0221-21 NY Times Crossword 21 Feb 21, Sunday

Constructed by: Matthew Stock
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Karaoke Bars

Themed answers are titles of “songs” clued as familiar “bars”. Very “punny” …

  • 24A Space bars? [Frank Sinatra] : FLY ME TO THE MOON
  • 47A Wet bars? [Gene Kelly] : SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
  • 69A Prison bars? [Elvis Presley] : JAILHOUSE ROCK
  • 92A Cash bars? [Abba] : MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
  • 116A Singles bars? [Robyn] : DANCING ON MY OWN
  • 3D Candy bars? [Def Leppard] : POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
  • 33D Gold bars? [Queen] : WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

Bill’s time: 17m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7 Market index, for short : THE DOW

Dow Jones & Company was founded as a publishing house in 1882 by three newspaper reporters, Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Today, the company’s most famous publication has to be “The Wall Street Journal”. In 1884, Charles Dow started reporting the average dollar value of the stock of eleven companies, an index which spawned a whole host of metrics that carry the Dow Jones name to this day. The most famous of these metrics is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also known as “the Dow 30” or simply “the Dow”.

19 Actor Ray of “Field of Dreams” : LIOTTA

Actor Ray Liotta is best known for playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie “Field of Dreams” and Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”.

“Field of Dreams” is a fantasy drama about baseball, released in 1989 and starring Kevin Costner. The movie is an adaptation of a 1982 novel titled “Shoeless Joe” by Canadian author W. P. Kinsella. Shoeless Joe Jackson was a real baseball player, and someone associated with the Black Sox Scandal that allegedly affected the outcome of the 1919 World Series. Jackson was portrayed by Ray Liotta in the movie. “Field of Dreams” was also the last film in which Burt Lancaster made an appearance. The baseball stadium that was built for the movie can be visited in Dubuque County, Iowa.

20 Like a certain complex : OEDIPAL

An oedipal relationship is one in which a child exhibits sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex. A child exhibiting such behavior is said to have an Oedipus complex, named for the play “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles.

“Oedipus Rex” (also “Oedipus the King”) is a tragedy penned by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. The play tells the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes king of Thebes. Famously, Oedipus was destined from birth to murder his father and marry his mother.

22 Relative of the mambo : CHA-CHA

The cha-cha-cha (often simplified to “cha-cha”) is a Latin dance with origins in Cuba, where it was introduced by composer Enrique Jorrin in 1953.

The form of music and dance known as “mambo” developed in Cuba. “Mambo” means “conversation with the gods” in Kikongo, a language spoken by slaves taken to Cuba from Central Africa.

23 High winds : FLUTES

A flute is a woodwind instrument that doesn’t have a reed. Instead, sound is produced by blowing air across an opening. A flute player is often referred to as a flautist (sometimes “flutist”). Flutes have been around a long, long time. Primitive flutes found in modern-day Germany date back 43,000 to 35,000 years, which makes the flute the oldest known musical instrument.

24 Space bars? [Frank Sinatra] : FLY ME TO THE MOON

If you know the lyrics of the old standard “Fly Me to the Moon“, you’ll know that “in other words” features prominently. “In Other Words” was the original song title, and over time it was more often designated by its opening line “Fly me to the moon“. My mother’s favorite version is by Perry Como, but Frank Sinatra’s rendition is probably best known …

Frank Sinatra was the only child of Italian immigrants living in Hoboken, New Jersey. Like so many of our heroes, Sinatra had a rough upbringing. His mother was arrested several times and convicted of running an illegal abortion business in the family home. Sinatra never finished high school, as he was expelled for rowdy conduct. He was later arrested as a youth on a morals charge for carrying on with a married woman, which was an offence back then. But Sinatra straightened himself out by the time he was twenty and started singing professionally.

29 “___ making a list …” : HE’S

The Christmas song “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” was introduced to us in November of 1934 on Eddie Cantor’s radio show. The song was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie.

30 Offering in china … or from China : TEA

The ceramic known as “porcelain” can be referred to as “china” or “fine china”, as porcelain was developed in China.

