0607-20 NY Times Crossword 7 Jun 20, Sunday

Constructed by: Andy Kravis
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Surplus Store

Themed answers sound like common phrases, but with SUR- added to the front:

  • 23A “The operation was a success!,” e.g.? : SURGERY VERDICT (from “jury verdict”)
  • 36A People who start arguments out of nowhere? : SURPRISE FIGHTERS (from “prizefighters”)
  • 54A Officers who woke up on the wrong side of the cot? : SURLY MAJORS (from “Lee Majors”)
  • 69A Soirées where everyone is dressed in their finest board shorts? : SURFER BALLS (from “fur balls”)
  • 86A Got 101% on an exam, say? : SURPASSED PERFECT (from “past perfect”)
  • 105A Why someone might practice deep breathing every five minutes? : SURFEIT OF ANGER (from “fit of anger”)

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 22m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Sadistic feline character in a Scott Adams strip : CATBERT

“Dilbert” is a comic strip drawn by Scott Adams, who used to be a “neighbor” of mine when I lived in the Bay Area. Adams used to be co-owner of a restaurant at the end of my street that had a menu replete with “Dilbertesque” comments.

14 Concern for a P.R. team : OPTICS

Public relations (PR)

22 The Red Baron, for one : AIRMAN

Manfred von Richthofen was a famous WWI fighter pilot flying for the Germans and was known as the Red Baron. Von Richthofen was credited with more kills than any other pilot fighting on either side of the conflict, recording over 80 combat victories. He didn’t survive the war though, as he was shot down near Amiens in France in 1918.

25 Unimportant-sounding dessert : TRIFLE

Trifle is a splendid dessert from England comprising layers of sponge soaked in sherry, fruit, custard and whipped cream. The sponge and fruit is usually suspended in jello. The Italian version of the same dessert is known as “zuppa inglese”, which translates from Italian as “English soup”.

28 Cause of death in many a murder mystery : CYANIDE

Cyanide poisoning is caused by exposure to cyanide (CN) ions. The cyanide ions inhibit respiration at the cellular level, making the organism unable to use oxygen. “Cyanide” comes from the Greek “kyanos” meaning “dark blue”. The name was applied as cyanide was first obtained from the pigment called Prussian Blue.

29 Lampoon : SATIRE

A lampoon is a parody, a spoof or send-up.

31 Kidney-related : RENAL

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

33 Montana, in the 1980s : NINER

Joe Montana played most of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, and the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. With the 49ers, Montana went to the Super Bowl four times, winning every time. In retirement one of his activities is to produce wine, so keep an eye out for his “Montagia” label.

40 Metal in galvanization : ZINC

Zinc is the chemical element with the atomic number 30 and the element symbol “Zn”. Zinc is a metal that can form pointed crystals after smelting. It is probably these crystals that gave the element its name, which comes from the Old High German “zint” meaning “point”.

Steel or iron can be galvanized to prevent rusting. The galvanization process involves the application of a protective zinc coat. The most common method used is hot-dipping in a bath of molten zinc metal.

43 Stud fees? : ANTES

“Stud poker” is the name given to many variants of poker, all of which are characterized by the dealer giving each player a mix of cards face-down and face-up. The cards facing upwards are called “upcards”. The cards facing downwards are called “hole cards”, cards only visible to the individual who holds that particular hand. This gives rise to the phrase “ace in the hole”, a valuable holding that only the player with the ace is aware of.

46 Painter Velázquez : DIEGO

Diego Velázquez was a Spanish painter during the Baroque period. He was a member of the court of King Philip IV in the first half of the 17th century, and as such was commissioned to paint many portraits and scenes of historical importance.

48 Network that once advertised its prime-time block as “Must See TV” : NBC

“Must See TV” is a slogan that was used by NBC primarily to promote its Thursday night lineup of prime-time shows. The slogan was introduced in the 1990s, and was dropped in the 2000s. The list of shows promoted as “Must See TV” included “Mad About You”, “Seinfeld”, “Frasier”, “L.A. Law”, “ER” and “Friends”.

