1204-22 NY Times Crossword 4 Dec 22, Sunday

Constructed by: Gustie Owens
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Gossip Session

Themed answers are common phrases related to GOSSIPING, all clued in a “punny” way:

  • 23A A lover of gossip, the Netflix user … : … SHARES AN ACCOUNT
  • 41A The smoothie bar worker … : … HAS ALL THE JUICY DETAILS
  • 59A The Boston Harbor worker … : … SPILLS THE TEA
  • 72A The cooking show contestant … : … STIRS UP DRAMA
  • 89A The athlete in the locker room … : … AIRS THEIR DIRTY LAUNDRY
  • 114A And the up-and-coming trial judge … : … WANTS TO HEAR MORE

Bill’s time: 23m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

8 Catherine O’Hara’s role on “Schitt’s Creek” : MOIRA

Catherine O’Hara is an actress and comedian from Toronto, Ontario. One of O’Hara’s more famous film roles is Kevin’s mother in the Christmas classic “Home Alone”. She also plays a lead character (Moira) in the excellent sitcom “Schitt’s Creek” alongside Eugen Levy.

13 Get in the loop? : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

18 Smart ___ : ALEC

Apparently, the original “smart Alec” (sometimes “Aleck”) was one Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

23 A lover of gossip, the Netflix user … : … SHARES AN ACCOUNT

Netflix was founded in Los Gatos, California in 1997 as a DVD rental company that sent out titles by mail. The company delivered its billionth DVD in 2007. I presume the renter wasn’t charged for that movie …

29 Andy who voiced Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” : SERKIS

Andy Serkis is an English actor whose most famous role perhaps is voicing (and providing motion capture movements for) Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” series of movies. He also provided the motion capture for the title character in the 2005 version of “King Kong”.

Tolkien introduced the character named Gollum in his 1937 novel “The Hobbit”. Gollum played amore central role in the sequel “The Lord of the Rings”. He was originally called Sméagol, and was given the name Gollum because of the “horrible swallowing noise in his throat”.

33 Flower cultivated by the Aztecs : DAHLIA

The dahlia is a flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. It was named the national flower of Mexico relatively recently, in 1963. The plant was given the name “dahlia” in 1791, in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.

37 “Bodak Yellow” rapper ___ B : CARDI

“Cardi B” is the stage name of rap artist Belcalis Almánzar from the Bronx in New York City. The name “Cardi B” comes from the brand name “Bacardi”.

39 Farm share inits. : CSA

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

49 Food thickener : AGAR

Agar (also “agar-agar”) is a jelly extracted from seaweed that has many uses. Agar is found in Japanese desserts, and can also be used as a food thickener or even as a laxative. In the world of science, it is the most common medium used for growing bacteria in Petri dishes.

55 Cretan-born painter who was a leader of the Spanish Renaissance : EL GRECO

El Greco (“the Greek”, in Spanish) was the nickname of the artist whose real name was Domenikos Theotokopoulos. He was born in Crete in 1541, and moved to Venice to study art when he was in his early twenties. A few years later he moved to the city of Toledo in central Spain, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.

58 Antianxiety drug with a palindromic name : XANAX

Xanax is a brand name for the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam. It is one of the most commonly misused prescription drugs in the US, with wide acceptance in the illegal recreational drug market.

59 The Boston Harbor worker … : … SPILLS THE TEA

To spill the beans is to divulge a secret. The expression first appeared in American English, in the early 1900s. The phrase arose as an alternative to “spoil the beans” or “upset the applecart”. The similarly meaning phrase “spill the tea” is more prevalent on the other side of the Atlantic.

The famous destruction of tea in Boston Harbor to protest against the Tax Act took place on December 16, 1773. The action was referred to as the “destruction of the tea” for decades, and it wasn’t until 1834 that the term “Boston Tea Party” first appeared in print.

63 Denim jacket adornment : PATCH

Denim fabric originated in Nîmes in France. The French phrase “de Nîmes” (meaning “from Nîmes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.