31 “Top Chef” chef ___ Hall : CARLA

Carla Hall is a chef. She is one of the co-hosts on the ABC talk show “The Chew”, which discusses food.

“Top Chef” is a reality television show on the Bravo channel. It’s basically a cooking competition.

32 Geographical name that comes from the Sioux for “sleepy ones” : IOWA

What is now the state of Iowa was part of French (and Spanish) Louisiana from 1682 until the US negotiated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The US divided the purchased land into the District of Louisiana and the Indiana Territory, with present-day Iowa falling into the former. Congress established the Territory of Iowa in 1838. In 1846, Iowa was admitted as the 29th state in the Union.

35 First prize at the Juegos Olímpicos : ORO

In Spanish, one might win “oros” (golds) at “los Juegos Olímpicos” (the Olympic Games).

42 Bird whose males incubate the eggs : EMU

Emu eggs are very large, with a thick shell that is dark-green in color. One emu egg weighs about the same as a dozen chicken eggs. It is the male emu that incubates the eggs. The incubation period lasts about 8 weeks, during which time the male neither eats nor drinks, just lapping up any morning dew that is nearby. While incubating a clutch of eggs, male emus lose about a third of their weight.

44 Mathematical proposition : LEMMA

A word’s “lemma” is its most basic form, the one that is the primary reference in a dictionary. For example, “go” is the lemma that covers go, goes, going, went, etc.

47 Wet bars? [Gene Kelly] : SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

The song “Singin’ In the Rain” by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown was first published in 1929, hence predating the 1952 film of the same name by over two decades.

Actor and dancer Gene Kelly was from Pittsburgh. Kelly’s best-known performances were in the films “An American in Paris” (1951) and “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952). “Singin’ in the Rain” was co-directed by Kelly and the great Stanley Donen. A few years later, in 1960, Kelly married Jeanne Coyne, Donen’s ex-wife.

53 Big Five studio of Hollywood’s Golden Age : RKO

The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.

55 St. Louis symbol : ARCH

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, and is the tallest monument in the United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinen, with the help of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel. They did their design work back in 1947, but construction wasn’t started until 1963. In 1980, a daredevil took it upon himself to parachute onto the top of the arch, intending to further jump from the apex of the arch and parachute to the ground. He hit the arch all right, and slid all the way down one of the arches to his death. No comment …

61 Papal name last taken in 1939 : PIUS

There have been twelve popes named Pius, the latest being Pope Pius XII. He led the Roman Catholic Church until his death in 1958.

63 Smallest state in India : GOA

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

68 Director Lee : ANG

Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

69 Prison bars? [Elvis Presley] : JAILHOUSE ROCK

“Jailhouse Rock” is a 1957 Elvis Presley film that was originally titled “The Hard Way”. The movie was renamed in order to cash in on the anticipated success of the title song. The opening dance sequence, in which he performs “Jailhouse Rock”, is perhaps Presley’s most memorable moment on the big screen.

Elvis Presley is often referred to as “the King of Rock and Roll”, or simply “the King”. However, Presley is quoted as saying that Fats Domino was “the real king of rock and roll”.

73 Bamboozled : HAD

It’s thought that the lovely word “bamboozle” came into English from the Scottish “bombaze” meaning “perplex”. We’ve been using “bamboozle” since the very early 1700s.

81 They’re often parked in parks : RVS

Recreational vehicle (RV)

85 Move a cursor (over) : MOUSE

The computer mouse was invented at the Stanford Research Institute in 1963, by one Douglas Engelbart. Sadly for him, his patent ran out before mice became standard equipment on computers, so he never made any money from his amazing invention.

88 Pride : lions :: ___ : dolphins : POD

Bottlenose dolphins have a very large brain to body mass ratio, second only to humans among mammals in general. Along with the brain-size comes high intelligence. Many dolphins have been trained to carry out military tasks. And then there is their acting ability, as exemplified by “Flipper”.

