency of occurrence in the population.
“Y” wearer. 3 letters
ELI. Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.
Genetic messenger. 3 letters
RNA. RNA and DNA are very similar molecules. One big difference is that RNA is a single strand structure, whereas DNA is famously a double-helix. Another difference is that RNA contains ribose as a structural unit, and DNA contains deoxyribose i.e. ribose with one less oxygen atom. And that ribose/deoxyribose difference is reflected in the name of the two molecules: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
“Norma ___”. 3 letters
RAE. “Norma Rae” is a 1979 movie starring Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster in a tale of union activities in a textile factory in Alabama. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called “Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance”.
Code carrier, sometimes. 3 letters
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.
Brian who’s a self-professed “nonmusician”. 3 letters
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:
One of the 10-Down birds in the world. 3 letters
EMU. 10. See 9-Down : TALLEST
Roxy Music co-founder. 3 letters
ENO. Roxy Music is a British band formed by Bryan Ferry, who also served as the lead singer. One of the group’s more famous former band members was Brian Eno, someone who turns up in crosswords far too often …
Roxy Music co-founder. 3 letters
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 starts up.
High rollers?. 3 letters
ELS. Elevated railroad (El)
___ of Good Feelings. 3 letters
ERA. The Era of Good Feelings lasted from about 1816 to 1824, during the administration of President James Monroe. The name described the feeling of bipartisanship that permeated politics at that time, largely due to President Monroe deliberately downplaying partisanship. One can only dream …
“Cherry ice cream smile” wearer, in a Duran Duran hit. 3 letters
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’.
Loser of the Drama in Bahama. 3 letters
ALI. The Drama in Bahama was a 1981 boxing match fought in Nassau, Bahamas between Muhammad Ali and Trevor Berbick. 27-year-old Berbick defeated 39-year-old Ali on points. It was to be Ali’s last fight. Apparently, it was a very sad and pathetic affair …
“From my cold, dead hands!” org. 3 letters
NRA. The National Rifle Association (NRA) used the slogan ‘I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands’. These words became quite famous when they were used at an NRA convention in 2000 by Charlton Heston, who was then president of the NRA. Heston ended a speech he made with the words ‘From my cold, dead hands!’ while holding up into the air a replica of a Sharps rifle.
Ernie in the World Golf Hall of Fame. 3 letters
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 is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).
An old couple fell in it. 4 letters
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.
QB Manning. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning is quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, and Archie was also a successful NFL quarterback.
N.Y.C.’s Third and Ninth Avenue lines, e.g. 3 letters
ELS. Elevated railroad (El)
Philanthropist Broad. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Broad made his fortune in real estate and was one of the founders of Kaufman and Broad, that we know these days as KB Homes. Broad’s net worth was recently reported at just over $5 billion.
Fr. 3 letters
STE. Sainte (Ste.)
Actor ___ J. 3 letters
LEE. Lee J. Cobb’s most famous film roles were in “12 Angry Men” released in 1957, and “On the Waterfront” released in 1954. Cobb found himself caught up in the net cast by the dreadful House Un-American Activities Committee and was blacklisted for two years as he refused to testify. Finding himself penniless and with five children to support, he eventually did appear in front of the committee, and named twenty former members of the Communist Party USA, just to survive.
A pitching ace has a low one, in brief. 3 letters
ERA. Earned run average (ERA)
Alumna’s bio word. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
___ Arbor, Mich. 3 letters
ANN. Ann Arbor, Michigan was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. Supposed they used the name ‘Annarbour’ in recognition of stands of bur oak that were on the land they had purchased (“arbor”), and in recognition of their wives, both of whom were called ‘Ann’.
___ alum. 3 letters
SNL. ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL)
Poker game?. 4 letters
EPEE. The French word for sword is épée. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.
N.L. 3 letters
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.
Sticks in an abandoned building?. 3 letters
TNT. I’m not sure that TNT comes in ‘sticks’. Dynamite does, but the two explosives are unrelated.
Single-stranded macromolecule. 3 letters
RNA. RNA and DNA are very similar molecules. One big difference is that RNA is a single-strand structure, whereas DNA is famously a double-helix. Another difference is that RNA contains ribose as a structural unit, and DNA contains deoxyribose i.e. ribose with one less oxygen atom. And that ribose/deoxyribose difference is reflected in the full name of the two molecules: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Yossarian’s tentmate in “Catch-22”. 3 letters
ORR. Orr has no other name, just “Orr”, in Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22”.
