Category: Alan Olschwang

Frequently Asked Question: Why isn’t the puzzle in my paper the same as the one shown on your blog?
If the puzzle in your paper doesn’t match the one that I solved, it is probably a Sunday crossword. On Sundays, the “LA Times” chooses to publish Merl Reagle’s excellent crossword, and not their own “LA Times” Crossword. The “LA Times” puzzle is still sent out in syndication, and is also published in the “LA Times” online. I’ve been asked to blog about Merl Reagle’s crossword, but frankly I don’t have the time. Sunday puzzles have lots of clues!

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Bar stock RYES
For whiskey to be labelled as “rye” in the US, it has to be distilled from at least 51% rye grain. In Canada however, a drink called rye whiskey sometimes contains no rye at all.

9. Student of Socrates PLATO
Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician. He was a student of the equally famous and respected Socrates, and Plato in turn was the teacher and mentor of the celebrated Aristotle.

20. Cowboy quarterback Tony ROMO
Tony Romo is a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is also an avid amateur golfer and has even tried (unsuccessfully) to qualify for the US Open golf championship.

21. Red River capital HANOI
Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City.

22. Botanical 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 aids in the dispersion of the seeds.

26. Small monkey TITI
Titis are monkeys found in much of South America. Totis have tails that are a little bit longer than the length of their heads and bodies.

28. Fill fully SATE
“Sate” is a variant of the earlier word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

31. Schooner drivers SAILS
By definition, a schooner is sailing vessel with two or more masts, but one on which the foremast is shorter than the rear mast(s).

35. Red in a cellar MERLOT
Merlot is one of the main grapes used to make Bordeaux wines, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

45. Follow the proverbial crowd? VENTURE FOURTH (from “venture forth”)
Two’s company, three’s a crowd, and four’s way over the top …

52. ’70s Israeli prime minister MEIR
Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before the term 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.

55. Seuss’s “The 5000 Fingers of ___” DR T
“The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.” is a 1953 film written by Dr Seuss, the only film that he ever wrote.

56. Indic language URDU
Urdu is one of the two official languages of Pakistan (the other being English), and is one of 22 scheduled languages in India. Urdu partly developed from Persian and is written from right to left.

61. “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” author STEIN
Gertrude Stein was a great American writer who spent most of her life in France. Gertrude Stein met Alice B. Toklas in Paris in 1907 and the two were life partners until Stein died in 1946. Cleverly, Stein published her own memoirs in 1933 but called the book “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas”. It was to become her best selling title.

62. High crime, briefly DUI
A DUI is a “high” crime in the sense that someone who is “high” is under the influence.

In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.

64. Frequent co-star of Sylvester TALIA
The actress Talia Shire is best-known for playing Rocky’s wife Adrian in the “Rocky” series of movies. She also played the daughter of Don Corleone in “The Godfather” films. Shire is the sister of movie director Francis Ford Coppola and the aunt of actor Nicolas Cage. Her son is the actor Jason Schwartzman.

66. Bust gp. DEA
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

71. Town boor in a western capital? SALEM’S LOUT (from “Salem’s Lot”)
Stephen King’s “’Salem’s Lot” was published in 1975, his second novel. It belongs to the horror genre, so you won’t catch me reading it. The title refers to the Maine town of Jerusalem’s Lot, or ‘Salem’s Lot for short. There’s an interesting story about the actual publication of the first edition. The intended price of $8.95 was changed at the last minute to $7.95, but not all the price changes were made before release. A few copies “escaped” with the dust cover marked $8.95, and they are now worth a lot of money. Go check your bookshelves …

Salem is the state capital of Oregon. It is thought that the city takes its name from the older city of Salem, Massachusetts.

73. __ de mer MAL
“Mal de mer” is French for “seasickness”.

76. Little, in Lille PEU
Lille is a large city in the very north of France sitting right on the border with Belgium. The name “Lille” is a derivation of the term “l’isle” meaning “the island”.

77. Activist Medgar EVERS
Medgar Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi who was assassinated by the Klu Klux Klan in 1963. A year after the murder, one Byron De La Beckwith was arrested and charged with the crime. Two trials failed to return a decision on Beckwith’s guilt as the juries, composed completely of white males, deadlocked both times. New evidence was unearthed some thirty years later so Beckwith could be retried and he was finally convicted of the murder in 1994. Back in 1963 Evers was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Evers had served in the US Army in France during WWII and left the military with the rank of sergeant.

