LA Times Crossword Answers 26 Jul 15, Sunday

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!

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Melanie Miller
THEME: Close Encounters … each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase, but with the letters ET inserted:

24A. Pendant impervious to little hands? CHILDPROOF LOCKET (from “childproof lock”)
37A. Demonstrates anti-boxing sentiment? PICKETS A FIGHT (from “picks a fight”)
57A. iPod holders? APPLE JACKETS (from “applejacks”)
79A. Pinocchio plug-in? SOCKET PUPPET (from “sock puppet”)
98A. Cross between a hound and a zebra? STRIPED BASSET (from “striped bass”)
114A. Nod off during cocktail hour? SLEEP IN THE BUFFET (from “sleep in the buff”)
3D. Promote “Pudd’nhead Wilson”? MARKET TWAIN (from “Mark Twain”)
71D. Tussaud’s tribute to the Bolshoi? BALLET OF WAX (from “ball of wax”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 23m 25s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Utmost reach ACME
The “acme” is the highest point, coming from the Greek word “akme” which has the same meaning.

5. AT&T Pebble Beach National, e.g. PRO-AM
The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament was established as an annual event in 1937, when it was hosted by Bing Crosby, who was a huge fan of the sport. The Bing Crosby name was used for the tournament even after his death in 1977, eventually giving way to corporate sponsor AT&T in 1985.

10. Ship that sailed to Colchis ARGO
In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts sailed on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. The vessel was called the “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

In Greek mythology, Colchis was a wealthy land located at the edge of the world. It was in Colchis that Jason and the Argonauts found the Golden Fleece.

20. Icon on many romance novel covers FABIO
Fabio Lanzoni (usually called just “Fabio”) is an Italian fashion model and all-round celebrity. Fabio’s real claim to fame was his appearance on the cover of many, many romance novels in the eighties and nineties.

27. Doctor with a losing plan ATKINS
The eating of relatively few carbohydrates is central to the diet proposed by Robert Atkins. Atkins first laid out the principles behind the Atkins diet in a research paper published in 1958 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”. He popularized his diet starting in 1972 with his book “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution”.

31. Lamentation of Christ work PIETA
The Pietà is a representation of the Virgin Mary holding in her arms the dead body of her son Jesus. The most famous “Pietà” is probably the sculpted rendition by Michelangelo which is located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. In some depictions, Mary and her son are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament, and these depictions are known as “Lamentations”.

32. Navy captain’s insignia EAGLE
The rank of captain can be a little confusing in the Navy and Coast Guard. While the rank of captain exists the seagoing services and is associated with a specific pay grade, a lower-ranking officer might be referred to as “captain” if he or she has command of a vessel.

35. Trial versions BETAS
In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the “alpha” version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a “beta” and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as “beta”. The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, bug-free. Yeah, right …

36. __ scan PET
The medical diagnostic tool called a PET scan relies on the detection of gamma rays emitted indirectly by radioactive tracer isotope that is introduced into the body. Usually, the tracer isotope is incorporated into a glucose-like sugar and then injected into the bloodstream. After about an hour, the radioactive compound has been concentrated in areas of high metabolic activity, perhaps a malignant tumor. As the isotope decays, it emits positrons. The positrons interact with electrons resulting in annihilation of the particles with emission of gamma photons. These gamma photons are detected and are drawn on a map showing where the molecular tracer has concentrated. The acronym PET stands for positron emission tomography.

46. Pitman user STENO
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

Pitman shorthand is a system developed by Sir Isaac Pitman that he started to promote in 1837. Pitman shorthand is the most popular shorthand system in the UK. Here in North America, Pitman is the second most popular system, having been displaced by Gregg shorthand.

48. “Lady Jane Grey” playwright ROWE
Nicholas Rowe was an English playwright and poet who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1715. His last play was “The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey”.

53. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk MR SULU
Mr Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat.

According to the storyline in “Star Trek”, Captain James Tiberius Kirk was born in Riverside, Iowa. The town of Riverside displays a plaque, noting Riverside as the “future birthplace of James T. Kirk.”

