output_trainer_2_3 Flashcards
One-sixth of diciotto. 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, one sixth of eighteen (diciotto) is three (tre).
Teachers’ org. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, mainly representing public school teachers.
Trucker’s circuit: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. Route (rte.)
Conquistador’s booty. 3 letters
ORO. Conquistador is the Spanish for “conqueror”.
Member of a 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.
U.S.P.S. 3 letters
RTE. The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government’s right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Tale of ___ Saltan”. 4 letters
TSAR. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera ‘The Tale of Tsar Saltan’ is based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin. The opera is perhaps best remembered as the source of the delightful orchestral interlude known as the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’.
Mach3 forerunner. 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.
Woody offshoot?. 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.
Docs united. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
Hundred Acre Wood denizen. 3 letters
ROO. Hundred Acre Wood is where Winnie the Pooh lives with his friends. According to a map illustrating the books by A. A. Milne, Hundred Acre Wood is part of a larger forest, with Owl’s house sitting right at the center.
Cette fille, e.g. 4 letters
ELLE. In French, she (elle) is that girl (cette fille) over there.
___ 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).
“Bearded” flower. 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.
___ 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.
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”.
Inits. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks. TSA personnel carry out the baggage and body searches at US airports. The TSA has a Trusted Traveler program that allows certain passengers to move more quickly through security screening. These passengers pay the TSA a one-time fee that covers a background check after which successful applicants are issued a Known Traveler Number (KTN).
Omega preceder. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.
___ Sea (inland body with high salinity). 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 …
Gillette razor brand. 4 letters
ATRA. Fortunately for crossword setters, Gillette introduced the Atra razor in 1977.
Place to relax. 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”.
Unlatched, say. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
Bio subject. 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.
Bus driver on “The Simpsons”. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Mann drives the school bus on “The Simpsons”. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Otto is a Germanic character, and his name is a play on the Ottoman Empire. When Bart sees him, he greets him with “Otto, man!”
A.A.A. 3 letters
RTE. The American Automobile Association is a not-for-profit organization, focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. It was founded in 1902 in Chicago, and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.
Next-to-last Greek letter. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.
___ of Capri. 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. Natives of Capri are known as ‘Capriotes’.
Course for a prospective citizen, for short. 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).
Place to relax. 3 letters
SPA. The word “spa” comes to us from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a health resort there. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.
Introduction to a Spanish count?. 3 letters
UNO. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro!
U.S.P.S. assignment: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government’s right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And, the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.
“Tell Mama” 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.
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”.
“The Touch of Your Hand” lyricist Harbach. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Harbach was a very successful librettist and lyricist. He was responsible for the words of many celebrated songs including ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ and ‘Indian Love Call’.
Colorful ring. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye, which has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
Actor Stephen. 3 letters
REA. Stephen Rea is an actor from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Rea’s big break in movies came with his role in the 1992 film ‘The Crying Game’, a role for which he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.
Goddess who caused the Trojan women to riot in the “Aeneid”. 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. In Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’, Iris takes the form of a Trojan woman and incites other Trojan mothers to set fire to Aeneas’ ships, preventing them from leaving Sicily.
Tire spec abbr.. 3 letters
PSI. Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.
Arthur in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 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 his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African America player to be so honored. He 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.
Org. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
“The Twilight Saga” vampire. 4 letters
ALEC. ‘New Moon’ is the second in the ‘Twilight’ series of novels by Stephenie Meyer. “The Twilight Saga” is a series of films based on the books. The novels and films are about vampires. I don’t do vampires …
Mississippi River’s largest tributary. 4 letters
OHIO. The Ohio is the largest tributary of the Mississippi by volume. In fact where the two rivers meet, in Cairo, Illinois, the Ohio is actually the larger of the pair.
Nintendo’s Super ___. 3 letters
NES. The abbreviation Super NES (or SNES) stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Our kids probably have one somewhere …
Highly draftable … 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).
Mark meaning “no change”. 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).
Bolshevik target. 4 letters
TSAR. At the second party congress of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903, a split developed. The faction with the most support was led by Vladimir Lenin, and as they were in the majority, they became known as the Bolsheviks, derived from the Russian word for “more” or “majority”.
“___ 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. In the stroyline, Anna Karenina’s lover is Count Alexei Vronsky.
Springfield Elementary employee. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Mann drives the school bus on the TV show “The Simpsons”. Otto is a Germanic character voiced by Harry Shearer, and his name is a play on “Ottoman Empire”. Whenever Bart sees him, he greets Otto with the words “Otto, man!”
Baldwin who has hosted “S.N.L.” more times than anyone else. 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. He has also hosted the sketch show ‘Saturday Night Live’ more times than anyone else (16 times).
Bygone despot. 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.
Capri, e.g. 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. Natives of Capri are known as Capriotes.
Classic roadside logo name with red lettering in a blue oval. 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.
Quack stopper, for short. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
___ Vegas. 3 letters
LAS. Las Vegas, Nevada was founded as a city in 1905. It became a stop-off point for pioneers travelling west, and eventually a railroad town, although with the coming of the railroad, growth halted as folks began to bypass Las Vegas. The city’s tourism industry took off in 1935 when the nearby Hoover Dam was completed, and visitors to Vegas take tours of the dam to this day. But then gambling was legalized, and the things really started to move. Vegas was picked, largely by celebrated figures in “the mob”, as a convenient location across the state line that would service the vast population of Los Angeles. As a result, Las Vegas became the most populous US city founded in the 20th century, an honor that went to Chicago in the 19th century.
Org. 3 letters
AMA. The American Medical Association was founded in 1847, at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The first female member was allowed to join in 1868, but the first African American members weren’t admitted until one hundred years later, in 1968.
Setting for a Marx Brothers farce. 5 letters
OPERA. The five Mark Brothers were born to “Minnie” and “Frenchy” Marx in New York City. The more famous, three older boys were Chico, Harpo and Groucho. The youngest brother, Zeppo, appeared in the early Marx Brothers movies, but the fifth son Gummo, he went off to pursue his own career off the stage.
Symbol of the planet Neptune. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork. The resemblance to a trident is probably why the letter psi is the symbol for the planet Neptune. Neptune was the Roman god of the sea and is often depicted carrying a trident.
Fictional creature whose name is Old English for “giant”. 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’.
Palliative plant. 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.
Map line: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. Some maps show routes.
Kanga’s baby. 3 letters
ROO. Kanga is a friend of Winnie-the-Pooh, a kangaroo. She is the mother of Roo, who appears more frequently in the storyline.
