Thursday, May 9, 2024, Joe Rodini

 

 No Smoking!

I'm going out on a limb here to tell you that today's constructor Joe Rodini, is using his debut on the Corner to present us with an elaborate Public Service Announcement.  He tries three times to light a CIGAR in the following 3 theme clues, but it gets dimmer and dimmer after each attempt... ...

17A. *Opera buffa by Mozart: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO.  Some people think that The Marriage of Figaro is the greatest opera ever written, and far be it for me to argue with them.  This opera was revolutionary, not just musically, but in its veiled attack on the aristocracy (it was actually banned in Vienna).  The plot revolves around Count Almaviva's attempt to exercise his Droit du seigneur -- that is his right as a Lord to "break in" any of his servant girls on the night of their wedding.  The servant in this case it is Susanna, Figaro's fiancee (the same Figaro as in Rossini's The Barber of Seville).  The opera ends with an embarrassing moonlight tryst between the Count and his own wife, the Countess Rosina, whom he has been tricked into thinking is Susanna.  Here's how the opera begins ...

29A. *Landscape options in dry climates: ROCK GARDENS.

A Rock Garden in San Diego

39A. *One skilled at manipulating characters: ASCII ARTIST.  The Tsunami was a popular image in the ASCII Age, for those who foresaw the emergence of graphic computer interfaces and the coming Internet ...

 And finally Joe reveals what he's really trying to warn us about ...

54. "Not quite!," and what can be said about a letter string in the answer to each starred clue: CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR.  ... or as this Veggie Tale tells us ...

... if you smoke, it will end up being your Silent Night!

I fear that there may be a whole other layer hidden in the ashes of this theme, and if there is, I'm sure you'll point it out!

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Department concerned with wages: LABOR.

6. "Word": I DIG.

10. Kazakhstan's North __ Sea: ARAL.  Four letter sea?  Could this be an EKTORP?*

14. D-Day beach name: OMAHA.  OMAHA was the code name for one of 5 beaches where Allied Forces came ashore on during D-Day, the June 6th, 1944.  It was the most heavily defended beach by the Germans, everything went wrong on that beach, and it took the heaviest casualties (e.g. compare American losses on Omaha vs Utah).  On a D-Day tour of the beaches some years back our guide told us that the Allied air forces were supposed to carpet bomb the bluffs above Omaha beach with sorties running parallel to it.  He speculated that due to inter-service rivalry they ignored this decision and flew instead in from the sea at right angles to the beach, and many of their bombs landed in the fields beyond the bluffs.  As this scene from Saving Private Ryan shows us, the results were disastrous ...

Anyone not a minor, feel free to click on the
Watch on YouTube link above

15. Sushi wrapper: NORI. 

16. Get a better rate, for short: REFI.  REFInance.
.
17. [Theme clue]

20. "Your point being?": AND?

21. They mean nothing: ZEROS.  Yes they do, but they are also one of the most significant discoveries of early mathematicians.  While there are many claims of "first" to this invention, e.g. this one, it seems likely that it was discovered independently by mathematicians around the world.

22. End zone marker: PYLON.  Sports usage.  But here our friendly Thesaurus.plus shows us only 10 of its 61 synonyms ...

23. Leaves at the altar: JILTS.

24. Tropical trees: PALMS.

25. Vegan milk source: ALMOND.

28. Mountainous region of the Levant: JUDEA.  Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, JUDEA is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name originates from Yehudah, a Hebrew name. Yehudah was a son of Jacob (one of the "Genesis twins" who never seems to make it into crossword fill  😀) who was later given the name "Israel" and whose sons collectively headed the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Yehudah's progeny among the Israelites formed the Tribe of Judah, with whom the Kingdom of Judah is associated.

29. [Theme clue]

32. "CSI" evidence: DNA.   Deoxyribonucleic Acid is gathered during a crime scene investigation because each individual's DNA is unique, and like finger prints, it can help identify who was at the scene. It has a half sibling called Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) -- for more on both DNA and RNA see 59A.

35. __ in handy: COME.

