0128-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 28 Jan 2018, Sunday

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Constructed by: Priscilla Clark & Jeff Chen
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Surprise Endings

Themed answers are movie titles that have been TWISTED at the end, with the last letter being changed to suit the clue. Those last letters are circled in the grid, and spell out PLOT TWIST:
23A. Pimp launches career in rap … BUT HAS AN EPIC FAIL! : HUSTLE AND FLOP (from “Hustle and Flow”)
30A. Cabby saves prostitute … WITH HIS BLATHERING! : TAXI DRIVEL (from “Taxi Driver”)
43A. Guy makes a new best friend … WHO TURNS OUT TO BE A COMMUNIST! : I LOVE YOU, MAO (from “I Love You, Man”)
56A. Retired pool shark returns … TO WIN FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING! : THE COLOR OF MONET (from “The Color of Money”)
65A. Chap gets life lessons from kid … WHO’S REALLY AN ANDROID! : ABOUT A BOT (from “About a Boy”)
81A. West Coast officers track wisecracking detective … TO A BOVINE! : BEVERLY HILLS COW (from “Beverly Hills Cop”)
90A. Friends gather for a funeral … AND COOK UP AN ENORMOUS STEW! : THE BIG CHILI (from “The Big Chill”)
107A. Bog monster emerges … WITH A NEW LINE OF SNACK CRACKERS! : SWAMP THINS (from “Swamp Thing”)
118A. 007 gets fired … AND LANDS A JOB AS A SCOTTISH TAILOR! : LICENCE TO KILT (from “Licence to Kill”)

Bill’s time: 23m 58s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

18. Wading birds : AVOCETS

The avocet is found in warm climates, usually in saline wetlands where it uses its upcurved bill to sweep from side-to-side in water searching for aquatic insects on which it feeds. Avocets, and other similar species, may go by the common name of “stilts”, a moniker applied to them because of their long legs.

21. “Je t’___” : AIME

“I love you” translates into “te amo” in Spanish, and into “je t’aime” in French.

23. Pimp launches career in rap … BUT HAS AN EPIC FAIL! : HUSTLE AND FLOP (from “Hustle & Flow”)

“Hustle & Flow” is a 2005 movie about a drug dealer and pimp with ambitions to become a rap artist.

25. Father of Paris, in myth : PRIAM

In Greek mythology, Paris was a son of Priam and Hecuba, the king and queen of Troy. Paris is famous for eloping with Helen, Queen of Sparta, and hence precipitating the Trojan War. Paris also killed the Greek hero Achilles by shooting him in the heel with an arrow.

30. Cabby saves prostitute … WITH HIS BLATHERING! : TAXI DRIVEL (from “Taxi Driver”)

“Taxi Driver” is a remarkable 1976 movie directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro. The film is remarkable for some great performances, but also for sparking an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan. Would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr. tried to kill the President in order to impress Jodie Foster. Hinckley had been obsessed with Foster since seeing her performance in the film as child prostitute Iris Steensma.

33. Labatt, for one : BREWERY

The Labatt Brewing Company is the largest brewer in Canada. The company was founded by John K. Labatt in London, Ontario in 1847.

34. Composer known for mood music : ENO

Brian Eno was one of the pioneers of the “ambient” genre of music. Eno composed an album in 1978 called “Ambient 1: Music for Airports”, which was the first in a series of four albums with an ambient theme. Eno named the tracks somewhat inventively: 1/1, 2/1, 2/1 and 2/2.

36. Something coming off the shelf? : BERG

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that is floating freely after having broken off from a glacier or ice shelf. Out use of “iceberg” comes from the Dutch word for the same phenomenon “ijsberg”, which translates literally as “ice mountain”.

38. Tropicana products, for short : OJS

The Tropicana company is most famous for its orange juice. The company is headquartered in Chicago, where not many oranges are grown …

43. Guy makes a new best friend … WHO TURNS OUT TO BE A COMMUNIST! : I LOVE YOU, MAO (from “I Love You, Man”)

“I Love You, Man” is a 2009 comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in a “bromance”. Rashida Jones co-stars, adding some female interest.

50. Beverage called a “tonic” in Boston : POP

A carbonated drink can be called by various names depending on the location. Back in Ireland, believe it or not, a drink like Sprite is called “lemonade”. In most of the US Northeast, the term “soda” is used generically, and in the South a “coke” might not be a cola drink. And the Bostonians apparently used the term “tonic” generically for a carbonated drink.

