LA Times Crossword 26 Jun 22, Sunday

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Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Stretches Across

Themed answers are in the ACROSS-direction, and each includes a STRETCH of time as a hidden word. Those stretches increase in length as we descend the grid:

  • 26A *Terms for tenants : LEASE CONDITIONS (hiding “SECOND”)
  • 45A *Question in a famous balcony scene : WHEREFORE ART THOU ROMEO? (hiding “HOUR”)
  • 68A *Southeastern evergreen that sounds like a college : FLORIDA YEW (hiding “DAY”)
  • 73A *”Tennessee Waltz” composer : PEE WEE KING (hiding “WEEK”)
  • 95A *”Leave this to me” : I’M ON THE CASE (hiding “MONTH”)
  • 112A *Financial report section : QUARTERLY EARNINGS (hiding “YEAR”)

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

Bill’s time: 13m 20s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • TATIANA (Tatyana!)
  • RIAN (Ryan!!!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Lake skimmer : JET SKI

“Jet Ski” is actually a brand name owned by Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan. The generic term, not often used, is “personal watercraft”. Most people use the term “jet ski” generically, although “WaveRunner” is also popular. But that’s another brand name, one owned by Yamaha.

21 “Orphan Black” star Maslany : TATIANA

“Orphan Black” is a Canadian sci-fi TV show about several women who discover that they are in fact clones. Star of the show is Tatiana Maslany, who has what must be an exhausting job, playing all of the clones.

23 Uses a salamander, perhaps : BROILS

A salamander is a small oven, generally without a door, and with the heat source at the top. They are more common in professional kitchens than in homes, and are used primarily for high-temperature broiling and browning. Ultimately, the name salamander comes from the mythical amphibian with the same name that was supposedly unharmed by flames.

24 Hand sanitizer ingredient : ETHANOL

Ethyl alcohol is more usually known as ethanol. It is the alcohol found in intoxicating beverages, and nowadays is also used as a fuel for cars. Ethanol is also found in medical wipes and hand sanitizer, in which it acts as an antiseptic.

25 Glossy fabric : SATEEN

Sateen is a cotton fabric. It has a weave that is “four over, one under”, meaning that most of the threads come to the surface to give it a softer feel.

29 “Great” detective of kid-lit : NATE

The “Nate the Great” series of children’s novels was written (mainly) by Marjorie Sharmat. Nate is like a young Sherlock Holmes, with a dog for a sidekick called Sludge. Some of the books have been adapted for television.

32 QBs and DHs : ATHS

Quarterbacks (QBs) and designated hitters (DHs) are athletes (Aths.)

45 *Question in a famous balcony scene : WHEREFORE ART THOU ROMEO? (hiding “HOUR”)

In the balcony scene in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Juliet utters the famous line:

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Every school kid must have commented with a giggle “he’s down in the garden!” Of course, “wherefore” isn’t an archaic word for “where”, but rather an old way of saying “why”. So Juliet is asking, “Why art thou Romeo, a Montague, and hence a sworn enemy of the Capulets?”

53 Emission from radioactive decay : BETA RAY

In nuclear physics, beta particles (also “beta rays”) are high-energy electrons or positrons. Beta particles are produced by unstable atomic nuclei with an excess of neutrons in the process of beta decay.

54 Wrestling legend Ric : FLAIR

Wrestler Ric Flair’s real name is Richard Fliehr. Perhaps following the lead of his compatriot Jesse Ventura, Flair explored the possibility of running for governor of the state of North Carolina.

55 NYC film festival locale : TRIBECA

The Tribeca Film Festival in New York City was launched in 2002 by Tribeca Productions, the production company co-founded by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. The intent was to revitalize the lower Manhattan neighborhood in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

“TriBeCa” is a clever little acronym that expands into “TRI-angle BE-low CA-nal Street”. The name of the New York City neighborhood was developed by local residents who basically copied the naming technique used by residents of the adjacent area of SoHo, with “SoHo” being short for “SO-uth of HO-uston Street”.