Ostrichlike bird. 3 letters
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 …
Geneviève, for one: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. The French word for a female saint is ‘sainte’, as in Ste. Geneviève (St. Genevieve).
Big D.C. 3 letters
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.
Financial adviser’s recommendation, in brief. 3 letters
IRA. IRA Individual retirement account (IRA)
Disco ’70s, e.g. 3 letters
ERA. Discotheques first appeared during WWII in Occupied France. American-style music (like jazz and jitterbug dances) was banned by the Nazis, so French natives met in underground clubs that they called discotheques where records were often played on just a single turntable. After the war, these clubs came out into the open. One famous Paris discotheque was called “Whiskey a Gogo”. In that Paris disco, non-stop music was played using two turntables next to a dance-floor, and this concept spread around the world.
Hit animated film of 2011. 3 letters
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.
Raised transports. 3 letters
ELS. The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The “L” is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
Skill tested by Zener cards. 3 letters
ESP. Zener cards were developed in the early thirties by psychologist Karl Zener, for use in experiments related to extra-sensory perception (ESP). These five simple and distinctive cards replaced the standard deck of cards that had been used in trials up to that point. The five symbols used on the cards are a circle, a cross, three wavy lines, a square and a star.
Timothy Leary’s turn-on. 3 letters
LSD. Timothy Leary was an icon of the sixties counterculture, a promoter of the use of LSD. After he died, some of his ashes were “buried” in space, launched aboard a rocket that contained the ashes of 24 other people, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry.
Wrangler rival. 3 letters
LEE. The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.
“Lawrence of Arabia” role. 3 letters
ALI. “Lawrence of Arabia’ is a 1962 movie that recounts the real life story of T. E. Lawrence, a British army officer famous for his role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The title role in the film is played by Irish actor Peter O’Toole. The role of Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish is played by Omar Sharif.
Roth ___. 3 letters
IRA. Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (Roth IRAs) were introduced in 1997 under a bill sponsored by Senator William Roth of Delaware.
Translation material. 3 letters
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.
Fort ___, Ontario. 4 letters
ERIE. The original Fort Erie was built by the British in 1764. The current structure can be visited today and is located in the province of Ontario, just across the Niagara River from the city of Buffalo, New York.
South America’s ___ Negro. 3 letters
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.
___-Julie, Que. 3 letters
STE. Sainte-Julie is a suburb of Montreal, Quebec.
Genetic material. 3 letters
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. Amino acids are delivered in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA and then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.
Messenger ___. 3 letters
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.
The Yoko of “Oh Yoko!”. 3 letters
ONO. “Oh Yoko!” is a song written and performed by John Lennon in 1971, which appears on his iconic album ‘Imagine’. The title of course refers to Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono.
Destination of some SAS flights. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo, the capital of Norway, is an ancient city that was founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV and renamed to Christiana. In 1877 there was an official change of the spelling of the city’s name to “Kristiana”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have almost gone full circle and now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has apparently been renamed to Christiana.
Arrow shooter of Greek myth. 4 letters
EROS. Eros, the Greek god of love, was also known as Amor.
Bitter ___. 3 letters
ALE. What’s known as ‘bitter ale’ in the UK corresponds to ‘pale ale’ in the US. I’m a fan …
Key molecule for protein synthesis. 3 letters
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.
U.S. 3 letters
ALI. Ali Krieger was a member of the 2015 Women’s World Cup-winning US soccer team. Krieger lived for five years in Germany, playing for FFC Frankfurt.
Son in “The Royal Tenenbaums”. 3 letters
ARI. The Royal Tenenbaums’ is a 2001 comedy-drama film with a very impressive cast. Lots of people love this one, but not me …
Hit from the ’60s?. 3 letters
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 …
Paranormal ability, for short. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
Stan of Marvel Comics. 3 letters
LEE. Stan Lee did just about everything at Marvel Comics over the years, from writing to being president and chairman of the board. If you like superhero movies based on the characters from Marvel Comics, then you could spend a few hours trying to spot Stan Lee in those films as he has a penchant for making cameo appearances. Lee can be spotted in ‘X-Men’ (2000), ‘Spider-Man’ (2002), ‘Hulk’ (2003), ‘Fantastic Four’ (2005), ‘Iron Man’ (2008) and many other films.
Acid. 3 letters
LSD. LSD (also known as ‘acid’) is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a development project aimed at finding 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 …
Serving at McSorley’s. 3 letters
ALE. A few years ago, I brought my wife and sister-in-law into McSorley’s. I was foolish enough to ask what kind of wine they had for the ladies. the gruff answer was “McSorley’s Light Ale or McSorley’s Dark Ale”.
