output_trainer_2_0 Flashcards
1
Q
Palindromic man’s name. 4 letters
A
OTTO. The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:
2
Q
Put back in order?. 4 letters
A
STET. “Stet” is the Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” beside the change and then underscoring the change with a line of dots (or dashes).
3
Q
Nickname for a junior’s junior. 3 letters
A
TRE. Trey (also ‘Tre’) is a common nickname for someone in a family who is of the third generation to have a particular name. For example, billionaire Bill Gates has the full name of William Henry Gates III and is known to many family members as ‘Trey’.
4
Q
Teachers’ union: Abbr.. 3 letters
A
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
5
Q
Early 20th-century abdicator. 4 letters
A
TSAR. The last ruler of Imperial Russia was Tsar Nicholas II (of the House of Romanov). Famously, the Tsar and his family were murdered in 1918 in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia by members of the Bolshevik secret police. The Tsar’s youngest daughter was 16-year-old Anastasia and rumors of her escape have persisted for years. The rumors grew with the help of numerous women who claimed to be Anastasia. In 2009, DNA testing finally proved that the remains of all of the Tsar’s immediate family, including Anastasia, have been found and identified.
6
Q
“___ Meninas” (Velázquez painting). 3 letters
A
LAS. ‘Las Meninas’ is a painting by Diego Velázquez, the name of which translates to ‘The Maids of Honor’. ‘Las Meninas’ is the most famous painting owned by the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
7
Q
“At Last” singer James. 4 letters
A
ETTA. Etta James is best known for her beautiful rendition of the song “At Last”. Sadly, as she discloses in her autobiography, James has lived a life ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.
8
Q
Forensic material. 3 letters
A
DNA. Something described as ‘forensic’ is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The the term comes from the Latin ‘forensis’ meaning ‘of a forum, of a place of assembly’. We mainly use the word today to mean ‘pertaining to legal trials’ as in ‘forensic medicine’ and ‘forensic science’.
9
Q
Helmeted deity. 4 letters
A
ARES. The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
10
Q
Pier 1 alternative. 4 letters
A
IKEA. Did you know that IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old??!! IKEA is an acronym that stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.
11
Q
“I Ching” concept. 3 letters
A
TAO. The ‘I Ching’ is an ancient Chinese text dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. The text deals with aspects of cosmology and divination, and perhaps served as a guide for making predictions of the future. The statements in the ‘I Ching’ consist of 64 hexagrams, sets of six lines composed in horizontal stacks.
12
Q
Nephew of Abel. 4 letters
A
ENOS. Enos, as the son of Seth, was the grandson of Adam.
13
Q
Professional org. 3 letters
A
AMA. The American Medical Association (AMA) was founded in 1847 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The first female member was allowed to join the AMA in 1868, but the first African American members weren’t admitted until one hundred years later, in 1968.
14
Q
Title girl on the first Beatles album. 4 letters
A
ANNA. Anna (Go to Him) was written and first recorded by Arthur Alexander in 1962. My guess is that he made more money from the cover version recorded by the Beatles on their debut album “Please Please Me”, released the following year.
15
Q
Mob member, informally. 3 letters
A
ROO. The collective noun for kangaroos is court, troop or mob.
16
Q
Prize at las Olimpiadas. 3 letters
A
ORO. In Spanish, a victor wins ‘oro’ (gold) at ‘las Olimpiadas’ (the Olympics).
17
Q
Shade akin to almond. 4 letters
A
ECRU. The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.
18
Q
Actor Stephen of “Michael Collins”. 3 letters
A
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor, whose most famous role was that of the “retired” IRA man in the brilliant 1992 film “The Crying Game”. He also starred in the chilling movie “Stuck”, a 2007 film that is based on a true story about a woman who commits a hit and run on a homeless man. The woman leaves the scene of the crime with the victim still “stuck” in her windshield. The woman leaves the man to die in her garage. Chilling, eh? But, true …
19
Q
Rightmost number on an Italian clock. 3 letters
A
TRE. In Italian, the rightmost number on the face of a clock is ‘tre’ (three).
20
Q
Author Waugh. 4 letters
A
ALEC. Alec Waugh was the older brother of the more famous Evelyn Waugh. Both Waughs were successful novelists (Evelyn of “Brideshead Revisited” fame), but what I like about Alec is that he supposedly invented the cocktail party. He invited his friends around “for tea” in the twenties, and served them all rum swizzles instead!
21
Q
Turkic word for “island”. 4 letters
A
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …
22
Q
Palindromic elemento. 3 letters
A
ORO. In Spanish, ‘oro’ (gold) is an ‘elemento’ (element).
23
Q
Era of ___ (period in Notre Dame football history). 3 letters
A
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as “The Era of Ara”.
24
Q
John of England. 3 letters
A
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a “bathroom” was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called “the toilet” or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a “closet”, as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo” in which the pot was called the loo!
25
Org. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
26
One-named singer with multiple Grammys. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
27
Flag in a garden. 4 letters
IRIS. Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term 'iris' is a Greek word meaning 'rainbow'. Many species of irises are called 'flags'. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English 'flagge' meaning 'reed'. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.
28
Prize for Pizarro. 3 letters
ORO. In Spanish, a 'medalla' (medal) might be made from 'oro' (gold).
29
Qualified to serve. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).
30
"The Star-Spangled Banner" preposition. 4 letters
O'ER. The words "o'er the rampart we watched" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key. The lyrics were written first as a poem by Key, inspired by his witnessing of the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith called "The Anacreontic Song", with Anacreontic Society being a men's club in London.
31
Razor brand. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword constructors, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.
32
Treelike creature in "The Lord of the Rings". 3 letters
ENT. Ents are those tree-like creatures that live in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth in his series of books "The Lord of the Rings". 'Ent' is an Old English word for 'giant'.
33
Lotion ingredient. 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.
34
New Deal inits. 3 letters
REA. The Rural Electrification Administration was one of the New Deal agencies set up by President Franklin Roosevelt. Created in 1935, the agency's goal was to provide electrical power to rural areas, something that the profit-conscious power companies weren't willing to take on by themselves.
35
___ Sea, Kazakh/Uzbek body of water. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
36
Baseball's ___ Griffey Jr. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Griffey, Jr. is noted as a home run hitter as well as a defensive player. In fact, Griffey is tied for the record for the most consecutive games with a home run.
37
Razor brand. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.
38
Epps of "House". 4 letters
OMAR. Omar Epps is the actor who plays Dr. Eric Foreman on the excellent television series "House". Prior to playing Dr. Foreman, Epps had a recurring role playing Dr. Dennis Grant on "ER". And, in another link to the world of medicine, Epps was born in Savannah, Georgia to single mom, Dr. Bonnie Epps.
39
Color of raw linen. 4 letters
ECRU. The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word 'ecru' comes from French and means 'raw, unbleached'. 'Ecru' has the same roots as our word 'crude'.
40
"___ the towering steep" (anthem lyric). 4 letters
O'ER. The words "o'er the towering steep" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key. The lyrics were written first as a poem by Key, inspired by his witnessing of the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith called "The Anacreontic Song", with Anacreontic Society being a men's club in London.
41
Fleet fleet, once, in brief. 4 letters
SSTS. SuperSonic Transports, like the Concorde, broke Mach 1, the speed of sound. The whole of the Concorde fleet is grounded now.
42
It has base pairs. 3 letters
DNA. Nucleobases are molecules that form the backbone of DNA and RNA chains. It is the sequence of these bases in the DNA chain that makes up the so-called "genetic code". In DNA the four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil (U). In DNA, the nucleobases exist in 'base pairs'.
43
Nephew of Cain. 4 letters
ENOS. According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth. Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve. According to the ancient Jewish work called the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his own sister Noam.
44
Court legend. 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
45
Nobel winner Joliot-Curie. 5 letters
IRENE. Along with her husband, Frederick, Irene Joliot-Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1935 for their discovery of artificial radioactivity. Irene was the daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie, who also won Nobel Prizes. Irene died when she was 58 years old, suffering from leukemia brought on her exposure to high doses of radiation. Her mother, Marie, died from aplastic anemia, also caused by high exposure to radiation. To this day, Marie's personal papers are kept preserved in lead-lined boxes as they are highly radioactive, even her personal cookbook.
46
Singer who has recorded in Tolkien's Elvish language. 4 letters
ENYA. The Irish singer Enya wrote and performed two songs for the 2001 film 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'. Her song 'May It Be' was nominated to that season's Best Original Song Academy Award. The second number, called 'Aniron', was sung in Tolkien's Elvish language called Sindarin.
47
Mule of song. 3 letters
SAL. 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".
48
Not shut tight. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
49
Pizzeria owner in "Do the Right Thing". 3 letters
SAL. "Do the Right Thing" is a Spike Lee movie, released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called "Sal's" owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).
50
Writer/singer of an Elvish song for "The Lord of the Rings". 4 letters
ENYA. Enya co-wrote and performed a song titled 'Aníron' for 'The Lord of the Rings' series of films. The song's lyrics are written in the Elvish language of Sindarin, a fictional language that was created by author J.R.R. Tolkien.
51
Part of R.R.: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. Rural route (RR).
52
1-Across, for one. 4 letters
ISLE. Maui is an isle ...