56 Actor Epps : OMAR

Omar Epps is the actor who played Eric Foreman on the excellent television series “House”. Prior to playing Dr. Foreman, Epps had a recurring role playing Dr. Dennis Gant on “ER”. He is good friends with actor and comedian Marlon Wayans. Epps and Wayns were classmates at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

57 Ocelot, e.g. : WILD CAT

The ocelot is a wild cat found mainly in South and Central America, although there have been sightings as far north as Arkansas. An ocelot doesn’t look too different from a domestic cat, and some have been kept as pets. Perhaps most famously, Salvador Dali had one that he carried around everywhere with him.

59 Harmon series : NCIS

Actor Mark Harmon is best known today for playing the lead in the drama show “NCIS”. Harmon played a similar character for several episodes on “The West Wing”. Mark is the son of a football star Tom Harmon, and was the brother-in-law of rock and roll star Ricky Nelson and automotive executive John DeLorean (through his sisters). Harmon has been married since 1987 to actress Pam Dawber, who played the female title role on “Mork & Mindy”.

60 __-O-Honey candy : BIT

Bit-O-Honey is a candy bar consisting of pieces of almond in a honey-flavored taffy. Bit-O-Honey has been around since 1924.

63 “Mudbound” director Rees : DEE

Dee Rees is a screenwriter and director who might be best known for directing the historical drama film “Mudbound” (2017). Rees also wrote and directed the 2011 movie “Pariah”, which she describes as semi-autobiographical.

2008’s “Mudbound” was the first novel written by author Hillary Jordan. It was adapted into a 2017 film directed by Dee Rees and starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund and Jason Clarke. I haven’t read the book or seen the film, but I do know that the critics loved the movie …

65 Bag-screening org. : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) loosened the ban on liquids, aerosols and gels in carry-on baggage in 2006, From that date onwards, passengers had to abide by the 3-1-1 rule, i.e. 3.4-ounce or less containers (3), in a one-quart ziploc bag (1), one bag per person (1).

73 *”Tennessee Waltz” composer : PEE WEE KING (hiding “WEEK”)

The wonderful “Tennessee Waltz” was written by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King in 1948. The song became a huge hit for Patti Page in 1950.

80 Admit defeat : SAY UNCLE

To say uncle is to submit or yield. This peculiarly American use of “uncle” dates back to the early 1900s, but nobody seems to know how “uncle!” came to mean “stop!”

84 Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective and the hero of many stories published by author Rex Stout. There are 33 Nero Wolfe novels for us to read, and 39 short stories. There are also movie adaptations of two of the novels: “Meet Nero Wolfe” (1936) which features a young Rita Hayworth, and “The League of Frightened Men” (1937). One of Wolfe’s endearing traits is his love of good food and beer, so he is a pretty rotund character.

The word “sleuth” came into English from Old Norse as far back as 1200 when it meant the “track or trail of a person”. In the mid-1800s, a sleuthhound described a keen investigator, a hound close on the trail of the suspect. Sleuthhound was shortened to “sleuth” and was used for a detective in general.

88 Device that may display awkward moments on the jumbotron : KISS CAM

The kiss cam is a diversion during some sporting events in which a video camera picks out random couples in the crowd, projecting their image onto the giant screen at the venue. The couples are encouraged to kiss, for the entertainment of the fans. Famously, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama kissed for the kiss cam at a basketball game a few years ago, as did former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

90 Abalone eater : OTTER

Male and female otters are known as dogs and bitches, with the offspring called pups. Males and females are sometimes referred to as boars and sows. A collection of otters is a bevy, family, lodge or perhaps a romp. When in water, a collection of otters can be called a raft.

The large edible sea snails that we call abalone are called ormer in Britain and Ireland, and are served as “awabi” at a sushi bar. The abalone shell resembles a human ear, giving rise to the alternative names “ear shell” and “sea ear”.

94 “Queen Sugar” creator DuVernay : AVA

“Queen Sugar” is a TV drama created by Ava DuVernay that is based on a 2014 novel of the same name by Natalie Baszile. It’s all about three estranged siblings who reunite to save their family’s failing sugarcane farm in Louisiana.

99 Quick qualifier : IMO

In my opinion (IMO)

105 Lugs around : SCHLEPS

Our word “schlep” (sometimes “schlepp”) means “carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.