Winged Greek god. 4 letters
EROS. As always seem to be the case, the Greek gods Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.
“Dark” quaff. 3 letters
ALE. “Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One quaffs (takes a hearty drink); a quaff (a hearty drink).
Actress Larter of “Heroes”. 3 letters
ALI. Ali Larter is an American actress who plays two roles (identical twins) on the NBC series “Heroes”. Larter was originally a model, before moving into acting. One of her more famous roles on the big screen was supporting Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 film “Legally Blonde”.
Baby taking a bow?. 4 letters
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, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.
“N.B.A. 3 letters
TNT. TNT stands for Turner Network Television. The TNT cable channel 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 touted with the tagline “We Know Drama”, and includes shows like “Judging Amy”, “ER” and “Cold Case”.
Flight board posting, for short. 3 letters
ETA. Expected time of arrival (ETA)
Mythological lover boy. 4 letters
EROS. Eros was the Roman god of love, with Cupid being his Roman equivalent. In some myths, Eros is the son of Aphrodite.
Word in many a woman’s bio. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Genealogy word. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Long-running NBC staple, for short. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to pull together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
Cy Young’s was 2.63, in brief. 3 letters
ERA. Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. Young is remembered for pitching the first perfect game of baseball’s modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created and is presented to the best pitcher in each baseball season.
Superfund org. 3 letters
EPA. The 1980 law called the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) is more usually referred to as ‘Superfund’. Superfund gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to compel polluters to clean up contaminated sites.
Psychedelic drug. 3 letters
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 …
Disco ___. 3 letters
ERA. Discotheques started up during WWII in Occupied France. American-style music (like jazz and jitterbug dances) was banned by the Nazis, so French natives met in underground clubs that they called discotheques where records were often played on just a single turntable. After the war, these clubs came out into the open. One famous Paris discotheque was called “Whiskey a Gogo”. In that Paris disco, non-stop music was played using two turntables next to a dance-floor, and this concept spread around the world.
Cable channel. 3 letters
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 tagline “We Know Drama”, and includes shows like “Judging Amy”, “ER” and “Cold Case”.
Induction-refusing boxing champ. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali was tested for qualification to serve in US Armed Forces in 1964, and failed because of poor writing and spelling skills. In 1966 the test standards were revised, and Ali was reclassified as 1A, eligible for the draft. Ali immediately declared himself a conscientious objector, stating that war is against the teachings of the Qur’an. He was then scheduled to be inducted into the US Armed Forces in 1967, and was arrested when he refused to answer the call. He was stripped of his boxing titles, and was found guilty of a felony at a jury trial. He appealed the conviction, an appeal that went all the way to the US Supreme Court. His conviction was overturned, not because the court agreed with Ali’s claim that he was a conscientious objector, but rather because the government had failed to properly specify why Ali’s application to be treated as a conscientious objector had been denied.
City of NW Pennsylvania. 4 letters
ERIE. Erie is a city in the very north of Pennsylvania, right on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area.
Competitor of All. 3 letters
ERA. Era was the first liquid laundry detergent produced by Procter & Gamble.
Buffalo’s county. 4 letters
ERIE. Buffalo is the second most-populous city in the state of New York. The city takes its name from Buffalo Creek that runs though the metropolis (although it is called Buffalo River within the city). The source of the name Buffalo for the creek is the subject of much speculation, but one thing is clear, there were never any bison in the area.
Genetic inits. 3 letters
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.
Verdi’s “Ernani! Ernani, involami,” e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. Ernani’ is an 1844 opera by Giuseppe Verdi that is based on a play called ‘Hernani’ by Victor Hugo. For over a decade, ‘Ernani’ was Verdi’s most popular opera, and then along came ‘Il trovatore’ in 1853.
Vigoda of “The Godfather”. 3 letters
ABE. Abe Vigoda played Detective Sergeant Phil Fish in television’s ‘Barney Miller’ in the seventies, and even got his own spinoff show called ‘Fish’. On the big screen, Vigoda played Sal Tessio in ‘The Godfather’ and Grandpa Ubriacco in ‘Look Who’s Talking’.
Weapon in fencing. 4 letters
EPEE. The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. The épée is similar to a foil and sabre, both of which are also thrusting weapons. However, the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.
Org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Carnival city, casually. 3 letters
RIO. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). ‘Rio de Janeiro’ translates as ‘January River’. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.
