LA Times Crossword 9 Jun 19, Sunday

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Constructed by: Pam Amick Klawitter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Water Music

Themed answers each include “SEA” as a hidden word, somewhere in the MIDDLE:

  • 67A Keyboard centerpiece, and a phonetic hint to six long puzzle answers : MIDDLE C (and “middle ‘sea’”)
  • 22A It happens without warning : SURPRISE ATTACK
  • 43A Reason for an ankle monitor : HOUSE ARREST
  • 96A It’s more than right : OBTUSE ANGLE
  • 118A Fringe benefit for some reps : EXPENSE ACCOUNT
  • 14D Frontier transport : HORSE AND BUGGY
  • 54D Item on the best man’s checklist : PROPOSE A TOAST

Bill’s time: 17m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 __ Office : OVAL

Although there have been several “oval” offices used by US presidents in the White House, the current Oval Office was designed and constructed at the bequest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The room has four doors. One door opens onto the Rose Garden; a second door leads to a small study and dining room; a third opens onto the main corridor running through the West Wing; the fourth door opens to the office of the president’s secretary.

18 DQ Blizzard flavor : OREO

Soft serve ice cream was developed by John McCullough in 1938. McCullough was able to get his new dessert carried by a local ice cream store in Illinois. He and the store owner became so swamped with sales that they opened a store specifically built around the product in Joliet, Illinois, hence creating the first Dairy Queen outlet. There are now over 5,700 Dairy Queen franchises in 19 countries. We’ve even got one in Ireland …

25 Buzzard’s snack, perhaps : VERMIN

The turkey vulture is also known simply as the buzzard. It is found anywhere from southern Canada right down to the southern tip of South America. The turkey vulture feeds on carrion, using its sharp eyesight and very keen sense of smell. In fact when seeking out nourishment, it flies low enough so that it can pick up the gasses given off as the body of a dead animal begins to decay.

28 Truck propeller : DIESEL

There are two main types of internal combustion engine. Most cars in the US use spark injection engines (gasoline engines) in which a spark plug sparks in order to ignite the fuel-air mixture. A diesel engine, on the other hand, has no spark plug per se, and uses the heat generated by compressing the air-fuel mixture to cause ignition.

30 __ Bridge, which connects Buffalo, NY, to Fort Erie, Ontario : PEACE

The Peace Bridge connects Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario by spanning the Niagara River on the US-Canada border. The bridge opened in 1927, and about $40 billion-worth of trade crosses it annually.

31 Carnival destination : ISLE

The Carnival Cruise Line was founded in 1972, and now has over 20 vessels in operation. Three of those Carnival ships were chartered by the US government in the wake of Hurricane Katrina so that they could provided temporary housing for families displaced by the storm.

35 “Tarzan” critter : APE

In the stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes was actually Englishman John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke.

43 Reason for an ankle monitor : HOUSE ARREST

A person under house arrest often wears an ankle monitor that is used to ensure that he or she does not stray far from home. An alternative system involves random calls to the confined person’s home that have to be answered by the convict. On the face of it, house arrest seems to be a very economic alternative for society instead of the prison system. As part of the sentence, the convict may even be asked to pay for the cost of monitoring his or her house arrest.

46 Phishing target : USERNAME

Phishing is the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PIN numbers etc.”

48 Payroll service co. : ADP

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) is an enterprise based in Roseland, New Jersey that provides business services to companies. The company was founded back in 1949 by Henry Taub as Automatic Payrolls, Inc.

49 Exam given intradermally, for short : TB TEST

The Mantoux test is a skin test used to screen for tuberculosis (TB). The test is named for French physician Charles Mantoux who developed it in 1907. The procedure involves the injection of a small amount of tuberculin into the skin to check for an immune response. Tuberculin is a protein that is extracted from the outer membrane of the bacterium that causes TB.

50 “Chicago” actor : GERE

Richard Gere has played such great roles on the screen, and I find him to be a very interesting character off the screen. Gere has been studying Buddhism since 1978 and is a very visible supporter of the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet. Gere has been married twice; to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995, and to model/actress Carey Lowell from 2002 until 2016. Gere’s breakthrough role was as the male lead in the 1980 film “American Gigolo”.

The wonderful 1975 musical “Chicago” is based on a 1926 play of the same name written by a news reporter called Maurine Dallas Watkins. Watkins had been assigned to cover the murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the “Chicago Tribune”, and used the story that unfolded as the basis for her play. Annan became the character Roxie Hart, and Gaertner became Velma Kelly. I’ve only ever seen the movie version of “Chicago” and never a live performance …

52 “Do ___ to eat a peach?”: Eliot : I DARE

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, the famous poem by T. S. Eliot, includes the line “Do I dare to eat a peach?”