54. Enya’s land : ERIN

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

55. Appropriate : USURP

To usurp is to seize and hold by force. The term “usurp” comes to us from Latin via French, from “usus” (a use) and “rapere” (to seize).

56. Retired pool shark returns … TO WIN FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING! : THE COLOR OF MONET (from “The Color of Money”)

“The Color of Money” is a 1986 Martin Scorsese film starring Paul Newman as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson. Newman co-stars with Tom Cruise and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Prior to this particular film, Newman had been nominated for an Oscar eight times without winning. It was “The Color of Money” that finally earned him his Best Actor Academy Award. Newman was reprising the Fast Eddie role that he played in 1961’s “The Hustler”.

French artist Claude Monet was one of the founders of the Impressionist movement, and indeed the term “Impressionism” comes from the title of his 1872 painting “Impression, Sunrise”. That work depicts the port of Le Havre, which was Monet’s hometown. Later in his life, Monet purchased a house in Giverny, and famously installed lily ponds and a Japanese bridge in the property’s extensive gardens. He spent two decades painting the water lily ponds, producing his most famous works.

63. Pink-slip : CAN

The term “pink-slip” can be used as a verb meaning “to terminate an employee”. No one really seems to know for sure where the term originated, but there are lots of stories.

64. ___ Equis (Mexican beer) : DOS

Dos Equis lager was originally brewed in 1897, and back then was called “Siglo XX” (20th century) to celebrate the arrival of the new century. The name was changed later to simply “Dos Equis” (two exes).

65. Chap gets life lessons from kid … WHO’S REALLY AN ANDROID! : ABOUT A BOT (from “About a Boy”)

“About a Boy” is a 2002 film adaptation of a 1988 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby (who also wrote “High Fidelity” and “Fever Pitch”, which were also turned into successful movies). “About a Boy” stars Hugh Grant and Toni Collette, with Nicholas Hoult playing the title character. Hornby’s novel has now been adapted for the small screen, and a TV series of the same name premiered on NBC in 2014.

70. One side in college football’s “Big Game” : CAL

College football’s “Big Game” is played annually between UC Berkeley (Cal) and Stanford.

74. Bitcoin, e.g. : E-CASH

Bitcoins are digital units of currency that are used on some Internet sites. Bitcoins are the most popular alternative currency used on the Web today. More and more reputable online retailers are accepting bitcoins, including Overstock.com, Expedia, Dell and Microsoft.

75. Utopias : EDENS

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.

81. West Coast officers track wisecracking detective … TO A BOVINE! : BEVERLY HILLS COW (from “Beverly Hills Cop”)

“Beverly Hills Cop” is a fun 1984 action comedy movie starring Eddie Murphy as Detroit cop Axel Foley who heads to Beverly Hills to solve the murder of a friend. It was the biggest hit of 1984 at the box office, and spawned two sequels.

88. First “America’s Funniest Home Videos” host : SAGET

Bob Saget is a real enigma to me. Saget made a name for himself playing very sugary roles in TV shows like “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, and yet in the world of stand-up comedy he is known for very blue and raunchy routines.

89. Glamorous Gardner : AVA

Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, she appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra.

90. Friends gather for a funeral … AND COOK UP AN ENORMOUS STEW! : THE BIG CHILI (from “The Big Chill”)

“The Big Chill” is a 1983 baby-boomer comedy-drama that is noted as much for its “oldies” soundtrack as for the acting, both of which are excellent. The film follows a group of college friends who get together at the funeral of a friend who committed suicide. The great cast includes Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt and Kevin Kline. Kevin Costner actually played Alex, the man who died, but scenes showing his face were cut from the final version of the movie.

93. “Bali ___” : HA’I

The song “Bali Ha’i” is from the musical “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Bali Ha’i is the name of a volcanic island that neighbors the island on which the story takes place. The matriarch of Bali Ha’i is a character named Bloody Mary, and it is Bloody Mary who sings the song in the musical.

94. Lively tune : RAG

Ragtime music was at the height of it popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic “ragged” rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his “Maple Leaf Rag” when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the “Pine Apple Rag” (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie “The Sting” that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated “The Entertainer” originally published in 1902.

