LA Times Crossword 29 Dec 19, Sunday

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Constructed by: Gary Larson
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Electronic Games

Themed answers are common phrases preceded by the letter E:

  • 22A Unlikely getaway car alternative? : ESCAPE GOAT (from “scapegoat”)
  • 24A Time left in an online auction? : EBAY WINDOW (from “bay window”)
  • 36A Civil rights legislation? : EQUALITY CONTROL (from “quality control”)
  • 52A Serengeti stampede? : ELAND RUSH (from “land rush”)
  • 67A Three-hanky films? : EMOTION PICTURES (from “motion pictures”)
  • 83A Bong for special occasions? : EVENT PIPE (from “vent pipe”)
  • 97A Big place to fool around in? : ESTATE OF AFFAIRS (from “state of affairs”)
  • 112A Eve? : EDEN MOTHER (from “den mother”)
  • 115A Midnight sail? : EBON VOYAGE (from “bon voyage”)

Bill’s time: 21m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Spurred (on) : EGGED

The verb “to edge” has been used to mean to incite, to urge on, from the 16th century. Somewhere along the way “edge” was mistakenly replaced with “egg”, giving us our term “to egg on” meaning “to goad”.

20 Magician’s cry : VOILA!

The French word “voilà” means “there it is”, and “voici” means “here it is”. The terms come from “voi là” meaning “see there” and “voi ici” meaning “see here”.

22 Unlikely getaway car alternative? : ESCAPE GOAT (from “scapegoat”)

A scapegoat is a person chosen to take the blame in place of others. The term comes from the Bible’s Book of Leviticus, which describes a goat that was cast into the desert along with the sins of the community.

24 Time left in an online auction? : EBAY WINDOW (from “bay window”)

eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer was a collector of broken laser pointers …

A bay window is a window that projects outside, beyond the wall. The resulting space inside the wall forms a “bay-like” space inside a room.

27 River-to-sea connection : ESTUARY

An estuary is a body of water that is connected directly to the open sea as well as to one or more rivers. As such, the water in an estuary is “brackish”, less saline than seawater but more saline than freshwater. The list of significant estuaries in North America includes Chesapeake Bay, Delaware bay, the East River and Long Island Sound.

34 Zest : GUSTO

“Gusto” is an Italian word meaning “taste”. We use it in English in the phrase “with gusto” meaning “with great enjoyment”.

41 Many a Middle East native : ARAB

In geographical terms there are three “Easts”. “Near East” and “Middle East” are terms that are often considered synonymous, although “Near East” tends to be used when discussing ancient history and “Middle East” when referring to the present day. The Near/Middle East encompasses most of Western Asia and Egypt. The term “Far East” describes East Asia (including the Russian Far East), Southeast Asia and South Asia.

45 Bowling ball material : URETHANE

Polyurethanes are a large class of polymers. The first polyurethanes were synthesized in Germany in 1937. Although the name “urethane” strictly applies to the organic compound ethyl carbamate, polyurethanes are often referred to simply as “urethanes”.

47 Hood’s weapon : GAT

“Gat” is a slang term for a gun that is derived from “Gatling gun”, the precursor to the modern machine gun. The Gatling gun was invented by Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861. Apparently he was inspired to invent it so that one man could do as much damage as a hundred, thereby reducing the size of armies and diminishing the suffering caused by war. Go figure …

“Hood” is a slang term for “gangster”, a shortening of “hoodlum”.

49 Where to get down : EIDER

Eiders are large sea ducks. Their down feathers are used to fill pillows and quilts, giving the name to the quilt called an “eiderdown”.

52 Serengeti stampede? : ELAND RUSH (from “land rush”)

The eland (plural “eland, elands”) is a large African antelope, in fact the largest antelope on the continent. Both male and female eland have horns, and those horns have a steady spiral ridge along their length.

The Serengeti is a region in Africa that is located in northern Tanzania and southwest Kenya. The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “Endless Plains”.

55 Multidisciplinary strength-training program : CROSSFIT

CrossFit is a trademarked fitness, strength and conditioning program that was introduced in 2000.