107 Sandwich letters : BLT

The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second-most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

117 “The Night Watchman” Pulitzer winner Erdrich : LOUISE

Louise Erdrich is an author and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Her novels, poetry and children’s books usually feature Native-American characters and settings. Erdrich’s 2020 novel “The Night Watchman” won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

119 Marshmallow-filled treat : MOON PIE

Marshmallow cream was developed in 1927. Soon after, workers in the coal mines around Chattanooga, Tennessee started dipping graham crackers in marshmallow cream as a snack. Then a local baker jumped on the idea, and came up with a sandwich made with a marshmallow filling between two round graham crackers. His young grandson remarked that the popped bubbles in the marshmallow (from baking) looked like moon craters, and the Moon Pie was born. I used to love them as a kid, although we called them “Wagon Wheels” in our part of the world.

120 Bible book with 150 poems : PSALMS

The Greek word “psalmoi” originally meant “songs sung to a harp”, and gave us the word “psalms”. In the Jewish and Western Christian traditions, the Book of Psalms contains 150 individual psalms, divided into five sections.

123 “__ Restaurant”: classic Guthrie song : ALICE’S

Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for singing protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

124 Quarterback who was MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI : MANNING

Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

125 Pabst brand : STROH’S

Bernard Stroh was the son of a German brewer. Bernard immigrated to the US in 1848 and set up his own brewery in 1850 in Detroit. Years later, the Stroh Brewing Company introduced a European process called fire-brewing. This results in higher temperatures at a crucial stage in the brewing process, supposedly bringing out flavor. Apparently, Stroh’s is the only mainstream American beer that still uses this process.

Frederick Pabst was a brewer from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area who had immigrated to the US from Prussia with his parents. Pabst bought himself into his father-in-law’s small brewery and over the years grew the enterprise into a public company. The most famous beer from Pabst is Pabst Blue Ribbon.

126 Smartphone screen borders : BEZELS

A bezel is a groove that is designed to hold a beveled edge. An example would be the groove around the face of a watch, which accepts the beveled edge of a watch crystal.

128 “For Your Eyes Only” singer Sheena : EASTON

Sheena Easton is a Scottish singer. She was big in the eighties with songs like “9 to 5” (released as “Morning Train” in the US) and “For Your Eyes Only”, which is the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. Easton collaborated with American singer Prince on many projects. She recorded the 1984 song “Sugar Walls” that was composed for her by Prince under the pseudonym “Alexander Nevermind”.

Down

1 Snarky remark : JAB

“Snark” is a term that was coined by Lewis Carroll in his fabulous 1876 nonsense poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. Somehow, the term “snarky” came to mean “irritable, short-tempered” in the early 1900s, and from there “snark” became “sarcastic rhetoric” at the beginning of the 21st century.

4 Graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier about a girl with braces : SMILE

Raina Telgemeier is a cartoonist who wrote a webcomic titled “Smile (A Dental Drama)”. The work is autobiographical, and describes the years of dental and orthodontic surgery that Telgemeier underwent due to a serious mouth injury that she incurred as a child.

6 Rae of “The Lovebirds” : ISSA

“The Lovebirds” is a 2020 romantic comedy movie starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple on the run after witnessing a murder. The film’s release schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix stepped in and bought it for online release. As a result, “The Lovebirds” was the top-streamed title on Netflix on the weekend it became available.

10 “Knives Out” writer/director Johnson : RIAN

Filmmaker Rian Johnson wrote and directed quite a few major films, including “Looper” (2012), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017) and “Knives Out” (2019).

“Knives Out” is an intriguing murder mystery film released in 2019. There’s a great cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer. I really enjoyed this one, partly because it’s a clever, contemporary take on a classic whodunit movie …

12 How sun-dried tomatoes may be packed : IN OIL

Tomatoes can be placed in the sun for 4-10 days in order to dry out. They lose about 90% of their weight to become “sun-dried” tomatoes.

13 Pasadena engineering sch. : CALTECH

Caltech is more properly known as the California Institute of Technology, and is a private research-oriented school in Pasadena. One of Caltech’s responsibilities is the management and operation of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If you watch “The Big Bang Theory” on television like me, you might know that the four lead characters all work at Caltech.

