0812-18 NY Times Crossword 12 Aug 18, Sunday

Constructed by: Ross Trudeau
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: If I Were You

Themed answers are common phrases with a letter I changed to a letter U:

  • 23A. Land O’Lakes and Breakstone’s? : BUTTER RIVALS (from “bitter rivals”)
  • 31A. Ministering? : WORKING THE SOUL (from “working the soil”)
  • 47A. “Damn, I can’t seem to get a ball into fair territory!”? : CURSES! FOULED AGAIN (from “Curses! Foiled again”)
  • 62A. Like a trip overland from Venezuela to Bolivia? : JUNGLE ALL THE WAY (from “jingle all the way”)
  • 82A. Expensive line of nonsense someone throws you? : HUNDRED-DOLLAR BULL (from “hundred-dollar bill”)
  • 95A. “What are you hauling in there?” and “How many axles you running?” : TRUCK QUESTIONS (from “trick questions”)
  • 108A. Entering your middle name, then date of birth, then adding a “1,” etc.? : PASSWORD HUNT (from “password hint”)

Bill’s time: 17m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6. Commercial aunt since 1889 : JEMIMA

The Aunt Jemima brand name was taken from an old vaudeville song called “Old Aunt Jemima”. The whole Aunt Jemima image has been surrounded by controversy for many years, understandably …

12. Prep to find fingerprints : DUST

In the world of criminology, there are three classes of fingerprints:

  • Patent prints are those which are obvious, easily spotted by the naked eye.
  • Impressed prints are those made when the fingertips apply pressure to a soft material or surface, such as the skin.
  • Latent prints are those that are invisible to the naked eye, but which can be detected using special equipment and materials.

21. Steel head? : JP MORGAN

John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. was a financier and banker active in the last half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Given the tremendous power that came with his wealth, J. P. Morgan and other tycoons were at times unpopular with the masses. Morgan did not often respond to criticism although did once say “I owe the public nothing”. Around the same time, John D. Rockefeller habitually rebuffed public inquiries with the words “silence is golden”.

25. Part of the SkyTeam Alliance : ALITALIA

Alitalia is the national airline of Italy. The name “Alitalia” is a melding of the Italian words “ali” (wings) and “Italia” (Italy).

The airline alliance known as SkyTeam is headquartered at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. SkyTeam was founded in 2000 by Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air as a competitor to the Star Alliance and Oneworld.

29. Kind of torch : TIKI

A tiki torch is a bamboo torch that’s commonly used in Tiki culture. Tiki culture is a relatively modern invention dating from the 20th century, and is the experience created in Polynesian-style restaurants. The word “Tiki” is borrowed from Polynesia.

30. Commies : REDS

The association of the color red with communism dates back to the French Revolution. A red flag was chosen as a symbol by the revolutionaries, with the color representing the blood of workers who had died in the fight against capitalism.

35. Giant in direct sales : AMWAY

Founded in 1959, Amway is still going strong. It is one of the largest privately-held companies in the United States, with sales of around $8 billion and about 13,000 employees.

38. Vientiane native : LAO

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, and is situated on the famous Mekong River. The city was originally called the “city of sandalwood” by Buddhist monks, naming after the valued trees that grew in the area. The French took the Pali words for “city of sandalwood” and rewrote it as the French-sounding “Vientiane”.

41. “Inside the N.B.A.” analyst beginning in 2011 : O’NEAL

Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal now appears regularly as an analyst on the NBA TV show “Inside the NBA”. Shaq has quite a career in the entertainment world. His first rap album, called “Shaq Diesel”, went platinum. He also starred in two of his own reality show: “Shaq’s Big Challenge” and “Shaq Vs.”

43. Wunderkinds, say : PHENOMS

A “wunderkind” is a child prodigy, especially in the musical arena. The term is German in origin and translates literally as “wonder child”.

54. Chicago airport code : ORD

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which derives from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field.

58. Aziz of “Master of None” : ANSARI

Aziz Ansari is an actor and comedian from Columbia, South Carolina who is best known for playing Tom Haverford on the sitcom “Parks and Recreation”. Ansari also stars in the Netflix comedy-drama series “Master of None”.

61. Biblioklept’s targets : BOOKS

Kleptomania is the compulsion to steal, whether or not one is in need of what is stolen. The term derives from the Greek word for “to steal”, “kleptein”, with the suffix “-mania”.

