1215-19 NY Times Crossword 15 Dec 19, Sunday

Constructed by: Christina Iverson & Jeff Chen
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Doing a Double Take

Circled letters on the left of the grid spell out CASTOR, and on the right spell out POLLUX, THE GEMINI, the TWINS. We need to KILL/ignore these letters in the intersecting across-answers, which are TWINNED:

  • 32A This puzzle’s subjects, by another name : THE GEMINI
  • 72D Weather phenomenon whose double lights were said to represent this puzzle’s subjects : ST ELMO’S FIRE
  • 73D Baseball double play, in slang … or a hint to understanding the 12 Across answers that have circles : TWIN KILLING
  • 22A Concise and to the point : PITHY
  • 24A Desirous : ITCHY
  • 37 For now : PRO TEM
  • 42A Group running a celeb’s social media accounts, say : PR TEAM
  • 54A Hitting close to home? : TRIPLING
  • 57A Pattern on a barber pole : STRIPING
  • 76A Duties imposed : LEVIES
  • 79A Party notifications sent with a click : E-VITES
  • 100A Tousles, as hair : MUSSES
  • 104A Bog growths : MOSSES
  • 114A Warehouse stacks : BOXES
  • 122A Some South Africans : BOERS

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 20m 19s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Sandwich with an apostrophe in its name : PO’ BOY

A po’ boy is a submarine sandwich from Louisiana. There are a lot of theories about where the name came from, and none sound too convincing to me. A po’ boy differs from a regular submarine sandwich in that it uses Louisiana French bread, which is soft in the middle and crusty on the outside.

6 Last-minute eBay bidders : SNIPERS

Auction sniping is a relatively new phenomenon, a phenomenon that is associated with online auctions. A sniper waits until the final seconds of an auction and drops in a slightly higher bid, winning the auction as other bidders have no time to respond. Auction sniping is often executed with the help of a software application, or by using an online service.

13 ___ Speaker : MADAM

Nancy Pelosi first became Speaker of the House in 2007, and was the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She was the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker of the House is second-in-line to the presidency, after the Vice President, Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking female politician in US history.

18 Family written about by Margaret Mitchell : O’HARAS

In Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone with the Wind”, Scarlett O’Hara’s home is the Tara plantation. Tara was founded not far from the Georgia city of Jonesboro by Scarlett’s father, Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara. Gerald won the square mile of land on which Tara was built in an all-night poker game. He named his new abode after the Hill of Tara back in his home country, the ancient seat of the High King of Ireland. Rhett’s rival for the affections of Scarlet is Ashley Wilkes who lives at the nearby Twelve Oaks plantation.

20 Laureate : HONOREE

A poet laureate is a poet who is officially pointed by some institution to compose works for special occasions. The US Poet Laureate is more correctly known as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. To be “laureate” is to be “crowned with laurels”. In ancient Greece, poets and heroes were honored with a crown or wreath made from laurels.

21 California city whose name translates to “the table” : LA MESA

One of the most famous residents of La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego, California, was the actor Dennis Hopper.

26 Enclosure for a slush pile, for short : SASE

In the world of publishing, the slush pile is the collection of unsolicited manuscripts that have been submitted by hopeful authors.

28 Salsa and guacamole : DIPS

“Salsa” is simply Spanish for “sauce”.

Guacamole is one of my favorite dishes. It is prepared by mashing avocados and perhaps adding the likes of tomato, onion and lime juice. The guacamole recipe dates back as early as the 16th century, to the time of the Aztecs. “Guacamole” translates as “avocado sauce”.

30 Foe of the Jedi : SITH

The Sith are characters in the “Star Wars” universe who use the “dark side” of “the Force”, and as such are the antithesis of the Jedi Knights. Members of the Sith use the title “Darth” before their name, as in Darth Vader. The last made of the six “Star Wars” movies is called “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.

32 This puzzle’s subjects, by another name : THE GEMINI

“Gemini” is the Latin word for “twins”.

