LA Times Crossword Answers 11 Mar 2018, Sunday

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Constructed by: Joe Kidd
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Theme: Commercial Break

Themed answers are common phrases with an AD inserted:

  • 23A. Skillful adventurers? : ESCAPADE ARTISTS (from “escape artists”)
  • 35A. Field for feline frolic? : THE CAT’S MEADOW (from “the cat’s meow”)
  • 52A. Speech from a queen, maybe? : PROM ADDRESS (from “prom dress”)
  • 76A. Unusually vicious nocturnal flier? : SUPERBAD OWL (from “Super Bowl”)
  • 90A. Burned-out hillbilly? : JADED CLAMPETT (from “Jed Clampett”)
  • 107A. Bedtime bugaboo? : LATE-NIGHT SHADOW (from “late-night show”)
  • 15D. Sun worshiper’s seasonal harangue? : WINTER TIRADE (from “winter tire”)
  • 59D. Megalith inscribed with saws? : ROCK OF ADAGES (from “Rock of Ages”)

Bill’s time: 18m 51s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5. Spectrum maker : PRISM

When light passes through a prism, it is split up (“disperses”) into differing wavelengths. It then becomes clear that white light is actually a mixture of different colors, which show up as beautiful spectra.

10. “The Winner Takes It All” group : ABBA

“The Winner Takes It All” is a 1980 song recorded by ABBA. The song was co-written by Björn Ulvaeus, and his wife Agnetha Fältskog sang lead vocals. The song is all about the experience of divorce, and Ulvaeus and Fältskog were going through a divorce at the time of the recording. However, the couple have denied that the song is about their own marriage, and Fältskog has repeatedly stated that “The Winner Takes It All” is her favorite song.

20. Fall sign : LIBRA

The constellation of Libra is named for the scales held by the goddess of justice. Libra is the only sign of the zodiac that isn’t named for a living creature.

22. Specialized vocab : LINGO

Lingo is a specialized vocabulary. “Journalese” and “legalese” would be good examples.

26. When rights may be prohibited : ON RED

If you’re sitting behind a car that doesn’t make a right on red, it may just be a rental car driven by someone from Europe. Speaking as someone who learned to drive over there, I must admit I held up a few people at red lights when I first visited this country. That’s because in Europe we aren’t allowed to make any move past a red light, unless there is an accompanying green arrow. So, if you’re driving overseas, take care …

27. Musical clacker : CASTANET

Castanets are hand-held percussion instruments associated most notably with Spanish music. We tend to think of castanets being used in the flamenco style of dance, but in fact this is rarely the case. The name “castanets” comes from “castaña”, the Spanish word for “chestnut”, which they resemble.

32. __ Alley, supply source in the Harry Potter universe : DIAGON

Diagon Alley is a location in the “Harry Potter” universe that is basically a shopping mall for witches and wizards. The alley is similar to Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross railway station, in that it is accessible only by the wizarding world.

33. Effective use of lang. : RHET

Rhetoric (rhet.)

35. Field for feline frolic? : THE CAT’S MEADOW (from “the cat’s meow”)

Something described as “the cat’s meow” is particularly fine, the best. The term was popularized and perhaps coined by Tad Dorgan, a cartoonist who was active in the early 20th century.

There was a whole series of phrases involving animals that developed in the 1920s, with all designed to indicate a superlative. Some are still around today, such as “the cat’s pajamas” and “the bee’s knees”. Others didn’t last too long, e.g. “the eel’s ankle” and “the snake’s hip”.

39. Neck-to-waist body armor : CUIRASS

A cuirass is a piece of armor that covers the front of the torso, and sometimes the back as well. The term “cuirass” comes into English via Middle French from the Latin “coriacea vestis” meaning “garment of leather”.

44. Stooges’ specialty : SLAPSTICK

Slapstick is a physical form of comedy or horseplay. Back in the late 19th century, the term “slapstick” described a device made from two sticks loosely fastened together, which could be “slapped” together to create a sound effect offstage. The sound effect added to the laugh when a clown or actor was given a slap on stage.

47. __-Indian War : SINO

The Sino-Indian War was a border conflict between China and India that took place in 1962. Other disagreement above and beyond the dispute contributed to the tension between the parties. One factor was that India had granted asylum to the Dalai Lama after the Tibetan uprising of 1959. The Chinese started the war by invading the disputed territory, and ended it by unilaterally withdrawing one month later. The Sino-Indian War was noted for the harsh conditions in which fighting took place, at an altitude of about 14,000 feet in the Himalayas.