Stan of Marvel Comics. 3 letters
LEE. Stan Lee did just about everything at Marvel Comics over the years, from writing to being president and chairman of the board. If you like superhero movies based on the characters from Marvel Comics, then you could spend a few hours trying to spot Stan Lee in those films as he has a penchant for making cameo appearances. Lee can be spotted in ‘X-Men’ (2000), ‘Spider-Man’ (2002), ‘Hulk’ (2003), ‘Fantastic Four’ (2005), ‘Iron Man’ (2008) and many other films.
Capital near the 60th parallel. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiania. In 1877 there was an official change of the name’s spelling to “Kristiania”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has recently been named Christiania again.
Range grp. 3 letters
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.
Greek H. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”. Originally denoting a consonant, eta was used as a long vowel in Ancient Greek.
Uracil’s place. 3 letters
RNA. 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, guanine, thymine and cytosine. The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil.
Staple for sketches, for short. 3 letters
SNL. ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL)
Chi-town rails. 3 letters
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 around the longest. 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).
Season in le soleil?. 3 letters
ETE. In French, a season in ‘the sun’ (le soleil) might be summer (été).
Spill-fighting grp. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency was set up during the Nixon administration, and began operation at the end of 1970.
“Hedda Gabler” setting. 4 letters
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’.
___ of Good Feelings. 3 letters
ERA. The Era of Good Feelings lasted from about 1816 to 1824, during the administration of President James Monroe. The name described the feeling of bipartisanship that permeated politics at that time, largely due to President Monroe deliberately downplaying differences between the parties in Washington. One can only dream …
Fr. 3 letters
STE. “Sainte” is the French word for a female saint, abbreviated to “Ste.”
___ Ben Canaan of “Exodus”. 3 letters
ARI. “Exodus” is a wonderful novel written by American writer Leon Uris, first published in 1947. The hero of the piece is Ari Ben Canaan, played by Paul Newman in the 1960 film adaptation directed by Otto Preminger.
Boxer called “The Greatest”. 3 letters
ALI. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ‘96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
Glass behind a radio microphone. 3 letters
IRA. Ira Glass is a well respected presenter on American Public Radio, most noted for his show “This American Life”. I was interested to learn that one of my favorite composers, Philip Glass, is Ira’s first cousin.
McSorley’s order. 3 letters
ALE. A few years ago, I brought my wife and sister-in-law into McSorley’s. I was foolish enough to ask what kind of wine they had for the ladies. the gruff answer was “McSorley’s Light Ale or McSorley’s Dark Ale”.
Bitter ___. 3 letters
ALE. What’s known as ‘bitter ale’ in the UK corresponds to ‘pale ale’ in the US. I’m a fan …
Fall location. 4 letters
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.
Summer on the Seine. 3 letters
ETE. Ete: the French word for summer.
Adam’s ___ (water). 3 letters
ALE. I suppose water was all that Adam had available to him to drink, so that’s how the expression Adam’s ale arose (I am guessing … can’t find anything definitive anywhere). It makes a nice juxtaposition with “the demon drink”!
Lake connected to Sandusky Bay. 4 letters
ERIE. Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes (Lake Ontario is the smallest). The lake takes its name from the Erie tribe of Native Americans that used to live along its southern shore. Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, something for which nearby residents must be quite grateful. Being relatively shallow, Erie freezes over part way through most winters putting an early end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake’s edge.
Bird with meat high in protein. 3 letters
EMU. The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. The aborigines used them for food and are very adept at hunting them using a variety of traditional techniques. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food, and knocked down fences. Soldiers were sent in using machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the emus. The emus were clever though, and broke formation and adopted guerrilla tactics, operating as small units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers was refused.
“Casta diva,” e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. “Norma” is an opera written by Vincenzo Bellini, first performed in 1831. One aria from the work is “Casta diva”, which is one of the most popular arias of the 1800s.
Musician Brian. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno is a musician, composer and record producer from England who first achieved fame as the synthesiser player with Roxy Music. As a producer, Eno has worked with David Bowie, Devo and U2.
Valéry’s vacation time. 3 letters
ETE. Valery lives in France, and goes on vacation in summer (ete).
Once known as. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Subject of a museum in Louisville, Ky. 3 letters
ALI. The Muhammad Ali Center’ is a museum in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The center was opened in 2005 and explores the life of the champion boxer and features exhibitions that reflect Ali’s core values.
Certain Ivy Leaguer. 3 letters
ELI. Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.
Ring king, once. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali first used his famous catchphrase ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’ before his world title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Back then Ali still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay.
The Depression, for one. 3 letters
ERA. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 that signalled the start of the Great Depression did not happen on just one day. The first big drop in the market took place on October 24 (Black Thursday). Things stabilized on Friday, and then the slide continued on the 28th (Black Monday) and the 29th (Black Tuesday).