36 Beats by ___ (audio brand) : 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.

37 For now : PRO TEM

“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior. The President pro tempore of the US Senate is the person who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President of the US. It has been tradition since 1890 that the president pro tem is the most senior senator in the majority party. The president pro tem ranks highly in the line of succession to the presidency, falling third in line after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

41 One of 24 : KARAT

A karat (also “carat”, the spelling outside of North America) is a measure of the purity of gold alloys, with 24-karat representing pure gold.

42 Group running a celeb’s social media accounts, say : PR TEAM

Public relations (PR)

50 What violence might lead to : R RATING

The Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film-rating system (PG-13, R, etc.) is purely voluntary and is not backed by any law. Movie theaters agree to abide by the rules that come with the MPAA ratings in exchange for access to new movies.

52 Political figure on whom Snowball is based in “Animal Farm” : TROTSKY

Leon Trotsky was a Soviet politician and revolutionary, the founder and first leader of the Red Army as well as one of the first members of the Politburo. Trotsky was ousted and deported in 1929 when he opposed the policies of Joseph Stalin. Trotsky continued to be vocal in opposition to Stalin in Mexico, his place of exile. Stalin had him assassinated there in 1940.

“Animal Farm” is a 1945 novella written by George Orwell, a satire of life in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Orwell had trouble getting his novel published in his homeland of the UK during WWII, as anti-Soviet literature wasn’t a good thing to publish while the UK and USSR were on the same side of a World War. In fact, one publisher who was willing to distribute the book changed his mind after being warned off by the British Ministry of Information. Given his experiences, I find it interesting that Orwell should write “Nineteen Eighty-Four” a few years later, and introduce the world to Big Brother.

54 Hitting close to home? : TRIPLING

That would be baseball.

57 Pattern on a barber pole : STRIPING

Barbers originally offered a wide range of services, including surgery. Back in the Middle Ages, one of the primary services offered was bloodletting. The red and white sign outside a barber’s place of business represented bloody bandages wrapped around a pole. Henry VIII restricted barbers to just haircutting … and dentistry. Our term “barber” comes to us via Anglo-French from the Latin “barba” meaning “beard”.

63 F.D.R.’s last veep : HST

The letter “S” in the middle of the name Harry S. Truman (HST) doesn’t stand for anything. The future-president was named “Harry” in honor of his mother’s brother Harrison “Harry” Young. The initial “S” was chosen in honor of young Harry’s two grandfathers: Anderson S-hipp Truman and S-olomon Young.

67 Youngest animal in the Hundred Acre Wood : 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. Piglet also lives in the Hundred Acre Wood, in a beech tree next to a sign that says “TRESPASSERS W”. Piglet says this is short for Trespassers William, which is his grandfather’s name.

71 Part of a parade float on New Year’s Day : ROSE PETAL

The first Rose Parade was staged in 1890 on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. The initial parades were organized by the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club, whose members wanted to highlight the mild winter weather in the area. The initial parades did not feature flowers, but these were added to underscore the favorable climate. It was the inclusion of the flowers that gave rise to the name “Tournament of Roses”. The first Rose Bowl football game was played in 1902.

78 Airer of “Arrow” and “iZombie” : THE CW

The WB Television Network was launched in 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and Tribune Broadcasting. The WB (for “Warner Bros.”) was shut down in 2006 and replaced by the CW (for “CBS” and “Warner Bros.”).

81 Members of un monastère : FRERES

“Frère” is the French word for “brother”.

In French, “abbés” (abbots) might live in “un monastère” (a monastery).

103 Muscat native : OMANI

Muscat is the capital of Oman. The city lies on the northeast coast of the state on the Gulf of Oman, a branch of the Persian Gulf.

108 Where Orange County is, in brief : SOCAL

Southern California (SoCal)

Orange County in the Greater Los Angeles Area is the smallest county in Southern California by area, and yet it is the sixth most populous county in the US. The county seat is Santa Ana.

