0814-22 NY Times Crossword 14 Aug 22, Sunday

Constructed by: Jeff Chen & Jim Horne
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: “In the Money”

Themed answers include the CAPITAL city of a country as a hidden word, a country cited in the clue. That capital’s name has GAINED a single letter. As we descend the grid, those letters spell out KA-CHING, so WE’RE IN THE MONEY!

  • 119A What this puzzle’s circled letters are with respect to the surrounding shaded squares? : CAPITAL GAINS
  • 26A Golfer who won the 1998 Masters (Italy) : MARK O’MEARA (hiding “ROME” hiding K)
  • 41A Seethe (Norway) : DO A SLOW BURN (hiding OSLO hiding A)
  • 49A Give up all at once (Ecuador) : QUIT COLD TURKEY (hiding QUITO hiding C)
  • 71A Major player in U.S. economic policy (Egypt) : CHAIR OF THE FED (hiding CAIRO hiding H)
  • 89A Boarding group? (Switzerland) : TIMBER INDUSTRY (hiding BERN hiding I)
  • 100A Activity for Santa (Rwanda) : MAKING A LIST (hiding KIGALI hiding N)
  • 114A One who walks to work? (Qatar) : DOG HANDLER (hiding DOHA hiding G)

Bill’s time: 20m 02s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 Banned insecticide : DDT

DDT is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (don’t forget now!). DDT was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book “Silent Spring”, suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book, and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of the chemical in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.

7 Big voices with big egos : DIVAS

The term “diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.

12 Some users of Cyrillic script : SLAVS

The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

  • the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
  • the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
  • the South Slavic (including Bulgarians, Croats and Serbs)

Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers, and Christian missionaries among the Slavic peoples. As well as introducing Christianity to the region in the 9th century, the brothers taught many illiterate people to write. They invented two Slavic alphabets for use in translating the Bible into Slavic languages. One is the Glagolitic alphabet, but the more famous is the Cyrillic alphabet that developed into the Cyrillic script that is used widely today across Eastern Europe and much of Asia.

22 Freak out : PANIC

In Greek mythology, Pan was a lecherous god who was part-man and part-goat, and one who fell in love with Echo the mountain nymph. Echo refused Pan’s advances so that he became very angry. Pan’s anger created a “panic” (a word derived from the name “Pan”) and a group of shepherds were driven to kill Echo.

24 Sight at a checkout counter : CASH REGISTER

What we usually call a cash register here in North America, we mostly call a “till” in Ireland and the UK. I haven’t heard the word “till” used much here in that sense …

26 Golfer who won the 1998 Masters (Italy) : MARK O’MEARA (hiding “ROME” hiding K)

Mark O’Meara is a golfer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is known as one of the American players who competes in international tournaments more than most, and has a reputation as a real gentleman all around the world.

According to tradition, Rome was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. The pair had a heated argument about who should be allowed to name the city and Romulus hit Remus with a shovel, killing him. And so, “Rome” was born, perhaps instead of “Reme”!

30 “Rosy-fingered” Greek goddess : EOS

In Greek mythology, Eos was the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos was Aurora. Rather delightfully, Homer referred to Eos as “rosy-fingered dawn” in both “Iliad” and “Odyssey”.

34 Zip : NADA

“Nada” is the Spanish word for “nothing”. “De nada” translates literally from the Spanish as “of nothing”, and is used to mean “you’re welcome” or “don’t mention it”. The French have the same expression “de rien”, also translating to “of nothing” and used the same way.

The use of the words “zip” and “zippo” to mean “nothing” dates back to the early 1900s, when it was student slang for being graded zero on a test.

35 World’s end? : DEE

The ending letter of the word “world” is a letter D (dee).

36 Grp. led by Mahmoud Abbas beginning in 2004 : PLO

Mahmoud Abbas took over as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 2004 after the death of Yasser Arafat. Abbas is also the President of the Palestinian National Authority, a position equivalent to head of state.

