LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Jul 2018, Sunday

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Constructed by: Roger & Kathy Wienberg
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Antics

Themed answers are common phrases with the letter string ANT inserted:

  • 23A. Polite but unyielding statement? : MADAM, I’M ADAMANT (from “Madam, I’m Adam”)
  • 33A. Caulking crew? : SEALANT TEAM (from “SEAL team”)
  • 37A. Building where things are taken back? : RECANT CENTER (from “rec center”)
  • 52A. Sign on an available boutique? : SHOP VACANT (from “shop vac”)
  • 67A. Serf surrounded by whales? : PEASANT IN A POD (from “peas in a pod”)
  • 87A. Fort Bragg lodger? : BASE TENANT (from “base ten”)
  • 99A. Director Oliver to the rescue? : GALLANT STONE (from “gallstone”)
  • 101A. Never-used part of the house? : DORMANT ROOM (from “dorm room”)
  • 118A. Godzilla and friends solemnly recite? : MONSTERS INCANT (from “Monsters, Inc.”)

Bill’s time: 14m 47s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4. Agnus __ : DEI

“Agnus Dei” is Latin for “Lamb of God”, a term used in Christian faiths for Jesus Christ, symbolizing his role as a sacrificial offering to atone for the sins of man.

7. Rustic dwelling : A-FRAME

An A-frame house is one that has a steeply-angled roof, one forming the shape of the letter “A”. The A-frame design is popular in snowy regions, as the roof is so steeply pitched that it does not collect snow.

13. Using a passport, say : ABROAD

As a result of a League of Nations conference in 1920, passports are usually written in French and one other language. French was specified back then as it was deemed the language of diplomacy. US passports use French and English, given that English is the nation’s de facto national language. Spanish was added as a language for US passports in the late nineties in recognition of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico.

19. Newman song that mentions Santa Ana winds : I LOVE LA

“I Love L.A.” is a song written and recorded by Randy Newman in 1983. The song is played at major sporting events in the city, after the home team scores or wins.

23. Polite but unyielding statement? : MADAM, I’M ADAMANT (from “Madam, I’m Adam”)

The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:

  • Able was I ere I saw Elba
  • A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
  • Madam, I’m Adam

One of my favorite words is “Aibohphobia”, although it doesn’t appear in the dictionary and is a joke term. “Aibohphobia” is a great way to describe a fear of palindromes, by creating a palindrome out of the suffix “-phobia”.

26. Petroleum source : SHALE

Shale oil can be extracted from oil shale (!), although the extraction process is more expensive than that used to produce crude oil.

27. Legendary rock guitarist : BECK

In 2015, “Rolling Stone” magazine compiled a list of their 100 Greatest Guitarists. The top five are:

  1. Jimi Hendrix
  2. Eric Clapton
  3. Jimmy Page
  4. Keith Richards
  5. Jeff Beck

28. 2018 Pyeongchang org. : IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894, and has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Pyeongchang is a county in the Gangwon province of South Korea. Pyeongchang was host of the 2013 Winter Special Olympics, and is scheduled to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

30. Author Ferber : EDNA

Edna Ferber was a novelist and playwright from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Ferber won a Pulitzer for her novel “So Big”, which was made into a film a few times, most famously in 1953 starring Jane Wyman. Ferber also wrote “Show Boat”, “Cimarron” and “Giant”, which were adapted successfully for the stage and/or big screen.

31. Bolt of lightning? : USAIN

Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who won the 100m and 200m race gold medals in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Back in Jamaica, Bolt was really into cricket, and probably would have been a very successful fast bowler had he not hit the track instead.

33. Caulking crew? : SEALANT TEAM (from “SEAL team”)

“SEAL” is an acronym used by the US Navy’s SEa, Air and Land teams. The SEALs were born out of the Navy’s special warfare groups from WWII, like the Underwater Demolition Teams and the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons. The Navy SEAL unit was established soon after President Kennedy’s famous speech in which he announced the plan to put a man on the moon, as in the same speech the president allocated $100m of funding to strengthen special operations forces. The Navy used some of this money to set up guerrilla and counter-guerrilla units, which soon became the SEALs.

The term “caulk” comes from old Norman French “cauquer”, and described the action of filling gaps with lime. “Caulk” has the same root as our word “chalk”.

37. Building where things are taken back? : RECANT CENTER (from “rec center”)

Our term “to recant”, meaning “to retract, take back” comes directly from the Latin “recantare”, which has the same meaning. In turn, “recantare” derives from “re-” (back) and “cantare” (to chant).