51 Bygone car company that bore its founder’s initials : REO

The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975 in Lansing, Michigan. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale and the REO Flying Cloud.

52 City with views of the Mediterranean and Mount Carmel : HAIFA

Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel and the largest city in the north of the country. Haifa is built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, and is a Mediterranean seaport.

54 Officers who woke up on the wrong side of the cot? : SURLY MAJORS (from “Lee Majors”)

Lee Majors is an actor best known for his roles on television. He played Heath Barkley on the Western show “The Big Valley” from 1965 to 1969, Steve Austin on the sci-fi show “The Six Million Dollar Man” from 1973 to 1978, and Colt Seavers on the action show “The Fall Guy”. Majors has been married four times, including to fellow actor Farrah Fawcett from 1973 to 1979.

58 The “R” of the Bay Area’s BART : RAPID

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a commuter rail system serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

60 One who’s unfaithful? : ATHEIST

The term “atheism”, meaning “disbelief in the existence of a god or gods”, comes from the Greek “atheos” meaning “without god”.

69 Soirées where everyone is dressed in their finest board shorts? : SURFER BALLS (from “fur balls”)

“Soir” is the French word for “evening” and a soirée is an evening party. The French word “soirée” has an acute accent over the first “e”, but we tend to drop this when using the word in English.

76 Airport monitor, for short : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

78 Island whose name rhymes with 72-Across : MAUI
(72A “Holy guacamole!” : WOWIE!)

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. It is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.

79 Chef’s topper : TOQUE

A toque was a brimless style of hat that was very fashionable in Europe in the 13th to 16th centuries. Nowadays we associate toques with chefs, as it is the name given to a chef’s hat (called a “toque blanche” in French, a “white hat”). A chef’s toque is quite interesting. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats, often said to signify the number of ways that an egg can be cooked.

81 ___ kebab : SHISH

The term “kebab” (also “kabob”) covers a wide variety of meat dishes that originated in Persia. In the West, we usually use “kebab” when talking about shish kebab, which is meat (often lamb) served on a skewer. “Shish” comes from the Turkish word for “skewer”.

98 Site of a noted oracle : DELPHI

In ancient Greece and Rome, an oracle was someone believed inspired by the gods to give wise counsel. The word “oracle” derives from the Latin “orare” meaning “to speak”, which is the same root for our word “orator”. One of the most important oracles of ancient Greece was the priestess to Apollo at Delphi.

107 ___ Mae : SALLIE

“Sallie Mae” is a nickname for SLM Corporation that was created in 1972 by the US government as the Student Loan Marketing Association. By 2004, the government had severed all its ties with Sallie Mae. Today, SLM is basically a profit-focused lender.

108 Multiparagraph blog comment, maybe : SCREED

A screed is a long speech or piece of writing, one that is often full of anger and emotion.

109 Nit pick? : DELOUSE

Lice (singular “louse”) are small wingless insects, of which there are thousands of species. There are three species of lice affecting humans, i.e. head lice, body lice and pubic lice. Most lice feed on dead skin found on the body of the host animal, although some feed on blood. Ick …

110 Celsius with a namesake temperature scale : ANDERS

Anders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer. The temperature scale that Celsius created was the reverse of that used today, with “zero” representing the boiling point of water and “100” representing water’s freezing point. This scale was “upended” (in 1744) just after Celsius died, by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus. The resulting temperature scale then became known as the centigrade scale for over 200 years, until in 1948 it was decided to adopt the “degree Celsius”. So, anyone still using “degrees centigrade” is actually way behind the times …

Down

1 Mama ___ : CASS

Cass Elliot (born “Ellen Cohen”) was one of the four singers in the Mamas and the Papas, a sensational group from the sixties. “Mama Cass” was performing sold-out concerts in London in 1974 when she was found dead one morning, having had a heart attack. She was only 32 years old. Eerily, Elliot died in the same flat (on loan from Harry Nilsson) in which the Who’s drummer Keith Moon would die just four years later.

4 March Madness tourney, with “the” : BIG DANCE

“March Madness” is the name given to the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship (among others), that is held in the spring each year.