39 Apples and pears, botanically : POMES

The Latin word for “fruit” is “pomum”, which gives us the botanical term “pome” that is used for a group of fleshy fruits, including apples and pears.

41 Seethe (Norway) : DO A SLOW BURN (hiding OSLO hiding A)

The Norwegian capital of Oslo is located at the northern end of a fjord known as Oslofjord. The fjord is home to 40 islands that lie within the city’s limits. Oslo also has 343 lakes.

44 Queen Latifah’s given first name : DANA

Queen Latifah is the stage name of the multitalented Dana Owens. The name “Latifah” is Arabic in origin and translates as “delicate, very kind”. Owens found the name and was attracted to it when she was just eight years old.

46 Playwright ___-Manuel Miranda : LIN

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a composer and playwright from New York City, and the creator and star of the hit Broadway musicals “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”. Miranda also co-wrote the songs for the 2016 Disney animated feature “Moana”. He started composing early, and wrote jingles as a child. One of those jingles was later used by Eliot Spitzer in his 2006 gubernatorial campaign.

48 Pipsqueaks : TWERPS

“Twerp” and “pipsqueak” are both terms used for someone who is insignificant and contemptible.

49 Give up all at once (Ecuador) : QUIT COLD TURKEY (hiding QUITO hiding C)

The phrase “cold turkey” surfaced in 1910 with the meaning “without preparation”. We started to use the phrase in the early 1920s in the sense of unprepared withdrawal from an addictive substance. The underpinning notion is that cold turkey is a food requiring little preparation.

The full name of the capital city of Ecuador is San Francisco de Quito. Quito is the second highest administrative capital city in the world, after La Paz, Bolivia.

58 “If we don’t end ___, ___ will end us”: H. G. Wells : WAR

The full name of the English author known as H. G. Wells was Herbert George Wells. Wells is particularly well known for his works of science fiction, including “The War of the Worlds”, “The Time Machine”, “The Invisible Man” and “The Island of Doctor Moreau”. He was a prolific author, and a prolific lover as well. While married to one of his former students with whom he had two sons, he also had a child with writer Amber Reeves, and another child with author Rebecca West.

61 Calculus expert? : DENTIST

Calculus (also “tartar”) is dental plaque that has hardened on the surface of teeth. Plaque is removed relatively easily by brushing and flossing. Once plaque has hardened into tartar, a dental hygienist usually needs to intervene.

71 Major player in U.S. economic policy (Egypt) : CHAIR OF THE FED (hiding CAIRO hiding H)

The Federal Reserve System is more usually known simply as “the Fed”, and is the central banking system of the US. It was introduced in 1913 in response to a number of financial panics at the beginning of the 20th century. The original role for the Fed was to act as a lender of last resort, in case there was a run on a bank. This can happen as most of the money that is deposited by customers in a bank is reinvested by that bank, so it has very little liquid cash available. If too many customers look for their money at one time, then the bank can be short of cash and this can start a “run”. The Fed’s responsibilities have broadened since those early days …

Cairo is the capital city of Egypt. It is nicknamed “The City of a Thousand Minarets” because of its impressive skyline replete with Islamic architecture. The name “Cairo” is a European corruption of the city’s original name in Arabic, “Al-Qahira”.

74 Retired jersey number for the 76ers’ Moses Malone : TWO

Moses Malone played in both the ABA and NBA. When he retired in 1995, he was the last former player from the defunct ABA who was still playing professional basketball.

75 Post-it notes, e.g. : STICK-ONS

The Post-it note was invented at 3M following the accidental discovery of a low-tack, reusable adhesive. The actual intent of the development program was the discovery of a super-strong adhesive.

77 Cousin of a plum : SLOE

The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. A sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually much more tart in taste.

78 It’s good for three points : TRIDENT

A trident is a spear with three prongs. The term “trident” comes from the Latin adjective “tridentem” meaning “three-pronged, three-toothed”. “Tridentem” comes from “tri-” (three) and “dens” (tooth).

