0307-21 NY Times Crossword 7 Mar 21, Sunday

Constructed by: Celeste Watts & Jeff Chen
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Take Two

Themed clues are words from which TWO letters have been TAKEN. A word sounding like those TWO letters is included in the answer, which also reflects the TAKING of the letters. Very elegant …

  • 23 ILLUS_RA_ORS : STRIPTEASE ARTISTS (strip Ts from “illustrators”)
  • 39 ACC_L_RATOR : EASE OFF THE GAS PEDAL (Es off the “accelerator”)
  • 49 LUXUR_ _ACHT : UNWISE INVESTMENT (un-Ys “luxury yacht”)
  • 66 ENDANGER_EN_ : NO EMPTY THREAT (no MT “endangerment”)
  • 85 CONFIG_ _ATION : YOU ARE OUT OF ORDER (UR out of “configuration”)
  • 93 POI_T OF _IEW : UNENVIABLE POSITION (un-NV-able “point of view”)
  • 113 _OTIC_ : WITHOUT ANY WARNING (without NE “notice”)

Bill’s time: 16m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 After the fact, as a justification : POST HOC

The term “post hoc” is used to describe a conclusion made about an earlier event at the time of a later event. Post hoc reasoning is basically an argument made late in the day, an argument that the earlier event caused the later event. If you know what I mean …!

8 Co-star of “Golden Girls” : BEA ARTHUR

Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

20 Quaker fare : OATMEAL

The Quaker Oats Company was founded in 1901 when four oat mills merged, including the Quaker Mill Company of Ravenna, Ohio. Quaker Mill’s owner Henry Parsons Crowell played the key role in creating the new company and remained at the helm until 1943.

25 What a third wheel might see, in brief : PDA

Public display of affection (PDA)

26 Setting for most of “Life of Pi” : SEA

The 2012 movie “Life of Pi” is based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Yann Martel. The “Pi” in the title is an Indian boy named Pi Patel who finds himself adrift for 227 days in a small boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

27 Tests the weight of : HEFTS

The heft of something is its weight, its heaviness. The term “heft” is derivative of the verb “to heave” meaning “to lift, raise”.

28 One of the Greats? : PETER I

Peter I and Ivan V were half-brothers who served as joint Tsars of Russia between the years 1682 and 1696. Peter was the most influential of the duo by far, and after Ivan died Peter went on to bring Russia into a new age earning himself the moniker Peter the Great.

30 Oscars of the sporting world : ESPYS

The ESPY Awards are a creation of the ESPN sports television network. One difference with similarly named awards in the entertainment industry is that ESPY winners are chosen solely based on viewer votes.

33 Good sign for an angel : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

An angel investor is one who provides capital very early in a business’s life cycle. The term “angel” is borrowed from Broadway, where angels are wealthy people who provide funds to stage theatrical productions.

34 Intl. org. headquartered in Geneva : WTO

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The stated aim of the WTO is to liberalize international trade. The organization was founded in 1995 when an international agreement on trade was reached that effectively replaced the existing General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was laid down in 1949.

37 Some bad sentences : RUN-ONS

A “run-on sentence” is one in which two separate clauses are linked without appropriate conjugation. Two examples would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, I can’t finish.

More acceptable sentences would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough. I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough; I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, so I can’t finish.

48 A as in Arles : UNE

Quite a few years ago now, I had the privilege of living just a short car-ride from the beautiful city of Arles in the South of France. Although Arles has a long and colorful history, the Romans had a prevailing influence over the city’s design. Arles has a spectacular Roman amphitheater, arch, circus as well as old walls that surround the center of the city. In more modern times, it was a place Vincent van Gogh often visited, and was where he painted many of his most famous works, including “Cafe Terrace at Night” and “Bedroom in Arles”.

54 “___ Agnus Dei” (Mass phrase) : ECCE

“Agnus Dei” is Latin for “Lamb of God”, The expression is used in Christian traditions to describe Jesus Christ, hence symbolizing his role as a sacrificial offering (sacrificial lamb) to atone for the sins of man. The extended term “Ecce Agnus Dei” translates as “Behold the Lamb of God”.