57 Guitarist Paul : LES

Les Paul was a guitarist, songwriter and inventor. When he was 33 years old, Paul was involved in a near-fatal car crash that left his right arm and elbow shattered. Surgeons offered him the choice of amputation or a rebuilding of the limb that would leave him unable to bend his elbow. He told them to set his arm at just under 90 degrees so that he could at least hold his guitar and perhaps play it.

61 B’way need : TKT

Ticket (tkt.)

66 “The Plough and the Stars” playwright : O’CASEY

Seán O’Casey was an Irish playwright noted for his works exploring the plight of the working class in Dublin. O’Casey’s most famous works are “Juno and the Paycock” and “The Plough and the Stars”.

67 Three-hanky films? : EMOTION PICTURES (from “motion pictures”)

A kerchief is a triangular or square piece of cloth used as a covering for the head. So, a handkerchief (“hand-kerchief”) is a square piece of cloth held in the hand and used for personal hygiene.

70 Red choice : CLARET

Clairet is a dark rosé wine. Although it is uncommon today, clairet used to be the most common wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. For centuries now, English consumers have used the derivative term “claret” to describe any red wine from Bordeaux.

73 Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, e.g. : CO-ANCHORS

Savannah Guthrie is a broadcast journalist who started to co-anchor the NBC news show “Today” in 2012. Although raised in Arizona. Guthrie was actually born in Melbourne, Australia.

Hoda Kotb is an Egyptian-American television journalist who is perhaps best known as co-host of the NBC morning show “Today”. She is also the author of the bestselling autobiography “Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee”.

83 Bong for special occasions? : EVENT PIPE (from “vent pipe”)

A bong is a smaller and more portable version of a hookah, with both being filtration devices for smoking especially tobacco and cannabis. The term “bong” comes from the Thai word “baung” that is used for a wooden pope cut from bamboo.

88 Certain house mem. : SEN

Senator (sen.)

89 Emmy-winning creator of “Six Feet Under” : ALAN BALL

Screenwriter Alan Ball has a few hits attributed to him. He wrote the original screenplay for the 1999 movie “American Beauty”, and also created the very successful cable TV shows “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood”.

“Six Feet Under” is reportedly a great TV drama aired by HBO, and one that I fully intend to take a look at one day. The “six feet under” is a reference to the show’s storyline that features a family funeral business.

94 Thames academy : ETON

The town of Eton in Berkshire, England is home to the world-famous Eton College. The original settlement of Eton was located on an island surrounded by the River Thames, and the name “Eton” means “settlement on an island. A stream on one side of the island silted up almost 200 years ago, but it was cleared in 2019 so that Eton qualifies as an island once again.

100 “Take Me Home, Country __”: John Denver hit : ROADS

Singer John Denver’s real name was Henry John Deutchendorf, Jr. Denver was a great singer, and he had many other passions. He was an excellent photographer, and an avid skier and golfer. He also loved flying and collected vintage biplanes. He flew himself to concerts in his own Learjet, and had a handful of other planes that he would take out for spin when he could. One of his planes was an Experimental Rutan Long-EZ, a home-built aircraft noted for its fuel efficiency and tremendous range. Denver took the Rutan Long-EZ up in the middle of October 1997. He hadn’t had much experience with the plane, even though he had logged over 2,700 hours of flying time in other aircraft. The plane crashed into the ocean near Pacific Grove, California in an accident that Denver did not survive.

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a 1971 song that was co-written and performed by John Denver. It was destined to become John Denver’s signature song, as well as one of the several official state anthems of West Virginia.

Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

107 Early Yankee nickname : BAMBINO

Baseball legend George Herman Ruth, Jr. had several nicknames, the best known being “Babe”. He was also called “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat”.

