output_trainer_0_3 Flashcards
1
Q
“The Facts of Life” actress. 3 letters
A
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’.
2
Q
NBC skit show since ‘75. 3 letters
A
SNL. NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” 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”.
3
Q
Gift that’s hard to believe. 3 letters
A
ESP. Extra Sensory Perception (ESP).
4
Q
Norway’s capital. 4 letters
A
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.
5
Q
Particularly: Abbr.. 3 letters
A
ESP. Especially (esp.)
6
Q
Garden with forbidden fruit. 4 letters
A
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.
7
Q
Ginger ___. 3 letters
A
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.
8
Q
First place. 4 letters
A
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.
9
Q
Chi-town circlers. 3 letters
A
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).
10
Q
Louisville sports icon. 3 letters
A
ALI. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. He changed his name to Muhammed Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali won a gold medal in the 1960 games, which he threw into the Ohio River after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant. He was presented with a replacement medal during the 1996 Games.
11
Q
Andrea Bocelli offering. 4 letters
A
ARIA. Andrea Bocelli is a classically-trained tenor who sings popular music, a so-called cross-over artist. Bocelli was born with poor eyesight and then became totally blind at the age of 12 when he had an accident playing soccer.
12
Q
Genetic stuff. 3 letters
A
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.
13
Q
Magnate Onassis. 3 letters
A
ARI. Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They couple had two children together, with one being the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
14
Q
“Star Trek” extra: Abbr.. 3 letters
A
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.
15
Q
Big name in jeans. 3 letters
A
LEE. The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.
16
Q
Type units. 3 letters
A
ENS. In typography, there are em dashes and en dashes. The em dash is about the width of an “m” character, and an en dash about half that, the width of an “n’ character. An en dash is used, for example, to separate numbers designating a range, as in 5-10 years. Th em dash seems to be going out of style, and indeed the application I am using to write this paragraph won’t let me show you one!
17
Q
Quaff in Middle-earth. 3 letters
A
ALE. “Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One quaffs (takes a hearty drink) of a quaff (a hearty drink).
18
Q
16th president’s nickname. 3 letters
A
ABE. President Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky. The young Lincoln was given no middle name, and “Abraham” was chosen in honor of his paternal grandfather. Grandfather Abraham Lincoln was a captain in the militia during the American Revolution, and one of the pioneers who settled what is now the state of Kentucky.
19
Q
Pulitzer-winning sports reporter Berkow. 3 letters
A
IRA. Ira Berkow is a sports reporter and writer.
20
Q
A low one is best, for short. 3 letters
A
ERA. Earned run average (ERA)
21
Q
GPS calculation. 3 letters
A
ETA. A Global Positioning System (GPS) provides an estimated time of arrival (ETA).
22
Q
Santa ___. 3 letters
A
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.
23
Q
Cleveland’s lake. 4 letters
A
ERIE. Cleveland, Ohio was named after the man who led the team that surveyed the area prior to founding of the city. General Moses Cleaveland did his work in 1796 and then left Ohio, never to return again.
24
Q
1952 Winter Olympics host. 4 letters
A
OSLO. The 1952 Winter Olympic Games took place in Oslo, Norway. One of the firsts at the 1952 games was the first use of a purpose-built athletes’ village. The 1952 Games also marked the return of Japan and Germany to the Olympic family after being excluded from the 1948 games following WWII.
25
A low one is good in baseball, in brief. 3 letters
ERA. Earned run average (ERA)
26
Urban rollers. 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"). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
27
Late boxing great. 3 letters
ALI. The boxer Muhammad 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.
28
"Tabs". 3 letters
LSD. The drug LSD is often sold impregnated into blotter paper. The paper blotter is usually divided into squares with ¼-inch sides, with each square referred to as a 'tab'.
29
TV show filmed at 30 Rock. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of "Saturday Night Live" 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 come up with what we now call "Saturday Night Live".
30
U.S.N.A. 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.
31
Jackie's Onassis. 3 letters
ARI. Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They couple had two children together, with one being the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
32
Adèle, for one: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. Sainte-Adèle is a municipality located about 70 kilometres northwest of Montreal in Quebec. The town was really built on the back of the skiing and tourism industries, with the first ski area opening up in 1914.
33
Alternative to All. 3 letters
ERA. Era was the first liquid laundry detergent produced by Procter & Gamble.
34
Capital of Norway. 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.
35
Hit 2011 animated film. 3 letters
RIO. The 2011 animated movie 'Rio' takes its name from the setting of the story, Rio de Janeiro.
36
Singer Yoko. 3 letters
ONO. Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Ono's father moved around the world for work and Yoko lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII. There Yoko lived 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.
37
Explosive in Road Runner cartoons. 3 letters
TNT. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are two much-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote was created first, and Road Runner was invented as someone for Wile E. to play off. I love this cartoon; definitely one of the best ...
38
Iroquois foe 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.
39
One guarded at the Olympics. 4 letters
EPEE. 'En garde' is a French term that has been absorbed into the sport of fencing. Originally a warning 'on guard!', it is spoken at the start of an encounter to warn the fencers to take a defensive position.
40
Noted six-foot runner. 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 ...
41
"Spoon River Anthology" poet Edgar ___ Masters. 3 letters
LEE. Edgar Lee Masters was a poet and biographer from Kansas. His best known collection of poems is 'Spoon River Anthology', which was first published in 1915. He also wrote biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain and Walt Whitman.
42
Longtime TV inits. 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.
43
Will Smith biopic. 3 letters
ALI. 'Ali' is a 2001 biographical movie about Muhammad Ali, with Will Smith in the title role. Among other things, the film is noted for its realistic fight scenes. The scenes were realistic because Smith was really being hit, as hard as his opponents could manage.
44
Season after printemps. 3 letters
ETE. In French, spring (printemps) is followed by summer (été).
45
U.S. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
46
"The Lovely Bones" composer, 2009. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno composed the music for the 2009 film "The Lovely Bones".
47
Performer who's the descendant of a Japanese emperor. 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 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.
48
True-crime writer Rule. 3 letters
ANN. Ann Rule is a true crime writer, who comes from a crime-fighting family with sheriffs, a medical examiner and a prosecutor around her as she grew up. She started off writing with a male pen name (Andy Stack) as it was perceived that she would have more success in the genre, after a virtual "sex change".
49
Four-time host of the Nordic World Ski Championships. 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.
50
Drink in a stein. 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'.
51
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:
52
The "E" in B.C.E. 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.
53
Juillet's season. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France, and "juillet" is French for July (note that the name of months aren't capitalized in French).
54
Destination of NASA's NEAR. 4 letters
EROS. 433 Eros is the second-largest of the near-Earth asteroids, with 1036 Ganymed being the largest. The NASA spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker went into orbit around Eros in 2000, and then landed on the asteroid in 2001. That makes Eros the first asteroid orbited and soft-landed on by a spacecraft.
55
Two-time Best Rock Album Grammy winner. 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:
56
Carrier to Tokyo. 3 letters
ANA. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline, second in size only to Japan Airlines (JAL).
57
Majors in acting. 3 letters
LEE. Lee Majors plays Steve Austin, the title character on the sci-fi show from the seventies called 'The Six Million Dollar Man'. The series is based on a 1972 novel called 'Cyborg'.
58
"Discreet Music" musician. 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:
59
Lennon's love. 3 letters
ONO. Yoko Ono is an avant-garde artist. Ono actually met her future husband John Lennon for the first time while she was preparing her conceptual art exhibit called 'Hammer a Nail'. Visitors were encouraged to hammer in a nail into a wooden board, creating the artwork. Lennon wanted to hammer in the first nail, but Ono stopped him as the exhibition had not yet opened. Apparently Ono relented when Lennon paid her an imaginary five shillings to hammer an imaginary nail into the wood.
60
La Scala performance. 4 letters
ARIA. The La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its name, "Teatro alla Scala" in Italian.
61
Vegas hotel that hosts the World Series of Poker. 3 letters
RIO. The Rio casino in Las Vegas was opened in 1990, originally targeting the local population as it is located off the famous Strip where most of the tourists hang out. Famously, the Rio opened up the adults-only Sapphire Pool in 2008, a pay-to-enter (only men paid) topless pool club that featured music and dancers. A year later the Sapphire Pool was closed down after there were eleven arrests for drugs and prostitution offences during an undercover police operation.
62
Ryan's "Love Story" co-star. 3 letters
ALI. "Love Story" was released in 1970, and has to be one of the most romantic films of all time. The film stars Ryan O'Neill and Ali McGraw, with the screenplay written by Erich Segal. Erich Segal wrote a the novel "Love Story" after the screenplay, and as the novel was published before the film was released, there's a popular misconception that the movie is based on the book. If you watch "Love Story" anytime soon, keep an eye out for Tommy Lee Jones who has a small role, his film debut.