14 Lhasa __ : APSO

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.

17 Big monkey : APE

Apes and monkeys both belong to the order of primates. The most obvious way to distinguish apes from monkeys is by the presence or lack of a tail. Almost all apes have no tail, and almost all monkeys have tails.

18 Snooze symbol : ZEE

The letter zed has been around since about 1400, and derives from the Greek letter zeta. The spelling and pronunciation “zee”, used in America today, first popped up in the 1670s. The spelling and pronunciation “zed” is still used in Britain and Ireland.

27 London luxury hotel that opened in 1889 : SAVOY

The Savoy Hotel in central London opened in 1886. It was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte alongside his Savoy Theater that he used for his productions of the Savoy operas by Gilbert & Sullivan. Carte hired Swiss hotelier César Ritz to manage the Savoy Hotel. Ritz went on to found the Hôtel Ritz in Paris as well as the Ritz and Carlton Hotels in London (that gave us today’s Ritz-Carlton hotel brand).

29 Rookie, casually : NEWB

The term “rookie”, used for a raw recruit, first appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s collection of songs and poems called the “Barrack-Room Ballads”, which was originally published in 1892.

31 Duking it out : TOE TO TOE

“Dukes” is a slang term meaning “fists, hands”. The route taken by “dukes” to become fists seems very tortuous, but might just be true. The term “fork” was slang for “hand” for centuries (and gives rise to “fork out” meaning “hand over”). The slang term “fork” is expressed in Cockney rhyming slang as “Duke of York”, which is shortened to “duke”. As I said, tortuous …

36 Gp. with reserves : OPEC

The OPEC cartel was formally established in 1960 and has been headquartered in Vienna since 1965. The US is actually the third largest oil producer in the world (after Russia and Saudi Arabia). One reason America isn’t in OPEC, even though we are a big producer, is that we import a lot more than we export. But we all probably knew that already …

37 Ancient portico : STOA

Zeno of Citium was a Greek philosopher famous for teaching at the Stoa Poikile, the “Painted Porch”, located on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. Because of the location of his classes, his philosophy became known as stoicism (from “stoa”, the word for “porch”). We get our adjective “stoic”, meaning “indifferent to pleasure or pain”, from the same root.

39 “Buona __”: Italian greeting : SERA

“Buona sera” is Italian for “good evening”.

43 “Heart & Soul” country singer Church : ERIC

“Heart & Soul” is a studio album by country singer Eric Church. “Heart & Soul” actually comprises three separate albums released on three different days in April of 2021. “Heart” came first, then “&”, and finally “Soul”. Quirky …

50 __-tac-toe : TIC

When I was growing up in Ireland we played “noughts and crosses” … our name for the game tic-tac-toe.

52 Kimono sash : OBI

The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied at the back in what is called a butterfly knot. The term “obi” is also used for the thick cotton belts that are an essential part of the outfits worn by practitioners of many martial arts. The color of the martial arts obi signifies the wearer’s skill level.

The lovely Japanese kimono is a garment worn by men, women and children. The word “kimono” translates simply as “thing to wear”, with “ki” meaning “wear” and “mono” meaning “thing”.

60 Fave bud : BFF

Best friend forever (BFF)

62 Hors d’oeuvres spread : PATE

Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made from a mixture of ground meat and fat to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version of the paste is pâté de foie gras, which is made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French).

An hors d’oeuvre is a first course in a meal. “Hors d’oeuvre” translates from French as “apart from the work”, which really means “not the main course”.

64 “Fargo” actor McGregor : EWAN

Ewan McGregor is a very talented Scottish actor, one who got his break in the 1996 film “Trainspotting”. McGregor’s first big Hollywood role was playing the young Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the “Star Wars” prequels. Less known is his televised marathon motorcycle journey from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Siberia, Mongolia and Canada. The 2004 trip was shown as “Long Way Round” on TV. McGregor did a similar trip in 2007 called “Long Way Down”, which took him and the same traveling companion from the north of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa.