85. His show had a “Jaywalking” segment 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 counsellor. 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 about 200 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website: www.jaylenosgarage.com.

88. Hindu honorific SRI
“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

89. Lanford Wilson’s “The __ Baltimore” HOT L
“The Hot l Baltimore” is a play by Lanford Wilson about the manager and residents of a dilapidated hotel in Baltimore. The play’s name comes from the establishment’s neon sign which is meant to read “Hotel Baltimore”, but the burnt-out “e” in “Hotel” was never replaced.

98. Cohort of Threepio ARTOO
Artoo’s proper name is R2-D2. R2-D2 is the smaller of the two famous droids from the “Star Wars” movies. British actor Kenny Baker, who stands just 3 ft 8 ins tall, has been the man inside the R2-D2 droid for all six of the “Star Wars” movies.

C-3PO, Threepio for short, is the “protocol droid” appearing in all six “Star Wars” movies.

99. Support for the Lone Ranger? SILVER
The Lone Ranger’s horse was named Silver.

“The Lone Ranger” was both a radio and television show, dating back to its first radio performance in 1933 on a Detroit station. The line “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” was a device used in the storyline to signal that a riding sequence was starting, so cue the music!

104. Leaves alone, in a way STETS
“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

107. Pelvic bones ILIA
The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.

109. Pouting grimace MOUE
The term “moue” comes from French, and means a small grimace or a pout.

116. Dial alternative LAVA
Lava is a brand of soap that was introduced as a heavy-duty cleanser in 1893. Unlike like soaps that are marketed using a “soft” image, Lava touts the inclusion of ground pumice that is intended to abrade grime off the skin. Pumice is found in certain types of lava ejected from a volcano, hence the name of the soap.

117. Prescription for extremely potent medicine? OUNCE IN A BLUE MOON (from “once in a blue moon”)
As there is a full moon once every four weeks, approximately monthly, there are usually twelve full moons in any given year. However, every 2-3 years, depending on the phase of the moon at the beginning of the calendar year, there may be a thirteenth full moon. The “extra” full moon is called a “blue moon”, although no one seems to really know why the term “blue” is used, as far as I can tell. Which of the thirteen full moons that is designated as the blue moon varies depending on tradition. My favorite definition is from the Farmer’s Almanac. It states that as each of the seasons normally has three full moons (twelve divided by the four seasons), then the season with four full moons is designated as “special”, then the THIRD (and not the fourth) full moon in that “special” season is the blue moon. Complicated, huh?

122. Alike, to Alain EGAL
“Egal” is the French word for “equal, alike”, and a word we sometimes use in English. The national motto of France is “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, meaning “Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood).

123. American of Japanese descent NISEI
There are some very specific terms used to describe the children born to Japanese immigrants in their new country. The immigrants themselves are known as “Issei”. “Nisei” are second generation Japanese, “Sansei” the third generation (grandchildren of the immigrant), and “Yonsei” are fourth generation.

124. Sailor’s direction ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

125. “The Gondoliers” lass TESSA
“The Gondoliers” is a delightful operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan, first performed in 1889 at the Savoy Theatre in London. Tessa is a maiden selected as a bride in a “line up” by one of the gondoliers. I last saw “The Gondoliers” decades ago, an amateur production in the small town where I was living at the time in Ireland. Great fun!

Down
2. 1979 disco hit YMCA
“YMCA” was released by Village People and has been adopted as an anthem by the gay community. The song was written by Victor Willis, a straight member of the mostly gay band, and he clarifies that the lyrics are extolling the virtues of the “YMCA” as a source of recreation for black urban youth. I think he might have been winking when he said that …

3. Odist’s deep black EBON
Ebony is another word for the color black (often shortened to “ebon” in poetry). Ebony is a dark black wood that is very dense, one of the few types of wood that sinks in water. Ebony has been in high demand so the species of trees yielding the wood are now considered threatened. It is in such short supply that unscrupulous vendors have been known to darken lighter woods with shoe polish to look like ebony, so be warned …

4. Vending machine tricker SLUG
A “slug” is a counterfeit coin that is used to trick a coin-operated machine. A slug might just be a metal blank, or another coin of lower value. I remember the “Austrian Schilling trick” that was used in the nineties in the UK. A counterfeiter simply glued two Austrian Schillings back-to-back, and these passed nicely as pound coins. Back then, that represented a 90% profit for the bad guy.