Canal with 36 locks. 4 letters
ERIE. The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed ‘Clinton’s Folly’ and ‘Clinton’s Ditch’.
Medium strength?. 3 letters
ESP. Another nicely worded clue …
Las Vegas casino with a musical name. 4 letters
ARIA. Aria is one of the newer casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. ‘Popular Mechanics’ magazine described Aria as ‘the most technologically-advanced hotel ever built’.
New ___ (official cap maker of Major League Baseball). 3 letters
ERA. The New Era Cap Company is a headwear manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York. It is New Era that supplies all the official baseball caps used by the Major League teams.
Chateau ___ Michelle. 3 letters
STE. Chateau Ste. Michelle is a winery in Woodinville, Washington in the Columbia Valley. Chateau Ste. Michelle produces so much Riesling wine that it is the number one Riesling producer in the world in terms of number of bottles.
Onetime giant in decking. 3 letters
ALI. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ‘96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
Big bird. 3 letters
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.
Site of the Ibsen Museum. 4 letters
OSLO. Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright, considered by many to be the greatest playwright since William Shakespeare. He was famous for shocking his audiences by exploring subjects that offended the sensibilities of the day (the late 1800s).
1975 TV debut, briefly. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
Jackie’s #2. 3 letters
ARI. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was born into a privileged family, the daughter of a Wall Street stock broker, John Vernou Bouvier III. Ms. Bouvier moved in the same social circles as the Kennedy clan, and first met the then-US Representative John Kennedy at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends. After she saw her husband assassinated, and then her brother-in-law (Bobby Kennedy) suffer the same fate, she declared that she feared for the life of her children as they bore the Kennedy name. She left the country, eventually meeting and marrying Aristotle Onassis. Reportedly she was very satisfied that the Greek shipping magnate was able to provide privacy and security for her children.
The “A” in I.P.A. 3 letters
ALE. India Pale Ale is a style of beer that comes from England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name. IPAs have been around in North America for centuries, but have really taken off in the past decade or so, I feel. I’m not a fan myself, as IPA has a very hoppy taste. East Coast IPAs tend to have the hops balanced out by more malt, whereas West Coast IPAs are all about the hops, the hops, the hops …
Lover of Psyche. 4 letters
EROS. In the myth of Cupid (aka Eros) and Psyche, the two title characters must overcome many obstacles to fulfill their love for each other. Overcome them they do, and the pair marry and enjoy immortal love.
Sched. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
Messenger ___. 3 letters
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.
Thérèse, for one: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. Ste. Therese (Saint Teresa, in French).
Enforcer of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, for short. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
“Be My Yoko ___” (Barenaked Ladies single). 3 letters
ONO. Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The somewhat quirky name chosen by the band tends to reflect the group’s concert style. The band is noted for kidding around on stage with lots of banter between songs. They’re also noted for composing and performing the catchy theme song for the hit sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’.
Mozart piece. 4 letters
ARIA. The composer Mozart’s full name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The name ‘Wolfgang’ translates literally as ‘wolf journey’, and ‘Amadeus’ translates as ‘Love God!’.
Org. 3 letters
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.
Three-time foe for Frazier. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had three memorable fights. The first was billed as the “Fight of the Century” and took place in 1971 in Madison Square Garden. It was a fight between two great boxers, both of whom were undefeated up till that point. Frazier won in a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds. A couple of years later, in 1973, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Ali and Frazier had a non-title rematch in 1974, with Ali coming out ahead this time, also in a unanimous decision. Later that year, Ali grabbed back the World Heavyweight Title in “The Rumble in the Jungle”, the famous “rope-a-dope” fight against George Foreman. That set the stage for the third and final fight between Ali and Frazier, “The Thrilla in Manila”. Ali won the early rounds, but Frazier made a comeback in the middle of the fight. Ali took control at the end of the bout, so much so that Frazier wasn’t able to come out of his corner for the 15th and final round. He couldn’t come out of his corner because both of his eyes were swollen shut, giving Ali a victory due to a technical knockout (TKO).
Hallucination producer. 3 letters
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 …
Eponymous Indian tribe. 4 letters
ERIE. The Erie people lived on lands south of Lake Erie. The Erie were sometimes referred to as the Cat Nation, a reference to the mountain lions that were ever-present in the area that they lived. The name ‘Erie’ is a shortened form of ‘Erielhonan’ meaning ‘long tail’, possibly a further reference to the mountain lion or cat, which was possibly used as a totem. The Erie people gave their name to the Great Lake.