92 Cash bars? [Abba] : MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

“Money, Money, Money” is a 1976 hit song for Swedish pop group ABBA. The lyrics are basically a narration by a woman who works hard but struggles to make ends meet, and so deserves a well-off man as a partner. As the song says, “It’s a rich man’s world”.

I am an unapologetic fan of ABBA’s music. ABBA was the Swedish group who topped the charts in the seventies and eighties. The name ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of the given names of each of the band members: Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid. Early in their careers, the four fell in love and formed two married couples: Agnetha and Bjorn, and Benny and Anni-Frid. However, at the height of their success, the relationships became strained and both couples divorced.

98 What goes right to the bottom? : TALC

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

110 Brainy? : CRANIAL

The human skull is made up of two parts: the cranium (which encloses the brain) and the mandible (or “jawbone”).

116 Singles bars? [Robyn] : DANCING ON MY OWN

“Robyn” is the stage name of Swedish singer Robin Miriam Carlsson. Never heard of her outside of crosswords …

120 First House speaker from California : PELOSI

Nancy Pelosi first became Speaker of the House in 2007, and was the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She was the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker of the House is second-in-line to the presidency, after the Vice President, Nancy Pelosi was for many years the highest-ranking female politician in US history. That was until Kamala Harris became Vice President in 2021.

125 Japanese mat : TATAMI

A tatami is a traditional mat used on floors in Japan. The term “tatami” comes from the Japanese word “tatamu” meaning “to fold”, reflecting the fact that the mat is designed to be folded up for storage.

Down

1 Sitcom extraterrestrial : ALF

“ALF” is a sitcom that aired in the late eighties. The title character is a hand-puppet, and supposedly an alien named Gordon Shumway from the planet Melmac. The alien crash-landed into the house of amateur radio enthusiast Willie Tanner. Tanner renamed the intruder “ALF”, standing for “alien life form”.

3 Candy bars? [Def Leppard] : POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME

Def Leppard is a hard rock band from Sheffield in England. Drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car crash, severed by an incorrectly-worn seat belt. With the encouragement of the band, he returned to the lineup by using a specially designed electronic drum set. Amazing indeed …

4 “You, too?!” : ET TU?!

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

7 Mapo ___ (spicy Sichuan dish) : TOFU

“Tofu” is a name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has curdled. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife, she absolutely hates it …

Sichuan (also “Szechuan”) is a province in southwest China. Sichuan is noted for its cuisine, which is hot and spicy as it uses plenty of garlic, chili peppers and the Sichuan peppercorn. A famous Szechuan dish in the US is Kung Pao chicken or shrimp.

9 Häagen-Dazs competitor : EDY’S

Dreyer’s ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyer’s in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

Häagen-Dazs ice cream originated in the Bronx, New York in 1961. The name “Häagen-Dazs” is a “nonsense” term, words chosen for its Scandinavian feel that the producers thought would appeal to potential customers.

10 Low-wattage : DIM

James Watt was a Scottish inventor. He figured prominently in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, largely due to the improvements he made to the fledgling steam engine. The SI unit of power is called the watt, and was named in his honor.

11 Where trills provide thrills : OPERA

In music a “trill” is the rapid alternation of two tones that are very close to each other to make a vibrato sound.

15 It’s a relief! : CAMEO

Cameo is a method of carving, often the carving of a gemstone or a piece of jewelry. The resulting image is in relief (sits proud of the background), whereas an engraved image would be produced by the similar carving method known as intaglio. Nowadays, the term “cameo” is used for any piece of oval-shaped jewelry that contains the image of a head, usually in profile (maybe even a photograph).

18 Food pantry donation : CAN

The word “pantry” dates back to 1300, when it came into English from the Old French “panetrie” meaning a “bread room”. Bread is “pain” in French, and “panis” in Latin.

27 2006 film with the tagline “Keep it wheel” : CARS

“Cars” is a 2006 animated feature from Pixar. The great cast of voice actors includes Paul Newman in his last movie role before he passed away in 2008.

29 Hindu festival of colors : HOLI

Holi is a Hindu festival celebrated in spring that is also known as the Festival of Colours.