63
La saison chaude. 3 letters
ETE. In French, 'été' (summer) is 'la saison chaude' (the warm season).
64
Lincoln, the Rail-Splitter. 3 letters
ABE. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, his political campaign used the nick-name "the Rail-Splitter" to emphasize his humble upbringing. Lincoln has worked at splitting fence rails in his youth.
65
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.
66
Fight of the Century loser. 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).
67
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.
68
Biblical priest of Shiloh. 3 letters
ELI. In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh, and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel.
69
"Honest" prez. 3 letters
ABE. There is a story that just before Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, he received a letter from a 12-year-old girl who criticized Lincoln's appearance and his pock-marked, gaunt face. The little girl, Grace Bedell from New York, promised to get her brothers to vote for Lincoln if he would just grow a beard. However, Lincoln waited until after the election to grow his famous whiskers, a distinctive look that would forever be associated with his presidency.
70
Cardinals, in stats. 3 letters
ARI. The Arizona Cardinals were founded in 1898 as the Chicago Cardinals. That makes the Cardinals the oldest, continuously-run professional football team in the whole country.
71
Tennis's Ivanovic. 3 letters
ANA. Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian tennis player, and former world number one. As well as playing tennis, she also studies finance at university in her native Belgrade.
72
Setting for a fall. 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.
73
Rock's 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 "start-up jingle", the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system starts up.
74
When to observe 6-Across in France. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil).
75
NPR's Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR).
76
Ernie known as "The Big Easy". 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.
77
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 ...
78
D-backs, on scoreboards. 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.
79
Ipanema's locale, for short. 3 letters
RIO. Ipanema is a beach community in the south of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The name Ipanema is a local word meaning 'bad water', signifying that the shore is bad for fishing. The beach became famous on release of the song 'The Girl from Ipanema' written in 1965.
80
Producer for Bowie and the Talking Heads. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno is a musician, composer and record producer from England who first achieved fame as the synthesizer player with Roxy Music. As a producer, Eno has worked with David Bowie, Devo, Talking Heads and U2.
81
It's got its standards: Abbr.. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.
82
401(k) alternative. 3 letters
IRA. I have to tell you, when I first came to the US from Ireland, it was pretty confusing seeing big signs along the freeway advocating IRA contributions. Back in Ireland, that was pretty illegal (where IRA stands for the outlawed Irish Republican Army!).
83
Sault ___ Marie, Mich. 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.
84
Pioneering 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.
85
"___ on a Grecian Urn". 3 letters
ODE. John Keats wrote a whole series of odes in 1819, including the very famous "Ode on a Grecian Urn", "Ode to Psyche" and "Ode to a Nightingale".
86
Subj. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
87
Disco ___ (1970s). 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.
88
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.
89
Most IRT lines in the Bronx, e.g. 3 letters
ELS. 'Els' are elevated trains.
90
Reconstruction, for one. 3 letters
ERA. The Reconstruction Era followed the American Civil War, which ended in 1865. Reconstruction ended in 1877 when President Rutherford B. Hayes removed the last federal troops from the capitals of the Reconstruction states soon after taking office.
91
Time of long journées. 3 letters
ETE. In French, the longest days (journées) are in summer (été).
92
Geology topic. 3 letters
ERA. Geological time is divided into a number of units of varying lengths. These are, starting from the largest:
93
It goes head to head, for short. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
94
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.
95
Summer, in Giverny. 3 letters
ETE. Giverny is a commune in northern France, most famous as the location of artist Claude Monet's home. It was in Giverny that Monet painted his famous 'Water Lilies'.
96
Viroid composition. 3 letters
RNA. A virus is an infective agent, composed of RNA protected by a coating of protein. A viroid is a smaller pathogen, also composed of RNA, but without the protection of proteins.
97
Composer of music "as ignorable as it is interesting". 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.
98
Original sin locale. 4 letters
EDEN. In the Christian tradition, 'original sin' is the state of sin that exists in all humanity as a result of Adam's first disobedience in the Garden of Eden. According to the Roman Catholic faith, three people were born without original sin: the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and John the Baptist.
99
"Annie" characters. 3 letters
ENS. There are two letters N (ens) in the name 'Annie'.
100
Where the Storting parliament sits. 4 letters
OSLO. The Storting is the Norwegian parliament, located in the capital of Oslo. The Storting differs in structure from say the US Congress and the British Parliament in that is "unicameral", has only one legislative chamber.
101
Setting for Seurat's "Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte". 3 letters
ETE. Georges Seurat was a French Post-Impressionist. His most famous work, in the pointillist style, can be viewed in the Art Institute of Chicago, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - 1884". If you've seen the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", it features quite prominently in a wonderful, wonderful scene shot at the gallery.
102
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.
103
Bibliophile's suffix. 3 letters
ANA. An ana (or plural anas) is a collection, including literature, that represent the character of a particular place or a person. Ana can be used as a noun, or as a suffix.
104
Santa ___ winds. 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. 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.
105
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.
106
Southernmost of the Great Lakes. 4 letters
ERIE. Lake Erie is the second smallest of the Great Lakes (after Lake Ontario). 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 end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake's edge.
107
War of 1812 battle site. 4 letters
ERIE. The Battle of Lake Erie was fought during the War of 1812 just off the Ohio coast. The outcome of the action was a defeat for the British and American control of Lake Erie for the remainder of the war.
108
Grp. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
109
Lyricist Gershwin. 3 letters
IRA. Ira Gershwin was a lyricist who worked with his brother George to create such American classics as the songs "I Got Rhythm" and "Someone to Watch Over Me", as well as the opera "Porgy and Bess". After George Gershwin died, Ira continued to create great music, working with the likes of Jerome Kern and Kurt Weill.
110
Source of jumbo eggs. 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.
111
Event with touches. 4 letters
EPEE. The épée that is used in today's sport fencing is derived from the old French dueling sword. In fact, the the sport of épée fencing is very similar to the dualing of the 19th century. The word 'épée' translates from French as 'sword'.
112
Sault ___ Marie, Ont. 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.
113
Mind reader's ability, briefly. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
114
General at Appomattox. 3 letters
LEE. Robert E. Lee is of course renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but Lee declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state.
115
"Prince ___" ("Aladdin" song). 3 letters
ALI. The Disney animated feature "Aladdin" was released in 1992 and is one of the best features to come out of the studio, in my opinion, largely due to the great performance by Robin Williams who voiced the Genie. "Aladdin" was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $500 million worldwide, an unusual feat for an animated movie.
116
Pindar creation. 3 letters
ODE. Pindar was an Ancient Greek poet, best known perhaps for composing a series of Victory Odes that celebrated triumph in competition, most notably the Olympian Games of the day.
117
"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 Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called "Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance".
118
Summer on the Seine. 3 letters
ETE. Ete, the French word for summer.
119
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.
120
Blasting stuff. 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.
121
Late, great boxing champ. 3 letters
ALI. The boxer 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?
122
Location of a bad apple?. 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.
123
Boom source. 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.
124
Bordeaux toasting time. 3 letters
ETE. In French, one might toast, get overheated, in the 'été' (summer).
125
It can heat up Roquefort. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) in Roquefort in France.
126
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 "start-up jingle", the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system is booting up.
127
$5 bill, slangily. 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.
128
Performance artist with a palindromic name. 3 letters
ONO. Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Ono's father moved around the world for work and Yoko lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII. There Yoko lived 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.
129
Letters of discharge?. 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 on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.
130
Jackie O's man. 3 letters
ARI. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was born into a privileged family, the daughter of 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. Years later, after she saw her husband assassinated and then her brother-in-law (Bobby Kennedy) suffer the same fate, Jackie 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.
131
"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.
132
Olympics sword. 4 letters
EPEE. The épée that is used in today's sport fencing is derived from the old French dueling sword. In fact, the the sport of épée fencing is very similar to the dualing of the 19th century. The word 'épée' translates from French as 'sword'.
133
Subj. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
134
Whitney who invented the cotton gin. 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.
135
Big inits. 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.
136
TV lawyer Stone. 3 letters
ELI. "Eli Stone" was a comedy drama on ABC, that ran for a year and a half on ABC, finishing up in 2009. Eli Stone was played by Jonny Lee Miller. Miller is English actor, ex-husband of Anglina Jolie. I saw him recently play Mr. Knightly in the latest BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma", the best version of "Emma" that I have seen (and I think I've seen them all!).
137
Discharge letters?. 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.
138
Santa ___. 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. 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.
139
Name that's Hebrew for "lion". 3 letters
ARI. The name 'Ari' appears in several languages. In Hebrew 'ari' translates as 'lion'. However, in Azerbaijani 'ari' means 'bee', in Albanian it means 'gold', in German it means 'eagle' and in HIndi it means 'not of sin'.
140
Australian sprinter. 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.