55 Peak in Turkey mentioned in both the “Iliad” and the “Aeneid” : MT IDA

There are two peaks called Mount Ida that are sacred according to Greek mythology. Mount Ida in Crete is the island’s highest point, and is where one can find the cave in which Zeus was reared. Mount Ida in Asia Minor (located in modern-day Turkey) is where Ganymede was swept up by Zeus in the form of an eagle that took him to Olympus where he served as cupbearer to the gods.

56 Runner Sebastian who once held the world record for the mile : COE

Sebastian Coe is a retired middle-distance runner from the UK who won four Olympic medals including golds in the 1500m in 1980 and 1984. After retiring from athletics, Coe went into politics and served as a Member of Parliament from 1992 to 1997. In the year 2000, he was made a Life Peer, and so Coe now sits in the House of Lords. Lord Coe headed up London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

57 What you might get from a trailer : SNEAK PEEK

The term “trailer” was originally used in the film industry to describe advertisements for upcoming features. These trailers were originally shown at the end of a movie being screened, hence the name. This practice quickly fell out of favor as theater patrons usually left at the end of the movie without paying much attention to the trailers. So, the trailers were moved to the beginning of the show, but the term “trailer” persisted.

59 Sport played at British boarding schools : POLO

The sport of polo originated in Iran, possibly before the 5th century BC. Polo was used back then primarily as a training exercise for cavalry units.

60 Post production? : CEREALS

C. W. Post decided to get into the cereal business after visiting the Battle Creek Sanitarium operated by John Harvey Kellogg. Post was interested in the chemistry of digestion and was inspired by the dietary products offered by Kellogg at his sanitarium. The first breakfast cereal Post introduced was Grape-Nuts, way back in 1897.

64 ___ mater, membrane surrounding the brain : PIA

Pia mater is Latin, and means “tender mother”. It is the name given to the mesh-like envelope that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The pia mater brings blood to some of the exterior parts of the brain, and provides physical support for larger blood vessels passing over the brain’s surface.

65 Popular 90-min. show : SNL

“Saturday Night Live” (SNL)

82 The Blue Jays, on scoreboards : TOR

The Toronto Blue Jays baseball franchise was founded in 1977. The Blue Jays are the only team based outside the US to have won a World Series, doing so in 1992 and 1993. And since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, the Blue Jays are the only Major League Baseball team now headquartered outside of the US.

90 Actor Somerhalder : IAN

Ian Somerhalder got his big break as an actor in the TV drama “Lost”, and followed that up with a part in TV’s “The Vampire Diaries”.

91 Most in the style of comedian Steven Wright : WRIEST

Steven Wright is a remarkably droll comedian from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wright is very, very quotable:

  • What’s another word for Thesaurus?
  • If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?
  • I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
  • When I was a little kid we had a sandbox. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child… eventually.

92 Unfocused : BLEARY

To blear is to dim the vision, usually with watery eyes.

101 French fashion inits. : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)

103 Pan-cook, in a way : SAUTE

“Sauté” is a French word. The literal translation from the French is “jumped” or “bounced”, a reference to the tossing of food while cooking it in a frying pan.

107 Supermodel Bündchen : GISELE

Gisele Bündchen is a fashion model from Brazil. Bündchen does quite well for herself as she has been the highest-paid model in the world for several years now and has amassed a fortune of about $150 million. She was romantically involved with Leonardo DiCaprio for about five years and now is married to Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots.

109 Pepé ___ (cartoon skunk) : LE PEW

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.

Down

1 Entourage : POSSE

Our word “posse” comes from an Anglo-Latin term from the early 15th century “posse comitatus” meaning “the force of the county”.

2 Hall’s partner in pop : OATES

Daryl Hall & John Oates are a pop music duo who were most successful in the late seventies and early eighties. They had six number one hits, including the 1982 release “Maneater”.

4 “OK, you can stop the story right there” : TMI

Too much information (TMI)

7 Co-star of Kline in “A Fish Called Wanda” : CLEESE

The magnificent actor and comedian John Cleese came to the public’s attention as a cast member in the BBC’s comedy sketch show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. Cleese then co-wrote and starred in the outstanding comedy “Fawlty Towers”. He even had a role in two “James Bond” films.