36. Missay, say: ERR.  Is there a wrong way to clue this?

37. God of love: EROS.  Specifically the Greek god of love, the Roman god being CUPID or Amor.  Their holiday is celebrated every February 14th. 💕

38. Swanky hotel amenity: SPA.

39A [Theme clue]

43. Memos: NOTES.

45. Crow's-nest cry: LAND HO.

46. Race town near Windsor Castle: ASCOT.  The Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, and has since received the support of a further twelve monarchs. The Ascot summer race meeting officially became a Royal week in 1911 and is always visited by the King and Queen.

The Ascot Races

47. Red carpet brand: PRADA.

49. Pertaining to bees: APIAN.

50. __ Sound Machine: MIAMI.  Miami Sound Machine was an American Latin pop band of Latin-influenced music that featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami Latin Boys before becoming the Miami Sound Machine in 1977.  Their Rhythm is Gonna Get You ...

51. Explosive letters: TNT.  A preview of coming attractions ...

54. [Theme reveal]

57. "Get your own!": MINE.

58. Free of fizz: FLAT.  Another versatile word ...

59. Protein-building acid: AMINO.  There are two main classes of proteins: 1. structural proteins used to build muscle, tissues, organs, etc; and 2. enzymes (suffixed with ase), which act as catalysts (facilitators) mediating the myriad biological reactions that comprise metabolism.  Proteins are essentially long strings of AMINO acids (a.k.a. "polypeptides") folded into specific 3D shapes suited to their purposes.  The process by which this occurs is called protein synthesis. The order of the amino acids in a protein is defined by the GENES, sequences of  DNA nucleotides (the famous "stair steps" in DNA's helical structure) specific to each protein.  Here's a visual explanation of protein synthesis provided by the Amoeba Sisters ...

Among the most important enzymes is RNA Polymerase, discovered  6 years after the the structure of DNA was discovered in 1953, and which is required in the synthesis of DNA and RNA.  Simply put, DNA is required to make enzymes, but enzymes are required to make DNA.  How did that happen?  Scientists have been working on this "chicken and egg"problem at least since 1959.

60. Online crafts site: ETSY.

61. __ up: tell all: FESS.

62. Lite: LO FAT.

Down:

1. Kirke of "Mozart in the Jungle": LOLA.  Lola Kirke plays oboist Hailey Rutledge in the Amazon Prime TV series based on the 2005 memoir Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, by real life oboist Blair Tindall ...

2. "Preach!": AMEN.

3. Boston or Chicago: BAND.  CITY fits, but doesn't perp.  Boston is an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Scholz in Boston, Massachusetts, that experienced significant commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s.  Chicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1967.  Self-described as a "rock and roll band with horns," their songs often combine elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music.  Here are Boston and Chicago's greatest hits ...

More Than a Feeling

 Saturday in the Park

4. Cry of discovery: OHO.

5. Poking fun at: RAZZING.

6. Like noble gases: INERT.  Snobs that they are, noble gases' exhibit INERTNESS, a tendency not to react with other chemical substances, which results from their electron configuration: their outer shell of valence electrons is "full", giving them little tendency to participate in chemical reactions.

7. Long-extinct flightless birds: DODOS.  Their name is synonymous with "stupid", but their extinction was not caused by stupidity.

Dodo

8. Eye part: IRIS.

9. Many a moving meme: GIF.  LIFE IS SHORT ...

10. Sock pattern: ARGYLE.  ARGYLE is the handle for D. Scott Nichols, of Argyle, NY, a long time blogger on the Corner, who passed away on May 1, 2018.   He was also known affectionately as our Santa.  Here's C.C. In Memoriam. It's worth reading for what the regular commenters had to say about him.  Some of them have passed on as well.

Argyle

11. La Liga team that plays in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium: REAL MADRID.  Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly referred to as REAL MADRID, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football.