109 “Rhoda” production co. : MTM

MTM Enterprises was a television production company founded in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore, originally to produce the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. The company subsequently produced the likes of “The Bob Newhart Show”, “Rhoda”, “WKRP in Cincinnati”, “Hill Street Blues” and “St. Elsewhere”. That’s a lot of great television …

The seventies sitcom “Rhoda”, starring Valerie Harper, was a spin-off of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. The eighth episode of the show was an hour-long special in which Rhoda married her fiance Joe (played by David Groh). At the time of airing it was the second-most watched television episode in history, second only to the 1953 birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy”.

112 Eve? : EDEN MOTHER (from “den mother”)

According to the Bible, Eve was created as Adam’s companion by God, creating her from Adam’s rib.

115 Midnight sail? : EBON VOYAGE (from “bon voyage”)

“Bon voyage” translates literally from French into English as “good journey”.

121 Glues : MUCILAGES

Mucilage is a gelatinous and sticky substance produced by most plants that serves various functions in a plant’s life cycle. Mucilage is collected from plants and has various uses. It can be eaten, and acts as a soluble dietary fiber. Historically, mucilage has been mixed with water and used as a glue. Such glues are sometimes referred to as “mucilages”.

122 Daly of “Judging Amy” : TYNE

Actress Tyne Daly really came into the public eye playing Detective Lacey in “Cagney and Lacey”. From 1999 to 2005, Daly played the mother of the title character in the TV show “Judging Amy”.

“Judging Amy” is a legal drama that first aired in 1999, and which stars Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Brenneman plays the title character, a judge who serves in a family court. Brenneman also created the show, and based it on the real-life experiences of her own mother who worked as a family court judge in Hartford, Connecticut.

123 “The Teflon Don” : GOTTI

John Gotti was the boss of the Gambino crime family from 1985. Gotti was known as the “Teflon Don” and took over leadership of the family from Paul Castellano when he was gunned down, allegedly on Gotti’s orders. Gotti remained head of the New York family until he was sentenced to life in prison in 1992. Gotti died of throat cancer after ten years behind bars.

124 Climbing plant features : TENDRILS

A tendril is a specialized leaf or stem that is shaped like a spiral thread. Tendrils are used for support by climbing plants.

Down

4 Ad about being green, briefly : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

7 “Cat Scratch Fever” musician : NUGENT

Ted Nugent was the lead guitarist with the Amboy Dukes, and is now a successful solo artist. Off the stage, Nugent is noted for his conservative views, particularly when it comes to the Second Amendment. He serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association.

9 Boston suburb : EVERETT

Everett is a city located just north of Boston. It was named for American politician Edward Everett, who served in many posts in the 19th century, including US Secretary of State under President Millard Fillmore.

11 Supermodel Carangi : GIA

Gia Carangi was a fashion model, one often described as the world’s first supermodel. Carangi was from Philadelphia, and had her first modelling jobs appearing in newspaper ads. She started to abuse heroin in 1980, at 20 years of age. She contracted AIDS, and died at 26 years old. Carangi was one of the first famous women to succumb to the disease, in 1986. HBO made a biopic about Carangi’s life called “Gia” in 1998. Angelina Jolie played the title role.

12 Nevada copper town : ELY

Ely is a city in eastern Nevada. The city was founded as a Pony Express stagecoach station, and then experienced a mining boom after copper was discovered locally in 1906. One of Ely’s former residents was First Lady Pat Nixon, who was born there in 1912.

14 Synagogue singer : CANTOR

“Canto” is the Latin word for “singer”. In some religious traditions, a “cantor” is the person assigned to lead the singing of ecclesiastical music.

15 Quattro maker : AUDI

Audi introduced the Quattro model in 1980. It was the first car to use Audi’s “quattro permanent” four-wheel drive system, hence the name “Quattro”.

17 Words of wisdom : SAWS

A saw is an old saying, one that is often repeated and is very familiar. The term “old saw” is actually a tautology, as by definition a “saw” is “old”.

23 16th-century English architectural style : TUDOR

Anyone wanting to see examples of magnificent buildings in the Tudor style of architecture might consider a visit to the English university towns of Oxford and Cambridge.

25 Whit : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Both “whit” and “fig” are used to describe a trivial amount, a mere trifle.

