LA Times Crossword 20 Nov 22, Sunday

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Constructed by: Doug Burnikel & C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Place Setting

Themed clues are all common phrases ending in “PLACE”. Each themed answer is a “punny” reinterpretation of the corresponding clue:

  • 23A Park place? : COMMUTER LOT
  • 25A Busy place? : BEE COLONY
  • 39A First place? : GARDEN OF EDEN
  • 73A Hard place? : GRAVEL PIT
  • 107A Private place? : MILITARY BASE
  • 124A Last place? : SHOE STORE
  • 126A Remote place? : SLEEPER SOFA
  • 38D Safe place? : BANK VAULT
  • 54D Sesame place? : BAGEL SHOP

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

Bill’s time: 17m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 “Get outta here!” : SCAT!

Our word “scat!” means “get lost!” It comes from a 19th-century expression “quicker than s’cat”, which meant “in a great hurry”. The original phrase probably came from the words “hiss” and “cat”.

10 Box office receipts : GATE

The term “box office” may date back to Shakespearean times. In those days long past, patrons would deposit fees for seeing theater performances in boxes. The full boxes would be collected and placed in an office called, imaginatively enough, the “box office”.

19 Head lights? : HALOS

The Greek word “halos” is the name given to the ring of light around the sun or moon, which gives us our word “halo” that is used for a radiant light depicted above the head of a saintly person.

22 Taquería freebie : AGUA

In Spanish, “agua” (water) is a “liquido clara” (clear liquid).

23 Park place? : COMMUTER LOT

Our verb “to commute”, meaning “to go back and forth to work”, ultimately derives from the Latin “commutare”, meaning “to often change”. Back in the late 1800s, a “commutation ticket” was a season pass, so named because it allowed one to “change” one kind of payment into another. Quite interesting …

25 Busy place? : BEE COLONY

A simile is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things that are unalike. For example, a person might be described as “cute as a kitten” or as “busy as a bee”.

28 Hangout for hog lovers : BIKER BAR

The Harley-Davidson motorcycle company was founded in the very early 1900s by two childhood friends, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, . Their first design was in effect an engine hooked up to a pedal bicycle, but the 116 cc cylinder capacity simply couldn’t generate enough power to get up the hills of their native city of Milwaukee. The pair came up with a redesigned model that had a cylinder capacity of 405 cc, which the partners built in a shed at the back of Davidson’s house. In 1906, the partners built their first factory, located where the company’s headquarters is to this day, on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Famously, Harley motorcycles are nicknamed “hogs”.

33 To be, in Marseilles : ETRE

Marseille (often written “Marseilles” in English) is the second largest city in France, after Paris. Marseille is also the largest commercial port in the country. I used to live nearby, and can attest that Marseille and environs is a great place to visit …

36 Hailed wheels : CABS

A hansom cab is a very specific design of horse and buggy that was patented by Joseph Hansom in 1834 in England. The “cab” in the name is short for “cabriolet”, an earlier design of carriage on which the hansom was based. It’s from “hansom cab” that we get our modern term “cab”.

39 First place? : GARDEN OF EDEN

According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden “in” Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers, including the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.

43 “Barefoot Contessa” host Garten : INA

Ina Garten is an author as well as the host of a cooking show on the Food Network called “Barefoot Contessa”. She is a mentee of Martha Stewart, and indeed was touted as a potential “successor” to the TV celebrity when Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 after an insider trading scandal. Garten has no formal training as a chef, and indeed used to work as a nuclear policy analyst at the White House!

45 __ West-Allen: “The Flash” character : NORA

“The Flash” is a TV show based on the DC Comics superhero the Flash. Actor Grant Gustin plays the title role, a crime-scene investigator who gains the ability to move at superhuman speed. “The Flash” debuted in 2014.