44. Major arteries : AORTAS

The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

49. Seed cover : 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.

55. Braun competitor : NORELCO

Norelco is a brand of shavers and personal care products made by Philips. The brand name was introduced as the company was barred from using “Philips” in the US in the early 1940s. The name Norelco was chosen as an acronym for “NOR-th American Philips EL-ectrical CO-mpany.

Braun is a manufacturer of consumer goods based in Kronberg, Germany.

57. Director DuVernay : AVA

Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker who became the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a feat she achieved in 2012 for her feature film “Middle of Nowhere”. “Middle of Nowhere” tells the story of a woman who drops out of medical school to focus on husband when he is sentenced to 8 years in prison. DuVernay also directed the 2014 film “Selma” about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

61. __-Cat : SNO

The brand name “Sno-Cat” is owned by the Tucker company. All snowcats are tracked vehicles built to work in snow, and are famously used in expeditions to the polar regions. The modern Sno-Cat from Tucker differs from its competitors in that it has four independently-mounted tracks.

67. Serf surrounded by whales? : PEASANT IN A POD (from “peas in a pod”)

A serf was a member of the lowest feudal class, someone attached to land owned by a lord. “Serf” comes from the Latin “servus”, meaning “slave”.

71. Leaves painfully : JILTS

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”.

75. Wonder’s “My Cherie __” : AMOUR

Stevie Wonder wrote “My Cherie Amour” way back in 1966, but it wasn’t released until 1969. The song tells of Stevie’s infatuation with a real woman that he encountered in the Michigan School for the Blind.

77. Chemicals giant : DOW

Dow Chemical Company was founded back in 1897 by a chemist called Herbert Henry Dow, and initially manufactured and sold bleach and potassium bromide. Dow is now the second-largest chemical manufacturer in the world according to revenue, second only to the German company BASF.

80. Colorful fish : OPAH

“Opah” is the more correct name for the fish also known as the sunfish, moonfish or Jerusalem haddock. I’ve seen one in the Monterey Aquarium. It is one huge fish …

81. Levee : DIKE

A dike is an embankment that is used to prevent floods. It is usually made of earth and rock.

A levee is an artificial bank, usually made of earth, running along the length of a river. A levee is designed to hold back river water at a time of potential flooding. “Levée” is the French word for “raised” and is an American term that originated in French-speaking New Orleans around 1720.

83. Org. that often strikes : PBA

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)

85. Holiday candle holder : MENORAH

There is a seven-branched menorah used symbolically in ancient temples. However, the Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched lampstand that is lit during the eight-day holiday called Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. “Menorah” is the Hebrew word for “lamp”.

87. Fort Bragg lodger? : BASE TENANT (from “base ten”)

Our base-10 numeral system is also known as the decimal (sometimes “denary”) numeral system. Another common numeral system is base-2, which is also known as the binary system.

Fort Bragg in North Carolina is a very large Army installation that covers over 250 square miles. The base is named for General Braxton Bragg, the native North Carolinian who commanded the Confederate Army forces during the Civil War.

90. Crèche figure : ANGEL

In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also “crèche”) is a display of representing the the scene of the birth of Jesus. Nativity scenes might be subjects for paintings, for example, although the term is usually used for seasonal displays associated with the Christmas season.

94. Avis rival : DOLLAR

Dollar Rent A Car was founded in 1965. Chrysler acquired the company in 1990 and merged it with Thrifty Car Rental, which Chrysler had purchased a year earlier.

96. Former Disney CEO : EISNER

Michael Eisner took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 1984. Eisner has been attributed with turning Disney around, as the company was floundering really since 1966 when Walt Disney died. Eisner had a good run, but ran foul of Walt Disney’s nephew Roy Disney who led a boardroom revolt that resulted in Eisner’s resignation in 2005.

99. Director Oliver to the rescue? : GALLANT STONE (from “gallstone”)

Oliver Stone came to prominence as a film director in the 1980s when he came out with a string of war films such as “Salvador”, “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July”. Stone dropped out of Yale University in the sixties and spent six months in South Vietnam teaching English. A few years later he signed up with the US Army and requested combat duty in South Vietnam and completed a 15-month tour. His movie “Platoon” is a semi-autobiographical account of his experiences during the Vietnam War.

Gallstones form in the gallbladder, and are made up from chemicals found in bile. A gallbladder attack occurs when a gallstone is large enough block a bile duct.