141
Nissan bumpers?. 3 letters
ENS. The bumpers (letters at either end) of the word 'Nissan' are two letters N (en).
142
Carly ___ Jepsen, singer with the 2012 album "Kiss". 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.
143
LAX monitor info. 3 letters
ETA. Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the busiest here on the West Coast of the US. The airport was opened in 1930 as Mines Field and was renamed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941. On the airport property is the iconic white structure that resembles a flying saucer. This is called the Theme Building and I believe it is mainly used as a restaurant and observation deck for the public. The airport used to be identified by the letters 'LA', but when the aviation industry went to a three-letter standard for airport identification, this was changed to 'LAX'. Apparently the 'X' has no significant meaning.
144
Sierra Nevada, for one. 3 letters
ALE. The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is powered almost exclusively by solar energy, and even has a charging station for electric vehicles at its brewery. The company also uses the cooking oil from its restaurant as biodiesel for its delivery trucks. Discarded yeast is used to make ethanol fuel, and spent grain is used as food for livestock. For its efforts to preserve the environment, Sierra Nevada won the EPA's 'Green Business of the Year' award for 2010.
145
"___ to a Nightingale". 3 letters
ODE. John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most famous are the so-called '1819 Odes', a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', "Ode to a Nightingale' and 'Ode to Psyche'.
146
Coast Guard rank: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign (ens.)
147
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.
148
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 is booting up.
149
Actress ___ Alicia. 3 letters
ANA. Ana Alicia is an actress best known for playing Melissa Agretti, the heiress on the TV series "Falcon Crest" in the eighties.
150
Nav. 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.
151
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 "start-up jingle", the 6-second sound you'd hear when the Windows 95 system starts up.
152
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.
153
Dweller near Central Park's Strawberry Fields. 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 live through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war, the family was far from prosperous. While her father was being held in a prison 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, and was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.
154
"Dear ___ Landers". 3 letters
ANN. "Ask Ann Landers" was an advice column written by Eppie Lederer from 1995 to 2002. Eppie was the twin sister to Pauline Phillips, the person behind "Dear Abby". Eppie took over the "Ask Ann Landers" column from Ruth Crowley who started it in 1943.
155
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.
156
Golf's 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.
157
2010 Denzel Washington title role. 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.
158
It might be taken before a trip. 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 ...
159
Org. 3 letters
NRA. 'Bowling for Columbine' is a 2002 documentary written and directed by Michael Moore. The 'bowling' name was chosen because there were reports (later shown to be untrue) that the two students who committed the Columbine High School massacre actually attended a bowling class a few hours before carrying out their terrible crime.
160
Cousin of Muhammad. 3 letters
ALI. Ali was the cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as his son-in-law. After Muhammad received his divine revelation, Ali was the first man to convert to Islam.
161
Causes of street rumbles?. 3 letters
ELS. Elevated railroad (El)
162
French 101 word with two accents. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France.
163
Smallest Great Lake, by volume. 4 letters
ERIE. 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 end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake's edge.
164
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 "start-up jingle", the 6-second sound you hear when the Windows operating system is booting up.
165
Paris's ___-Chapelle. 3 letters
STE. Sainte-Chapelle is a beautiful Gothic chapel located on the Île de la Cité, the same island in the Seine that is home to Notre-Dame Cathedral. The name 'Sainte-Chapelle' is usually translated as 'Holy Chapel'. The chapel was built in the mid-1200s by Louis IX to house a relic that he believed to be the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus just prior to the Crucifixion.
166
Ostrich lookalike. 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 ...
167
Blunted blade. 4 letters
EPEE. The épée that is used in today's sport fencing is derived from the old French dueling sword. In fact, the the sport of épée fencing is very similar to the dualing of the 19th century. The word 'épée' translates from French as 'sword'.
168
"___ Lincoln in Illinois" (1940 biopic). 3 letters
ABE. In "Abe Lincoln in Illinois", Abe was played by Raymond Massey in the 1940 biopic, a role that he also played in the original Broadway play of the same name. The film also starred Ruth Gordon as Mary Todd Lincoln, her screen debut.
169
Genetic 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.
170
"Celeste Aida," for one. 4 letters
ARIA. "Celeste Aida" translates to "Heavenly Aida", and is an aria from the Verdi opera 'Aida'.
171
Charlotte of "The Facts of Life". 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'.
172
Subj. 3 letters
LSD. "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" is a novel by Tom Wolfe, first published in 1968. It tells the story of a group of guys driving across the country in a brightly painted school bus, gaining all kinds of insights with the "benefit" of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. Apparently there is a movie adaptation of the novel in the works. Trippy, man ...
173
New Deal inits. 3 letters
NRA. The National Recovery Administration was one of the first agencies set up under President Roosevelt's New Deal program. On the one hand the NRA help set minimum wages and maximum working hours for workers in industry, and on the other hand it helped set minimum prices for goods produced by companies. The NRA was very popular with the public, and businesses that didn't opt to participate in the program found themselves boycotted. The NRA didn't survive for long though, as after two years of operation it was deemed to be unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court and so it ceased operations in 1935.
174
Toby filler. 3 letters
ALE. The verb "mug" means to make an exaggerated facial expression. The term comes from mugs used to drink beer (called Toby mugs) that are the made in the shape of heads with grotesque expressions.
175
Gray head. 3 letters
LEE. Robert E. Lee is renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state. During the Civil War, Lee's men referred to him affectionately as 'Marse Robert', with 'marse' being slang for 'master'.
176
Metal (mental) worker's claim?. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
177
Victor at Chancellorsville. 3 letters
LEE. The Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville was fought in April/May 1863. The combatants were the Union Army of the Potomac led by Major General Joseph Hooker and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. Although Lee's forces were half the size of Hooker's, the Confederates emerged victorious. One notable outcome of the engagement was the death of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson, a victim of friendly fire.
178
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 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 recently gone full circle as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, is now called Christiana again.
179
Mt. 3 letters
ABE. The four presidents whose faces are carved in the granite face of Mount Rushmore are (from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Each of the presidents is about 60 feet in height, although this might have been larger. The initial intent was the presidents be depicted from head down to their waists, but the project lost funding.
180
Norway's capital. 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.
181
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.
182
Ernie on a green. 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.
183
2016 Olympics city. 3 letters
RIO. Even though the 2016 Olympic Games is a 'summer' competition, it will be held in Rio de Janeiro in the winter. As Rio is in the southern hemisphere, the planned date of the opening of 5th August 2016 falls in the local season of winter. The 2016 games will also be first to be held in South America, and the first to be hosted by a Portuguese-speaking country.
184
Weekly TV show with guest hosts, for short. 3 letters
SNL. NBC first aired a form of "Saturday Night Live" 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". In those days, "The Tonight Show" had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday episodes 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 ... "Saturday Night Live".
185
Abbr. 3 letters
ESP. Especially (esp.)
186
Lennon's lady. 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, before moving on to New York, Hanoi, and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war, the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko's father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father returned, life started to return to normal, and Yoko was able to attend university, and was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.
187
Côte d'Ivoire's rainy season. 3 letters
ETE. The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. The country is often, mistakenly, referred to as the Ivory coast, the direct translation from the French. The official language of the country is French, as for many years it was a French colony.
188
"___ on a Grecian Urn". 3 letters
ODE. John Keats wrote a whole series of odes in 1819, including the very famous "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and Ode to a Nightingale". The first in this series of poems was "Ode to Psyche", with Psyche being the mortal girl who was loved by Cupid.
189
Museu do Índio site. 3 letters
RIO. The Museu do Índio (Portuguese for 'the Museum of the Indian') is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The museum focuses on collecting and displaying artifacts from the indigenous cultures of the country.
190
What can take people for a loop?. 3 letters
ELS. Elevated railroad (El)
191
Late actor Wallach. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Wallach appeared consistently and made 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'. Sadly, Wallach passed away in june 2014, at the age of 98.
192
Shipping magnate Onassis. 3 letters
ARI. Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They had two children, including the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
193
Earth-shattering invention?. 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.
194
Psychic power, for short. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
195
AARP concern. 3 letters
IRA. Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
196
Puccini's "Un bel di," e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. Un bel di' is the most famous aria from Puccini's opera 'Madama Butterfly'. It is also one of the most beautiful arias in the whole soprano repertoire. 'Un bel di' translates as 'One beautiful day'.
197
Pakistani president Asif ___ Zardari. 3 letters
ALI. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is the widower of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. He is supposed to be one of the richest men in the country, with a net worth of over a billion dollars. Maybe that is partly explained by his time as Minister for Investment in his wife's cabinet. During that time he was given the nickname "Mr 10%", reflecting charges of corruption.