46 Sunflower part : STEM

The common sunflower is so called because it has a flower head that looks like the Sun. Famously, young sunflowers exhibit heliotropism, tilting during the day to face the sun. As the sunflowers mature and bloom, they generally face east and no longer track the movement of the Sun across the sky.

48 Semi unit : TON

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

51 The Vitamin Shoppe rival : GNC

General Nutrition Centers (GNC) is a retailer of health and nutrition supplements based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1935 as a small health food store in downtown Pittsburgh. There are now about 5,000 stores in the US. The GNC slogan is “Live Well”.

53 Many Mecca residents : ARABS

Mecca is in the Makkah province of Saudi Arabia. It was the birthplace of Muhammad and is the holiest city in Islam. Every year several million Muslims perform the Hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

56 Calligrapher’s container : INKPOT

Calligraphy is the art of fine handwriting. The term “calligraphy” comes from the Greek “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “graphein” meaning “to write”.

61 Dress seen on Indian runways : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

63 Marathon, e.g. : RACE

The marathon commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens, and is run over 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon races were run over a distance that approximated the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway, although the actual length of the race varied from games to games. For the 1908 Olympics in London, a course starting at Windsor Castle and ending in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium was defined. That course was 26 miles and 385 yards, the standard length now used at all Olympic Games. Organizers of subsequent games continued to vary the length of the race, until a decision was made in 1921 to adopt the distance used in London in 1908.

65 Vice __ : VERSA

“Vice versa” is a Latin phrase meaning “with position turned”. We always pronounce this term “incorrectly”. In Latin, a “c” is a hard sound, and a “v” is pronounced like a “w”. The pronunciation should be something like “wee-kay wehr-sa”.

69 Duffer’s do-over : MULLIGAN

There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “mulligan”, which is most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect that one of them may be true …

A duffer is a golfer, and not a very good one at that.

73 Hard place? : GRAVEL PIT

Gravel is a loose mixture of rock fragments. Gravel is classified by the size of those fragments. For example, pea gravel comprises pea-size, rounded stones.

79 Composer Stravinsky : IGOR

Composer Igor Stravinsky’s most famous works were completed relatively early in his career, when he was quite young. His three ballets “The Firebird”, “Petrushka” and “The Rite of Spring” were published in 1910-1913, when Stravinsky was in his early thirties.

82 Hindu spring festival : HOLI

Holi is a Hindu festival, celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.

85 Mil. truant : AWOL

MPs (military police officers) often track down personnel who go AWOL (absent without leave).

“Truant” is such a lovely word. We have been using it to describe someone who wanders from an appointed place since the mid-1400s. Prior to that, a truant was a beggar or a vagabond.

87 Volkswagen sedan : PASSAT

“Passat” is one in a series of model names related to winds that has been used by Volkswagen. “Jetta” comes from the German for “jet stream”, and the model name “Passat” comes from the German for “trade wind”.

90 In __: before birth : UTERO

“In utero” is a Latin term meaning “in the uterus”. The Latin “uterus” (plural “uteri”) translates as both “womb” and “belly”. “Uterys” comes from the Greek “hystera” that also means “womb”, which gives us the words “hysterectomy”, and “hysterical”.

92 Faux __ : PAS

The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).

94 Reason for celeb damage control : BAD PR

Public relations (PR)

97 Like a play about a play : META

In recent decades the prefix “meta-” has been used as a standalone adjective. In this sense “meta” means “self-referential”, describing something that refers to itself. For example, “This sentence starts with the word ‘this’ and ends with the word ‘this’” might be called a meta sentence. A movie that is about the making of the very same movie could also be described as meta.

99 Often-ignored email : SPAM

The term “spam”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word Spam, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “spam” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

103 “For You” singer Rita : ORA

“For You” is a 2018 song recorded by Liam Payne (of One Direction) and Rita Ora. It was used as the lead single from the soundtrack of the movie “Fifty Shades Freed”, the third installment in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy.