95. Symbolic bird in “On Golden Pond” : LOON

The bird known as a loon here in North America is called a diver in the British Isles. The name “diver” comes from the bird’s habit of swimming calmly and then suddenly diving below the surface to catch a fish. The name “loon” comes from an Old English word meaning “clumsy” and reflects the awkward gait of the bird when walking on land.

“On Golden Pond” was originally a play, written by Ernest Thompson. It was adapted into the famous movie in 1981, with Henry Fonda playing Norman Thayer, and Katherine Hepburn as his wife Ethel, and Henry’s real-life daughter Jane Fonda playing the screen couple’s daughter. There was also a television adaptation of the play released in 2001, with another distinguished cast that included Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer as the leads.

100. “Angel dust” : PCP

Phencyclidine is a recreational drug usually referred to on the street as “PCP” or “angel dust”.

102. Kind of knot : GORDIAN

In the legend of the Gordian Knot, a poor peasant called Gordian was made king and in gratitude dedicated his ox and cart to the god Zeus. He tied up the cart with a very intricate knot, and it was predicted that the person who untied the knot would rule all of Asia. Many tried and failed to release the knot, including Alexander the Great. Alexander eventually worked around the problem and sliced the knot in a half with his sword. Apparently the gods were pleased, and Alexander went onto great military success.

107. Bog monster emerges … WITH A NEW LINE OF SNACK CRACKERS! : SWAMP THINS (from “Swamp Thing”)

“Swamp Thing” is a 1982 superhero horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. I don’t do superhero movies, and really don’t do horror …

111. Shakespearean king : OBERON

Oberon and Titania are the King and Queen of the fairies in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

112. Auto safety feature to prevent skidding, for short : ABS

The first anti-lock braking system (ABS) was actually developed for use on aircraft, in 1929. The system reduced braking distances for aircraft by 30% because pilots were able to apply a full braking force immediately on landing instead of applying gradual pressure to avoid skidding.

115. Man, for one : ISLE

The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

116. Greeting on Maui : ALOHA

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.

118. 007 gets fired … AND LANDS A JOB AS A SCOTTISH TAILOR! : LICENCE TO KILT (from “Licence to Kill”)

“Licence to Kill” is a 1989 Bond film, one starring Timothy Dalton as the iconic MI6 agent. One thing to note about “Licence to Kill” is that it is the first film in the series not to use a title of a story authored by Ian Fleming.

121. Out early : PAROLED

The term “parole” is a French word that we use in English, with the French “parole” meaning “word, speech”. Of particular interest is the French phrase “parole d’honneur” which translates as “word of honor”. In the early 1600s we started using “parole” to mean a promise by a prisoner of war not to escape, as in the prisoner giving his “word of honor” not to run off. Over time, parole has come to mean conditional release of a prisoner before he or she has served the full term of a sentence.

124. “Spamalot” writer : ERIC IDLE

Eric Idle is one of the founding members of the Monty Python team. Idle was very much the musician of the bunch, and is an accomplished guitarist. If you’ve seen the Monty Python film “The Life of Brian”, you might remember the closing number “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. It was sung by Idle, and was indeed written by him. That song made it to number 3 in the UK charts in 1991.

126. Object of veneration by ancient Egyptians : ASP

The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in Ancient Egypt.

128. One side of a ledger : ASSETS

A ledger is an account book. The term”ledger” comes from the Middle English “leggen” meaning “to lay”. The original ledger was a large book “laid” in one particular place permanently, an example being a breviary in a church.

Down

1. Goldfish, e.g. : CARP

Carp are freshwater fish that are used as food around the world, although they aren’t very popular in North American kitchens. The ornamental fish that we know as goldfish and koi are all types of carp.

3. Balkan capital : SOFIA

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. Natives pronounce the name “Sofia” with the emphasis on the “o”, while the rest of us tend to stress the “i”. Bulgarians do agree with us though when it comes to the girl’s name “Sofia”, then they stress the “i” like we do!

5. Skynet’s T-800’s, e.g. : TERMINATORS

The 1984 movie “The Terminator” was directed by James Cameron. It was a relatively low-budget production, costing $6.4 million. It has grossed around $80 million to date, so no wonder the Terminator said “I’ll be back”.

9. “___ Poetica” : ARS

The full name of Horace’s work is “Ars Poetica, Epistula ad Pisones” (The Art of Poetry, Letters to Piso). The work describes the technical aspects of poetry in Ancient Rome, and the term “ars poetica” has come to mean the poetry of that period.