53
"Your safety is our priority" org. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
54
Jerusalem's Mosque of ___. 4 letters
OMAR. The Siege of Jerusalem took place in the year 637. The Rashidun Army lay siege to Jerusalem which was in the hands of the Byzantine Empire. In order for the city to surrender, the Caliph Omar had to travel himself to Jerusalem. As victor, Omar was invited to pray in the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Out of respect for the Christian edifice, Omar refused to go into the church and instead prayed outside in the courtyard. Just over 500 years later, the Mosque of Omar was built on the site where Omar prayed, right opposite the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
55
First name at Woodstock. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m and 34s. In the song, Guthrie tells how he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War after being drafted, based on his criminal record. He had one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
56
Screeners' org. 3 letters
TSA. The TSA is the Transportation Security Administration, the agency that employs the good folks that check passengers and baggage at airports.
57
Cheese with a red coat. 4 letters
EDAM. One cheese that is recognized by its coating is Edam. Edam cheese takes the name after the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. It is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps it travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. This means that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.
58
Mens ___. 3 letters
REA. "Mens rea" is Latin for "guilty mind" and is a central concept in criminal law. The concept is expanded to "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea" meaning "the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty". In other words, a someone should not be deemed guilty of an act, unless he or she had a "guilty mind", intended to do wrong.
59
King Arthur of tennis. 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
60
2 + 1 in italiano. 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, 'uno' (one) plus 'due' (two) makes 'tre' (three).
61
"___ the ramparts ...". 4 letters
O'ER. The words "o'er the ramparts" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key.
62
Moscow's home: Abbr.. 3 letters
IDA. Moscow, Idaho is home to the University of Idaho. In its early days the city was known as Paradise Valley, and the name changed to Moscow in 1875. The choice of 'Moscow' seems unexplained, but it is more likely related to Moscow, Pennsylvania than Moscow, Russia.
63
Winter Palace resident. 4 letters
TSAR. The Winter Palace is a magnificent building in St. Petersburg in Russia, home to the Russian tsars (and tsarinas). The Winter Palace houses the famous Hermitage Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the Palace and museum some years ago, and I have to say that I have rarely been more impressed by a historical building.
64
Allure alternative. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she".
65
Cara of "Fame". 5 letters
IRENE. Irene Cara (as well as acting in "Fame") sang the theme songs to the hit movies "Fame" and "Flashdance".
66
25-Down, en français. 4 letters
ELLE. The French word 'elle' can mean 'her', the pronoun.
67
Early Nintendo competitor. 5 letters
ATARI. At one point, the electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was the fastest growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983.
68
District in southern Kazakhstan. 4 letters
ARAL. The capital of the Aral district in Kazakhstan is the city of Aral, once a fishing port and harbor on the coast of the Aral Sea. However, since the Aral Sea has shrunk in size Aral is now landlocked, with the sea 12km away from the city.
69
The so-called "potted physician". 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.
70
Colorful card game. 3 letters
UNO. In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that's used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.
71
"At Last" singer James. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.
72
Number of coins in la Fontana di Trevi?. 3 letters
TRE. 'Tre' is Italian for 'three'.
73
Mens ___. 3 letters
REA. "Mens rea" is Latin for "guilty mind" and is a central concept in criminal law. The concept is expanded to "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea" meaning "the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty". In other words, someone should not be deemed guilty of an illegal act unless he or she had a "guilty mind", intended to do wrong.
74
Strike leader?. 3 letters
ESS. 'S' (ess) is the leading letter in the word 'strike'.
75
Preceder of 116-Across. 3 letters
ESS. ESS: the letter S.
76
Concerto soloist, perhaps. 4 letters
OBOE. The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name "oboe" comes from the French "hautbois" which means "high wood". When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you'll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an "A". The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe's "A". Oh, and if you want to read a fun book (almost an "exposé") about life playing the oboe, you might try "Mozart in the Jungle" by oboist Blair Tindall. I heard recently that the folks at HBO are working towards a pilot based on the book, and I can't wait to see it!
77
S.A.S.E. 3 letters
EDS. An editor (ed.) might receive a manuscript (MS) with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE).
78
Milne young 'un. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh', the kangaroo named Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son Christopher Robin.
79
It has four bases. 3 letters
DNA. Nucleobases are molecules that form the backbone of DNA and RNA chains. It is the sequence of these bases in the DNA chain that makes up the so-called "genetic code". In DNA the four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil (U).
80
Galley order. 4 letters
STET. "Stet" is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" beside the change and then underscoring the change with a line of dots (or dashes).
81
The white surrounds it. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
82
City east of the Sierra Nevada. 4 letters
RENO. Reno, Nevada was named in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War. The city has a famous "Reno Arch", a structure that stands over the main street, erected in 1926 to promote an exposition planned for the following year. The city council decided to keep the arch and held a competition to decide what wording should be displayed, and the winner was "The Biggest Little City in the World".
83
Actor Stephen. 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor, whose most famous role was that of the "retired" IRA man in the brilliant 1992 film "The Crying Game". He also starred in the chilling movie "Stuck", a 2007 film that is based on a true story about a woman who commits a hit and run on a homeless man. The woman leaves the scene of the crime with the victim still "stuck" in her windshield. The woman leaves the man to die in her garage. Chilling, eh? But as I said, a true story ...
84
Erie Canal mule. 3 letters
SAL. 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, and bemoans the introduction of the fast-moving engine powered barges. The first line is "I've got an old mule and her name is Sal".
85
1998 Goo Goo Dolls hit. 4 letters
IRIS. The Goo Goo Dolls is an American rock band that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, NY. "Iris", mentioned in today's clue, is a track off their hit 1998 album "Dizzy Up the Girl". They're not my cup of tea ...
86
Baldwin of "30 Rock". 4 letters
ALEC. Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec's big break was playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October", but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin made a name for himself in recent times playing Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock", opposite Tina Fey. He has also hosted the sketch show 'Saturday Night Live' on more occasions than anyone else (16 times).
87
Leader issuing a ukase. 4 letters
TSAR. In Imperial Russia, a 'ukase' was a proclamation issued by the government or the tsar.
88
Sign adored by angels. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
89
Winter Palace resident. 4 letters
TSAR. The Winter Palace is a magnificent building in St. Petersburg in Russia, home to the Russian tsars (and tsarinas). The Winter Palace houses the famous Hermitage Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the Palace and museum some years ago, and I have to say that I have rarely been more impressed by a historical building.
90
GPS suggestion: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The modern GPS system that we use today was built by the US military who received the massive funding needed because of fears during the Cold War of the use of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. We civilians, all round the world, owe a lot to President Ronald Reagan because he directed the military to make GPS technology available to the public for the common good. He was moved to do so after the Soviet Union shot down KAL flight 007 carrying 269 people, just because the plane strayed accidentally into Soviet airspace.
91
Head of Buckingham Palace?. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bath-room" was the room that had the bath and no toilet. The separate room with the toilet was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C., the water closet. Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s as toilets moved indoors they often displaced clothes in a "closet", as a closet was just the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure.
92
Son of Seth. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos, as the son of Seth, was the grandson of Adam.
93
Slightly open. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
94
Lupino of "High Sierra". 3 letters
IDA. "High Sierra" is a 1941 movie based on a novel by W.R. Burnett. It's a gangster piece, starring Humphrey Bogart as "Mad Dog" Roy Earle, a bad guy with a heart. Bogie's love interest is played by the very talented Ida Lupino.
95
___ Place (Butch and Sundance companion). 4 letters
ETTA. Etta Place is the schoolteacher character played by the lovely Katharine Ross in the 1969 movie 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'.
96
Super Mario Bros. 3 letters
NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.
97
Coach Parseghian. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as "The Era of Ara".
98
Super G shape. 3 letters
ESS. Super Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing event introduced in 1982. The Super G isn't as fast as its sister event, the Downhill, but is faster than the more technical Giant Slalom.
99
Tire abbr.. 3 letters
PSI. Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.
100
Janis's husband in the funnies. 4 letters
ARLO. The comic strip "Arlo and Janis" is written by Jimmy Johnson. Introduced in 1985, Arlo and Janis are a baby booming couple with an easy approach to life, and who are very much in love.
101
___ Gunn, "Breaking Bad" co-star. 4 letters
ANNA. Anna Gunn is an actress from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is best known for playing Skyler White on the TV show 'Breaking Bad'.
102
Kind of profiling. 3 letters
DNA. Forensic scientists use DNA, usually taken from blood, semen, skin, saliva or hair follicles. Often DNA left at a crime scene can be used to identify the perpetrator of a crime, using a process called genetic fingerprinting.
103
Tinnitus treater: Abbr.. 3 letters
ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)
104
Code material. 3 letters
DNA. Nucleobases are molecules that form the backbone of DNA and RNA chains. It is the sequence of these bases in the DNA chain that makes up the so-called "genetic code". In DNA the four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil (U).
105
Former British P.M. 4 letters
ALEC. Sir Alec Douglas-Home was the Prime Minister of the UK from 1963 to 1964. Nowadays the British Prime Minister is chosen from the membership of the House of Commons, and Sir Alec Douglas-Home was the last Prime Minister to be chosen from the House of Lords. He had to give up his peerage though (he was the Earl of Home) in order to take up the post.
106
Common Core org. 3 letters
NEA. The Common Core State Standards Initiative lays out what K-12 students should know in English and mathematics. The standard is intended to standardize requirements across all states.
107
Stella D'___ (cookie brand). 3 letters
ORO. Stella D'Oro is a brand of cookies and breadsticks, originally manufactured in the Bronx, New York City but now made in New Jersey.
108
"Bearded" bloom. 4 letters
IRIS. Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term 'iris' is a Greek word meaning 'rainbow'. Many species of irises are called 'flags'. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English 'flagge' meaning 'reed'. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.