___ Palmas. 3 letters
LAS. Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, may be grand but it isn’t quite as big as Tenerife, the largest island of the group and the most populated. The capital of Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, which was a port of call for Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his way to the Americas.
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, bemoaing the introduction of the fast-moving engine-powered barges. The first line is “I’ve got an old mule and her name is Sal”.
One-named singer from County Donegal. 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!
Folkie who sang of Alice. 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”.
Grp. 3 letters
AMA. The icon known as the caduceus is a staff around which are twisted two serpents and which has two wings at the top. The caduceus was carried by the Greek god Hermes. The traditional symbol for the medical profession was the rod of Asclepius, a Greek god associated with healing and medicine. The rod of Asclepius is similar to the caduceus, being a staff with a single serpent-entwined. Some medical organizations use the caduceus as a symbol, apparently due to confusion that dates by to the its mistaken use by the US Army Medical Corps in 1902.
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.
Notre Dame 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”.
Grp. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
Tahiti, for one. 4 letters
ISLE. Tahiti is the most populous island in French Polynesia, which is located in the central Southern Pacific. Although Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he wasn’t the first European to do so. However, Cook’s visit was the most significant in that it heralded a whole spate of European visitors, who brought with them prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol. Paradoxically, they also brought Christianity. Included among the subsequent visitors was the famous HMS Bounty under the charge of Captain Bligh.
Slaughter in baseball. 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.
Évian, for one. 3 letters
SPA. Évian-les-Bains (or simply Évian) is in the very east of France on the shores of Lake Geneva, directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As you might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. I can’t stand the taste of Évian water …
Former Russian royal. 4 letters
TSAR. The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word, and was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 A.D. It is derived from the word Caesar, which was synonymous with emperor at that time.
Plata’s partner. 3 letters
ORO. Oro y Plata means “gold and silver”, and is the state motto of Montana. The motto was written in Spanish, purely because “it had a nice ring to it”.
Coach Parseghian. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as “The Era of Ara”.
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.
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 his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African America player to be so honored. He 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.
A reed. 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!) 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.
Tennis’s Arthur ___ Stadium. 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.
Required to serve, maybe. 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).
Razor handle?. 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.
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 Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
“The Lord of the Rings” creature. 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’.
“Wrath of the Titans” antagonist. 4 letters
ARES. Wrath of the Titans” is a 2012 fantasy adventure film, a sequel to 2010’s ‘Clash of the Titans’.
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).
Tre minus due. 3 letters
UNO. ‘One, two, three’ in Italian is “uno, due, tre”.
Deputy sheriff in “The Dukes of Hazzard”. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos Strate (played by Sonny Shroyer) was the small-town deputy in the television sitcom ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’, and the success of his character merited a follow-on show. The spinoff “Enos” only ran for 18 episodes though.
Night school 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).
Hip-hop’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 for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
MS. 3 letters
EDS. An editor (ed.) might receive a manuscript (MS) with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE).
MS. 3 letters
EDS. Editors (eds.) might read a manuscript (MS.) are ‘Ms.’ magazine.
So-called Mother of Presidents. 4 letters
OHIO. There are two states that have the nickname ‘Mother of Presidents’ … Ohio and Virginia, although sometimes Ohio is known as ‘Modern Mother of Presidents’. Eight presidents were born in Virginia, from George Washington to Woodrow Wilson. Ohio was the birthplace of seven presidents, from Ulysses S. Grant to Warren G. Harding. Additionally, eight presidents hailed from Ohio at the time of their elections.
Next-to-last Greek letter. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.
2013 Pawel Pawlikowski film set in post-W.W. 3 letters
IDA. Pawel Pawlikowski is a filmmaker based in Paris who was born and grew up in Warsaw, Poland. Pawlikowski’s most famous films are ‘Last Resort’ (2000), which he both wrote and directed, and the intriguing ‘My Summer of Love’ (2004) that stars Natalie Press and Emily Blunt.
Proofer’s “oops”. 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.
Brand operated by Imperial. 4 letters
ESSO. Imperial Oil is a Canadian company with a majority ownership by Exxon Mobil. Imperial produces a lot of crude oil and natural gas, and also operates service stations with brand name ESSO.
Relative of the Contour Plus. 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.
Place to get a mudbath or massage. 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”.
Mani-pedi spot. 3 letters
SPA. Manicure & pedicure (mani-pedi)
Classic Fiat model. 3 letters
UNO. The Uno is a subcompact that was produced for many years by Fiat, from 1983 until 1995, and it is still being produced in other countries around the world.
“And Winter Came …” singer. 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!
Palindromic magazine title. 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.
___ Pacis (Roman monument). 3 letters
ARA. The Ara Pacis 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 floodplain of the river Tiber. The Ara 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.
Proofer’s mark. 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.
“At Last” 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.
B’way success sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only
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).
Important Scrabble tile. 3 letters
ESS. The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts determined how many tiles of each letter, and the point value of each tile, by analyzing letter distributions in publications like ‘The New York Times’.
Natural pain reliever. 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.
Last of the Mohicans?. 3 letters
ESS. Ess (the letter S) is the last letter in the word ‘Mohicans’.
Kid-friendly 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.
Boise’s state: Abbr.. 3 letters
IDA. Boise, Idaho is the largest metropolitan area in the state by far. There are a number of stories pertaining to the etymology of the name ‘Boise’. One is that French trappers named the tree-lined river that ran through the area ‘la rivière boisée’, meaning ‘the wooded river’.
Cream-toned. 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”.
Actress Gunn of “Breaking Bad”. 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’.
___ 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.
One of the Baldwins. 4 letters
ALEC. Alec Baldwin 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 is making a name for himself these days playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey.
Sparkle. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which it has a similar meaning, “style” or “flair”.
PBS funder. 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.
Grandson of 47-Across and 37-Down. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos, as the son of Seth, was the grandson of Adam and Eve.
Pampering place. 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”.
Screen grp.?. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
“Forgot About ___” (2000 Grammy-winning rap). 3 letters
DRE. ‘Forgot About Dre’ is a single recorded by rap artist Dr. Dre, ‘featuring Eminem’.
Bygone monarch. 4 letters
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.
“Goodnight” girl of old song. 5 letters
IRENE. “Goodnight, Irene”, also known as “Irene, Goodnight” is a lovely American folk song, that was first recorded commercially back in 1932 by blues singer, Lead Belly. The song made it number one in the charts for the Weavers in 1950, and for Frank Sinatra the same year.