31 A and O, but not E, I or U : AL’ERS

American League (AL)

The Oakland Athletics (OAK) baseball franchise was founded back in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. The team became the Kansas City Athletics in 1955 and moved to Oakland in 1968. Today, the Athletics are usually referred to as “the A’s”.

The Baltimore Orioles (also, the O’s, the Birds”) are one of the eight charter teams of MLB’s American League, so the franchise dates back to 1901. Prior to 1901, the team has roots in the Minor League Milwaukee Brewers, and indeed entered the American League as the Brewers. In 1902 the Brewers moved to St. Louis and became the Browns. The team didn’t fare well in St. Louis, so when it finally relocated to Baltimore in the early fifties the team changed its name completely, to the Baltimore Orioles. The owners so badly wanted a fresh start that they traded 17 old Browns players with the New York Yankees. The trade didn’t help the team’s performance on the field in those early days, but it did help distance the new team from its past.

35 Long bones : ULNAE

The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinky-side”.

38 FAA overseer : USDOT

Department of Transportation (DOT)

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

39 Stanley of the NHL? : CUP

The Stanley Cup is named for Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Lord Stanley’s sons became avid fans of ice hockey while in Canada, and so he donated the trophy in 1909, originally as a challenge cup for the country’s best amateur club.

40 MLB scoreboard letters : RHE

On baseball scoreboards we see the letters RHE, standing for Runs, Hits and Errors.

43 Sew with temporary stitches : BASTE

To baste is to sew loosely, just holding a join in a fabric together temporarily using large running stitches.

51 Web site : ATTIC

An attic or loft is a room or space located below the roof of a building. The term “attic” is a shortened form of “attic story”, the uppermost story or level of a house. This term “attic story” originally applied to a low, decorative level built on top of the uppermost story behind a building’s decorative facade. This use of decoration at the top of buildings was common in ancient Greece, and was particularly important in the Attica style. That Attica style was so called because it originated in the historical region of Attica that encompassed the city of Athens. And that’s how our attics are linked to ancient Greece.

53 Il __: Mussolini : DUCE

“Duce” is Italian for “duke”. The most infamous dictator known as “Il Duce” was Benito Mussolini.

Benito Mussolini was deposed in 1943, just a few weeks after the Allies invaded Sicily and started to bomb Rome. Fascist politicians voted to oust him, and Italian King Victor Emmanuel had him arrested. Hitler selected Lieutenant Colonel Otto Skorzeny to lead a group of German commandos in a daring rescue of his longtime ally. The rescuers were towed into Italian airspace in gliders, which the commandos landed on a mountainside close to where Mussolini was being held captive. The element of surprise was so significant, that the rescue was effected without a shot being fired. A small plane was flown in to transport Mussolini and Skorzeny out of Italy, and to safety in Vienna. Some months later, Mussolini returned to Italy and fought on in parts of the country not yet taken by the Allies. As the end drew near, he made a run for Switzerland but was captured by Italian partisans. They executed him and took his body to Milan, where it was put on display, hanging upside down for all to see.

57 Horne and Dunham : LENAS

Lena Horne was an American jazz singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne started her career as a nightclub singer and then began to get some meaty acting roles in Hollywood. However, she ended up on the blacklist during the McCarthy Era for expressing left wing political views. One of Horne’s starring roles was in the 1943 movie “Stormy Weather” for which she also performed the title song.

Lena Dunham is a co-star in the HBO series “Girls”, and is also the show’s creator. Dunham garnered a lot of attention for herself during the 2012 US Presidential election cycle as she starred in an ad focused on getting out the youth vote. In the spot, she compared voting for the first time with having sex for the first time.

58 “College Football Live” channel : ESPNU

ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

64 Scot’s “Crikey!” : OCH!

“Crikey!” is an exclamation, and is probably a euphemism for “Christ”.

65 Features of some ‘Vettes : T-TOPS

A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the vehicle above the driver.

The Chevrolet Corvette was introduced to the world in 1953, and was named after the small maneuverable warship called a corvette. The “Vette” has legs. It is the only American sports car that has been around for over 50 years.