The 1988 comedy “A Fish Called Wanda” is a favorite of mine. The film was co-written by and stars John Cleese, and has an exceptional cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Cleese’s friend from “Monty Python”, Michael Palin. Kevin Kline won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. The “fish” in the film is the con artist Wanda, played by Curtis.

Actor Kevin Kline stars in many of my favorite films, like “French Kiss” (in which he had a very impressive French accent) and “A Fish Called Wanda.” Kline also appeared in the romantic comedy “In & Out”, another favorite. “In & Out” is perhaps best remembered for its dramatic “interaction” between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck … if you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t spoil it for you by saying any more!

10 Letters on many towers : AAA

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

11 Busy mo. for C.P.A.s : APR

April 15th wasn’t always Tax Day in the US. The deadline for returns was March 1st from 1913-18, when it was moved to March 15th. Tax Day has been April 15th since 1955.

Certified public accountant (CPA)

13 Three-sport event, for short : TRI

An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked in the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finishes first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

29 Memphis-to-Nashville dir. : ENE

Memphis is the largest city on the Mississippi River, and the largest city in the state of Tennessee. Memphis is also relatively young, having been founded in 1819 as a planned city. The founders were John Overton, James Winchester and future US president Andrew Jackson. The American Memphis is named for the Egyptian Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt located on the River Nile.

The Tennessee city of Nashville was founded in 1779 near a stockade in the Cumberland River valley called Fort Nashborough. Both the settlement and the fort were named for General Francis Nash, a war hero who died in combat during the American Revolution.

32 Lively dance genre : SALSA

The genre of music called salsa is a modern interpretation of various Cuban traditional music styles.

36 Beehive State city : OGDEN

Ogden was the first permanent settlement by people of European descent in what is now the state of Utah.

When Mormon pioneers were settling what is today the state of Utah, they referred to the area as Deseret, a word that means “beehive” according to the Book of Mormon. Today Utah is known as the Beehive State and there is a beehive symbol on the Utah state flag. In 1959, “Industry” was even chosen as the state motto, for the term’s association with the beehive.

40 Bishop’s jurisdiction : SEE

In the Roman Catholic Church, an episcopal see is the official seat of a bishop, and is usually described by the town or city where the bishop presides and has his cathedral. The most famous see in the church is called the Holy See, the episcopal see of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.

42 Hotel room staples : TVS

Scottish inventor John Logie Baird is credited as the inventor of the television. Baird’s invention is classified as a “mechanical” television because it used a mechanical device to scan the scene and generate the video signal. Modern televisions use “electronic” scanning technology. A mechanical scanning device might be a rotating disc or mirror, whereas an electronic scanning device might be a cathode ray tube.

45 Playwright Chekhov : ANTON

Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer of short stories and a playwright, as well as a physician. He wrote four classic plays that are often performed all around the world, namely “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”. All the time Chekhov was writing, he continued to practice medicine. He is quoted as saying “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.”

51 About 460 inches of rain per year, on Kauai’s Mt. Waialeale : NORM

Because the Hawaiian island of Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth, all the rainfall has helped to carve out magnificent canyons and left superb waterfalls. The island is often used as a backdrop for movies. The facilities at the island’s Lihue Airport reflect the pleasant climate enjoyed by the Hawaiian Islands. Check-in takes place completely outdoors!

52 HBO satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus : VEEP

“Veep” is a political satire sitcom on HBO that is a remake of the British show “The Thick of It” (Warning: strong language!). “Veep” is set in the office of fictional US Vice President Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an alum of the sketch show “Saturday Night Live”, in which she appeared from 1982 to 1985. Her really big break came when she was chosen to play Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld”. More recently, Louis-Dreyfus can be seen playing Vice President Selina Meyer on the HBO comedy show “Veep”.

53 ___ bar : TAPAS

“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”. There is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

54 Org. that takes the lead on lead? : EPA

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

58 Baby fox : KIT

Kits are the young of several mammalian species, including the ferret and fox. “Kit” is probably a shortened form of “kitten”.

61 Football stat: Abbr. : ATT

In football, one statistic (stat) used to track the performance of a quarterback (QB) is attempts (ATT).

62 NaOH : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH), although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

63 Radio broadcaster: Abbr. : STN

Station (stn.)