12. Curly hairstyles: AFROS.

13. Wildebeest hunter: LION.

18. Nintendo princess: ZELDA. Princess Zelda is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series.

Princess Zelda

19. Tablets at some checkout counters: IPADS.  5 major benefits of using IPADS in retail.

23. Routine element: JOKE.  While this guy is best known for his standup, he starts this routine kneeling ...

24. Many a 23-Down: PUN. 

25. Circle parts: ARCS.

26. Roller coaster feature: LOOP.

27. Supersize suburban homes: MCMANSIONS.  What's the difference between a McMANSION and just a big house?

Some McMansions under construction near me
(BTW, the flag on the right is a CSO to Anonymous -T)

28. Ryan of "Bosch": JERI.  I couldn't find any clips of her from Bosch, but it turns out that Jeri Ryan can sing.  I believe this performance was on Star Trek Voyager's  holadeck ...

30. Suggestions, informally: RECS.  TIPS would have fit too.

31. Soft & __: DRI.

33. Have a snack: NOSH.

34. Apropos of: AS TO.

37. Sicilian mount: ETNA.  Mount ETNA erupts frequently in crosswords, and this past December it obliged us with an actual eruption ...

39. Back up an apology, say: ATONE.    Sometimes an apology is not enough -- the theme of the book/movie ATONEMENT (highly recommended) ...

40. Gel: SET.

41. Avis rival: ALAMO.
 
42. Far beyond the norm: RADICAL.  Dude!

44. Irish dramatist Seán: O'CASEY.  Seán O'Casey (born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.

Seán O'Casey

46. College-level HS English course: AP LIT.  You might just read one of 44A's plays there.

47. Falafel holders: PITAS.  Here's a recipe.

Falafels

48. Tirades: RANTS.

49. Cartoon maker of Invisible Paint and Instant Road: ACME.

50. Stubborn beast: MULE.

51. "Yay, the weekend's almost here!": TGIF.  The day after Thursday!

52. Grandmother's nickname: NANA.

53. Moderate gait: TROT.

55. Lifelong pal, briefly: BFF.

56. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.  I know u didn't, but I drew the short straw today.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

*EKTORP was defined by Emma Oxford  in a comment to  her April 17th, 2024 puzzle as "a clue whose answer you can get from context without actually knowing it."

 

Notes from C.C.:

Renee (sumdaze) and I made today's USA Today puzzle. Click here to solve. Congrats on your debut, Renee! You're simply amazing.

Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, Emma Oxford

IN BLOOM

Nirvana - In Bloom

April showers bring....hey, wait, we're too early for the flowers~!  This is my second blog of an Emma Oxford puzzle this year ( see 67A.).  Four 11-letter and one 13-letter spanners for the theme - scrambled, or "wild" - flower names.  No circles, but "in my opinion" ( see 59D. ) it might have helped, as the first two themers are two-word scrambles, but then the second two are just the first four letters.  Your Experience May Be/Might've Been Different - in fact, I'm coining a new term, "YEMBD" - pronounced "yem-beady".  Very few names, plenty of foreign (read) French words, but a longer than usual solve time for me, as I did not get the "ta-DA~!" at the end due to my "LIKE to serve" mistake, which took a while to find.

18. *Be extremely helpful: LIVE TO SERVE - VIOLET - the original Willy Wonka

There's a valid argument for why she should have "won" the Chocolate Factory

29. *Staged a fireworks show: LIT UP THE SKY - TULIP - ah, there's an organ joke in there....

I do not have this record...

36. *Start of an instruction to an automated assistant: SIRI SET A TIMER - IRIS

The 'Monet' version; perhaps you're a Van Gogh type~?

44. *Sensitive area: SORE SUBJECT - ROSE - and the 'start' of the joke ....

Axl "ROSE is" on the piano - and, er, Slash is on piano, too....

