0128-24 NY Times Crossword 28 Jan 24, Sunday

Constructed by: Nathan Hasegawa
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Hammer Time

We are playing a game of WHAC-A-MOLE today. Five rebus squares in the grid contain HOLES, and inside one is the MOLE. The shaded squares on the right of the grid represent a HAMMER, and spell out the word “MALLET”. Inventive …

  • 113A Game represented visually in this puzzle : WHAC-A-MOLE
  • 26A Massive victory … or a high score in 113-Across? : SMASHING SUCCESS
  • 56A Climate issue addressed in the Montreal Protocol : OZONE HOLE
  • 58A Approach something with gusto : GO WHOLE HOG
  • 92A Point of no return? : BLACK HOLE
  • 95A Ace : HOLE IN ONE
  • 43D Primitive camera feature : PINHOLE
  • 57D It’s facedown on a poker table : HOLE CARD
  • 76D Military hiding spot : FOXHOLE
  • 77D Place that’s cramped and squalid : RATHOLE
  • 60A What’s the matter? : MOLECULES
  • 60D Cotton fabric often used in bandages : MOLESKIN

Bill’s time: 23m 22s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Toy on a racetrack : SLOT CAR

Slot cars are those motorized toy cars that run around on tracks picking up power from a slot in the racing surface. The first slot cars were made in 1912 by the Lionel company, the manufacturer of toy train sets.

8 Soccer star who has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards : MESSI

Lionel “Leo” Messi is a soccer player from Argentina. Messi has been awarded FIFA’s Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) award more times than any other player. The Ballon d’Or is presented to the player who is considered the best in the world in the prior year.

20 What Hemingway claimed he did to the ending of “A Farewell to Arms” 39 times : REWROTE

“A Farewell to Arms” is a somewhat autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway, telling the story of an American ambulance driver serving with the Italian army during WWI. The most famous screen adaptation is probably the 1957 version starring Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones.

21 Dartmouth and Penn, e.g. : IVIES

Dartmouth College is an Ivy League school in Hanover, New Hampshire. It was established in 1769 as a school designed to educate Native Americans in the English way of life and in Christian theology.

The University of Pennsylvania (also “Penn” and “UPenn”) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. Penn was the first school in the country to offer both graduate and undergraduate courses. Penn’s sports teams are known as the Quakers, and sometimes the Red & Blue.

23 Mnemonic start : SILENT M

The starting letter of the word “mnemonic” is a silent letter M (em).

24 Actor Leary : DENIS

Denis Leary is a comic who is perhaps better known today as an actor. Leary co-created and starred in the successful comedy-drama series “Rescue Me”, which ran for over seven years. I mainly know Leary from playing the lead detective in the 1999 film “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

25 Flowerlike sea creature : ANEMONE

The name “anemone” means “daughter of the wind” in Greek, and at one time it was believed that the wind was what actually caused the flower to bloom. The sea anemone is named for the terrestrial plant even though the sea anemone isn’t a plant at all. It is a predatory animal found on the ocean floor.

31 Doofuses : MEATHEADS

“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

37 Lowercase letter that resembles an “n” : ETA

Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”. Originally denoting a consonant, eta was used as a long vowel in Ancient Greek.

39 Las Vegas resort with a music-inspired name : ARIA

The Aria hotel on the Las Vegas Strip opened at the end of 2009. Architecturally, it is noted for a design that minimizes energy consumption. In fact, it is the largest hotel in the world to have earned a LEED Gold certification.

45 Medical procedure, for short : ECG

An EKG measures the electrical activity in the heart. Back in my homeland of Ireland, an EKG is known as an ECG (for electrocardiogram). We use the German name in the US, Elektrokardiogramm, giving us EKG. Apparently the abbreviation EKG is preferred, as ECG might be confused (if poorly handwritten, I guess) with EEG, the abbreviation for an electroencephalogram.

47 Vodka drink, informally : COSMO

Like so many famous cocktails, the actual origins of the cosmopolitan are disputed. It is a very nice drink, in my humble opinion. One of the standard recipes is 4 parts citrus vodka, 1.5 parts Cointreau, 1.5 parts lime juice and 3 parts cranberry cocktail.

