0112-20 NY Times Crossword 12 Jan 20, Sunday

Constructed by: Evan Mahnken & David Steinberg
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: State of Confusion

Themed answers each include an anagram of a state name hidden inside:

  • 23A Voice box? [Wolverine State] : ANSWERING MACHINE (hiding confused “MICHIGAN”)
  • 33A Safari sighting [Golden State] : AFRICAN LION (hiding confused “CALIFORNIA”)
  • 48A Stashed for later [Blue Hen State] : SQUIRRELED AWAY (hiding confused “DELAWARE”)
  • 67A Editorialist’s skill [Mountain State] : PERSUASIVE WRITING (hiding confused “WEST VIRGINIA”)
  • 87A Knight’s accouterments [Ocean State] : SWORD AND SHIELD (hiding confused “RHODE ISLAND”)
  • 103A Sushi bar offering [Centennial State] : AVOCADO ROLL (hiding confused “COLORADO”)
  • 116A Has been around the block [Evergreen State] : KNOWS A THING OR TWO (hiding confused “WASHINGTON”)

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 15m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Some Japanese cars : MAZDAS

Mazda is a Japanese car manufacturer based in the prefecture of Hiroshima in Japan. The ballpark where the Hiroshima baseball team play was for many years known as the MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium. Mazda launched a “Zoom-Zoom” marketing campaign in 2000, claiming that the phrase described the “emotion of motion” that is inherent in all of its vehicles.

7 Judean king, in Matthew : HEROD

Herod the Great was a vassal king in the first century BCE who ruled Judea under Roman supremacy. According to the Christian Bible, It was Herod the Great who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents, the execution of all young, male children in Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. When Herod the Great died circa 4 BCE, Rome divided his kingdom between his three sons and one daughter. The son named Herod Antipas became ruler of Galilee and Perea. It is Herod Antipas who is cited as “King Herod” in the Bible, and who played a key role in the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.

12 Medical insurance grp. : HMO

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

20 Brick material : ADOBE

The building material known as adobe has been around a long time, and has been used in dry climates all over the world. The original form of the word “adobe” dates back to Middle Egyptian times, about 2000 BC. The original spelling is “dj-b-t”, and translates as mud (sun-dried) brick.

21 Sushi fish that’s never served raw : EEL

Anyone going to a sushi restaurant can order all types of raw fish (known collectively as “sashimi”). However, eel is always served cooked, and that’s because the blood of eels contains a protein that cramps muscles if eaten. If the heart muscle “cramps”, the result can be death. The protein is easily rendered harmless by applying heat, i.e. by cooking.

22 School with its own ZIP code – 90095 : UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gets more applications from potential students than any other university in the country. UCLA also has more students enrolled than any other university in the state.

23 Voice box? [Wolverine State] : ANSWERING MACHINE (hiding confused “MICHIGAN”)

Michigan is the only US state that comprises two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula is mitten-shaped, and it is separated from the Upper Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac. My wife is from the “U.P”, and is proud to call her herself a Yooper (from “UPer”).

28 Like a soufflé : EGGY

A soufflé is a French dish, usually served as a dessert. The verb “souffler” means “to blow, blow up”.

29 ___ Kea : MAUNA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

30 2014 film with the tagline “One dream can change the world” : SELMA

“Selma” is a 2014 film about the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the movie stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson.

33 Safari sighting [Golden State] : AFRICAN LION (hiding confused “CALIFORNIA”)

“Golden State” has been the official nickname of California since 1968. The nickname reflects the expansion of the state’s economy that followed the discovery of gold in 1848, and also the fields of golden poppies seen growing wild across California in the spring.

35 Captain of science fiction : NEMO

In the 1954 movie version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, Captain Nemo goes down with his ship. In the novel by Jules Verne, the fate of Nemo and his crew isn’t quite so cut and dry, although the inference is perhaps that they did indeed head for Davy Jones’ Locker.

38 Wiggle room : LEEWAY

Our word “leeway” meaning “spare margin” is nautical in origin. A vessel’s leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.

48 Stashed for later [Blue Hen State] : SQUIRRELED AWAY (hiding confused “DELAWARE”)

The Delaware Blue Hen has been the state bird of Delaware since 1939. As a result, the athletic teams of the University of Delaware are known as the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.

53 Whom a warrant officer might report to, informally : LOOIE

Lieutenant (lt., and “looie” in slang).