“Fargo” is a TV series inspired by the 1996 film of the same name by the Coen brothers. The small-screen version first aired in 2014, with the credits including Joel and Ethan Coen as executive producers. Each season of the show features a new cast. The 2014 cast is led by Billy Bob Thornton, the 2015 cast by Kirsten Dunst, and the 2017 cast by Ewan McGregor. Each episode, and indeed the original film, includes the on-screen claim that “This is a true story”. However, that claim is in fact untrue.

66 Weekly NBC show with a musical guest : SNL

NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

70 Apple TV+ device : IPAD

Apple TV+ is a video streaming service offered by Apple. Apple TV (without the “+”) is the name of Apples media player, and also the name of Apple’s streaming app.

72 Razzie Award adjective : WORST

“Razzie” is the familiar name for the Golden Raspberry Award, an award presented annually for the worst in the world of film. The Razzies have been presented on the day before the Oscars since 1981.

73 Nobel category : PEACE

The Peace Prize is the most famous of the five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. There is also a Nobel Prize in Economics that is awarded along with the original five, but it is funded separately and is awarded “in memory of Alfred Nobel”. Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and is presented in Oslo.

75 Tip of the Alps? : EURO

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

76 Macramé unit : KNOT

Macramé is a way to make cloth that uses a knotting technique rather than weaving or knitting. Macramé was popularized at sea, where sailors would decorate the likes of knife handles, bottles and even parts of the ship.

86 “Sans” opposite : AVEC

In French, “avec” (with) and “sans” (without) are opposites.

87 Test for solvers : MATH QUIZ

Here’s another term that catches me out all the time, having done my schooling on the other side of the Atlantic. The term “mathematics” is shortened to “math” in the US, but to “maths” in Britain and Ireland.

88 Keystone figure : KOP

The Keystone Cops (sometimes “Keystone Kops”) were a band of madcap policemen who appeared in silent movies. A 1914 short film called “A Thief Catcher” that was believed lost was rediscovered in 2010. “A Thief Catcher” featured the magnificent Charlie Chaplin in an early role as a Keystone Cop.

89 Big D hoopster : MAV

The Mavericks (also “Mavs”) are an NBA franchise in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded in 1980, and the Mavericks name was chosen by fan votes. The choice of “Mavericks” was prompted by the fact that the actor James Garner was a part-owner of the team, and Garner of course played the title role in the “Maverick” television series.

“Big D” is a nickname for the city of Dallas, Texas.

92 Abu Dhabi ruler : EMIR

Abu Dhabi is one of the seven Emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy. Before 1971, the UAE was a British Protectorate, a collection of sheikdoms. The sheikdoms entered into a maritime truce with Britain in 1835, after which they became known as the Trucial States, derived from the word “truce”.

96 Part of MVP : MOST

MVP (most valuable player)

98 Orbital circuit shape : ELLIPSE

One way to envision the two foci of an ellipse is to imagine two nails sticking up out of a board, placed a small distance apart. A loop of string is placed on the board, with the nails in the middle. A pen is placed inside the loop, and moved as far away from the nails as possible, confined by the string. The pen is then run around the nails, stretching out the string so that it is taut. The pen will draw an ellipse, and the point where the nails are, they are the ellipse’s two foci.

101 Water channel : SLUICE

A sluice is a water channel with a gate at its head that is used to control the amount of water flowing.

104 Literary awards named for a Baltimore writer : EDGARS

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (“Edgars”) are presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America. There are several categories of awards. For example, the Ellery Queen Award honors “writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry”. The Raven Award is presented to non-writers, who contribute to the mystery genre.

106 “The Joy of Painting” prop : EASEL

“The Joy of Painting” is a long-running instructional TV show that was hosted by painter Bob Ross from 1983 until 1994 (Ross passed away in 1995). The show was a follow-on to the equally successful show “The Magic of Oil Painting” that was hosted by artist Bill Alexander, and which ran from 1974 until 1982. In both series, the hosts demonstrated various artistic techniques while completing a painting in each episode.

108 Jeff of the Traveling Wilburys : LYNNE

Jeff Lynne is a singer-songwriter who is best known as the leader of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Lynne went on to form the Traveling Wilburys supergroup, along with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup consisting of Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and George Harrison. The group formed in 1988. The name “Wilbury” came from a line uttered by Harrison to Lynne referring to errors created by faulty equipment during a recording session, i.e. “We’ll bury ‘em in the mix.”