49. Sinus doc : ENT

Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

In anatomical terms a sinus is a cavity in tissue. Sinuses are found all over the body, in the kidney and heart for example, but we most commonly think of the paranasal sinuses that surround the nose.

51. Pro __: for now : TEM

“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior. The President pro tempore of the US Senate is the person who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President of the US. It has been tradition since 1890 that the president pro tem is the most senior senator in the majority party. The president pro tem ranks highly in the line of succession to the presidency, falling third in line after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

52. Speech from a queen, maybe? : PROM ADDRESS (from “prom dress”)

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

58. Chicken Little, memorably : ALARMIST

In a famous folk tale, Chicken Little is a young chick who panics when an acorn falls on his head. Chicken Little assumes that the sky is falling. “The sky is falling!” is a phrase often used in English today that originated in the that folk tale.

62. Diamond protector : TARP

That would be a baseball diamond.

63. Granola bar bit : OAT

The names “Granola” and “Granula” were trademarked back in the late 1800s for whole-grain foods that were crumbled and baked until crisp. Granola was created in Dansville, New York in 1894.

64. Ocean predators : ORCAS

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

65. Where Tippecanoe Cty. is : IND

Tippecanoe is a county in northwest Indiana. Purdue University in West Lafayette is located in Tippecanoe County, and the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe was fought near the present-day town of Battle Ground, which is also in the county.

68. Hellish : HADEAN

Hades was the god of the underworld to the ancient Greeks. Over time, Hades gave his name to the underworld itself, the place where the dead reside. The term “Hades” was also adopted into the Christian tradition, as an alternative name for hell. But, the concept of hell in Christianity is more akin to the Greek “Tartarus”, which is a dark and gloomy dungeon located in Hades, a place of suffering and torment.

75. Savor, with “in” : BASK

Our verb “to bask”, meaning “to expose one to pleasant warmth”, is derived from the gruesome 14th-century term “basken”, meaning “to wallow in blood”. The contemporary usage apparently originated with Shakespeare, who employed “bask” with reference to sunshine in “As You Like It”.

78. Saigon holiday : TET

The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is “Tet Nguyen Dan” meaning “Feast of the First Morning”, with the reference being to the arrival of the season of spring. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

79. Northeast Nevada city : ELKO

The city of Elko, Nevada came into being in 1868 as a settlement built around the eastern end of a railway line that was constructed from California and that was destined for Utah. When that section of the line was completed, the construction crews moved on towards the Nevada/Utah border, and the settlement was left behind to eventually form the city of Elko

80. Grand __ Opry : OLE

The Grand Ole Opry started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

81. She, in Siena : ESSA

Siena is a beautiful city in the Tuscany region of Italy. In the center of Siena is the magnificent medieval square called Piazza del Campo, a paved sloping open area made up of nine triangular sections. The square has to be seen to be believed. Twice a year, the famous bareback horse-race called the Palio di Siena is held in the Piazza.

82. First name in gossip : RONA

Rona Barrett is a gossip columnist originally from New York City but who plies her trade in Southern California. Barrett started out as with a gossip column that was syndicated in newspapers but then made a successful transition to television. She made regular appearances in news broadcasts and on her entertainment shows in the sixties and seventies.

88. One with an IRA, say : SAVER

Individual retirement account (IRA)

89. Reversible fabrics : DAMASKS

Damask was originally a weaving technique associated with the Byzantine and Islamic weaving centers of the Middle Ages. “Damask” comes from the name of Damascus which was a major trading city at that time.

90. Burned-out hillbilly? : JADED CLAMPETT (from “Jed Clampett”)

Jed Clampett was played by Buddy Ebsen in “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

“The Beverly Hillbillies” sitcom originally aired from 1962 to 1971. The show had consistently respectable ratings, but was canceled as part of “the Rural Purge” at CBS. Advertisers at the time were applying pressure on the network to move to more urban-themed shows. CBS responded by canceling shows such as “Petticoat Junction”, “Green Acres”, “Lassie” as well as “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

94. Jim Davis canine : ODIE

Odie is Garfield’s best friend, and is a slobbery beagle. Both are characters in Jim Davis’ comic strip named “Garfield”.