109
Guilty, in a legal phrase. 3 letters
REA. The Latin phrase "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea" means "the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty". In other words, a man should not be deemed guilty of an act, unless he had a "guilty mind", that he intended to do wrong.
110
What makes a top stop?. 3 letters
ESS. The word 'top' is transformed into 'stop' by adding a letter S (ess) at the beginning.
111
First name in folk. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
112
Duck Hunt gaming console, briefly. 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one somewhere ...
113
Contraction that sounds like a conjunction. 4 letters
O'ER. "O'er" (a contraction for "over") sounds like "or" (a conjunction).
114
Card game akin to euchre. 3 letters
LOO. The old card game of loo was popular in the 17th century. Loo was a game involving trumps and the taking of tricks. As part of the game, a player might be "looed", not win any tricks at all in a particular round. As such, he or she had to pay a forfeit, a sum added to the pool awarded to the eventual winner.
115
Basis of many positive IDs. 3 letters
DNA. Forensic scientists use DNA, usually taken from blood, semen, skin, saliva or hair follicles. Often DNA left at a crime scene can be used to identify a perpetrator of a crime, in a process called genetic fingerprinting.
116
Pizazz. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning, "style" or "flair".
117
Super ___ (old game console). 3 letters
NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.
118
Archipelago component. 4 letters
ISLE. 'Archipelago' is a name often used for a group or chain of islands. 'Archipelago' is our spelling of the Italian 'arcipelago', a word that has Greek roots. 'Arcipelago' was the proper name for the Aegean Sea in Greek, a word that was eventually used for the Aegean Islands.
119
Proofreader's "leave it". 4 letters
STET. 'Stet' is a Latin word meaning 'let it stand'. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word 'stet' and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.
120
Onetime Ice Cube collaborator, informally. 3 letters
DRE. N.W.A was a hip hop group from Compton, California. The original five group members included rappers who have made a name for themselves as solo acts, including: Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The story of NWA is told in a 2015 film, also called 'Straight Outta Compton". I hear that the movie is being well received, although I probably won't be seeing it ...
121
Ryan of "The Beverly Hillbillies". 5 letters
IRENE. Irene Ryan was the wonderful American actress who played "Granny" on "The Beverly Hillbillies". Ryan was a remarkable in that she had a successful career in vaudeville, on radio and television, on film and on Broadway.
122
___ James, singer played by Beyoncé. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.
123
Winter Palace resident. 4 letters
TSAR. The Winter Palace is a magnificent building in St. Petersburg in Russia, home to the Russian tsars (and tsarinas). The Winter Palace houses the famous Hermitage Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the Palace and museum some years ago, and I have to say that I have rarely been more impressed by a historical building.
124
Friend of Pooh. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh", Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son Christopher Robin.
125
Grandson of Adam. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos, as the son of Seth, was the grandson of Adam.
126
Aussie bounder. 3 letters
ROO. The name 'kangaroo' comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There's an oft-quoted story that James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable looking animal, and the native responded with 'kangaroo'. The story is that the native was actually saying 'I don't understand you', but as cute as that tale is, it's just an urban myth.
127
Magazine with a palindromic name. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she". 'Elle' is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.
128
Hothouse plant. 4 letters
ALOE. The so called "true aloe" is Aloe vera, a succulent plant native to Africa that grows in relatively dry climates. The plant's leaves are full of biologically active compounds that have been extensively studied. Even before all the modern research, aloe vera was used for centuries in herbal medicine, mainly for topical treatment of wounds.
129
Place to get a wrap. 3 letters
SPA. The word "spa" migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name "Spa" comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".
130
"L'Amore dei ___ Re" (Montemezzi opera). 3 letters
TRE. Italo Montemezzi was an Italian composer who wrote his most famous work in 1913, the opera "L'amore dei tre re" (The Love of Three Kings). The opera was an early success for Montemezzi, enabling him to give up teaching and devote most of his life to composition.
131
Asia's ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on the environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
132
Pupil surrounder. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
133
Paper cutters, briefly?. 3 letters
EDS. Editor (ed.)
134
"An ill wind ..." instrument. 4 letters
OBOE. We've all probably heard the phrase ''tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good'. How about the pun, 'The oboe: an ill wind nobody blows good'?
135
Showy bloom. 4 letters
IRIS. Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term 'iris' is a Greek word meaning 'rainbow'.
136
Actress Paquin. 4 letters
ANNA. Anna Paquin is an actress from New Zealand who won an Oscar as an 11-year-old for her role in "The Piano". In the HBO series "True Blood" she plays Sookie Stackhouse, a role for which she won a Golden Globe.
137
Thriller writer Follett. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Follett is a Welsh author specializing in thrillers and historical novels. Among his most famous works are 'Capricorn One', 'Eye of the Needle', 'The Man From St. Petersburg' and 'On Wings of Eagles'. Quite a few of Follett's novels have been adapted for the big screen, and you may recognize some movies made from the preceding list of titles.
138
Suited to serve. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).
139
Stephen of "Still Crazy". 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor, whose most famous role was that of the "retired" IRA man in the brilliant 1992 film "The Crying Game". He also starred in the chilling movie "Stuck", a 2007 film that is based on a true story about a woman who commits a hit and run on a homeless man. The woman leaves the scene of the crime with the victim still "stuck" in her windshield. The woman then leaves the man to die in her garage. Chilling, eh? But as I said, a true story ...
140
Parseghian of the Fighting Irish. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as "The Era of Ara".
141
Baseball's Slaughter. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos Slaughter has a remarkable playing record in Major League Baseball over a 19-year career. Slaughter's record is particularly remarkable given that he left baseball for three years to serve in the military during WWII.
142
Onetime arcade giant. 5 letters
ATARI. At one point, the electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was the fastest growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983.
143
Dash. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning: "style" or "flair".
144
___ Minor. 4 letters
ASIA. Asia Minor is also known as Anatolia, and is the geographic part of Asia that protrudes out into the west, towards Europe. It is roughly equivalent to modern-day Turkey.
145
Bygone flier. 3 letters
SST. The most famous SuperSonic Transport (SST) was the Concorde, a plane that's no longer flying. Concorde had that famous "droop nose". The nose was moved to the horizontal position during flight to create the optimum aerodynamic shape thereby reducing drag, and was lowered during taxi, takeoff and landing, so that the pilot had better visibility. The need for the droop nose was driven largely by the delta-shaped wings on Concorde. The delta wing necessitates a higher angle of attack at takeoff and landing than conventional wing designs, so the pilot needed the nose lowered so that he or she could see the ground.
146
Carry-on inspector, in brief. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
147
Asia's ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
148
Elba or Capri. 4 letters
ISLE. I had a lovely two-week vacation in Tuscany once, including what was supposed to be a two-night stay on the island of Elba. I had envisioned Elba as a place full of history, and maybe it is, but it is overrun with tourists who use it as a beach getaway. We left after one day and we won't be going back again ...
149
International gas brand. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
150
Dot-dot-dot. 3 letters
ESS. The letter S is represented by 'dot-dot-dot' in Morse code.
151
MS. 3 letters
EDS. Editors (eds.) can review a manuscript (MS).
152
Anthem contraction. 4 letters
O'ER. The words "o'er the land of the free" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key. The lyrics were written first as a poem by Key, inspired by his witnessing of the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith called "The Anacreontic Song", with Anacreontic Society being a men's club in London.
153
Good name for a chauffeur?. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto' sounds like 'auto', so might be a good name for your chauffeur, if you have one ...
154
Asia's ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on the environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the original lake's volume gone. Sad ...
155
Wii ancestor, briefly. 3 letters
NES. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
156
Glamour rival. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she". 'Elle' is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.
157
South American cardinal?. 3 letters
UNO. 'Uno' is the Italian for 'one'.
158
Knowledge. 3 letters
KEN. 'Ken' is a Scottish verb meaning 'to know', as in being able to recognize a person or thing. The word is also used as a noun, as in 'beyond my ken', outside of what I can know or understand.
159
War force. 4 letters
ARES. The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera.
160
1968 live folk album. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
161
Boomer that retired in the early '00s?. 3 letters
SST. The most famous SuperSonic Transport (SST) was the Concorde, a plane that's no longer flying. Concorde had that famous "droop nose". The nose was moved to the horizontal position during flight to create the optimum aerodynamic shape thereby reducing drag, and was lowered during taxi, takeoff and landing, so that the pilot had better visibility. The need for the droop nose was driven largely by the delta-shaped wings. The delta wing necessitates a higher angle of attack at takeoff and landing than conventional wing designs, so the pilot needed the nose lowered so that he or she could see the ground.
162
Inflation indicator: Abbr.. 3 letters
PSI. Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.
163
Professional org. 3 letters
AMA. The American Medical Association was founded in 1847. The governing body of the organization is called the House of Delegates.
164
Fashion magazine founded in France. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she". 'Elle' is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.
165
1999 drama "___ and the King". 4 letters
ANNA. The 1999 film 'Anna and the King' was inspired by the 1944 semi-fictional biographical novel by Margaret Landon called 'Anna and the King of Siam'. The same book spawned a 1946 movie starring Irene Dunne as Anna and Rex Harrison as the King of Siam. Then followed a 1951 stage musical 'The King and I', with a related 1956 film musical of the same name starring Deborah Kerr as Anna and Yul Brynner as the King. In the 1999 film 'Anna and the King', Jodie Foster plays Anna and Chow Yun-Fat plays the King.
166
Goddess in "The Tempest". 4 letters
IRIS. In Greek mythology the goddess Iris was viewed as the link between the gods and humanity, a messenger. She was also the goddess of the rainbow.