66 Assembly kit piece : DOWEL

A dowel is a rod made from plastic, wood or metal. In its complete form, it is referred to as a “dowel rod”. We are perhaps more used to the rod cut into short lengths known as “dowel pins”.

71 Clock-changing time, for daylight saving time : TWO AM

On the other side of the Atlantic, daylight saving time (DST) is known as “summer time”. The idea behind summer/daylight-savings is to move clocks forward an hour in spring (“spring forward”), and backwards in the fall (“fall back”) so that afternoons have more daylight. Here in the US, DST starts on the second Sunday of March, and ends on the first Sunday of November.

76 “___ bleu!” : SACRE

French speakers don’t really use the profanity “sacré bleu”, at least not anymore, but we see it a lot in English literature featuring native French speakers. Most famously it is uttered by Agatha Christie’s delightful Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. There is some dispute about the origins of “sacré bleu” (sacred blue), but French dictionaries explain that it is a “softening” of the alternative “sacré Dieu” (Holy God).

81 Currency exchange option : EUROS

The euro is the official currency of most of the states in the European Union, but not all. The list of EU states not using the euro includes Denmark and Sweden.

85 Big name in wings : KFC

The famous “Colonel” of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fame was Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur from Henryville, Indiana. Although not really a “Colonel”, Sanders did indeed serve in the military. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1906 at the age of 16, lying about his age. He spent the whole of his time in the Army as a soldier in Cuba. It was much later, in the 1930s, that Sanders went into the restaurant business making his specialty deep-fried chicken. By 1935 his reputation as a “character” had grown, so much so that Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky gave Sanders the honorary title of “Kentucky Colonel”. Later in the fifties, Sanders developed his trademark look with the white suit, string tie, mustache and goatee. When Sanders was 65 however, his business failed and in stepped Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s. Thomas simplified the Sanders menu, cutting it back from over a hundred items to just fried chicken and salads. That was enough to launch KFC into the fast food business. Sanders sold the US franchise in 1964 for just $2 million and moved to Canada to grow KFC north of the border. He died in 1980 and is buried in Louisville, Kentucky. The Colonel’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices is indeed a trade secret. Apparently there is only one copy of the recipe, a handwritten piece of paper, written in pencil and signed by Colonel Sanders. Since 2009, the piece of paper has been locked in a computerized vault surrounded with motion detectors and security cameras.

94 “___ is never finished, only abandoned”: Leonardo da Vinci : ART

Leonardo da Vinci was perhaps the most diversely talented person who ever contributed to society. He was a gifted painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer and writer. Da Vinci’s mural “The Last Supper” is the most reproduced work of art in the world.

113 ___ acid : AMINO

Amino acids are essential to life in many ways, not least of which is their use as the building blocks of proteins. Nine amino acids are considered “essential” for humans. These nine must be included in the diet as they cannot be synthesized in the body.

116 Red animal in the 2022 Pixar film “Turning Red” : PANDA

“Turning Red” is a 2022 Pixar animated feature about a 13-year-old girl who turns into a giant red panda when she is cursed. Rosalie Chiang voices the girl, and Sandra Oh voices her overprotective mother.

117 Home of the rides Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure : EPCOT

EPCOT Center (now just called “Epcot”) is the theme park beside Walt Disney World in Florida. EPCOT is an acronym standing for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and is a representation of the future as envisioned by Walt Disney. Walt Disney actually wanted to build a living community for 20,000 residents at EPCOT, but he passed away without that vision being realized.

118 Big name in party cups : SOLO

The Solo Cup was introduced in 1930, and was the creation of a former employee of the Dixie Company. The first Solo Cup was a paper cone that founder Leo Hulseman made at home and sold to companies that distributed bottled water. Apparently, Solo’s red plastic cups sell very well, and are used by college students playing beer pong.

119 “Peter Pan” pirate : SMEE

In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s bosun and right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on a pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

123 Baking soda unit: Abbr. : TBSP

“Baking soda” is a common name for the compound sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).