53 Chemical solution strength : TITER

Remember those titrations we did in the chemistry lab at school? They were to measure the concentration of solutions, also known as the solution’s titer.

54 “Yeshiva boy” played by Barbra Streisand : YENTL

Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish-born American author who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1978. One of Singer’s most celebrated works is a short story titled “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy”. Along with Leah Napolin, he adapted the story into a 1975 stage play “Yentl”. Famously, Barbra Streisand co-wrote a screenplay based on the stage play that was released as a musical movie with the same title in 1983.

Barbra Streisand has recorded 31 top-ten albums since 1963, more than any other female recording artist. In fact, she has had an album in the top ten for the last five decades, a rare achievement in itself.

55 Author who penned the line “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart” : MILNE

Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne was an English author who is best known for his delightful “Winnie-the-Pooh” series of books. He had only one son, Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920. The young Milne was the inspiration for the Christopher Robin character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear, one he called Winnie, who in turn was named after a Canadian black bear called Winnie that the Milnes would visit in London Zoo. The original Winnie teddy bear is on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York.

56 Climate issue addressed in the Montreal Protocol : OZONE HOLE

The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to phase out production of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer of the atmosphere. The protocol is actually a great example of international cooperation actually achieving something. The ozone hole over Antarctica is recovering and the levels of ozone are expected to return to 1980 levels in fifty years or so.

58 Approach something with gusto : GO WHOLE HOG

“Gusto” is an Italian word meaning “taste”. We use it in English in the phrase “with gusto” meaning “with great enjoyment”.

64 Currency worth a little more than dollars : EUROS

The euro is the official currency of most of the states in the European Union, but not all. The list of EU states not using the euro includes Denmark and Sweden.

68 Muesli bit : OAT

“Muesli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of rolled oats, nuts, fruit and milk. The dish can be soaked overnight in milk before serving (“overnight oats”). “Muesli” is a diminutive of the German word “Mues” meaning “puree”. Delicious …

72 Rentable transportation options : ZIPCARS

Zipcar is a carsharing company. Carsharing differs from car rental in that cars are available only to members, and for 24 hours a day as opposed to office hours. There are other differences, including the fact that members are usually responsible for leaving cars gassed up and clean for the next user.

76 Fracas : FUROR

“Fracas”, meaning “noisy quarrel”, is a French word that we absorbed into English. In turn, the French usage evolved from the Italian “fracasso” meaning “uproar, crash”.

78 Music’s Little ___ : RICHARD

“Little Richard” is the stage name of Richard Penniman, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock and roll”.

83 Used TurboTax, say : E-FILED

TurboTax is a software- and online-based income tax preparation service. It’s what I’ve used since I retired, and I have no complaints …

86 Knuckle-headed act? : NOOGIE

A noogie is a childish move in which someone rubs his (and it’s always a guy!) knuckles into a person’s head to create a little soreness.

87 Biblical man who lost his birthright : ESAU

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, Esau was the elder twin brother of Jacob, and son of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau sold his birthright, which entitled him to a double portion of his father’s inheritance, for a bowl of lentil stew because he was hungry and didn’t want to wait for his brother to cook food.

88 2017 musical retelling of the stories of Henry VIII’s wives : SIX

“Six” is a musical that tells the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss when they were both students at Cambridge University. Each of the six wives has her own unique style of music. Anne Boleyn’s songs have a rock and pop feel, while Catherine of Aragon’s songs have a Spanish influence.

89 Symbol for torque, in physics : TAU

Torque can be thought of as a turning force, say the force needed to tighten a bolt or a nut. In physics, torque is represented by the Greek letter tau.

91 Many a viral post : MEME

A meme (from “mineme”) is a cultural practice or idea that is passed on verbally or by repetition from one person to another. The term lends itself very well to the online world where links, emails, files etc. are so easily propagated.

92 Point of no return? : BLACK HOLE

In a black hole, the event horizon is the point of no return, the point at which the pull of gravity is so strong that nothing can escape the hole, including light.