55. South American slitherer ANACONDA
Anacondas are native to the tropical regions of South America. The green anaconda is one of the world’s largest snakes, growing to 17 feet long and weighing up to 215 pounds! Anacondas are not venomous, and prefer to kill their prey by coiling around it and then squeeeeeezing …

57. iPod holders? APPLE JACKETS (from “applejacks”)
Applejack is a concentrated alcoholic cider that was particularly popular in colonial times. The name of the comes from the apples used to make the cider, and the “jacking” or freeze distillation that increases the alcohol content.

60. Descendant SCION
“Scion” comes from the old French word “sion” or “cion”, meaning “a shoot or a twig”. In botanical terms today, a scion is used in grafting two compatible plants together. In grafting, one plant is selected for its root system (the “rootstock”), and the other plant is selected for its stems, leaves and fruit (the “scion”). The term scion migrated naturally into the world of family history. A scion is simply a descendant, a son or a daughter and therefore a branching point in the family tree.

63. Currency of Liechtenstein FRANC
Liechtenstein is a tiny European country with an area of just over 61 square miles, located in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. Liechtenstein has the highest gross domestic product per person in the world. The country is a winter sports haven attracting lots of visitors, and is also a tax haven with a strong financial center. There are actually more registered companies in Liechtenstein than there are citizens! Liechtenstein is not a member of the European Union, and instead has a customs and monetary union with Switzerland.

67. Sarah Palin’s birthplace IDAHO
Famously, Sarah Palin was the Governor of Alaska from 2006 until 2009, and had been the Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska from 1996 until 2002. However, Palin is not a native Alaskan. She was born Sarah Heath in 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho. Her father was a science teacher and took a position in Skagway, Alaska when Palin was just a few months old.

69. It may be full of ash WOODBIN
A woodbin is used to store wood for the fire, and that wood might be ash.

74. Swiss cultural city BASEL
The city of Basel in Switzerland lies right where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, and so has suburbs that lie in both France and Germany.

79. Pinocchio plug-in? SOCKET PUPPET (from “sock puppet”)
“The Adventures of Pinocchio” is an 1883 children’s novel by Carlo Collodi, which is all about an animated puppet called Pinocchio and Geppetto, his poor woodcarver father. Pinocchio is prone to telling lies, the stress of which causes his short nose to become longer.

84. Didactic stories PARABLES
Something described as “didactic” is morally instructive. The term derives from the Greek “didaktikos” meaning “apt at teaching”.

89. SeaWorld orca SHAMU
Shamu was the name of the third orca, or killer whale, ever to be featured in a public exhibition. Shamu starred in a popular SeaWorld show in San Diego in the sixties. After she died in 1971, her name lived on as the name “Shamu” is still used by SeaWorld for its killer whale shows. That original Shamu was retired after she grabbed and refused to let go of the leg of one of her trainers.

92. Weekend Prep brand IZOD
Jack Izod was a tailor of some repute over in England, producing shirts for King George V as well as other members of the Royal Family. As Izod was about to retire, he was approached for the use of his name by an American clothing manufacturer based in New York. The brand Izod of London was introduced to America in 1938.

93. Florida Aquarium city TAMPA
The Florida Aquarium in Tampa opened in 1995. The aquarium’s signature exhibit is the Coral Reef, which is housed in a 500,000 gallon tank. Water for the tank is shipped in by barge four times a year.

98. Cross between a hound and a zebra? STRIPED BASSET (from “striped bass”)
The Basset Hound wouldn’t be my favorite breed of dog, to be honest. Basset Hounds have a great sense of smell with an ability to track a scent that is second only to that of the Bloodhound. The name “Basset” comes from the French word for “rather low”, a reference to the dog’s short legs.

101. Crab leg count TEN
Decapods are an order of crustaceans that includes crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimps. All decapods have ten legs, hence the name, although six of those “legs” function as mouthparts.

108. Kandahar currency AFGHANI
The Afghani is the official currency of Afghanistan.

Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, and is located in the south of the country. Kandahar was founded in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great, when he named the city Alexandria.