81 ___ Hortons (Canadian chain) : TIM

Tim Hortons is a Canadian chain of fast food restaurants that is known especially for its coffee and doughnuts. The chain is named for one of the founders, hockey player Tim Horton.

83 Statistician Silver : NATE

Nate Silver is a statistician who gained celebrity by developing a forecasting system that predicted the future performance of baseball players. He then made a name for himself in the world of politics by predicting the outcome of the 2008 US presidential race on his website FiveThirtyEight.com. Silver successfully predicted the outcome of the election in 49 of the 50 states, missing out on Indiana, which Barack Obama won by less than 1% of the vote. FiveThirtyEight was less successful in predicting the specifics of the 2012 presidential election, but came closer than almost all other pollsters. In 2016, FiveThirtyEight predicted a victory for Hillary Clinton, but with a much lower probability than other poll aggregators. And, they all got it wrong. Oh, and why the name FiveThirtyEight.com? Because there are 538 electors in the US electoral college.

85 Land with an accent over its first letter : EIRE

There are only two sovereign nations named for women. The island country of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse. The island country of Ireland (“Éire” in Irish) was named the goddess Ériu from Irish mythology.

86 Big inits. in TVs : RCA

Radio Corporation of America (RCA)

89 Boarding group? (Switzerland) : TIMBER INDUSTRY (hiding BERN hiding I)

Bern (sometimes “Berne”, especially in French) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

98 Stephen of “V for Vendetta” : REA

Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Rea’s most successful role was Fergus in 1992’s “The Crying Game”, for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In “The Crying Game”, Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.

“V for Vendetta” is a 2006 movie based on the political thriller graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman and Stephen Rea. Two other Moore novels made it to the big screen: “From Hell” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”.

100 Activity for Santa (Rwanda) : MAKING A LIST (hiding KIGALI hiding N)

Kigali is the capital of the African nation of Rwanda, and is located in the center of the country. That location led to the city being picked as the capital in 1962, over the traditional capital of Nyanza. The choice was made on the occasion of Rwanda’s independence from Belgium. Kigali was the center of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, in which half a million to one million Rwandans were killed. That was perhaps 20% of the country’s total population wiped out in the space of four months.

102 Scouts B.S.A. members since 2019 : GIRLS

Boy Scouts of America (BSA)

104 Marks, as a ballot : XES

Today, a ballot is a piece of paper or equivalent used to cast a vote. Back in the 1500s, a “ballot” was a small “ball” used in the process of voting.

105 “OK, you get it,” for short : ETC

The Latin phrase “et cetera” translates as “and other things”. The term is usually abbreviated to “etc.”

109 Hamm of women’s soccer fame : MIA

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player. She played as a forward on the US national team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm scored 158 international goals, which was more than any other player in the world, male or female, until the record was broken in 2013. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

112 Torus-shaped gasket : O-RING

A torus (plural “tori”) is a shape resembling a doughnut.

114 One who walks to work? (Qatar) : DOG HANDLER (hiding DOHA hiding G)

Doha is the capital city of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. The name “Doha” translates from Arabic as “the big tree”.

124 Noted underground adventurer : ALICE

The title character in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is based on a child named Alice Liddell. Lewis Carroll (real name “Charles Lutwidge Dodgson”) met the Liddell family while he was photographing Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, after which he befriended the Liddells. Carroll told the three Liddell sisters (including Alice) a story about a little girl named Alice and her adventures, in order to entertain the children while on a boating trip on the River Isis in Oxford. He elaborated on the story for the girls on a subsequent boat trip, and agreed to write down the tale as the children loved it so much. Carroll’s writings became a full-fledged manuscript, including the author’s own illustrations. It was first published in 1865, three years after that boat trip.

125 Sad ass : EEYORE

Eeyore is the donkey character in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh”. Eeyore is very lovable, but has a gloomy and pessimistic outlook on life.

126 Burger topping that jacks up the cholesterol : FRIED EGG

Sterols occur in nature in both plants and animals. The most famous of the animal sterols is cholesterol, which is found in all animals as a vital component of cell walls. Cholesterol is made within the body, so it isn’t a necessary part of the diet.