54 “___ Lang Syne” : AULD

The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

55 Letters on an ambulance : EMS

Emergency medical services (EMS)

58 Revealer of the Wizard : TOTO

Towards the end of the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy’s little dog Toto pulls back a green curtain to reveal the true identity of the Wizard.

67 Editorialist’s skill [Mountain State] : PERSUASIVE WRITING (hiding confused “WEST VIRGINIA”)

West Virginia is known as the Mountain State, a reference to the Appalachian Mountains.

72 Banned pollutant, for short : PCB

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were banned with good reason. Apart from their link to cancer and other disorders in humans and animals, they are extremely persistent in the environment once contamination has occurred. Among other things, PCBs were used as coolants and insulating fluids in electrical gear such as transformers and large capacitors, as well as a transfer agent in carbonless copy paper.

74 West Coast birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS

Salinas is a California city located south of the San Francisco Bay Area, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. Salinas was the hometown of Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck, and was the setting of his 1952 novel “East of Eden”.

75 Like some candles : TAPERED

I used to think that the word “taper” was used for a slender candle because said candle was “tapered” in shape, but it’s exactly the opposite. It turns out that our word “tapered” comes from the candle. “Taper” and “tapur” are Old English words meaning “candle”. From these nouns arose the verb “to taper” meaning “shoot up like flame”. This meaning evolved into “become slender” from the idea that a candle’s flame has such a shape.

80 Fairy tale prince, perhaps : FROG

“The Frog Prince” is a fairy tale about a princess and her encounter with a frog who magically turns into a prince. In the version that is most common today, the prince appears when the princess kisses the frog. In the original Brothers Grimm version of the tale, the transformation takes place when the princess throws a gold ball against a wall in disgust at seeing the frog. In even earlier versions of the tale, the frog changes into the prince when it is allowed to spend a night on the princess’s pillow.

84 Big Island city : HILO

Hilo is the largest settlement on the big island of Hawaii, having a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …

87 Knight’s accouterments [Ocean State] : SWORD AND SHIELD (hiding confused “RHODE ISLAND”)

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, and is the second most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State, largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.

96 ___ Schwarz (toy company) : FAO

FAO Schwarz was perhaps the most famous, and certainly the oldest, toy store in the United States. The FAO Schwarz outlet on Fifth Avenue in New York City closed in 2015. This store was famously used in several Hollywood movies. For example, it was home to the Walking Piano that Tom Hanks played in the movie “Big”.

100 In which a single raised pinkie is an “i”: Abbr. : ASL

American Sign Language (ASL)

The use of “pinkie” or “pinky” for the little finger or toe comes into English from “pinkje”, the Dutch word for the same digit. Who knew …?

101 Wilbur’s partner in an old sitcom : MR ED

The sitcom “Mister Ed” first aired in 1961 and ran for almost five years. It was a very successful show (and even made it to Ireland!). Mister Ed, the talking horse, was a palomino that had the real name of Bamboo Harvester. Mister Ed’s “voice” was that of actor Allan “Rocky” Lane, a star of a lot of B-movie westerns from the forties and fifties. In the show, Mister Ed would only talk to the lead (human) character Wilbur, played by Alan Young, leading to some hilarious situations. Mister Ed had a stunt double and stand-in for the show, another horse called Pumpkin. Pumpkin later made frequent appearances on the show “Green Acres”.

103 Sushi bar offering [Centennial State] : AVOCADO ROLL (hiding confused “COLORADO”)

The Territory of Colorado became a US state in 1876, just 28 days after the nation’s centennial celebration. As a result, Colorado is nicknamed “the Centennial State”.

107 Cockney and others : DIALECTS

A Cockney is someone who, according to tradition, is born within the sound of Bow Bells in the center of London. The Cockney accent is usually considered “working class”. Cockney speakers often use a wonderful form of speech called rhyming slang. So, Cockney’s drink a lot of “Rosie Lea” (tea), and climb the “apples and pears” (stairs) using their “plates of meat” (feet). Cockneys also tend to “drop their aitches”, so “home” becomes “‘ome” and “horse” becomes “‘orse”.

115 Rights-defending org. : ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War. It grew out of the National Civil Liberties Bureau (CLB) that was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

116 Has been around the block [Evergreen State] : KNOWS A THING OR TWO (hiding confused “WASHINGTON”)

Washington has been nicknamed the Evergreen State since 1890, when the moniker was proposed by journalist turned real estate tycoon Charles Tallmadge Conover. The nickname has never been adopted officially, although it does appear on Washington state license plates. The name is a reference to the abundance of evergreen trees in the state’s forests.