107 Private place? : MILITARY BASE

The lowest military rank of soldier is often a private (pvt.). The term “private” comes from the Middle Ages when “private soldiers” were hired or conscripted by noblemen to form a “private army”. The more generic usage of “private” started in the 1700s.

110 Some PwC employees : CPAS

Certified public accountant (CPA)

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is the largest of the Big Four accountancy firms, followed by Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG. PwC is headquartered in London, and was formed in 1998 with the merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand.

111 League for Guardians and Angels : AMERICAN

The Cleveland baseball franchise started out in 1869 as the Forest Citys, named after Forest City, the nickname for Cleveland. After a number of transitions, in 1914 the team took on the name “Indians”. The media came up with the name “Indians” after being asked for suggestions by the team owners. “Indians” was inspired by the successful Boston team of the day, the Boston Braves. In 2021, the team dropped the insensitive “Indians” moniker and renamed itself to the Guardians. The “Guardians” name is a reference to four pairs of Art Deco statues on the city’s Hope Memorial Bridge known as the Guardians of Traffic.

113 __-Alt-Del : CTRL

Ctrl-Alt-Delete is a keyboard command on IBM PC compatible systems used for a soft reboot, or more recently to bring up the task manager in the Windows operating system. Bill Gates tells us that the command was originally just a device to be used during development and was never meant to “go live”. He once said that “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” was a mistake, and that he would have preferred a dedicated key on the keyboard that carried out the same function.

124 Last place? : SHOE STORE

A last is a wooden or metal (usually) form that is shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers when repairing and manufacturing shoes.

126 Remote place? : SLEEPER SOFA

The first patent for a folding bed (later “hide-a-bed”) was issued way back in 1899.

130 Thompson of “Westworld” : TESSA

Tessa Thompson is an actress from Los Angeles who is known for playing the supporting role of Jackie Cook on the TV show “Veronica Mars”, and for playing student leader Diane Nash in the 2014 film “Selma”. She also portrays superheroine Valkyrie in movies based on Marvel Comics characters.

“Westworld” is an HBO series that is based on a 1973 movie of the same name, which was written and directed by novelist Michael Crichton. Westworld is a high-tech theme park populated by androids that interact with the guests.

131 Director Coen : ETHAN

I think it’s great to see two brothers working together and being so successful. Joel and Ethan Coen are two movie producers and directors who both live in New York City. The Coen brothers do love the movie-making business and they even married industry “insiders”. Ethan’s wife is film editor Tricia Cooke, and Joel is married to one of my favorite actresses, the talented Frances McDormand.

132 Where el sol rises : ESTE

In Spanish, “el sol” (the sun) rises in the “este” (east).
In Spanish, we look to the “este” (east) to see “el sol naciente” (the rising sun).

133 Colorful salamander : NEWT

Salamanders are lizard-like amphibians found all across the northern hemisphere. They are the only vertebrate animals that can regenerate lost limbs.

135 Entertainer’s crew : POSSE

Our word “posse” comes from an Anglo-Latin term from the early 15th century “posse comitatus” meaning “the force of the county”

Down

1 Spelman, e.g.: Abbr. : HBCU

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are a group of higher education institutions that were established, mainly after the Civil War, to primarily serve the African-American community.

Spelman College is a women’s school in Atlanta, Georgia that was founded as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary in 1881. Spelman is part of the Atlanta University Center, along with the nearby all-male Morehouse College, with which Spelman has a long-standing relationship.

2 God with wings : EROS

The name of Eros, the Greek god of love, gives rise to our word “erotic” meaning “arousing sexual desire”. Eros was referred to in Latin as both “Amor” (meaning “love”) and “Cupid” (meaning “desire”).

3 Peru’s largest city : LIMA

Lima is a city located in northwestern Ohio, about 70 miles north of Dayton. The city is home to the Lima Army Tank Plant, where the M1 Abrams battle tank is produced. Lima is also home to the fictional William McKinley High School that is the setting for the TV series “Glee”.