10. Letters on a video surveillance screen : CCTV

Closed-circuit television (CCTV)

12. Force on earth, in brief : ONE G

The force of gravity (g-force) that we all feel is referred to as “one G”. As gravity is a actually an accelerating force, acceleration is measured relative to that force of gravity. So, if we are sitting in a vehicle that accelerates at 3G, then we are experiencing a force that is three times that which we feel from the gravitational pull of the earth. Zero G is weightlessness that is experienced when in space, and outside the influence of the earth’s gravity.

13. Bussing on a bus, for short? : PDA

Public display of affection (PDA)

“To buss” is “to kiss”.

14. Two plus two equaling five, e.g. : SYNERGY

The word “synergy”, meaning “working together”, comes from the Greek “syn-” (together) and “ergon” (work).

15. High mark in Spanish class? : TILDE

The tilde (~) diacritical mark is very much associated with the Spanish language. We use the name “tilde” in English, taking that name from Spanish. Confusingly, the word “tilde” in Spanish is used more generally to mean “accent mark, diacritic”, of which a “~” is just one. What we call a “tilde” in English is usually referred to as a “virgulilla” or “tilde de la eñe” in Spanish.

19. “Bon” time : SOIR

In French, the one-word greeting “bonsoir” means “good evening”. The two-word phrase “bon soir” also means “good evening”, but might be used in the sense of “it was a good evening”.

32. Gift on a string : LEI

“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

33. Spiner of “Star Trek: T.N.G.” : BRENT

Actor Brent Spiner plays the android named Lieutenant Commander Data on television’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Spiner also played the eccentric Dr. Brackish Okun in the 1996 movie “Independence Day”.

37. Singer Sands : EVIE

Evie Sands is a singer from Brooklyn, New York. Sands is also a noted songwriter, having penned songs that have been recorded by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Karen Carpenter, Linda Ronstadt and Dusty Springfield.

42. ___ Gay (W.W. II plane) : ENOLA

The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of pilot Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

44. Fifth sign : LEO

Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac. People born from July 23 to August 22 are Leos.

45. “___ Gang” : OUR

The marvelous series of “Our Gang” comedy short films was also known as “The Little Rascals”. The series was produced by Hal Roach starting in 1922, and running up until 1944. There were 220 “Our Gang” film shorts made in all, and one feature film title “General Spanky” released in 1936.

46. Grp. with the motto “Until every one comes home” : USO

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of FDR “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

47. Gran Torino, e.g. : MUSCLE CAR

By definition, a “muscle car” is a small vehicle with a large or maybe oversized engine.

57. Position sought by some M.B.A.s : CEO

The world’s first Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was offered by Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Administration, in 1908.

66. Concern of an orthopedic M.D. : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

68. Org. that’s found by accident? : OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

70. Symbols on Irish euro coins : CELTIC HARPS

Euro coins are issued by all the participating European states. The reverse side is a common design used by all countries, whereas the obverse is a design specific to each nation. For example, the one euro coin issued by Malta features the Maltese Cross. That Maltese euro is legal tender right across the eurozone. The Irish euro features a harp.

72. Tracker’s clue : SCAT

“Scat” is a term routinely used by hunters and trackers for non-human animal feces.

76. Astronomical event : NOVA

A nova (plural “novae”) is basically a star that suddenly gets much brighter, gradually returning to its original state weeks or even years later. The increased brightness of a nova is due to increased nuclear activity causing the star to pick up extra hydrogen from a neighboring celestial body. A supernova is very different from a nova. A supernova is a very bright burst of light and energy created when most of the material in a star explodes. The bright burst of a supernova is very short-lived compared to the sustained brightness of a nova.

77. Goodies in a goody bag : SWAG

“Swag” is “loot, stolen property”, a term that started out as criminal slang in England in the 1830s. Swag is also the name given to the promotional freebies available at some events. That said, there’s an urban myth that the promotional “swag” is an acronym standing for “stuff we all get”.

80. Hindu honorific : SRI

“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

81. Burger topper : BACON

“Bacon” is an Old French word that we imported into English. The term ultimately comes from the Proto-Germanic “bakkon” meaning “back meat”.

