LA Times Crossword 17 Mar 24, Sunday

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Constructed by: Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: County Fair

Happy Paddy’s Day, everyone. Themed answers each include an Irish COUNTY:

  • 23A Subway request : HOLD THE MAYO
  • 33A Light verse best not shared with kids : DIRTY LIMERICK
  • 53A Actress who plays Anita Hill in the HBO film “Confirmation” : KERRY WASHINGTON
  • 67A New Year’s Eve popper : CHAMPAGNE CORK
  • 91A “C’mon, live a little” : LET YOUR HAIR DOWN
  • 102A Italian saint who founded a Franciscan religious order : CLARE OF ASSISI
  • 120A Matinee idol of the 1930s and 1940s : TYRONE POWER

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 13m 00s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Ancient fabulist : AESOP

A “fabulist” is a writer of “fables”.

6 Pesky insects : GNATS

Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.

11 Shelter org. : SPCA

Unlike most developed countries, the US has no umbrella organization with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.

15 __ capsule : TIME

A time capsule is a container of items chosen to help someone in the future understand society at the time the container is sealed. Although time capsules have been around at least from the 18th century, the term “time capsule” wasn’t coined until 1938.

19 Set of beliefs : CREDO

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

21 Chalky powder : TALC

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

23 Subway request : HOLD THE MAYO

Mayonnaise originated in the town of Mahon in Menorca, a Mediterranean island belonging to Spain. The Spanish called the sauce “salsa mahonesa” after the town, and this morphed into the French word “mayonnaise” that we use in English today.

27 Club music genre, familiarly : EDM

Electronic dance music (EDM)

30 Travel document : VISA

A visa is usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.

33 Light verse best not shared with kids : DIRTY LIMERICK

No one knows for sure how the limerick got its name, although there does seem to be agreement the name does indeed come from the city or county of Limerick in Ireland. Try this one for size:

There was a young lady named Bright
who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way,
and came back the previous night.

39 Unit of resistance : OHM

The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.

40 Travelers’ gp. with annual dues : 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.

41 Vehicle in many a Jack London story : SLED

Author Jack London is a bit of a local hero in the Bay Area where I live. London was born in San Francisco, and there is a famous Jack London Square in Oakland, California that was named in his honor. London’s most famous works are “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang”, both of which are set in the Klondike Gold Rush.

44 Filling station number : OCTANE

The difference between a premium and regular gasoline is its octane rating. The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of the gasoline to auto-ignition i.e. its resistance to ignition just by virtue of being compressed in the cylinder. This auto-ignition is undesirable as multiple-cylinder engines are designed so that ignition within each cylinder takes place precisely when the plug sparks, and not before. If ignition occurs before the spark is created, the resulting phenomenon is called “knocking”. We sometimes use the adjective “high-octane” to mean “intense, dynamic, high-powered”

53 Actress who plays Anita Hill in the HBO film “Confirmation” : KERRY WASHINGTON

Actress Kerry Washington really hit the bug time with her lead performances in the political thriller TV series “Scandal” that aired from 1012 to 2108. In 2016, she portrayed Anita Hill in the TV film “Confirmation”. Back in the 1990s, took dancing lessons in the Bronx. One of her teachers was Jennifer Lopez.

“Confirmation” is a 2016 TV film about the Supreme Court nomination hearing for Clarence Thomas, and the allegations of sexual harassment made by Anita Hill. Kerry Washington plays Hill, and Wendell Pierce plays Thomas.

56 “I Can’t Drive 55” singer Hagar : SAMMY

Rock vocalist and guitarist Sammy Hagar achieved fame in the seventies as a member of the group Montrose. He then carved out a successful solo career, and in 1985 took over from David Lee Roth as the lead vocalist of Van Halen.

57 “Until we meet again, chérie” : ADIEU

“Adieu” is French for “goodbye, farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God” The plural of “adieu” is “adieux”.