167
Ivan or Nicholas. 4 letters
TSAR. The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. "Czar" is derived from the word "Caesar", which was synonymous with "emperor" at that time.
168
Old game console inits. 3 letters
NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.
169
Gillette offering. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. It was sold as the Contour in some markets, and its derivative products are still around today.
170
Beehive State native. 3 letters
UTE. The Ute are a group of Native American tribes that now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups.
171
Head for a pub. 3 letters
LOO. In old sailing ships the toilet area for the regular sailors was located in the forward part (the head) of the ship, hence the term "head" that has been used since then for any toilet on board a boat.
172
Place to go in London. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!
173
Start to sneeze?. 3 letters
ESS. The first letter in the word 'sneeze' is S (ess).
174
Singer with the triple-platinum album "The Memory of Trees". 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
175
"And Winter Came ..." artist. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ni Braonain, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
176
Station on the Alaska Highway. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
177
Head of Parliament?. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure.
178
Actor Stephen. 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor, whose most famous role was that of the "retired" IRA man in the brilliant 1992 film "The Crying Game". He also starred in the chilling movie "Stuck", a 2007 film that is based on a true story about a woman who commits a hit and run on a homeless man. The woman leaves the scene of the crime with the victim still "stuck" in her windshield. The woman leaves the man to die in her garage. Chilling, eh? But as I said, a true story ...
179
Memorable 2011 hurricane. 5 letters
IRENE. Hurricane Irene caused extensive flooding in 2011 as it travelled through the Caribbean, up the East Coast of the United States and into the Atlantic seaboard of Canada. The hurricane was unusual in that it came so far up north. Fifty-five deaths were attributed to Irene.
180
Show sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
181
Certain woodwind. 4 letters
OBOE. The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name "oboe" comes from the French "hautbois" which means "high wood". When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you'll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an "A". The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe's "A". Oh, and if you want to read a fun book (almost an "exposé") about life playing the oboe, you might try "Mozart in the Jungle" by oboist Blair Tindall. I heard recently that the folks at HBO are working towards a pilot based on the book, and I can't wait to see it!
182
A pupil is in the middle of it. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
183
Dash. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".
184
Theater sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
185
Reddit Q&A session, briefly. 3 letters
AMA. Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name 'Reddit' is a play on 'read it', as in 'I read it on Reddit'. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for 'ask me anything'), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama's AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.
186
Biblical son begat by a 105-year-old father. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve.
187
Masthead listing, for short. 3 letters
EDS. The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper's editorial board.
188
___ Paradise of "On the Road". 3 letters
SAL. Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" is largely autobiographical, telling the story of Sal Paradise (Jack K.) and the road trips that he and his friends took across the country in the fifties.
189
Org. 4 letters
NASA. The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957, a development that shocked the establishment in the US. Within months, President Eisenhower had made his moves, creating the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
190
Singer with the 4x platinum album "Watermark". 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ni Braonain, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful career. Personally, I don't like her music, as it all sounds the same to me, but she sure does turn up in crosswords a lot!
191
Asia's disappearing ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
192
Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 4 letters
OHIO. I. M. Pei (full name Ieoh Ming Pei) is an exceptional American architect, born in China. Of his many wonderful works, my favorite is the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, especially the Glass Pyramid in the courtyard. I've never visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame building in Cleveland, which he also designed, but from pictures I can see that there are elements that are very similar to Pei's work at the Louvre. There is a steel and glass pyramid protruding from the roof of the Hall of Fame that looks like it came straight from Paris.
193
First numero. 3 letters
UNO. In Italian, one (uno) is the first number (numero).
194
___ soda. 3 letters
SAL. Sodium carbonate is a well known a water softener, and is sold for use in laundry variously described as Sal Soda, Washing Soda and Soda Crystals.
195
___ Sea, waters depleted by irrigation projects. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
196
Prime draft classification. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft is held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objectors available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrants who have completed military service) and 4-D (ministers of religion).
197
Med. 3 letters
ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)
198
Pal of Piglet and Pooh. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's 'Winnie-the-Pooh', Roo was inspired by a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son Christopher Robin.
199
Not completely shut. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
200
"Me, Myself & ___" (Jim Carrey film). 5 letters
IRENE. 'Me, Myself & Irene' is a 2000 comedy film starring Jim Carrey ('Me' and 'Myself') and Renée Zellweger (Irene). The movie is a perfect vehicle for Carrey as his character is a state trooper who develops a second personality after a psychotic breakdown. You can just imagine how Jim Carrey plays that extra, unrepressed persona!
201
Georgia O'Keeffe subject. 4 letters
IRIS. Georgia O'Keeffe was an influential American artist, one who led the introduction of American art into Europe. Famously, she was married to photographer Alfred Stieglitz who helped develop her career in the early days. Georgia O'Keeffe's last home was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she had done a lot of her work during her lifetime. She died there in 1986, at the ripe old age of 98. One of her most famous paintings is from 1926, called "Black Iris III".
202
"Off the Court" autobiographer. 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth he found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents, due to the segregation that still existed in Richmond. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first black player to be so honored. He still ran into trouble because of his ethnicity though, as in 1968 he was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery. He had to have corrective surgery in 1983, and contracted HIV from blood transfusions during the surgery. He eventually passed away in 1993, due to complications from AIDS.
203
Bag-screening org. 3 letters
TSA. The TSA is the Transportation Security Administration, the agency that employs the good folks that check passengers and baggage at airports.
204
Where you might get into hot water?. 3 letters
SPA. The word "spa" comes to us from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a health resort there. The resort's name comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".
205
B'way success sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only
206
Constellation next to Pavo. 3 letters
ARA. The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".
207
Neighbor of Rabbit. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh", Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son, Christopher Robin.
208
Magazine offering "Beauty Tips, Fashion Trends & Celebrity News". 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she". 'Elle' is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.
209
Anthem contraction. 4 letters
O'ER. The words "o'er the land of the free" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key. The lyrics were written first as a poem by Key, inspired by his witnessing of the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith called "The Anacreontic Song", with Anacreontic Society being a men's club in London.
210
W competitor. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she".
211
Govt. 4 letters
OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector. The sole government agency that is regulated by OSHA is the US Postal Service.
212
Civil rights advocate ___ B. 3 letters
IDA. Ida B. Wells worked as an African America journalist, while providing leadership in the civil rights movement. She published a pamphlet in 1892 called "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases", which publicized the horrors of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the South.
213
Head of steam?. 3 letters
ESS. The letter S (ess) is at the head of the word 'steam'.
214
Barbie's beau. 3 letters
KEN. Barbie's male counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken's family name is Carson. Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. When Ken was introduced in 1959, it was as Barbie's boyfriend. In 2004 it was announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up, and needed to spend quality time apart. Soon after the split, Barbie 'met' Blaine, a boogie boarder from Australia.
215
___ acetosella (KHC2O4). 3 letters
SAL. 'Sal acetosella' is a common name for the chemical potassium hydrogenoxalate. It is used commercially in photography, and to remove ink stains. But, it is dangerous stuff and excessive exposure can cause a heart attack and death.
216
Where the Himalayas are. 4 letters
ASIA. The magnificent Himalaya range of mountains in Asia takes its name from the Sanskrit for 'abode of snow'. Geographically, the Himalayas separate the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau to the north.
217
Onetime Texaco competitor. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US but it is still used in many other countries around the world.
218
Cutting-edge product?. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.
219
"30 Rock" co-star Baldwin. 4 letters
ALEC. Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think his big break was playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October", but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin is making a name for himself these days playing Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock", opposite Tina Fey.
220
Father of Harmonia, in myth. 4 letters
ARES. Harmonia was the Greek goddess of harmony and concord. According to some Greek lore, she was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. She is noted for the story of 'the Necklace of Harmonia'. She received the necklace as a gift at her wedding, and it brought bad luck to her and all who wore it.
221
___ of Man. 4 letters
ISLE. The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency, and isn't part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979, and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I've seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.
222
Duck Hunt platform, briefly. 3 letters
NES. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). "Duck Hunt" is video game.
223
"My gal" of song. 3 letters
SAL. "My Gal Sal" is a song written by composer Paul Dresser, and is the name of the movie recounting Dresser's life made in 1942. It stars Victor Mature as Dresser, and Rita Hayworth as Sally Elliott.
224
Canadian business often connected to a Tim Hortons. 4 letters
ESSO. Tim Hortons is a Canadian chain of fast food restaurants that is known especially for its coffee and doughnuts. The chain is named for one of the founders, hockey player Tim Horton.
225
___ 1 (Me.-to-Fla. 3 letters
RTE. US Route 1 runs from Fort Kent in Maine, right down to Key West in Florida.
226
1968 live folk record. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m and 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War after being drafted, based on his criminal record. He had one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
227
Sinus doc. 3 letters
ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)
228
Narrator in Kerouac's "On the Road". 3 letters
SAL. Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" is largely autobiographical, telling the story of Sal Paradise (Jack K.) and the road trips that he and his friends took across the country in the fifties.
229
Letter before Peter in a phonetic alphabet. 4 letters
OBOE. Nowadays we tend to use the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie etc.). Before this was introduced in 1956, the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet was common. This latter series started with Able, Baker, Charlie, with O and P represented by Oboe and Peter. The NATO equivalents for O and P are Oscar and Papa.
230
She, overseas. 4 letters
ELLE. 'Elle' is French for 'she'.
231
Bathroom, in Bath. 3 letters
LOO. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!