Down

1 What many do during Ramadan and Yom Kippur : FAST

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is traditionally a period of fasting. The faithful who observe Ramadan refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk everyday, a lesson in patience, humility and spirituality.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. It is also known as the Day of Atonement.

2 Representative Omar : ILHAN

Ilhan Omar has been representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in the US House since 2019. At that time, she became one of the first two Muslim women, as well as the first Somali American, to serve in the US Congress.

4 Second- or third-stringer : SCRUB

We’ve been using the phrases “first string” and “second string” in athletics since the mid-19th century. The expressions come from archery, in which a competitor would carry a second bowstring in case the first broke.

5 Things that may be checked at the door, for short : IDS

Identity document (ID)

7 Former “Tonight Show” host : LENO

Jay Leno was born James Leno in New Rochelle, New York. Jay’s father was the son of Italian immigrants, and his mother was from Scotland. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and actually dropped out of school on the advice of a high school guidance counselor. However, years later he went to Emerson College and earned a Bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. Leno also started a comedy club at Emerson in 1973. Today Jay Leno is a car nut and owns over 300 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website: www.jaylenosgarage.com.

“The Tonight Show” has had six permanent hosts so far:

  • Steve Allen (1954-57)
  • Jack Paar (1957-62)
  • Johnny Carson (1962–92)
  • Jay Leno (1992–2009, 2010–14)
  • Conan O’Brien (2009–10)
  • Jimmy Fallon (2014–present)

8 Econ subfield : MACRO

Macroeconomics is the study of economies as a whole, rather than of individual markets. Microeconomics is focused on the actions of individual entities like companies or individuals, and how these actions impact specific markets.

9 It’s used to tune an orchestra : OBOE

When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance, you’ll note (pun!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

10 Money promises : IOUS

I owe you (IOU)

12 Football box score abbr. : ATT

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

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.

13 Print issue? : LIBEL

The word “libel” describes a published or written statement likely to harm a person’s reputation. It comes into English from the Latin “libellus”, the word for a small book. Back in the 1500s, libel was just a formal written statement, with the more damaging association arising in the 1600s. The related concept of slander is defamation in a transient form, such as speech, sign language or gestures.

14 Best-selling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel whose protagonist leaves Nigeria for a U.S. university : AMERICANAH

“Americanah” is a 2013 novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The protagonist is a young Nigerian woman who moves to the US to attend university, leaving behind her boyfriend whom she has loved since high school. The novel follows the very different experiences the two have, leading up to an eventual reunion back in Nigeria.

16 Avid assent in Acapulco : SI! SI!

The Mexican city of Acapulco is on the southwest coast of the country, in the state of Guerrero. The name “Acapulco” translates from the local language into “at the big reeds”.

25 Silicon Valley exec : CTO

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

The Santa Clara Valley, located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, is better known as “Silicon Valley”. The term “Silicon Valley” dates back to 1971 when it was apparently first used in a weekly trade newspaper called “Electronic News” in articles written by journalist Don Hoefler.

31 Savory rice cake of southern India : IDLI

Idli (also “idly”) are savory rice cakes in the cuisine from the Indian subcontinent. The cakes are made from de-husked, fermented black lentils incorporated into a batter and then steamed.

37 One-named collaborator with Missy Elliott on “1, 2 Step” and “Lose Control” : CIARA

Ciara is a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas. She used to date rapper Bow Wow, but married Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016.

40 Penne ___ vodka : ALLA

Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish with a sauce made of vodka, cream, tomatoes, onions and sausage or bacon.

44 Edible piece from a pomegranate : ARIL

The casing surrounding many seeds is called the aril, and it may be quite fleshy. This fruit-like characteristic makes it desirable as a food and hence aids in the dispersion of the seeds.

The name of the fruit called a “pomegranate” comes from the Latin “pomum” meaning “apple” and “granatum” meaning “seeded”.