106. It’s stunning : TASER

Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon partly named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym “TASER” stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

107. Denny’s competitor : IHOP

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

Denny’s was the first restaurant I ate at on my initial visit to the US many moons ago. I thought I was in heaven. I’ve changed my opinion a little since then! Denny’s is famous for being “always open” (almost), something that blew my mind as a visitor from Ireland back in 1980. Denny’s was founded in 1953 in Lakewood, California, and originally went by the name “Denny’s Donuts”. The enduring Grand Slam breakfast has been on the menu since 1977.

111. Capital of France : EUROS

The euro sign (€) looks like a letter C, but with two horizontal lines drawn across the middle. Inspiration for the design comes from the Greek letter epsilon.

118. Godzilla and friends solemnly recite? : MONSTERS INCANT (from “Monsters, Inc.”)

The animated feature “Monsters, Inc.” was released in 2001, and was Pixar’s fourth full-length movie. It’s about cute monsters, and that’s all I know other than that the voice cast included the likes of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi.

The terrifying monster Godzilla is a Japanese invention. The first in a very long series of “Godzilla” films was released way back in 1954. The original name in Japanese was “Gojira”, but this was changed to Godzilla for audiences outside of Japan. “Gojira” is a combination of “gorira” and “kujira”, the Japanese words for gorilla and whale, apt because Godzilla is a big ape-like creature that came out of the deep.

123. Taft-Hartley Act subject : UNIONS

The 1947 Taft-Hartley Act takes its name from the original bill’s sponsors, Senator Robert Taft and Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr. The act is still in force and deals with monitoring of the activities of labor unions. The bill only came into effect after Congress managed to override the veto of President Harry S. Truman.

124. Prurient material : EROTICA

Someone described as “prurient” has an extreme interest in sexual matters. Back in the 1600s, “prurient” meant “to have an itch”. Today the meaning is limited to “to have an itching desire”.

128. Iditarod segment : LEG

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers an incredible 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. Finishing times range from over 8 days, to 15 days or more. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

Down

4. Land adjoining a manor house : DEMESNE

All of the land owned and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system was called “the demesne”. The demesne did not include land owned by the lord that was managed by tenants.

5. Wearer of a “Y” sweatshirt : ELI

Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

6. Like most sonnets : IAMBIC

An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” consists of lines made up of four sequential iambs e.g. “Whose woods / these are / I think / I know”. With a sequence of four iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic tetrameter.

A sonnet is a short poem with varying rhyming schemes but always with 14 lines. The sonnet form has been around at least since the 13th century. The Shakespearean sonnet, for example, is composed of three quatrains (4 lines) and a final couplet (2 lines).

7. “High Voltage” band : AC/DC

The hard rock band AC/DC recorded two albums titled “High Voltage”. The first was released in 1975, only in their native Australia. The second was released in 1976, but this version of “High Voltage” was marketed internationally. The second album bears little resemblance to the first.

8. Criticism : FLAK

“Flak” was originally an acronym standing for the German term for an aircraft defense cannon (FLiegerAbwehrKanone). “Flak” then became used in English as a general term for antiaircraft fire, and ultimately a term for verbal criticism as in “to take flak”.

10. Doc bloc : AMA

American Medical Association (AMA)

11. Wrestle suffix : -MANIA

“WrestleMania” is a pay-per-view professional wrestling event that was first produced in 1985. I really don’t do wrestling …

15. Triple Crown venues : RACETRACKS

The US Triple Crown horse races are, in order through the year:

  1. The Kentucky Derby
  2. The Preakness Stakes
  3. The Belmont Stakes

16. Rust, for example : OXIDE

Rust is iron oxide. Rust forms when iron oxidizes, reacts with oxygen.

17. Insurance giant : AETNA

When the healthcare management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mount Etna, the Italian volcano.

24. Defender of Troy : AENEAS

Aeneas was a Trojan hero of myth who traveled to Italy and became the ancestor of all Romans. Aeneas’s story is told in Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid”.

29. Cocktail hour nibble : CANAPE

A canapé is a finger food, something small enough to eat in just one bite. In French, “canapé” is actually the word for a couch or a sofa. The name was given to the snack as the original canapés were savories served on toasted or stale bread that supposedly resembled a tiny couch.