Wave function symbol in quantum mechanics. 3 letters
PSI. The science of quantum mechanics (or quantum physics) pulls together mathematically, the fact that energy and matter sometimes behave like waves, and sometimes particles. In general, the laws of classical mechanics break down as “things” get smaller, on the atomic and subatomic scale.
Actor Mineo. 3 letters
SAL. The actor Sal Mineo’s most famous role was John ‘Plato’ 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 that his plan was just to rob anyone who came along.
___ Noticias (New York Hispanic paper). 3 letters
LAS. ‘Las Noticias’ is a Hispanic publication serving the Latino community in Kingston, New York.
[Ignore prior marks]. 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.
Writer James. 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.
[Ignore edit]. 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).
Pre-1917 autocrat. 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.
Shade similar to camel. 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”.
Genesis grandson. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve.
Beats by ___ (headphones brand). 3 letters
DRE. Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products that was founded by rapper Dr. Dre.
“___ Is Betta Than Evvah!” (1976 album). 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.
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 it is still used all over the rest of the world.
“The King and I” heroine. 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.
Shelfmate of Vogue. 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”.
Number on un orologio. 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, one can find the number ‘tre’ (three) on ‘un orologio’ (a clock).
Card game akin to crazy eights. 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.
Altar constellation. 3 letters
ARA. The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.
James of jazz. 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.
Ready 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. 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).
Heckelphone lookalike. 4 letters
OBOE. A heckelphone is a musical instrument like an oboe, but pitched an octave lower. The heckelphone was invented in 1904 by a manufacturer of woodwind instruments in Germany called Wilhelm Heckel.
Chain of life?. 3 letters
DNA. Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA had a double-helix, chain-like structure, publishing 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.
“The Lord of the Rings” tree creature. 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’.
2009 Grammy winner for “Crack a Bottle,” briefly. 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.
Color of raw silk. 4 letters
ECRU. The shade of ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French, and means “raw, unbleached”, and has the same roots as our word “crude”.
Neutral tone. 4 letters
ECRU. The Goodyear tire company was founded in 1898. The company was named for Charles Goodyear, the man who invented vulcanized rubber in 1839. Despite the Goodyear name, Charles Goodyear himself had no connection with the company.
Fit 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 (SSS). 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 objectors available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrants who have completed military service) and 4-D (ministers of religion).
Michael, e.g. 4 letters
TSAR. The first Tsar of the famous House of Romanov was Mikhail I, coming to power in 1613.
O, in a phonetic alphabet. 4 letters
OBOE. Nowadays we tend to use the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie etc.) but before this was introduced in 1956, the Joint Army/Navy Phonetand P represented by Oboe. The NATO equivalent for O is Oscar.
Gillette product. 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.
Retired fleet. 4 letters
SSTS. SuperSonic Transports, like the Concorde, broke Mach 1, the speed of sound.
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 for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
Razor brand. 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.
Pizarro’s gold. 3 letters
ORO. Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro discovered the Incas in 1526, marking the beginning of the end for an ancient civilization that was to be ravaged by brutal Spanish colonists and by imported smallpox. The last leader of the Inca 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.
Jazzy 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.
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.
Self-assembly retail chain. 4 letters
IKEA. Did you know that IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 …. when he was just 17-years-old??!!
Jazzy 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.
Standard offshoot. 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.
Neutral color. 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”.
___ Blue (old kerosene brand). 4 letters
ESSO. I don’t think Esso Blue was sold over here in the US, but it was very big back in Ireland and the UK. We called it paraffin oil, our name for kerosene, and used it in domestic heaters.
U.S. 4 letters
ASHE. The 37c commemorative postal stamp was released in 2005, and did indeed bear the image of Arthur Ashe.
Stephen of “The Crying Game”. 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.
One of a race in Middle-earth. 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’.
Florida’s Sanibel, e.g. 4 letters
ISLE. Sanibel Island is on the Gulf coast of Florida and is just offshore of the city of Fort Myers. The island is home to the city of Sanibel, a city which takes up the whole of the island.
The so-called “path of virtue”. 3 letters
TAO. The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.
Part of the eye. 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.
1-Across ingredient. 4 letters
ALOE. 1. Healing ointment : BALM
1968 U.S. 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 his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African America player to be so honored. He 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. He had further heart surgery in 1983, and contracted HIV from blood transfusions during the procedure. Ashe passed away in 1993, due to complications from AIDS.
Pimienta’s partner. 3 letters
SAL. In Spanish, one might partner set the pepper (pimienta) by the salt (sal).
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 …
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.
“The African Queen” screenwriter James. 4 letters
AGEE. James Agee was a noted American film critic and screenwriter. Agee wrote an autobiographical novel “A Death in the Family” that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1951 classic movie ‘The African Queen’.
Dr. 3 letters
DRE. (19D. Commercials : ADS)
Kazakhstan’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 …
Memorable hurricane of 2011. 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.
Author who won a posthumous Pulitzer in 1958. 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.
Frequent “S.N.L.” host Baldwin. 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).
Biblical figure said to have married his sister Noam. 4 letters
ENOS. According to the Book of Jubilees, Adam’s grandson Enos married his sister Noam.
Mark in a margin. 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).
Hydrocortisone additive. 4 letters
ALOE. Hydrocortisone is also known as Cortisol. Cortisol is a naturally occurring chemical, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. In the body it is produced as a response to stress or when there is low blood sugar, and is primary purpose is to increase blood sugar levels. Cortisol also has the effect of suppressing the bodies immune response. As such, the pharmaceutical form of cortisol (usually called hydrocortisone) is used to treat allergic reactions. Hydrocortisone can calm down skin irritation if applied as a cream (usually mixed with aloe).
James who sang “At Last”. 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.
Oaxaca article. 3 letters
LAS. In general, the definite article is ‘el’ for masculine nouns (plural ‘los’), and ‘la’ for feminine nouns (plural ‘las’).
Furniture giant. 4 letters
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. Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.
Pac-12 player. 3 letters
UTE. The Runnin’ Utes are the basketball team of the University of Utah. The team was given the nickname the Runnin’ Redskins back when Jack Gardner was the head coach from 1953 to 1971. The “Runnin’” part of the name was chosen because Gardner was famous for playing quick offenses. The “Redskins” name was later dropped in favor of the less controversial “Utes”.
___ 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.
Bathroom tile shade. 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’.
Slightly open. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
Captains on The Atlantic, briefly?. 3 letters
EDS. Editors (eds.)
Beats by ___ (audio brand). 3 letters
DRE. Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products made by Beats Electronics, a company that was co-founded by rapper Dr. Dre. Apple bought Beats for $3 billion in 2014, the largest acquisition by far in the company’s history.