59 Elizabeth’s role in Marvel movies : WANDA

Elizabeth Olsen is the younger sister of famous actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who rose to fame as child stars on the TV show Full House. Elizabeth didn’t start acting until later in life, and has starred in several critically acclaimed films. She is also known for her role as Scarlet Witch (aka Wanda Maximoff) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

61 Leonine feature : MANE

Something described as “leonine” has the characteristics of a lion, is strong and regal. “Leo” is Latin for “lion”.

64 Clothing pioneer Strauss : LEVI

Levi Strauss was the founder of the first company in the world to manufacture blue jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. opened in 1853 in San Francisco. Strauss and his business partner were awarded a patent in 1873 for the use of copper rivets to strengthen points of strain on working pants.

67 New Year’s Eve popper : CHAMPAGNE CORK

Cork, as in the material used to make wine stoppers, comes from the bark of cork oak trees. The bark of a cork oak is very thick and rugged and can be harvested every 7-10 years, without harming the trees.

89 Pixel pattern : IMAGE

A pixel is a dot, and the base element that goes to make up a digital image.

98 Bud visitor : BEE

There are over 16,000 species of bees, with the best-known probably being the western honey bee, the most common of the honey bees worldwide. Bees feed on nectar and pollen, and in so doing play a crucial role in the pollination of many plants. That’s one of the main reasons there is great concern about diminishing populations of wild bees.

99 Dowel : PEG

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”.

102 Italian saint who founded a Franciscan religious order : CLARE OF ASSISI

Clare of Assisi was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. Clare was the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies. The order still exists today and is now known as the Poor Clares in her honor.

114 __ apso : LHASA

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

117 Non opposite : OUI

In French, “oui” (yes) or “non” (no) might be responses to “un questionnaire” (a questionnaire).

118 Driver of many trailers : ADAM

Adam Driver is an actor perhaps best known to TV audiences for playing Adam Sackler on the show “Girls” that airs on HBO. Driver’s movie career got a huge boost in 2015 when he played villain Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.

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.

120 Matinee idol of the 1930s and 1940s : TYRONE POWER

Tyrone Power was a Hollywood actor from Cincinnati, Ohio. Power tended to play the romantic lead, as well as the swashbuckler that was so popular in the thirties. His career was interrupted during WWII when he volunteered to serve with the Marine Corps as a pilot. Power served with distinction and resumed his career after the war. He died on set, suffering a massive heart attack while filming a sword duel with his friend George Sanders. Power was only 44 years of age.

123 Arizona landform : MESA

“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table” and is how we get the term “mesa” that describes the geographic feature. A mesa is similar to a butte. Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide.

124 “Laugh-In” comedian Johnson : ARTE

Arte Johnson, as well as being a frequent judge on “The Gong Show”, played the German soldier on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”. Johnson’s character’s famous catchphrase was, “Very interesting, but …”

“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” was originally recorded as a one-off special for NBC in 1967, but it was so successful that it was brought back as a series to replace the waning spy show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Personally, I loved both shows!

127 Elysian locale : EDEN

The Elysian Fields were the final resting place of the heroic and virtuous in Greek mythology. We use the term “elysian” to describe somewhere or something blissful or edenic.

129 Cinch of a course : EASY A

The term “cinch” was absorbed into American English from Spanish in the mid-1800s, when it was used to mean a “saddle-girth”. “Cincha” is the Spanish word for “girdle”. In the late 1800s, “cinch” came to mean a ‘sure thing”, in the sense that a saddle-girth can provide a “sure hold”.

130 December candy shapes : CANES

Apparently, candy canes were created at the behest of the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany in 1672. The sweet sticks were basically used as bribes to keep children quiet during services. The choirmaster specified that the candy sticks should have a crook at the top so that they reminded the children of the three shepherds who visited the infant Jesus just after his birth.

Down

3 One of Marge Simpson’s sisters : SELMA

In “The Simpsons”, Marge Simpson has two older twin sisters. Their full names are Patricia “Patty” Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Stu-Simpson. Selma acquired that multiple-barreled name through a string of unsuccessful marriages.