58. Colorful elements of a meadow, and what can be found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues?: WILDFLOWERS

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA

4. Stand-up individual?: COMIC

9. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner: MEALS

14. Place for a pint: PUB - Bzzzt~! Not BAR - AND - 20A. Some pints: ALES

15. Miso soup mushroom: ENOKI - perps, but then again, a crossword staple lately

16. Data processor's need: INPUT

17. Lenovo products: PCs - Lenovo is a Windows-based computer maker

22. Crying harder: TEARIER - meh.

23. Tempo similar to largo: LENTO

25. Prepares, as a sleeping bag: UNROLLS

33. Part of EVOO: OIL - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

34. Used DoorDash, say: ATE IN - had food delivered, that is; I made my own version of General Tso's chicken the other day~!

35. Auction site: eBAY

41. Very: MOST - as in "she is most attractive"

"Très OUI" - Frawnche #1

42. Rene of "Tin Cup": RUSSO

43. Death on the Nile cause, perhaps: ASP - "Very dangerous...you go first"

50. Frightening vision: DAYMARE - as opposed to NIGHTmare - a new word for me; more here

52. Part of TNT: NITRO - Everything you ever wanted to know about trinitrotoluene

53. Do over and over: ITERATE - so to REiterate is to do over and over AND OVER~?

57. "Begone!": SHOO

62. Convent figure: NUN

63. Adult stage in insects: IMAGO

64. Provide an address: ORATE - ooh, clever misdirection

65. Here, in France: ICI - Frawnche #2

66. Airport structure: TOWER

"We have no tower - just a bridge, Sir"

67. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" host Aisha: TYLER - strangely, this is the second time with this clue/answer for me in an Emma Oxford puzzle blog

68. "Evita" role: CHE


DOWN:

1. Revolt: APPALL - the "ick" revolt, not the political one

2. Atomic cores: NUCLEI - I read somewhere that our constructor Emma has atomic knowledge

3. Playing hooky, perhaps: ABSENT

4. Cartoon still: CEL

5. "Roger that, boss!": "ON IT~!"

6. Make emotional: MOVE - MOKE seemed like a possibility 😜

7. Maker of Ektorp sofas: IKEA - I have learned to default to "IKEA" when it's an oddly-named furniture clue....

8. Fruit type that tends to be in season in winter: CITRUS - I did not know this; read more here from "The CIA"

9. Kathy Bates film based on a Stephen King novel: MISERY - I am not a fan of this genre

10. Month after diciembre: ENERO - the Spanish spelling of January

11. Mo. after Mar.: APRil - the current "mid-spring" month - I have daffodils in my front yard

It would appear that I need to wash my siding

12. Hon: LUV - Thank God it was not the "other" three-letter cringe word

13. Sault __ Marie: STE - Frawnche #3

19. Sty sound: OINK

21. Queen Anne's house: STUART - I have had this type of misdirection before; not the actual house as in structure/style, but the "political" one - see the Wiki highlighted

A "local" example, the James Alldis house in Torrington, CT

24. __-Free: contact lens solution: OPTI

26. Piercing spot: LOBE

27. "Not true!": LIAR - I had "LIES~!" to start

28. Devious: SLY

30. Your, in Tours: TES - Frawnche #4

31. Dash, quaintly: HIE

32. __ nous: ENTRE - fifth and finale Frawnche

35. Characters in some texts: EMOJIS - 😀😎😜

36. Slugger Sammy: SOSA - an easy baseball reference, tho I am not a fan like our blog host C.C. - I did like the link to the two guys trying to hit 100mph fastballs, Chairman~!

37. Guessing game: I SPY

38. Ger. neighbor: AUStria

39. Nashville sch.: TSU - I WAGed this, figured it was something like "Tennessee State University"

40. ID on a Barnes & Noble buy: ISBN - ID is abbr., so too the International Standard Book Number

41. Outraged: MAD

44. Took, as an exam: SAT FOR

45. Baseball analyst Hershiser: OREL - does this mean he offers "Orel" exams~? ba-dum-tiss

46. Transplant: REROOT - I re-potted my houseplant a month ago, and it's still in shock; I don't want to lose it, because it was my mother's plant and I kept it when we sold the LI house after she passed

47. Pertaining to a certain culture: ETHNIC

48. Catcher's stance: CROUCH - ah; much better than "SQUAT", which was my first thought

49. Nickname for the Canadian $2 coin: TOONIE - I filled in LOONEY, as I have seen this before in Crosswords, but obviously had the wrong $ value, and spelling - but 50% correct~!