45 Suddenly say “I don’t” to, say : 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”.

48 Dr. Ruth’s field : SEX

Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a German sex therapist who made a name for herself as a media personality. Westheimer is the daughter of Orthodox Jews and was sent away from Germany by her family just before WWII. She ended up in Palestine and participated in the 1948 Palestine War serving as a scout and sniper. Westheimer was seriously wounded, and spent several months unable to walk. She moved to France in 1950, and soon after arrived in the US. It was in the US where she did her training as a sex therapist.

54 Where Wells Fargo got its start : OLD WEST

Back in the mid-1800s, Henry Wells founded an express package delivery service called Wells and Company. Around the same time, William Fargo founded Fargo and Company as a competitor. The two decided to join forces instead of competing, and took on a partner and formed the American Express Company (which is still around today). Fargo and Wells then decided to set up a company in California to provide express delivery and banking services, a company they called Wells Fargo.

55 Delicacy with kabayaki sauce : EEL

“Unadon” is the Japanese word for “eel bowl”. “Unadon” is actually a contraction of “unagi no kabayaki” (grilled eel) and “donburi” (rice bowl dish).

56 47-Down experts, for short : CPAS
[47D Auditing guideline : TAX CODE]

Certified public accountant (CPA)

60 Phillipa of Broadway’s “Hamilton” : SOO

Phillipa Soo is an actress and singer who is perhaps best known for portraying Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the title character’s wife in the original Broadway production of “Hamilton”.

61 What comes before the night before Christmas? : ‘TWAS

The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” was published anonymously in 1823, and is better known today by its first line “‘Twas the night before Christmas”. Most scholars believe that the poem was written by Clement Clarke Moore, a theologian from New York City. Others say that it was written by Henry Livingston, Jr., a poet from Upstate New York.

62 Half: Prefix : HEMI-

Ever wonder what the difference is between the prefixes “hemi-”, “demi-” and “semi-”, all of which mean “half”? Well, the general observation is that words using the “demi-” prefix date back to the days of Norman influence over the English language. As a result, “demi-” turns up in the world of period costume and coats of arms. Words using “hemi-” tend to have Greek roots, and are prevalent in the world of the sciences and the medical field. Words with “semi-” tend to have Latin roots, and are most often found in music and the arts, and mathematics.

64 Dreidel, e.g. : TOP

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

68 Medicare section that covers prescription drugs : PART D

Medicare is divided into four parts:

  • A: Hospital Insurance
  • B: Medical Insurance
  • C: Medicare Advantage Plans
  • D: Prescription Drug Plans

70 Like some old-money Americans : WASPY

The not-so-nice acronym “WASP” stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. The term is used for Americans with a relatively high position in society, and who are usually of British descent.

73 Grammy-nominated Amos : TORI

Tori Amos is an American pianist and singer. She started playing the piano at two years old, and was composing piano pieces by age five. Amos was playing in piano bars (chaperoned by her father) when she was 14. I’m going to have to find some of her music …

80 Part of PRNDL : PARK

PRNDL … that would be Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Low. The gear shift for an automatic transmission is sometimes known familiarly as the “prindle” stick, from the abbreviation PRNDL.

83 How March may be written : THREE

March is the third month in our Gregorian calendar. It takes its name from the Latin “Martius”, which was the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. In turn, Martius was named for Mars, the Roman god of war.

85 Syd tha ___, onetime hip-hop moniker : KYD

“Syd” (also “Syd tha Kyd”) is the stage name of rapper Sydney Loren Bennett.

86 Some fall weather attire : FLANNELS

Flannel is a fabric, originally woven using worsted wool, and nowadays mainly using regular wool, cotton or a synthetic fiber. The softness of flannel makes it ideal for blankets, bed sheets and sleepwear.

87 ___ pants : CAMO

Our word “camouflage” (often abbreviated to “camo”) evolved directly from a Parisian slang term “camoufler” meaning “to disguise”. The term was first used in WWI, although the British navy at that time preferred the expression “dazzle-painting” as it applied to the pattern painted on the hulls of ships.