66 Legislation that was part of F.D.R.’s New Deal : NRA

The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was one of the first agencies set up under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. On the one hand, the NRA helped set minimum wages and maximum working hours for workers in industry, and on the other hand it helped set minimum prices for goods produced by companies. The NRA was very popular with the public, and businesses that didn’t opt to participate in the program found themselves boycotted. The NRA didn’t survive for long though, as after two years of operation it was deemed to be unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court and so it ceased operations in 1935.

67 Ethnic group of Rwanda and Burundi : HUTU

The Hutu are the largest population in Rwanda, with the Tutsi being the second largest. The bloody conflict that has existed between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples dates back to about 1880 when Catholic missionaries arrived in the region. The missionaries found that they had more success converting the Hutus than the Tutsi, and when the Germans occupied the area during WWI they confiscated Tutsi land and gave it to Hutu tribes in order to reward religious conversion. This injustice fuels fighting to this very day.

68 Two, for four : ROOT

Two is the square root of four.

69 Coin with 12 stars : EURO

The reverse side of euro coins feature a common design, a design that includes the 12 stars featured on the Flag of Europe. The number of stars is not related to the number of states in the European Union, nor has it ever been. The number of stars in the design was the subject of much debate prior to its adoption in 1955 by the Council of Europe. Twelve was a deliberate choice, as at that time there was no political connotation, and twelve was considered to be a symbol of unity.

70 “Zoom-Zoom” sloganeer : MAZDA

“Zoom-zoom” is a catchphrase used by the automaker Mazda. Mazda is based in the Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The ballpark where the Hiroshima baseball team plays was for many years known as the MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium.

71 Hollywood composer Bernstein with 14 Oscar nominations : ELMER

Film composer Elmer Bernstein was not related to the famous classical composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, although the two were friends.

73 Like pets and parking meters : FED

An early patent for a parking meter, dated 1928, was for a device that required the driver of the parked car to connect the battery of his or her car to the meter in order for it to operate!

75 ___ Slam (tennis feat) : SERENA

The term “Serena Slam” is a reference to tennis star Serena Williams. It describes the winning of four major tournaments in a row. This compares with a “Grand Slam”, the winning of the four major tournaments within the same season.

76 Julius Caesar’s first name : GAIUS

The most famous Roman known as “Caesar” was Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator usually referred to as Julius Caesar. It was Julius Caesar’s actions and assassination that ushered in the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. The name Gaius Julius Caesar was also used by the dictator’s father, and indeed by his grandfather.

80 Electronic Hasbro toy : FURBY

The Hasbro toy company was founded in 1923, to sell textile remnants. The founders were Herman, Hillel and Henry Hassenfeld, three brothers and hence the name “Hasbro”. The company diversified into toys in the early forties, with the first real market success being Mr. Potato Head.

81 One side of the coin : TAILS

The two sides of a coin are known as the “obverse” and the “reverse”. The obverse is commonly referred to as “heads”, as it often depicts someone’s head. The reverse is commonly called “tails”, as it is the opposite of “heads”.

86 Scottish folk dance : REEL

The reel is a Scottish country dance that is also extremely popular in Ireland.

87 Alternative explanation for a lucky guess, in brief : ESP

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

88 Ear: Prefix : OTO-

Otology is a branch of medicine dealing with the ear. The prefix “oto-” means “pertaining to the ear”.

89 Letters on some badges : FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was set up in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), with the name changing in 1935. The Bureau was set up at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was largely moved to do so after the 1901 assassination of President McKinley, as there was a perception that anarchists were threatening law and order. The FBI’s motto uses the organization’s initialism, and is “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity”.

94 “Stillmatic” rapper : NAS

Rapper Nas used to go by an earlier stage name “Nasty Nas”, and before that by his real name “Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones”. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001.

97 Brown shade : SIENNA

The shade known as “sienna” or “burnt sienna” was originally a pigment made from earth found around Siena in Tuscany.

99 Hit musical with an “Emerald City Sequence” : THE WIZ

“The Wiz”, the 1975 musical, was written by Charlie Smalls and is an African-American adaptation of Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. The film version of the stage show was released in 1978, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. I haven’t seen it, though. “The Wizard of Oz” scares me, as the flying monkeys creep me out. There, I’ve admitted it in public …

104 Yoke : UNITE

A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of animals so that they are forced to work together.