51. Small fly: MIDGE

54. Out of whack: AWRY

55. Blue-green shade: TEAL

56. Art Deco icon: ERTÉ - I happen to "MOKE" (😁) the Art Deco style - his Wiki

58. Cleverness: WIT

59. Brief "I would say ... ": IMO - In My Opinion

60. Order's partner: LAW - for those who are interested, the LAW & ORDER tab for the TV show theme from Ultimate Guitar; you'll have to create a log-in to see it if you don't already have one

61. Msg. from a pulpit: SERmon


Splynter

Friday, January 12, 2024, Emma Oxford

Thanks, again, Lisa for your help a couple of weeks ago.

This week, however, you may be missing the mark.

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here from the land of frozen (and decidedly not warm) waters to bring you today's recap.  Our puzzle setter is Emma Oxford and, at four places within the grid, she has provided us with amusing takes on familiar two-letter abbreviations.  Let's take a look:

18 ACROSS:  Big bash honoring detectives?: PI DAY CELEBRATION.  PI DAY comes on March 14th of each year because 3 can stand for March the value of Pi (the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter) is roughly 3.14.  In this case, however, P.I. is referring to Private Investigator.  PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR DAY CELEBRATION.

27 ACROSS:  Take steps to prevent patients leaving mid-appendectomy?: FIGHT OR FLIGHT.  We are all, of course, familiar with the FIGHT OR FLIGHT response but, in the puzzle, O.R. is used as the abbreviation for Operating Room.  FIGHT OPERATING ROOM FLIGHT.

47 ACROSS:  Certain facial recognition pro?: THE WIZARD OF ID.  The WIZARD OF ID is a cartoon strip by Parker and Hart.  In this answer, though, the reference is to identification as in (e.g.) I.D. Card.   THE WIZARD OF IDENTIFICATION.

The Wizard of ID

63 ACROSS:  Really annoy the computer help desk?: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT.  A familiar expression recast as TAKE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE LIMIT.

This is how it appears in the grid:

. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Chasm: ABYSS.

6. Every which way: AMOK.  A little bit of a stretch definition-wise.

10. Worry about: SWEAT.  Both FRET and STEW were too short.

15. "Better in Time" singer Lewis: LEONA.   This could have been clued with a reference to the Queen Of Mean - LEONA Hemsley.

16. Placemat, in some restaurants: MENU.  Serving double duty.

17. Shelf: LEDGE.

21. Running wild: ON A TEAR.

22. Try and fail to walk on ice: SLIP.  Thanks for the reminder to put on those cleats.

23. __-Magnon: CRO.  What did CRO-Magnons call Rock, Paper, Scissors?  Rock.

24. Rock gp. sometimes joined by Young: CSN.  More abbreviations.

25. Signifies: MEANS.  MEAN sure does have a lot of meanings.

26. Besmirch: TAR.  As in to TAR one's reputation.

32. Kid-friendly card game: UNO.

33. Laze: LOAF.

34. "__-daisy!": OOPSY.  All about OOPSY-daisy

38. Certain English collegian: ETONIAN.

41. Oregon port named for a fur merchant: ASTORIA.  In addition to the fur trade, John Jacob ASTOR was involved with smuggling opium into China.

43. Grayish green shade: LODEN.  A deep olive green with shorter wavelengths.

44. Fictional terrier from Kansas: TOTO.  Clever.  A puzzle with references to both the Wizard of Id and the Wizard of Oz.

46. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR.  Not a UCLA reference.

52. Sleeve: ARM.

55. Matter basics: ATOMS.  I got arrested for having one sodium ATOM and one chlorine ATOM.  They said I committed a salt.