95. Name on a pricey handbag : HERMES

Hermès is a high-end manufacturer of apparel. The company was founded in 1837 in Paris, by German immigrant Thierry Hermès.

96. Some Ivy Leaguers : ELIS

Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

The term “Ivy League” originally defined an athletic conference, but now it is used to describe a group of schools of higher education that are associated with both a long tradition and academic excellence. The eight Ivy League Schools are: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.

97. Kelly of talk : RIPA

When Kelly Ripa secured the co-host spot on morning television with Regis Philbin, she was still acting in “All My Children” in a role she had been playing for over ten years. After a year of holding down two jobs, she eventually gave up the acting gig. Ripa has acted as spokeswoman for several brands over the years, most recently for Electrolux and Rykä.

101. Intrasemester exam : UNIT TEST

“Semester” is a German word from the Latin “semestris”, an adjective meaning “of six months”. We use the term in a system that divides an academic year into two roughly equal parts. A trimester-system has three parts, and a quarter-system has four.

105. 1980s-’90s Commodore computer : AMIGA

Amiga is a line of desktop computers that was made by Commodore in the eighties and nineties.

107. Bedtime bugaboo? : LATE-NIGHT SHADOW (from “late-night show”)

“Bugaboo” is another term for “bogeyman”, an imaginary and scary creature used to frighten children.

111. Large chamber group : NONET

A nonet is a piece of music requiring nine musicians for a performance. The term is also used for the group itself.

113. Ad hoc hunters : POSSE

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

The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”. An ad hoc committee, for example, is formed for a specific purpose and is disbanded after making its final report.

114. French 101 verb : ETRE

The verb “to be” is “ser” in Spanish and “être” in French.

115. Hired hoods : GOONS

The term “goon” was coined by American humorist Frederick J. Allen in a 1921 “Harper’s” piece titled “The Goon and His Style”. The article defines a good as “a person with a heavy touch” someone lacking “a playful mind”. The term was popularized in the “Thimble Theater” comic strips featuring Popeye. The first use of “goon” to describe a hired thug was in 1938, with reference to strikebreakers.

Down

1. Guinness of “Smiley’s People” : ALEC

Sir Alec Guinness played many great roles over a long and distinguished career, but nowadays is best remembered (sadly, I think) for playing the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”.

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “Smiley’s People” are two excellent BBC mini-series that are adaptations of the novels of the same name by John le Carré. Sir Alec Guinness stars in both series and plays the main character George Smiley.

2. Bill awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom : ROSA

Rosa Parks was one of a few brave women in days gone by who refused to give up their seats on a bus to white women. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.

5. Member of a noted octet : PLANET

There are several mnemonics used to remember the planets and the order in which they are found in the Solar System. One example is “My Very Easy Method Just Shows Us Nine Planets”, but that doesn’t really work since Pluto was relegated from “planethood”. The most oft-quoted mnemonic for the eight planets is “My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos”. Given the relegation of Pluto, I kind of like “Many Very Educated Men Just Screwed Up Nature”.

6. They’re added to bills : RIDERS

A rider on a piece of legislation is an additional provision that has little or no relevance to the subject matter of the bill. Riders are usually controversial measures that would be impossible or very difficult to pass in their own right. So, the measures are added to “must-pass” bills as riders, and hence become law.

8. Span. title : SRA

The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame), in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora) and in Portuguese is also “Sra.” (Senhora).

9. “The War of the Worlds” attacker : MARTIAN

“The War of the Worlds” is a science fiction classic penned by H. G. Wells in 1895-97. This compelling story of Martians invading Earth has been adapted many times into radio dramas, a television series and several movies.

10. Bagel cheese : ASIAGO

Asiago is a crumbly cheese that is named for the region in northeastern Italy from where it originates.

13. AAA member?: Abbr. : ASSN

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

15. Sun worshiper’s seasonal harangue? : WINTER TIRADE (from “winter tire”)

The term “tirade” describes a long and vehement speech, and is a word that came into English from French. “Tirade” can have the same meaning in French, but is also the word for “volley”. So, a tirade is a “volley” of words.

17. Double-curve molding : OGEE

An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S). An ogee arch is composed of two ogees, with one being the mirror of the other and meeting at the arch’s apex.