67. Musical closings : CODAS

In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

71. Tiny, multitentacled creatures : HYDRAS

The Hydra of Lerna was a mythical sea snake that had multiple heads. Heracles had to slay the Lernaean Hydra as the second of his Twelve Labors. We now use the term “hydra” figuratively to describe a complex problem that presents new obstacles once once facet is resolved.

75. Operating system since the early ’70s : UNIX

Unix is a computer operating system that was developed at Bell Labs in 1969. The initial name for the project was Uniplexed Information and Computing Service (Unics), and this evolved over time into “Unix”.

76. Mother ___ : TERESA

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in the city that is now called Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. At birth she was given the names Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (“Gonxha” means “little flower” in Albanian). She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, and headed to Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham in Dublin, Ireland in order to learn English. Her goal was to teach in India, and English was the language used there for instruction by the nuns. After Mother Teresa passed away in 1997 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II, a step on the road to canonization. In order for her to be beatified there had to be documented evidence of a miracle that was performed due to her intercession. The miracle in question was the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of a woman due to the application of a locket containing a picture of Mother Teresa. Documentation of a second miracle is required for her to be declared a saint. The canonization process seems to well underway, with Pope Francis recognizing a second miracle in December 2015.

77. “Robinson Crusoe” author : DEFOE

Daniel Defoe is most famous today as an author, of the novel “Robinson Crusoe” in particular. Defoe was also a trader, and a spy for King William III.

When Daniel Defoe wrote his marvelous 1719 novel called “Robinson Crusoe”, he was likely thinking of real-life Scottish castaway, Alexander Selkirk. Selkirk was marooned and lived alone on the Pacific Island called “Mas a Tierra” off the coast of Chile, for four years. The island was officially renamed in 1966, and is now called Robinson Crusoe Island.

80. Fútbol stadium cry : OLE!

“Fútbol” is the Spanish word for “football, soccer”.

81. Ingredient in a Cuba libre : RUM

The cocktail known as a Cuba libre is basically a rum and Coke, although the traditional recipe also calls for a splash of lime juice.

82. Expensive line of nonsense someone throws you? : HUNDRED-DOLLAR BULL (from “hundred-dollar bill”)

Benjamin Franklin is featured on one side of the hundred-dollar bill (also called a “C-spot, C-note”), and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the other side. There is a famous error in the image of Independence Hall. If you look closely at the clock face at the top of the building you can see that the “four” is written in Roman numerals as “IV”. However, on the actual clock on Independence Hall, the “four” is denoted by “IIII”, which has been the convention for clock faces for centuries.

85. Novel endings, maybe : EPILOGS

Our word “epilog” (also “epilogue”) applies to an addition at the end of a play or other literary work. The term ultimately comes from the Greek “epi-” signifying “in addition”, and “logos” meaning “speech”.

88. Indigo source : ANIL

“Anil” is another name for the indigo plant, as well as the name for the blue indigo dye that is obtained from it. The color of anil is relatively close to navy blue. The main coloring agent in indigo dye is a crystalline powder called indigotin.

89. Part of NGO : NON-

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

94. Tannery stock : HIDES

Leather is made from animal skins. When the flesh, fat and hair is removed from the skin and it is dried, the resulting product is called “rawhide”. Further treatment of the skin with chemicals that permanently alter the protein structure of the skin is called “tanning”, and the resulting product is “leather”.

101. Actress Moreno : RITA

The Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaption of “West Side Story”. And, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004.

103. Ivory, e.g. : BAR SOAP

Ivory soap is one of Procter & Gamble’s oldest products, introduced way back in 1879. Ivory soap is noted for its “purity” and also because of its property of floating in water. Despite urban myths to the contrary, the property of floating in water was developed deliberately by a chemist at the time Ivory was being formulated. The soap floats because the ingredients are mixed longer than necessary for homogenization, which introduces more air into the product.

113. Best of all possible worlds : UTOPIA

The word “Utopia” was coined by Sir Thomas More for his book “Utopia” published in 1516 describing an idyllic fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. More’s use of the name Utopia comes from the Greek “ou” meaning “not” and “topos” meaning “place”. By calling his perfect island “Not Place”, More was apparently making the point that he didn’t think that the ideal could actually exist.

117. Nitpicky know-it-all : PEDANT

A pedant is a person “who trumpets minor points of learning”, a person who tends to nit-pick. “Pedant” comes via Middle French from the Italian word “pedante” meaning “teacher”.