Lotion ingredient. 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.
Mule on a canal, in 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”.
Mythical father of Harmonia, strangely enough. 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 (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
Gas brand 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.
Actor Jeong of “The Hangover”. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Jeong is an actor from Detroit who is perhaps best known for playing the gangster Leslie Chow in the ‘The Hangover’ series of films. Jeong isn’t only an actor; he has an M.D. degree and is a licensed physician in California.
Neutral shade. 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’.
“The Lord of the Rings” creature. 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’.
___ of Wight. 4 letters
ISLE. The Isle of Wight is the largest island in England, and lies about five miles off the south coast of the country. The Isle of Wight is its own county, and is the smallest county in the whole of England, but only at high tide! At low tide, the island’s area increases so that it becomes larger than the landlocked county of Rutland in central England.
The Legend of Zelda platform, briefly. 3 letters
NES. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
One of the Baldwin brothers. 4 letters
ALEC. Alec Baldwin 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 also made a name for himself playing Jack Donaghy on ‘30 Rock’, opposite Tina Fey.
“Michael Collins” 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.
Pac-12 player. 3 letters
UTE. The Runnin’ Utes are the basketball team of the University of Utah. The team was given the nickname the Runnin’ Redskins back when Jack Gardner was the head coach from 1953 to 1971. The “Runnin’” part of the name was chosen because Gardner was famous for playing quick offenses. The “Redskins” name was later dropped in favor of the less controversial “Utes”.
Works in the music business. 5 letters
OPERA. “Opera” is the plural of the Latin word “opus” meaning “work”.
Monterrey gold. 3 letters
ORO. Monterrey is a Mexican city, the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon in the northeast of the country. Monterrey is the second largest city in Mexico in terms of area, but third largest in terms of population (the largest area city in the country is Mexico City, and the most populous are Mexico City and Guadalajara).
Jazzy Jones. 4 letters
ETTA. Etta Jones was a jazz singer, sometimes known as the “jazz musician’s jazz singer”. Because she has a similar name to Etta James, Jones was often confused with the more popular singer. Jones never really had any huge commercial success though, despite the respect that she engendered within the inner sanctums of the jazz world.
Mail abbr. 3 letters
RTE. Route (rte.)
Watanabe of “The Last Samurai”. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Watanabe is an actor from Japan known mainly for his roles in the films ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ and ‘The Last Samurai’. My favorite of Watanabe’s movies though, is ‘Inception’. Great film …
Velázquez’s “___ Meninas”. 3 letters
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.
Conquistador’s goal. 3 letters
ORO. Conquistador is the Spanish for “conqueror”.
Best Foreign Language Film of 2014. 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.
Game with command 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 discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck used for Mau Mau.
Double-reed 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”.
Succulent houseplant. 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera is a succulent plant that grows in relatively dry climates. The plants leaves are full of biologically active compounds that have been extensively studied. Regardless of the studies, aloe vera has been used for centuries in herbal medicine, mainly for topical treatment of wounds.
She outwitted Sherlock. 5 letters
IRENE. The character Irene Adler only appeared in one of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In that story, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, Holmes expresses remarkable admiration for Adler as a woman and as a foe. As a result, derivative works in the Holmes genre often feature Adler as something of a romantic interest for Sherlock.
Companion of Butch and Sundance. 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’.
Indication to leave something 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.
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 for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
Nintendo’s Super ___. 3 letters
NES. The acronym stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one. I wouldn’t know …
___ the Orange (Syracuse mascot). 4 letters
OTTO. The current Syracuse mascot Otto the Orange was introduced unofficially in 1980, and gained official recognition by the University in 1995.
Actor Guinness. 4 letters
ALEC. Sir Alec Guinness played many great roles over a long and distinguished career, but nowadays is best remembered for playing the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”.
Setting for the movie “Sister Act”. 4 letters
RENO. In the 1992 comedy “Sister Act” starred Whoopi Goldberg as lounge singer from Reno who hides out in a San Francisco convent disguised as a nun. It’s a funny, funny film.
“CSI” test subject. 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.
Attraction for a butterfly. 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’.
Knowledge range. 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’.
Court inits. 3 letters
ABA. The American Bar Association (ABA)
Health org. 3 letters
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.
Half of a comic strip duo. 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.
Genesis grandson. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve. According to the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his sister Noam.
Leave in, to a proofreader. 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.
The duck in “Peter and the Wolf”. 4 letters
OBOE. As is the case for many I am sure, Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” was my introduction to the world of classical music, as it was played for us at school many, many moons ago. Prokofiev wrote the piece as a commissioned work for the Central Children’s Theater in Moscow, in 1936. He loved the idea of the project, and wrote the story and music in just four days!
Mars, to the Greeks. 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 (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
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”.
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).
Kournikova of tennis. 4 letters
ANNA. Not only is Anna Kournikova a world-class tennis player, but she is also a model. She apparently has a lot of fans because “Kournikova” is one of the most commonly Googled words on the Internet …
“The Lord of the Rings” tree creature. 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’.
Scuba tank meas. 3 letters
PSI. The pressure of the air in the SCUBA tank is measured in Pounds per Square Inch.
Apnea diagnoser, briefly. 3 letters
ENT. Sleep apnea can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possible due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.
Surgeon’s org. 3 letters
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.
Tina’s “30 Rock” co-star. 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”, opposite Tina Fey.
High 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”.
Writer Quindlen. 4 letters
ANNA. Anna Quindlen is an author, journalist and columnist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992 for her ‘New York Times’ column ‘Public and Private’.
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.
Place with robes. 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”.
___ 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.
Neighbor of Scorpius. 3 letters
ARA. The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.
Tess’s literary seducer. 4 letters
ALEC. The full name of Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel is “Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented”. When it was originally published, “Tess” received very mixed reviews, largely because it addressed some difficult sexual themes including rape, and sexual double standards (attitudes towards men vs women). I suppose the most celebrated screen adaption is Roman Polanski’s “Tess” released in 1979. Polanski apparently made “Tess” because his wife, Sharon Tate, gave him Hardy’s novel as her last act before she was murdered by the Manson family. There is a dedication at the beginning of the movie that just says “To Sharon”.
Boise’s state: Abbr.. 3 letters
IDA. Boise, Idaho is the largest metropolitan area in the state by far. There are a number of stories pertaining to the etymology of the name ‘Boise’. One is that French trappers named the tree-lined river that ran through the area ‘la rivière boisée’, meaning ‘the wooded river’.