127 Rich sources : LODES

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The mother lode is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

128 Kidney-related : RENAL

Something described as renal is related to the kidneys. “Ren” is the Latin word for “kidney”.

129 Asphalt component : TAR

The asphalt surface on roads (or basketball courts) is more properly called asphaltic concrete because asphalt itself (also known as “bitumen”) is just a sticky black liquid that comes from crude petroleum. Asphalt is used as a binder with aggregate to form asphaltic concrete.

Down

1 Disneyland ride : TRAM

Walt Disney came up with the idea of building Disneyland after visiting other theme parks with his daughters in the thirties and forties. He started building the park at Anaheim, California in 1954, and the facility opened just one year and one day later. The total cost of construction was $17 million. Opening day did not go smoothly, largely because over 28,000 people visited the park compared to the 11,000 people expected at the invitation-only event. The opening day went so badly that for years Disney executives referred to it as “Black Sunday”.

2 McEntire of country music : REBA

Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007. She is sometimes referred to as “The Queen of Country”.

3 Old map inits. : USSR

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Rus.) became the largest and most influential Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Today, Russia is a sovereign state, and the largest country in the whole world.

6 “Je te plumerai la ___” (line from “Alouette”) : TETE

The French-Canadian children’s song starts with, “Alouette, gentille alouette …” “Alouette” is the French word for a bird, the “lark”. The song is actually pretty gruesome, even though it was used to teach children the names of body parts. The origin of the song lies in the French colonists’ penchant for eating larks, which they considered to be game birds. So in the song, the singer tells the lark that he/she will pluck off one-by-one the lark’s head, nose, eyes, wings and tail.

7 Old gold coin : DUCAT

The ducat was a coin introduced by the Republic of Venice in 1284.

9 Seconds, in brief : VPS

Vice president (VP)

11 Temptresses in the “Odyssey” : SIRENS

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were seductive bird-women who lured men to their deaths with their song. When Odysseus sailed close to the island home of the Sirens he wanted to hear their voices, but in safety. He had his men plug their ears with beeswax and then ordered them to tie him to the mast and not to free him until they were safe. On hearing their song Odysseus begged to be let loose, but the sailors just tightened his bonds and the whole crew sailed away unharmed. We sometimes use the term “siren” today to describe a seductively charming woman.

13 Part of L.V. : LAS

Back in the 1800s, the Las Vegas Valley was given its name from the extensive meadows (“las vegas” is Spanish for “the meadows”) present in the area courtesy of the artesian wells drilled by local farmers. Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1905, in the days when it was a stopping-off point for pioneers traveling west. It eventually became a railroad town, although with the coming of the railroad growth halted as travelers began to bypass Las Vegas. The city’s tourism industry took off in 1935 with the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam, which is still a popular attraction. Then gambling was legalized, and things really started to move. Vegas was picked, largely by celebrated figures in “the mob”, as a convenient location across the California/Nevada state line that could service the vast population of Los Angeles. As a result, Las Vegas is the most populous US city founded in the 20th century (Chicago is the most populous city founded in the 19th century, just in case you were wondering).

18 It’s a drag : TOKE

“Toke” is a slang term describing a puff on a marijuana cigarette, or on a pipe containing the drug.

27 Monitors at school, for short : RAS

A resident assistant/adviser (RA) is a peer leader found in a residence hall, particularly on a college campus.

32 ___-Eaters : ODOR

Odor-Eaters insoles were first introduced in the early seventies, and are manufactured by Combe. Combe sponsors a national contest held every year in Montpelier, Vermont, called “The Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest”. Very pleasant …

33 Kindle competitor : NOOK

The Barnes & Noble electronic-book reader is called the Nook. The reader’s name is intended to evoke the usage of “nook” as a familiar place to sit and read quietly.

36 “ASAP!” : PDQ!

Pretty darn quick (PDQ)

37 Sondheim and Bernstein’s collaborator on “West Side Story” : LAURENTS

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.