92 They must be avoided at all times : TABOOS

The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

99 Fits, as matryoshka dolls : NESTS

Matryoshka dolls are those wooden nesting dolls that are on sale at every tourist trap across Russia. “Matryoshka” is Russian for “little matron”.

100 Big inits. in home security : ADT

ADT is a home and small-business security company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The company was founded back in 1874 by Edward Calahan. Calahan invented the stock ticker several years earlier, and ran the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company. Calahan was awoken one morning by the sound of a burglar in his house, and so he decided to develop a telegraph-based security alarm system. The success of the system led to the founding of American District Telegraph, later known as ADT.

102 Nightmarish address, for short : 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.

103 Slangy thing that may be “dropped” in a serious relationship : L-BOMB

In modern parlance, the “L-bomb” would be the word “love”.

105 Spot for Golden State estates : NAPA

The first commercial winery in Napa Valley, California was established way back in 1858. However, premium wine production only dates back to the 1960s, with the region really hitting the big time after its success at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. The story of that famous blind wine tasting is told in the entertaining 2008 film “Bottle Shock”.

“Golden State” has been the official nickname of California since 1968. The nickname reflects the expansion of the state’s economy that followed the discovery of gold in 1848, and also the fields of golden poppies seen growing wild across California in the spring.

106 U.N. member classified as a sultanate : OMAN

Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman is a monarchy, and the official name of the state is the Sultanate of Oman. All of the country’s legislative, executive and judiciary power resides with the hereditary sultan.

114 It’s designed to catch bugs : WEB

The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.

115 Doin’ just fine : 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.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Concerning sights at beaches : FINS
5 Badly : ILL
8 Catherine O’Hara’s role on “Schitt’s Creek” : MOIRA
13 Get in the loop? : LASSO
18 Smart ___ : ALEC
19 Regard : DEEM
21 Regarding : ABOUT
22 “Gotcha,” more informally : I’M HIP
23 A lover of gossip, the Netflix user … : … SHARES AN ACCOUNT
26 Savage : BEAST
27 Actor Channing : TATUM
28 Defense of a history paper? : FORTRESS
29 Andy who voiced Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” : SERKIS
30 Goal of some criminal justice advocacy groups : NO BAIL
32 Honey : BOO
33 Flower cultivated by the Aztecs : DAHLIA
35 Like a dream scenario : IDEAL
37 “Bodak Yellow” rapper ___ B : CARDI
39 Farm share inits. : CSA
41 The smoothie bar worker … : … HAS ALL THE JUICY DETAILS
49 Food thickener : AGAR
50 Ending with book or boor : -ISH
51 Home of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi : IRAN
52 Hang loose : DANGLE
53 Proportion : RATIO
55 Cretan-born painter who was a leader of the Spanish Renaissance : EL GRECO
58 Antianxiety drug with a palindromic name : XANAX
59 The Boston Harbor worker … : … SPILLS THE TEA
63 Denim jacket adornment : PATCH
65 Farm female : HEN
66 Assembly kit piece : DOWEL
67 “Woot woot!” : YAHOO!
68 Print maker : PAW
71 Clock-changing time, for daylight saving time : TWO AM
72 The cooking show contestant … : … STIRS UP DRAMA
76 “___ bleu!” : SACRE
79 Draws out : SIPHONS
81 Currency exchange option : EUROS
82 ___ Questionnaire, character assessment that might ask “What is your idea of perfect happiness?” : PROUST
84 Plane prefix : AERO-
85 Big name in wings : KFC
88 Words after break or shake : … IT UP
89 The athlete in the locker room … : … AIRS THEIR DIRTY LAUNDRY
94 “___ is never finished, only abandoned”: Leonardo da Vinci : ART
95 Puts in order : RANKS
96 New York City’s mayor after de Blasio : ADAMS
97 Auction actions : OFFERS
99 Bag : NAB
101 Useless : NO HELP
105 Small lump : NODULE
107 Wash with a spray : HOSE DOWN
111 Sneeze guard? : ELBOW
113 ___ acid : AMINO
114 And the up-and-coming trial judge … : … WANTS TO HEAR MORE
116 Red animal in the 2022 Pixar film “Turning Red” : PANDA
117 Home of the rides Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure : EPCOT
118 Big name in party cups : SOLO
119 “Peter Pan” pirate : SMEE
120 Teenage torment : ANGST
121 Toots : BEEPS
122 “That’s a big ___” : ASK
123 Baking soda unit: Abbr. : TBSP