114. Nod off during cocktail hour? SLEEP IN THE BUFFET (from “sleep in the buff”)
Our word “buffet” comes from the French “bufet” meaning “bench, sideboard”. So, a buffet is a meal served from a “bufet”.

Buffe leather was commonly used in the 1500s, leather taken from the original buffalo, a type of ox. This concept of “buffe” as a hide led to the phrase “in the buff” meaning “in the nude”.

119. Hostage situation acronym SWAT
SWAT is an acronym standing for Special Weapons and Tactics. The first SWAT team was pulled together in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968.

120. Guideposts co-founder PEALE
Norman Vincent Peale was the author of the bestseller “The Power of Positive Thinking”. Peale was a Protestant preacher, and for decades was pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan in New York City. Peale also founded the nonprofit group that publishes “Guideposts” magazine.

122. Buster? NARCO
“Narc” or “narco” is a slang term for a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated illegal drugs.

123. Chief greeting HAIL
“Hail to the Chief” was first published in 1812 as “March and Chorus in the Dramatic Romance of the Lady of the Lake”. The lyrics are from Sir Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake”, and the music was written by a songwriter called James Sanderson. Today, “Hail to the Chief” is the official Presidential Anthem of the US.

124. Manorial workers of old SERFS
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”.

127. Semi bar AXLE
A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

Down
1. Yokum family creator AL CAPP
The comic strip character’s full name is “Li’l Abner Yokum”.

“Li’l Abner” was created and drawn by Al Capp for over 43 years starting in 1934. Al Capp stopped producing the strip in 1977, largely due to illness (he died from emphysema two years later). As the strip finished up, he went so far as to apologize to his long-standing fans, saying that he should have stopped 3-4 years earlier as he felt that the quality of his work had gone down in those latter years.

2. Jazz trumpeter Williams COOTIE
Cootie Williams was a jazz trumpeter from Mobile, Alabama. One of Williams more interesting compositions is 1947’s “Cowpox Boogie”, a song that he wrote while recovering from smallpox. He had insisted that his whole band be vaccinated for smallpox, and as a result ended up contracting the disease.

3. Promote “Pudd’nhead Wilson”? MARKET TWAIN (from “Mark Twain”)
“Pudd’nhead Wilson” is a novel by Mark Twain first published as a serial in “The Century Magazine” in 1893-4. The title character is a young lawyer who collects fingerprints as a hobby. Wilson eventually unmasks a murderer using fingerprints in the days before fingerprint technology was used to solve crimes.

5. U.S. Army E-3s PFCS
Private First Class (PFC)

7. Japanese closer OBI
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an “obi”. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

9. One of 15 million made from 1908 to 1927 MODEL T
The Ford Model T was the first really affordable car that was offered for sale, and it was produced from 1908 to 1927. It was the Model T that ushered in the era of assembly line production, which greatly cut down the cost of manufacture. The engine was designed to run on petrol, kerosene or even ethanol. Famously, the Model T was known colloquially as the “Tin Lizzie”.

10. Yamuna River city AGRA
Agra is a medieval city on the banks of the river Yamuna in India. The city is famously home to the magnificent Taj Mahal. Agra was also the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1658.

11. Zoo hoppers ROOS
The name “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

13. U.S. Air Force Song opening OFF WE GO …
The official song of the US Air Force is entitled “The US Air Force”, and was written in 1938 by Robert MacArthur Crawford.

Off we go into the wild blue yonder,
Climbing high into the sun
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder
At ’em boys, Give ‘er the gun!
Down we dive, spouting our flame from under
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!
Nothing can stop the U.S. Air Force!

26. Belarus neighbor: Abbr. LITH
The nation of Lithuania is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) sitting on the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius, and 16 miles north of Vilnius is a point that is officially recognized as the Geographic Center of Europe.