31 Most-watched TV show of 2002-05 : CSI

The “CSI” TV show franchise uses hits from the Who as theme music:

  • “Who Are You” … “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
  • “Baba O’Riley” … “CSI: New York”
  • “Won’t Get Fooled Again” … “CSI: Miami”
  • “I Can See for Miles” … “CSI: Cyber”

33 Gold bars? [Queen] : WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

“We Are the Champions” is a wonderful rock anthem written by Freddie Mercury and recorded by Queen in 1977. According to some scientific researchers in 2011, “We Are the Champions” is the catchiest song in the history of pop music.

Queen is an English rock band that formed back in 1970. With the help of lead singer Freddie Mercury (now deceased), Queen has a long list of great hits, including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”. “Bohemian Rhapsody” spent a total of nine weeks at number one in the UK. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is also the title of an outstanding 2018 biographical film about the band.

37 Disappointing court result : AIR BALL

An air ball in basketball is a shot that misses without even touching the rim, net or backboard.

39 Habitat for Humanity is one, for short : NGO

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

41 Sister restaurant of Applebee’s : IHOP

The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was founded back in 1958. IHOP was originally intended to be called IHOE, the International House of Eggs, but that name didn’t do too well in marketing tests.

The Applebee’s chain of “Neighborhood Bar & Grill” restaurants was founded in 1980, with the first Applebee’s eatery opening in Decatur, Georgia. When it comes to “chain” restaurants, I quite like Applebee’s …

50 Seventh avatar of Vishnu : RAMA

In the Hindu tradition, the god known as Vishnu has several different avatars i.e. incarnations or manifestations. Rama is the seventh of these avatars.

58 Beefcakes : STUDS

It’s not really clear how the word “cheesecake” came to be used for a provocative picture of a woman. It is known that the term arose in the 1930s, and originally applied to the covers of pulp magazines that used the images of the attractive young females to attract a largely male audience. One theory is that during the depression years, the luscious cheesecake dessert was unattainable, as were the “luscious” models depicted on the magazine covers. The male equivalent of “cheesecake” is “beefcake”.

60 Thumbs-up : A-OK

Our term “A-OK” is supposedly an abbreviation for “A(ll systems are) OK”, and arose at NASA in the sixties during the space program.

61 Solving crosswords, e.g. : PASTIME

Arthur Wynne is generally credited with the invention of what we now know as a crossword puzzle. Wynne was born in Liverpool, England and emigrated to the US when he was 19-years-old. He worked as a journalist and was living in Cedar Grove, New Jersey in 1913 when he introduced a “Word-Cross Puzzle” in his page of puzzles written for the “New York World”. The first book of crossword puzzles was published by Shuster & Shuster, in 1924. The collection of puzzles was a huge hit, and crosswords were elevated to the level of “a craze” in 1924 and 1925.

71 Oral equivalent of a facepalm : OY VEY!

“Oy vey” is a Yiddish expression of dismay that translates literally as “oh, pain”. The more usual translation is “woe is me”.

72 Native American tribe of Montana : CROW

The Crow Nation historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. Most of the Crow people today live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana.

78 Box score column : HITS

In the world of sports, a box score lists the score of a game as well as achievements of the competing teams and team members.

80 Noted 1815 comedy of manners : EMMA

Jane Austen’s novel “Emma” is the tale of Emma Woodhouse and the wonderful George Knightley. At the end of the story, Emma marries Knightley and her young friend Harriet marries Robert Martin, who had been trying to get Harriet’s attention practically from page one of the novel. Emma interfered in that troubled courtship.

82 Actress Chaplin : OONA

Oona Chaplin is an actress from Madrid in Spain. Chaplin is getting a lot of airtime these days as she plays Talisa Maegyr on HBO’s hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones”. Oona is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, and is named for her maternal grandmother Oona O’Neill, the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.

83 Flag carrier to Karachi and Islamabad : PIA

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan. Karachi 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.

Islamabad is a city that was purpose-built in the sixties to replace Karachi as the capital of Pakistan. The port city of Karachi had been the nation’s capital from 1947, when Pakistan gained independence from Britain. The nearby city of Rawalpindi was used as the temporary capital from 1958 until the necessary infrastructure was completed for Islamabad in 1967.