47 “___ días!” : BUENOS

“Buenos dias” translates from Spanish as “good day”, but can also be used to say “good morning”.

59 Like some 401(k) contributions : AFTER TAX

A 401(k) account resembles an IRA in that contributions can be made from a paycheck prior to the deduction of income taxes. A 401(k) differs from an IRA in that it is an employer-sponsored plan, with payments taken by the employer directly from an employee’s paycheck. Additionally, contributions can be fully or partially matched by an employer.

61 “___ Rheingold” : DAS

“Das Rheingold” is an 1869 opera by Richard Wagner, and is the first of four works that comprise his famous “Ring Cycle”.

62 “The Chi” channel, familiarly : SHO

“The Chi” is a TV drama set on the South Side of Chicago. It was created by screenwriter Lena Waithe, who grew up in the area depicted in the show.

68 Formal farewell : ADIEU

“Adieu” is French for “goodbye, farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”. The plural of “adieu” is “adieux”.

79 Talk smack about : DISS

“Dis” (also “diss”) is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.

88 Kind of cat or rabbit : ANGORA

The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat that is often called simply an Angora or Ankara cat. The Angora is particularly prized for its white coat, although the breed can come in a variety of colors.

Angora wool comes from the Angora rabbit. On the other hand, the Angora goat produces the wool known as mohair. Both rabbit and goat are named for Turkey’s capital Ankara, which was known as “Angora” in many European languages.

90 Flat top? : MESA

“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table” and is how we get the term “mesa” that describes the geographic feature. A mesa is similar to a butte. Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide.

92 Region of Croatia associated with a canine breed : DALMATIA

Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, with most of its area falling in modern-day Croatia.

The Dalmatian breed of dog originated in Dalmatia, in the Republic of Croatia. Here in the US, Dalmatians are known as “firehouse dogs”. This association dates back to the use of Dalmatians in firehouses to guard the valuable horses that pulled the fire engines.

95 Site acquired by Match.com in 2011 : OKCUPID

Match.com is an online dating service. The company was started in 1993 and claims to have over 20 million members worldwide, in the ratio of male to female of 49:51.

96 London’s ___ Row : SAVILE

Savile Row is a street in central London that is home to many prestigious men’s tailors. The street was named for Lady Dorothy Savile, who was one of Queen Caroline’s Ladies of the Bedchamber (Caroline was the wife of King George II).

100 Liquor from Mexico : MESCAL

Mezcal (also “mescal”) is a distilled spirit made from the agave plant. Technically, tequila is a type of mezcal that is distilled specifically from the blue agave.

101 Like em dashes vis-à-vis en dashes : LONGER

In typography, there are em dashes and en dashes. The em dash is about the width of an “m” character, and an en dash about half that, the width of an “n’ character. An en dash is used, for example, to separate numbers designating a range, as in 5-10 years. The em dash seems to be going out of style, and indeed the application I am using to write this paragraph won’t let me show you one!

108 Bomb produced in the 1950s : EDSEL

The Edsel brand of automobile was named for Edsel Ford, son of Henry. Sadly, the name “Edsel” has become synonymous with “failure”, which was no fault of Edsel himself who had died several years before the Edsel line was introduced. When the Ford Motor Company introduced the Edsel on 4 September 1957, Ford proclaimed the day to be “E Day”.

110 Ritalin target, for short : ADHD

The “official” name for the condition we sometimes still refer to as “attention deficit disorder” (ADD) is “attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD).

Ritalin is a trade name for the drug methylphenidate that is used for treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy. Methylphenidate has a similar structure and similar properties to the drug cocaine, although it is less potent.

113 Marvin who sang “Sexual Healing” : GAYE

Marvin Gaye was a singer-songwriter from Washington, D.C. who came to be known as “Prince of Soul” and “Prince of Motown”. Some of Gaye’s biggest hits are “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968), “What’s Going On?” (1971), “Let’s Get It On” (1973) and “Sexual Healing” (1982). Famously, Gaye was shot dead by his father while Marvin was sitting on his mother’s bed just talking to her. Marvin had given the gun to his father as a Christmas gift.