67 2000 title role for Julia : ERIN

Erin Brockovich is an environmental activist who is famous for the role she played in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric for contaminating drinking water. Her story was told in a 2000 film title “Erin Brockovich” starring Julia Roberts in the title role. Brockovich herself actually appeared in the film, as she was given a cameo as a waitress in a restaurant scene.

69 Results of Googling : URLS

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

70 Cuckoo clock quartet : CEES

There is a quartet of letters C (cees) in the phrase “cuckoo clock”.

71 Bank construction : LEVEE

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

74 “Vive __!” : LE ROI

“Vive le roi!” is French for “Long live the king!” “À bas le roi!” is French for “Down with the king!”, which was a phrase often heard during the French Revolution.

75 “I did not think to shed __”: “Henry VIII” : A TEAR

“Henry VIII” is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. One of the play’s claims to fame is that during a performance at the Globe Theater in 1613, a cannon shot special effect ignited a fire in the theater’s thatched roof causing the whole building to burn to the ground.

81 “Portrayer” of Duck Dodgers : DAFFY

Daffy Duck appears as sci-fi hero Duck Dodgers in a series of cartoons, starting with “Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century” from 1953. Clearly, that’s a spoof of the sci-fi series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”.

82 Southwestern lizards : GILAS

A Gila monster is a venomous lizard found in the southwestern US and northern Mexico, and is the only venomous lizard native to America. Gila monsters move along at a snail’s pace so aren’t normally a danger to humans. The name “Gila” is a reference to the Gila River Basin in the American Southwest, where the Gila monster was prevalent.

84 Screen or bomb : PASS

That would be American football.

85 Rhinitis-treating MD : ENT

The branch of medicine known as “ear, nose and throat” (ENT) is more correctly called “otolaryngology”.

Rhinitis is irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose. Usually, rhinitis is a result of inhalation of allergens such as pollen and pet dander.

86 South American greeting : ALO

“Aló” is Spanish for “hello”.

90 Owner of Grey Goose and Dewar’s : BACARDI

The Bacardi company is still family-owned and operated, and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. The company was founded in Santiago de Cuba and became successful by selling a refined form of rum, something new to a market that was used to a crude dark rum. The Bacardi family opposed the Castro regime as it came to power, so the company had to relocate to Bermuda.

Grey Goose is a vodka that is produced in France. The beverage was developed especially for the American market using resources and expertise available in the French Cognac region.

Dewar’s is a blended Scotch whisky introduced to the market in 1846 by John Dewar. Dewar’s White Label is the company’s most popular Scotch. It was first sold in 1899, and with a taste that is described as “heather and honey”. Dewar’s also make some single malts, under the labels Aberfeldy 12 and Aberfeldy 21. Today, Dewar’s is owned by Bacardi.

93 Time in a personal ad : AFT

Afternoon (aft.)

95 Anaheim’s county : ORANGE

Orange County in the Greater Los Angeles Area is the smallest county in Southern California by area, and yet it is the sixth most populous county in the US. The county seat is Santa Ana.

The California city of Anaheim is famous as home to the Disneyland resort. Prior to Disneyland opening in 1955, Anaheim was largely an agricultural community. It had been founded in 1857 by a group of German-Americans who were looking for an area suitable for growing grapes. The name “Anaheim” comes from “Ana”, referring to the nearby Santa Ana River, and from “Heim”, a German word meaning “home”.

99 Hospital stat? : AT ONCE

The exact etymology of “stat”, a term meaning “immediately” in the medical profession, seems to have been lost in the mists of time. It probably comes from the Latin “statim” meaning “to a standstill, immediately”. A blog reader has helpfully suggested that the term may also come from the world of laboratory analysis, where the acronym STAT stands for “short turn-around time”.