55 Salt on the Seine : SEL

The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. The Seine empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.

60 “ABC World News Tonight” anchor David : MUIR

“ABC World News Tonight” is the station’s daily evening news program, which has been anchored on weekdays by David Muir since 2014.

63 Fond du __, Wisconsin : LAC

“Fond du lac” is French and translates as “bottom of the lake”, and is an apt name for the city of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin located at the foot of Lake Winnebago. If you like to play the lottery, you might want to stop off in Fond du Lac as there is a stretch of South Main Street called “Miracle Mile”. Back in 1993, someone bought a ticket there and won $100 million. Then in 2006, another store sold a ticket that won $209 million. These things always come in threes, so buy your tickets now …

64 90-Across garb : TUTU
(90A See 64-Across : BALLET)

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.

78 Shapely school subj.? : GEOM

Geometry (geom.)

80 Milk sources nowadays : ALMONDS

I’m a big fan of plain, unsweetened almond milk. Basic almond milk is made by combining almonds and water in a blender, and then straining out the almond pulp. Almond milk is now the most popular plant milk in the US, with soy milk being the second-most popular.

86 Quotable “Star Wars” character : YODA

Yoda is one of the most beloved characters of the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice is provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

87 “North Woods Law” critter : MOOSE

“North Woods Law” is a reality show that airs on the Animal Planet channel. The show originally followed the exploits of the Maine Warden Service, before featuring the Fish and Game Department of New Hampshire.

94 “Wheel” coup : FREE SPIN

Contestants have been spinning the “Wheel of Fortune” since the game show first aired in 1975.

96 It’s more than right : OBTUSE ANGLE

In geometry, there are several classes of angles:

  • Acute (< 90 degrees) 
  • Right (= 90 degrees) 
  • Obtuse (> 90 degrees and < 180 degrees) 
  • Straight (180 degrees) 
  • Reflex (> 180 degrees)

98 Western skyline sight : MESA

“What’s the difference between a butte and a mesa?” Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, and taller than it is wide.

102 Craft beer letters : IPA

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

103 Witherspoon of “Wild” : REESE

“Reese” is not actually actress Witherspoon’s given name. She started out life as Laura Jeanne Witherspoon. “Reese” is her mother’s maiden name.

104 Pup __ : TENT

A pup tent is a small ridge tent, one meant for use by 2-3 people. The term “pup tent” has been around since the mid-1800s. A pup tent was sometimes called a dog tent.

108 Big name in luxury cars : BMW

The initialism “BMW” stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke, which translates into Bavarian Motor Works. BMW was making aircraft engines during WWI, but had to cease that activity according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The company then started making motorcycles, and moved into automobile production starting in 1928. BMW moved back into aircraft engine manufacturing during the build-up of the Luftwaffe prior to WWII.

111 First name in ’70s tennis : ILIE

I think that Ilie Nastase was the most entertaining tennis player of the 1970s, the days of Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. No matter how much pressure there was in a match, Nastase always had time to give the crowd a laugh. After retiring from the sport, he had a few novels published (in French) during the eighties. Then Nastase went into politics, making an unsuccessful run for the mayorship of Bucharest in 1996. He made a successful run for the Romanian Senate though, and was elected senator in 2014.

117 “I Love __”: Irving Berlin song with the line “So you can keep your fiddle and your bow” : A PIANO

“I Love a Piano” was an early work by Irving Berlin. It was introduced to the public in 1915 in the Broadway musical revue “Stop! Look! Listen!”

Irving Berlin’s real name was “Israel Baline”. He was a Russian immigrant who came to New York with his family in 1893. In the words of composer Jerome Kern, “Irving Berlin has no place in American Music – he is American music”. That would seem to ring true looking at a selection of his hits: “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”, “White Christmas”, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and of course, “God Bless America”. Berlin was married twice. His first marriage was in 1912, to Dorothy Goetz. Sadly, Dorothy died just a few months later from typhoid fever that she contracted on their honeymoon in Havana. His second marriage was to a young heiress, Ellin Mackay. That marriage lasted a lot longer, until 1988 when Ellin passed away at the age of 85. Irving himself passed away in 1989, at the ripe old age of 101 years.