105 HP product : TONER

The key features of a laser printer (or copier) are that it uses plain paper and produces quality text at high speed. Laser printers work by projecting a laser image of the printed page onto a rotating drum that is coated with photoconductors (material that becomes conductive when exposed to light). The areas of the drum exposed to the laser carry a different charge than the unexposed areas. Dry ink (toner) sticks to the exposed areas due to electrostatic charge. The toner is then transferred to paper by contact and is fused into the paper by the application of heat. So, that explains why paper coming out of a laser printer is warm, and sometimes powdery.

The giant multinational HP (originally “Hewlett-Packard”) was founded in 1939 with an investment of $538 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The company name would have been Packard-Hewlett, if Dave Packard had won a coin toss!

108 Singer James : ETTA

“Etta James” was the stage name of celebrated blues and soul singer Jamesetta Hawkins. James’ most famous recording was her 1960 hit “At Last”, which made it into the pop charts. James performed “At Last” at the age of 71 in 2009 on the reality show “Dancing with the Stars”, which was to be her final television appearance. She passed away in 2012.

109 Drink for un bébé : LAIT

In France, “un bébé” (a baby) needs “lait” (milk).

110 A full moon will do this : WANE

The phases of the moon have been given the following names, in order:

  • New moon
  • Waxing crescent moon
  • First quarter moon
  • Waxing gibbous moon
  • Full moon
  • Waning gibbous moon
  • Third quarter moon
  • Waning crescent moon
  • Dark moon

112 Life force, in China : CHI

In Chinese culture, “qi” or “chi” is the life force in any living thing.

116 The Jazz, on scoreboards : UTA

The Utah Jazz professional basketball team moved to Salt Lake City in 1979. As one might guess from the name, the team originated in New Orleans, but only played there for five seasons. New Orleans was a tough place to be based because venues were hard to come by, and Mardi Gras forced the team to play on the road for a whole month.

118 Things for happy campers? : RVS

Recreational vehicle (RV)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 After the fact, as a justification : POST HOC
8 Co-star of “Golden Girls” : BEA ARTHUR
17 Knock over, so to speak : ROB
20 Quaker fare : OATMEAL
21 Go poof : EVAPORATE
22 Drop the ball : ERR
23 ILLUS_RA_ORS : STRIPTEASE ARTISTS (strip Ts from “illustrators”)
25 What a third wheel might see, in brief : PDA
26 Setting for most of “Life of Pi” : SEA
27 Tests the weight of : HEFTS
28 One of the Greats? : PETER I
30 Oscars of the sporting world : ESPYS
33 Good sign for an angel : SRO
34 Intl. org. headquartered in Geneva : WTO
37 Some bad sentences : RUN-ONS
39 ACC_L_RATOR : EASE OFF THE GAS PEDAL (Es off the “accelerator”)
44 Grapple, in dialect : RASSLE
47 Exercise too much, say : OVERDO
48 A as in Arles : UNE
49 LUXUR_ _ACHT : UNWISE INVESTMENT (un-Ys “luxury yacht”)
54 “___ Agnus Dei” (Mass phrase) : ECCE
55 Peak in Turkey mentioned in both the “Iliad” and the “Aeneid” : MT IDA
56 Runner Sebastian who once held the world record for the mile : COE
57 What you might get from a trailer : SNEAK PEEK
59 Sport played at British boarding schools : POLO
60 Post production? : CEREALS
64 ___ mater, membrane surrounding the brain : PIA
65 Popular 90-min. show : SNL
66 ENDANGER_EN_ : NO EMPTY THREAT (no MT “endangerment”)
70 Man’s name that coincidentally is Latin for “honey” : MEL
73 Word with small or fish : … FRY
74 Weak : TENUOUS
75 What may result in a handshake : SALE
76 Help to one’s destination : GIVE A LIFT
82 The Blue Jays, on scoreboards : TOR
83 Comeback to a challenge of authority : SEZ ME!
84 Bitter : ACID
85 CONFIG_ _ATION : YOU ARE OUT OF ORDER (UR out of “configuration”)
90 Actor Somerhalder : IAN
91 Most in the style of comedian Steven Wright : WRIEST
92 Unfocused : BLEARY
93 POI_T OF _IEW : UNENVIABLE POSITION (un-NV-able “point of view”)
100 Go all out : STRAIN
101 French fashion inits. : YSL
102 “Kinda sorta” : ISH
103 Pan-cook, in a way : SAUTE
107 Supermodel Bündchen : GISELE
109 Pepé ___ (cartoon skunk) : LE PEW
111 Drop off : NOD
112 Admit (to) : COP
113 _OTIC_ : WITHOUT ANY WARNING (without NE “notice”)
120 Hit the weed? : HOE
121 Have guests over : ENTERTAIN
122 Guest, e.g. : INVITEE
123 Place full of guests : INN
124 Start of a seasonal request : DEAR SANTA, …
125 Some kitchen utensils : ZESTERS