86 Traditional Chinese drink : OOLONG

The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon”.

87 Anointment : UNCTION

“Unction” is another term for “anointing”. The literal sense has been extended to the figurative usage of “smarm, superficial and earnest language”

88 Perspective, in brief : POV

Point of view (POV)

93 Element 39 : YTTRIUM

Yttrium is one of the rare earth elements, and has the symbol Y.

94 Big bleu expanse : MER

In French, the “mer” (sea) is “bleu” (blue).

95 Alumni grouping : YEAR

An alumnus (plural “alumni”) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural “alumnae”). The term comes into English from Latin, in which an alumnus is a foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or alumnus.

103 World capital that’s home to Kotoka International Airport : ACCRA

Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

105 World capital that’s home to Noi Bai International Airport : HANOI

Hanoi (“Hà Nội” in Vietnamese) was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

106 Horror film locale, in brief : ELM ST

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a Wes Craven slasher-horror film that was released in 1984. As I don’t do “slasher” or “horror”, I was surprised to learn that Johnny Depp was in the movie, making his feature film debut.

111 2016 #1 album for Rihanna : ANTI

Singer Rihanna was born and grew up on the island of Barbados and moved to the US when she was 16-years-old to pursue a singing career. The name “Rihanna” is derived from the Welsh name “Rhiannon”. And, Rihanna sometimes goes by the nickname “RiRi”, which is also the name of her line of beauty products.

114 ___ Domini : ANNO

The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. In “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.

116 Bit of Morse code : DIT

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash. When words are spelled aloud in Morse code, a dot is pronounced as “dit”, and a dash is pronounced as “dah”.

117 Actress de Armas : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. Thre, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

118 D.C. pro : NAT

The Washington Nationals (“Nats”) started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969, and were the first Major League Baseball team in Canada. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats.

121 They’re checked at check-ins : IDS

Identity document (ID)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Prayer, e.g. : APPEAL
7 Market index, for short : THE DOW
13 And so on and so forth : ETC ETC
19 Actor Ray of “Field of Dreams” : LIOTTA
20 Like a certain complex : OEDIPAL
22 Relative of the mambo : CHA-CHA
23 High winds : FLUTES
24 Space bars? [Frank Sinatra] : FLY ME TO THE MOON
26 Healthy dessert options : FRUIT CUPS
28 Overhauled, in a way : REWROTE
29 “___ making a list …” : HE’S
30 Offering in china … or from China : TEA
31 “Top Chef” chef ___ Hall : CARLA
32 Geographical name that comes from the Sioux for “sleepy ones” : IOWA
35 First prize at the Juegos Olímpicos : ORO
36 Sink holes : DRAINS
40 Biting : ACID
42 Bird whose males incubate the eggs : EMU
44 Mathematical proposition : LEMMA
47 Wet bars? [Gene Kelly] : SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
51 Things many people lose as they grow older : IDEALS
53 Big Five studio of Hollywood’s Golden Age : RKO
54 “Thus …” : AND SO …
55 St. Louis symbol : ARCH
56 Strongly endorse : SWEAR BY
58 Hot place to chill : SPA
59 ___ Adlon, Emmy winner for “King of the Hill” : PAMELA
61 Papal name last taken in 1939 : PIUS
63 Smallest state in India : GOA
64 Options for outdoor wedding receptions : TENTS
67 Like some bread and cereal : OATEN
68 Director Lee : ANG
69 Prison bars? [Elvis Presley] : JAILHOUSE ROCK
73 Bamboozled : HAD
74 Weight right here! : SCALE
76 ___ Austin, Biden defense secretary : LLOYD
77 Misidentify something, e.g. : ERR
78 For the lady : HERS
79 Center of a court : THRONE
81 They’re often parked in parks : RVS
82 Relevant : ON TOPIC
84 Excited cry after scratching a lottery ticket : I WON!
85 Move a cursor (over) : MOUSE
88 Pride : lions :: ___ : dolphins : POD
89 Hip : WITH IT
92 Cash bars? [Abba] : MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
96 “Same here” : AS AM I
97 “I mean …” : ERM …
98 What goes right to the bottom? : TALC
99 Got around : EVADED
101 “Hoo-boy!” : MAN!
102 Gist : MEAT
104 Last option in a list, maybe : OTHER
107 “That feels goo-oo-ood!” : AAH!
109 Practice : PLY
110 Brainy? : CRANIAL
112 A+ earner : STAR PUPIL
116 Singles bars? [Robyn] : DANCING ON MY OWN
120 First House speaker from California : PELOSI
122 Not going anywhere : IN A RUT
123 Was snoopy : NOSED IN
124 Made square : EVENED
125 Japanese mat : TATAMI
126 “We got permission!” : IT’S A GO!
127 Makes insulting jokes about : ROASTS