232
Pupil's place. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
233
Key. 4 letters
ISLE. A "key" (also "cay") is a low island offshore, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish "cayo" meaning "shoal, reef".
234
Friend of Eeyore. 3 letters
ROO. In A. A. Milne's 'Winnie-the-Pooh' collection of stories, Pooh has many friend in Hundred Acre Wood. Besides Christopher Robin, who doesn't actually live in the wood, the list includes Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Tigger and Owl.
235
Atari 7800 competitor, briefly. 3 letters
NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.
236
Pizarro's gold. 3 letters
ORO. Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro discovered the Incas in 1526, marking the beginning of the end for the ancient civilization, ravaged by the brutal Spanish colonists and by imported smallpox. The last leader of the Incas was Atahualpa. Pizarro staged a mock trial and then condemned Atahualpa to execution by burning. A Spanish friar intervened on behalf of the condemned man, as Atahualpa believed that if he was burned his soul would not move on to the afterlife. Pizarro, was kind enough to have Atahualpa garroted instead.
237
"___ the ramparts ...". 4 letters
O'ER. The words "o'er the rampart we watched" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key. The lyrics were written first as a poem by Key, inspired by his witnessing of the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith called "The Anacreontic Song", with Anacreontic Society being a men's club in London.
238
___ Chicago Grill. 3 letters
UNO. The chain of pizza parlors known today as Uno Chicago Grill used to be called Pizzeria Uno, or just 'Uno's'. Apparently Uno's created the world's first deep dish pizza.
239
Head doc?. 3 letters
ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)
240
Former U.S. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US but it is still used in many other countries.
241
GPS output: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. A Global Positioning System (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).
242
Panache. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".
243
Org. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
244
___ Stadium (facility near Citi Field). 4 letters
ASHE. The Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York opened in 1997 and is the largest outdoor, tennis-only venue in the world. The stadium is sometimes criticized for not having a retractable dome to protect the playing surface from inclement weather.
245
Philosophical lead-in to -ism. 3 letters
TAO. The Chinese character "tao" translates as "path", but the concept of Tao (central to Taoism) signifies the true nature of the world.
246
Perennial succulent. 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.
247
God wounded by Diomedes in the "Iliad". 4 letters
ARES. IN Greek mythology, Diomedes was a hero who participated in the Trojan War. In one engagement, the war god Ares descended onto the battlefield to assist the Trojans. With the help of the goddess Athena, Diomedes attacked Ares by throwing his spear and wounding him in the stomach. Area screamed with the voice of 10,000 men and fled the scene.
248
Museum funding org. 3 letters
NEA. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and financing for artistic projects. The NEA was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170 million annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100 million in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150 million mark. I wonder how long that will last though ...
249
Place to get a facial. 3 letters
SPA. The word "spa" migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a health resort there. The name "Spa" comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".
250
Pizazz. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".
251
What the French might call 62-Across. 4 letters
ELLE. 'Elle' is the French word for 'she', and sometimes 'her'.
252
Place to fill up in Canada. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
253
Immigrant's course: Abbr.. 3 letters
ESL. English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
254
___ vera. 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.
255
Worker welfare grp. 4 letters
OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector only, the one exception being the US Postal Service.
256
Understanding. 3 letters
KEN. Ken' is a noun meaning 'understanding, perception'. One might say, for example, 'half the clues in Saturday's crossword are beyond my ken, beyond my understanding'.
257
Number of colors on the Italian flag. 3 letters
TRE. The Italian tricolor is made up of three vertical blocks of green, white and red. The three colors have been said to signify many different things. One interpretation is that the green represents the country's plains and hills, the white represents the snowy Alps and the red represents blood spilt in the Wars of Italian Independence.
258
Guthrie of Rising Son Records. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
259
Airport screening grp. 3 letters
TSA. The TSA is the Transportation Security Administration, the agency that employs the good folks that check passengers and baggage at airports.
260
Prime draft classification. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).
261
Grammy-winning James. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.
262
___ Cruces, N.M. 3 letters
LAS. Las Cruces (Spanish for "the crosses") is the second largest city in the state of New Mexico, and is the home of New Mexico State University.
263
Uno + due. 3 letters
TRE. 'One, two, three' in Italian is "uno, due, tre".
264
Karina in many a Jean-Luc Godard film. 4 letters
ANNA. Anna Karina is a French actress who was originally from Denmark. Karina as appeared in a lot of movies directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Karina and Godard married in 1961, in the middle of shooting 'A Woman Is a Woman', one of their most famous collaborations. The marriage was always tense according to all accounts, and only lasted a few years.
265
Founder of the record label Aftermath Entertainment, familiarly. 3 letters
DRE. Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
266
Almond-ish hue. 4 letters
ECRU. The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word "ecru" comes from French and means "raw, unbleached". "Ecru" has the same roots as our word "crude".
267
Govt. 3 letters
NEA. The National Endowment for the Arts is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and financing for artistic projects. It was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170 million annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100 million in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150 million mark.
268
"Toy Story 3" character. 3 letters
KEN. I haven't seen Pixar's "Toy Story 3", but I hear it is excellent. It is so successful that it is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and has brought in over a billion dollars worldwide. In the movie, Ken is a smooth-talking doll that falls in love with Barbie. Ken is voiced by actor Michael Keaton.
269
Swedish home furnishings chain. 4 letters
IKEA. Did you know that IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 .... when he was just 17-years-old??!!
270
Article in El País. 3 letters
LAS. 'El País' is a national daily newspaper published in Spain. 'El País' is Spanish for 'The Country'.
271
Subject of four Sports Illustrated covers between 1966 and 1993. 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
272
Publishers' hirees, for short. 3 letters
EDS. Editor (ed.)
273
Org. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
274
Cabell who was the 1978 N.L. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos Cabell was a Major League Baseball player who played for most of the seventies and eighties. Sadly, one of his claims to fame is that he was suspended for the entire 1986 season after having admitted cocaine abuse before a grand jury, in the so called "Pittsburgh drug trials".
275
Ruler of Muscovy. 4 letters
TSAR. The Tsardom of Russia began in 1547 with the crowning of Ivan IV, who later became known as Ivan the Terrible. Prior to the creation of the tsardom, the principality centered on Moscow was known as the Grand Duchy of Moscow, or 'Muscovy' in English.
276
Night sch. 3 letters
ESL. English as a Second Language.
277
Leave in, as text. 4 letters
STET. "Stet" is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.
278
Masthead figures, for short. 3 letters
EDS. The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper's editorial board.
279
Pooh pal. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh", Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son, Christopher Robin.
280
Tolstoy's Karenina. 4 letters
ANNA. I have to admit to not having read the Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina", but I did see the excellent 1977 British television adaptation starring Nicola Pagett.
281
Open a tad. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
282
Part of an archipelago. 4 letters
ISLE. 'Archipelago' is a name often used for a group or chain of islands. 'Archipelago' is our spelling of the Italian 'arcipelago', a word that has Greek roots. 'Arcipelago' was the proper name for the Aegean Sea in Greek, a word that was eventually used for the Aegean Islands.
283
MapQuest abbr. 3 letters
RTE. MapQuest is a very popular Internet site, one that provides driving directions and maps. MapQuest is actually owned by AOL.
284
Can of Cornwall?. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the toilet was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s as toilets moved indoors they often displaced clothes in a "closet", as a closet was just the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure.
285
Lupino of "High Sierra". 3 letters
IDA. Actress Ida Lupino was also a successful director, in the days when women weren't very welcome behind the camera. She had already directed four "woman's" shorts when she stepped in to direct the 1953 drama "The Hitch-Hiker", taking over when the original director became ill. "The Hitch-Hiker" was the first film noir movie to be directed by a woman, and somewhat of a breakthrough for women in the industry.
286
First name in blues. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.
287
Frequent foe of Wonder Woman. 4 letters
ARES. Wonder Woman first appeared in print in 1941, in a publication from DC Comics. As she was created during WWII, Wonder Woman's first foes were the axis powers. In the less realistic world her biggest foe was and still is Ares, a "baddie" named for the Greek mythological figure.
288
"Shepherd Moons" Grammy winner. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. And she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
289
Spanish doubloon material. 3 letters
ORO. The doubloon was a Spanish gold coin worth two escudos. The name comes from the Spanish 'doblón' which means 'double'.
290
"Alice's Restaurant" singer Guthrie. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
291
German Expressionist ___ Dix. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Dix was a German painter and printmaker. Dix fought in the military in WWI and was profoundly affected by his experiences. Many of his artistic works reflected those experiences.
292
First lady McKinley. 3 letters
IDA. Ida Saxton met Bill McKinley at a picnic in 1867, just before she headed off to Europe on a "grand tour". So, the two had to wait until 1869 before they started courting. The couple married in 1871 in Canton, Ohio, Ida's hometown. Ida McKinley developed epilepsy before her husband was elected to President of the US and became very dependent on him to provide physical and moral support. She always sat by his side at public functions, breaking with the tradition of the President hosting some of the guests, and the First Lady others. After her husband was assassinated, Mrs. McKinley could not bring herself to attend her husband's funeral, and then withdrew from public view to her home in Canton. She passed away six years after her husband, in 1907.
293
The "O" in F. 4 letters
OTTO. FAO Schwarz is perhaps the most famous, and is certainly the oldest toy store in the United States. The FAO Schwarz outlet on Fifth Avenue in New York City has been made very famous by Hollywood. For example, in the New York Store you can see that floor piano that was played by Tom Hanks in the movie 'Big'. The store was founded as Toy Bazaar in 1862 by an immigrant from Germany named Frederick August Otto Schwarz.