120 Hawaiian word that’s also a common Chinese surname : LEI

“Lei” is a Hawaiian word meaning “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

124 Lead-in to Brown or Robinson in #1 song titles : MRS …

“Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” was a chart-topping song released by Herman’s Hermits in 1965. It is a surprising little song, and very unlike the tracks that Herman’s Hermits were releasing at the time. It turned out to be an unexpected hit, and even the band members themselves were taken aback at its success.

When Mike Nichols was making the 1967 film “The Graduate” he apparently became obsessed with the music of Simon and Garfunkel, who were just coming into the limelight. Nichols made a deal with Paul Simon to write three songs that he could use on the soundtrack of his new movie. Simon and Garfunkel were touring constantly around that time, so Nichols had to badger Simon to hold up his end of the bargain. When Nichols was ready to lay down the film’s soundtrack there was only one commissioned song available, so Nichols had to basically beg Paul Simon for anything. Simon mentioned that he was finishing up one new song, but it wasn’t written for the film. It was more a celebration of former times, with lyrics about baseball great Joe DiMaggio and former First Lady, Mrs. Roosevelt. Nichols informed Simon that the song was no longer about Mrs. Roosevelt, and it was about Mrs. Robinson …

125 Sport on a range : SKEET

There are three types of competitive shotgun target shooting sports:

  • Skeet shooting
  • Trap shooting
  • Sporting clays

Down

1 Disney heroine of 2016 : MOANA

“Moana” is a 2016 animated feature film and the 56th animated Disney movie. The title character is the daughter of a Polynesian chief who heads off in search of the demigod Maui, hoping that he can save her people.

4 ___ City, Yukon Territory : DAWSON

Canada’s federal territory known as Yukon takes its name from the Yukon River. “Yukon” means “Big Stream” in the local Gwich’in language.

9 Letters after CD : -ROM

“CD-ROM” stands for “compact disc read only memory”. The name indicates that you can read information from the disc (like a standard music CD for example), but you cannot write to it. You can also buy a CD-RW, which stands for “compact disc – rewritable”, with which you can read data and also write over it multiple times using a suitable CD drive.

11 Insomniac’s order : DECAF

The first successful process for removing caffeine from coffee involved steaming the beans in salt water, and then extracting the caffeine using benzene (a potent carcinogen) as a solvent. Coffee processed this way was sold as Sanka here in the US. There are other processes used these days, and let’s hope they are safer …

12 Tush : HEINIE

The slang term “heinie”, meaning “rear end”, is probably a contraction of “hind end”.

16 Food inspectors test for it : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

17 Thrifty competitor : ALAMO

The third largest car rental company in recent years is Alamo, which was founded in 1974. Alamo made inroads (pun!) into the market by popularizing the idea of “unlimited mileage”.

18 Sticky roll : SARAN

What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. The brand name “Saran” is often used generically in the US, while “Glad” wrap is common down under. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

30 One leaving a trail : SNAIL

Snails and slugs are referred to collectively as gastropods. There are many, many species of gastropods, found both on land and in the sea. Gastropods with shells are generally described as snails, and those species without shells are referred to as slugs.

37 40 make up a furlong : RODS

At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. Then, an acre was more precisely defined as a strip of land “one furrow long” (i.e. one furlong) and one chain wide. The length of one furlong was equal to 10 chains, or 40 rods. An area of one furlong times 10 rods was one rood.

39 Exam for the college-bound : PSAT

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

41 Noted export from Holland : TULIP BULB

We usually associate the cultivation of tulips with the Netherlands, but they were first grown commercially in the Ottoman Empire. The name “tulip” ultimately derives from the Ottoman Turkish word “tulbend” that means “muslin, gauze”.

Some Dutch people can get a little annoyed if one refers to their country as “Holland”, as the correct name is “the Netherlands”. North and South Holland are two of the country’s twelve provinces. The use of “Holland” instead of “the Netherlands” is analogous to the former Soviet Union being referred to as “Russia” and the United Kingdom being called “England”. That said, sometimes even the Dutch people themselves refer to the country as Holland, especially at a soccer match!

45 Charlie Brown catchphrase : GOOD GRIEF!

Charlie Brown is the main character in the long-running comic strip called “Peanuts”, created by Charles Schulz. Charlie’s catchphrase is “good grief”. He has several persistent frustrations in his life, including an inability to fly a kite. The focus of his kite-flying frustration is the dreaded Kite-Eating Tree.