95 Ace : HOLE IN ONE

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 first and only round of golf.

101 Ellipsis element : DOT

An ellipsis (plural “ellipses”) is a series of dots (usually three) used to indicate an omission in some text. The term comes from the Greek word “élleipsis”, which means “omission”.

109 “The Last Supper,” for one : MURAL

Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mural “The Last Supper” can be seen on an end wall of the dining hall in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. If you want to see the painting in person, you have to make a reservation ahead of time. And once you get there, you’re only allowed 15 minutes of viewing time. It’s very popular …

112 Doofuses : DOPES

“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

113 Game represented visually in this puzzle : WHAC-A-MOLE

The Whac-A-Mole arcade game was invented in 1976. Players use a mallet to force five plastic moles back into their holes. Whacking the moles can be so frustrating that we sometimes use the term “whac-a-mole” to describe a repetitive and futile task.

116 Talks like Tom Waits : RASPS

Tom Waits is a singer-songwriter from Pomona, California. Waits is noted for his growling, rasping voice.

117 Justice Kagan : ELENA

Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States from 2009 until 2010, when she replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the first female US Solicitor General and the fourth female US Supreme Court justice. Kagan also served as the first female dean of Harvard Law School from 2003 to 2009.

118 Try for a seat in the Capitol : SENATE BID

A capitol is a building in which a legislature meets. Such buildings are often constructed with an impressive dome. The term “capitol” is a reference to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the most important temple in ancient Rome, and which sat on top of Capitoline Hill.

119 Fifth-century pope dubbed “the Great” : ST LEO

The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

120 Constant nuisance : BANE

Today, we tend to use the word “bane” to mean “anathema, a source of persistent annoyance”. A few centuries ago, a bane was a cause of harm or death, perhaps a deadly poison.

121 Like some postage and parking spaces : METERED

An early patent for a parking meter, dated 1928, was for a device that required the driver of the parked car to connect the battery of his or her car to the meter in order for it to operate!

Down

1 Many prom attendees: Abbr. : SRS

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

3 Symbol of wisdom : OWL

The Greek goddess Athena (sometimes “Athene”) is often associated with wisdom, among other attributes. In many representations. Athena is depicted with an owl sitting on her head. It is this linkage of the owl with the goddess of wisdom that led to today’s perception of the owl as being “wise”. Athena’s Roman counterpart was Minerva.

5 Mountebank : CON MAN

A mountebank is a charlatan, a swindler. The term applies more specifically to someone who sells quack medicines to a small crowd, using tricks and exaggerated stories to convince individuals to purchase. “Mountebank” comes into English via Italian from “monta” meaning “to mount” and “banco” meaning “bench”. The idea is that the swindler would “mount a bench” from where he can address the crowd and hawk his fraudulent wares.

7 Dreamy state : REM SLEEP

“REM” is an acronym standing for “rapid eye movement”. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

9 Giant slalom at the Olympics, e.g. : EVENT

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

16 Gregor ___, Franz Kafka character : SAMSA

“The Metamorphosis” is a famous novella by Franz Kafka that is regarded by many as one of the greatest pieces of short fiction written in the 20th century. The story tells of the metamorphosis of Gregor Samsa into a gigantic insect. His sister Grete Samsa becomes his caregiver.

17 ___ Jima : IWO

Iwo Jima is a volcanic island located south of Tokyo that today is uninhabited. The name is Japanese for “Sulfur Island”, referring to the sulfur mining on which Iwo Jima’s economy once depended. There were about a thousand Japanese civilians living on the island prior to WWII. In 1944, there was a massive influx of Japanese military personnel in anticipation of the inevitable US invasion. As the Japanese military moved in, the civilians were forced out and no one has lived there since. Control of the island was wrested from the Japanese in the five-week Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Said battle was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific theater in WWII.

18 Small band transport : VAN

The vehicle we call a “van” takes its name from “caravan”, and so “van” is a shortened version of the older term. Back in the 1600s, a caravan was a covered cart. We still use the word “caravan” in Ireland to describe what we call a “mobile home” or “recreational vehicle” here in the US.