6 Hall of Fame pitcher Maddux : GREG

Baseball pitcher Greg Maddux won the Cy Young Award for the four consecutive years of 1992 through 1995, a record that wasn’t matched until Randy Johnson did the same thing in 1999 through 2002.

8 Gaming trailblazer : ATARI

Founded in 1972, electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was once the fastest-growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983. The name “Atari” was chosen because it is a term used in the Japanese game Go that signifies a move that effectively seals the opponent’s fate.

10 __-Cat: winter vehicle : 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.

12 Soul icon LaBelle : PATTI

“Patti LaBelle” is the stage name of singer Patricia Holt-Edwards from Philadelphia. She started her career in the sixties as the lead singer of the vocal group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, later changing its name to simply “LaBelle”. When the group disbanded in 1976, Patti launched a remarkably successful solo career.

14 Knee injury common among athletes : ACL TEAR

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).

15 Pub entertainment with a host : TRIVIA GAME

Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

16 Like some bonds : IONIC

An ionic bond is formed between two oppositely-charged ions. A common example is the bond between positively-charged sodium atoms and negatively-charged chlorine atoms to form table salt (NaCl). A covalent bond, on the other hand, is formed when two atoms share electrons. Atoms sharing electrons tend to be stable, so they prefer to stay together rather than apart.

17 Belarus capital : MINSK

Minsk is the capital of Belarus, formerly known as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. One of Minsk’s more infamous residents was Lee Harvey Oswald, who lived there from 1960 to 1962.

18 Disney character loosely inspired by “The Snow Queen” : ELSA

“The Snow Queen” is a fairy tale penned by Hans Christian Andersen that was first published in 1945. It is believed that Andersen was in love with famed Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, who treated him as a friend but did not consider him romantically. The story is that Andersen was inspired to write about the icy-hearted Snow Queen after Lind rejected his advances.

24 Soil-loosening implement : HARROW

Harrows and plows have similar uses, in that they both break up the soil. Plows are used to bring deep soil to the surface, and to bury weeds so that they decay and release nutrients. Harrows break up and smooth just the surface soil, often after plowing.

32 Tenor Bocelli : ANDREA

Andrea Bocelli is a classically-trained tenor from Italy who sings popular music, and hence is a so-called cross-over artist. Bocelli was born with poor eyesight and then became totally blind at the age of 12 when he had an accident playing soccer.

34 Samurai without a lord : RONIN

In feudal Japan, a samurai who lost his master, perhaps through death or loss of favor, was known as a ronin. The term “ronin” is also used in contemporary Japan for a salaried worker between jobs.

38 Region with many Commanders fans, briefly : DC AREA

The Washington Commanders NFL team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves. The name was changed to the Boston Redskins in 1933, which was followed by a move to Washington, DC in 1937. The racially insensitive name persisted for decades, until “Redskins” was dropped in 2020. The “Washington Football Team” played for the following two seasons, becoming the Commanders in 2022.

41 Card game in which 10s score higher than kings and queens : SKAT

Skat is a trick-taking card game for three players that is traditionally played with a 32-card deck. The game is played in rounds, with each player bidding for the right to declare the trump suit. The declarer then tries to win at least 11 tricks, while the other players try to prevent them from doing so. I used to play a lot of Skat when I was in my teens …

42 News article intro : LEDE

The opening paragraph in any work of literature is often just called “the lead”. In the world of journalism, this is usually referred to as “the lede”. The derivative phrase “bury the lede” means to fail to stress the most important aspect of a story.

43 “__ go bragh!” : ERIN

“Erin go bragh!” is an anglicization of the Irish phrase “Éirinn go brách!”, which translates as “Ireland forever!”

45 Airport security org. : TSA

A carom is a ricochet, the bouncing of some projectile off a surface. “Carom” has come to describe the banking of a billiard ball, the bouncing of the ball off the side of the table.

47 Barrel strip : STAVE

The word “stave” was originally the plural of “staff”, a word describing a wooden rod. To “stave off” originated with the concept of holding off with a staff. In the world of barrel-making, a stave is a narrow strip of wood that forms part of a barrel’s side.