198
Longtime resident of New York's Dakota apartments. 3 letters
ONO. The Dakota is an apartment building in New York City that overlooks Central Park. Built in the 1880s, the prestigious property is perhaps most famous as the home of former Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono. Lennon was murdered outside the Dakota in 1980 by Mark David Chapman. The impressive list of former residents includes Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, Rudolf Nureyev and Boris Karloff.
199
Buffalo's county or lake. 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.
200
Org. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency was set up during the Nixon administration, and began operation at the end of 1970.
201
Supporter of the Heller decision, 2008: Abbr.. 3 letters
NRA. District of Columbia v. Heller was a 2008 case decided by the US Supreme Court. The Court held that the US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment protected an individual's right to own a firearm for lawful use.
202
Heat 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.
203
Typical Bulldogs fan. 3 letters
ELI. The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Yale University. The Yale school mascot is 'Handsome Dan', the Yale bulldog.
204
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.
205
Spike in a director's chair. 3 letters
LEE. Shelton Jackson Lee is the real name of Spike Lee, the film director and producer. His first feature-length film, released in 1986, was "She's Gotta Have It". Lee shot the film in just twelve days, helping keep the movie within its relatively small budget of only $175,000. It grossed over $7 million ...
206
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 to Kristiana, and then more recently in 1925, the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle, for now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, it has apparently been renamed Christiana.
207
Boxer played by Will Smith in a 2001 biopic. 3 letters
ALI. 'Ali' is a 2001 biographical movie about Muhammad Ali, with Will Smith in the title role. Among other things, the film is noted for its realistic fight scenes. The scenes were realistic because Smith was really being hit, as hard as his opponents could manage.
208
Amor's counterpart. 4 letters
EROS. Eros, the Greek god of love, was also known as Amor.
209
N.L. 3 letters
ARI. The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball's National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001 they became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.
210
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.
211
Prelapsarian home. 4 letters
EDEN. Anything 'prelapsarian' is related to the period before the fall of Adam and Eve, before they 'lapsed'.
212
"Exodus" protagonist. 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.
213
Something Ben Jonson wrote to himself. 3 letters
ODE. Ben Jonson was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, and just like Shakespeare Jonson was a dramatist, poet and actor. Jonson's work was very well received from 1605 to 1620, but his reputation began to wane in the 1620s. He wrote a play called "The New Inn" which was received so badly, the actors were hissed off the stage. Immediately afterwards, Jonson wrote about the failure in his poem "Ode to Himself".
214
Keats dedicated one to a nightingale. 3 letters
ODE. The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called '1819 Odes', a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', "Ode to a Nightingale' and 'Ode to Psyche'.
215
Spike in movie sales?. 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 ...
216
Son-in-law of Muhammad. 3 letters
ALI. The Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia Muslims differ in the belief of who should have taken over leadership of the Muslim faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of the Sunni tradition agree with the decision that the Prophet Muhammad's confidante Abu Bakr was the right choice to become the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Followers of the Shia tradition believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet Muhammad's own family, and favoured the Prophet's son-in-law Ali.
217
You thinking what I'm thinking?. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
218
Lines around 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).
219
Channel with the catchword "Drama". 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".
220
"The Book of ___" (Denzel Washington movie). 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 apocalyptic event.
221
Harper who wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird". 3 letters
LEE. Nelle Harper Lee is an author from Monroeville, Alabama. Lee wrote only one novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and yet that contribution to the world of literature was enough to earn her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize. Harper Lee was a close friend of fellow author Truman Capote who was the inspiration for the character named 'Dill' in her novel. Lee is all over the news right now as she announced in February 2015 that she will publish a second novel in July 2015. The title is 'Go Set a Watchman', and is a work that she wrote before 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
222
Depiction in 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".
223
Depression-era agcy. 3 letters
NRA. The National Recovery Agency (NRA) was set up in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. The intent of the NRA was to root out destructive competition and at the same time set minimum standards for workers and minimum selling prices. However the NRA was short-lived as it was declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.
224
Tommy of Mötley Crüe. 3 letters
LEE. Mötley Crüe is an American rock band, from Los Angeles. They've been around since 1981, co-founded by the famous drummer Tommy Lee. Tommy Lee is also known for his two celebrated marriages, the first with Heather Locklear and the second with Pamela Anderson. The name 'Mötley Crüe' was chosen as someone once described the band members as a 'motley looking crew'. The spelling was made to look a little more exotic, with the umlauts added over the 'o' and 'u' one day, as the band were drinking bottles of "Löwenbräu" beer!
225
Van Cleef of "High Noon". 3 letters
LEE. Lee Van Cleef played the perfect bad guy, didn't he? Van Cleef was born in Somerville, New Jersey with Dutch ancestry. In movies he played a villain from day one, starting out with a small role in the classic western "High Noon". His career went on hiatus after a car accident in the late fifties, but it was revived with the arrival of the Spaghetti Westerns. Lee Van Cleef up against Clint Eastwood ... what could be better?
226
Michelle Obama (___ 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 ...
227
John Lennon's middle name. 3 letters
ONO. After John Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969, he changed his name by deed poll, adding 'Ono' as a middle name. His official name became John Winston Ono Lennon, as he wasn't allowed to drop the name 'Winston' that was given to him at birth.
228
Sault ___ Marie, Mich. 3 letters
STE. In the summer of 2010 I spent a very interesting afternoon watching ships make their way through the Soo Locks and Soo Canal between Lake Superior and the lower Great lakes. The name "Soo" comes from the US and Canadian cities on either side of the locks, both called Sault Ste. Marie.
229
Yemeni leader ___ Abdullah Saleh. 3 letters
ALI. Ali Abdullah Saleh is the President of the Republic of Yemen. Like many leaders in the Middle East, Saleh is facing a lot of opposition from his people these days. He was injured in an attack on his domicile in June 2011 and was moved to Saudi Arabia for treatment.
230
Heart-piercing figure. 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.
231
Dingo's avian prey. 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 ...
232
At birth. 3 letters
NEE. "Née" is the French word for "born", when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né"
233
Logical extremes?. 3 letters
ELS. At the ends (extremes) of the word 'logical' are two letters L (el).
234
Folman who directed the 2013 film "The Congress". 3 letters
ARI. Ari Folman is a movie director and screenwriter from Israel. The multi-talented Folman also composes film scores.
235
Org. 3 letters
IRA. 'Patriot Games' is a 1987 novel from Tom Clancy that features his hero Jack Ryan. The story opens with Ryan saving the lives of the Prince and Princess of Wales during a kidnapping attempt by an Irish terrorist group. In the 1992 film adaptation of the book, the Prince and Princess of Wales are dropped from the story, and replaced by the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
236
Lake in an old railroad name. 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.
237
"Eri tu," but not "Eres Tú". 4 letters
ARIA. Every crossword constructors' favorite aria "Eri tu" is from Verdi's opera "Un ballo in maschera" (A Masked Ball). The opera tells the story of the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden during a masked ball.
238
___ du combat. 4 letters
EPEE. I think that an 'épée du combat' is a real sword that can be used in combat, and an 'épée de salle' (classroom sword) is a practice sword.
239
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.
240
Much-discussed initials of a 1967 Beatles song. 3 letters
LSD. One day in 1966, Julian Lennon came home from nursery school and showed his Dad a drawing he had made of his classmate, a little girl called Lucy O'Donnell. Julian described the artwork as 'Lucy ... in the sky with diamonds'. And that is where John Lennon and Paul McCartney got the inspiration for their hit song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The implied drug reference in the title is an urban myth, although a myth that did lead to the BBC banning the song from their airwaves. None of the Beatles noticed that the song's initials spelled out LSD, probably because they were all high on LSD at the time ...
241
Detonation material. 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.
242
Ipanema's city, for short. 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.
243
2014 World Cup locale, for short. 3 letters
RIO. The next three FIFA World Cups (soccer) will be hosted by Brazil (2014), Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022).
244
The "E" in B.C.E. 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.
245
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.
246
Thrilla in Manila participant. 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).
247
Bobby on the ice. 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 ...
248
Talent agent Emanuel. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Emanuel is the co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, the largest talent agency in the world. Emanuel represents the likes of Martin Scorsese, Michael Moore, Matt Damon, and Conan O'Brien.
249
Greek H. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character "H".
250
Many a paean. 3 letters
ODE. A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. 'Paean' comes from the ancient Greek 'paian' meaning "song of triumph'.
251
Author Beattie. 3 letters
ANN. Ann Beattie is a short story writer and novelist. Her first novel was "Chilly Scenes of Winter" first published in 1976. It was adapted for the big screen in 1979 and released under the same title and also under the name "Head Over Heels".
252
The "E" of the REO Speed Wagon. 3 letters
ELI. The REO Speed Wagon (note the space between 'speed' and 'wagon') is the vehicle. REO Speedwagon (no space) is the American rock band.