John. 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!
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 for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
Memorable 2011 hurricane. 5 letters
IRENE. Hurricane Irene caused extensive flooding 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.
Immigrant’s 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).
Sellout show sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
“I’ve got a mule, her name is ___”. 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”.
Stephen of “The End of the Affair”. 3 letters
REA. “The End of the Affair” is a largely autobiographical novel by Graham Greene. There have been a couple of movie adaptions of the book, including a 1999 Neil Jordan version starring Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea.
Sparkle. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which it has a similar meaning, “style” or “flair”.
“___ the land of the free …”. 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.
“Winnie-the-Pooh” young ‘un. 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.
Magazine that serialized Simone de Beauvoir’s 1967 “La femme rompue”. 4 letters
ELLE. “Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the biggest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”.
Belligerent Greek god. 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.
One-named Irish Grammy winner. 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!
U.S. 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).
Anastasia’s father was one. 4 letters
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.
Ingredient in some suntan lotions. 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.
Org. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
PBS benefactor. 3 letters
NEA. The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.
Director Preminger. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Preminger was noted for his films that pushed the envelope in terms of subject matter, at least in the fifties and sixties. Great examples would be 1955’s “The Man with the Golden Arm” that dealt with drug addiction, 1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder” that dealt with rape, and 1962’s “Advise and Consent” that dealt with homosexuality. If you’ve seen these films, you’ll have noticed that the references are somewhat indirect and disguised, in order to get past the censors.
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 …
Proofreader’s “reinstate” 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” beside the change, and then underscoring the change with a line of dots (or dashes).
Slender reed. 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”.
Org. 3 letters
AMA. (9. Members of the 22-Across : DRS)
Woman 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.
Style. 4 letters
ELAN. Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning, “style” or “flair”.
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).
Cousin of an English horn. 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!) 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.
Janis’s cartoon husband. 4 letters
ARLO. The comic strip “Arlo and Janis” is written by Jimmy Johnson. It was first published in 1985. The lead characters are named after the musicians Arlo Guthrie and Janis Joplin.
Number before dos and tres. 3 letters
UNO. Uno, dos, tres … (one, two, three in Spanish).
Novelist Kesey. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Kesey wrote the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. He was part of a group of friends that called themselves the “Merry Pranksters”, a bunch of guys that were associated with the likes of Jack Karouac, Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary, icons of the Beat Generation.
Video game letters. 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one somewhere …
Luxe spot. 3 letters
SPA. Luxe is another word for luxury. The term came into English via French from the Latin ‘luxus’ meaning luxury.
Sign that might mean “Good play!”. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only.
Latin for “let it stand”. 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.
J.F.K. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
___ Stadium, sports venue since 1997. 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.
Inhabitant of Kanga’s pouch. 3 letters
ROO. Kanga is a friend of A. A. Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’, and is a kangaroo. She is the mother of Roo, who appears more frequently in the storyline.
Number of colori on the Italian flag. 3 letters
TRE. The Italian flag has three (tri) colors (colori), green white and red.
Discarding 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.
One more than due. 3 letters
TRE. ‘One, two, three’ in Italian is “uno, due, tre”.
Despot until 1917. 4 letters
TSAR. The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).
Onetime J.F.K. 4 letters
SSTS. SuperSonic Transports, like the Concorde, broke Mach 1, the speed of sound. They’re all grounded now.
Something a GPS recalculates: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. A Global Positioning System (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).
Grp. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
Bellicose deity. 4 letters
ARES. The Greek god Ares is indeed bellicose. He is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter.
Boy toy?. 3 letters
KEN. Barbie’s 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. Both dolls are still available for purchase though.
Figure in a celebrated 2004 breakup. 3 letters
KEN. The famous Barbie doll was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler and first appeared on store shelves in 1959. Barbie was based on a German fashion doll called Bild Lilli that was introduced in 1955. Lilli had been a German cartoon character before taking on a three-dimensional form. Prior to the introduction of Bild Lilli and Barbie, children’s dolls were primarily representations of infants.
Hydrotherapy spot. 3 letters
SPA. The word “spa” comes to us from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a health resort there. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.
___ of Wight. 4 letters
ISLE. The Isle of Wight is the largest island in England, and lies about five miles off the south coast of the country.
Mail deliverer’s assignment: Abbr.. 3 letters
RTE. Route (rte.)
Clairvoyance and such. 3 letters
PSI. In the world of parapsychology, the Greek letter psi refers to the phenomena known as extrasensory perception and psychokinesis.
“Frozen” princess. 4 letters
ANNA. ‘Frozen’ is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale ‘The Snow Queen’.
Berry of “Mayberry R.F.D.”. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Berry is an actor, singer and dancer from Moline, Illinois. Berry is most associated with his role as single parent Sam Jones on television’s ‘Mayberry RFD’. Berry led the cast of this ‘Andy Griffiths Show’ spin-off, in effect taking over from Andy Griffith when he decided to leave the original show.
“Winnie-the-Pooh” baby. 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.
Relative of beige. 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”.
Burns with a camera. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Burns directs and produces epic documentary films that usually make inventive use of archive footage. Recent works are the sensational “The War” (about the US in WWII) and the magnificent “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”. Burns’ latest offering is 2014’s ‘The Roosevelts’.
Parseghian of Notre Dame. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as “The Era of Ara”.
Vogue 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”.
Nimbus launcher of 1964. 4 letters
NASA. The Nimbus program involved the launching of seven weather satellites starting back in 1964, with launches continuing over the next fourteen years. The satellites led to huge advances in weather forecasting, as well as understanding of solar radiation hitting the planet, the ozone layer, and distribution of sea ice. The Nimbus satellites also provided an early form of global positioning that was used in search and rescue. Cool program …
Agcy. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
Retired runway model. 3 letters
SST. Very clever wording!
“No seating” letters on Broadway. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only (SRO).
___ Palmas, Spain. 3 letters
LAS. Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, may be grand but it isn’t quite as big as Tenerife, the largest island of the group and the most populated. The capital of Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, a port of call for Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his way to the Americas.
Natural soother. 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera has a number of names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.
Slate slate, for short. 3 letters
EDS. Editorials (eds.)
British 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!
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).
Central figure in a Mussorgsky opera. 4 letters
TSAR. Boris Godunov was the Tsar of Russia from 1598 to 1605. He is perhaps better known these days because of the artistic works that are based on his life. Alexander Pushkin wrote the play “Boris Godunov”, partially using Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to structure the storyline of Godunov’s life. Modest Mussorgsky then wrote a famous opera “Boris Godunov”, based on the Pushkin play.