50 Ilhan of Congress : OMAR

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.

54 Desert plant in the asparagus family : YUCCA

Yuccas are a genus of shrubs and trees that live in hot and dry areas of North and South America. One of the more famous species of Yucca is the Joshua tree. Yuccas has a unique pollination system, with moths transferring pollen from plant to plant. New Mexico adopted the yucca as its state flower in 1927. By the way, the yucca is in the asparagus family.

55 “The Sweet Escape” singer Stefani : GWEN

“The Sweet Escape” is a 2006 song co-written and recorded by Gwen Sefani. As well as being a single, it is the title track of her second solo studio album. “The Sweet Escape” features singer Akon, who also co-produced the record.

63 “House of the Dragon” actor Ifans : RHYS

Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor whom I best know from playing the slovenly flatmate in the 1999 rom-com “Notting HIll”. He also played the title role in the 2003 comedy “Danny Deckchair”, in which his character floats above the Australian countryside sitting on a deckchair tied to a bunch of helium-filled balloons. In 2012, Ifans became a patron of the Welsh-language version of Wikipedia.

66 Slalom competitor : SKIER

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

68 __ lemon: citrus hybrid : MEYER

The Meyer lemon isn’t a lemon at all, even though it does resemble one. Rather, it is a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid. It was introduced into the US from China by USDA employee and agricultural explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer in 1908, hence the name.

71 Capital west of Montreal : OTTAWA

Ottawa is the second-largest city in the Province of Ontario (after Toronto) and is the capital city of Canada. The name “Ottawa” comes from an Algonquin word “adawe”, which means “to trade”.

73 Pixar clownfish : NEMO

Clownfish are very colorful, attractive-looking fish. They are orange and often have broad strips of white and black on their bodies depending on species. Clownfish spend their lives in a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones.

75 Figure included in the Gotham City Cycle Chase set : LEGO BATMAN

Lego Batman is a line of Lego construction toys under license from DC Comics. The series was so popular that it spawned Lego Batman TV shows, video games and movies.

“Gotham” had been a nickname for New York City long before it was picked up by comic books as a setting for Batman tales. The term was coined by Washington Irving in a periodical that he published in 1807. Irving was lampooning New York politics and culture, and lifted the name from the village of Gotham in Nottinghamshire, England. The original Gotham was, according to folklore, inhabited by fools.

78 Part of LPGA : LADIES

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 lady golfers, and today it is the oldest ongoing women’s sports professional organization in the US.

81 007’s first film foe : DR NO

“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. Julius No and Fu Manchu. By the way, the author Ian Fleming tells us that Julius No attended medical school in Milwaukee.

84 Flagon beer : ALE

A flagon is a large jug with a lid that is traditionally used for holding beer or wine.

85 Video game brother : LUIGI

Mario Bros. started out as an arcade game back in 1983, developed by Nintendo. The more famous of the two brothers, Mario, had already appeared in an earlier arcade game “Donkey Kong”. Mario was given a brother called Luigi, and the pair have been around ever since. In the game, Mario and Luigi are Italian American plumbers from New York City.

86 Org. with auditors : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

87 “Dexter: New Blood” airer, for short : SHO

“Dexter: New Blood” is a continuation of the crime-drama TV show “Dexter”, which originally aired from 2006 to 2013. Actor Michael C. Hall reprises the title role, a forensic blood spatter analyst who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer. In the continuation series, Dexter has relocated from Miami, where he worked professionally, to upstate New York. There he takes on a new identity, and his dark side emerges once again.

90 Still-life jug : EWER

A pitcher is a container for liquid that has a handle, mouth and spout. The term “jug” is used for the same container in other English-speaking countries. “Ewer” is an older term describing a pitcher/jug. Today, a ewer is a highly decorative pitcher, often with a base and flared spout.

99 Educational ad : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

104 Chicago airport : O’HARE

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which comes from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field (OR-D).