7. Thickly applied paint IMPASTO
“Impasto” is a painting technique in which a canvas is either partially or completely covered in a thick layer of paint in which the brush or painting-knife strokes are clearly visible. This texture results in a painting that appears to have paint coming out of the canvas. “Impasto” is an Italian word meaning “dough, mixture”.

9. Key letter PHI
Phi Beta Kappa was the first collegiate Greek fraternity in the US, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. The organization served as a model for future collegiate fraternities and sororities, although in the 19th century Phi Beta Kappa distanced itself from the fraternal focus and transformed into the honor society that it is today, recognizing academic excellence. The initials Phi Beta Kappa stand for “philosophia biou kybernētēs”, which translates into “philosophy is the guide of life”. The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key.

10. Queen of rap LATIFAH
Queen Latifah is the stage name of the multitalented Dana Owens. The name “Latifah” is Arabic in origin and translates as “delicate, very kind”. Owens found the name and was attracted to it when she was just eight years old.

11. Cordial flavorings ANISES
Liquorice (also licorice) and aniseed have similar flavors, but they come from unrelated plants. The liquorice plant is a legume like a bean, and the sweet flavor is an extract from the roots. The flavor mainly comes from an ether compound called anethole, the same substance that gives the distinctive flavor to anise. The seedpods of the anise plant are what we know as “aniseed”. The anise seeds themselves are usually ground to release the flavor.

12. Homer, for one TOON
“The Simpsons” is one of the most successful programs produced by the Fox Broadcasting Company. Homer Simpson’s catchphrase is “D’oh!”, which is such a famous exclamation that it has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) since 2001.

14. One hyping the spud industry? TATER TOUT (from “Tater Tot”)
Ore-Ida founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

15. Sans serif typeface ARIAL
Serifs are details on the ends of characters in some typefaces. Typefaces without serifs are known as sans-serif (using the French word “sans” meaning “without”). Some people say that serif fonts are easier to read on paper, whereas sans-serif fonts work better on a computer screen. I’m not so sure though …

16. Big bang material NITRO
Nitroglycerin (also known as “nitro”) is a very unstable, oily, colorless liquid. It is usually used as the explosive ingredient in a stabilized product like dynamite or cordite. Nitroglycerin is also used medically, as a vasodilator. Right after it hits the bloodstream is causes the blood vessels to dilate to that the heart has less work to do. I had occasion to take it a couple of times, and boy, what a speedy and fundamental effect it has.

19. 1974 Top 10 hit whose title means “You are” ERES TU
We have a big event across Europe every year called the Eurovision Song Contest. Each nation enters one song in competition with each other, and then voters across the whole continent decide on the winner. That’s how ABBA got their big break when they won in 1974 with “Waterloo”. In 1972, Spain’s entry was “Eres tu” (the Spanish for “You Are”) sung by the band Mocedades. “Eres tu” came second in the competition, but should have won in my humble opinion.

24. “The Stepford Wives” 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”.

“The Stepford Wives” is a 1972 novel by Ira Levin about a Connecticut community in which the husbands replace their wives with docile robots. There have been two film adaptations of the book, the first released in 1975 and starring Katherine Ross (my favorite). The second movie adaption, released in 2004, isn’t as good in my opinion, although although Bette Midler plays a great supporting role.

32. Rhone feeder ISERE
The Isère river gives its name to the French Department of Isère, located partly in the French Alps. In turn, Isère gave its name to a somewhat famous ship called the Isère, which in 1885 delivered the Statue of Liberty from France to America in 214 shipping crates.

The Rhône river rises in Switzerland and flows through the southeast of France.