Down

4. Sadly unoriginal works : RETREADS

A retread tire is one that has been recycled, possibly more than once. The tread of the old tire is buffed away, and and new rubber tread is applied to the “bare” tire using some special process that seems to work really well (except for truck tires, in my humble opinion!). Retreads are a lot cheaper, and obviously are relatively friendly to the environment.

7. Manning with two Super Bowl M.V.P. awards : ELI

Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titles “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

8. “I want my ___” (1980s slogan) : MTV

The most successful branding campaign for MTV was centered on the slogan “I want my MTV”. The campaign was launched in 1982 and the slogan became so well-known that it was actually incorporated into the lyrics of the 1985 song by “Money for Nothing” recorded by Dire Straits.

9. Suggestion from a financial adviser, for short : IRA

Individual retirement account (IRA)

10. Rami ___ of “Mr. Robot” : MALEK

“Mr. Robot” is an engaging drama series about an anxious and clinically depressed computer hacker. Said hacker joins an anarchic group of hackers known as “Mr. Robot” who are intent on taking down the largest conglomerate in the world. I binge-watched the first two series, and really enjoyed the experience …

12. Title role for Jamie Foxx : DJANGO

“Django Unchained” is a Quentin Tarantino film that was released in 2012, starring Jamie Foxx in the title role of branded black slave just before the outbreak of the Civil War. It is the highest grossing film that Tarantino has made to date. I tend to avoid Tarantino movies as I find them to be unnecessarily violent. Apparently “Django Unchained” is one of his more violent offerings.

13. Like the Statue of Liberty at night : UPLIT

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and constructed in France by civil engineer Gustave Eiffel. The statue was disassembled, shipped to the US, and reassembled on its pedestal on Bedloe’s Island (now “Liberty Island). A ceremony of dedication was held in 1886. If you take a boat ride down the Seine in Paris you will probably see a one-third replica of Lady Liberty standing on a small island in the river, looking quite magnificent. That copy was given to the people of Paris by the city’s American community in 1889.

17. Poem name whose singular and plural forms are the same : HAIKU

A haiku is a very elegant form of Japanese verse. When writing a haiku in English we tend to impose the rule that the verse must contain 17 syllables. This restriction comes from the rule in Japanese that the verse must contain 17 sound units called “moras”, but moras and syllables aren’t the same thing. What the difference is though, is not so clear to me. Here’s an example of a Haiku:

Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don’t make sense
Refrigerator

24. “Treasure Island” monogram : RLS

I’d say that the most celebrated work from the pen of Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) is “Treasure Island”, which was originally written as a series for a children’s magazine in 1881. I remember “Treasure Island” as the first “real” novel I read as a youngster …

28. Genetic messenger : RNA

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

32. Classical theater : ODEUM

In Ancient Greece an odeon (also “odeum”) was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning a “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

34. Temptation location : EDEN

In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This went against the bidding of God, and was at the urging of the serpent. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

35. Big name in soda cans and foil : ALCOA

The Aluminum Corporation of America (ALCOA) is the largest producer of aluminum in the United States. The company was founded in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where its headquarters are to this day.

37. Guest bed, in a pinch : SOFA

“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

48. Hosiery shades : ECRUS

The shade ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

49. Hebrew letter on a dreidel : SHIN

A dreidel is a spinning top with four sides, often associated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Each of the four sides on a dreidel bears a letter from the Hebrew alphabet (nun, gimel, hei and shin). The four letters are the initials of the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham” meaning “a great miracle happened there”. According to tradition, children would be taught Torah while hiding in caves away from the Greeks. When Greek soldiers approached, the children would hide their torah scrolls and play with their dreidels instead.

50. American Girl products : DOLLS

American Girl is a line of dolls introduced in 1986. The dolls were originally young girls dressed in clothes that evoked various periods of American history.

51. Keep watch for, maybe : ABET

The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

59. He fought alongside Achilles : AJAX

Ajax was a figure in Greek mythology, and was the cousin of Achilles. Ajaz is an important figure in Homer’s “Iliad”. According to Homer, Ajax was chosen by lot to meet Hector in an epic duel that lasted a whole day. The duel ended in a draw.

Achilles is a Greek mythological figure, and the main protagonist of Homer’s “Iliad”. When Achilles was born, his mother attempted to make him immortal by dipping him into the River Styx. As he was held by the heel as he was immersed, this became the only vulnerable point on his body. Years later he was killed when a poisoned arrow struck him in the heel. That arrow was shot by Paris.