105 Soda with a Piña Colada flavor : FANTA

The soft drink Fanta has quite an interesting history. As WWII approached, the Coca-Cola plant in Germany had trouble obtaining the ingredients it needed to continue production of the cola beverage, so the plant manager decided to create a new drink from what was available. The new beverage was built around whey (leftover from cheese production) and pomace (left over after juice has been extracted from fruit). The inventor asked his colleagues to use their “imagination” (“Fantasie” in German) and come up with a name for the drink, so they piped up “Fanta!”

“Piña colada” is a Spanish term that translates into “strained pineapple”. The piña colada cocktail was introduced in the Caribe Hilton San Juan in 1954, and since 1978 it has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico. The mocktail version of the drink is known as a nada colada.

106 Autumn blossom : ASTER

Apparently, most aster species and cultivars bloom relatively late in the year, usually in the fall. The name “aster” comes into English via Latin from the Greek word “astéri” meaning “star”, a reference to the arrangement of the petals of the flower.

110 Sioux City resident : IOWAN

Sioux City, Iowa has a history that is inextricably linked with the Missouri River. The city grew from a camp established by the Lewis and Clark expedition that traveled up the river in 1804. Today, Sioux City is the navigational head of the Missouri, the furthest point upstream that is accessible by general cargo ships.

111 Upholstery choice : SUEDE

Suede is leather made from the underside of an animal’s skin, usually the skin from a lamb. As such it is very soft, although not as durable as leather made from the exterior skin. The soft leather was, and is still used for making gloves. Back in 1859 these gloves were called “gants de Suede” in France, or “gloves of Sweden”. So, the name “suede” comes from the French word for Sweden.

112 Santa Fe foursome : TIRES

Hyundai introduced the Santa Fe crossover SUV in 2000. Hyundai’s marketing folks position the Santa Fe above the Tucson compact crossover, and below the Veracruz mid-size crossover. That’s quite a tour of the American Southwest.

116 Singer born in County Donegal : ENYA

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

120 Uno + due : TRE

In Italian, “uno + due” (one + two) is “tre” (three).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Ancient fabulist : AESOP
6 Pesky insects : GNATS
11 Shelter org. : SPCA
15 __ capsule : TIME
19 Set of beliefs : CREDO
20 Betray, in a way : RAT ON
21 Chalky powder : TALC
22 Make muddy : ROIL
23 Subway request : HOLD THE MAYO
25 Bibliography abbr. : ET AL
26 Roadside retreats : INNS
27 Club music genre, familiarly : EDM
28 “We can seat you now” buzzer : PAGER
29 “Funny, right?” : GET IT?
30 Travel document : VISA
31 Beach town atmosphere : SEA AIR
33 Light verse best not shared with kids : DIRTY LIMERICK
37 Geek (out) : NERD
39 Unit of resistance : OHM
40 Travelers’ gp. with annual dues : AAA
41 Vehicle in many a Jack London story : SLED
44 Filling station number : OCTANE
47 Unbelievably impressive : SCARY GOOD
53 Actress who plays Anita Hill in the HBO film “Confirmation” : KERRY WASHINGTON
56 “I Can’t Drive 55” singer Hagar : SAMMY
57 “Until we meet again, chérie” : ADIEU
58 Drought relief : RAIN
59 Elizabeth’s role in Marvel movies : WANDA
61 Leonine feature : MANE
62 Like a small vineyard, perhaps : TEN-ACRE
64 Clothing pioneer Strauss : LEVI
65 Sign-on need : USER ID
67 New Year’s Eve popper : CHAMPAGNE CORK
72 Like a live fumble : IN PLAY
76 “What __ is new?” : ELSE
77 Hind site? : TAIL END
82 Editor’s “Lose this” : DELE
83 “Open wide!” : SAY AH!
85 Shopper’s reference : LIST
88 Revved up : EAGER
89 Pixel pattern : IMAGE
91 “C’mon, live a little” : LET YOUR HAIR DOWN
94 Stagnate : GO NOWHERE
96 Refuse to be associated with : DISOWN
97 “Which __ say … ” : IS TO
98 Bud visitor : BEE
99 Dowel : PEG
100 Hand sanitizer ingredient : ALOE
102 Italian saint who founded a Franciscan religious order : CLARE OF ASSISI
109 Refuse to yield : INSIST
113 Kick starters? : FEET
114 __ apso : LHASA
115 Browning spots : OVENS
117 Non opposite : OUI
118 Driver of many trailers : ADAM
119 Recover from a run : PANT
120 Matinee idol of the 1930s and 1940s : TYRONE POWER
123 Arizona landform : MESA
124 “Laugh-In” comedian Johnson : ARTE
125 Tackle again : RETRY
126 Sidestep : EVADE
127 Elysian locale : EDEN
128 Cherished : DEAR
129 Cinch of a course : EASY A
130 December candy shapes : CANES