4 Madagascar primates : LEMURS

Lemurs are unusual-looking creatures that are native to the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. With their white fur and dark eyes that are very reflective at night, they have a “ghostly” appearance. Indeed, the animals take their name from Roman mythology in which “lemures” were spirits of the restless dead.

Madagascar is a large island nation lying off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The main island of Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world (after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo).

6 __ shed : SHE

A “she shed” is the equivalent of a “man cave”. It is somewhere that “she” can use as her own space within a home.

7 Pasta or bread, e.g., for short : CARB

Only relatively small amounts of carbohydrate can be stored by the human body, but those stores are important. The actual storage molecule is a starch-like polysaccharide called glycogen, which is found mainly in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is a quick source of energy when required by the body. Most of the body’s energy is stored in the form of fat, a more compact substance that is mobilized less rapidly. Endurance athletes often eat meals high in carbohydrates (carbo-loading) a few hours before an event, so that their body’s glycogen is at optimum levels.

10 Disco family name : GIBB

The Brothers Gibb (hence, the name “Bee Gees”) were born in England but grew up and started their musical careers in Australia. They moved back to Manchester in the north of England as youths, and there hit the big time.

12 Steering system parts : TIE-RODS

Tie-rods are part of a rack and pinion steering mechanism in a car.

13 Key hit in panic : ESC

The escape key (Esc) was originally used just to control computer peripherals. It was a key that allowed the computer operator to stop what the peripheral was doing (cancel a print job, for example). Nowadays the escape key is used for all sorts of things, especially in gaming programs.

20 Camper’s fuel : STERNO

Sterno is a jellied alcohol that usually comes in a can. The can is opened and the contents burn very easily and persistently. The brand name “Sterno” comes from the original manufacturer, S. Sternau & Co. of Brooklyn, New York.

26 Doubleheader half : OPENER

In baseball, a doubleheader is a pair of baseball games played on the same day between the same teams.

35 Target field : RETAIL

Target Corporation was founded by George Draper Dayton in 1902 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Dayton Dry Goods Company. Dayton developed into a department store, and the company opened up a discount store chain in 1962, calling it Target. Today, Target is the second-largest discount retailer in the country, after Walmart.

36 __ Field: Mets ballpark : CITI

Citi Field is a relatively new baseball stadium used by the New York Mets that sits right next door to the site of Shea stadium, where the Mets had played for decades. The new facility’s name comes from corporate sponsor Citigroup.

37 Unknown author, for short : ANON

Anonymous (anon.)

47 “Semper Fidelis” group : MARINES

“Semper Fidelis” (often abbreviated to “Semper Fi”) is the motto of the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The phrase is Latin and means “Always Faithful”. The US Marine Corps isn’t the only military unit using “Semper Fidelis” as a motto. It’s also used by the Portuguese Marine Corps, the Republic of China Marine Corps and the Swiss Grenadiers.

50 Lady Justice’s garb : TOGA

Lady Justice is a personification of the judicial system. When depicted in art, she usually carries a set of scales and a sword, is blindfolded and wears a toga. The scales represent the impartiality of a court’s decision, and the sword symbolizes the power of justice. Today, the blindfold is seen as a reminder that justice is applied without regard to wealth or power. The toga is the garment that was worn by Justitia, the ancient Roman goddess of justice and law.

52 Sleeveless top, briefly : CAMI

A camisole (also “cami”) is a sleeveless undergarment worn by women that extends down to the waist. “Camisole” is a French word that we imported into English that ultimately derives from the Latin “camisia” meaning “shirt, nightgown”.

54 Sesame place? : BAGEL SHOP

The bagel was invented in the Polish city of Kraków in the 16th century. Bagels were brought to this country by Jewish immigrants from Poland who mainly established homes in and around New York City.