109 Lukewarm : TEPID

The obsolete adjective “luke” meant “tepid, moderately warm”. Said adjective used to exist in words like “luke-hot” and “luke-hearted”, but now only survives in the word “luke-warm” (usually “lukewarm”). So, I guess “lukewarm” means “tepidly tepid” …

111 Prefix with gram or cart : INSTA-

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

Instacart is a grocery delivery service that was founded in San Francisco in 2012. Customers use an app to select groceries from a specific outlet, and then a personal shopper picks the items from the shelves and delivers them to the customer’s home.

113 “Room” novelist Donoghue : EMMA

Emma Donoghue is an Irish-born Canadian author and historian, Her 2010 novel “Room” was a big success, and one that she adapted herself into a 2015 film of the same name (earning an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay).

115 “It __ over till it’s over” : AIN’T

Yogi Berra is regarded by many as the greatest catcher ever to play in Major League Baseball, and has to be America’s most celebrated “author” of malapropisms. Here are some greats:

  • It ain’t over till it’s over.
  • 90% of the game is half mental.
  • Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.
  • When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
  • It’s déjà vu all over again.
  • Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.
  • A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.

116 __ Park: Queens area : REGO

Rego Park in Queens, New York City was farmland up to the early 1900s. Then along came a developer called the Real Good Construction Company, and building started. Rego Park takes its name from “Real Good”. Creative …

117 Forensic facility : LAB

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

118 World Cup chant : OLE!

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the sport of soccer. The competition has been held every four years (excluding the WWII years) since the inaugural event held in Uruguay in 1930. The men’s World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, even outranking the Olympic Games. And, the women’s World Cup is fast catching up …

121 Old conductance unit : MHO

Conductance (measured in “mhos”) is the inverse of resistance (measured in “ohms”). The mho has been replaced by the SI unit called the siemens.

122 ID with two hyphens : SSN

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts, i.e AAA-GG-SSSS. Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot. Since 2011, SSNs have been assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Lake skimmer : JET SKI
7 Bitterly harsh : ACERBIC
14 In flames : ABLAZE
20 Free bakery treats? : AROMAS
21 “Orphan Black” star Maslany : TATIANA
22 Prim partner : PROPER
23 Uses a salamander, perhaps : BROILS
24 Hand sanitizer ingredient : ETHANOL
25 Glossy fabric : SATEEN
26 *Terms for tenants : LEASE CONDITIONS (hiding “SECOND”)
29 “Great” detective of kid-lit : NATE
32 QBs and DHs : ATHS
33 Winter coaster : SLED
34 Kerfuffles : ADOS
38 Prefix with tourism : ECO-
39 Back up : SAVE
41 Refer to : CITE
44 Stop dithering : OPT
45 *Question in a famous balcony scene : WHEREFORE ART THOU ROMEO? (hiding “HOUR”)
53 Emission from radioactive decay : BETA RAY
54 Wrestling legend Ric : FLAIR
55 NYC film festival locale : TRIBECA
56 Actor Epps : OMAR
57 Ocelot, e.g. : WILD CAT
59 Harmon series : NCIS
60 __-O-Honey candy : BIT
62 Bud : PAL
63 “Mudbound” director Rees : DEE
65 Bag-screening org. : TSA
68 *Southeastern evergreen that sounds like a college : FLORIDA YEW (hiding “DAY”)
73 *”Tennessee Waltz” composer : PEE WEE KING (hiding “WEEK”)
77 Run-down theaters : FLEA PITS
78 Be a little shy? : OWE
80 Admit defeat : SAY UNCLE
81 Fury : RAGE
82 Test run : TRIAL
84 Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO
85 Well-known : FAMED
88 Device that may display awkward moments on the jumbotron : KISS CAM
90 Abalone eater : OTTER
94 “Queen Sugar” creator DuVernay : AVA
95 *”Leave this to me” : I’M ON THE CASE (hiding “MONTH”)
99 Quick qualifier : IMO
100 Court dividers : NETS
102 Wear a long face : MOPE
103 Not good at all : EVIL
104 Radiate : EMIT
105 Lugs around : SCHLEPS
107 Sandwich letters : BLT
110 Motorless aircraft : GLIDERS
112 *Financial report section : QUARTERLY EARNINGS (hiding “YEAR”)
117 “The Night Watchman” Pulitzer winner Erdrich : LOUISE
119 Marshmallow-filled treat : MOON PIE
120 Bible book with 150 poems : PSALMS
123 “__ Restaurant”: classic Guthrie song : ALICE’S
124 Quarterback who was MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI : MANNING
125 Pabst brand : STROH’S
126 Smartphone screen borders : BEZELS
127 Supplemented : ADDED TO
128 “For Your Eyes Only” singer Sheena : EASTON