120 “Othello” role : CASSIO

Michael Cassio is a character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello”. Cassio is a young lieutenant under the command of the title character. He falls victim to Iago, as the latter plots to ruin Othello.

121 Korean exports : KIAS

Kia Motors is the second largest manufacturer of cars in South Korea, behind Hyundai (and Hyundai is a part owner in Kia now). Kia was founded in 1944 as a manufacturer of bicycle parts, and did indeed produce Korea’s first domestic bicycle. The company’s original name was Kyungsung Precision Industry, with the Kia name introduced in 1952.

122 Online break-in : HACK

A computer hacker is a computer expert, and in particular one who uses that expertise to solve problems with hardware and software. So, the original use of the term “hacking” was very positive. Since the 1980s, the term “hacker” is more commonly used for an expert in subverting computer security.

123 Actress Campbell : NEVE

Neve Campbell is a Canadian actress whose big break in movies came with the “Scream” horror film series, in which she had a leading role. I don’t do horror films, so I haven’t seen any of the “Scream” movies. Nor have I seen the TV series “Party of Five” that launched the acting careers of both Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt in the nineties.

124 New York’s __ Island : STATEN

Staten Island is part of New York City and is the least populous of the city’s five boroughs. The island was originally called Staaten Eylandt by Henry Hudson and was named after the Dutch parliament, the Staaten Generaal.

127 Part of GPS: Abbr. : SYST

Global positioning system (GPS)

Down

1 Leader leader? : LOSS …

A loss leader is an item of merchandise that is sold at a loss in order to draw in customers, with the intent of selling goods at a profitable price.

4 Magical Mary : POPPINS

The “Mary Poppins” series of children’s novels was written by Australian-born English writer and actress P. L. Travers. Mary Poppins is a magical children’s nanny with a best friend called Bert. In the famous 1964 musical film adaptation of the Mary Poppins stories, Poppins is played by Julie Andrews and Bert is played Dick Van Dyke.

5 Garden of eating? : OLIVE …

Olive Garden is a chain of Italian-American restaurants that has over 800 locations worldwide. The chain was originally established as part of General Mills. The current owners of the chain also operate Red Lobster restaurants. Apparently there are plans to co-located Olive Garden and Red Lobster eateries so that they have separate entries but share kitchens.

7 HP rival : ACER

Acer is a Taiwanese company that I visited a couple of times when I was in the electronics business. I was very impressed back then with the company’s dedication to quality, although I have heard that things haven’t gone so well in recent years …

8 Michele of “Glee” : LEA

Born Lea Michele Safarti, Lea Michele is both an actor and a singer and started performing as a child actor on Broadway, including appearances in “Les Miserables” and “Fiddler on the Roof”. More recently, Michele played Rachel Berry on the Fox TV show “Glee”.

10 Member of the first Super Bowl-winning team : PACKER

Super Bowl I was played in January 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers emerged victorious in a game with a score of 35-10. That game was officially known as the AFL-NFL Championship Game, as the name “Super Bowl” wasn’t applied until two seasons later. That “first” Super Bowl is now known as Super Bowl III and was played between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts. The Jets came out on top.

11 Boat for couples : ARK

Genesis 6:19-20 states that Noah was instructed to take two animals of every kind into the ark. Later, in Genesis 7:2-3 Noah was instructed to take on board “every clean animal by sevens … male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth”. Apparently “extras” (7 rather than 2) were needed for ritual sacrifice.

13 Fishing basket : CREEL

A creel is a basket used for catching sea creatures (lobsters, for example). Creel is also the name given to the small wicker basket used to hold fish that have been caught by an angler. “Creel” is originally a Scottish word.

16 Trompe l’__ : OEIL

“Trompe l’oeil” is a technique in art that creates the optical illusion that a drawn object exists in three dimensions. “Trompe-l’oeil” is French for “deceive the eye”.

17 Identity theft target, briefly : SSN

Social Security number (SSN)

20 Little created by E.B. White : STUART

E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White was an American writer. His most famous creations were the children’s stories “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little”, but he also co-authored the writing guide “The Elements of Style” (usually referred to as “Strunk & White”).

24 With 112-Down, classic Faulkner story : THE …
)112 See 24-Down : … BEAR)

“The Bear” is a short story that William Faulkner had published in 1942 as part of a collection of related stories titles “Go Down, Moses”. Faulkner had a different version of “The Bear” published earlier that year in “The Saturday Evening Post”. He included a third version of “The Bear” in his 1955 collection of hunting stories titled “Big Woods”.