106 Penn name : SEAN

Actor Sean Penn is a two-time Oscar winner, for his roles in “Mystic River” released in 2003 and “Milk” released in 2008. Penn’s celebrity on screen is only matched with his fame off the screen. Apart from his “big name” marriages to singer Madonna and actress Robin Wright, Penn is also well known for political and social activism. He perhaps inherited some of his political views from his father, actor and director Leo Penn. As an actor, Leo refused to “name names” in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee and so was blacklisted in Hollywood and had to move into directing to put bread on the table. In later years as a director he gave his son Sean his first acting role, in a 1974 episode of “Little House on the Prairie”.

108 Tech giant based in Armonk, N.Y. : IBM

Tech giant IBM was founded as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. The company changed its name to the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR) in 1911 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The name “International Business Machines” (IBM) was given first to the company’s Canadian subsidiary, and then to its South American subsidiary. In 1924, it was decided to adopt the International Business Machines name for the whole company. Good choice …

109 Star followers : MAGI

“Magi” is the plural of the Latin word “magus”, a term applied to someone who was able to read the stars. Hence, “magi” is commonly used with reference to the “wise men from the East” who followed the star and visited Jesus soon after he was born. In Western Christianity, the three Biblical Magi are:

  • Melchior: a scholar from Persia
  • Caspar: a scholar from India
  • Balthazar: a scholar from Arabia

110 Neutrogena shampoo brand : T/GEL

Neutrogena is a brand of skincare products that was founded in 1930 as a cosmetics company called Natone.

114 V-J Day president : HST

The letter “S” in the middle of the name Harry S. Truman (HST) doesn’t stand for anything. The future-president was named “Harry” in honor of his mother’s brother Harrison “Harry” Young. The initial “S” was chosen in honor of young Harry’s two grandfathers: Anderson S-hipp Truman and S-olomon Young.

The actual date of V-J Day is not as clear as one might imagine. In the US we celebrate V-J Day on September 2nd each year, commemorating the day the Japanese signed the surrender document which officially ended WWII. In the UK, V-J Day is celebrated on August 15th, commemorating the day the surrender was announced in Europe and North America. To further complicate matters, because of time zone differences, surrender was announced in Japan on the preceding date, August 14th, 1945.

116 Beaujolais, par exemple : VIN

Beaujolais is a red wine made from the Gamay grape that is produced in the Beaujolais historical province that is part of the Burgundy wine-making region.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Immense : WHOPPING
9 Spurred (on) : EGGED
14 Starts of many names : CAPS
18 Procedure enforced locally : HOUSE RULE
20 Magician’s cry : VOILA!
21 Certain something : AURA
22 Unlikely getaway car alternative? : ESCAPE GOAT (from “scapegoat”)
24 Time left in an online auction? : EBAY WINDOW (from “bay window”)
26 Utmost degree : NTH
27 River-to-sea connection : ESTUARY
29 Policy that includes higher menu prices : NO TIPS
30 Stitches : DARNS
33 Meadow mom : DOE
34 Zest : GUSTO
36 Civil rights legislation? : EQUALITY CONTROL (from “quality control”)
41 Many a Middle East native : ARAB
44 Craved : LUSTED
45 Bowling ball material : URETHANE
47 Hood’s weapon : GAT
49 Where to get down : EIDER
50 World view, perhaps : MAP
52 Serengeti stampede? : ELAND RUSH (from “land rush”)
55 Multidisciplinary strength-training program : CROSSFIT
57 Guitarist Paul : LES
60 Tell a thing or two : EDUCATE
61 B’way need : TKT
62 Under pressure : ON THE SPOT
66 “The Plough and the Stars” playwright : O’CASEY
67 Three-hanky films? : EMOTION PICTURES (from “motion pictures”)
70 Red choice : CLARET
73 Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, e.g. : CO-ANCHORS
74 Single circuit : LAP
77 Supremely spooky : EERIEST
79 Bit of legal advice : SUE
80 Promise that one will : PLEDGE TO
83 Bong for special occasions? : EVENT PIPE (from “vent pipe”)
86 Beast of burden : ASS
87 Shower : AIRER
88 Certain house mem. : SEN
89 Emmy-winning creator of “Six Feet Under” : ALAN BALL
93 Solvent : AFLOAT
94 Thames academy : ETON
97 Big place to fool around in? : ESTATE OF AFFAIRS (from “state of affairs”)
100 “Take Me Home, Country __”: John Denver hit : ROADS
102 Simple sack : COT
103 Court figs. : ATTYS
104 Take the heat off? : DISARM
107 Early Yankee nickname : BAMBINO
109 “Rhoda” production co. : MTM
112 Eve? : EDEN MOTHER (from “den mother”)
115 Midnight sail? : EBON VOYAGE (from “bon voyage”)
119 Auto race signal : FLAG
120 Pried (into) : NOSED
121 Glues : MUCILAGES
122 Daly of “Judging Amy” : TYNE
123 “The Teflon Don” : GOTTI
124 Climbing plant features : TENDRILS