25. Mississippi senator Cochran and jazz trumpeter Jones : THADS

Senator Thad Cochran was elected US Senator for the state of Mississippi in 1978. While earning his B.A. at the University of Mississippi, Cochran was on the cheerleading squad, with fellow senator Trent Lott.

Thad Jones was a jazz trumpeter and bandleader from Pontiac, Michigan. Thad came from a very musical family. His older brother was Hank Jones the jazz pianist, and his younger brother was Elvin Jones the jazz drummer.

32. Luth. or Meth. : DENOM

Lutheranism is the third largest branch of Protestant Christianity, after the Pentecostal and Anglican traditions. The Lutheran Church’s split with the Catholic Church started with Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517.

The Methodist movement started within the Church of England in the 1700s. It was inspired mainly by the teachings of John Wesley and his younger brother Charles.

36. First president of the Czech Republic : HAVEL

Václav Havel is a Czech playwright. Starting in the sixties, Havel became very active in the politics of his country. He eventually rose to the position of President, and was the last person to hold the office of President of Czechoslovakia, and the first to hold the office of President of the Czech Republic.

38. North Dakota’s “Magic City” : MINOT

The city of Minot, North Dakota grew out of a tent city that flourished in 1886 at the end of a railway line that was being constructed in 1886. The tent city marked the end of the line only temporarily, as work stopped there for the winter. By the end of that winter, the tent city was home to 5,000 residents. It had sprung up as if “by magic”, and became known as “Magic City”, a nickname that persists to this day.

45. Some skinny jeans : LEES

The Lee company that’s famous for making jeans was formed in 1889 by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

48. Org. with forms : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

53. CBS or NBC : AIRER

CBS used to be known as the Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS introduced its “eye” logo in 1951. That logo is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign.

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has had a number of different logos in its history, including the famous peacock with which we are familiar today. The first peacock logo was introduced in the early days of color television and was designed to illustrate how wonderful color television would be, so go buy one! (NBC was owned by RCA, and so had a vested interest in sales of color television sets).

54. 1983 taxi comedy : DC CAB

“D.C. Cab” is a comedy movie released in 1983 starring Mr. T. I don’t hear many good things about the film, although there is a special appearance by Irene Cara of “Fame” fame …

55. 20th-century princess : DIANA

Charles, Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The wedding was a huge television event, with about 750 million people tuning in worldwide. Although the event was billed as a fairytale wedding, the couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.

59. Megalith inscribed with saws? : ROCK OF ADAGES (from “Rock of Ages”)

“Rock of Ages” is Christian hymn that dates back to 1763 when it was written by the Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady (what a great name!). Tradition has it that Toplady was caught in a storm while travelling along a gorge near his parish in the Mendip Hills in England. He took shelter in a gap in the gorge, and the fissure that protected him inspired him to write the title and first few lines of the hymn on a playing card that he was carrying. If you travel through the Mendip Hills today, there is indeed a fissure that is marked “Rock of Ages”.

62. Blow-up aid : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

65. Visiting Hollywood, say : IN LA

The iconic HOLLYWOOD sign located in the hills overlooking the Los Angeles district of Hollywood was erected in 1923. The sign originally read “HOLLYWOODLAND” and was placed as an advertisement for a new housing development with that name. The plan was for the sign to stay in place for 18 months, but as it became associated with the growing film industry, it was left in place. The sign was refurbished in 1949 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, with the stipulation that the “LAND” be dropped. A new version of the sign using more permanent materials was unveiled in 1978.

66. Lively dance : SALSA

The genre of music called salsa is a modern interpretation of various Cuban traditional music styles.

67. Ice cream treats : ESKIMO PIES

An Eskimo Pie is a chocolate-covered ice cream bar. The (delicious) dessert item was created in 1920, and first sold under the name “I-Scream Bar”.

68. Dances with graceful gestures : HULAS

The hula is a native dance of Hawaii that uses arm movements to relate a story. The hula can be performed while sitting (a noho dance) or while standing (a luna dance).

70. Trig ratio : COSEC

The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to “sin, cos and tan”). Each of these is a ratio, a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The “reciprocal” of these three functions are secant, cosecant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent. These inverted ratios should not be confused with the “inverse” trigonometric functions e.g. arcsine, arccosine and arctangent. These inverse functions are the reverse of the sine, cosine and tangent.