84. Immigrant’s class, in brief : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

92. Part of T.G.I.F. : IT’S

“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF) is a relatively new expression that apparently originated in Akron, Ohio. It was a catchphrase used first by disk jockey Jerry Healy of WAKR in the early seventies. That said, one blog reader wrote me to say that he had been using the phrase in the fifties.

102. 2008 Israeli political biography : GOLDA

Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

103. Relatives of Tonys : OBIES

The Obies are the “Off-Broadway Theater Awards”. The Obies are presented annually and the recipients are chosen by “The Village Voice” newspaper.

105. ___ Scott : DRED

The landmark case of Dred Scott vs. Sandford came before the US Supreme Court in 1857. Scott had been born a slave, but lived with his owner in a free state for several years before returning to the slave state of Missouri. Scott’s argument was that living in a free state entitled him to emancipation. A divided US Supreme Court sided with Scott’s owner John Sandford. The decision was that no African American, free or enslaved, was entitled to US citizenship and therefore Scott was unable to petition the court for his freedom. The decision heightened tensions between the North and South, and the American Civil War erupted just three years later.

106. “Positively Entertaining” cable network : ION

Ion Television started out as PAX TV in 1998, was renamed to i:Independent Television in 2005 and then to Ion in 2007.

108. Le Pew of Looney Tunes : PEPE

Pepé Le Pew is a very likeable cartoon character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Pepé is a French skunk, first introduced way back in 1945. He is always thinking of “l’amour” and chases the lady skunks, or a black cat with a white stripe accidentally painted down her back.

113. Florida city, informally : BOCA

The name of the city of Boca Raton in Florida translates from Spanish as “Mouse Mouth”. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive etymology of the name but one plausible explanation is a nautical one. “Boca”, as well as meaning “mouth” can mean “inlet”. “Ratón”, as well as meaning “mouse” was also used to describe rocks that chewed away at a ship’s anchor cable. So possibly Boca Raton was named for a rocky inlet.

114. Brand of tools : SKIL

The Skil Power Tools company sold its first “Skilsaw” back in 1924, for $160. Despite almost a century of inflation, a Skilsaw can be purchased today for a fraction of that original price.

122. G.P.’s grp. : AMA

American Medical Association (AMA)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Small house in the Southwest : CASITA
7. Covert missions : BLACK OPS
15. Select : TAP
18. Wading birds : AVOCETS
20. Light, catchy tunes : EAR CANDY
21. “Je t’___” : AIME
22. Cite : REFER TO
23. Pimp launches career in rap … BUT HAS AN EPIC FAIL! : HUSTLE AND FLOP (from “Hustle & Flow”)
25. Father of Paris, in myth : PRIAM
26. Apple buy-product? : IPAD
28. Relax, with “out” : VEG
29. Assessed : EYED UP
30. Cabby saves prostitute … WITH HIS BLATHERING! : TAXI DRIVEL (from “Taxi Driver”)
33. Labatt, for one : BREWERY
34. Composer known for mood music : ENO
35. Relinquish : CEDE
36. Something coming off the shelf? : BERG
38. Tropicana products, for short : OJS
41. Floor : AWE
43. Guy makes a new best friend … WHO TURNS OUT TO BE A COMMUNIST! : I LOVE YOU, MAO (from “I Love You, Man”)
50. Beverage called a “tonic” in Boston : POP
51. Inclines : TENDS
54. Enya’s land : ERIN
55. Appropriate : USURP
56. Retired pool shark returns … TO WIN FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING! : THE COLOR OF MONET (from “The Color of Money”)
60. “___ Revere, Engineer” (best-selling 2013 children’s book) : ROSIE
61. Facial expression often accompanied by “Heh, heh, heh” : SNEER
62. Big dipper : LADLE
63. Pink-slip : CAN
64. ___ Equis (Mexican beer) : DOS
65. Chap gets life lessons from kid … WHO’S REALLY AN ANDROID! : ABOUT A BOT (from “About a Boy”)
70. One side in college football’s “Big Game” : CAL
72. Blue : SAD
74. Bitcoin, e.g. : E-CASH
75. Utopias : EDENS
78. Shoves (in) : CRAMS
81. West Coast officers track wisecracking detective … TO A BOVINE! : BEVERLY HILLS COW (from “Beverly Hills Cop”)
86. One with a role to play : ACTOR
87. Bullets, in cards : ACES
88. First “America’s Funniest Home Videos” host : SAGET
89. Glamorous Gardner : AVA
90. Friends gather for a funeral … AND COOK UP AN ENORMOUS STEW! : THE BIG CHILI (from “The Big Chill”)
93. “Bali ___” : HA’I
94. Lively tune : RAG
95. Symbolic bird in “On Golden Pond” : LOON
96. Recipe amts. : TSPS
100. “Angel dust” : PCP
102. Kind of knot : GORDIAN
107. Bog monster emerges … WITH A NEW LINE OF SNACK CRACKERS! : SWAMP THINS (from “Swamp Thing”)
111. Shakespearean king : OBERON
112. Auto safety feature to prevent skidding, for short : ABS
115. Man, for one : ISLE
116. Greeting on Maui : ALOHA
118. 007 gets fired … AND LANDS A JOB AS A SCOTTISH TAILOR! : LICENCE TO KILT (from “Licence to Kill”)
121. Out early : PAROLED
123. Playing ___ : DEAD
124. “Spamalot” writer : ERIC IDLE
125. Drained : EMPTIED
126. Object of veneration by ancient Egyptians : ASP
127. Casualty of a crash? : DATA LOSS
128. One side of a ledger : ASSETS