57 Business trip allowance : PER DIEM

“Per diem” is the Latin for “by the day”. We tend to use the term for a daily allowance for expenses when traveling for work.

59 Stubbs of the Four Tops : LEVI

Levi Stubbs was the lead vocalist of the Four Tops. Stubbs also landed a pretty famous voice-acting role, providing the voice of the carnivorous plant Audrey II in the 1986 musical movie “Little Shop of Horrors”.

60 Roar __ Roar: “Monsters University” frat : OMEGA

“Monsters University” is a 2013 animated film that serves as a prequel to the earlier Pixar hit “Monsters, Inc.” (2001).

62 Negga of “Passing” : RUTH

Ruth Negga is an Ethiopian-born Irish actress. On the silver screen, she is perhaps best known for playing Mildred Loving in the 2016 film “Loving”, and Clare Bellew in the 2021 film “Passing”. She also has a starring role in the supernatural adventure TV show “Preacher”, playing Tulip O’Hare.

“Passing” is a powerful 2021 film based on a 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. The title is a reference to “racial passing”, which occurs when a member of one racial group is perceived as (passes as) a member of another. The primary use of the term was in the US, describing a black or brown person who passed for white in order to avoid racial segregation and discrimination. The cast of the movie “Passing” is led by actors Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga.

64 Med. specialty : ENT

Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

66 Taj Mahal city : AGRA

Agra is a medieval city on the banks of the river Yamuna in India that was the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1658. The city is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

  • The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
  • Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
  • Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.

68 __ food movement : SLOW

The Slow Food organization was founded in 1986 in Italy to promote alternatives to fast food. The founder was Carlo Petrini, a political activist who campaigned against McDonald’s opening one of their fast food restaurants near Rome’s Spanish Steps in 1983.

70 Komodo dragon, e.g. : LIZARD

The large lizard called a Komodo dragon is so named because it is found on the island of Komodo (and others) in Indonesia. It can grow to a length of over 9 1/2 feet, so I guess that explains the dragon part of the name …

72 Jay of “The Green Hornet” : CHOU

Jay Chou is a musician, singer and actor who is considered a superstar in his native Taiwan. He made his Hollywood acting debut in the 2011 film “The Green Hornet”, in which he played the title character’s sidekick Kato.

74 Answer an invite : RSVP

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

84 All-Star side : EAST

Major League Baseball’s first All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The longest All-Star games since then went to 15 innings, in 1967 and 2008, with the 2008 game lasting 4 hours and 50 minutes.

86 Tibetan priest : LAMA

“Lama” is a Tibetan word meaning “chief, high priest”.

89 Tazo products : TEAS

The Tazo Tea Company was founded in 1994 in Portland, Oregon. Tazo was purchased in 1999 by Starbucks, and then by Unilever in 2017.

93 Setting of the Sandra Bullock film “Gravity” : SPACE

“Gravity” is a 2013 sci-fi action film starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film is an impressive British production, one that won more Oscars than any other film at the 86th Academy Awards. “Gravity” is full of special effects and has some amazing cinematography. It’s all about two astronauts getting stranded in space and their attempts to get back to Earth.

The actress Sandra Bullock is the daughter of a part-time voice coach (her father) and an opera singer and voice coach (her mother). Her father was an American soldier stationed in Nuremberg in Germany when he met his German wife. Sandra Bullock’s maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist working in Nuremberg.

95 Talk trash about : DISS

“Dis” (also “diss”) is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.

98 81-Down order : A LA MODE
[81D Baked dessert : APPLE PIE]

In French, “à la mode” simply means “fashionable”. In America, the term has also come to describe a way of serving pie. Pie served à la mode includes a dollop of cream or ice cream, or as I recall from my time living in Upstate New York, with a wedge of cheddar cheese.

101 Fragrant shrubs : MYRTLES

The myrtle family of plants is very diverse, but all contain essential oils. The name “myrtle” has the same root as “myrrh”, the name of the gum-resin given as a gift to the Christ Child by the three kings, according to the New Testament.