32. Embassy employee : ATTACHE

“Attaché” is a French term which literally means “attached”, and is used for a person who is assigned to the administrative staff of some agency or other service. The term is most recognized as it applies to someone assigned to an Ambassador’s staff at an embassy. The word was extended to “attaché case” at the beginning of the twentieth century, meaning a leather case used for carrying papers. I guess that an attache case might be “attached” to an attaché at an embassy …

35. Brazen : NERVY

Someone described as brazen might also be described as shameless. The term “brazen” comes from the Middle English “brasen” meaning “made of brass”. The suggestion is that a shameless person has a hardened, brass-like face.

36. Fictional Civil War novel setting : TARA

In Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone with the Wind”, Scarlett O’Hara’s home is the Tara plantation. Tara was founded not far from the Georgia city of Jonesboro by Scarlett’s father, Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara. Gerald won the square mile of land on which Tara was built in an all-night poker game. He named his new abode after the Hill of Tara back in his home country, the ancient seat of the High King of Ireland. Rhett’s rival for the affections of Scarlet is Ashley Wilkes who lives at the nearby Twelve Oaks plantation.

37. Colorful horses : ROANS

A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

38. Ill-fated Houston company : ENRON

After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow’s wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).

39. Capital on the Nile : CAIRO

Cairo is the capital city of Egypt. It is nicknamed “The City of a Thousand Minarets” because of its impressive skyline replete with Islamic architecture. The name “Cairo” is a European corruption of the city’s original name in Arabic, “Al-Qahira”.

40. Mardi Gras acronym : NOLA

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana has the nickname “The Big Easy”. This name might come from the early 1900s when musicians found it relatively “easy” to find work there. The city is also known by the acronym NOLA, standing for New Orleans (NO), LA.

“Mardi Gras” translates from French as “Fat Tuesday”, and gets its name from the practice of eating rich foods on the eve of the fasting season known as Lent. Lent starts on the next day, called Ash Wednesday.

41. Two-time British Open champ : TREVINO

Lee Trevino is an American golfer of Mexican descent, and so has the nicknames “The Merry Mex” and “Supermex”. He is well known for his great sense of humor and for playing pranks on the golf course. For many years, Trevino wore a Band-Aid on his arm while playing, covering the tattoo with the name of his ex-wife.

47. Civil War soldier : YANK

During the Civil War, the personification of the Southern states was “Johnny Reb”. The northern equivalent was “Billy Yank”.

48. Dagger of yore : SNEE

A “snee” is a type of dagger formerly used by Scottish highlanders.

51. New Rochelle campus : IONA

Iona College is a Roman Catholic school run by Christian Brothers in New Rochelle, New York. The school’s sports teams are called the Iona Gaels, and the team mascot goes by the name Killian.

53. Caribbean sorcery : OBEAH

“Obeah” is a West Indian term that describes the folk magic practiced in many of the Caribbean islands.

54. Fictional newsman Baxter : TED

Ted Knight was the actor best known for playing the slow-witted news anchor Ted Baxter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. Knight’s most famous role on the big screen was Judge Elihu Smails in the 1980 comedy “Caddyshack”.

63. Japanese seaport : OSAKA

The Japanese city of Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka sometime before 1500. “Osaka” can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”. Osaka is sometimes referred to as “the Chicago of Japan” as it is a major center of commerce and industry. The city has also been named the “nation’s kitchen”, and was a center for Japan’s rice trade for centuries.

66. Gulf between Yemen and Somalia : ADEN

The Gulf of Aden is the body of water that lies south of the Red Sea, and just north of the Horn of Africa.

69. Apple or pear : POME

The Latin word for “fruit” is “pomum”, which gives us the botanical term “pome” that is used for a group of fleshy fruits, including apples and pears.

72. Tech debut of 2010 : IPAD

The iPad isn’t Apple’s first foray into the world of tablet computing. Apple created great buzz by introducing the Newton MessagePad way back in 1993. This innovative machine was fraught with problems and really died a very slow death, finally being withdrawn from the market in 1998.

74. Shakespeare play featuring Ariel : THE TEMPEST

Ariel is a spirit, and a character who appears in William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and who becomes a servant of the magician Prospero. Ariel was actually viewed as a male character when the play was first staged, and the text of the play supports this assumption. Many believe that the part was originally played by a boy actor, and over time the tendency has been to use female actors, but not exclusively.