294
Trivia whiz Jennings. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Jennings is a remarkable man, the person who had the longest winning streak on television's 'Jeopardy'. He was defeated after 75 appearances on the show, after racking up over $2.5 million in the prior episodes.
295
Confucian doctrine. 3 letters
TAO. The Chinese character "tao" translates as "path", but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.
296
Barbados, e.g. 4 letters
ISLE. Now that Barbados is an independent country, by all measures it is a very developed country. Using the Human Development Index (HDI), Barbados is the third most developed country in the western hemisphere, coming up right behind the US and Canada.
297
Cortés's quest. 3 letters
ORO. Hernán Cortés was the Spanish Conquistador who led the 16th-century expedition to North America that brought an end to the Aztec Empire.
298
Athlete who wrote "A Hard Road to Glory". 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
299
Mineo of film. 3 letters
SAL. Sal Mineo's most famous role was that of John "Plate" Crawford, the kid who was in awe of the James Dean character in "Rebel Without a Cause". Sadly, Mineo was murdered in 1976 when he was just 37 years old. He was attacked in the alley behind his Los Angeles apartment and stabbed through the heart. When an arrest was made it was discovered that the murderer had no idea that his victim was a celebrity and was just intent on robbery.
300
Woodstock artist Guthrie. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
301
Dutch export. 4 letters
EDAM. Edam cheese takes the name after the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. It is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps it travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. This means that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.
302
Treasure lost on the Spanish Main. 3 letters
ORO. 'Oro' is Spanish for 'gold'.
303
"Eternally nameless" Chinese concept. 3 letters
TAO. The Chinese character "tao" translates as "path", but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.
304
2014 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film. 3 letters
IDA. The 2013 Polish film 'Ida' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2014. The film tells the story of a young woman and her aunt on a road trip investigating the death of the younger's parents during the Holocaust.
305
Treasure lost on the Spanish Main. 3 letters
ORO. 'Oro' is Spanish for 'gold'.
306
Reinstate, in a way. 4 letters
STET. "Stet" is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.
307
Archipelago part. 4 letters
ISLE. 'Archipelago' is a name often used for a group or chain of islands. 'Archipelago' is our spelling of the Italian 'arcipelago', a word that has Greek roots. 'Arcipelago' was the proper name for the Aegean Sea in Greek, a word that was eventually used for the Aegean Islands.
308
Four-time Best New Age Album Grammy winner. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
309
Glamour rival. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she". 'Elle' is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.
310
She was the "I" in "The King and I". 4 letters
ANNA. The King and I' is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called 'Anna and the King of Siam' first published in 1944. Landon's book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king's wives.
311
Altogether it's worth the most bonus troops in Risk. 4 letters
ASIA. Risk is a fabulous board game, first sold in France in 1957. It was invented by a very successful French director of short films called Albert Lamorisse. He called his new game "La Conquête du Monde", which translates into English as "The Conquest of the World". A game of Risk is a must during the holidays in our house ...
312
Alice's chronicler. 4 letters
ARLO. "Alice's Restaurant Masacree" is the name of the Arlo Guthrie song, all 18m 48s of it, that takes up one whole side of the album "Alice's Restaurant".
313
Something a U.P.S. driver has: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. Route (rte.)
314
Eugene O'Neill's "___ Christie". 4 letters
ANNA. Eugene O'Neill won a Pulitzer for his play "Anna Christie".
315
Direction at sea. 4 letters
ALEE. "Alee" is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he is pointing "aweather".
316
Numero di R's in "arrivederci". 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, the number of Rs (numero di Rs) in the word 'arrivederci' is three (tre).
317
Irish pop star. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ni Braonain, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful career. Personally, I don't like her music, as it all sounds the same to me, but she sure does turn up in crosswords a lot!
318
Masthead listings, for short. 3 letters
EDS. The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper's editorial board.
319
Place to go in England?. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!
320
Fast jet, for short. 3 letters
SST. The most famous SuperSonic Transport was the Concorde, all of which are now grounded. Concorde had that famous "droop nose". The nose was moved to the horizontal position during flight to create the optimum aerodynamic shape thereby reducing drag. The nose was lowered during taxi, takeoff and landing, so that the pilot had better visibility. The need for the droop nose was driven largely by the delta-shaped wings on Concorde. The delta wing necessitates a higher angle of attack than conventional wing designs, so the pilot needed the nose lowered so that he or she could see the ground.
321
Onetime J.F.K. 4 letters
SSTS. SuperSonic Transports, like the Concorde, broke Mach 1, the speed of sound. They're all grounded now.
322
"At Last" singer James. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James is best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she discloses in her autobiography, James has lived a life that has been ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.
323
Subject for Watson and Crick. 3 letters
DNA. Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA had a double-helix, chain-like structure, and published their results in Cambridge in 1953. To this day the discovery is mired in controversy, as some crucial results collected by fellow researcher Rosalind Franklin were used without her permission or even knowledge.
324
Dash. 4 letters
ELAN. Elan: ardor inspired by passion or enthusiasm. I guess that could be "dash".
325
Fit for service. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft is held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objectors available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrants who have completed military service) and 4-D (ministers of religion).
326
Stephen of "Citizen X". 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast. Rea's most successful role was Fergus in 1992's 'The Crying Game', for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In 'The Crying Game', Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.
327
Barely open. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
328
Relative of a bassoon. 4 letters
OBOE. The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name "oboe" comes from the French "hautbois" which means "high wood". When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you'll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an "A". The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe's "A".
329
Stephen of "V for Vendetta". 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor, whose most famous role was that of the "retired" IRA man in the brilliant 1992 film "The Crying Game". He also starred in the chilling movie "Stuck", a 2007 film that is based on a true story about a woman who commits a hit and run on a homeless man. The woman leaves the scene of the crime with the victim still "stuck" in her windshield. The woman then leaves the man to die in her garage. Chilling, eh? But as I said, a true story ...
330
Capri or Man. 4 letters
ISLE. The island of Capri off the coast of Southern Italy has been a tourist resort since the days of ancient Rome. Capri is home to the famous Blue Grotto, a sea cave that is illuminated with sunlight that's colored blue as it passes through the seawater into the cave.
331
Mrs. 3 letters
IDA. Ida Saxton met Bill McKinley at a picnic in 1867, just before she headed off to Europe on a "grand tour". So, the two had to wait until 1869 before they started courting. The couple married in 1871 in Canton, Ohio, Ida's hometown. Ida McKinley developed epilepsy before her husband was elected to President of the US and became very dependent on him to provide physical and moral support. She always sat by his side at public functions, breaking with the tradition of the President hosting some of the guests, and the First Lady others. After her husband was assassinated, Mrs. McKinley could not bring herself to attend her husband's funeral, and then withdrew from public view to her home in Canton. She passed away six years after her husband, in 1907.
332
Not fully open. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
333
One-third of nove. 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, one third of 'nove' (nine) is 'tre' (three).
334
Panache. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".
335
Baldwin of "30 Rock". 4 letters
ALEC. Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think his big break really was playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October", but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. He is making a name for himself these days playing Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock".
336
Peter the Great, e.g. 4 letters
TSAR. Peter the Great was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country's sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.
337
Baldwin of "30 Rock". 4 letters
ALEC. Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec's big break was playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October", but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin made a name for himself in recent times playing Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock", opposite Tina Fey. He has also hosted the sketch show 'Saturday Night Live' on more occasions than anyone else (16 times).
338
Java setting. 4 letters
ASIA. Java is a large island in Indonesia, and home to the country's capital, Jakarta. With a population of over 130 million, Java is the most populous island in the world, with even more people than Honshu, the main island of Japan. It has a large population for the size of the island, making it one of the more densely populated locations on the planet.
339
Eye part. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye that has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
340
Old U.S. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of Standard and Oil (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but it is still used all over the rest of the world.
341
Blade handle?. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword constructors, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.
342
Copy editor's mark. 4 letters
STET. "Stet" is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.
343
Eye piece. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
344
Ireland's best-selling solo artist. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland's best-selling solo musician. And ... she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
345
Ryan of "The Beverly Hillbillies". 5 letters
IRENE. Irene Ryan was the wonderful American actress who played "Granny" on "The Beverly Hillbillies". Ryan was a remarkable in that she had a successful career in vaudeville, on radio and television, on film and on Broadway.
346
Launcher launched in 1958. 4 letters
NASA. The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957, a development that shocked the establishment in the US. Within months, President Eisenhower had made his moves, creating the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
347
"No seats left," in short. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
348
Mens ___ (criminal intent). 3 letters
REA. "Mens rea" is Latin for "guilty mind" and is a central concept in criminal law. The concept is expanded to "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea" meaning "the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty". In other words, a someone should not be deemed guilty of an act, unless he or she had a "guilty mind", intended to do wrong.
349
Traveler's checks, for short?. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
350
Understanding. 3 letters
KEN. Ken' is a noun meaning 'understanding, perception'. One might say, for example, 'half the clues in Saturday's crossword are beyond my ken, beyond my understanding'.
351
Indicator of second thoughts. 4 letters
STET. "Stet" is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" beside the change and then underscoring the change with a line of dots (or dashes).
352
Jazzy James or Jones. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James is best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she discloses in her autobiography, James has lived a life that has been ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.
353
Online Q&A session. 3 letters
AMA. Ask me anything (AMA)
354
James who was portrayed by Beyoncé. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.