109 Something with many variables to consider : ALGEBRA

Algebra (alg.) is a branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations are performed on variables rather than specific numbers (x,y etc). The term “algebra” comes from the Arabic “al jebr” meaning “reunion of broken parts”.

122 Some South Africans : BOERS

“Boer” is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for “farmer”, a word that was used to describe the Dutch-speaking people who settled parts of South Africa during the 1700s.

127 French schoolteacher : MAITRE

In French, one might learn from a “maître” (master) in “une école” (a school).

129 Title role played by Hilary Swank in a 2009 biopic : AMELIA

The 2009 movie “Amelia” tells the life story of Amelia Earhart, with Hilary Swank in the title role. “Amelia” didn’t do well with the critics, although I must say that I enjoyed it. Maybe that’s because I am fascinated by the whole Earhart story …

Down

1 Can opener : POP-TOP

The term “pop top” refers to a whole family of designs for opening the top of a soda can. The oldest method is the “pull tab” or “ring pull”, invented in Canada in 1956. The design was long-lived, but it had its problems, so the world heaved a sigh of relief with the invention of the stay-on-tab in 1975. The new design led to less injuries and eliminated all those used pull tabs that littered the streets.

2 Company that introduced Etch A Sketch : OHIO ART

Etch A Sketch was introduced in 1960. The toy was developed in France by inventor André Cassagnes.

3 Takes the plate in place of : BATS FOR

That would be baseball.

4 World of Warcraft enemies : ORCS

World of Warcraft is an online role-playing game (RPG). My son informs me that the game is not that great. Like I would know …

8 Dutch banking giant : ING

ING is a huge Dutch banking institution created via a merger in 1991. The company headquarters is in a spectacular building in Amsterdam called simply ING House. ING stands for Internationale Nederlanden Groep.

11 Contributors to “the front page of the internet” : REDDITORS

Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name “Reddit” is a play on “read it”, as in “I read it on Reddit”. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for “ask me anything”), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama’s AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.

13 ___ tai : MAI

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

17 Pandemonium : MAYHEM

The word “pandemonium” was coined in 1667 by John Milton in his epic poem “Paradise Lost”. It is the name he invented for the capital of Hell, “the High Capital, of Satan and his Peers”.

33 The Jets, but not the Giants : GANG

Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story” is based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The musical is set in New York City and features two rival gangs: the Sharks from Puerto Rico and the Jets with working-class, Caucasian roots. Tony from the Jets (played by Richard Beymer) falls in love with Maria (played by Natalie Wood) from the Sharks. All this parallels Romeo from the House of Montague falling for Juliet from the House of Capulet in the Italian city of Verona. The stage musical was adapted into a very successful 1961 movie with the same title.

35 Drink with a straw : MALT

Walgreens claims to have introduced the malted milkshake, back in 1922.

38 Hatcher of “Lois & Clark” : TERI

Teri Hatcher’s most famous role is the Susan Mayer character on the TV comedy-drama “Desperate Housewives”. I’ve never seen more than a few minutes of “Housewives” but I do know Teri Hatcher as a Bond girl, as she appeared in “Tomorrow Never Dies”. More recently, she portrayed Lois Lane on the show “Lois & Clark”.

39 Lawman at the O.K. Corral : EARP

Wyatt Earp is famous as one of the participants in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Earp was a city policeman in Wichita, Kansas and also in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp was also deputy sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona where the O.K. Corral gunfight took place. Years later, Earp joined the Alaska Gold Rush and with a partner built and operated the Dexter Saloon in Nome.

43 What amber comes from : RESIN

Amber’s technical name is “resinite”, reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

44 Cleaning up the mess, for short? : ON KP

The initialism “KP” is US military slang that stands for either “kitchen police” or “kitchen patrol”.

45 Texter’s “ciao” : TTYL

Talk to you later (ttyl)

47 Certain bean or horse : PINTO

Pinto beans are so-called because their skins have a mottled (“pinto”) appearance.