Genetic carrier. 3 letters
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.
Creature on Australia’s 50-cent coin. 3 letters
EMU. The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. The aborigines used emus for food and are very adept at hunting them using a variety of traditional techniques. 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 using machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the emus. The emus were clever, and broke their usual formation and adopted guerrilla tactics, operating as small units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored.
Block buster?. 3 letters
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.
When août occurs. 3 letters
ETE. In French, August (août) is a month in summer (l’été).
“Exodus” figure. 3 letters
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 best seller 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.
H as in Hera. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.
What might make molehills out of a mountain?. 3 letters
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.
NPR journalist Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR).
Comedy/variety show since ‘75. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
Psychedelic drug. 3 letters
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 …
Christian ___. 3 letters
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) used to replace BC.
Word before a maiden name in wedding announcements. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”
New Haven scholar. 3 letters
ELI. Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.
Season after printemps. 3 letters
ETE. In French, spring (printemps) is followed by summer (été).
Former gig for Sen. 3 letters
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 a writer for ‘Saturday Night Live’.
Genetic material. 3 letters
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.
Org. 3 letters
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.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper. 3 letters
LEE. Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was first published in 1960. The book is a mainstay in English classes all around the world and is a great ambassador for American literature, I’d say.
Literary olio. 3 letters
ANA. An ana (or plural anas) is a collection, including works of literature, that represent the character of a particular place or a person. Ana can be used as a noun, or as a suffix.
Certain shell contents. 3 letters
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.
“Norma ___” (Sally Field film). 3 letters
RAE. “Norma Rae” is a 1979 movie starring Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster in a tale of union activities in a textile factory in Alabama. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called “Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance”.
All alternative. 3 letters
ERA. All and Era are laundry detergents.
Info for an airport car service, briefly. 3 letters
ETA. Expected time of arrival (ETA)
Musician who co-founded Nutopia. 3 letters
ONO. Back in the 1970s, John Lennon was having immigration problems here in the US where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono. With a satirical smile, Lennon and Ono held a press conference on April Fool’s Day in 1973 and announced that the couple were creating a fictional country called Nutopia (‘new’ + ‘utopia’). Lennon and Ono appointed themselves ambassadors of Nutopia and sought diplomatic immunity in order to get around John’s immigration issues.
1983 double-platinum album by Duran Duran. 3 letters
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’.
U.S. 4 letters
ERIE. (22A. U2’s homeland : EIRE)
Conan O’Brien’s employer from ‘88 to ‘91. 3 letters
SNL. ‘Saturday Night Live’ (‘SNL’)
Disco ___. 3 letters
ERA. Discotheques started up during WWII in Occupied France. American-style music (like jazz and jitterbug dances) was banned by the Nazis, so French natives met in underground clubs that they called discotheques, where records were often played on just a single turntable. After the war, these clubs came out into the open. One famous Paris discotheque was called “Whiskey a Gogo” and its method of operation, with non-stop music from two turntables next to a dance-floor, this concept spread around the world.
Big bird. 3 letters
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 …
Org. 3 letters
NRA. The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The NRA has had some celebrity presidents, including US President Ulysses S. Grant. It’s often said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.
1950s British P.M. 4 letters
EDEN. Sir Anthony Eden served as Britain’s Foreign Secretary during WWII, and then as Prime Minister from 1955-57. I think it’s fair to say that Eden doesn’t have a great reputation as a statesman. He was proud of his stance in favor of peace over war, so his critics characterized him as an appeaser. His major stumble on the world stage occurred with the Suez Crisis in 1956. Egypt’s President Nasser unilaterally nationalized the Suez Canal causing war to be declared on Egypt by Britain, France and Israel. Within a few months political pressure from the US and the USSR caused the allies to withdraw, bolstering Egypt’s national reputation. Eden never recovered from the loss of face at home, and it is felt that the stress even affected his health. Eden resigned in January 1957.
Grp. 3 letters
NRA. (17A. One with a game collection, maybe : HUNTER)
Starting point?. 4 letters
EDEN. Another clever clue …
Filmmaker Spike. 3 letters
LEE. Shelton Jackson Lee is the real name of Spike Lee, the film director and producer. Lee’s first feature-length film, released in 1986, was “She’s Gotta Have It”. Lee shot the film in just twelve days, and kept the movie within its relatively small budget of only $175,000. “She’s Gotta Have It” grossed over $7 million …
Music producer Brian. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno is a musician, composer and record producer from England who first achieved fame as the synthesiser player with Roxy Music. As a producer, Eno has worked with David Bowie, Devo and U2.