36. Neon borders? ENS
There are two letters N in the word “neon”, one at either end.

37. “Game of Thrones” rating TVMA
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy television drama that was adapted from a series of novels by George R. R. Martin called “A Song of Ice and Fire”. “Game of Thrones” is actually made in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I am planning to visit the TV show’s set in Belfast in a few month’s time …

38. Super Bowl III coach Ewbank WEEB
Weeb Ewbank was a football coach mostly known for coaching the Baltimore Colts and the New York Jets in the fifties, sixties and seventies. He won two NFL championships with the Colts (1958, 1959), and one AFL championship with the Jets (1968).

49. Corleone traitor FREDO
Fredo Corleone is a middle son in the Corleone family that features in Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather”. He was considered the weak son, and was reduced to the role of “gopher”. Fredo was with his father when Don Corleone was shot, and although he tried to retaliate as the shooting took place, he dropped his gun. On the screen, Fredo was played by Italian-American actor John Cazale.

50. It may be bid ADIEU
“Adieu” is the French for “goodbye” or “farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”.

60. Getz and Kenton STANS
Stan Getz was a jazz saxophonist. Getz’s playing style earned him the nickname “The Sound”.

Stan Kenton was a pianist, composer and jazz orchestra leader from Wichita, Kansas. Kenton’s style of music was called “the Wall of Sound”, and that was back in the 1940s. Phil Spector used the same phrase decades later, in the early sixties.

61. Freelancer’s supply: Abbr. SASES
A self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) might be an enclosure (enc.) sent with a letter.

The term “free lance” was coined by Sir Walter Scott in his 1820 novel “Ivanhoe”, using it to describe a medieval mercenary warrior. Forty years later, a freelancer was a journalist who did work for more than one publication without a long-term commitment.

67. Extract metal from SMELT
Metals are found in ore in the form of oxides. In order to get pure metal from the ore, the ore is heated and the metal oxides within are reduced (i.e. the oxygen is removed) in the chemical process known as smelting. The oxygen is extracted by adding a source of carbon or carbon monoxide which uses up the excess oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a waste product of smelting (and of course, a greenhouse gas).

69. “Uncle Vanya” woman ELENA
Anton Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya” was published in 1897. It is not really an “original” work, in the sense that it is a reworking of a play he wrote and published a decade earlier called “The Wood Demon”.

71. Montenegro neighbor SERBIA
Serbia is a landlocked country in southeast Europe. After WWII, Serbia became one of several states making up the nation called Yugoslavia. Serbia became independent again in 2006 as Yugoslavia broke up after the declaration of independence by Montenegro.

72. Superman nemesis LUTHOR
Lex Luthor is the arch-nemesis of Superman in comics. Luthor has been portrayed in a number of guises in the comic world as well in movies and on the small screen. For example, he appeared as Atom Man in the 1950 film series “Atom Man vs. Superman”, and was played by actor Lyle Talbot, opposite Kirk Alyn’s Superman.

78. Court case involving a British tennis player and a rake? ROUE V WADE (from “Roe v. Wade”
“Roue” is a lovely word, I think, describing a less than lovely man. A roue could otherwise be described as a cad, someone of loose morals. “Roue” comes from the French word “rouer” meaning “to break on a wheel”. This describes the ancient form of capital punishment where a poor soul was lashed to a wheel and then beaten to death with cudgels and bars. I guess the suggestion is that a roue, with his loose morals, deserves such a punishment.

Virginia Wade is a much-loved former tennis pro from England. Wade wowed the home crowd at Wimbledon in 1977 when she won the women’s singles championship in the tournament’s centenary year.

Roe v. Wade was decided in a US District Court in Texas in 1970, and reached the Supreme Court on appeal. The basic decision by the Supreme Court was that a woman’s constitutional right to privacy applied to an abortion, but that this right had to be balanced with a state’s interest in protecting an unborn child and a mother’s health. The Court further defined that the state’s interest became stronger with each trimester of a pregnancy. So, in the first trimester the woman’s right to privacy outweighed any state interest. In the second trimester the state’s interest in maternal health was deemed to be strong enough to allow state regulation of abortion for the sake of the mother. In the third trimester the viability of the fetus dictated that the state’s interest in the unborn child came into play, so states could regulate or prohibit abortions, except in cases where the mother’s life was in danger. I’m no lawyer, but that’s my understanding of the initial Supreme Court decision …

80. Arabian peninsula native OMANI
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The capital city of Muscat has a strategic location on the Gulf of Oman and has a history of invasion and unrest. Centuries of occupation by the Persians ended in 1507 when the Portuguese took the city in a bloody attack. The Portuguese held Muscat for much of the next one hundred years until finally being ousted by local Omani forces in 1648. A Yemeni tribe invaded the area in 1741 and set up a monarchy that has been in place in Oman ever since.