77. Clog clearer : DRANO

To clean out drains we might buy Crystal Drano, which is sodium hydroxide (lye) mixed with sodium nitrate, sodium chloride (table salt) and aluminum. The contents of Drano work in concert to clear the clog. The lye reacts with any fats creating soap which may be enough to break up the clog. Also, the finely-divided aluminum reacts with the lye generating hydrogen gas that churns the mixture. Any hair or fibers are cut by the sharp edges of the nitrate and chloride crystals. Having said all that, I find that boiling water poured down the drain quite often does the job …

79. “__ Everybody Knows Your Name”: “Cheers” theme song : WHERE

“Where Everybody Knows Your Name” is the theme song from the hit sitcom “Cheers” that originally aired in the eighties and nineties. The theme was co-written and performed by Gary Portnoy. It was voted the best TV theme of all time in a 2011 “Rolling Stone” readers poll, and again by the editors of “TV Guide” magazine in 2013.

84. Compulsively neat, say : ANAL

The use of the word “anal” to mean “stiffly conventional” is an abbreviated form of “anal-retentive”, a term derived from Freudian psychology. Regardless, I’m not a big fan of the term …

89. Neighbor of Ghana : TOGO

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.

The country name “Ghana” translates as “warrior king” in the local language. The British established a colony they called Gold Coast in 1874, later to become Ghana, as part of the scramble by Europeans to settle as much of Africa as they could. One of Ghana’s most famous sons is Kofi Annan, the diplomat who served as General Secretary of the UN for ten years until the beginning of 2007.

95. Fast flight : LAM

97. Understanding words : I SEE NOW

100. Egypt’s second president : NASSER

Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second president of Egypt, and was in office from 1956 until he died in 1970. He stood alongside Muhammad Naguib, Egypt’s first president, during the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 that overthrew the ruling monarchy of Egypt and Sudan. Nasser was an advocate of Pan-Arabism, an ideology promoting unification of Arab peoples and countries. President Nasser went so far as forming the United Arab Republic (UAR), a union between Egypt and Syria that started in 1958 but fell apart in 1961 when Syria withdrew.

102. Chicago hub : O’HARE

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which derives from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field.

104. Victim of Romulus : REMUS

According to tradition, Rome was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. The pair had a heated argument about who should be allowed to name the city and Romulus hit Remus with a shovel, killing him. And so, “Rome” was born, perhaps instead of “Reme”!

105. Atmospheric layer : OZONE

109. 5 for B or 6 for C : AT NO

Boron is the chemical element with the atomic number of 5 and symbol B. It lies over to the right in Group 13 of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Uncombined, elemental boron is not found naturally on Earth. The boron that is mined is found in oxide form, not as uncombined boron.

The chemical element carbon has the symbol “C” and the atomic number of 6. Pure carbon exists in several physical forms, including graphite and diamond.

110. Jerry in the NBA logo : WEST

Jerry West is a retired basketball player who played for 14 years with the LA Lakers. One of West’s nicknames is “The Logo”, as it is his silhouette that is used in the famous NBA logo.

114. Unaccompanied : STAG

Back where I come from, bachelor parties are called stag parties, and bachelorette parties are known as hen parties.

119. Squelch : NIX

The use of “nix” as a verb, meaning “to shoot down”, dates back to the early 1900s. Before that “nix” was just a noun meaning “nothing”. “Nix” comes from the German “nichts”, which also means “nothing”.