30 Preppy trio? : PEES

There is a trio of letters P (pees) in the word “preppy”.

34 Childcare aide : AU PAIR

An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working and living as part of a host family. The term “au pair” is French, and means “on a par”, indicating that an au pair is treated as an equal in the host family.

35 Russian workers’ cooperative : ARTEL

The Russian cooperative associations known as artels were often pretty informal affairs. Basically any group could get together and form an artel for any specific commercial purpose … anything from gold-mining and fishing, to stealing and begging.

40 Swedish wheels : SAAB

“SAAB” stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. Although we usually think of SAAB as an auto manufacturer, it is mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automotive division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, who then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011. A Chinese consortium purchased the assets of SAAB Automotive in 2012, and so SAAB vehicles are in production again. The new vehicles are using the SAAB name, but cannot use the SAAB griffin logo, the rights to which have been retained by the mother company.

41 Nagy of Hungary : IMRE

Imre Nagy was Prime Minister of Hungary twice. His second term as Prime Minister came during the Hungarian Uprising against the Soviet Union in October 1956. The Soviets invaded in order to quell the rebellion, and arrested Nagy. He was tried in secret, sentenced to death and hanged.

45 Bering, e.g.: Abbr. : STR

The Bering Strait lies between Russia and Alaska, and is just below the Arctic Circle. The strait is just 53 miles wide, and only an average of 100-150 feet in depth. It has long been speculated that when sea levels were lower there was a land bridge where the strait is today. This would have allowed humans to walk between Asia and North America, with the assumption being that the original population of the Americas migrated here from Asia.

Vitus Bering was a Danish navigator who worked for the Russian Navy. He was the first European to discover Alaska, which he did in 1741. Bering died on the same voyage of discovery and was buried on the largest of the Commander Islands, now called Bering Island in his honor. He also gave his name to the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait.

47 Calf catcher : RIATA

A riata is a lariat or a lasso. “Riata” comes from “reata”, the Spanish word for lasso.

50 World Cup cry : GOAL!

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 World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, even outranking the Olympic Games.

51 Event host : EMCEE

The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism used for a Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

54 Item on the best man’s checklist : PROPOSE A TOAST

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

59 Actress/activist married to Ossie Davis : RUBY DEE

Ruby Dee was an actress and civil rights activist. On the big screen, she is perhaps best remembered for co-starring in “A Raisin in the Sun” alongside Sidney Poitier, in “Do the Right Thing” alongside her husband Ossie Davis. In “American Gangster”, she played the mother of the character played by Denzel Washington.

71 Presidential name in three centuries : GEORGE

There have been six US presidents named “James” (Madison, Monroe, Polk, Buchanan, Garfield, Carter). Four presidents were named “John” (Adams, Quincy Adams, Tyler and Kennedy), and four were named “William” (Harrison, McKinley, Taft, Clinton). The next most popular name for a president was “George” (Washington, H. W. Bush, W. Bush).

77 Spicy dip : SALSA

“Salsa” is simply Spanish for “sauce”.

79 Kid-lit “Maniac” : MAGEE

“Maniac Magee” is a 1990 children’s novel by Jerry Spinelli that explores racism and homelessness. It was adapted as a TV movie of the same name in 2003, when it was broadcast on Nickelodeon.

80 Car radio letters : AM/FM

Amplitude modulation/frequency modulation (AM/FM)

82 Chili’s competitor : MOE’S

Moe’s Southwest Grill was actually founded in the southeast, in Atlanta Georgia in 2000. The chain of restaurants now has over 300 locations across the US.

92 Airport surface : TARMAC

The terms “tarmac” and “macadam” are short for “tarmacadam”. In the 1800s, Scotsman John Loudon McAdam developed a style of road known as “macadam”. Macadam had a top-layer of crushed stone and gravel laid over larger stones. The macadam also had a convex cross-section so that water tended to drain to the sides. In 1901, a significant improvement was made by English engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley who introduced tar into the macadam, improving the resistance to water damage and practically eliminating dust. The “tar-penetration macadam” is the basis of what we now call tarmac.

95 Floatplane feature : PONTOON

The aircraft known as a floatplane differs from a flying boat. The former uses pontoons under the fuselage to provide buoyancy, whereas the latter’s buoyancy comes from the fuselage itself.

97 Units of force : NEWTONS

Newtons are units of force. The newton is named for Sir Isaac Newton, the English physicist and mathematician.