355
Palindromic man. 4 letters
OTTO. The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:
356
___ Palmas (province of Spain). 3 letters
LAS. The Spanish province of Las Palmas comprises about half of the islands of Gran Canaria, and several other small islands, located off the northwest coast of Africa. Gran Canaria is perhaps better known as the 'Canary Islands' in English.
357
Janis's comic-strip husband. 4 letters
ARLO. "Arlo and Janis" is written by Jimmy Johnson.
358
Part of the Old World. 4 letters
ASIA. The Old World is basically that part of the planet that isn't the New World (the Americas). The Old World is made up of the three regions where ancient classical civilizations thrived, namely Africa, Asia and Europe.
359
Pal of Pooh. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh", Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne's son, Christopher Robin.
360
Producer for 50 Cent, familiarly. 3 letters
DRE. Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. He is perhaps as well known for his own singing career as he is for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dog, Eminem and 50 Cent.
361
Certain M.D. 3 letters
ENT. An Ear, Nose and Throat specialist is an ENT.
362
Amount over due?. 3 letters
TRE. 'One, two, three' in Italian is "uno, due, tre".
363
Former fast jets. 4 letters
SSTS. The SuperSonic Transports, like Concorde, are all grounded now.
364
Trident-shaped Greek letter. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork. It is the 23rd letter of the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet.
365
Curative locale. 3 letters
SPA. The word "spa" migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a health resort there. The name "Spa" comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".
366
Panache. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours, i.e "style" or "flair".
367
Genetic info carrier. 3 letters
DNA. I've always been fascinated by the fact that the DNA of living things is so very similar across different species. Human DNA is almost exactly the same for every individual (to the degree of 99.9%). However, those small differences are sufficient to distinguish one individual from another, and to determine whether or not individuals are close family relations.
368
Coach Parseghian. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as "The Era of Ara".
369
Gaming inits. 3 letters
NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.
370
Spring bloom. 4 letters
IRIS. Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term 'iris' is a Greek word meaning 'rainbow'.
371
Editorial reconsideration. 4 letters
STET. Stet is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" beside the change, and then underscoring the change with a line of dots (or dashes).
372
What's extracted from soil to get oil?. 3 letters
ESS. What a great clue ... extract the S from the front of the word s-oil, and you get "oil".
373
First razor with a pivoting head. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.
374
Spanish treasure. 3 letters
ORO. 'Oro' is the Spanish for 'gold'.
375
Subj. 3 letters
ESL. English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
376
Canadian gas brand. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of 'Standard' and 'Oil' (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
377
Game with Skip and Draw 2 cards. 3 letters
UNO. In my youth I remember being taught a great card game by a German acquaintance of mine called Mau Mau. Years later I discover that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose printed deck, instead of the regular deck used for Mau Mau.
378
Beats by ___ (popular headphone brand). 3 letters
DRE. Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products that was founded by rapper Dr. Dre.
379
Classic game console letters. 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one somewhere ...
380
London can. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!
381
One of the Three Rivers. 4 letters
OHIO. The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is situated at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, as they form the Ohio River, giving rise to the nickname for the area "Three Rivers".
382
Constellation near Scorpius. 3 letters
ARA. The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".
383
Top draft status. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).
384
Razor brand. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. It was sold as the Contour in some markets, and its derivative products are still around today.
385
Leave in. 4 letters
STET. "Stet" is the Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" beside the change and then underscoring the change with a line of dots (or dashes).
386
Old Russian ruler. 4 letters
TSAR. The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. "Czar" is derived from the word "Caesar", which was synonymous with "emperor" at that time.
387
Peter the Great, e.g. 4 letters
TSAR. Peter the Great was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country's sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.
388
M.D. 3 letters
ENT. An Ear, Nose and Throat specialist is an ENT.
389
Subj. 3 letters
ESL. (6D. See 5-Down : ALIEN)
390
Penultimate Greek letter. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.It is the second last letter in the Greek alphabet, just before omega.
391
Op-___. 3 letters
EDS. Op-Ed is an abbreviation for "opposite the editorial page". Op-Eds started in "The New York Evening World" in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.
392
Job conditions agcy. 4 letters
OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector. OSHA regulates just one government agency, the US Postal Service.
393
W alternative. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she".
394
What makes a cat scat?. 3 letters
ESS. The word 'cat' becomes 'scat' with the addition of the letter S (ess).
395
Bath bathroom. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!
396
Actor Stephen. 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast. Rea's most successful role was Fergus in 1992's 'The Crying Game', for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In 'The Crying Game', Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.
397
Sellout sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only (SRO).
398
He sang about Alice's restaurant. 4 letters
ARLO. "Alice's Restaurant Masacree" is the name of the Arlo Guthrie song, all 18m 48s of it, that takes up one whole side of the album "Alice's Restaurant".
399
Grandson of Eve. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve.
400
Full house indicator. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
401
Place with complimentary towels. 3 letters
SPA. The word "spa" migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name "spa" comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".
402
Magazine title that's a pronoun. 4 letters
ELLE. "Elle" magazine was founded in 1945, and today has the biggest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. "Elle" is the French word for "she".
403
Grandson of Adam and Eve. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve.
404
Head overseas. 3 letters
LOO. When I was growing up in Ireland, a "bathroom" was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called "the toilet" or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a "closet", as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term "loo" comes from Waterloo (water-closet ... water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of "lanterloo" in which the pot was called the loo!
405
Asia's ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is great example of how man can have a devastating effect on the environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the original lake's volume gone. Sad ...
406
Part of a forensic database. 3 letters
DNA. I've always been fascinated by the fact that the DNA of living things is so very similar across different species. Human DNA is almost exactly the same for every individual (to the degree of 99.9%). However, those small differences are sufficient to distinguish one individual from another, and to determine whether or not individuals are close family relations.
407
Game with Wild cards. 3 letters
UNO. In my youth I remember being taught a great card game by a German acquaintance of mine, a game called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that's used for Mau Mau.
408
Gillette model. 4 letters
ATRA. The Atra was introduced by Gillette in 1977, and sold as the Contour in some markets, and its derivative products are still around today.
409
Sol mates?. 3 letters
LAS. Do re mi ... sol la ...
410
"On the Road" narrator ___ Paradise. 3 letters
SAL. Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" is largely autobiographical, telling the story of Sal Paradise (Jack K.) and the road trips that he and his friends took across the country in the fifties.
411
Petro-Canada competitor. 4 letters
ESSO. The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of "Standard" and "Oil" (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
412
___ Sea, victim of Soviet irrigation projects. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
413
Project Mercury primate. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was a chimpanzee that was launched into Earth orbit in 1961 by NASA on a Mercury Atlas 4 rocket. Enos's flight was a rehearsal for the first orbital flight made by an American, astronaut John Glenn. Enos returned from his mission safely, but died the following year from dysentery.
414
O'Neill's "___ Christie". 4 letters
ANNA. Eugene O'Neill won a Pulitzer for his play "Anna Christie".
415
Husband of Otrera. 4 letters
ARES. Otrera was a Queen of the Amazons in Greek mythology, and the consort of Ares, the Greek god of war.
416
Singer James. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.
417
Driver's assignment: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. Route (rte.)
418
Tolstoy's "___ Karenina". 4 letters
ANNA. I have to admit to not having read Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina", but I did see the excellent 1977 British television adaptation starring Nicola Pagett. Most regard the 1935 film starring Greta Garbo in the title role as the definitive big screen adaptation of the novel.
419
Prime draft status. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).
420
Palliative plant. 4 letters
ALOE. To 'palliate' is to relieve the symptoms of a disease or disorder, without effecting any form of a cure. 'Palliate' comes from the Latin 'palliatus' meaning 'cloaked'.
421
"A Death in the Family" author. 4 letters
AGEE. James Agee was a noted American film critic. He wrote an autobiographical novel "A Death in the Family" that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously.
422
Singer James. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James is best known for her rendition of "At Last". Sadly, she discloses in her autobiography, Etta James has lived a life that has been ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.
423
"The Rubáiyát" poet ___ Khayyám. 4 letters
OMAR. Omar Khayyam was a Persian with may talents beyond writing poetry. He was also an important mathematician, astronomer and physician. A selection of his poems were translated by one Edward Fitzgerald in a collection called "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam".
424
Grandson of Adam. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve.
425
Half brother of Athena. 4 letters
ARES. In Greek mythology the god Ares was the half-brother of the goddess Athena, although the two were regarded as enemies. Both deities are associated with war, with Athena representing strategic warfare whereas Ares is linked to momentary, passionate violence.
426
Palindromic emperor. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto I through Otto VI were all Holy Roman Emperors.
427
Shade of many a lampshade. 4 letters
ECRU. The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word "ecru" comes from French and means "raw, unbleached". "Ecru" has the same roots as our word "crude".
428
Like a door that doesn't afford complete privacy. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
429
Slaughter in baseball. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos Slaughter has a remarkable playing record in Major League Baseball, over a 19-year career. His record is particularly remarkable given that he left baseball for three years to serve in the military during WWII.
430
Coach Parseghian. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as "The Era of Ara".
431
M.D. 3 letters
ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)
432
Teachers' grp. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
433
Song girl who's "sweet as apple cider". 3 letters
IDA. 'Ida! Sweet as Apple Cider' is a song that dates back to 1903 when it was written by Eddie Leonard and Eddie Munson.
434
Direction at sea. 4 letters
ALEE. The direction "alee" is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he is pointing "aweather".
435
James of jazz. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta James is best known for her beautiful rendition of the song "At Last". Sadly, as she discloses in her autobiography, James has lived a life that has been ravaged by drug addiction, leading to numerous legal and health problems.