253
Nation's exterior?. 3 letters
ENS. There are two letters N (en) in the word 'nation', one at either end.
254
Letter at the end of three other letters. 3 letters
ETA. The three letters in the Greek letter 'eta' serve as the endings to three other Greek letters: beta, zeta and theta.
255
Info for air traffic control. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
256
Letter that's an anagram of 111-Down. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character "H".
257
___ de la Plata. 3 letters
RIO. When the Uruguay River and the Paraná River come together on the border between Argentina and Uruguay, they form the Rio de la Plata. 'Rio de la Plata' translates as 'River of Silver' from Spanish, but in English we sometimes call the waterway the River Plate. The famous WWII action known as the Battle of the River Plate took place out to sea a few miles from the River Plate estuary. The German battleship Admiral Graf Spee took refuge in the River Plate in the neutral port of Montevideo. Forced to return to sea, and to the Royal Naval vessels waiting for her, Berlin gave orders for the Graf Spee to be scuttled in the estuary.
258
Work of Alexander Pope. 3 letters
ODE. Alexander Pope was an English poet, famous for his own compositions, as well as for a translation of Homer. One of his famous poems is "Ode on Solitude" that opens with:
259
Site for a famed 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.
260
Biochem strand. 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, and DNA contains deoxyribose, ribose without one oxygen atom. And that ribose/deoxyribose difference is reflected in the name of the two molecules: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
261
"___ Baba and the 40 Thieves". 3 letters
ALI. There is some controversy about the story "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in that it has been suggested it was not part of the original collection of Arabic tales called "One Thousand and One Nights". The suggestion is that it was added by one of its European translators.
262
41-Across athlete. 3 letters
ELI. (41A. See 32-Across : YALE)
263
Often rolled-over investment, for short. 3 letters
IRA. I have to tell you, when I first came to the US from Ireland, it was pretty confusing seeing big signs along the freeway advocating IRA contributions. Back in Ireland, that was pretty illegal (where IRA stands for the outlawed Irish Republican Army!).
264
Kia subcompact. 3 letters
RIO. Kia have making the subcompact model called a Rio since 2000.
265
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.
266
Kia model. 3 letters
RIO. Kia have making the subcompact model called a Rio since 2000.
267
Lyricist Gershwin. 3 letters
IRA. Ira Gershwin was the lyricist who worked with his brother George to create such American classics as the songs "I Got Rhythm" and "Someone to Watch Over Me", as well as the opera "Porgy and Bess". After George Gershwin died, Ira continued to create great music, working with the likes of Jerome Kern and Kurt Weill.
268
One adopting the motto "Lux et veritas". 3 letters
ELI. Lux et veritas' translates from Latin as 'Light and Truth'. 'Lux et veritas' is used as a motto of several universities including Indiana University, the University of Montana and Yale University. However, Yale's motto is often given in Hebrew, as 'Urim and Thummim'.
269
Justice Fortas. 3 letters
ABE. Abe Fortas was a US Supreme Court Justice from 1965 to 1969. Fortas has to resign his position on the bench due to a scandal about payments received, allegedly for favors.
270
Musician Brian. 3 letters
ENO. Brian Eno is a musician, composer and record producer from England who first achieved fame as the synthesizer player with Roxy Music. As a producer, Eno has worked with David Bowie, Devo, Talking Heads and U2.
271
16th president, familiarly. 3 letters
ABE. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the US, elected in 1860 as the first president from the Republican Party. Lincoln's electoral support came almost exclusively from the north and west of the country, winning only two out 996 counties in the Southern slave states. Lincoln led the country through Civil War, and then was assassinated in 1865 just a few days after Robert E. Lee surrendered his army of Northern Virginia. President Lincoln was succeeded in office by Vice President Andrew Johnson.
272
Summer on the Seine. 3 letters
ETE. On the River Seine in Paris, one might spend the summer (été).
273
Ypsilanti sch. 3 letters
EMU. Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is a public university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, just outside Detroit. Despite the name 'EMU', the school's athletes are called the 'Eagles'.
274
Vacation time in Versailles. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France.
275
H, as in "Hellenic". 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.
276
Co-producer of "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)". 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. Yoko was 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 got to attend university, the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin Univeristy.
277
Son of Aphrodite. 4 letters
EROS. Eros was the Greek god of love, the Greek counterpart of the Roman god Cupid.
278
I.R.S. 3 letters
IRA. I have to tell you, when I first came to the US from Ireland, it was pretty confusing seeing big signs along the freeway touting contributions to your IRA. Back in Ireland, that was pretty illegal (where IRA means the Irish Republican Army!).
279
Nobel Peace Prize city. 4 letters
OSLO. The Peace Prize is one of five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine and Literature. There is also Nobel Prize in Economics, awarded along with the original five, but is funded separately, and is awarded "in memory of Alfred Nobel". Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and that award is presented in Oslo.
280
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. The "L" 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"). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
281
2016 Olympics host. 3 letters
RIO. When the Olympics are held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, they will be the first Olympic tournament to be held in South America, and the first in a Portuguese-speaking country.
282
Singer whose name sounds like a cry. 3 letters
ONO. Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Ono's father moved around the world for work and Yoko lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII. There Yoko lived 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.
283
Fraternity character. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character "H".
284
"Lullaby," for one. 4 letters
ARIA. "The Consul" is an opera by Gian Carlo Menotti. The "Lullaby" from Act II of "The Consul" is one of the highlights of the work, an emotional and moving interlude. Menotti won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1950 for "The Consul".
285
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.
286
Presidential nickname. 3 letters
ABE. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the US, elected in 1860 as the first president from the Republican Party. Lincoln's electoral support came almost exclusively from the north and west of the country, winning only two out 996 counties in the Southern slave states. Lincoln led the country through Civil War, and then was assassinated in 1865 just a few days after Robert E. Lee surrendered his army of Northern Virginia. President Lincoln was succeeded in office by Vice President Andrew Johnson.
287
___ polymerase. 3 letters
RNA. Polymerase is an enzyme found in the body. It has the task of making new RNA and DNA.
288
___ Kappa Nu, engineering honor society. 3 letters
ETA. Eta Kappa Nu is an honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) that was founded in 1904. The name of the society was chosen using the first, fourth and last letters of the word 'ELECTRON', but in the Greek equivalent.
289
Onetime feminist cause, for short. 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.
290
Subtext of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". 3 letters
LSD. The sixties folk group called Jefferson Airplane gave rise to two spin-off groups that were founded by former Jefferson Airplane band members. The first was Jefferson Starship, and the second was Starship. Confusing, huh?
291
"Honest" prez. 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.
292
Oil spill-monitoring org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)
293
Tennis's Ivanovic. 3 letters
ANA. Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian tennis player, and former world number one. As well as playing tennis, she also studied finance at university in her native Belgrade.
294
Carrier to Tokyo. 3 letters
ANA. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline, second in size only to Japan Airlines (JAL).
295
IRS Form 5498 subject. 3 letters
IRA. Individual retirement account (IRA)
296
Norwegian capital. 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.
297
Prez on a penny. 3 letters
ABE. The US one-cent coin has borne the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of Lincoln's birth. Fifty years later, a representation of the Lincoln Memorial was added to the reverse side.
298
Ambient music innovator Brian. 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.
299
Actor Vigoda. 3 letters
ABE. Abe Vigoda played Detective Sergeant Phil Fish in television's "Barney Miller" in the seventies, and even got his own spin-off show called "Fish". On the big screen he played Sal Tessio in 'The Godfather' and Grandpa Ubriacco in 'Look Who's Talking'.
300
Brian who composed the "Microsoft sound". 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:
301
Called before getting married. 3 letters
NEE. "Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".
302
Prohibition ___. 3 letters
ERA. The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was a great victory for the temperance movement, and in 1919 ushered in the Prohibition era. Highly unpopular, Prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.
303
NPR's Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio.
304
Letters on some sticks. 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.
305
"I know what you're thinking" skill. 3 letters
ESP. Extra Sensory Perception.
306
Filmdom's "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".
307
Railroad chartered in 1832. 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.
308
Loop 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).
309
Cap-and-trade org. 3 letters
EPA. Cap and trade' is an emissions trading scheme designed to reduce overall emission of greenhouse gases. The idea is that a government can limit a country's overall industrial emissions by allowing companies to pollute to a maximum level by issuing each a permit. A company needing to emit more gases can trade permits with a company needing a lower limit, so that the country's overall emissions target can still be achieved.
310
Something you might trip on. 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 ...
311
"Ugly Betty" actress Ortiz. 3 letters
ANA. Ana Ortiz played the title character's older sister in the TV series 'Ugly Betty'.
312
Marvin of "Cat Ballou". 3 letters
LEE. I've always thought that Lee Marvin was a very talented actor. He had an amazing voice, and the appearance of a man who was hard and villainous. Yet he was able to break free from the roles in which he was typecast and played some characters with more depth. He won his 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!