61. Aspirin maker : BAYER

Bayer AG is a German pharmaceutical company that was founded in 1863. The company’s most famous product is its original brand of aspirin. The company logo, the Bayer cross, was introduced in 1904. That same logo can be seen on an illuminated sign in Leverkusen, where the company is headquartered. It is the largest illuminated sign in the world.

64. Oreo ingredient until the mid-’90s : LARD

The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

68. “Movin’ ___” : ON UP

“Movin’ On Up” is the theme song for “The Jeffersons” sitcom that was first broadcast in the seventies and eighties.

The very popular sitcom called “The Jeffersons” ran from 1975 until it came to an abrupt end in 1985. CBS cancelled the show without even allowing a series finale that “wrapped things up”. In fact the lead actor, Sherman Hemsley, first learned of the show’s cancellation in the newspaper.

73. CBS’s “Kate & ___” : ALLIE

The sitcom “Kate & Allie” ran from 1984 to 1989, starring Susan Saint James as Kate, and Jane Curtin as Allie. Jane Curtin won two Emmy awards for her work on the series, while Susan Saint James … did not.

77. Box of 12, say : DOZEN

Our word “dozen” is used for a group of twelve. We imported it into English from Old French. The modern French word for “twelve” is “douze”, and for “dozen” is “douzaine”.

78. “Ticklish” toys : ELMOS

The toy called Tickle Me Elmo was a sensational fad in the late nineties, with stores raising prices dramatically above the recommended retail price to take advantage of demand. Reportedly, prices as high as $1500 were paid at the height of the craze. The toy’s manufacturer, Tyco, originally planned to market the “tickle” toy as Tickle Me Tasmanian Devil (after the “Looney Tunes” character), but then went with “Elmo” after they bought the rights to use “Sesame Street” names.

94. Comedic duo? : HARD C’S

The word “comedic” starts and ends with a hard letter C (cee).

97. 2022 World Cup host : QATAR

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

100. 3, 4 or 5, usually : PAR

That would be golf.

105. Vet’s malady, for short : PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

107. Kerfuffle : ADO

“Kerfuffle” comes from the Scottish “curfuffle”, with both words meaning “disruption”.

111. Get gold from one’s lead? : WIN

In the Ancient Olympic Games, the winner of an event was awarded an olive wreath. When the games were revived in 1896, the winners were originally given a silver medal and an olive branch, with runners-up receiving a bronze medal and a laurel branch. The tradition of giving gold, silver and bronze medals began at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games held in St. Louis, Missouri.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Begin : START
6. Commercial aunt since 1889 : JEMIMA
12. Prep to find fingerprints : DUST
16. Checkup sounds : AHS
19. Deduce : INFER
20. Rabid supporters : ULTRAS
21. Steel head? : JP MORGAN
23. Land O’Lakes and Breakstone’s? : BUTTER RIVALS (from “bitter rivals”)
25. Part of the SkyTeam Alliance : ALITALIA
26. With severity : STERNLY
27. The only way to get respect, so they say : EARN IT
29. Kind of torch : TIKI
30. Commies : REDS
31. Ministering? : WORKING THE SOUL (from “working the soil”)
35. Giant in direct sales : AMWAY
37. Pro or con : SIDE
38. Vientiane native : LAO
39. Stag’s mate : DOE
40. Laundry unit : LOAD
41. “Inside the N.B.A.” analyst beginning in 2011 : O’NEAL
43. Wunderkinds, say : PHENOMS
47. “Damn, I can’t seem to get a ball into fair territory!”? : CURSES! FOULED AGAIN (from “Curses! Foiled again”)
53. Fabrication : LIE
54. Chicago airport code : ORD
55. Wide divide : CHASM
56. Lose an all-in hand, say : GO BUST
57. Vitriol : BILE
58. Aziz of “Master of None” : ANSARI
60. Most susceptible to sunburn : PALEST
61. Biblioklept’s targets : BOOKS
62. Like a trip overland from Venezuela to Bolivia? : JUNGLE ALL THE WAY (from “jingle all the way”)
67. Musical closings : CODAS
70. Easy buckets : LAYUPS
71. Tiny, multitentacled creatures : HYDRAS
75. Operating system since the early ’70s : UNIX
76. Mother ___ : TERESA
77. “Robinson Crusoe” author : DEFOE
80. Fútbol stadium cry : OLE!
81. Ingredient in a Cuba libre : RUM
82. Expensive line of nonsense someone throws you? : HUNDRED-DOLLAR BULL (from “hundred-dollar bill”)
85. Novel endings, maybe : EPILOGS
87. Informal assertion of authority : SEZ ME
88. Indigo source : ANIL
89. Part of NGO : NON-
90. Orders : HAS
93. “Feed me!,” maybe : MEOW!
94. Tannery stock : HIDES
95. “What are you hauling in there?” and “How many axles you running?” : TRUCK QUESTIONS (from “trick questions”)
100. Course : PATH
101. Actress Moreno : RITA
102. One putting others down : ABASER
103. Ivory, e.g. : BAR SOAP
106. In a state : AGITATED
108. Entering your middle name, then date of birth, then adding a “1,” etc.? : PASSWORD HUNT (from “password hint”)
112. Missile in a mating ritual : LOVE DART
113. Best of all possible worlds : UTOPIA
114. Amounts to : COSTS
115. Amount to : ARE
116. “… ish” : … OR SO
117. Nitpicky know-it-all : PEDANT
118. Scoring factor at a crossword tournament : SPEED