82. Game ended by the mercy rule ROUT
A “mercy rule” in a sport is one that brings a game to an early conclusion when it is deemed that the losing team has no chance of making a comeback.

84. Old African queen, familiarly CLEO
Cleopatra was the last pharaoh to rule Egypt. After she died, Egypt became a province in the Roman Empire.

86. Residence Inn company MARRIOTT
Marriott Hotels developed their initial properties in the fifties. The first to open was the Quality Inn near Washington DC, the first purpose-built airport hotel in the country.

91. Author Rita __ Brown MAE
Rita Mae Brown is an American author who is best known for her 1973 novel “Rubyfruit Jungle”.

96. Alaska Panhandle city HAINES
Haines, Alaska is located at the northern end of the Alaska Panhandle, close to Glacier Bay National Park. The first Europeans arrived in the area in 1880, and within a few years a Presbyterian mission and school was constructed. The mission was given the name “Haines” in 1884, after Frances Electra Haines who was instrumental in raising funds for the construction.

99. Burrito dressing SALSA
“Salsa” is simply the Spanish for “sauce”.

A burrito is a common dish served in Mexican cuisine, It is a flour tortilla filled with all sorts of good stuff. The term “burrito” is Spanish for “little donkey”, the diminutive of “burro” meaning “donkey”. It’s thought that the name was applied as a burrito looks like a bedroll or pack that might be carried by a donkey.

101. Bad place for a breach LEVEE
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.

103. “I didn’t need to hear that!” TMI
Too much information! (TMI)

105. Cross shape TAU
The Cross of Tau is a variant of the cross symbol used in the Christian tradition. Also known as St. Anthony’s Cross, the Cross of Tau resembles the Greek letter tau, and our letter T. St. Anthony of Egypt bore such a symbol on his cloak, hence the alternate name.

110. Universal donor’s type, briefly O-NEG
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a “universal donor”.

115. Agitated state SNIT
The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Booth Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

118. Child expert LeShan EDA
Eda LeShan wrote “When Your Child Drives You Crazy”, and was host of the PBS television show “How Do Your Children Grow?”

119. Advanced attorney’s deg. LLM
The advanced degree of Master of Laws is commonly abbreviated to “LL.M”, a shortening of the Latin term “Legum Magister” meaning “Master of Laws”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bar stock RYES
5. Work on copy EDIT
9. Student of Socrates PLATO
14. Lemony characteristic TANG
18. Carefree walk AMBLE
20. Cowboy quarterback Tony ROMO
21. Red River capital HANOI
22. Botanical cover ARIL
23. Being on hands and knees? SCOURING POSITION (from “scoring position”)
26. Small monkey TITI
27. Closet accessory HANGER
28. Fill fully SATE
29. Ain’t the way it should be? ISN’T
30. Bring home EARN
31. Schooner drivers SAILS
33. Many an outdoor eatery CAFE
35. Red in a cellar MERLOT
37. Story surprise TWIST
41. Remains on the shelf SITS
43. Beginning to exist NASCENT
45. Follow the proverbial crowd? VENTURE FOURTH (from “venture forth”)
48. To such an extent IN SO FAR
52. ’70s Israeli prime minister MEIR
53. Ahead of, in verse ERE
54. Honey source BEE
55. Seuss’s “The 5000 Fingers of ___” DR T
56. Indic language URDU
57. Clear ABSOLVE
59. Enduring work CLASSIC
61. “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” author STEIN
62. High crime, briefly DUI
63. Asserted one’s innocence, perhaps PLED
64. Frequent co-star of Sylvester TALIA
66. Bust gp. DEA
67. Soda fountain? SWEET SPOUT (from “sweet spot”)
71. Town boor in a western capital? SALEM’S LOUT (from “Salem’s Lot”)
73. __ de mer MAL
74. Not natural EERIE
75. Low wetlands FENS
76. Little, in Lille PEU
77. Activist Medgar EVERS
79. Place to go when it rains INDOORS
81. Stomach-related GASTRIC
85. His show had a “Jaywalking” segment LENO
86. “Haven’t we __?” MET
87. Family that’s not kin MOB
88. Hindu honorific SRI
89. Lanford Wilson’s “The __ Baltimore” HOT L
90. Emotional wounds TRAUMAS
92. Auto equipment supplier? RADIATOR HOUSE (from “radiator hose”)
95. Like clay pots EARTHEN
97. “Right away!” ASAP!
98. Cohort of Threepio ARTOO
99. Support for the Lone Ranger? SILVER
102. Finished a flight ALIT
104. Leaves alone, in a way STETS
106. Once more ANEW
107. Pelvic bones ILIA
109. Pouting grimace MOUE
111. Butting heads AT ODDS
116. Dial alternative LAVA
117. Prescription for extremely potent medicine? OUNCE IN A BLUE MOON (from “once in a blue moon”)
120. Toy on a hill SLED
121. Stuck up? TREED
122. Alike, to Alain EGAL
123. American of Japanese descent NISEI
124. Sailor’s direction ALEE
125. “The Gondoliers” lass TESSA
126. Idea beginning GERM
127. __ pilot TEST