The “E” of HOMES. 4 letters
ERIE. A well-known mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES: standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
Brian of ambient music. 3 letters
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:
Home of Hallvard’s ruined cathedral. 4 letters
OSLO. Hallvard’s Cathedral was built in Oslo, Norway in the first half of the 12th century. In the 1600s, much of Oslo was destroyed in a great fire and so King Christian IV decided to move the city and have it rebuilt a few miles to west. A new cathedral was built, and the old Hallvard’s Cathedral, which was still standing after the fire, fell into disrepair and became a ruin.
Idyllic garden. 4 letters
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.
Music producer Brian. 3 letters
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:
“Malcolm X” director. 3 letters
LEE. ‘Malcolm X’ is a 1992 biographical film about the African American activist Malcolm X. The movie starred Denzel Washington in the title role and was co-written and directed by Spike Lee.
Cold capital. 4 letters
OSLO. Oslo, the capital of Norway, is an ancient city founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624, and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV and renamed Christiana. In 1877, there was an official change of the spelling to “Kristiana”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have almost gone full circle for now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has apparently been renamed Christiana.
Honest ___ (presidential moniker). 3 letters
ABE. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky, making him the first president born in the West. His formal education was limited to a year and a half of schooling, but fortunately for us, Lincoln was an avid reader and educated himself over the years. Even though he was from a rural area, he avoided hunting and fishing because he did not like to kill animals even for food.
Opponent of 14-Down, in sports. 3 letters
ALI. {14D. See 14-Across : FOREMAN)
Radio host Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR)
“Exodus” hero. 3 letters
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 best seller 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.
Subj. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
Fencer’s sword. 4 letters
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.
Canadian-born hockey great. 3 letters
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 any more. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …
Sistine Chapel setting. 4 letters
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.
Born. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Firing squad?: Abbr.. 3 letters
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.
Loop takers. 3 letters
ELS. The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The “L” is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
Grp. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
___ de Janeiro. 3 letters
RIO. ‘Rio de Janeiro’ translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Years Day in 1502.
energystar.gov grp. 3 letters
EPA. The Energy Star standard was created by the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration. In general, an item marked with an Energy Star uses 20-30% less energy than that mandated by federal standards. We just put an Energy Star roof on our house, and I am looking forward to seeing if the home stays cooler this summer.
Electric weapon. 4 letters
EPEE. The French word for sword is épée. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.
___ Digital Short. 3 letters
SNL. Since 2005, the “Saturday Night Live” comedy show has been airing a feature called “SNL Digital Shorts”. These spots break away from the “live” format of the show, and are prerecorded for airing during the Saturday broadcast. The Digital Shorts are filmed on consumer-grade digital cameras, and are edited on personal computers. They can feature members of the regular cast, musical guests, and celebrity cameos.
Gift that not everyone accepts. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
Carrier to Tokyo. 3 letters
ANA. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline, second in size only to JAL.
Winning party in Clay v. 3 letters
ALI. The boxer Muhammed Ali was classified as ineligible for the draft in 1964 due to poor writing and spelling skills. The standards were lowered in 1965, and Ali was notified in 1966 that he was eligible to serve in the US Armed Forces. When notified as such, Ali publicly declared himself a conscientious objector on religious grounds. Ali was in fact drafted and refused to serve in 1967. At that point his boxing license was suspended and he was stripped of his World Heavyweight title. Ali was convicted for refusing to to report for induction during the Vietnam War. Ultimately, the US Supreme Court reversed the decision to convict on the grounds that the government had failed to properly specify why Ali’s application for conscientious objector classification had been denied.
Grandpa on “The Simpsons”. 3 letters
ABE. In the animated TV show called ‘The Simpsons’, Grampa Abe Simpson is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, the same actor who provides the voice for Homer.
Wedding announcement word. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
Actress Larter of “Heroes”. 3 letters
ALI. Ali Larter is an American actress who played two roles (identical twins) on the NBC series “Heroes”. Larter was originally a model, before moving in to the movies. One of her more famous roles on the big screen was supporting Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 film “Legally Blonde”.
Nav. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign (ens.)
At birth. 3 letters
NEE. “Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
It’s between Obama and Robinson. 3 letters
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 …
NPR’s Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio.
Diva’s number. 4 letters
ARIA. “Diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.
Drug for Timothy Leary. 3 letters
LSD. Leary was a psychologist and writer, an icon of the sixties counterculture and a promoter of the use of LSD. Leary popularized the phrase ‘Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out’ in the sixties. After he died, some of Leary’s ashes were ‘buried’ in space, launched aboard a rocket that contained the ashes of 24 other people including ‘Star Trek’ creator Gene Roddenberry.