19 Image at the top of the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill : EYE

If you look at the back of a one-dollar bill there is an eye sitting above a pyramid. This is known as the Eye of Providence, and is similar to the Eye of Horus that we see so often in ancient Egyptian designs and hieroglyphs. The Eye of Providence is a common Christian emblem from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

27 “___ la vista, baby!” : HASTA

“Hasta la vista” is Spanish for “goodbye”. The phrase translates literally as “until the seeing”, i.e. “goodbye until we see each other again”.

28 Insertion mark : CARET

The character known as a caret (^) was originally a proofreading mark, one used to indicate where a punctuation mark was to be inserted. “Caret” is Latin for “it lacks”.

30 Jennifer of “The Morning Show” : ANISTON

Jennifer Aniston won a 2002 Emmy for playing Rachel on the great sitcom “Friends”. Her parents are both actors, and her godfather was the actor Telly Savalas.

“The Morning Show” is a powerful drama TV series that is based on the 2013 book “Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV” by CNN’s Brian Stelter. The show stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as two anchors for “The Morning Show”, one very experienced, and one new to the job. Steve Carell plays a former anchor who is ousted due to a sexual misconduct scandal.

40 Tweak, say : AMEND

The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.

43 Primitive camera feature : PINHOLE

A pinhole camera is an amazing device that can project a very clear image, without the use of a lens. In general the smaller the pinhole the sharper the image, a phenomenon we can observe ourselves by peeking through a tiny hole made with the fingers.

46 First name of Julius Caesar : GAIUS

The most famous Roman known as “Caesar” was Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator usually referred to as Julius Caesar. It was Julius Caesar’s actions and assassination that ushered in the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. The name Gaius Julius Caesar was also used by the dictator’s father, and indeed by his grandfather.

50 Finish line for the first stage of the first Tour de France : LYON

Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication “L’Auto” decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.

51 Giant name in Giants history : ALOU

Moisés Alou played Major League Baseball, as did his father Felipe and his uncles Matty and Jesús.

57 It’s facedown on a poker table : HOLE CARD

In the card game called Texas hold ‘em, two hole cards are dealt to each player, and five community cards are dealt face up on the table. The community cards are dealt in the three stages. The first three cards are dealt in one stage (the flop), then the fourth card is shown (the turn), and finally the fifth card (the river).

58 Negroni spirit : GIN

The negroni is a lovely cocktail, one that hails from Italy. A classic recipe calls for equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. According to legend, the drink was first made by bartender Fosco Scarselli at the request of Count Camillo Negroni, hence the name. The count wanted a stronger version of an Americano, and so Scarselli dropped the Americano’s soda water and replaced it with gin!

60 Cotton fabric often used in bandages : MOLESKIN

Moleskin is a soft material with an adhesive backing that can be stuck to the skin to prevent blisters, especially on the feet.

65 Gondola propeller : OAR

The word “gondola” was originally limited to the famous boats that travel along the canals of Venice. When man started to fly through the air in hot air balloons, “gondola” was used for the basket in which the passenger(s) traveled. By extension, the structure carrying passengers and crew under an airship is also called a gondola, as are the cars suspended from a cable at a ski resort.

72 Series finale : ZEE

The letter zed has been around since about 1400, and derives from the Greek letter zeta. The spelling and pronunciation “zee”, used in America today, first popped up in the 1670s. The spelling and pronunciation “zed” is still used in Britain and Ireland.

74 Karachi-based carrier : PIA

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan. It was the country’s capital when Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947. The capital was moved to Rawalpindi in 1958, and then to the newly built city of Islamabad in 1960.

76 Military hiding spot : FOXHOLE

84 Oregon-based athletic brand : NIKE

Nike was founded in 1964 in Eugene, Oregon by entrepreneur Phil Knight and track-and-field coach Bill Bowerman as Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). BRS started out by distributing athletic shoes made in Japan. The company started making its own shoes in 1971 and changed its name to Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory.