52 Reading on the dashboard of the DeLorean in “Back to the Future” : YEAR

In the fun 1985 movie “Back to the Future”, Marty McFly finds himself back in 1955, and is trying to get back to HIS future, 1985. But on the other hand, 1985 is really Marty’s present, before he went back in time. Why does time travel have to be so complicated …?

60 Fed. agency that helped take down Al Capone : IRS

Chicago gangster Al Capone was eventually jailed for tax evasion. He was given a record 11-year sentence in federal prison, of which he served 8 years. He left prison suffering from dementia caused by late-stage syphilis. Capone suffered through 7-8 sickly years before passing away in 1947.

61 Secretive org. : NSA

National Security Agency (NSA)

63 Walgreens rival : CVS

The name of the drugstore chain CVS once stood for “Consumer Value Stores”, although these days the company uses the initialism to denote “Convenience, Value and Service”.

70 Shakespearean schemer : IAGO

Iago is the schemer in Shakespeare’s “Othello”. He is a soldier who fought alongside Othello and feels hard done by, missing out on promotion. Iago hatches a plot designed to discredit his rival Cassio by insinuating that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, Othello’s wife.

71 Classic pop brand : NEHI

The Nehi cola brand has a name that sounds like “knee-high”, a measure of a small stature. Back in the mid-1900’s the Chero-Cola company, which owned the brand, went for a slightly different twist on “knee-high” in advertising. The logo for Nehi was an image of a seated woman’s stockinged legs, with her skirt pulled up to her knees to hint at “knee-high”.

72 Flat-faced dogs : PUGS

The pug is a dog breed of Chinese origin. Our current family pet is a boxer/pug cross, and is a good-looking mutt!

73 Kind of tea : CHAI

Chai is a drink made from spiced black tea, honey and milk, with “chai” being the Hindi word for “tea”. We often called tea “a cup of char” growing up in Ireland, with “char” being our slang word for tea, derived from “chai”.

76 “___ Minnow Pea,” 2001 novel with an alphabetically punny title : ELLA

“Ella Minnow Pea” is a very unusual 2001 novel penned by Mark Dunn. The story unfolds in a series of letters and notes between a set of characters. With each letter or note, Dunn constrains himself by successively dropping letters in the text, so that by the end of the book the reader has to work hard to understand the plot. And, “Ella Minnow Pea” sounds like “LMNOP”.

81 Uses sigma notation, in calculus : ADDS

Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is the one used for an “ess” sound, equivalent to our letter S. Sigma is used in mathematics to represent a summation, the adding together of a sequence of numbers.

83 Nelson Mandela’s org. : ANC

As a young man, Nelson Mandela led the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). Mandela was eventually arrested and admitted to charges of sabotage and was sentenced to life in prison in 1964. He remained behind bars for 27 years, mainly in the infamous prison on Robben Island. As the years progressed, Mandela became a symbol of the fight against apartheid. He was released in 1990, and immediately declared his commitment to peace and reconciliation with South Africa’s white minority population. Mandela was elected president of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) in 1994, an office that he held until 1999. Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013.

86 George Eliot’s “___ Marner” : SILAS

“Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe” is a novel written by George Eliot and first published in 1861. There’s an excellent BBC TV version of the tale (shown on PBS) starring Ben Kingsley in the title role, with Patsy Kensit playing Eppie, the young orphaned child that Marner takes under his wing.

94 Many a dad joke : GROANER

I tell dad jokes all the time, just to annoy the kids …

  • I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down!
  • If you see a robbery at an Apple Store does that make you an iWitness?
  • A termite walks into a bar and asks, “Is the bar tender here?”
  • Two guys walk into a bar, the third one ducks.
  • What’s the best part about living in Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.

98 Stella ___ (imported beer) : ARTOIS

The Belgian beer Stella Artois is named for the brewer Sebastianus Artois. Artois was the master brewer at the Den Hoorn Brewery in Leuven, Belgium in the early 1700s. The Den Hoorn Brewery has been around at least since 1366 … yes, 1366!

99 Big name in theaters : LOEW

Marcus Loew was a New Yorker born into a poor Jewish family. He started out in a penny arcade business and used its profits to buy into a nickelodeon. He built a whole chain of movie theaters, and then moved into the production of films so that he could guarantee supply of features that he could show in his theaters. Eventually he pulled together the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film production company, and sadly passed away just three years after he inked the deal.