313
Paleozoic, e.g. 3 letters
ERA. The Paleozoic Era (with "Paleozoic" meaning "ancient life") was a geologic era from roughly 542 to 251 million years ago. Notably in the Paleozoic Era, fish populations thrived, and vast forests of primitive plants covered the land. Those forests were the source material for the coal which we dig out of the ground now in Europe and the eastern parts of North America. At end of the Paleozoic Era was the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth, killing off 96% of all marine species, and 70% of all terrestrial vertebrates. Causes of the extinction have been suggested, with one hypothesis being gradually accelerating climate change (scary!).
314
Lean meat source. 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 ...
315
Keats's "___ to Psyche". 3 letters
ODE. John Keats wrote a whole series of odes in 1819, including the very famous "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and Ode to a Nightingale". The first in this series of poems was "Ode to Psyche". In this case the Ode is to Psyche, the mortal girl who was loved by Cupid.
316
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".
317
"___ Baba and the 40 Thieves". 3 letters
ALI. In the folk tale 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves', the title character is a poor woodcutter who discovers the magic words 'Open Sesame' that open the thieves' den.
318
Norway's capital. 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.
319
1993 and 1995's ___ Accords. 4 letters
OSLO. The Oslo Accords grew out of secret negotiations between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in a residence in Oslo in the early nineties. The delegates shared the same house while they conducted 14 meetings. While eating all their meals together at the same table, the negotiators came to respect one another and apparently friendships developed.
320
Funny 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".
321
One of the Gershwins. 3 letters
IRA. Ira Gershwin was the lyricist who worked with his brother George to create such American classics as the songs "I Got Rhythm" and "Someone to Watch Over Me", as well as the opera "Porgy and Bess". After George Gershwin died, Ira continued to create great music, working with the likes of Jerome Kern and Kurt Weill.
322
2011 animated musical. 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.
323
___ G (Sacha Baron Cohen persona). 3 letters
ALI. Ali G is a fictional character created by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Baron Cohen achieved international fame playing another of his personae, Borat, the protagonist in the 2006 movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan".
324
Onassis who married Jackie. 3 letters
ARI. Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They had two children, including the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
325
Energy Star org. 3 letters
EPA. The Energy Star standard was created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 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.
326
The Roaring Twenties, e.g. 3 letters
ERA. The 1920s are often called the Roaring Twenties, a period of dynamic change across all aspects of life. Things were finally returning to normal after WWI, jazz became popular, some women 'broke the mold' by becoming 'flappers', and Art Deco flourished. The whole decade came to a tragic end with the Wall Street Crash of 1929, followed by the Great Depression.
327
DDT-banning org. 3 letters
EPA. DDT is DicholoroDiphenylTricholoroethane (don't forget now!). It was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book "Silent Spring", suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of DDT in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.
328
Singer Yoko. 3 letters
ONO. Yoko Ono is an avant-garde artist. Ono actually met her future husband John Lennon for the first time while she was preparing her conceptual art exhibit called 'Hammer a Nail'. Visitors were encouraged to hammer in a nail into a wooden board, creating the artwork. Lennon wanted to hammer in the first nail, but Ono stopped him as the exhibition had not yet opened. Apparently Ono relented when Lennon paid her an imaginary five shillings to hammer an imaginary nail into the wood.
329
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.
330
Prey for a dingo. 3 letters
EMU. The dingo is a wild dog of Australia. The dingo is thought to have originated from domesticated dogs that were brought to Australia with humans that settled the land centuries ago.
331
Head-to-head contact, for short?. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
332
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.
333
Genetic material. 3 letters
RNA. The two most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which play crucial roles in genetics. The DNA contains the genetic instructions used to keep living organisms functioning, and RNA is used to transcribe that information from the DNA to protein "generators" called ribosomes.
334
Itinerary abbr.. 3 letters
ETA. Expected time of arrival (ETA)
335
Somme time. 3 letters
ETE. One time on the Somme is "ete", the French word for "summer".
336
___ de la Plata. 3 letters
RIO. When the Uruguay River and the Paraná River come together on the border between Argentina and Uruguay, they form the Rio de la Plata. 'Rio de la Plata' translates as 'River of Silver' from Spanish, but in English we sometimes call the waterway the River Plate. The famous WWII action known as the Battle of the River Plate took place out to sea a few miles from the River Plate estuary. The German battleship Admiral Graf Spee took refuge in the River Plate in the neutral port of Montevideo. Forced to return to sea, and to the Royal Naval vessels waiting for her, Berlin gave orders for the Graf Spee to be scuttled in the estuary.
337
Cantatrice's delivery. 4 letters
ARIA. A cantatrice is a female professional singer, especially one who sings opera.
338
Pennsylvania city or the lake it's on. 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.
339
Lake on Ohio's northern border. 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.
340
Da capo ___. 4 letters
ARIA. An "aria da capo" is an operatic aria which has three sections, with the final section being very similar to the first, a "recap" as it were. This form was very popular during the Baroque era. The composer quite often wrote out the first and second sections in full, and then simply specified "da capo" for the third section (literally "from the head") indicating that the first section should be played and sung again in full.
341
County name in three states. 4 letters
ERIE. There are three Erie Counties in the US:
342
Order at a rathskeller. 3 letters
ALE. A city hall in Germany is called a Rathaus. In days gone by there was often a restaurant located in the basement or cellar of a Rathaus, and this restaurant was given the name Rathskeller. Now any bar located below street level in any building is called a Rathskeller.
343
Subject of the tribute album "Every Man Has a Woman". 3 letters
ONO. Every Man Has a Woman" is a tribute album recorded for Yoko Ono's 50th birthday, in 1984. The tracks are songs from albums recorded by Ono, but recorded as cover version by artists such as Harry Nilsson, Roberta Flack and Ono's husband, John Lennon. This album was supposedly Lennon's idea, but sadly he was murdered before he could see it completed.
344
Org. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.
345
Summer on the Seine. 3 letters
ETE. Ete is the French word for summer.
346
Singer who said "People make music to get a reaction". 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.
347
Shooters' org. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
348
Militant grp. 3 letters
IRA. After many, many years of conflict in Northern Ireland, the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army) declared a ceasefire in 1994. This step marked an end to most of the violence and was an important step along the road to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
349
Org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
350
1947 Hope/Crosby "Road" movie destination. 3 letters
RIO. 'Road to Rio' is the fifth of the 'Road' series of films that starred Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. 'Road to Rio' was released in 1947, and was the only movie in which Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters appeared on screen together.
351
Bird in New South Wales. 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 there 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 was refused.
352
Priest in I Samuel. 3 letters
ELI. In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh, and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel.
353
Subj. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
354
U.S.N.A. grad: 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.
355
A good one is under 3.00, in brief. 3 letters
ERA. Earned run average (ERA)
356
Artist who awards a biennial Grant for Peace. 3 letters
ONO. The LennonOno Grant for Peace is a sum of $50,000 that is awarded biannually by Yoko Ono in honor of her late husband John Lennon. The award was inaugurated in 2002 and is given to persons or organizations chosen by Ono herself. The list of recipients includes Médecins Sans Frontières (2006), Iceland (2008), Lady Gaga (2012) and Pussy Riot (2012).
357
Cell 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.
358
NPR host Shapiro. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR).
359
___ de Janeiro. 3 letters
RIO. The name Rio de Janeiro translates into "January River". The name reflects the discovery of the Bay on which Rio sits, on January 1, 1502.
360
Bird with large green eggs. 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.
361
Handel bars?. 4 letters
ARIA. George Frideric Handel was the King of the Oratorio. Handel's most famous oratorio is "Messiah", which had its debut perfromance in Dublin, Ireland, back in 1742.
362
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.
363
Santa ___ winds. 3 letters
ANA. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California, taking its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city. The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because they 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, the 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% as it hits the coast.
364
Summer abroad. 3 letters
ETE. In French, spring (printemps) is followed by summer (été).
365
Bart and Lisa's grandpa. 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.
366
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:
367
Sault ___ Marie, Mich. 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.
368
Louisville's Muhammad ___ Center. 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.
369
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 they 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, the 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 falls, it becomes drier and heats up, so that the relative humidity can even be below 10% as it hits the coast.
370
Fuel economy authority, for short. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
371
2001 World Series winner, on scoreboards. 3 letters
ARI. The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball's National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001 they became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.
372
The "E" in HOMES. 4 letters
ERIE. A famous mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES: standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
373
Rope-a-dope boxer. 3 letters
ALI. The Rumble in the Jungle was that celebrated fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, broadcast from 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 Mobuto Seko. Rope-a-dope was the term coined by Ali 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, using his arms to take most of the punches. He kept this up until the eighth round, then opened up, and downed the exhausted Foreman with a left-right combination. I hate boxing, but have to say, that was an interesting fight.