8 Son of 62-Down : ARES
(62 Goddess who cursed Echo to just repeat the words of others : HERA )

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

9 Muppet who sings “I Refuse to Sing Along” : BERT

The muppet character named Bert usually plays the straight man to his partner character Ernie. Bert has a unibrow, while Ernie has no brows at all.

10 Humorist David : SEDARIS

David Sedaris is a humorist and author from Binghamton, New York who grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is one of my wife’s favorite authors so we attended an event where Sedaris read some of his works a few years back. He was very, very entertaining. David’s sister is actress and comedienne Amy Sedaris who plays the lead in the Comedy Central series “Strangers with Candy”.

12 ___ Creed : NICENE

What is known today in the Christian tradition as the Nicene Creed, was originally adopted by the first ecumenical council when it met in 325 AD. The meeting took place in the city of Nicaea, which gave its name to this particular profession of faith. Nicaea is the Greek name of the city that is now called Iznik, and it lies in the northwest of Turkey.

13 Demolition material : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

14 Like some granola bars : OATY

The names “Granola” and “Granula” were trademarked back in the late 1800s for whole-grain foods that were crumbled and baked until crisp. Granola was created in Dansville, New York in 1894.

15 Amazon predator : PIRANHA

Piranhas are reputed to be able to strip an animal to its bones in seconds, but this is somewhat of a myth. Piranhas are not in fact strict carnivores, and usually are more of a nuisance to fishermen rather than a danger, as they tend to eat bait that has been set to catch other fish. Much of the reputation of the piranha is owed to the description written by President Theodore Roosevelt in his book “Through the Brazilian Wilderness”. President Roosevelt was somewhat hoodwinked though, as local fishermen put on a special “show” for him. They dumped hordes of hungry piranhas into a dammed section of a river and then tossed in a sliced up cow. President Roosevelt was pretty impressed by the orchestrated feeding frenzy.

16 Dublin alma mater of Oscar Wilde : TRINITY

Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer who led a very public life in his adopted home of London. Although he was a prolific writer of many forms of literature, Wilde penned only one novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. He was perhaps more renowned in his own time as a dramatist. Several of his plays are performed regularly today, including “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, “An Ideal Husband” and “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Wilde’s last work was a poem titled “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”, which recounted his time in prison after being convicted of homosexual offences in 1895 and sentenced to two years’ hard labor. Oscar Wilde died in 1900 at the age of 46 in Paris, destitute.

18 Early accepter of mobile payments? : CALDER

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist. Calder is famous for having invented the mobile sculpture, a work made up of several pieces hanging on a string in equilibrium. In effect they are what we might know as “mobiles”, operating on the same principle as mobiles that sit over cribs in a nursery. Calder refers to his large, stationary sculptures as “stabiles”.

34 Industry magnate : CZAR

The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time. We tend to use the “czar” spelling, as opposed to “tsar”, when we describe a person today with great power or authority, e.g. “Drug Czar”.

37 Adidas competitor : PUMA

Puma is a German company that sells athletic shoes worldwide. The company is most famous for its line of soccer boots.

39 Grab (onto) : GLOM

“Glom” is a slang term meaning “steal”, although it can also be used to mean “latch onto” when used as “glom onto”. The term probably comes from the Scots word “glam” meaning “to snatch at”.

44 Any member of the Twelver branch of Islam : SHIITE

In the Shia Islam tradition, the Twelve Imams are the spiritual successors to the prophet Muhammad.

46 Hornswoggled : DUPED

To hornswoggle is to cheat, to deceive, to bamboozle.

47 Author Murdoch played onscreen by Kate Winslet and Judi Dench : IRIS

Dame Iris Murdoch was an Irish-born British author and philosopher. She was awarded the Booker Prize in 1978 for her novel “The Sea, the Sea”, although her best-known work is probably her first novel “Under the Net”, which was published in 1954.