Down

1 Is tender : ACHES
2 Slowly cut into : ERODE
3 One of Marge Simpson’s sisters : SELMA
4 Somewhat strange : ODD
5 Course with a crust : POT PIE
6 Hall of Fame pitcher Maddux : GREG
7 Known as : NAMED
8 Gaming trailblazer : ATARI
9 75-Down, e.g. : TOY
10 __-Cat: winter vehicle : SNO
11 Girder alloy : STEEL
12 Soul icon LaBelle : PATTI
13 Insurance filing : CLAIM
14 Knee injury common among athletes : ACL TEAR
15 Pub entertainment with a host : TRIVIA GAME
16 Like some bonds : IONIC
17 Belarus capital : MINSK
18 Disney character loosely inspired by “The Snow Queen” : ELSA
24 Soil-loosening implement : HARROW
29 Athletic center : GYM
32 Tenor Bocelli : ANDREA
34 Samurai without a lord : RONIN
35 In those days : THEN
36 Sunshine, slangily : RAYS
38 Region with many Commanders fans, briefly : DC AREA
41 Card game in which 10s score higher than kings and queens : SKAT
42 News article intro : LEDE
43 “__ go bragh!” : ERIN
45 Airport security org. : TSA
46 Sushi tuna : AHI
47 Barrel strip : STAVE
48 Like some water cooler cups : CONIC
49 Plus : AND
50 Ilhan of Congress : OMAR
51 Luxury hotel chain headquartered in Dallas : OMNI
52 Recolored : DYED
54 Desert plant in the asparagus family : YUCCA
55 “The Sweet Escape” singer Stefani : GWEN
60 Paranormal vibe : AURA
63 “House of the Dragon” actor Ifans : RHYS
64 Shirt size abbr. : LGE
66 Slalom competitor : SKIER
68 __ lemon: citrus hybrid : MEYER
69 Dish : PLATE
70 Pallid : ASHY
71 Capital west of Montreal : OTTAWA
72 “Yeah, man” : I DIG
73 Pixar clownfish : NEMO
74 Course of action : PLAN
75 Figure included in the Gotham City Cycle Chase set : LEGO BATMAN
78 Part of LPGA : LADIES
79 Swelled heads : EGOS
80 Semiaquatic salamander : NEWT
81 007’s first film foe : DR NO
84 Flagon beer : ALE
85 Video game brother : LUIGI
86 Org. with auditors : IRS
87 “Dexter: New Blood” airer, for short : SHO
90 Still-life jug : EWER
92 “To a … ” poems : ODES
93 Waiting to buy tickets, say : IN LINE
95 Shoe insert : HEEL PAD
99 Educational ad : PSA
101 Unsolicited, as a manuscript : ON SPEC
102 Relinquished : CEDED
103 Charter : LEASE
104 Chicago airport : O’HARE
105 Soda with a Piña Colada flavor : FANTA
106 Autumn blossom : ASTER
107 Classifies : SORTS
108 Off-white shade : IVORY
110 Sioux City resident : IOWAN
111 Upholstery choice : SUEDE
112 Santa Fe foursome : TIRES
113 Struggling actor’s dream : FAME
116 Singer born in County Donegal : ENYA
120 Uno + due : TRE
121 Passing remark? : YEA
122 Reproductive cells : OVA