374
"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, a native of New York but now learning to handle himself in Hollywood. Vincent's Hollywood agent is Ari Gold, and is played by Jeremy Piven.
375
Virginia's Washington and ___ University. 3 letters
LEE. Washington and Lee University (W&L) is a private school located in Lexington, Virginia. The school started out as the Augusta Academy in 1749 and was renamed to Liberty Hall in 1776, an apt name given the year. The original school moved to its current location in 1780, becoming Liberty Hall Academy. In 1796, George Washington gave the school a huge donation (for those times) of $20,000 which was recognized with a further name change, to Washington Academy. Robert E. Lee served as the school's president after the Civil War until he died in 1870, at which time the final renaming took place, to Washington and Lee University.
376
Carnival site. 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.
377
Boxing's "Louisville Lip". 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.
378
Brian who was a pioneer 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:
379
Boxer Muhammad. 3 letters
ALI. Muhammad Ali won 56 professional fights, 37 of which were knockouts. He lost 5 fights, 4 being decisions and one being a technical knockout (TKO). The TKO-loss was Ali's second-last fight, against Larry Holmes. By the time Ali took on Holmes, he was already showing signs of Parkinson's Syndrome, although the diagnosis would not come until four years later. Ali turned out for his last two fights largely because he needed the money. A sad end to a career, I'd say ...
380
Singer David ___ Roth. 3 letters
LEE. David Lee Roth is rock singer, famously the lead singer of the band Van Halen from Southern California.
381
"Roman Holiday" princess. 3 letters
ANN. "Roman Holiday" is a must-see romantic comedy released in 1953, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn plays a royal princess named Ann, who enjoys a day of anonymous freedom while in Rome. "Roman Holiday" was Hepburn's big break in movies, and she is just lovely in this film ...
382
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 ...
383
Nav. 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.
384
It came between Kennedy and Bouvier. 3 letters
NEE. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was born into a privileged family, the daughter of 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. Years later, after she saw her husband assassinated and then her brother-in-law (Bobby Kennedy) suffer the same fate, Jackie 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.
385
Org. 3 letters
IRA. "The Crying Game" is a fascinating film that made quite a splash when it was released in 1992. Although it was set in Ireland and the UK, it didn't do well in cinemas in either country, but made a lot of money over here in the US. I think the politics of the movie were a bit raw for Irish and UK audiences back then. It's an unusual plot, blending Irish political issues with some raw sexuality questions. I won't tell you about the "surprise", just in case you haven't seen it and want to do so.
386
Lincoln 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.
387
Biblical name meaning "high". 3 letters
ELI. In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel.
388
War of 1812 battle site. 4 letters
ERIE. The Battle of Lake Erie was fought during the War of 1812 just off the Ohio coast. The outcome of the action was a defeat for the British and American control of Lake Erie for the remainder of the war.
389
Born, in bios. 3 letters
NEE. "Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".
390
Brian who composed "Music for Airports". 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:
391
It's a "gift". 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
392
Old ___ (Civil War eagle mascot). 3 letters
ABE. Old Abe was a bald eagle, the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The regiment named their mascot for President Abraham Lincoln, even though Old Abe was actually a 'she' eagle. She was carried into battle and was famous for flapping her wings and screaming during the fighting. Even though Old Abe died in a fire in the Wisconsin State Capitol after the war, her memory lives on. Old Abe appears on the insignia of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division, and gives the unit the nickname the 'Screaming Eagles'.
393
Historical figure a.k.a. 3 letters
LEE. Robert E. Lee is of course renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state. During the Civil War, Lee's men referred to him affectionately as 'Marse Robert', with 'marse' being slang for 'master'.
394
New Haven student. 3 letters
ELI. Yale is the private, Ivy League school located in New Haven, Connecticut.
395
It's sold by the yard. 3 letters
ALE. A yard of ale is a very tall glass, one that is just under a yard (three feet) long. It holds about 60 fluid ounces of beer. I've tried drinking out of one, and it is extremely difficult. There is a bulb at the bottom of the glass. When you get towards the end of the drink, that bulb causes a kind of airlock and the remainder of the beer rushes to the top of the glass splashing you in the face.
396
Two-fifths of 'N Sync?. 3 letters
ENS. There are two letters N in ''N Sync'.
397
He's next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore. 3 letters
ABE. The four presidents whose faces are carved in the granite face of Mount Rushmore are (from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Each of the presidents is about 60 feet in height, although they might have been larger. The original intent was for the presidents to be depicted from head to waist, but the project lost funding.
398
New Haven reuner. 3 letters
ELI. Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father's estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named 'Yale' in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to 'Yale College'. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed 'Elis', again honoring Elihu.
399
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 ...
400
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.
401
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 is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).
402
H. 3 letters
ETA. Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character "H".
403
Tennis doubles?. 3 letters
ENS. There is a double occurrence of the letter N (en) in the word 'tennis'.
404
Parapsychologist's study. 3 letters
ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)
405
TV show since 10/11/75, eight of whose former stars appear in the circled squares in this puzzle. 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".
406
Singer with a palindromic name. 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 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.
407
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.
408
Precursor to talk shows for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, in short. 3 letters
SNL. Jimmy Fallon was a cast member for a number of years on 'Saturday Night Live' before getting his own talk show in 2009, 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'. Fallon is in the news right now as he just took over 'The Tonight Show' from Jay Leno.
409
Québec map abbr. 3 letters
STE. Sainte (Ste.)
410
Starting point?. 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.
411
Boxer known as "The Greatest". 3 letters
ALI. One of Muhammad Ali's famous most famous lines is 'I am the greatest!' So famous is the line that in 1963, Ali released an album of spoken word that had the title 'I Am the Greatest!'
412
"Celebrity Jeopardy!" show, briefly. 3 letters
SNL. "Celebrity Jeopardy!" was a regular skit on 'Saturday Night Live' that aired on the show between 1996 and 2002. Comedian Will Ferrell always played the host Alex Trebek in the sketches, and other cast members played celebrity contestants.
413
Tokyo-based carrier. 3 letters
ANA. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline, second in size only to Japan Airlines (JAL).
414
Genetic stuff. 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).
415
Glass of "This American Life". 3 letters
IRA. Ira Glass is a greatly-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.
416
"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 Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called "Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance".
417
What a shutout lowers, for short. 3 letters
ERA. Earned run average (ERA)
418
The Maumee flows northeast to this lake. 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 end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake's edge.
419
Five simoleons. 3 letters
ABE. The US five-dollar bill is often called an 'Abe', as President Lincoln's portrait is on the front.
420
Elysium. 4 letters
EDEN. In Greek mythology Elysium was part of the Underworld where heroic and virtuous souls were laid to rest. Nowadays we use the word Elysium to mean a place or condition of ideal happiness, a Garden of Eden.
421
When the French toast?. 3 letters
ETE. One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in Paris.
422
H as in Heracles. 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.
423
Song for a diva. 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.
424
Spike behind a camera. 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 ...
425
Fencing blade. 4 letters
EPEE. The épée that is used in today's sport fencing is derived from the old French dueling sword. In fact, the the sport of épée fencing is very similar to the dualing of the 19th century. The word 'épée' translates from French as 'sword'.
426
Former White House press secretary Fleischer. 3 letters
ARI. Ari Fleischer was the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. Fleischer now runs his own media consulting firm that specializes in representing sports players and organizations. Fleischer helped Mark McGwire handle the media when he had to admit to the use of steroids, and was briefly hired by Tiger Woods as he planned his return to the PGA after dropping out of the spotlight to handle the problems in his personal life.
427
Curry who formerly co-hosted "Today". 3 letters
ANN. The television journalist Ann Curry is perhaps best known for the time she spent as co-host on NBC's 'Today' show. NBC executives asked Curry to resign from the 'Today' show because ratings were low. I just read online that Curry was also pushed out because of the way she insisted on dressing and because she refused to dye her gray hair. I hope that isn't true ...
428
Pace of "Pushing Daisies". 3 letters
LEE. Lee Pace is an actor most famous for playing Ned in the television comedy-drama 'Pushing Daisies'.
429
Insurance company based in Pennsylvania. 4 letters
ERIE. Erie Insurance, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, started out in 1925 offering auto insurance. Today, Erie also offer home, commercial and life insurance.
430
Weekend 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 put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and Michaels came up with what we now call "Saturday Night Live".
431
Ecologically oriented org. 3 letters
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
432
Viking Ship Museum city. 4 letters
OSLO. The most famous exhibit in Oslo's Viking Ship Museum is the completely intact Oseberg ship. Named for the farm where it was discovered, the Oseberg ship was excavated from a large burial mound that dates back to 834 AD. The interment is an example of a 'ship burial', in which a ship was used as a container for a dead body and associated grave goods. The Oseberg ship included the bodies of two elderly females, one of which may have been included as a human sacrifice.