“Elegy for Iris” is a 1999 memoir written by John Bayley about his marriage to author Iris Murdoch. The memoir deals with Murdoch’s multiple infidelities as well as her final years suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Bayley’s book was used as the basis of a 2001 film titled “Iris” that starred Kate Winslet as a young Murdoch and Judi Dench as an older Murdoch. Hugh Bonneville played the young Bayley, and Jim Broadbent the older Bayley.

48 Faux pas : NO-NO

The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).

50 Quartet that performed at Woodstock, for short : CSNY

The supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) is made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The band can grow to “CSNY” when the trio is joined by Neil Young. Fans have been known to call the act “C, S, N and sometimes Y”, a play on the expression that names all the vowels, “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y”.

53 Revenue sources for podcasts : ADS

A podcast is basically an audio or video media file that is made available for download. The name comes from the acronym “POD” meaning “playable on demand”, and “cast” from “broadcasting”. So, basically a podcast is a broadcast that one can play on demand, simply by downloading and opening the podcast file.

56 Stand up at the altar : JILT

To jilt someone with whom you have a relationship is to drop them suddenly or callously. “Jilt” is an obsolete noun that used to mean “harlot, loose woman”.

62 Goddess who cursed Echo to just repeat the words of others : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

63 Ingredient that turns a Black Russian into a White Russian : MILK

A White Russian is a cocktail made from vodka, Kahlua or Tia Maria, and cream, served in an old-fashioned glass with ice. The White Russian is similar to a Black Russian, which is the same drink without the cream. Both cocktails are called “Russian” as they are based on vodka, and both have been around since the late forties, with no one seeming to know which drink came first.

67 German city where Charlemagne was buried : AACHEN

Aachen is a city in the very west of Germany, right on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. In English, we quite often refer to this city by its French name, Aix-la-Chapelle.

70 Four for a grand slam, briefly : RBIS

In baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with runners on all three bases, leading to a score of four runs.

71 They often end on a low note : BASSOS

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

72 Many a Dickensian child : WAIF

Charles Dickens was an English novelist who achieved great success in his own time, and is still regarded as perhaps the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. Many of his novels explored the plight of the poor in Victorian society, perhaps driven by his own experiences as a child. Dickens had to leave school to work in a factory after his father was thrown into a debtor’s prison. As a result, Dickens had to educate himself. He is said to have pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, with his first success coming with the 1835 serial publication of “Pickwick Papers”. And, everyone’s favorite has to be his 1843 novella, “A Christmas Carol”.

74 Polynesian performance : HULA

The hula is a native dance of Hawaii that uses arm movements to relate a story. The hula can be performed while sitting (a noho dance) or while standing (a luna dance).

78 Women’s History Month: Abbr. : MAR

Women’s History Month is March in the US, and incorporates International Women’s Day on March 8th.

81 Paste used for home repairs : SPACKLE

Spackling paste is a hole-filling product used to repair surface defects in wood, drywall and plaster. “Spackle” is actually a brand name, but we tend to use it as a generic term.

83 Getting three square meals a day : WELL-FED

A square meal is one that is substantial and nourishing. According to some sources, the phrase “square meal” originated with the Royal Navy, and the square wooden plates on which meals were served. However, this centuries-old practice is an unlikely origin as the phrase is first seen in print in the US, in 1856. An advertisement for a restaurant posted in a California newspaper offers a “square meal” to patrons, in the sense of an “honest, straightforward meal”. The “honest” meaning of “square” was well-established at the time, as in “fair and square”, “square play” and “square deal”.

86 Appetizer often served with mint chutney : SAMOSA

A samosa is quite a tasty appetizer. It is usually a triangular-shaped savory that often has a vegetarian filling. The word “samosa” is primarily used on Indian menus, and the name comes from “sanbosag”, the name for the dish in Persia.

Chutney is a typically southern Asian condiment made from spices with vegetables or fruit. The term “chutney” comes from the Sanskrit “caṭnī” meaning “to lick”.

87 Pioneer Day celebrant : UTAHAN

Pioneer Day is a state holiday celebrated on July 24th in Utah. The holiday commemorates the arrival into the Salt Lake Valley of Brigham Young and the first Mormon pioneers on 24 July 1847. Some members of the LDS Church celebrate by walking portions of the Mormon Trail.