A pinto is a horse with patchy markings of white mixed with another color. “Pinto” means “painted” in American Spanish.

53 Provocative poster : TROLL

In Internet terms, a troll is someone who attempts to disrupt online group activities. The fishing term “troll” is used to describe such a person as he or she throws out off-topic remarks in an attempt to “lure” others into some emotional response. I must admit to feeling sorry for people who have such sad lives …

56 One of Chaucer’s pilgrims : REEVE

A reeve was a senior official in the days of Anglo-Saxon England, and might perhaps have been a chief magistrate of a town. Famously, a reeve appears in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”. “The Reeve’s Tale” is the third tale in the book.

60 “Whither thou ___ …” : GOEST

The Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament tells the story of Ruth. Ruth was one of two women who married the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi. Father and sons died, leaving the three widows to fend for themselves. Naomi decided that it was best to go to Bethlehem. Orpah was Naomi’s second daughter-in-law, and she decided to return to her home. Ruth decided to stick with her mother-in-law, using the words “Whither thou goest, I will go”.

65 Fortune 500 category, informally : TECH

“Fortune” is a tri-weekly business magazine that was founded by Henry Luce in 1930, just four months after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. “Fortune” is noted for its annual ranking of companies by revenue, especially the Fortune 500.

69 Most sinewy : WIRIEST

“Sinew” is another name for “tendon”. Tendons are bands of collagen that connect muscle to bone. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae, which are also connective tissue made out of collagen, but ligaments join bone to bone, and fasciae connect muscle to muscle. We also use the term “sinew” to mean muscular power.

72 Weather phenomenon whose double lights were said to represent this puzzle’s subjects : ST ELMO’S FIRE

Saint Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. More formally referred to as Erasmus of Formia, St. Elmo is perhaps venerated by sailors as tradition tells us that he continued preaching despite the ground beside him being struck by a thunderbolt. Sailors started to pray to him when in danger of storms and lightning. He lends his name to the electrostatic weather phenomenon (often seen at sea) known as St. Elmo’s fire. The “fire” is actually a plasma discharge caused by air ionizing at the end of a pointed object (like the mast of a ship), something often observed during electrical storms.

80 Derrière : END

“Derrière” is a French term meaning “back part, rear”.

82 India’s smallest state : GOA

Goa is the smallest state in India, and is located in the southwest of the country. The Portuguese landed in Goa in the early 1500s, at first peacefully carrying out trade, but then took the area by force creating Portuguese India. Portugal held onto Portuguese India even after the British pulled out of India in 1947, until the Indian Army marched into the area in 1961.

83 Orange Sesame Street monster : ZOE

The muppet called Zoe is a young orange monster that appears on “Sesame Street”. Zoe is best friends with Elmo. She is a great lover of ballet and always appears wearing a tutu.

88 Founder of the Ottoman Empire : OSMAN

Osman I was the man who established the Ottoman Dynasty, with “Ottoman” coming from the name “Osman”. This is despite the fact that the “Ottoman Empire” came about with the conquest of Constantinople, and that didn’t happen until almost 130 years after Osman I died.

90 Chits inits. : IOU

I owe you (IOU)

A chit is a note or a short letter. The term tends to be used these days in the sense of an amount owed (as in a poker game). The word used to be “chitty”, which is now obsolete but was closer to the original Hindi term. I feel a tad obsolete myself because when we are at school we would be excused class if we had a “chitty”.

94 ___ fly : SAC

That would be baseball.

95 Finish of three U.S. state names : -ANA

They would be Indiana, Louisiana and Montana.

97 Flash drive port : USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

98 The big eau : MER

In French, a “mer” (sea) is a large body of “eau” (water).

99 Org. that began welcoming girls in 2019 : BSA

As every little boy (of my era) knows, the Scouting movement was founded by Lord Baden Powell, in 1907. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) soon followed, in 1910. And, the Boy Scouts motto is “Be Prepared”.