Down

1. Goldfish, e.g. : CARP
2. Sidestep : AVERT
3. Balkan capital : SOFIA
4. Mountaineer’s tool : ICE AXE
5. Skynet’s T-800’s, e.g. : TERMINATORS
6. One who’s passed the bar: Abbr. : ATT
7. Parent’s scolding : BEHAVE!
8. Praised : LAUDED
9. “___ Poetica” : ARS
10. Letters on a video surveillance screen : CCTV
11. Trendy smoothie ingredient : KALE
12. Force on earth, in brief : ONE G
13. Bussing on a bus, for short? : PDA
14. Two plus two equaling five, e.g. : SYNERGY
15. High mark in Spanish class? : TILDE
16. “Mon ___” (words of endearment) : AMOUR
17. Energetic : PEPPY
19. “Bon” time : SOIR
21. Some : A FEW
24. Color changer : DYE
27. Flick : PIC
31. Carpentry rod : DOWEL
32. Gift on a string : LEI
33. Spiner of “Star Trek: T.N.G.” : BRENT
36. Destined (to be) : BORN
37. Singer Sands : EVIE
38. Goes (for) : OPTS
39. In song, Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt’s first name : JOHN
40. Mix and match? : SPEED DATE
42. ___ Gay (W.W. II plane) : ENOLA
44. Fifth sign : LEO
45. “___ Gang” : OUR
46. Grp. with the motto “Until every one comes home” : USO
47. Gran Torino, e.g. : MUSCLE CAR
48. Part of a score, maybe : ARIA
49. Dentist’s directive : OPEN
52. Lacking pizazz : DRAB
53. “___ I” (“Same here”) : SO DO
57. Position sought by some M.B.A.s : CEO
58. Kind of shot : FLU
59. Olympics unit : METER
66. Concern of an orthopedic M.D. : ACL
67. Howls : BAYS
68. Org. that’s found by accident? : OSHA
69. Piece of chicken : THIGH
70. Symbols on Irish euro coins : CELTIC HARPS
71. Video intrusions : ADS
72. Tracker’s clue : SCAT
73. Sole part : ARCH
76. Astronomical event : NOVA
77. Goodies in a goody bag : SWAG
79. Swarm : MOB
80. Hindu honorific : SRI
81. Burger topper : BACON
82. Backtalk? : ECHO
83. Miner’s find : VEIN
84. Immigrant’s class, in brief : ESL
85. Bounded : LEAPT
91. Sneaked a peek : GLANCED
92. Part of T.G.I.F. : IT’S
97. Slops : SWILLS
98. Wallops : PASTES
99. T-shirt choices, briefly : SML
101. What drones lack : PILOTS
102. 2008 Israeli political biography : GOLDA
103. Relatives of Tonys : OBIES
104. Sum up : RECAP
105. ___ Scott : DRED
106. “Positively Entertaining” cable network : ION
108. Le Pew of Looney Tunes : PEPE
109. “That’s the truth!” : NO LIE!
110. Makeshift ghost costume : SHEET
112. Warring : AT IT
113. Florida city, informally : BOCA
114. Brand of tools : SKIL
117. Says further : ADDS
119. Great time : ERA
120. Sworn statement : I DO
122. G.P.’s grp. : AMA