CROSSWORD CLUES "U"
A thespian on standby
(10 letters)
understudy
There are 9 rings in this river across which souls are ferried to the underworld
The River Styx
Astronomers & old-timey farmers disagree on the definition of this, but either way, it pops up in a phrase for something rare
once in a blue moon
You can BCC others on an email without knowing the CC is short for this
carbon copy
AKA "false making", this crime can apply to art, like 450 pieces in Italy in 2024 that were not in fact by Klimt et al.
forgery (counterfeiting)
It keeps the hair off your neck
(4 letters)
updo
The Hesperides were maidens who guarded a tree that bore these precious fruits
golden apples
This phrase meaning from a primary source has been traced to 19th century racetrack gambling
from the horse's mouth
Dating from roughly the birth of Christ, the Melsonby Hoard is a trove of artifacts of this period
the Iron Age
You're indicted for this; your wives Etta, Flo, Bridget, Mindy, Nan & Gwen put up bail for you... & really prove the case
polygamy
Authority figure who cries foul
(6 letters)
umpire
Cut off one of the 9 heads of this huge watersnake-like monster & 2 would grow in its place
the Hydra
Used to describe the likelihood of something that'll never, ever happen, it used to be followed by "with their tails forward"
when pigs fly
They say these are bright on Broadway, they say there's always magic in the air
neon lights
This crime refers to illegally transporting booze or taping & selling that Doobie Brothers concert
bootlegging
Final offer or demand
(9 letters)
ultimatum
Paris is one of the 50 sons of this king of Troy
Priam
To be extremely familiar with something is to know it like this, also called a dorsum
the back of your hand
In 1926, Dr. Alvan Barach created the first practical one of these aids to respiration
oxygen tent
New York lists 5 degrees of this; 5th is a misdemeanor but 1st, with use of an incendiary device, is a felony that can get you 25 years
arson
All over the place
(10 letters)
ubiquitous
After she was forbidden from doing so, she buried her brother Polyneices & was punished
Antigone
With a synonym for "lift" & an archaic word for a bomb, it's a very old-timey way of saying plans have backfired
hoist on one's own petard
It's not an obsession with element No. 7, it's a process that creates more reactive compounds to help plants grow
nitrogen fixation
Thailand hands out sentences as long as 60 years for this crime, a term from the French for injuring royal dignity
lèse-majesté