105 Nebraska natives : OMAHAS

The Omaha Nation was one of the most welcoming of the Native American tribes, never resisting the influx of European explorers and traders. The Omaha even fought alongside Union troops during the American Civil War, and have stood by the US people ever since. Regardless, the Omaha people lost most of their land and now reside on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

109 Like the most clear sky : BLUEST

Our word “sky” was originally an Old Norse term meaning “cloud”.

110 Monte __ sandwich : CRISTO

The Monte Cristo sandwich is a ham and cheese sandwich that has been fried. The cheese used is Swiss, more properly Emmental or Gruyère. The Monte Cristo is a variant of the French open-faced sandwich made with the same ingredients, the croque-monsieur.

112 Actress Witherspoon : 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.

118 Triangular shoulder muscle, for short : DELT

The deltoid “muscle” is actually a group of muscles, the ones that cover the shoulder and create the roundness under the skin. The deltoids (delts) are triangular in shape resembling the Greek letter delta, hence the name.

119 Monterrey jack? : PESO

The peso is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.

Monterrey is a Mexican city, and the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon in the northeast of the country. Monterrey is the second-largest city in Mexico in terms of area, but third-largest in terms of population (the largest-area city in the country is Mexico City, and the most populous are Mexico City and Guadalajara).

122 Degs. for curators : MFAS

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

The term “curator” is Latin and applies to a manager, guardian or overseer. In English, the original curators were the guardians and overseers of minors and those with mental disease. Today, we use the term “curator” particularly for someone in charge of a museum, zoo or other exhibition.

125 Foil metal, once : TIN

Before thin sheets of aluminum metal were available as aluminum foil, thin sheets of tin were used in various applications. Tin foil isn’t a great choice for wrapping food though, as it imparts a tinny taste. On the other side of the pond, aluminum foil has a different name. No, it’s not just the different spelling of aluminum (“aluminium”). We still call it “tin foil”. You see, we live in the past …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “Is anybody here?” : HELLO?
6 “Get outta here!” : SCAT!
10 Box office receipts : GATE
14 People with all-access passes : VIPS
18 Short and sweet : BRIEF
19 Head lights? : HALOS
21 “Really?” : IT IS?
22 Taquería freebie : AGUA
23 Park place? : COMMUTER LOT
25 Busy place? : BEE COLONY
27 Patriotic chant : USA! USA!
28 Hangout for hog lovers : BIKER BAR
30 Shots on the green : PUTTS
31 Cost of living? : RENT
33 To be, in Marseilles : ETRE
34 They could use a welcome sight : SORE EYES
36 Hailed wheels : CABS
39 First place? : GARDEN OF EDEN
42 Bother : ADO
43 “Barefoot Contessa” host Garten : INA
44 List that may drop down or pop up : MENU
45 __ West-Allen: “The Flash” character : NORA
46 Sunflower part : STEM
48 Semi unit : TON
49 Beginning stage : ONSET
51 The Vitamin Shoppe rival : GNC
53 Many Mecca residents : ARABS
56 Calligrapher’s container : INKPOT
58 Aria, e.g. : SOLO
61 Dress seen on Indian runways : SARI
63 Marathon, e.g. : RACE
65 Vice __ : VERSA
67 Precious rocks : GEMS
69 Duffer’s do-over : MULLIGAN
71 Words of empathy : I CARE
73 Hard place? : GRAVEL PIT
76 Chemically inactive : INERT
77 Quivers in fear : SHUDDERS
79 Composer Stravinsky : IGOR
80 Eye shade : HAZEL
82 Hindu spring festival : HOLI
83 Five-star review : RAVE
85 Mil. truant : AWOL
87 Volkswagen sedan : PASSAT
90 In __: before birth : UTERO
92 Faux __ : PAS
94 Reason for celeb damage control : BAD PR
96 Choice on a color chart : HUE
97 Like a play about a play : META
99 Often-ignored email : SPAM
102 Not so hot : MILD
103 “For You” singer Rita : ORA
104 “__ about that!” : HOW
107 Private place? : MILITARY BASE
110 Some PwC employees : CPAS
111 League for Guardians and Angels : AMERICAN
113 __-Alt-Del : CTRL
114 Go a few rounds : SPAR
116 Closer’s goal : SALES
117 Wasn’t honest : MADE IT UP
120 Translator’s challenges : IDIOMS
124 Last place? : SHOE STORE
126 Remote place? : SLEEPER SOFA
128 Girl : LASS
129 One with star power : IDOL
130 Thompson of “Westworld” : TESSA
131 Director Coen : ETHAN
132 Where el sol rises : ESTE
133 Colorful salamander : NEWT
134 Put into storage : STOW
135 Entertainer’s crew : POSSE