90 Only state capital that shares no letters with the name of its state : PIERRE

Pierre, South Dakota is the second-least populous state capital in the US, with a population of about 14,000. The least populous state capital is Montpelier, Vermont with a population of about 8,000.

95 Animal whose genus name, Phascolarctos, means “pouch bear” : KOALA

The koala bear really does look like a little bear, but it’s not even closely related. The koala is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Koalas aren’t primates, and are one of the few mammals other than primates who have fingerprints. In fact, it can be very difficult to tell human fingerprints from koala fingerprints, even under an electron microscope. Male koalas are called “bucks”, females are “does”, and young koalas are “joeys”. I’m a little jealous of the koala, as it sleeps up to 20 hours a day …

100 Cache : HIDE

A cache is a secret supply. We imported the term into English from French Canadian trappers in the 17th century. Back then, “cache” was a slang term for a “hiding place for stores”, derived from the French verb “cacher” meaning “to hide”.

102 Direction for one who’s been in Benin to go to Togo : WEST

The Republic of Benin is a country in West Africa. Benin used to be a French colony, and was known as Dahomey. Dahomey gained independence in 1975, and took the name Benin after the Bight of Benin, the body of water on which the country lies.

Togo is a country on the West African coast, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. It is located between Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north.

105 W-2 ID : SSN

Form W-2 is provided by US employers to their employees by January 31 each year. The form reports wages paid to the employees, as well as taxes withheld.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Sadistic feline character in a Scott Adams strip : CATBERT
8 Out : ABSENT
14 Concern for a P.R. team : OPTICS
20 Trembling : AQUIVER
21 Land, as a fish : REEL IN
22 The Red Baron, for one : AIRMAN
23 “The operation was a success!,” e.g.? : SURGERY VERDICT (from “jury verdict”)
25 Unimportant-sounding dessert : TRIFLE
26 Novelist/poet Cisneros : SANDRA
27 Posthumous award? : ESTATE
28 Cause of death in many a murder mystery : CYANIDE
29 Lampoon : SATIRE
31 Kidney-related : RENAL
33 Montana, in the 1980s : NINER
34 “Let’s get going!” : C’MON!
36 People who start arguments out of nowhere? : SURPRISE FIGHTERS (from “prizefighters”)
40 Metal in galvanization : ZINC
41 Comes after : ENSUES
42 Embedded design : INLAY
43 Stud fees? : ANTES
45 Lighthearted movie : ROMP
46 Painter Velázquez : DIEGO
48 Network that once advertised its prime-time block as “Must See TV” : NBC
51 Bygone car company that bore its founder’s initials : REO
52 City with views of the Mediterranean and Mount Carmel : HAIFA
54 Officers who woke up on the wrong side of the cot? : SURLY MAJORS (from “Lee Majors”)
57 No longer plagued by : RID OF
58 The “R” of the Bay Area’s BART : RAPID
59 Material for some suits : LINEN
60 One who’s unfaithful? : ATHEIST
63 They’re written in chess notation : MOVES
64 Loose and flowing, as a dress : BILLOWY
66 Unit of stamps : SHEET
67 Felt bad : AILED
68 What’s the holdup? : HEIST
69 Soirées where everyone is dressed in their finest board shorts? : SURFER BALLS (from “fur balls”)
72 “Holy guacamole!” : WOWIE!
73 Response to a breach of movie theater etiquette : SHH!
76 Airport monitor, for short : TSA
77 Supports : BACKS
78 Island whose name rhymes with 72-Across : MAUI
79 Chef’s topper : TOQUE
81 ___ kebab : SHISH
83 Tailors’ measurements : WAISTS
85 Be awesome : RULE
86 Got 101% on an exam, say? : SURPASSED PERFECT (from “past perfect”)
91 “Don’t touch that ___!” : DIAL
92 Really bothered : ATE AT
93 Stuntwoman Kitty known as “the fastest woman in the world” : O’NEIL
94 One of a pair on the table : SHAKER
96 Hotheaded ones? : MATCHES
98 Site of a noted oracle : DELPHI
101 How a tandem bicycle is built : FOR TWO
104 “Well, all right then” : OH, OKAY
105 Why someone might practice deep breathing every five minutes? : SURFEIT OF ANGER (from “fit of anger”)
107 ___ Mae : SALLIE
108 Multiparagraph blog comment, maybe : SCREED
109 Nit pick? : DELOUSE
110 Celsius with a namesake temperature scale : ANDERS
111 Knit pick? : NEEDLE
112 Intrigued by : DRAWN TO