Ready 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(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).
Spanish treasure. 3 letters
ORO. ‘Oro’ is Spanish for ‘gold’.
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.
Son of Kanga. 3 letters
ROO. Kanga is a friend of A. A. Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’, and is a kangaroo. She is the mother of Roo, who appears more frequently in the storyline.
“Beetle Bailey” dog. 4 letters
OTTO. Sgt. Snorkel (‘Sarge’) is Beetle Bailey’s nemesis in the cartoon strip that bears his name. Snorkel has a dog called Otto that he dresses up to look just like himself. Otto started off as a regular dog, but artist Mort Walker decide to draw him more like his owner, and soon Otto became a big hit.
Fit 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).
“Me, Myself & ___” (2000 comedy). 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!
___ ammoniac. 3 letters
SAL. Sal ammoniac is a mineral made up of ammonium chloride. It is fairly rare as it is very soluble in water and is quite soft. It is most often found around volcanic vents. Sal ammoniac used to be an ingredient in cookies, making them very crispy.
Merry Prankster Kesey. 3 letters
KEN. Ken Kesey wrote the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Kesey was one of a group of friends who called themselves the “Merry Pranksters”, a bunch of guys who were associated with the likes of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary, all icons of the Beat Generation.
Lotion ingredient. 4 letters
ALOE. Aloe vera has a number of names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.
Cracked just slightly. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
Philip with a 1975 best seller on C.I.A. 4 letters
AGEE. Philip Agee was a CIA case officer who left the agency and then wrote a tell-all book in 1975 about his experiences ‘Inside the Company’.
Welcome sign for a B’way angel. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only (SRO).
Elite retreat. 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”.
Start for a Spanish count. 3 letters
UNO. ‘Uno’ is Spanish for ‘one’.
Mani-pedi spot. 3 letters
SPA. Manicure & pedicure (mani-pedi)
Shade darker than eggshell. 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”.
Queens stadium eponym. 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.
Most eligible 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. 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).
Part of Istanbul is in it. 4 letters
ASIA. Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world that is situated in two continents. The city extends both on the European side of the Bosphorus, and on the Asian side.
Bridge maven Sharif. 4 letters
OMAR. Omar Sharif is the great Hollywood actor from Egypt, who played such memorable roles in the movies “Doctor Zhivago” and “Lawrence of Arabia”. But to me he is my bridge hero (the card game). In his heyday he was one of the best players in the world.
It began commercial service in ‘76. 3 letters
SST. The most famous SuperSonic Transport (SST) 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 at takeoff and landing than conventional wing designs, so the pilot needed the nose lowered so that he or she could see the ground.
North-of-the-border station. 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.
Cheese ball?. 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.
Drs.’ org. 3 letters
AMA. The American Medical Association was founded in 1847, at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The first female member joined in 1868, but the first African American members weren’t allowed to join until 1968.
Can of Prince Albert?. 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 toilets started to be installed indoors they often displaced clothes in a “closet”, as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure.
Jalisco article. 3 letters
LAS. Jalisco is a state on the central-west coast of Mexico. The capital city of Jalisco is Guadalajara.
“Leaving ___ Vegas”. 3 letters
LAS. “Leaving Las Vegas” is a 1995 film starring Nicolas Cage as a suicidal alcoholic who tries to drink himself to death in Las Vegas, befriending a prostitute played by Elisabeth Shue along the way. The film is based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name written by John O’Brien. Two weeks into production of the movie, O’Brien actually did commit suicide.
Old “Put a tiger in your tank” 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 it is still used in many other countries.
Wintour of fashion. 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.
Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer 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.
___ 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 Mann 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 called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are the Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are found all over the island.
She, in Cherbourg. 4 letters
ELLE. Cherbourg lies on the northern coast of France, a port on the English Channel. Interestingly, the wreck of the Confederate States of America warship CSS Alabama was recently discovered just outside the port. The Alabama was sunk by the Union cruiser Kearsarge in 1864, after she left the port of Cherbourg to engage the Kearsarge who was lying in wait offshore.
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(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).
Vogue 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”. ‘Elle’ is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.
Colored part of the eye. 4 letters
IRIS. The iris is the colored part of the eye that has an aperture in the center which can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
Season opener?. 3 letters
ESS. ESS/SSE
Restoration notation. 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.
Not fully shut. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
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.
Former flier, for short. 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.
Dinosaur in Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur”. 4 letters
ARLO. The Good Dinosaur” is a Pixar movie that premiered in Paris on November 14th, 2015 under the title ‘Le Voyage d’Arlo’.
One with delta wings, briefly. 3 letters
SST. The delta wing (triangular shaped) is often the choice for supersonic aircraft of all sizes, including the large SuperSonic Transports like the Concorde.
“She’s a good old worker and a good old pal,” in 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.
Linen shade. 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”.
Super ___ (1990s video game console). 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one somewhere …
Wii forerunner. 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Our kids probably have one somewhere …
Workers on Times tables, briefly?. 3 letters
EDS. Editor (ed.)
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 in many other countries around the world.
“The woman,” to Sherlock Holmes. 5 letters
IRENE. The character Irene Adler only appeared in one of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In that story, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, Holmes expresses remarkable admiration for Adler as a woman and as a foe. As a result, derivative works in the Holmes genre often feature Adler as something of a romantic interest for Sherlock.
Where you might get rubbed the right way. 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’.
Balm 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.
Symbol for water potential. 3 letters
PSI. ‘Water potential’ is a concept in physics, the tendency of water to move from one system into another. For example, water tends to move from a more ‘watery’ cell in a plant to a less ‘watery’ cell, attempting to balance out the concentration of water in each. This tendency is what drives water throughout a plant, for example.
Guthrie who sang 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 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.
Rhoda’s TV mom. 3 letters
IDA. Ida Morgenstern is a character on the seventies sitcom ‘Rhoda’. Ida is the mother of the title character, Rhoda Morgenstern. Ida was played by Nancy Walker, and Rhoda by Valerie Harper.
Razor brand. 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.
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”.
___ 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).
“Michael Collins” actor. 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 …
N.F.L. 3 letters
DRE. Dré Bly is a football cornerback who won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams in the year 2000. Bly’s real name is Donald André Bly, hence the nickname “Dré”.
Injury-monitoring org. 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.
“My Gal ___”. 3 letters
SAL. “My Gal Sal” is a song written by composer Paul Dresser. “My Gal Sal” is also the name of the movie recounting Dresser’s life made in 1942. It stars Victor Mature as Dresser, and Rita Hayworth as Sally “Sal” Elliott.