Down

1. Bros, e.g. : SIBS
2. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT
3. Subsequently : AFTERWARDS
4. Sadly unoriginal works : RETREADS
5. In vogue : TRENDY
6. Box of 12? : JURY
7. Manning with two Super Bowl M.V.P. awards : ELI
8. “I want my ___” (1980s slogan) : MTV
9. Suggestion from a financial adviser, for short : IRA
10. Rami ___ of “Mr. Robot” : MALEK
11. Attack vigorously : ASSAIL
12. Title role for Jamie Foxx : DJANGO
13. Like the Statue of Liberty at night : UPLIT
14. Most common U.S. surname : SMITH
15. Wee one : TOT
16. Trattoria option that means “garlic and oil” : AGLIO E OLIO
17. Poem name whose singular and plural forms are the same : HAIKU
18. Slowness embodied : SNAIL
22. Betrays, in a way : RATS ON
24. “Treasure Island” monogram : RLS
28. Genetic messenger : RNA
31. Excessive lovers of the grape : WINOS
32. Classical theater : ODEUM
33. Concrete : REAL
34. Temptation location : EDEN
35. Big name in soda cans and foil : ALCOA
36. Show grief : MOURN
37. Guest bed, in a pinch : SOFA
42. Extended writer’s blocks? : LEGAL PADS
43. Scrapbooking need : PASTE
44. Big success : HIT
45. Good source of calcium : MILK
46. Grasps : SEES
48. Hosiery shades : ECRUS
49. Hebrew letter on a dreidel : SHIN
50. American Girl products : DOLLS
51. Keep watch for, maybe : ABET
52. Overdo it on the praise : GUSH
57. “The Lord of the Rings” actor Billy : BOYD
59. He fought alongside Achilles : AJAX
60. Remote button : PAUSE
61. Aspirin maker : BAYER
63. Narrow valleys : GLENS
64. Oreo ingredient until the mid-’90s : LARD
65. One ogling : EYER
66. “You just blew my mind!” : WHOA!
67. Medical breakthrough : CURE
68. “Movin’ ___” : ON UP
69. Tiny : DIMINUTIVE
72. Wide-swinging blow : ROUNDHOUSE
73. CBS’s “Kate & ___” : ALLIE
74. Peddles : SELLS
76. Harbor sight : TUG
77. Box of 12, say : DOZEN
78. “Ticklish” toys : ELMOS
79. Raced : FLEW
82. [The light turned green! Go!] : HONK!
83. Free trial version : DEMO
84. Where you might open a whole can of worms? : BAIT SHOP
86. Track down : LOCATE
90. Move in the direction of : HEAD TO
91. Jerk : ASS
92. Rise to the occasion : STEP UP
94. Comedic duo? : HARD C’S
95. Skipping syllables : TRA-LA
96. Difficulty : RIGOR
97. 2022 World Cup host : QATAR
98. Alternatives to cabs : UBERS
99. About to blow one’s top : IRATE
100. 3, 4 or 5, usually : PAR
103. What a 76-Down pulls : BOAT
104. Certain buy-in : ANTE
105. Vet’s malady, for short : PTSD
107. Kerfuffle : ADO
109. Turf : SOD
110. Luxury hotel amenity : SPA
111. Get gold from one’s lead? : WIN