71. They’re rarely heard from skilled carpenters : OWS

Ah, lack of skill. That’s the reason for all of my “ows” …

73. Bit of dogma : TENET

A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “he holds”.

A dogma is a set of beliefs, with the plural being “dogmata” (or “dogmas”, if you’re not a pedant like me!)

82. Jay-Z and others : RAP STARS

Jay-Z, as well as being a successful and very rich rap artist, is married to singer Beyoncé. Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York. As Carter was growing up, he was nicknamed “Jazzy”, a reference to his interest in music. “Jazzy” evolved into the stage name “Jay-Z”. Jay-Z and Beyoncé have a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter, and twins named Rumi and Sir Carter.

84. “Woe __”: 1996 grammar book : IS I

Patricia O’Conner has written five books about the English language, including “Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English”. What a great subject for a book! I need to buy it for my kids. And to be honest, for me too …

88. Worker in a forge : SMITH

A blacksmith is someone who forges and shapes iron, perhaps to make horseshoes. A farrier is someone who fits horseshoes onto the hooves of horses. The term “blacksmith” is sometimes used for one who shoes horses, especially as many blacksmiths make horseshoes and fit them as well.

91. Garfield’s gal pal : ARLENE

Arlene is a pink stray cat who is fond of the title character in the “Garfield” comic strip by Jim Davis. Garfield is pretty rude to Arlene though, and often makes fun of the gap in her teeth.

92. Like the pre-Easter season : LENTEN

In Latin, the Christian season that is now called “Lent” was termed “quadragesima” (meaning “fortieth”), a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. When the church began its move in the Middle Ages towards using the vernacular, the term “Lent” was introduced. “Lent” comes from “lenz”, the German word for “spring”.

98. Texting qualifier : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

100. ’70s tennis star Nastase : 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 Hungarian Senate though, and has been a senator since May 2014.

102. Churchill’s 1955 successor : EDEN

Sir Anthony Eden served as Britain’s Foreign Secretary during WWII, and then as Prime Minister from 1955-57. I think it’s fair to say that Eden doesn’t have a great reputation as a statesman. He was proud of his stance in favor of peace over war, so his critics characterized him as an appeaser. His major stumble on the world stage occurred with the Suez Crisis in 1956. Egypt’s President Nasser unilaterally nationalized the Suez Canal causing war to be declared on Egypt by Britain, France and Israel. Within a few months political pressure from the US and the USSR caused the allies to withdraw, bolstering Egypt’s national reputation. Eden never recovered from the loss of face at home, and it is felt that the stress even affected his health. Eden resigned in January 1957.

103. Den piece : SOFA

“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Huggers : ARMS
5. Spectrum maker : PRISM
10. “The Winner Takes It All” group : ABBA
14. React to a pop idol, perhaps : SWOON
19. Haul : LOOT
20. Fall sign : LIBRA
21. They can be calm or rough : SEAS
22. Specialized vocab : LINGO
23. Skillful adventurers? : ESCAPADE ARTISTS (from “escape artists”)
26. When rights may be prohibited : ON RED
27. Musical clacker : CASTANET
28. Chooser’s words : THAT ONE
30. Pro shop buys : TEES
31. Attractive pitcher : EWER
32. __ Alley, supply source in the Harry Potter universe : DIAGON
33. Effective use of lang. : RHET
35. Field for feline frolic? : THE CAT’S MEADOW (from “the cat’s meow”)
39. Neck-to-waist body armor : CUIRASS
42. Laid into : HAD AT
43. Vermont tourist destinations : INNS
44. Stooges’ specialty : SLAPSTICK
46. Lasting lead-in? : EVER-
47. __-Indian War : SINO
49. Sinus doc : ENT
50. About : IN RE
51. Pro __: for now : TEM
52. Speech from a queen, maybe? : PROM ADDRESS (from “prom dress”)
57. Recognize : READ
58. Chicken Little, memorably : ALARMIST
61. Least friendly : ICIEST
62. Diamond protector : TARP
63. Granola bar bit : OAT
64. Ocean predators : ORCAS
65. Where Tippecanoe Cty. is : IND
66. Ticket abbr. : SECT
68. Hellish : HADEAN
70. Competitions : CONTESTS
75. Savor, with “in” : BASK
76. Unusually vicious nocturnal flier? : SUPERBAD OWL (from “Super Bowl”)
78. Saigon holiday : TET
79. Northeast Nevada city : ELKO
80. Grand __ Opry : OLE
81. She, in Siena : ESSA
82. First name in gossip : RONA
83. “Whatever” : AS IF I CARE
86. __ bit: slightly : A WEE
88. One with an IRA, say : SAVER
89. Reversible fabrics : DAMASKS
90. Burned-out hillbilly? : JADED CLAMPETT (from “Jed Clampett”)
94. Jim Davis canine : ODIE
95. Name on a pricey handbag : HERMES
96. Some Ivy Leaguers : ELIS
97. Kelly of talk : RIPA
99. Dapper accessory : TIE CLIP
101. Intrasemester exam : UNIT TEST
105. 1980s-’90s Commodore computer : AMIGA
107. Bedtime bugaboo? : LATE-NIGHT SHADOW (from “late-night show”)
109. One fit for a queen? : SHEET
110. Golf selection : IRON
111. Large chamber group : NONET
112. Home repair option, briefly : REFI
113. Ad hoc hunters : POSSE
114. French 101 verb : ETRE
115. Hired hoods : GOONS
116. Sweater mishap : SNAG