433
___ Railroad, 1832-1960. 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.
434
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.
435
Pilot's announcement, briefly. 3 letters
ETA. Expected time of arrival (ETA)
436
Cell component, for short. 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.
437
Santa ___. 3 letters
ANA. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California, taking its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city. The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because they 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, the 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 the relative humidity can even be below 10% as it hits the coast.
438
Iran's Ayatollah ___ Khamenei. 3 letters
ALI. Ali Khamenei has been the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989.
439
___-Chapelle. 3 letters
STE. Sainte-Chapelle is a beautiful Gothic chapel located on the Île de la Cité, the same island in the Seine that is home to Notre-Dame Cathedral. The name 'Sainte-Chapelle' is usually translated as 'Holy Chapel'. The chapel was built in the mid-1200s by Louis IX to house a relic that he believed to be the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus just prior to the Crucifixion.
440
Naval officer: 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.
441
"Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" subject. 3 letters
LSD. "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" is a phrase popularized in the sixties by Timothy Leary, the psychologist and writer. Leary was an icon of the sixties counterculture, a promoter of the use of LSD. On his death, 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.
442
Thrust item. 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.
443
Windy City 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. 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).
444
Canal of song. 4 letters
ERIE. The song "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal" was written in 1905. The lyrics are nostalgic and look back to the days when traffic on the canal was pulled by mules, bemoaning the introduction of the fast-moving engine-powered barges. The first line is "I've got an old mule and her name is Sal".
445
"Hostel" director Roth. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Roth is one of a group of directors of horror movies known quite graphically as "The Splat Pack". I can't stand "splat" movies and avoid them as best I can. Roth is also famous for playing Donny Donowitz in the Quentin Tarantino movie "Inglourious Basterds", a good film I thought, if you close your eyes during the gruesome bits.
446
___ Taylor. 3 letters
ANN. There was no such woman as "Ann Taylor" associated with the Ann Taylor line of clothes. The name was chosen by the marketing professionals because "Ann" was considered to be "very New England" back in 1954 when the stores first opened, and "Taylor" suggested that clothes were carefully "tailored".
447
Country music's ___ Young Band. 3 letters
ELI. The Eli Young Band is a country band from Texas founded by Mike Eli and James Young when they were roommates in the University of North Texas.
448
Horror film director Roth. 3 letters
ELI. Eli Roth is one of a group of directors of horror movies known quite graphically as "The Splat Pack". I can't stand "splat" movies and avoid them as best I can. Roth is also famous for playing Donny Donowitz in the Quentin Tarantino movie "Inglourious Basterds", a good film I thought, if you close your eyes during the gruesome bits.
449
Brazilian city, familiarly. 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.
450
It's at one end of I-79. 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.
451
High lines. 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 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).
452
20-Across grp. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
453
Chekov, e.g., on "Star Trek": Abbr.. 3 letters
ENS. Ensign (ens.)
454
2nd Amendment advocate. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
455
Thing 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. Epee is the French word for sword.
456
Big Australian 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 emus. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formation and adopting guerrilla tactics, and operated 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 ...
457
Powerful 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.
458
Body with many arms, for short. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
459
South African with two U.S. 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.
460
Gold of "Entourage". 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.
461
Love child?. 4 letters
EROS. As always seems 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.
462
Clairvoyant letters. 3 letters
ESP. We've been using the term 'clairvoyant' to describe a psychic since the nineteenth century. Prior to that, a clairvoyant was a clear-sighted person. The term comes from French, with 'clair' meaning 'clear' and 'voyant' meaning 'seeing'.
463
Once called. 3 letters
NEE. "Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".
464
Part of a flight plan, for short. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
465
___-Foy, Que. 3 letters
STE. Sainte-Foy was a city in its own right, but as of 2002 it is a neighborhood in Quebec City. Sainte-Foy is an important part of the larger city, partly because it is home to the area's main airport, Jean Lesage International.
466
Org. 3 letters
NRA. National Rifle Association (NRA)
467
Barley wine, really. 3 letters
ALE. Barley wine is a very strong ale from England. The term "barley wine" is used because the alcohol content of the beer is similar to that of wine (8-12%) and yet it is made from grain rather than fruit.
468
"Yes, I'm a Witch" singer, 1992. 3 letters
ONO. Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Yoko's father moved around the world for work and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war the Ono family was far from prosperous. While Yoko's father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father was repatriated, life started to return to normal and Yoko was able to attend university. She was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.
469
"Stand and fight" grp. 3 letters
NRA. 'Stand and fight' is the tagline used in an ad campaign by the National Rifle Association (NRA).
470
Ulysses S. 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.
471
"O patria mia," e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. "O patra mia" is an aria from Verdi's "Aida". It is sung by the title character, with "O patra mia" translating as "O, my homeland".
472
Major D.C. 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.
473
Libido. 4 letters
EROS. Sigmund Freud believed that we humans are driven by two desires, the desire for life (the libido, or Eros) and the desire for death (Thanatos). Personally, I don't think so ...
474
Part of B.C.E. 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.
475
Kristiania, after 1925. 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.
476
One of the Mannings. 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.
477
Crimson rival. 3 letters
ELI. Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father's estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named 'Yale' in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to 'Yale College'. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed 'Elis', again honoring Elihu.
478
City near Presque Isle State Park. 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'.
479
Thérèse, for one: Abbr.. 3 letters
STE. Saint Thérèse de Lisieux is also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Back in Ireland we call her 'The Little Flower of Jesus'.
480
God with a quiver. 4 letters
EROS. Eros was the Greek god of love, and the Greek counterpart of the Roman god Cupid.
481
UV index monitor. 3 letters
EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency was set up during the Nixon administration, and began operation at the end of 1970.
482
Generative music pioneer. 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 is booting up.
483
Nav. 3 letters
ENS. An ensign is the most junior rank of commissioned officer (usually) in many armed forces. The name comes from the tradition that the junior officer would be given the task of carrying the ensign flag.
484
Winged archer of myth. 4 letters
EROS. Eros, the Greek god of love, was also known as Amor.
485
French pioneer of sign language. 4 letters
EPEE. The French clergyman Abbé Charles-Michel de l'Épée is often referred to as the 'Father of the Deaf'. Épée dedicated much of his life to helping the deaf. He opened the world's first free school for the deaf in 1760 in Paris, initially using it to provide shelter for those who were poor and hearing-impaired. Épée developed a type of sign language that is believed to be the first example of a formal and complete visual-gesture system for the deaf.
486
Investment sometimes pronounced as a name. 3 letters
IRA. Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
487
Capital on a fjord. 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. He named the new city Christiana. In 1877, there was an official change of the name to Kristiana, and then more recently, only in 1925, the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle, for now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, it has apparently been renamed Christiana.
488
Muhammad ___, opponent of 53-Down. 3 letters
ALI. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. He 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 won a gold medal in the 1960 games, which he threw into the Ohio River after being refused service at a "whites only" restaurant. He was presented with a replacement medal during the 1996 Games.
489
"Prince ___" ("Aladdin" song). 3 letters
ALI. The Disney animated feature "Aladdin" was released in 1992 and is one of the best features to come out of the studio, in my opinion, largely due to the great performance by Robin Williams who voiced the Genie. "Aladdin" was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $500 million worldwide, an unusual feat for an animated movie.
490
KO connection maker. 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.
491
Relative of an ostrich. 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.
492
Puccini's "Nessun dorma," for one. 4 letters
ARIA. "Nessum dorma" has to be the tenor aria that most tugs at the heart strings. It is taken from the last act of Puccini's opera "Turandot", and translates as ""None shall sleep"). Back in my part of the world, "Nessun dorma" became a hit in the popular music charts, with a version by Pavarotti being used as the theme song to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. No other classical recording has ever done better in the charts.
493
Copland's "Laurie's Song," e.g. 4 letters
ARIA. Laurie's Song' is an aria from Aaron Copland's opera 'The Tender Land'.
494
1971 Tony-winning actress ___ Allen. 3 letters
RAE. Rae Allen is an actress who has appeared in stage and screen. She was nominated for Tony's in 1955 and 1967, and eventually won the award in 1971 for her role in the play "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little". Allen has made many small parts on TV shows, including two episodes of "Seinfeld".
495
Site of the first human sin. 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.
496
Flight info, briefly. 3 letters
ETA. Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
497
Chateau ___ Michelle winery. 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 producer in the world in terms of number of bottles.
498
"Da ___ G Show". 3 letters
ALI. Da Ali G Show' is a satirical TV series featuring English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. I wouldn't be a big fan ...
499
"___ to Apollo". 3 letters
ODE. "Ode to Apollo" is an 1815 poem by John Keats.
500
Ernie of the P.G.A. 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).