116 Food that’s a national emblem of Wales : LEEK

The leek is a vegetable closely related to the onion and the garlic. It is also a national emblem of Wales (along with the daffodil), although I don’t think we know for sure how this came to be. One story is that the Welsh were ordered to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves in a battle against the Saxons. Apparently, the battle took place in a field of leeks.

121 Plasma particle : ION

When I was a schoolkid, I was taught that there were three fundamental states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. I think it is now generally accepted that there is a fourth fundamental state matter, namely plasma. Plasma is a state without a definite shape or volume, and in that sense is similar to a gas. In a plasma, electrons have been ripped away from their nuclei, forming a conductive electron “sea”. Plasmas are created from gases by applying a massive voltage difference or an extremely high temperature.

122 Ambrose Burnside was its first president, for short : NRA

Ambrose Burnside was a Union Army general during the Civil War, and a successful businessman. When the National Rifle Association was formed in 1871, Burnside was chosen as the organization’s first president. Burnside was also noted for the very lush growth of hair on his face and the distinctive style in which he cut it. We now know that style of cut as “sideburns”, a term derived from the Burnside name. When sideburns connect with the mustache, they might be termed “mutton chops”, a reference to their similarity in shape to the cut of meat.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Hotel chain operated by Hilton : TRU
4 Banned insecticide : DDT
7 Big voices with big egos : DIVAS
12 Some users of Cyrillic script : SLAVS
17 Antique furniture expert, perhaps : RESTORER
20 Like bills in arrears : UNPAID
22 Freak out : PANIC
23 100% : ABSOLUTE
24 Sight at a checkout counter : CASH REGISTER
26 Golfer who won the 1998 Masters (Italy) : MARK O’MEARA (hiding “ROME” hiding K)
28 Attach, as a patch : SEW ON
29 “Baa, baa” ma : EWE
30 “Rosy-fingered” Greek goddess : EOS
31 Snitch out : RAT ON
34 Zip : NADA
35 World’s end? : DEE
36 Grp. led by Mahmoud Abbas beginning in 2004 : PLO
39 Apples and pears, botanically : POMES
41 Seethe (Norway) : DO A SLOW BURN (hiding OSLO hiding A)
44 Queen Latifah’s given first name : DANA
46 Playwright ___-Manuel Miranda : LIN
47 Benefit : BOON
48 Pipsqueaks : TWERPS
49 Give up all at once (Ecuador) : QUIT COLD TURKEY (hiding QUITO hiding C)
53 Org. with a Summer League : NBA
54 Churn : ROIL
55 Response from a therapist : I SEE
56 Were, for one? : WAS
58 “If we don’t end ___, ___ will end us”: H. G. Wells : WAR
61 Calculus expert? : DENTIST
63 “Inventing ___” (2022 Netflix hit) : ANNA
66 Die-hard : LOYAL FAN
70 Gate in digital logic : AND
71 Major player in U.S. economic policy (Egypt) : CHAIR OF THE FED (hiding CAIRO hiding H)
74 Retired jersey number for the 76ers’ Moses Malone : TWO
75 Post-it notes, e.g. : STICK-ONS
77 Cousin of a plum : SLOE
78 It’s good for three points : TRIDENT
80 Where you might get into hot water : SPA
81 ___ Hortons (Canadian chain) : TIM
83 Statistician Silver : NATE
85 Land with an accent over its first letter : EIRE
86 Big inits. in TVs : RCA
89 Boarding group? (Switzerland) : TIMBER INDUSTRY (hiding BERN hiding I)
94 Causes for pauses : COLONS
97 God: Lat. : DEUS
98 Stephen of “V for Vendetta” : REA
99 Except for : SAVE
100 Activity for Santa (Rwanda) : MAKING A LIST (hiding KIGALI hiding N)
102 Scouts B.S.A. members since 2019 : GIRLS
104 Marks, as a ballot : XES
105 “OK, you get it,” for short : ETC
106 De ___ (freshly) : NOVO
107 Used room service, e.g. : ATE IN
109 Hamm of women’s soccer fame : MIA
111 Nickname that’s three consecutive letters of the alphabet : STU
112 Torus-shaped gasket : O-RING
114 One who walks to work? (Qatar) : DOG HANDLER (hiding DOHA hiding G)
119 What this puzzle’s circled letters are with respect to the surrounding shaded squares? : CAPITAL GAINS
123 Quite eccentric : OUT THERE
124 Noted underground adventurer : ALICE
125 Sad ass : EEYORE
126 Burger topping that jacks up the cholesterol : FRIED EGG
127 Rich sources : LODES
128 Kidney-related : RENAL
129 Asphalt component : TAR
130 Daily ___ (news blog) : KOS