Down

1 Entourage : POSSE
2 Hall’s partner in pop : OATES
3 Part of a thong : STRAP
4 “OK, you can stop the story right there” : TMI
5 Old-fashioned “cool” : HEP
6 One might speak under it : OATH
7 Co-star of Kline in “A Fish Called Wanda” : CLEESE
8 Start of a compilation heading : BEST OF …
9 Times for some vigils : EVES
10 Letters on many towers : AAA
11 Busy mo. for C.P.A.s : APR
12 Go bad : ROT
13 Three-sport event, for short : TRI
14 A chest often has a large one : HASP
15 States : UTTERS
16 Recharge : REST UP
17 Photocopy, e.g. : REPRODUCE
18 It’s the law! : ORDINANCE
19 Item said to have been burned in protest, once : BRA
24 Musical prefix with beat : AFRO-
29 Memphis-to-Nashville dir. : ENE
31 Emphatic assent : YES I DO
32 Lively dance genre : SALSA
34 Hone : WHET
35 Contract details : TERMS
36 Beehive State city : OGDEN
38 Aerodynamic : SLEEK
40 Bishop’s jurisdiction : SEE
41 Antagonist : FOE
42 Hotel room staples : TVS
43 Top-notch : A-ONE
44 Booties : RUMPS
45 Playwright Chekhov : ANTON
46 Garbage : SWILL
50 Drink similar to a slushie : ICEE
51 About 460 inches of rain per year, on Kauai’s Mt. Waialeale : NORM
52 HBO satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus : VEEP
53 ___ bar : TAPAS
54 Org. that takes the lead on lead? : EPA
58 Baby fox : KIT
60 How a flirt may act : COYLY
61 Football stat: Abbr. : ATT
62 NaOH : LYE
63 Radio broadcaster: Abbr. : STN
66 Legislation that was part of F.D.R.’s New Deal : NRA
67 Ethnic group of Rwanda and Burundi : HUTU
68 Two, for four : ROOT
69 Coin with 12 stars : EURO
70 “Zoom-Zoom” sloganeer : MAZDA
71 Hollywood composer Bernstein with 14 Oscar nominations : ELMER
72 Guarded : LEERY
73 Like pets and parking meters : FED
75 ___ Slam (tennis feat) : SERENA
76 Julius Caesar’s first name : GAIUS
77 Words of hopelessness : I CAN’T GO ON
78 Mature naturally, in a way : VINE-RIPEN
79 ___ Writers’ Workshop : IOWA
80 Electronic Hasbro toy : FURBY
81 One side of the coin : TAILS
83 Arias, typically : SOLOS
86 Scottish folk dance : REEL
87 Alternative explanation for a lucky guess, in brief : ESP
88 Ear: Prefix : OTO-
89 Letters on some badges : FBI
94 “Stillmatic” rapper : NAS
95 Seen : VIEWED
96 Kind of skate : INLINE
97 Brown shade : SIENNA
98 Kids’ observation game : I SPY
99 Hit musical with an “Emerald City Sequence” : THE WIZ
104 Yoke : UNITE
105 HP product : TONER
106 Narrowly beats (out) : EDGES
108 Singer James : ETTA
109 Drink for un bébé : LAIT
110 A full moon will do this : WANE
112 Life force, in China : CHI
114 ___ Majesty : HER
115 Hosp. areas : ORS
116 The Jazz, on scoreboards : UTA
117 Brown shade : TAN
118 Things for happy campers? : RVS
119 Picky person’s pick? : NIT