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located east of Poland and north of Ukraine. Belarus didn’t exist as an entity until the Russian Revolution when it was created as one of the Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR) that made up the USSR. The Republic of Belarus was formed soon after the USSR dissolved in 1990, but unlike many of the former Soviet Republics, Belarus has retained many of the old Soviet policies. Alexander Lukashenko is the country’s president and he believes in state ownership of the economy. Belarus and Russia have formal agreements in place that pledge cooperation.

28. Valley whose welcome sign contains the words “bottled poetry” NAPA
Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson used the phrase “… and the wine is bottled poetry” in his 1883 travel memoir “The Silverado Squatters”. The book recounts his two-month honeymoon spent in Napa Valley with his new wife Fanny Vandegrift. The people of Napa have embraced the phrase “bottled poetry”, and visitors will see it used all over the valley. The only problem is, Stevenson used the words in reference to French wine …

33. Japanese dogs AKITAS
The Akita breed of dog is named for its point of origin, the Akita Prefecture in Japan. When Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937, she asked for and was given an Akita breed of dog, with the name of Kamikaze-go. Sadly, the dog died within a year from distemper. The following year the Japanese government officially presented Keller with a replacement dog. Supposedly Keller’s dogs were the first members of the breed to be introduced into the US.

38. One of the Karamazovs IVAN
“The Brothers Karamazov” is the last novel completed by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky, as the author died just four months after it was published.

42. Cartoonist Kelly WALT
Walt Kelly was the cartoonist who gave us the comic strip “Pogo”, which ran from 1948 until 1975. “Pogo” centers on animals that live in the Okefenokee Swamp on the Georgia-Florida border, with the title character Pogo Possum being an anthropomorphic opossum.

43. Orchestra piece OPUS
The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”.

45. Some intel RECON
A reconnaissance (recon) may provide intelligence (intel).

53. Vaquero’s hand MANO
“Vaquero” is the Spanish word for “cowboy”.

54. Longtime soft drink brand RC COLA
“Nehi Corporation” was the nickname for the Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works that introduced the Nehi drink in 1924. Years later the company developed a new brand, Royal Crown Cola (also known as RC Cola). By 1955, RC Cola was the company’s flagship product, so the “Nehi Corporation” became the “Royal Crown Company”. In 1954, RC Cola became the first company to sell soft drinks in cans.

62. Valvoline circulator OIL PUMP
Valvoline is the oldest brand of motor oil marketed here in the US. The formulation was trademarked in 1873.

66. Psychic’s claim ESP
Extrasensory perception (ESP)

68. Wickiups HUTS
The terms “wickiup” and “wigwam” are generally synonymous, with the former used mainly in the Southwest and West, and the latter used in the Northeast and Canada. Wickiups/wigwams are domed structures with a frame made from arched poles, and covered with a roofing material such as grass, bark, reeds, hide or cloth.

71. Tussaud’s tribute to the Bolshoi? BALLET OF WAX (from “ball of wax”)
Marie Tussaud was a wax sculptor from France. Some of her early work was very gruesome as she lived through the French Revolution. She would take the decapitated heads of executed citizens and use them to make death masks which were then paraded through the streets. She eventually moved to London, taking with her a vast collection of wax models made by her and her father. She opened a museum to display the works, and the Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is a major attraction in the city to this day.

The Bolshoi Ballet company is based in Moscow, Russia. The Bolshoi company has over 200 dancers, making it by far the biggest ballet company in the world. I am very proud to say that I have had the privilege to attend a performance of the Bolshoi in the beautiful Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia about 20 years ago …

73. Capone nemesis NESS
Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent (T-man) charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

75. Pass abroad EURAIL
An InterRail pass can be purchased for travel right across the nations of Europe. The InterRail pass is only available to European residents, and to residents of a handful of neighboring countries. Non-residents can purchase an equivalent Eurail pass.

79. Doctor’s specialty? SPIN
“Spin doctor” is a slang term for a professional in the field of public relations.

82. Barnyard youngster KID
Males goats are called “bucks” or “billies”, although castrated males are known as “wethers”. Female goats are called “does” or “nannies”, and young goats are referred to as “kids”.