Reagan ___ (most of the 1980s). 3 letters
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.
Green org. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.
Christian ___. 3 letters
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.
“From my cold, dead hands!” sloganeer. 3 letters
NRA. The National Rifle Association (NRA) used the slogan ‘I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands’. These words became quite famous when they were used at an NRA convention in 2000 by Charlton Heston, who was then president of the NRA. Heston ended a speech he made with the words ‘From my cold, dead hands!’ while holding up into the air a replica of a Sharps rifle.
Ginger ___. 3 letters
ALE. The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario. Prohibition in the United States helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally-produced homemade liquor.
Puccini piece. 4 letters
ARIA. Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer, famous for his operas that are so often performed all over the world. Included in the list of his works are ‘La bohème’, ‘Tosca’, ‘Madama Butterfly’ and ‘Turandot’. Puccini died in Brussels, Belgium in 1924 having suffered from throat cancer. An audience attending a performance of ‘La bohème’ in Rome heard of the composer’s death in the middle of the performance. At the news, the opera was stopped, and the orchestra instead played Chopin’s ‘Funeral March’.
First near-Earth asteroid to be discovered. 4 letters
EROS. Near-Earth asteroids are relatively near to the Earth’s orbit and as such are not part of the main asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 433 Eros was the first of the near-Earth asteroids to be discovered, and was noticed on the same night in 1898 by two different stargazers, one in Berlin and one in Nice. Rather oddly, Eros was claimed as property by one Gregory Nemitz, and he fought in court for the right to charge NASA 20 cents a year parking and storage fee for a spacecraft which they landed on the asteroid in 2001. The case was dismissed …
“Entourage” agent Gold. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Gold is a fictional character in the HBO series “Entourage”. “Entourage” tells the story of a rising film star, Vincent Chase (played by Adrian Grenier), a native of New York but now learning to handle himself in Hollywood. Vincent’s Hollywood agent is Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven.
Cellular stuff. 3 letters
RNA. RNA and DNA are very similar in molecular structure. One big difference is that RNA is a single strand structure, whereas DNA is famously a double-helix. Another difference is that RNA contains ribose as a structural unit, with DNA containing deoxyribose, ribose without one oxygen atom. And that ribose/deoxyribose difference is reflected in the full name of the two molecules: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Gershwin’s “Summertime” is one. 4 letters
ARIA. Porgy and Bess’ is an opera with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and libretto by DuBose Heyward. The storyline of the opera is based on the novel ‘Porgy’ written by DuBose Heyward and and wife Dorothy. ‘Porgy and Bess’ was first performed in 1935, in New York City, but really wasn’t accepted as legitimate opera until 1976 after a landmark production by the Houston Grand Opera. The most famous song from the piece is probably the wonderful aria ‘Summertime’.
Big bang maker. 3 letters
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.
2011 Grammy winner Corinne Bailey ___. 3 letters
RAE. Corinne Bailey Rae is a British singer from Yorkshire in the north of England.
Summer, in St.-Étienne. 3 letters
ETE. The city of Saint-Étienne is the capital of the Loire department in France. The city is home to the extremely successful AS Saint-Étienne soccer team.
Blissful spot. 4 letters
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.
Capt.’s prediction. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
Greek love god. 4 letters
EROS. As always seem to be the case, the Greek gods Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.
Shallowest of the Great Lakes. 4 letters
ERIE. Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes (Lake Ontario is the smallest). The lake takes its name from the Erie tribe of Native Americans that used to live along its southern shore. Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, something for which nearby resident must be quite grateful. Being relatively shallow, Erie freezes over part way through most winters putting an end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake’s edge.
“Slander” author Coulter. 3 letters
ANN. Ann Coulter is a conservative political commentator. Coulter has written three best selling books:
Fourth caliph in Sunni Islam. 3 letters
ALI. Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. Ali was the first male to accept the message of Muhammad and dedicate his life to the cause of Islam.
1969 bed-in participant. 3 letters
ONO. John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a very public honeymoon in a hotel in Amsterdam, when they staged their famous “bed-in” for peace. In answering questions from reporters Lennon found himself often repeating the words “give peace a chance”. While still in bed, he composed his famous song “Give Peace a Chance” and even sang it to the visiting reporters a few times. The first recording of the song was actually made in the hotel room, with reporters present, and a whole bunch of friends. The song was released later in 1969 and became a smash hit.