Down

1 Snarky remark : JAB
2 Drop the ball : ERR
3 Excessively : TOO
4 Graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier about a girl with braces : SMILE
5 Iron-rich leafy vegetable : KALE
6 Rae of “The Lovebirds” : ISSA
7 Unsteady, quaintly : ATEETER
8 “Coming at you!” : CATCH!
9 Cultural values : ETHOS
10 “Knives Out” writer/director Johnson : RIAN
11 Rock groups : BANDS
12 How sun-dried tomatoes may be packed : IN OIL
13 Pasadena engineering sch. : CALTECH
14 Lhasa __ : APSO
15 Breakfast cereal fiber : BRAN
16 Much, informally : LOTSA
17 Big monkey : APE
18 Snooze symbol : ZEE
19 East end? : -ERN
27 London luxury hotel that opened in 1889 : SAVOY
28 __-proof : IDIOT
29 Rookie, casually : NEWB
30 Tooth trouble : ACHE
31 Duking it out : TOE TO TOE
35 Not imported : DOMESTIC
36 Gp. with reserves : OPEC
37 Ancient portico : STOA
39 “Buona __”: Italian greeting : SERA
40 Over yonder : AFAR
42 Go bad : TURN
43 “Heart & Soul” country singer Church : ERIC
46 Male sheep : RAM
47 IRS convenience : E-FILE
48 The works : ALL
49 “Gnarly, dude!” : RAD!
50 __-tac-toe : TIC
51 Swap : TRADE
52 Kimono sash : OBI
57 Styles : WAYS
58 Concert mementos : TEES
60 Fave bud : BFF
61 “__ be darned!” : I’LL
62 Hors d’oeuvres spread : PATE
64 “Fargo” actor McGregor : EWAN
66 Weekly NBC show with a musical guest : SNL
67 Go gray, maybe : AGE
69 Burger order : RARE
70 Apple TV+ device : IPAD
71 “Comprende?” : DIG?
72 Razzie Award adjective : WORST
73 Nobel category : PEACE
74 Needle hole : EYE
75 Tip of the Alps? : EURO
76 Macramé unit : KNOT
79 Coin-in-a-fountain thought : WISH
82 Sticking point : TINE
83 Frilly trim : LACE
85 Autograph hounds : FANS
86 “Sans” opposite : AVEC
87 Test for solvers : MATH QUIZ
88 Keystone figure : KOP
89 Big D hoopster : MAV
91 Schedule component, and what the answers to the starred clues literally contain : TIME SLOT
92 Abu Dhabi ruler : EMIR
93 Goes bad : ROTS
95 Wow : IMPRESS
96 Part of MVP : MOST
97 Talk with one’s hands : SIGN
98 Orbital circuit shape : ELLIPSE
101 Water channel : SLUICE
104 Literary awards named for a Baltimore writer : EDGARS
106 “The Joy of Painting” prop : EASEL
107 Fair, in a way : BLOND
108 Jeff of the Traveling Wilburys : LYNNE
109 Lukewarm : TEPID
111 Prefix with gram or cart : INSTA-
113 “Room” novelist Donoghue : EMMA
114 Map line : ROAD
115 “It __ over till it’s over” : AIN’T
116 __ Park: Queens area : REGO
117 Forensic facility : LAB
118 World Cup chant : OLE!
121 Old conductance unit : MHO
122 ID with two hyphens : SSN