105 Seasoning in a yellow-and-blue tin : OLD BAY

Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is named for the Old Bay Line, a passenger ship that sailed in Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore, Maryland and Norfolk, Virginia. Created in 1939, the blend was originally named “Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning”.

113 Near impossibilities on par-5 holes : ACES

One well-documented hole in one (ace) was during a round of the British Open in 1973. American golfer Gene Sarazen achieved the feat that day, at the age of 71. A less well-documented series of holes in one was reported by the North Korean press in a story about the Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The report was that Kim Jong-il scored 11 holes in one in his one and only round of golf.

114 Fig. watched by some dieters : BMI

The body mass index (BMI) is the ratio of a person’s height to his or her mass.

117 G.R.E. administrator : ETS

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) was founded in 1947, and produces standardized tests for students from kindergarten through college. Perhaps most famously, ETS operates the SAT testing process.

119 Coastal inlet : RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

120 “The pond”: Abbr. : ATL

The Atlantic Ocean has been referred to as “the pond” for quite a long time. The expression dates back to the 1640s.

126 Pusher of green eggs and ham : SAM

Dr. Seuss’s famous children’s book “Green Eggs and Ham” was first published in 1960. “Green Eggs and Ham” now ranks twelfth in the list of top selling children’s books. By the way, “Harry Potter” books hold the top four slots in that list. The text of “Green Eggs and Ham” has a lot of “I am” going on. It starts with:

I am Sam
I am Sam
Sam I am

and ends with:

I do so like
green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Sandwich with an apostrophe in its name : PO’ BOY
6 Last-minute eBay bidders : SNIPERS
13 ___ Speaker : MADAM
18 Family written about by Margaret Mitchell : O’HARAS
20 Laureate : HONOREE
21 California city whose name translates to “the table” : LA MESA
22 Concise and to the point : PITHY
23 Improvement : UPGRADE
24 Desirous : ITCHY
25 Word with coin or ring : TOSS
26 Enclosure for a slush pile, for short : SASE
28 Salsa and guacamole : DIPS
30 Foe of the Jedi : SITH
31 Boor : OAF
32 This puzzle’s subjects, by another name : THE GEMINI
36 Beats by ___ (audio brand) : DRE
37 For now : PRO TEM
41 One of 24 : KARAT
42 Group running a celeb’s social media accounts, say : PR TEAM
46 “My ___” : TREAT
47 Fragrant item in a fireplace : PINE LOG
49 Doorway : ENTRY
50 What violence might lead to : R RATING
52 Political figure on whom Snowball is based in “Animal Farm” : TROTSKY
54 Hitting close to home? : TRIPLING
57 Pattern on a barber pole : STRIPING
61 Shade : HUE
62 Word before rip or slip : LET
63 F.D.R.’s last veep : HST
66 Boatload : TON
67 Youngest animal in the Hundred Acre Wood : ROO
68 Daily cable show that’s covered Hollywood since 1991 : E! NEWS
71 Part of a parade float on New Year’s Day : ROSE PETAL
74 Send over the moon : ELATE
76 Duties imposed : LEVIES
78 Airer of “Arrow” and “iZombie” : THE CW
79 Party notifications sent with a click : E-VITES
81 Members of un monastère : FRERES
82 “Well, golly!” : GEE WHIZ!
84 Maximally mannered : NICEST
85 “None for me, thanks” : I’M COOL
87 Brain, slangily : NOODLE
89 Cry just before the birthday guest arrives at a surprise party : HIDE
92 Juniors, to their fathers : NAMESAKES
96 Tingling, in a way : NUMB
100 Tousles, as hair : MUSSES
103 Muscat native : OMANI
104 Bog growths : MOSSES
107 Bit of off-road equipment : MUD TIRE
108 Where Orange County is, in brief : SOCAL
109 Something with many variables to consider : ALGEBRA
110 Chow down on, biblically : EAT OF
112 Judea and Sheba, in the Bible : LANDS
114 Warehouse stacks : BOXES
118 Relating to theft on the high seas : PIRATIC
122 Some South Africans : BOERS
127 French schoolteacher : MAITRE
128 Interval known as “the devil in music” on account of its unsettling sound : TRITONE
129 Title role played by Hilary Swank in a 2009 biopic : AMELIA
130 “Alas …” : IT’S SAD …
131 Good thing to find on a boat : SEA LEGS
132 Agreeable response to a parental order : YES, MOM