93 Capital in the Himalayas : LHASA

Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, with the name “Lhasa” translating as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

94 Company originally known as Control Video Corp. : AOL

America Online (AOL)

96 Shelley’s “___ to the West Wind” : ODE

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote “Ode to the West Wind” in 1819 when he was living in Florence, Italy. One interpretation of the work is that it expresses his dismay at not being home in England, while another is that it is a lament for the loss of his son who died earlier in the same year.

99 ___ Holmes, Netflix character played by Millie Bobby Brown : ENOLA

“The Enola Holmes Mysteries” is a series of detective novels for young adults by American author Nancy Springer. The title character is the 14-year-old sister of 34-year-old Sherlock Holmes, the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Springer’s novels were adapted into a 2020 film “Enola Holmes” that Netflix picked up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. I saw this one, and the sequel, and enjoyed both …

100 Pitkin County ski town : ASPEN

Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

101 Old Venetian money : DUCAT

“Ducat” is a slang term for an item of money or for an admission ticket. The original ducat was a coin introduced by the Republic of Venice in 1284. Famously, at the climax of William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Antonio goes on trial because he cannot repay a loan to Shylock of 3,000 ducats. Faced with non-payment, Shylock demands his legal right to “a pound of flesh”.

102 Give a keynote, say : ORATE

The keynote is the lowest note in a musical scale, as one might imagine. The term started to be used to mean a leading idea in the late 1700s, and the expression “keynote address” dates back to 1905.

105 Cotton fabric often used in hosiery : LISLE

Lisle is a cotton fabric that has been through an extra process at the end of its manufacture that burns off lint and the ends of fibers leaving the fabric very smooth and with a clean edge. Cotton lisle is mainly used in the manufacture of underwear and stockings. The process to make the thread was invented in the French city of Lille (formerly “Lisle”), hence the name.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Toy on a racetrack : SLOT CAR
8 Soccer star who has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards : MESSI
13 Like “t,” “k” and “p,” in phonetics : PLOSIVE
20 What Hemingway claimed he did to the ending of “A Farewell to Arms” 39 times : REWROTE
21 Dartmouth and Penn, e.g. : IVIES
22 Fled : RAN AWAY
23 Mnemonic start : SILENT M
24 Actor Leary : DENIS
25 Flowerlike sea creature : ANEMONE
26 Massive victory … or a high score in 113-Across? : SMASHING SUCCESS
29 Really enjoys oneself : HAS A BLAST
31 Doofuses : MEATHEADS
34 Wetland : FEN
35 Objections : NOES
36 Be part of an uprising : RIOT
37 Lowercase letter that resembles an “n” : ETA
39 Las Vegas resort with a music-inspired name : ARIA
41 But : YET
42 Resort amenity : SPA
45 Medical procedure, for short : ECG
46 Overabundance : GLUT
47 Vodka drink, informally : COSMO
49 Tremble : PALPITATE
52 Contaminating trace : TAINT
53 Chemical solution strength : TITER
54 “Yeshiva boy” played by Barbra Streisand : YENTL
55 Author who penned the line “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart” : MILNE
56 Climate issue addressed in the Montreal Protocol : OZONE HOLE
58 Approach something with gusto : GO WHOLE HOG
60 What’s the matter? : MOLECULES
61 Sunder : REND
62 Shapes of many carrot slices : COINS
64 Currency worth a little more than dollars : EUROS
66 Spreadsheet command : SORT
67 Spot for a loft : BARN
68 Muesli bit : OAT
70 Make a pile, perhaps : RAKE
72 Rentable transportation options : ZIPCARS
76 Fracas : FUROR
78 Music’s Little ___ : RICHARD
83 Used TurboTax, say : E-FILED
84 Journalist’s accessory : NOTEPAD
86 Knuckle-headed act? : NOOGIE
87 Biblical man who lost his birthright : ESAU
88 2017 musical retelling of the stories of Henry VIII’s wives : SIX
89 Symbol for torque, in physics : TAU
91 Many a viral post : MEME
92 Point of no return? : BLACK HOLE
95 Ace : HOLE IN ONE
98 Coast : SEASHORE
101 Ellipsis element : DOT
104 Aviator’s maneuver in a crosswind landing : SIDESLIP
108 Proportional : IN SCALE
109 “The Last Supper,” for one : MURAL
111 Spot on an afternoon schedule? : TEATIME
112 Doofuses : DOPES
113 Game represented visually in this puzzle : WHAC-A-MOLE
116 Talks like Tom Waits : RASPS
117 Justice Kagan : ELENA
118 Try for a seat in the Capitol : SENATE BID
119 Fifth-century pope dubbed “the Great” : ST LEO
120 Constant nuisance : BANE
121 Like some postage and parking spaces : METERED
122 Fish whose juveniles can climb walls : EELS