Down
1. Headlong RASH
2. 1979 disco hit YMCA
3. Odist’s deep black EBON
4. Vending machine tricker SLUG
5. Directional finish -ERN
6. Less-than-happy lot DOG’S LIFE
7. Thickly applied paint IMPASTO
8. Binge TOOT
9. Key letter PHI
10. Queen of rap LATIFAH
11. Cordial flavorings ANISES
12. Homer, for one TOON
13. Topical medication OINTMENT
14. One hyping the spud industry? TATER TOUT (from “Tater Tot”)
15. Sans serif typeface ARIAL
16. Big bang material NITRO
17. Flash GLINT
19. 1974 Top 10 hit whose title means “You are” ERES TU
24. “The Stepford Wives” novelist Levin IRA
25. Flash SEC
32. Rhone feeder ISERE
34. Gets in on the deal ANTES
36. Neon borders? ENS
37. “Game of Thrones” rating TVMA
38. Super Bowl III coach Ewbank WEEB
39. “Last one __ a rotten egg!” IN IS
40. Proceeded confidently STRODE
42. Lease prohibition SUBLET
44. Group of friends CIRCLE
46. Work on copy REVISE
47. Interpret READ
49. Corleone traitor FREDO
50. It may be bid ADIEU
51. Charge RUN AT
55. Calls on a retro phone DIALS
58. Guitar ancestors LUTES
59. Filled (in) CLUED
60. Getz and Kenton STANS
61. Freelancer’s supply: Abbr. SASES
63. Act rudely, maybe POINT
65. Render less effective IMPAIR
67. Extract metal from SMELT
68. Be in doubt WAVER
69. “Uncle Vanya” woman ELENA
70. Clerical worker PRIEST
71. Montenegro neighbor SERBIA
72. Superman nemesis LUTHOR
75. Meat and potatoes FOOD
78. Court case involving a British tennis player and a rake? ROUE V WADE (from “Roe v. Wade”
80. Arabian peninsula native OMANI
81. Feel (for) GROPE
82. Game ended by the mercy rule ROUT
83. “Wishing won’t make __” IT SO
84. Old African queen, familiarly CLEO
86. Residence Inn company MARRIOTT
88. Attorney regulator STATE BAR
91. Author Rita __ Brown MAE
92. Tightens, perhaps RELACES
93. Take the edge off ASSUAGE
94. Accelerate HASTEN
96. Alaska Panhandle city HAINES
99. Burrito dressing SALSA
100. As a whole IN ALL
101. Bad place for a breach LEVEE
103. “I didn’t need to hear that!” TMI
105. Cross shape TAU
108. End-of-the-line item LURE
110. Universal donor’s type, briefly O-NEG
112. Don’t mention OMIT
113. Capsule contents DOSE
114. Forest prancers DOES
115. Agitated state SNIT
118. Child expert LeShan EDA
119. Advanced attorney’s deg. LLM

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