Down

1. Guinness of “Smiley’s People” : ALEC
2. Bill awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom : ROSA
3. Comfy footwear : MOCS
4. Governor’s ride : STATE CAR
5. Member of a noted octet : PLANET
6. They’re added to bills : RIDERS
7. “Yeah, right!” : I BET!
8. Span. title : SRA
9. “The War of the Worlds” attacker : MARTIAN
10. Bagel cheese : ASIAGO
11. Confers (on) : BESTOWS
12. It’s passed in a race : BATON
13. AAA member?: Abbr. : ASSN
14. __-mo : SLO
15. Sun worshiper’s seasonal harangue? : WINTER TIRADE (from “winter tire”)
16. How some lawyers are paid : ON RETAINER
17. Double-curve molding : OGEE
18. Auction actions : NODS
24. Play with, kitten-style : PAW AT
25. Mississippi senator Cochran and jazz trumpeter Jones : THADS
29. Lets off steam : ERUPTS
32. Luth. or Meth. : DENOM
34. __ Honor : HIS
35. Frat row letter : THETA
36. First president of the Czech Republic : HAVEL
37. Fluid buildup : EDEMA
38. North Dakota’s “Magic City” : MINOT
39. Art able to : CANST
40. __ metal : SCRAP
41. Brief timetable : SKED
45. Some skinny jeans : LEES
47. Roasting gadget : SPIT
48. Org. with forms : IRS
53. CBS or NBC : AIRER
54. 1983 taxi comedy : DC CAB
55. 20th-century princess : DIANA
56. Hi-__ image : RES
59. Megalith inscribed with saws? : ROCK OF ADAGES (from “Rock of Ages”)
60. Welcoming sight : MAT
62. Blow-up aid : TNT
64. Hymn relative : ODE
65. Visiting Hollywood, say : IN LA
66. Lively dance : SALSA
67. Ice cream treats : ESKIMO PIES
68. Dances with graceful gestures : HULAS
69. Mimic : APER
70. Trig ratio : COSEC
71. They’re rarely heard from skilled carpenters : OWS
72. Cook’s need : STOVE
73. Bit of dogma : TENET
74. “Boo!” reaction : START
75. Bit of sweat : BEAD
76. Place for a plug : SOCKET
77. Scouts do good ones : DEEDS
82. Jay-Z and others : RAP STARS
84. “Woe __”: 1996 grammar book : IS I
85. Steam engine exhaust system : EJECTOR
86. Campus bldg. : ADMIN
87. Breaking down : WEEPING
88. Worker in a forge : SMITH
91. Garfield’s gal pal : ARLENE
92. Like the pre-Easter season : LENTEN
93. Elite slates : A-LISTS
95. Essence : HEART
97. Gravelly sound : RASP
98. Texting qualifier : IMHO
100. ’70s tennis star Nastase : ILIE
101. “Hmm … I doubt that” : UH … NO
102. Churchill’s 1955 successor : EDEN
103. Den piece : SOFA
104. Part of a pre-fire pile : TWIG
106. Had lunch, say : ATE
108. Gunk : GOO

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