Down

1 Can opener : POP-TOP
2 Company that introduced Etch A Sketch : OHIO ART
3 Takes the plate in place of : BATS FOR
4 World of Warcraft enemies : ORCS
5 “Boo-___!” : YAH
6 “Quiet, you!” : SHUSH
7 Admonishment before Christmas morning : NO PEEKING!
8 Dutch banking giant : ING
9 “___ supuesto!” (Spanish “Of course!”) : POR
10 Presidential time : ERA
11 Contributors to “the front page of the internet” : REDDITORS
12 Welcome, as a guest : SEE IN
13 ___ tai : MAI
14 Tsps. or tbsps. : AMTS
15 George W. Bush’s nickname for himself, with “the” : DECIDER
16 Where to set your butts down : ASHTRAY
17 Pandemonium : MAYHEM
19 ___ admin : SYS
21 Retro-cool music purchases : LPS
27 Producer of bills : ATM
29 When repeated, “Cheerio!” : PIP
33 The Jets, but not the Giants : GANG
34 Lead-in to long : ERE
35 Drink with a straw : MALT
38 Hatcher of “Lois & Clark” : TERI
39 Lawman at the O.K. Corral : EARP
40 In the slightest : AT ALL
43 What amber comes from : RESIN
44 Cleaning up the mess, for short? : ON KP
45 Texter’s “ciao” : TTYL
47 Certain bean or horse : PINTO
48 “___ run!” : GOTTA
51 Levels : TIERS
53 Provocative poster : TROLL
54 Keeper of the books? : SHELF
55 One who fixes flats? : TUNER
56 One of Chaucer’s pilgrims : REEVE
58 Hot under the collar : IRATE
59 Things students take : NOTES
60 “Whither thou ___ …” : GOEST
63 Mischievous titter : HE-HE
64 Erupt : SPEW
65 Fortune 500 category, informally : TECH
69 Most sinewy : WIRIEST
70 Florist’s cutting : STEM
72 Weather phenomenon whose double lights were said to represent this puzzle’s subjects : ST ELMO’S FIRE
73 Baseball double play, in slang … or a hint to understanding the 12 Across answers that have circles : TWIN KILLING
74 Like a “mwa-ha-ha” laugh : EVIL
75 Freedom : LICENSE
77 Abbr. on a keyboard key : ESC
80 Derrière : END
82 India’s smallest state : GOA
83 Orange Sesame Street monster : ZOE
86 It’s a start : ONSET
88 Founder of the Ottoman Empire : OSMAN
89 “That’s odd …” : HMM …
90 Chits inits. : IOU
91 Wet firecracker, e.g. : DUD
93 Genre akin to goth : EMO
94 ___ fly : SAC
95 Finish of three U.S. state names : -ANA
97 Flash drive port : USB
98 The big eau : MER
99 Org. that began welcoming girls in 2019 : BSA
101 California’s ___ National Forest : SIERRA
102 Wiped : ERASED
105 Seasoning in a yellow-and-blue tin : OLD BAY
106 Disgusting, quaintly : UGSOME
111 Picks, with “for” : OPTS
113 Near impossibilities on par-5 holes : ACES
114 Fig. watched by some dieters : BMI
115 Bit in a feedbag : OAT
116 Some fraternity row letters : XIS
117 G.R.E. administrator : ETS
119 Coastal inlet : RIA
120 “The pond”: Abbr. : ATL
121 Here’s the kicker! : TOE
123 Marks out : XES
124 Its seeds whirl to the ground : ELM
125 Hit 2011 animated movie : RIO
126 Pusher of green eggs and ham : SAM