100 “Call the Midwife” nurse : TRIXIE

“Call the Midwife” is a BBC drama about midwives working in the East End of London in the late fifties and early sixties. I must admit, one of the reasons I am intrigued by this show is that I can well remember the midwife coming to our house in the East End of London in 1959 for the delivery of my younger brother. I am sure the attending nurse was a wonderful person, but I remember being scared every time she pulled up outside our flat on her bicycle!

101 Crankcase reservoir : OIL PAN

In most internal combustion engines the pistons that move up and down are arranged in a line, and connected to a crankshaft that runs along the bottom of the engine. The up and down motion of the pistons turns the crankshaft, which turning motion is “transmitted” (via the transmission) to the wheels. The case surrounding the crankshaft is called the crankcase. The crankcase contains a lot of oil that is squirted onto the crankshaft to lubricate it. Excess oil falls to the bottom of the crankcase and into a reservoir called the oil pan.

105 Bert’s pal : ERNIE

For many years, I believed that the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie were named after two roles played in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the movie, the policeman’s name is Bert and his taxi-driving buddy is named Ernie. However, the “Sesame Street” folks have stated that the use of the same names is just a coincidence. Aww, I don’t wanna believe that’s a coincidence …

108 Stella Artois alternative : BECK’S

Beck’s beer comes from Bremen in northern Germany. It is the fifth most successful brewery in the country, based on sales. The image you’ll see on the bottle, a key within a shield, is the mirror image of Bremen’s coat of arms.

The Belgian beer Stella Artois is named for the brewer Sebastianus Artois. Artois was the master brewer at the Den Hoorn Brewery in Leuven, Belgium in the early 1700s. The Den Hoorn Brewery has been around at least since 1366 … yes, 1366!

110 Italian tower town : PISA

The city of Pisa sits right on the Italian coast, at the mouth of the River Arno. The city is perhaps most famous for its Leaning Tower. The tower is actually the campanile (bell tower) of the city’s cathedral, and it has been leaning since it was completed in 1173. Just shows you how important good foundations are …

114 Toon nephew : HUEY

Donald Duck’s nephews are identical triplets called Huey, Dewey and Louie, and they first appeared on the screen in 1938. Once in awhile due to errors in production, a fourth duck can be seen in the background. This little “mistake” is affectionately called “Phooey Duck” by folks in the industry.

115 USPS stack : ENVS

An envelope (env.) might hold a letter (ltr.).

The US Postal Service (USPS) is sometimes referred to as the US Post Office (USPO).

116 Editorial “let it stand” : STET

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

117 They run often in summer, initially : ACS

Air conditioner (AC)

118 ER graph : EKG

An EKG measures electrical activity in the heart. Back in my homeland of Ireland, an EKG is known as an ECG (for electrocardiogram). We use the German name in the US, Elektrokardiogramm, giving us EKG. Apparently the abbreviation EKG is preferred as ECG might be confused (if poorly handwritten, I guess) with EEG, the abbreviation for an electroencephalogram.