Down

1 Spelman, e.g.: Abbr. : HBCU
2 God with wings : EROS
3 Peru’s largest city : LIMA
4 Madagascar primates : LEMURS
5 Functional : OF USE
6 __ shed : SHE
7 Pasta or bread, e.g., for short : CARB
8 In a partnership : ALLIED
9 Rested a while : TOOK TEN
10 Disco family name : GIBB
11 Totally relaxed : AT EASE
12 Steering system parts : TIE-RODS
13 Key hit in panic : ESC
14 Hold in high regard : VALUE
15 Successful prankster’s cry : I GOT YA!
16 Gave up, in a way : PUNTED
17 States as fact : SAYS SO
20 Camper’s fuel : STERNO
24 Digressions : TANGENTS
26 Doubleheader half : OPENER
29 Corp. shuffling : REORG
32 Catches some rays : TANS
35 Target field : RETAIL
36 __ Field: Mets ballpark : CITI
37 Unknown author, for short : ANON
38 Safe place? : BANK VAULT
40 Bitterly regrets : RUES
41 Support group? : FANS
44 Secured in a slip : MOORED
47 “Semper Fidelis” group : MARINES
50 Lady Justice’s garb : TOGA
52 Sleeveless top, briefly : CAMI
54 Sesame place? : BAGEL SHOP
55 Permanent mark : SCAR
57 Business trip allowance : PER DIEM
59 Stubbs of the Four Tops : LEVI
60 Roar __ Roar: “Monsters University” frat : OMEGA
62 Negga of “Passing” : RUTH
64 Med. specialty : ENT
66 Taj Mahal city : AGRA
68 __ food movement : SLOW
70 Komodo dragon, e.g. : LIZARD
71 “Thereabouts” : ISH
72 Jay of “The Green Hornet” : CHOU
74 Answer an invite : RSVP
75 “No __!”: “Sure thing!” : PROB
78 Steamy : EROTIC
81 Baked dessert : APPLE PIE
84 All-Star side : EAST
86 Tibetan priest : LAMA
88 Surrounding vibe : AURA
89 Tazo products : TEAS
91 Careless : REMISS
93 Setting of the Sandra Bullock film “Gravity” : SPACE
95 Talk trash about : DISS
98 81-Down order : A LA MODE
100 Oil producer? : ARTIST
101 Fragrant shrubs : MYRTLES
104 Pain in the neck : HASSLE
105 Nebraska natives : OMAHAS
106 “They outplayed us” : WE LOST
108 Consecutively : IN A ROW
109 Like the most clear sky : BLUEST
110 Monte __ sandwich : CRISTO
112 Actress Witherspoon : REESE
115 Promo pro : AD REP
118 Triangular shoulder muscle, for short : DELT
119 Monterrey jack? : PESO
121 Sounds amazed : OOHS
122 Degs. for curators : MFAS
123 Levelheaded : SANE
125 Foil metal, once : TIN
127 Pussy foot : PAW