83. Skunk seeking amour PEPE
Pepé Le Pew is a very likeable cartoon character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Pepé is a French skunk, first introduced way back in 1945. He is always thinking of “l’amour” and chases the lady skunks, or a black cat with a white stripe painted down her back accidently.

94. Ignore the teleprompter AD-LIB
“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage the concept of an “ad lib” is very familiar. For example, an actor may substitute his or her own words for forgotten lines using an ad lib, or a director may instruct an actor to use his or her own words at a particular point in a performance to promote a sense of spontaneity.

96. Jell-O is its official state snack UTAH
If you like Jell-O, then you might want to stop by LeRoy, New York where you can visit the only Jell-O museum in the world. While at the museum, you can walk along the Jell-O Brick Road …

99. Singer Braxton TONI
Toni Braxton is a very successful R&B singer, but one who seems to have trouble managing her financial affairs. After two highly successful albums, she had to file for bankruptcy protection in 1993. She recovered and had even more success, and then had to file for bankruptcy again in 2010.

100. Deck crew leaders BOSUNS
A boatswain works on the deck of a boat. A boatswain is unlicensed, and so is not involved in the navigation or handling of the vessel. He or she has charge of the other unlicensed workers on the deck. Boatswain is pronounced “bosun” and this phonetic spelling is often used interchangeably with “boatswain”. The contraction “bos’n” is also very popular.

107. White House daughter SASHA
Sasha is the younger of the two Obama children, born in 2001. She is the youngest child to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr. moved in with his parents as a small infant. Sasha’s Secret Service codename is “Rosebud”, and her older sister Malia has the codename “Radiance”.

108. Deadly reptiles ASPS
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

109. Get out of Dodge FLEE
The phrase “get out of Dodge”, meaning “scram, flee”, is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas. The phrase became a cliche on TV westerns (mainly “Gunsmoke”, I think) and was then popularized by teenagers in the sixties and seventies.

112. Classic canvas shoe brand KEDS
Keds is a brand name of athletic shoe first introduced in 1916 by US Rubber. The shoe was originally marketed as a rubber-soled, canvas-topped sneaker.

115. Ref’s decision TKO
In boxing, a knockout (KO) is when one of the fighters can’t get up from the canvas within a specified time, usually 10 seconds. This can be due to fatigue, injury, or the participant may be truly “knocked out”. A referee, fighter or doctor may also decide to stop a fight without a physical knockout, especially if there is concern about a fighter’s safety. In this case the bout is said to end with a technical knockout (TKO).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Utmost reach ACME
5. AT&T Pebble Beach National, e.g. PRO-AM
10. Ship that sailed to Colchis ARGO
14. It can be baled STRAW
19. Buyer’s aid LOAN
20. Icon on many romance novel covers FABIO
21. Mess (up) GOOF
22. Pitch with force HEAVE
23. Clothesline, for one CORD
24. Pendant impervious to little hands? CHILDPROOF LOCKET (from “childproof lock”)
27. Doctor with a losing plan ATKINS
29. Prominent periods ERAS
30. Fades WITHERS
31. Lamentation of Christ work PIETA
32. Navy captain’s insignia EAGLE
35. Trial versions BETAS
36. __ scan PET
37. Demonstrates anti-boxing sentiment? PICKETS A FIGHT (from “picks a fight”)
41. __-faced TWO
44. Laborious effort TRAVAIL
46. Pitman user STENO
47. Bit of deception TRAP
48. “Lady Jane Grey” playwright ROWE
50. Pretentious ARTSY
52. Onetime OLD
53. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk MR SULU
55. South American slitherer ANACONDA
57. iPod holders? APPLE JACKETS (from “applejacks”)
60. Descendant SCION
61. Aching SORE
63. Currency of Liechtenstein FRANC
64. Book cover? PEN NAME
67. Sarah Palin’s birthplace IDAHO
69. It may be full of ash WOODBIN
74. Swiss cultural city BASEL
76. Scoundrels CURS
78. Dealer’s offer LEASE
79. Pinocchio plug-in? SOCKET PUPPET (from “sock puppet”)
84. Didactic stories PARABLES
87. Gracious POLITE
88. Wish undone RUE
89. SeaWorld orca SHAMU
91. Some are full-bodied ALES
92. Weekend Prep brand IZOD
93. Florida Aquarium city TAMPA
95. Error remnant ERASURE
97. Thing to rally over NET
98. Cross between a hound and a zebra? STRIPED BASSET (from “striped bass”)
101. Crab leg count TEN
104. Low tide sight, often SHOAL
105. Significant strides LOPES
106. Undivided AS ONE
108. Kandahar currency AFGHANI
111. Water sports equipment SKIS
113. Beams SHAFTS
114. Nod off during cocktail hour? SLEEP IN THE BUFFET (from “sleep in the buff”)
119. Hostage situation acronym SWAT
120. Guideposts co-founder PEALE
121. Made laboriously, with “out” EKED
122. Buster? NARCO
123. Chief greeting HAIL
124. Manorial workers of old SERFS
125. Shower supports RODS
126. Put an ear to the door, say SNOOP
127. Semi bar AXLE