119 MAX rival : SHO

Showtime (SHO) is a competitor of The Movie Channel (TMC) in terms of program lineup, although both channels are in fact owned by CBS.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Reading aid : LAMP
5 __ Office : OVAL
9 Resort amenity : SPA
12 Allergic reactions : ACHOOS
18 DQ Blizzard flavor : OREO
19 Bridal gown decoration : LACE
20 First one cast, usually : STAR
21 Speaks in a boring way : DRONES
22 It happens without warning : SURPRISE ATTACK
25 Buzzard’s snack, perhaps : VERMIN
26 Avoid, as a puddle : STEP OVER
27 Big piece : HUNK
28 Truck propeller : DIESEL
29 Finish off, as a cake : ICE
30 __ Bridge, which connects Buffalo, NY, to Fort Erie, Ontario : PEACE
31 Carnival destination : ISLE
32 Old car starter : CRANK
35 “Tarzan” critter : APE
37 Took off again : REROSE
39 Skeptical reply : AS IF
43 Reason for an ankle monitor : HOUSE ARREST
46 Phishing target : USERNAME
48 Payroll service co. : ADP
49 Exam given intradermally, for short : TB TEST
50 “Chicago” actor : GERE
52 “Do ___ to eat a peach?”: Eliot : I DARE
53 Cut the crop : REAP
55 Salt on the Seine : SEL
56 Word with bed or board : -ROOM
58 Bellyached : CRABBED
60 “ABC World News Tonight” anchor David : MUIR
61 Rate of speed : CLIP
63 Fond du __, Wisconsin : LAC
64 90-Across garb : TUTU
65 Hollywood tease : PROMO
67 Keyboard centerpiece, and a phonetic hint to six long puzzle answers : MIDDLE C
70 Loose, pants-wise : BAGGY
73 Blood donation unit : PINT
75 Before, before : ERE
76 “Piece of cake!” : EASY!
78 Shapely school subj.? : GEOM
80 Milk sources nowadays : ALMONDS
83 One-in-a-million : RARE
85 Young fellow : LAD
86 Quotable “Star Wars” character : YODA
87 “North Woods Law” critter : MOOSE
88 Head of the party? : HOST
90 See 64-Across : BALLET
93 Short bylaw? : REG
94 “Wheel” coup : FREE SPIN
96 It’s more than right : OBTUSE ANGLE
98 Western skyline sight : MESA
99 Skilled speaker : ORATOR
102 Craft beer letters : IPA
103 Witherspoon of “Wild” : REESE
104 Pup __ : TENT
106 Directly : RIGHT
108 Big name in luxury cars : BMW
109 Nightly news segment : SPORTS
111 First name in ’70s tennis : ILIE
112 Gets some air : BREATHES
117 “I Love __”: Irving Berlin song with the line “So you can keep your fiddle and your bow” : A PIANO
118 Fringe benefit for some reps : EXPENSE ACCOUNT
120 “Othello” role : CASSIO
121 Korean exports : KIAS
122 Online break-in : HACK
123 Actress Campbell : NEVE
124 New York’s __ Island : STATEN
125 Military VIP : GEN
126 Products of 66-Down : ORES
127 Part of GPS: Abbr. : SYST

Down

1 Leader leader? : LOSS …
2 Stuck in __ : A RUT
3 Trifling : MERE
4 Magical Mary : POPPINS
5 Garden of eating? : OLIVE …
6 Spray holder : VASE
7 HP rival : ACER
8 Michele of “Glee” : LEA
9 Position : STANCE
10 Member of the first Super Bowl-winning team : PACKER
11 Boat for couples : ARK
12 Client : ADVISEE
13 Fishing basket : CREEL
14 Frontier transport : HORSE AND BUGGY
15 Generous words : ON ME
16 Trompe l’__ : OEIL
17 Identity theft target, briefly : SSN
20 Little created by E.B. White : STUART
23 Zoom : ROCKET
24 With 112-Down, classic Faulkner story : THE …
28 Examine in detail : DISSECT
30 Preppy trio? : PEES
32 Bracelet ornament : CHARM
33 Arrived on wheels : RODE UP
34 Childcare aide : AU PAIR
35 Russian workers’ cooperative : ARTEL
36 Opening bout, for short : PRELIM
38 Word for us : OUR
40 Swedish wheels : SAAB
41 Nagy of Hungary : IMRE
42 Put coins into : FEED
44 Sneak off and hide : ABSCOND
45 Bering, e.g.: Abbr. : STR
47 Calf catcher : RIATA
50 World Cup cry : GOAL!
51 Event host : EMCEE
54 Item on the best man’s checklist : PROPOSE A TOAST
57 More mature : OLDER
59 Actress/activist married to Ossie Davis : RUBY DEE
62 Waterside sights : PIERS
66 See 126-Across : MINES
68 “Curses!” cousin : DRAT!
69 Bring to the majors, in baseball : CALL UP
71 Presidential name in three centuries : GEORGE
72 Alpine songs : YODELS
74 Wearable ads, maybe : T-SHIRTS
77 Spicy dip : SALSA
79 Kid-lit “Maniac” : MAGEE
80 Car radio letters : AM/FM
81 It’s handed down : LORE
82 Chili’s competitor : MOE’S
84 Flow counterpart : EBB
89 Off-tangent link : … ON A …
91 Arguing : AT IT
92 Airport surface : TARMAC
95 Floatplane feature : PONTOON
96 Wild revelries : ORGIES
97 Units of force : NEWTONS
100 “Call the Midwife” nurse : TRIXIE
101 Crankcase reservoir : OIL PAN
105 Bert’s pal : ERNIE
107 Barnyard mama : HEN
108 Stella Artois alternative : BECK’S
109 Minor fight : SPAT
110 Italian tower town : PISA
112 See 24-Down : … BEAR
113 Human __ : RACE
114 Toon nephew : HUEY
115 USPS stack : ENVS
116 Editorial “let it stand” : STET
117 They run often in summer, initially : ACS
118 ER graph : EKG
119 MAX rival : SHO