James who sang “Good Rockin’ Daddy”. 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.
Former name of Exxon stations. 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 North America, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
Elba, for one. 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 also overrun with tourists who use it as a beach getaway. We left after one day and we won’t be going back …
One less than quattro. 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, tre (three) precedes quattro (four).
First name at Woodstock. 4 letters
ARLO. Arlo Guthrie was the first performer at Woodstock, followed by Joan Baez.
God in the 49-Across. 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 blood-lust and slaughter.
Eponym of a Southern “-ville”. 4 letters
ASHE. Samuel Ashe was the Governor of North Carolina from 1795 to 1798. North Carolina’s Ashe County and the cities of Asheboro and Asheville are named in his honor.
Symbol for Freud’s field. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter ‘psi’ is used as a symbol for the fields of psychology and psychiatry.
It’s a gas up north. 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.
“Undo” mark. 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.
Beautician employer. 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”.
Paolantonio of ESPN. 3 letters
SAL. Sal Paolantonio is a reporter for ESPN based in Phildelphia, mostly associated with coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and the New York Jets.
Org. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
Big name in headphones. 3 letters
DRE. Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products made by Beats Electronics, a company that was co-founded by rapper Dr. Dre. Apple bought Beats for $3 billion in 2014, the largest acquisition by far in the company’s history.
Dutch cheese. 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.
Teatro La Fenice offering. 5 letters
OPERA. Teatro La Fenice is a famous opera house in Venice, Italy. The current building was opened in 2003, replacing a prior structure destroyed by arson in 1996. The older building was itself a replacement of another theater building destroyed by fire in 1836. Perhaps quite fittingly, “fenice” is the Italian for “phoenix”.
Writer Waugh. 4 letters
ALEC. Alec Waugh was the older brother of the more famous Evelyn Waugh. Both 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!
Winter Palace autocrat. 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.
___ Sea (shrinking body of water). 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 lake now completely dry. Sad …
Pooh’s young pal. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo is based on one of his son’s (Christopher Robin Milne) stuffed toys.
New Ager who sings in Irish Gaelic. 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!
___ Style Awards. 4 letters
ELLE. The Elle Style Awards have been presented annually since 2002 by ‘Elle’ magazine.
Pooh’s friend in “Winnie-the-Pooh”. 3 letters
ROO. Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne’s stuffed toys (Christopher Robin was Milne’s son).
___ 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 the Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are found all over the island.
Grasp. 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’.
Panhandle state: Abbr.. 3 letters
IDA. The US state of Idaho has a panhandle that extends northwards between Washington and Montana, right up to the border with Canada. Across that border is the Canadian province of British Columbia. Most of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone, but Northern Idaho (the Panhandle) is in the Pacific Time Zone.
Grp. 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 made his move, creating the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Old Tetris runner, 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.
Beehive State native. 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.
Dept. 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.
His chariot was drawn by fire-emitting horses. 4 letters
ARES. The Greek god Ares is indeed bellicose. He is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter.
Gillette 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.
Neutral shade. 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”.
Eastern path. 3 letters
TAO. The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.
Kind of fingerprinting. 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.
2000 comedy “Me, Myself & ___”. 5 letters
IRENE. Me, Myself & Irene’ is a 2000 comedy film starring Jim Carrey (‘Me’ and ‘Myself’) and Renée Zellweger (Irene). It’s 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!
Death Row Records co-founder, familiarly. 3 letters
DRE. Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre 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.
Late 19th-century anarchist’s foe. 4 letters
TSAR. By definition, an anarchist is someone who feels that government is oppressive and should be gotten rid of. Anarchists stood side-by-side with the Bolsheviks in the February Revolution of 1917 that led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the end of the Russian Empire.
Letters that delight angels. 3 letters
SRO. Standing room only (SRO)
Nephew of 8-Down. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos, as the son of Seth, was the grandson of Adam and Eve.
Metal in 60-Across’s motto. 3 letters
ORO. “Oro y Plata” means “gold and silver”, and is the state motto of Montana. The motto was written in Spanish, solely because “it had a nice ring to it”.
___ Plus. 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.
Asia’s ___ Sea. 4 letters
ARAL. The Aral Sea is another 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 …
Kanga’s offspring. 3 letters
ROO. Kanga is a friend of Winnie-the-Pooh, and is a kangaroo. She is the mother of Roo, who appears more frequently in the storyline.
Performer of the 2001 Oscar-nominated song “May It Be”. 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!
“The Two Towers” denizen. 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’.
Bush beast, briefly. 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 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.
Letter after chi. 3 letters
PSI. The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.
Bath 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!
Wind quintet member. 4 letters
OBOE. A wind quintet is a group of five woodwind players, usually flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.
Card game from Mattel. 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.
Father of Fear, in myth. 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 (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
“Trains and Winter Rains” singer, 2008. 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!
Cold war grp.?. 3 letters
AMA. The American Medical Association (AMA) might be said to wage war on the common cold.
Olympian war god. 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.
New York stadium eponym. 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, a constant cause of debate.
___ 2600 (early game console). 5 letters
ATARI. The kids today probably don’t realize that we had a video game console back in the seventies, and it wasn’t a Nintendo nor was it a PlayStation. The Atari 2600 game system introduced the idea of separating out computing hardware (the console) from the game code (a cartridge). The same concept persists to this day, although cartridges have been displaced by discs and downloads.
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.
Passion. 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”.
Due follower. 3 letters
TRE. ‘One, two, three’ in Italian is “uno, due, tre”.
Mrs. 3 letters
IDA. Ida Morgenstern is a character on the seventies sitcom ‘Rhoda’. Ida is the mother of the title character, Rhoda Morgenstern. Ida was played by Nancy Walker, and Rhoda by Valerie Harper.
Handler of many trays, for short. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks. TSA personnel carry out the baggage and body searches at US airports. The TSA has a Trusted Traveler program that allows certain passengers to move more quickly through security screening. These passengers pay the TSA a one-time fee that covers a background check after which successful applicants are issued a Known Traveler Number (KTN).
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”.
Those who read 61-Across. 3 letters
EDS. Editors read manuscripts.
One-named Irish Grammy winner. 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!
February Revolution target. 4 letters
TSAR. The year 1917 saw two revolutions in Russia, with the pair collectively called ‘the Russian Revolution’. As a result of the February Revolution that centered on Petrograd, the last Emperor of Russia (Tsar Nicholas II) abdicated and members of the Imperial parliament took control of the country, forming the Russian Provisional Government. The Provisional Government was itself overthrown in the October Revolution, by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik party.