Down
1. Yokum family creator AL CAPP
2. Jazz trumpeter Williams COOTIE
3. Promote “Pudd’nhead Wilson”? MARKET TWAIN (from “Mark Twain”)
4. Break up END IT
5. U.S. Army E-3s PFCS
6. Sports crowd shout RAH!
7. Japanese closer OBI
8. Feel wretched AIL
9. One of 15 million made from 1908 to 1927 MODEL T
10. Yamuna River city AGRA
11. Zoo hoppers ROOS
12. Gunk GOO
13. U.S. Air Force Song opening OFF WE GO …
14. Fired on SHOT AT
15. Data recovery experts TECHS
16. Leaves clearer RAKE
17. Confidently say AVER
18. Dips in water WETS
25. Bear down PRESS
26. Belarus neighbor: Abbr. LITH
28. Valley whose welcome sign contains the words “bottled poetry” NAPA
32. Holiday cyber-message E-CARD
33. Japanese dogs AKITAS
34. Cream alternatives GELS
35. Paper organizer BINDER
38. One of the Karamazovs IVAN
39. At the crest of ATOP
40. Was taken in by FELL FOR
41. Factual TRUE
42. Cartoonist Kelly WALT
43. Orchestra piece OPUS
45. Some intel RECON
47. “You’re better than that!” TSK!
48. Hoarse sound RASP
49. Start of a reminiscence ONCE
51. Place for a sale YARD
53. Vaquero’s hand MANO
54. Longtime soft drink brand RC COLA
56. How some risks are taken ON A BET
58. Treaty subject PEACE
59. Prattle JAW
62. Valvoline circulator OIL PUMP
65. Other half MATE
66. Psychic’s claim ESP
68. Wickiups HUTS
70. Refuse admission to DEBAR
71. Tussaud’s tribute to the Bolshoi? BALLET OF WAX (from “ball of wax”)
72. Dawning words I SEE
73. Capone nemesis NESS
75. Pass abroad EURAIL
77. Few and far between SPARSE
79. Doctor’s specialty? SPIN
80. Exude OOZE
81. Thicken, as cream CLOT
82. Barnyard youngster KID
83. Skunk seeking amour PEPE
85. Sock away AMASS
86. Sneaky maneuver RUSE
90. Goodly amount HEAP
93. Stable VIP TRAINER
94. Ignore the teleprompter AD-LIB
96. Jell-O is its official state snack UTAH
98. Manipulates SHAPES
99. Singer Braxton TONI
100. Deck crew leaders BOSUNS
102. Involve ENTAIL
103. Settle snugly NESTLE
104. __ life SHELF
107. White House daughter SASHA
108. Deadly reptiles ASPS
109. Get out of Dodge FLEE
110. Athlete’s stuff GEAR
111. Lose SHED
112. Classic canvas shoe brand KEDS
113. Call it quits STOP
115. Ref’s decision TKO
116. It may oscillate FAN
117. One way to sway FRO
118. Prefix with hazard ECO-

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