Down

1 Disneyland ride : TRAM
2 McEntire of country music : REBA
3 Old map inits. : USSR
4 Certain coding snippet : DO LOOP
5 Special collection of musical hits? : DRUM SOLO
6 “Je te plumerai la ___” (line from “Alouette”) : TETE
7 Old gold coin : DUCAT
8 ___ spot : IN A
9 Seconds, in brief : VPS
10 Open-mouthed responses : AAHS
11 Temptresses in the “Odyssey” : SIRENS
12 Create an elaborate series of deceptions : SPIN A WEB
13 Part of L.V. : LAS
14 Got in the game, perhaps : ANTED UP
15 Watch parties? : VIEWERS
16 Focus for 15-Down : SCREEN
18 It’s a drag : TOKE
19 Seats : REAR ENDS
21 Big name in power tools : DEWALT
25 Fail : GO DOWN
27 Monitors at school, for short : RAS
32 ___-Eaters : ODOR
33 Kindle competitor : NOOK
36 “ASAP!” : PDQ!
37 Sondheim and Bernstein’s collaborator on “West Side Story” : LAURENTS
38 Pungent party bowlful : ONION DIP
40 Ultra-aggressive : MILITANT
42 Freshly : ANEW
43 Quite a fight : BRAWL
45 Fighting : AT IT
47 “___ días!” : BUENOS
50 Instantly get along well : CLICK
51 Rush : TEAR
52 Home of the David Geffen School of Drama : YALE
57 Laundry product : SOFTENER
59 Like some 401(k) contributions : AFTER TAX
60 It’s touchy to hit : RAW NERVE
61 “___ Rheingold” : DAS
62 “The Chi” channel, familiarly : SHO
64 It has a devoted following on Sundays : NFL
65 Expiates, with “for” : ATONES
67 “___ out!” : YER
68 Formal farewell : ADIEU
69 Modifier in digital logic : NOT
72 “Oh, really?” : IS IT?
73 Catch a few waves? : HEAR
76 Lloyd of women’s soccer fame : CARLI
79 Talk smack about : DISS
82 Skirt style : MIDI
84 Getting bored with : TIRING OF
87 Suggests : CONNOTES
88 Kind of cat or rabbit : ANGORA
90 Flat top? : MESA
91 Target of a joke : BUTT
92 Region of Croatia associated with a canine breed : DALMATIA
93 “Did you ring?” : YES?
94 Hybrid farm animal : CATTALO
95 Site acquired by Match.com in 2011 : OKCUPID
96 London’s ___ Row : SAVILE
100 Liquor from Mexico : MESCAL
101 Like em dashes vis-à-vis en dashes : LONGER
102 Benitez of TV news : GIO
103 Fuse by heating below the melting point : SINTER
108 Bomb produced in the 1950s : EDSEL
110 Ritalin target, for short : ADHD
113 Marvin who sang “Sexual Healing” : GAYE
115 Offended : HURT
116 Food that’s a national emblem of Wales : LEEK
117 “Thus …” : ERGO …
118 Standard operating procedures, for short : REGS
120 Clinch : ICE
121 Plasma particle : ION
122 Ambrose Burnside was its first president, for short : NRA