Down

1 Sitcom extraterrestrial : ALF
2 Did a little lifting : PILFERED
3 Candy bars? [Def Leppard] : POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
4 “You, too?!” : ET TU?!
5 Wiped out : ATE IT
6 Stood the test of time : LASTED
7 Mapo ___ (spicy Sichuan dish) : TOFU
8 A leg up : HELP
9 Häagen-Dazs competitor : EDY’S
10 Low-wattage : DIM
11 Where trills provide thrills : OPERA
12 Something that’s well-kept? : WATER
13 Comeback : ECHO
14 It’s turned, in a phrase : THE TIDE
15 It’s a relief! : CAMEO
16 Prefix with conscious : ECO-
17 Poetic shortening : THO’
18 Food pantry donation : CAN
21 Broad valley : LOWLAND
25 Large expanses : TRACTS
27 2006 film with the tagline “Keep it wheel” : CARS
29 Hindu festival of colors : HOLI
31 Most-watched TV show of 2002-05 : CSI
33 Gold bars? [Queen] : WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
34 “Do you understand me?” : AM I CLEAR?
37 Disappointing court result : AIR BALL
38 Black : INKY
39 Habitat for Humanity is one, for short : NGO
41 Sister restaurant of Applebee’s : IHOP
43 Lets go of : UNHANDS
45 Gaping holes : MAWS
46 Weizenbock or Berliner Weisse : ALE
48 Scruffs : NAPES
49 Ridiculous : INANE
50 Seventh avatar of Vishnu : RAMA
52 It’s a long story : SAGA
57 Muddy : ROIL
58 Beefcakes : STUDS
60 Thumbs-up : A-OK
61 Solving crosswords, e.g. : PASTIME
62 Insect named for the way it moves, not for its length : INCHWORM
65 Got hot on Twitter, say : TRENDED
66 Kind : SORT
69 ___ Psaki, Biden press secretary : JEN
70 Gymnastics apparatus : HORSE
71 Oral equivalent of a facepalm : OY VEY!
72 Native American tribe of Montana : CROW
75 Single : LONE
78 Box score column : HITS
80 Noted 1815 comedy of manners : EMMA
82 Actress Chaplin : OONA
83 Flag carrier to Karachi and Islamabad : PIA
86 Traditional Chinese drink : OOLONG
87 Anointment : UNCTION
88 Perspective, in brief : POV
90 “No more for me, thank you” : I’M ALL SET
91 Minute : TINY
93 Element 39 : YTTRIUM
94 Big bleu expanse : MER
95 Alumni grouping : YEAR
100 Stylish : DAPPER
103 World capital that’s home to Kotoka International Airport : ACCRA
105 World capital that’s home to Noi Bai International Airport : HANOI
106 Horror film locale, in brief : ELM ST
108 Egg: Sp. : HUEVO
111 2016 #1 album for Rihanna : ANTI
112 Pop : SODA
113 Really thin type : TWIG
114 ___ Domini : ANNO
115 “I beg of you,” e.g. : PLEA
116 Bit of Morse code : DIT
117 Actress de Armas : ANA
118 D.C. pro : NAT
119 “Of course!” : YES!
121 They’re checked at check-ins : IDS