436
Worker protection agcy. 4 letters
OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector. The sole government agency that is regulated by OSHA is the US Postal Service.
437
Flourish. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word "élan" was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e "style" or "flair".
438
Pressure meas. 3 letters
PSI. Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.
439
Gillette product. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. It was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.
440
Air passenger protection org. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
441
"Blueberries for ___" (classic children's book). 3 letters
SAL. Blueberries for Sal' is a children's storybook by Robert McCloskey.
442
New Age singer from Ireland. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
443
One of just 12 in Alaska: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. There are 12 Alaska Routes, numbered Alaska Route 1 through Alaska Route 11, with the last named Alaska Route 98. Route 98 is also called the Klondike Highway and is named for the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush.
444
Its website has lesson plans, briefly. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
445
Cádiz condiment. 3 letters
SAL. In Spanish, one might partner set the pepper (pimienta) by the salt (sal).
446
On the safe side, at sea. 4 letters
ALEE. "Alee" is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing "aweather".
447
Light wind?. 4 letters
OBOE. The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name "oboe" comes from the French "hautbois" which means "high wood". When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you'll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an "A". The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe's "A".
448
Largest labor union in the U.S. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
449
Boffo show sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only (SRO).
450
On the safe side. 4 letters
ALEE. The direction "alee" is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he is pointing "aweather".
451
Cracked. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
452
Baseball's Bando. 3 letters
SAL. Sal Bando is a former Major League Baseball player and baseball executive.
453
Model ___ Nicole Smith. 4 letters
ANNA. The TV personality Anna Nicole Smith's real name was Vickie Marshall. Smith worked as a model and gained fame after being named Playboy's 'Playmate of the Year' in 1993. She hit the gossip columns when she married an 89-year-old business mogul in 1994 when she herself was just 26-years-old. Her husband died just 14 months later, leaving Smith to fight an unsuccessful court battle over the inheritance of his estate.
454
Comprehension. 3 letters
KEN. Ken' is a noun meaning 'understanding, perception'. One might say, for example, 'half the clues in Saturday's crossword are beyond my ken, beyond my understanding'.
455
Coveted medalla material. 3 letters
ORO. In Spanish, a medal (medallo) might be made out of gold (oro).
456
___ corde (piano pedaling direction). 3 letters
TRE. The use of the soft pedal on a piano is notated with the words 'una corde' or 'due corde' as the instruction to begin use of the pedal. The instruction 'tre corde' or 'tutte le corde' denote when the pedal should be released.
457
1975 Wimbledon winner. 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth he found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in Richmond. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first black player to be so honored. He still ran into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery. He had to have corrective heart surgery in 1983, and contracted HIV from blood transfusions during the procedure. Ashe passed away in 1993, due to complications from AIDS.
458
___ Chicago Grill. 3 letters
UNO. The chain of pizza parlors known today as Uno Chicago Grill used to be called Pizzeria Uno, or just 'Uno's'. Apparently Uno's created the world's first deep dish pizza.
459
Title derived from the name "Caesar". 4 letters
TSAR. The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. "Czar" is derived from the word "Caesar", which was synonymous with "emperor" at that time.
460
Rap's Dr. 3 letters
DRE. Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dog, Eminem and 50 Cent.
461
Genetic stuff. 3 letters
DNA. I've always been fascinated by the fact that the DNA of living things is so very similar across different species. Human DNA is almost exactly the same for every individual (to the degree of 99.9%). However, those small differences are sufficient to distinguish one individual from another, and to determine whether or not individuals are close family relations.
462
Mens ___ (legal term). 3 letters
REA. "Mens rea" is Latin for "guilty mind" and is a central concept in criminal law. The concept is expanded to "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea" meaning "the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty". In other words, a someone should not be deemed guilty of an act, unless he or she had a "guilty mind", intended to do wrong.
463
Fashion editor Wintour. 4 letters
ANNA. Anna Wintour is fashion editor in Britain, and is also the editor-in-chief of American "Vogue". Lauren Weisberger wrote the book "The Devil Wears Prada" with the tyrannical main character apparently based on Wintour.
464
Muckraker Tarbell. 3 letters
IDA. Ida Tarbell was a teacher and what we would call today an "investigative journalist", although back in her day she was known as a "muckraker". Tarbell's most famous work is her 1904 book "The History of the Standard Oil Company". This exposé is credited with hastening the breakup of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil in 1911.
465
Belligerent son of Zeus. 4 letters
ARES. The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
466
Dot in an atlas. 4 letters
ISLE. The famous Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator published his first collection of maps in 1578. Mercator's collection contained a frontispiece with an image of Atlas the Titan from Greek mythology holding up the world on his shoulders. That image gave us our term "atlas".
467
Manhattan, e.g. 4 letters
ISLE. The island we know as Manhattan was inhabited by the Lenape Indians when the first Europeans explorers arrived in the area. According to the logbook of one of the officers on Henry Hudson's yacht, the island was called "Manna-hata" in the local language, from which the modern name derives.
468
Barely open. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word "ajar" is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which "a char" means "slightly open".
469
1980s U.S. 4 letters
ASHE. Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
470
Letter before omega. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.
471
Number of weeks in il Giro d'Italia. 3 letters
TRE. The Giro d'Italia (in English, the Tour of Italy), is one of the three big touring races in the sport of professional cycling:
472
Kazakh/Uzbek ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is another great example of how man can have a devastating effect on the environment. In early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
473
Asia's ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how humans can have a devastating effect on their environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
474
PBS supporter, for short. 3 letters
NEA. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and financing for artistic projects. The NEA was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170 million annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100 million in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150 million mark. I wonder how long that will last though ...
475
Airport worker's org. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
476
___ Sea, now four lakes. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad ...
477
Chris who sang "The Road to Hell," 1989. 3 letters
REA. Chris Rea is a singer-songwriter and respected blues guitar player from England. Rea's biggest hit is a song that he wrote himself called 'Fool (If You Think It's Over'), released in 1978.
478
Carry-on checkers: Abbr.. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
479
Grp. 3 letters
AMA. Like all of Michael Moore's films, his 2007 documentary "Sicko" tends to polarize his audience. The film deals with the health care system in the United States, comparing it with the systems in place in other countries. Having lived in two of the countries covered in the movie, France and the UK, I can attest that the basic facts presented about those foreign health care systems are accurate. Now Moore's style of presentation of those facts ... that might give rise to some debate ...
480
Super ___ (old video game console). 3 letters
NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.
481
GPS course: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. A Global Positioning System (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).
482
Otorhinolaryngology, familiarly. 3 letters
ENT. An otolaryngologist is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon). The term 'otolaryngology' comes from the Greek words 'otos' (ear), 'rhis' (nose), 'larynx' (larynx) and '-logia' (study).
483
Letters on a radial. 3 letters
PSI. Pounds per square inch (PSI)
484
New Age star from Ireland. 4 letters
ENYA. Enya's real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!
485
Professional org. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
486
Workplace watchdog, for short. 4 letters
OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces, but only in the private sector, the one exception being the US Postal Service.
487
Suitable for induction. 5 letters
ONE-A. The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).
488
Adult ed course, often. 3 letters
ESL. English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
489
Series opener?. 3 letters
ESS. The letter S (ess) is the first letter in the word 'series'.
490
___ Vegas. 3 letters
LAS. Back in the 1800s, the Las Vegas Valley was given its name from the extensive meadows ("las vegas" is Spanish for "the meadows") present in the area courtesy of the artesian wells drilled by local farmers. Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1905, in the days when it was a stopping-off point for pioneers travelling west. It eventually became a railroad town, although with the coming of the railroad growth halted as travelers began to bypass Las Vegas. The city's tourism industry took off in 1935 with the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam, which is still a popular attraction. Then gambling was legalized, and things really started to move. Vegas was picked, largely by celebrated figures in "the mob", as a convenient location across the California/Nevada state line that could service the vast population of Los Angeles. As a result, Las Vegas is the most populous US city founded in the 20th century (Chicago is the most populous city founded in the 19th century, just in case you were wondering).
491
Palindromic constellation. 3 letters
ARA. The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for "altar".
492
Western tribe. 3 letters
UTE. The Ute is a group of Native American tribes that now resides in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups.
493
Cultural support org. 3 letters
NEA. The National Endowment for the Arts is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and funding for artistic projects. It was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170m annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100m in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150m mark
494
The Altar. 3 letters
ARA. The Ara Paci Augustae, the Altar of Augustan Peace, is often just called the Ara or Ara Pacis. It is an altar that was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor the return of Caesar Augustus after his conquests in Hispania and Gaul. It stood at the northern outskirts of Rome, and over the centuries was covered by silt as it was located in the flood plain of the river Tiber. It was excavated and much of the altar recovered over recent centuries, although as usual, parts of the altar have found their way into the major museums around the world. Much of the altar was reconstructed and placed inside a protective building under the orders of dictator Benito Mussolini in 1938. A new building was built to house the altar in 2006.
495
___ lab. 3 letters
DNA. I've always been fascinated by the fact that the DNA of living things is so very similar across different species. Human DNA is almost exactly the same for every individual (to the degree of 99.9%). However, those small differences are sufficient to distinguish one individual from another, and to determine whether or not individuals are close family relations.
496
Man or Manhattan. 4 letters
ISLE. The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn't part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I've seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.
497
Course for new U.S. 3 letters
ESL. English as Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
498
Woman's name that sounds like a letter. 4 letters
ELLE. The female name 'Elle' sounds like the letter L (el).
499
Producer of workplace regs. 4 letters
OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector, and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.
500
First name in folk. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