Down

1 Word spoken during pouring : WHEN
2 Throng : HOST
3 Bad pun response : OUCH!
4 Ad about being green, briefly : PSA
5 Zip : PEP
6 Wrath : IRE
7 “Cat Scratch Fever” musician : NUGENT
8 Shiny print : GLOSSY
9 Boston suburb : EVERETT
10 Elapse : GO BY
11 Supermodel Carangi : GIA
12 Nevada copper town : ELY
13 “The light __!” : DAWNS
14 Synagogue singer : CANTOR
15 Quattro maker : AUDI
16 Support, with “up” : PROP …
17 Words of wisdom : SAWS
19 Down : EAT
23 16th-century English architectural style : TUDOR
25 Whit : IOTA
28 Top of the line : A-ONE
30 Takes out : DATES
31 A and O, but not E, I or U : AL’ERS
32 Relieve (of) : RID
34 Soccer game highlight : GOAL
35 Long bones : ULNAE
36 Campaign sign word : ELECT
37 Idiosyncrasy : QUIRK
38 FAA overseer : USDOT
39 Stanley of the NHL? : CUP
40 MLB scoreboard letters : RHE
42 Mexican waters : AGUAS
43 Sew with temporary stitches : BASTE
46 Sign on the back : ENDORSE
48 Nonbinary gender pronoun : THEY
50 Perfect, as a collectible coin : MINT
51 Web site : ATTIC
53 Il __: Mussolini : DUCE
54 Some appliances : RCAS
56 Place to soothe the sole? : FOOT SPA
57 Horne and Dunham : LENAS
58 “College Football Live” channel : ESPNU
59 Item on a rack : SPICE
63 Sob syllable : HOO
64 Scot’s “Crikey!” : OCH!
65 Features of some ‘Vettes : T-TOPS
67 2000 title role for Julia : ERIN
68 Happen upon : MEET
69 Results of Googling : URLS
70 Cuckoo clock quartet : CEES
71 Bank construction : LEVEE
72 Ain’t like it oughta be? : AREN’T
74 “Vive __!” : LE ROI
75 “I did not think to shed __”: “Henry VIII” : A TEAR
76 Freighters’ destinations : PORTS
78 Like some floors : TILED
81 “Portrayer” of Duck Dodgers : DAFFY
82 Southwestern lizards : GILAS
84 Screen or bomb : PASS
85 Rhinitis-treating MD : ENT
86 South American greeting : ALO
90 Owner of Grey Goose and Dewar’s : BACARDI
91 Speck : ATOM
92 Leave alone : LET BE
93 Time in a personal ad : AFT
95 Anaheim’s county : ORANGE
96 Result that’s expected : NORM
98 Spread apart, as police during a search : FAN OUT
99 Hospital stat? : AT ONCE
101 Surrounded by : AMONG
104 Slick : DEFT
105 Without serious thought : IDLY
106 Penn name : SEAN
107 Root often pickled : BEET
108 Tech giant based in Armonk, N.Y. : IBM
109 Star followers : MAGI
110 Neutrogena shampoo brand : T/GEL
111 Jumble : MESS
113 Excessively : TOO
114 V-J Day president : HST
116 Beaujolais, par exemple : VIN
117 From the past, as a story : OLD
118 Pirate’s cry : YAR!