102 Flotsam and jetsam : DEBRIS

“Flotsam” and “jetsam” are both terms used to describe garbage in the ocean. Flotsam is floating wreckage from a ship or its cargo. Jetsam is similar to flotsam, except that it is part of a ship or cargo that is deliberately cast overboard, perhaps to lighten a vessel.

103 Japan’s largest brewer : ASAHI

Asahi is a Japanese beer, and the name of the brewery that produces it. “Asahi” is Japanese for “morning sun”. Asahi introduced a “dry beer” in 1987, igniting a craze that rocketed the brewery to the number one spot in terms of beer production in Japan, with Sapporo close behind.

105 Skateboard jump : OLLIE

An ollie is a skateboarding trick invented in 1976 by Alan “Ollie” Gelfand. Apparently it’s a way of lifting the board off the ground, while standing on it, without touching the board with one’s hands. Yeah, I could do that …

106 Imitates Daffy Duck, in a way : LISPS

Daffy Duck first appeared on the screen in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” in 1937. In the original cartoon, Daffy was just meant to have a small role, but he was a big hit as he had so much sass. Even back then, Daffy was voiced by the ubiquitous Mel Blanc.

107 Many a founding father, religiously : DEIST

Deism (from the Latin “deus” meaning god) is the belief that a supreme being created the universe, a belief based on observation and reason and without the need for faith. Further, a deist does not accept divine intervention and rather believes that the supreme being, having created the universe, leaves the world to it own devices.

108 Terra ___ : COTTA

The tem “terra cotta” comes to us from Latin via Italian and means “baked earth”. Terra cotta is a ceramic made from clay which is left unglazed. Maybe the most famous work in terra cotta is the Terracotta Army, the enormous collection of life-size figures that was buried with Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China around 210 BC. I had the privilege of seeing some of this collection when it toured the US a few years ago, and even the few pieces on display were very impressive.

110 Fine china : SPODE

Spode is a brand of pottery made in Stoke-on-Trent in the north of England. The company was founded by Josiah Spode in 1770. Spode is noted for its fine bone china, and indeed Josiah Spode came up with the first successful formulation for bone china. Bone china is so called because one of the main components is bone ash derived from animal bones.

116 Airline with a crown in its logo : KLM

The initialism KLM stands for “Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij”, which translates from Dutch as “Royal Aviation Company”. KLM is the flag carrier for the Netherlands, and is the oldest airline in the world still operating with its original name. It was founded in 1919. KLM merged with Air France in 2004.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Some Japanese cars : MAZDAS
7 Judean king, in Matthew : HEROD
12 Medical insurance grp. : HMO
15 Freedom of the ___ : SEAS
19 Like a short play : ONE-ACT
20 Brick material : ADOBE
21 Sushi fish that’s never served raw : EEL
22 School with its own ZIP code – 90095 : UCLA
23 Voice box? [Wolverine State] : ANSWERING MACHINE (hiding confused “MICHIGAN”)
26 33-Across’s sound : ROAR
27 “Dang!” : NUTS!
28 Like a soufflé : EGGY
29 ___ Kea : MAUNA
30 2014 film with the tagline “One dream can change the world” : SELMA
31 Losers : ALSO-RANS
33 Safari sighting [Golden State] : AFRICAN LION (hiding confused “CALIFORNIA”)
35 Captain of science fiction : NEMO
36 Spleen : IRE
38 Wiggle room : LEEWAY
39 Rehearsed : PAT
42 Device that keeps fish alive : AERATOR
44 Pay a brief visit : SWING BY
48 Stashed for later [Blue Hen State] : SQUIRRELED AWAY (hiding confused “DELAWARE”)
53 Whom a warrant officer might report to, informally : LOOIE
54 “___ Lang Syne” : AULD
55 Letters on an ambulance : EMS
56 Times before the present? : EVES
58 Revealer of the Wizard : TOTO
59 Following, as a detective might : TAILING
63 Gave up the ghost : CROAKED
66 It’s condensed : DEW
67 Editorialist’s skill [Mountain State] : PERSUASIVE WRITING (hiding confused “WEST VIRGINIA”)
72 Banned pollutant, for short : PCB
74 West Coast birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS
75 Like some candles : TAPERED
78 “No way, José!” : UH-UH!
80 Fairy tale prince, perhaps : FROG
81 “There it is!” : AHA!
84 Big Island city : HILO
85 Events for socialites : GALAS
87 Knight’s accouterments [Ocean State] : SWORD AND SHIELD (hiding confused “RHODE ISLAND”)
92 Brother or sister : SIBLING
95 School : EDUCATE
96 ___ Schwarz (toy company) : FAO
97 Like some wallpaper patterns : FLORAL
100 In which a single raised pinkie is an “i”: Abbr. : ASL
101 Wilbur’s partner in an old sitcom : MR ED
103 Sushi bar offering [Centennial State] : AVOCADO ROLL (hiding confused “COLORADO”)
107 Cockney and others : DIALECTS
111 Pilots’ flights just after training is finished : SOLOS
112 Face-planted : ATE IT
113 Detach slowly (from) : WEAN
114 Hit playfully on the nose, slangily : BOOP
115 Rights-defending org. : ACLU
116 Has been around the block [Evergreen State] : KNOWS A THING OR TWO (hiding confused “WASHINGTON”)
119 What locks are made of : HAIR
120 Hawaiian word that’s also a common Chinese surname : LEI
121 Layers : PLIES
122 Ready for publication, say : EDITED
123 “Like that’ll ever happen” : I BET
124 Lead-in to Brown or Robinson in #1 song titles : MRS …
125 Sport on a range : SKEET
126 Not for ___ (sign) : RESALE