Down

1 Many prom attendees: Abbr. : SRS
2 Niihau neckwear : LEI
3 Symbol of wisdom : OWL
4 Lock : TRESS
5 Mountebank : CON MAN
6 “Nice work, little fella!” : ATTA BOY!
7 Dreamy state : REM SLEEP
8 Skirts that go below the knee : MIDIS
9 Giant slalom at the Olympics, e.g. : EVENT
10 Choir director’s command : SING
11 Tremor : SEISM
12 Put out : ISSUE
13 Make perfect, maybe : PRACTICE
14 Frustrating highway driver : LANE HOG
15 Short tennis session : ONE SET
16 Gregor ___, Franz Kafka character : SAMSA
17 ___ Jima : IWO
18 Small band transport : VAN
19 Image at the top of the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill : EYE
27 “___ la vista, baby!” : HASTA
28 Insertion mark : CARET
29 Put on a pedestal, say : HEROIZE
30 Jennifer of “The Morning Show” : ANISTON
32 “White Noise” author Don : DE LILLO
33 What a shock! : STUNNER!
34 11,111, vis-à-vis 123,454,321 : FACTOR
38 Swear (to) : ATTEST
40 Tweak, say : AMEND
42 Ejects forcefully : SPEWS OUT
43 Primitive camera feature : PINHOLE
44 Like a winner of a mountain marathon, in two senses : AT THE TOP
46 First name of Julius Caesar : GAIUS
48 Unrefined mined find : ORE
50 Finish line for the first stage of the first Tour de France : LYON
51 Giant name in Giants history : ALOU
52 Cinemax competitor : TMC
57 It’s facedown on a poker table : HOLE CARD
58 Negroni spirit : GIN
59 [I’m SO mad!] : [GRR!]
60 Cotton fabric often used in bandages : MOLESKIN
63 Hosp. areas : ORS
65 Gondola propeller : OAR
67 Honey : BAE
69 Verb sometimes abbreviated to its central letter : ARE
71 Prefix with tourist or hotel : ECO-
72 Series finale : ZEE
73 Counterfactual starters, in logic : IFS
74 Karachi-based carrier : PIA
75 Certain urban nightlife : CLUB SCENE
76 Military hiding spot : FOXHOLE
77 Place that’s cramped and squalid : RATHOLE
79 Something a presidential candidate often wins : HOME STATE
80 Gray, say : AGE
81 Part of a hoop : RIM
82 It may be repeated after “fiddle” : DEE
84 Oregon-based athletic brand : NIKE
85 Podium : DAIS
88 Items in a hardware store bin : SCREWS
90 Acting as one : UNITED
93 Capital in the Himalayas : LHASA
94 Company originally known as Control Video Corp. : AOL
96 Shelley’s “___ to the West Wind” : ODE
97 Converges on : NEARS
98 Source of a sleeper hit, perhaps : SIDE-B
99 ___ Holmes, Netflix character played by Millie Bobby Brown : ENOLA
100 Pitkin County ski town : ASPEN
101 Old Venetian money : DUCAT
102 Give a keynote, say : ORATE
103 Performer with lions : TAMER
105 Cotton fabric often used in hosiery : LISLE
106 Urge : IMPEL
107 Some dinero : PESOS
109 Part of a lion : MANE
110 Ear piece : LOBE
114 Bottom line? : HEM
115 Container component : LID