“X-Men” 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.
Fashion magazine. 4 letters
ELLE. “Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the biggest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”.
Cracked open, as a door. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
Display at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, for short. 3 letters
SST. The most famous warship to bear the name USS Intrepid was an aircraft carrier launched during WWII and decommissioned in 1974. The Intrepid was the first US carrier to launch planes with steam catapults, and she was also a recovery ship for two NASA space missions: one Mercury flight and one Gemini flight. You can go see the Intrepid now in New York City where she is the base for the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. You can even see a retired British Airways Concorde at the museum.
Arizona’s ___ Cienegas National Conservation Area. 3 letters
LAS. The Las Cienegas National Conservation Area is located in the Sonoran desert of Arizona.
Packed letters?. 3 letters
SRO. A packed theater might display a Standing Room Only (SRO) sign.
Squad leader?. 3 letters
ESS. The leading letter in the word ‘squad’ is S (ess).
Kendrick of “Up in the Air”. 4 letters
ANNA. Up in the Air’ is a really enjoyable comedy-drama from 2009, an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Walter Kirn. It’s all about life on the road and business travel, and stars George Clooney. It reminded me of my decades of business travel, something I usually enjoyed, to be honest. Clooney’s young sidekick in the movie is played very ably by Anna Kendrick.
Slaloming shape. 3 letters
ESS. ‘Slalom’ is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”.
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.
Nintendo’s Super ___. 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES (or SNES) stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Our kids probably have one somewhere …
The “L” of U.N.L.V. 3 letters
LAS. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) was established in 1957 as the Southern Division of the University of Nevada, Reno. One of UNLV’s flagship departments is the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, which is consistently ranked as one of the best hotel and hospitality colleges in the nation. I suppose that’s not surprising given the proximity to the Las Vegas Strip.
Cracked a little. 4 letters
AJAR. Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
Path to enlightenment. 3 letters
TAO. The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.
Nephew of Cain. 4 letters
ENOS. Enos, as the son of Seth, was the grandson of Adam.
Mars’ Greek counterpart. 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 blood-lust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
Celestial altar. 3 letters
ARA. The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.
Jet crew, briefly. 3 letters
EDS. Editors (eds.)
Standard offspring. 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.
Spider-Man villain ___ Octavius. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Octavius is a supervillain in the comic book universe. Also known as Doctor Octopus, Octavius is primarily a foe of Spider-Man.
Rich of old films. 5 letters
IRENE. The actress Irene Rich worked in movies during the transition from the silent era to talkies. Rich also did a lot of work on radio where she had her own show. “The Irene Rich Show” was a series of mini-dramas in which Rich played opposite her leading man, Gale Gordon, who later played “Mr. Mooney”, Lucille Ball’s boss on “The Lucy Show”.
“Goodnight” girl of song. 5 letters
IRENE. “Goodnight, Irene”, also known as “Irene, Goodnight”, is a lovely American folk song that was first recorded commercially back in 1932 by blues singer Lead Belly. The song made it to number one in the charts for the Weavers in 1950 and for Frank Sinatra in the same year.
Skin cream 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.
Typesetting direction. 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.
Destructive 2011 East Coast 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.
Sold-out sign. 3 letters
SRO. Standing Room Only (SRO)
“Beetle Bailey” bulldog. 4 letters
OTTO. Sgt. Snorkel is Beetle Bailey’s nemesis in the cartoon strip. Snorkel has a dog called Otto that he dresses up to look just like himself. He started off as a regular dog, but artist Mort Walker decide to make him more like his owner, and he became a big hit.
Low numero. 3 letters
TRE. In Italian, three (tre) is a low number (numero).
Razor introduced in 1977. 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.
Fed. 3 letters
TSA. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Doc grp. 3 letters
AMA. American Medical Association (AMA)
Comics canine. 4 letters
OTTO. Sgt. Snorkel (‘Sarge’) is Beetle Bailey’s nemesis in the cartoon strip that bears his name. Snorkel has a dog called Otto that he dresses up to look just like himself. Otto started off as a regular dog, but artist Mort Walker decide to draw him more like his owner, and soon Otto became a big hit.
Soothing plant. 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.
Screener’s org. 3 letters
TSA. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
African healer. 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.
Mad people, e.g.: Abbr.. 3 letters
EDS. “Mad” magazine has been around since 1952, although back then it was more of a comic book than a magazine.
New Deal power agcy. 3 letters
REA. The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was one of the New Deal agencies set up by President Franklin Roosevelt. Created in 1935, the agency’s goal was to provide electrical power to rural areas, something that the profit-conscious power companies weren’t willing to take on by themselves.
Zest. 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”.
PBS backer. 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 …
“Super” game console. 3 letters
NES. The acronym Super NES (or SNES) stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Our kids probably have one somewhere …
Tire measure: Abbr.. 3 letters
PSI. Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.
Massachusetts’ Mount ___ College. 3 letters
IDA. Mount Ida College is a private school in Newton, Massachusetts that was founded in 1899 as an all-female high school. Mount Ida became co-educational in 1972, and offered its first bachelor’s degrees in the eighties.
Legal org. 3 letters
ABA. The American Bar Association (ABA)
Beehive State native. 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.
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”.
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. I just learned that the Atra was the first razor to feature a pivoting head, definitely a selling point, I’d say …
Father of Deimos and Phobos, in myth. 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 blood-lust and slaughter.
Eliot’s “___ Vos Prec”. 3 letters
ARA. Ara Vos Prec’ is the title of a 1920 collection of poems by T. S. Eliot. The phrase ‘Ara vos prec’ is a phrase from Dante’s ‘Inferno’.
Mount with the Cave of Zeus. 3 letters
IDA. Accounting to mythology, Zeus was born in a cave at Mount Ida, the highest peak on the island of Crete.
Part of Georgia is in it. 4 letters
ASIA. The former Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia is now an independent country. Supposedly, the Georgian people were given their name because they especially revered St. George. The flag of Georgia does indeed feature five St. George’s crosses.
Tennis player who posthumously received a Presidential Medal of Freedom. 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.
Pioneering razor with a pivoting head. 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.
Notre dame, e.g. 4 letters
ELLE. In French, our lady (notre dame) is a ‘she’ (elle).
Cleveland Browns great Graham. 4 letters
OTTO. Otto Graham was not only a professional football player for the Cleveland Browns, but he also played professional basketball for the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings).