Down

1 Disney heroine of 2016 : MOANA
2 Invalidate : ANNUL
3 Cocktail garnishes : ZESTS
4 ___ City, Yukon Territory : DAWSON
5 Nail : ACE
6 Bit of party decoration : STREAMER
7 Puts up : HANGS
8 Pushing the envelope : EDGY
9 Letters after CD : -ROM
10 Most of the 2010s : OBAMA ERA
11 Insomniac’s order : DECAF
12 Tush : HEINIE
13 Poses a danger to : MENACES
14 Cry with an accent : OLE!
15 Emphatic rejection : SURELY NOT!
16 Food inspectors test for it : E COLI
17 Thrifty competitor : ALAMO
18 Sticky roll : SARAN
24 Snub : IGNORE
25 Let fly : HURL
30 One leaving a trail : SNAIL
32 What scared horses do : REAR
34 “That’s so sweet!” : AWW!
36 Article : ITEM
37 40 make up a furlong : RODS
39 Exam for the college-bound : PSAT
40 ___ fortis (another name for nitric acid) : AQUA
41 Noted export from Holland : TULIP BULB
43 Something North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement regulates, aptly : ALE
45 Charlie Brown catchphrase : GOOD GRIEF!
46 Ask the obvious question, so to speak : BITE
47 “Ouch!” : YEOW!
49 Indolent : IDLE
50 “___ here!” : WE’RE
51 Maintain : AVOW
52 Reading on the dashboard of the DeLorean in “Back to the Future” : YEAR
57 Improv offering : SKIT
60 Fed. agency that helped take down Al Capone : IRS
61 Secretive org. : NSA
62 Wide gap : GULF
63 Walgreens rival : CVS
64 Symbol for viscosity, in chemistry : ETA
65 Short swim : DIP
68 What phonies put on : AIRS
69 Word before cap or shoe : SNOW …
70 Shakespearean schemer : IAGO
71 Classic pop brand : NEHI
72 Flat-faced dogs : PUGS
73 Kind of tea : CHAI
76 “___ Minnow Pea,” 2001 novel with an alphabetically punny title : ELLA
77 Dummy : DODO
79 Setting for some pickup basketball : HALF-COURT
81 Uses sigma notation, in calculus : ADDS
82 Tow : HAUL
83 Nelson Mandela’s org. : ANC
86 George Eliot’s “___ Marner” : SILAS
88 It’s no bull : REAL TALK
89 Musician Marley, son of Bob : DAMIAN
90 Outlander : STRANGER
91 Command to a dog : HEEL
93 Go-ahead : NOD
94 Many a dad joke : GROANER
98 Stella ___ (imported beer) : ARTOIS
99 Big name in theaters : LOEW
102 Flotsam and jetsam : DEBRIS
103 Japan’s largest brewer : ASAHI
104 English class quiz subject, informally : VOCAB
105 Skateboard jump : OLLIE
106 Imitates Daffy Duck, in a way : LISPS
107 Many a founding father, religiously : DEIST
108 Terra ___ : COTTA
109 Dry (off) : TOWEL
110 Fine china : SPODE
113 “This is fun!” : WHEE!
116 Airline with a crown in its logo : KLM
117 1-1, for one : TIE
118 Something that might accompany a dedication : ODE