121. Novelist Levin : IRA

As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Crunch beneficiaries : ABS
4. Agnus __ : DEI
7. Rustic dwelling : A-FRAME
13. Using a passport, say : ABROAD
19. Newman song that mentions Santa Ana winds : I LOVE LA
21. Decisive point : CLIMAX
22. Persuasive sort : COAXER
23. Polite but unyielding statement? : MADAM, I’M ADAMANT (from “Madam, I’m Adam”)
25. Stimulate : EXCITE
26. Petroleum source : SHALE
27. Legendary rock guitarist : BECK
28. 2018 Pyeongchang org. : IOC
30. Author Ferber : EDNA
31. Bolt of lightning? : USAIN
33. Caulking crew? : SEALANT TEAM (from “SEAL team”)
37. Building where things are taken back? : RECANT CENTER (from “rec center”)
42. Within reach : NEAR
43. How some dares are made : ON A BET
44. Major arteries : AORTAS
46. Impressive groupings : ARRAYS
49. Seed cover : ARIL
50. Flier’s choice : AISLE
52. Sign on an available boutique? : SHOP VACANT (from “shop vac”)
55. Braun competitor : NORELCO
57. Director DuVernay : AVA
59. Comply : OBEY
60. Joint for jumping : KNEE
61. __-Cat : SNO
62. “Yikes!” : OH NO
64. Empathetic comment : I CARE
66. More than wondered : ASKED
67. Serf surrounded by whales? : PEASANT IN A POD (from “peas in a pod”)
71. Leaves painfully : JILTS
75. Wonder’s “My Cherie __” : AMOUR
76. __ game : HOME
77. Chemicals giant : DOW
80. Colorful fish : OPAH
81. Levee : DIKE
83. Org. that often strikes : PBA
85. Holiday candle holder : MENORAH
87. Fort Bragg lodger? : BASE TENANT (from “base ten”)
90. Crèche figure : ANGEL
92. Swelter : BAKE
93. Bit of information : DETAIL
94. Avis rival : DOLLAR
96. Former Disney CEO : EISNER
98. One of a cube’s 12 : EDGE
99. Director Oliver to the rescue? : GALLANT STONE (from “gallstone”)
101. Never-used part of the house? : DORMANT ROOM (from “dorm room”)
106. It’s stunning : TASER
107. Denny’s competitor : IHOP
108. “__ who?” : SEZ
109. Bowls over : AWES
111. Capital of France : EUROS
115. Recovered from a knockout : CAME TO
118. Godzilla and friends solemnly recite? : MONSTERS INCANT (from “Monsters, Inc.”)
122. Did away with : ERASED
123. Taft-Hartley Act subject : UNIONS
124. Prurient material : EROTICA
125. Dinged : DENTED
126. One who’s really hot : SEXPOT
127. Inexperienced : RAW
128. Iditarod segment : LEG

Down

1. Zeroes in : AIMS
2. Uninspired : BLAH
3. Common mixer : SODA
4. Land adjoining a manor house : DEMESNE
5. Wearer of a “Y” sweatshirt : ELI
6. Like most sonnets : IAMBIC
7. “High Voltage” band : AC/DC
8. Criticism : FLAK
9. Canyon part : RIM
10. Doc bloc : AMA
11. Wrestle suffix : -MANIA
12. Laud : EXTOL
13. Untouched serve : ACE
14. A penalty may be served in one : BOX
15. Triple Crown venues : RACETRACKS
16. Rust, for example : OXIDE
17. Insurance giant : AETNA
18. Fantasy : DREAM
20. Highly prized : VALUABLE
24. Defender of Troy : AENEAS
29. Cocktail hour nibble : CANAPE
32. Embassy employee : ATTACHE
33. Arrange dinnerware on : SET
34. Time spans : ERAS
35. Brazen : NERVY
36. Fictional Civil War novel setting : TARA
37. Colorful horses : ROANS
38. Ill-fated Houston company : ENRON
39. Capital on the Nile : CAIRO
40. Mardi Gras acronym : NOLA
41. Two-time British Open champ : TREVINO
45. Fleeced : SHORN
47. Civil War soldier : YANK
48. Dagger of yore : SNEE
51. New Rochelle campus : IONA
53. Caribbean sorcery : OBEAH
54. Fictional newsman Baxter : TED
56. Cuts short : LOPS
58. Cause trouble : ACT UP
63. Japanese seaport : OSAKA
65. Shot that misses everything : AIR BALL
66. Gulf between Yemen and Somalia : ADEN
68. Tweak, perhaps : AMEND
69. Apple or pear : POME
70. Dishes from a “station” : OMELETS
71. Assignment : JOB
72. Tech debut of 2010 : IPAD
73. Operate using a beam : LASE
74. Shakespeare play featuring Ariel : THE TEMPEST
77. Clog clearer : DRANO
78. Like some buckets : OAKEN
79. “__ Everybody Knows Your Name”: “Cheers” theme song : WHERE
81. Stoop : DEIGN
82. Bays, e.g. : INLETS
84. Compulsively neat, say : ANAL
86. Hamper : OBSTRUCT
88. Cry with a flourish : TA-DA!
89. Neighbor of Ghana : TOGO
91. Kitchen gadget : GRATER
95. Fast flight : LAM
97. Understanding words : I SEE NOW
100. Egypt’s second president : NASSER
101. Cut into cubes : DICED
102. Chicago hub : O’HARE
103. Type of numeral : ROMAN
104. Victim of Romulus : REMUS
105. Atmospheric layer : OZONE
109. 5 for B or 6 for C : AT NO
110. Jerry in the NBA logo : WEST
112. Complain : RAIL
113. Previously : ONCE
114. Unaccompanied : STAG
116. Kickoff aid : TEE
117. Abnormal : ODD
119. Squelch : NIX
120. Sponge (up) : SOP
121. Novelist Levin : IRA

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