Down

1 Mama ___ : CASS
2 Shade similar to turquoise : AQUA
3 Makes aware of : TURNS ONTO
4 March Madness tourney, with “the” : BIG DANCE
5 Flip inside out : EVERT
6 Put a bluffer in a tough spot : RERAISE
7 Give a whirl : TRY
8 Son of 62-Down : ARES
9 Muppet who sings “I Refuse to Sing Along” : BERT
10 Humorist David : SEDARIS
11 One-percenters and the like : ELITES
12 ___ Creed : NICENE
13 Demolition material : TNT
14 Like some granola bars : OATY
15 Amazon predator : PIRANHA
16 Dublin alma mater of Oscar Wilde : TRINITY
17 “Don’t worry, that only LOOKED painful!” : I’M FINE!
18 Early accepter of mobile payments? : CALDER
19 Haughty looks : SNEERS
24 Doesn’t go straight : VEERS OFF
28 Requiring a lot of attention, say : CLINGY
30 Go on a rampage : RUN RIOT
32 Off the beaten path : AFIELD
34 Industry magnate : CZAR
35 “Hands off!” : MINE!
37 Adidas competitor : PUMA
38 A.O.C., e.g. : REP
39 Grab (onto) : GLOM
44 Any member of the Twelver branch of Islam : SHIITE
46 Hornswoggled : DUPED
47 Author Murdoch played onscreen by Kate Winslet and Judi Dench : IRIS
48 Faux pas : NO-NO
49 Begin to develop : BREW
50 Quartet that performed at Woodstock, for short : CSNY
53 Revenue sources for podcasts : ADS
54 Squirrels away : SAVES
55 “Good to go!” : ALL SET!
56 Stand up at the altar : JILT
57 Biodiverse habitat : REEF
58 Gets going, so to speak : ROLLS
60 Abbr. that begins some entry-level job titles : ASST
61 Start of a conclusion : THUS
62 Goddess who cursed Echo to just repeat the words of others : HERA
63 Ingredient that turns a Black Russian into a White Russian : MILK
64 Entrance : BEWITCH
65 Roman triumvirate? : III
67 German city where Charlemagne was buried : AACHEN
68 Do a favor for a vacationing friend, maybe : HOUSE-SIT
70 Four for a grand slam, briefly : RBIS
71 They often end on a low note : BASSOS
72 Many a Dickensian child : WAIF
73 Water heater? : SQUIRT GUN
74 Polynesian performance : HULA
75 Last-eaten part of a loaf, often : HEEL
78 Women’s History Month: Abbr. : MAR
80 “Supplies are limited!” : ORDER NOW!
81 Paste used for home repairs : SPACKLE
82 Frequent result of wearing a bike helmet : HAT HAIR
83 Getting three square meals a day : WELL-FED
84 Office worker : STAFFER
86 Appetizer often served with mint chutney : SAMOSA
87 Pioneer Day celebrant : UTAHAN
88 Like urban legends, again and again : RETOLD
89 Figure out : DEDUCE
90 Only state capital that shares no letters with the name of its state : PIERRE
95 Animal whose genus name, Phascolarctos, means “pouch bear” : KOALA
97 What contacts contact : EYES
99 Zest : PEEL
100 Cache : HIDE
102 Direction for one who’s been in Benin to go to Togo : WEST
103 Popular name for a black-and-white pet : OREO
105 W-2 ID : SSN
106 “How ___!” : ODD