Down

1 What many do during Ramadan and Yom Kippur : FAST
2 Representative Omar : ILHAN
3 “Suh-weet!” : NEATO!
4 Second- or third-stringer : SCRUB
5 Things that may be checked at the door, for short : IDS
6 Handouts at some protests : LEAFLETS
7 Former “Tonight Show” host : LENO
8 Econ subfield : MACRO
9 It’s used to tune an orchestra : OBOE
10 Money promises : IOUS
11 Gets fully depleted : RUNS DRY
12 Football box score abbr. : ATT
13 Print issue? : LIBEL
14 Best-selling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel whose protagonist leaves Nigeria for a U.S. university : AMERICANAH
15 “Hang loose” hand gesture : SHAKA SIGN
16 Avid assent in Acapulco : SI! SI!
17 Goes (for) : OPTS
20 High-end countertop choice : MARBLE
24 Communicate with, in a way : EMAIL
25 Silicon Valley exec : CTO
29 Drew away : SHIED
31 Savory rice cake of southern India : IDLI
34 Chime in : ADD
36 “That feels good!” : AHH!
37 One-named collaborator with Missy Elliott on “1, 2 Step” and “Lose Control” : CIARA
38 Teenage torment : ACNE
40 Penne ___ vodka : ALLA
41 Tough : HARSH
42 Clearly stunned : AGAPE
43 Audited a class, perhaps : SAT IN
44 Edible piece from a pomegranate : ARIL
45 Suddenly say “I don’t” to, say : JILT
46 Push : URGE
47 Auditing guideline : TAX CODE
48 Dr. Ruth’s field : SEX
54 Where Wells Fargo got its start : OLD WEST
55 Delicacy with kabayaki sauce : EEL
56 47-Down experts, for short : CPAS
57 Home of Wheeler Army Airfield : OAHU
60 Phillipa of Broadway’s “Hamilton” : SOO
61 What comes before the night before Christmas? : ‘TWAS
62 Half: Prefix : HEMI-
64 Dreidel, e.g. : TOP
67 Times of one’s life: Abbr. : YRS
68 Medicare section that covers prescription drugs : PART D
69 Francophile’s love : AMOUR
70 Like some old-money Americans : WASPY
71 Some sources of old money : TRUST FUNDS
72 Loses layers : SHEDS
73 Grammy-nominated Amos : TORI
74 “___ out?” (question to a pet) : IN OR
75 Bankrupt, say : RUIN
76 Destination for a “Treat yourself” day : SPA
77 Opera highlight : ARIA
78 Wearing down : CORRODING
80 Part of PRNDL : PARK
83 How March may be written : THREE
85 Syd tha ___, onetime hip-hop moniker : KYD
86 Some fall weather attire : FLANNELS
87 ___ pants : CAMO
90 Musical skill : EAR
91 Fit : IN SHAPE
92 They must be avoided at all times : TABOOS
93 Welcome, with “in” : USHER …
98 Ice cream treat : FLOAT
99 Fits, as matryoshka dolls : NESTS
100 Big inits. in home security : ADT
102 Nightmarish address, for short : ELM ST
103 Slangy thing that may be “dropped” in a serious relationship : L-BOMB
104 Sweat spots : PORES
105 Spot for Golden State estates : NAPA
106 U.N. member classified as a sultanate : OMAN
108 In times past : ONCE
109 Subway map dot : STOP
110 “No way!” : WHOA!
112 Mourn, maybe : WEEP
114 It’s designed to catch bugs : WEB
115 Doin’ just fine : A-OK