56. Pub bill: TAB.  As is to run a tab.

57. Actress Seydoux: LEA.  Unkown to this solver but easily perped.

58. Pool division: LANE.

59. Uneasy feeling, with "the": WILLIES.  Where Did This Expression Originate

66. Neptune's realm: OCEAN.

67. Home of the Blue Devils: DUKE.  DUKE University.

68. "Into the Woods" song sung by two princes: AGONY.  Last week, I went from AGONY to ecstasy in a span of a few days.  At this rate, I’ll finish reading the dictionary in a month or so.

69. [I have no idea]: SHRUG.

70. Missouri River Native: OTOE.  Frequent visitors.

71. Pick up: SENSE.  

Down:

1. Pet food brand: ALPO.

2. Form of nonviolent protest: BE IN.  The first Human Be-In (get it?) was held in Golden Gate Park in 1967.

3. Jedi voiced by Tom Kane on "The Clone Wars": YODA.

4. Seize: SNATCH.  I will not seize the moment, but, rather, let this moment pass.

5. "What __ thou?": SAYEST.   SAYEST is an archaic second person singular of say.

6. Pt. of USA: AMER.  United States of AMERica

7. First name of two Spice Girls: MEL.  MELanie Brown went by the stage name of Scary Spice and MELanie Chisholm went by the name of Sporty Spice.

8. Reflexive pronoun: ONESELF.

9. __ Khan: KUBLAI.  Mongol general and grandson of Genghis.

10. Paul Newman hockey film: SLAP SHOT.

11. Sopping: WET.

12. Decree: EDICT.

13. Ancient Greek marketplace: AGORA.

14. Hero in operas, typically: TENOR.  See also 52 Down.

19. __ oil: CANOLA.  RAPESEED (from which CANOLA oil is made) was more a more difficult name to merchandise.

May the Schwartz Be With You

20. Key spot: RING.  Not a reference to something important. Not a reference to a small island.

25. Juilliard deg.: MFA.  Master of Fine Arts

27. Gasohol, e.g.: FUEL.  A mixture of gasoline and alcohol.

28. Division word: INTO.

29. Yummy: GOOD.  Some things do not get better with age:

30. "Sons of Anarchy" actor Perlman: RON.

31. Furthermore: TOO.  AND would have fit the allotted space.  ALSO would not.

35. Univ. lecturer: PROF.  PROFessor

36. iPad speaker: SIRI.  "She" speaks out loud.  Not the audio speaker built into your iPad.

37. Gridiron unit: YARD.   I recently found a round, black piece of plastic with a hole in the middle and grooves on both sides. I picked it up and threw it. It flew for more than 300 yards.  I'm sure that must have been a record.

39. Wind up with: NET.  If you ever wonder "What's my NET worth?" it's probably less than you paid for it.

40. Getting some air: INHALING.  Not out for a walk.

41. "One __ time!": AT A.

42. Foray: SORTIE.

44. Call from a coach: TIMEOUT.

45. Wt. units: OZS.  OZ, as the abbreviation for ounce, came from the Italian onza meaning ounce.

48. Coup d'__: ETAT.  One of  Today's French lessons although thoroughly incorporated into English usage.  French for "stroke of state".   A coup d'ETAT is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership.

49. Is unacceptable: WON'T DO.

50. Mavericks city: DALLAS.  A basketball reference.

51. Do a favor for: OBLIGE.  They are then OBLIGatEd to you.

52. Unlikely heroines in operas, typically: ALTOS.  See also 14 Down.

53. Get to: REACH.  I went to the butchers the other day and I bet him fifty bucks that he couldn't reach the meat on the top shelf.  He declined the bet saying, "No, the steaks are too high."

54. Creative sort: MAKER.  Earlier in the week this might have been clued as Coffee ______ .

59. Cry of delight: WHEE.

60. "That's my cue!": I"M ON.  What are you on, dude?

61. __, zwei, drei: EINS.  Today's German lesson. 1, 2, 3.

62. Eye affliction: STYE.  A frequent affliction in our puzzles.

64. Mer contents: EAU.  Another of today's French lesson.  Mer = Sea and EAU = water.

65. Fight-ending letters: TKO.  A boxing reference.  Technical KnockOut

______________________________________________________________