LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Nov 2017, Sunday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Theme: Twists and Turns

Each of today’s themed answers sounds like a common phrase that has been TWISTED AND TURNED, has had two words switched:

  • 1A. With 22- and 126-Across, saying about the difficulty of dieting? : A WAIST
  • 22A. See 1-Across : … IS A TERRIBLE THING …
  • 126A. See 1-Across : … TO MIND (from “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”)
  • 36A. Proverb about creeps getting their just deserts? : TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS (from “time heals all wounds”)
  • 69A. Handles every objection? : ANSWERS ALL THE NOES (from “knows all the answers”)
  • 96A. Fed up with a corporate VIP? : BORED OF THE CHAIRMAN (from “chairman of the board”)
  • 114A. Spars during dance music? : PUNCHES TO THE BEAT (from “beats to the punch”)

Bill’s time: 16m 35s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7. 1956 hot spot : SUEZ

The Suez Crisis of 1956 came about when President Nasser of Egypt decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, a response to a withdrawal of funds by Britain and the US for the building of the Aswan Dam. Egypt then refused to allow any Israeli shipping the use the canal. With British and French support, Israel invaded the Sinai in October 1956, starting the military conflict. Combined British, French and Israeli forces eventually took control of the Suez Canal, which was viewed as a military success but a political disaster. The United Nations, led by the US, pressured the British, French and Israelis to withdraw.

18. Social classes : CASTES

Although caste systems exist in several societies around the world, we tend to associate the concept with the social stratification that is still found in many parts of India. The term “caste” comes from the Portuguese word “casta” meaning “race, breed”. The Portuguese used the term to describe the hereditary social groups that they found in India when they arrived in the subcontinent in 1498.

19. Trick joint? : KNEE

The term “trick knee” is usually applied to a condition called “luxating patella”, in which the kneecap (patella) moves out of its normal location.

21. Big name in spydom : HARI

“Mata Hari” was the stage name used by Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, born in the Netherlands in 1876. After an unsuccessful and somewhat tragic marriage, Zella moved to Paris in 1903 where she struggled to make a living. By 1905 she was working as an exotic dancer and using the name Mata Hari. She was a successful courtesan, notably moving in various circles of high-ranking military officers. She apparently worked as a double agent, both for the French and the Germans. When Mata Hari was accused by the French of passing information to the enemy, she was tried, found guilty and executed by firing squad at the height of WW1, in 1917.

25. Part of Kurdistan is in it : IRAN

Most of the Kurdish people live in a region known as Kurdistan, which stretches into parts of Iran, Syria, Turkey as well as northern Iraq.

26. Code word : DAH

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash. When words are spelled aloud in Morse code, a dot is pronounced as “dit”, and a dash is pronounced as “dah”.

27. Bluesman Redding : OTIS

“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” is song that Otis Redding started composing in 1967 while sitting on a houseboat in Sausalito, on San Francisco Bay. Redding finished the song soon after, with the help of co-writer Steve Cooper. “The Dock of the Bay” was released in January of 1968, just one month after Redding was killed in a plane crash. The song became the first posthumous single to reach number in the US charts. As an aside, Janis Joplin’s recording of “Me and Bobby McGee” achieved the same feat in 1971.

28. Nada, across the Pyrenees : RIEN

The word “nothing” translates to “nada” in Spanish and “rien” in French.

The Pyrénées is a mountain range that runs along the border between Spain and France. Nestled between the two countries, high in the mountains, is the lovely country of Andorra, an old haunt of my family during skiing season …

30. Mrs. Addams, to Gomez : TISH

Gomez and Morticia (“Tish”) Addams were the parents in “The Addams Family”, a creation of the cartoonist Charles Addams. In the sixties television show, Gomez was played by John Astin and Morticia was played by Carolyn Jones.

33. Deck (out) : TOG

The verb “tog up”, meaning to dress up, comes from the Latin “toga”, the garment worn in Ancient Rome. “Tog” can be also be used as an informal word for a coat or a cloak. Back in Ireland, togs are what we call swimming shorts.

42. World Heritage Site org. : UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is better known by the acronym “UNESCO”. UNESCO’s mission is help build peace in the world using programs focused on education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The organization’s work is aimed in particular at Africa, and gender equalization. UNESCO also administers a World Heritage Site program that designates and helps conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to humanity across the world.

46. __ Aviv : TEL

The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into “Spring Mound”, and is a name that was chosen in 1910.

48. Middle X or O : TAC

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

49. “Things Fall Apart” novelist Chinua __ : ACHEBE

Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe was born in the Ibo region in the south of the country. His first novel was “Things Fall Apart”, a book that has the distinction of being the most widely read in the whole of African literature.

55. “__, Sing America”: Langston Hughes poem : I TOO

Langston Hughes was a poet active in the Harlem Renaissance, and someone who helped develop the literary form known as “jazz poetry”. His poem “I, Too, Sing America” was published in 1925.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–

I, too, am America.

57. Prynne’s stigma : RED A

The main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” is Hester Prynne. After the birth of her illegitimate daughter Pearl, she is convicted by her puritanical neighbors of the crime of adultery. Hester is forced to wear a scarlet “A” (for “adultery”) on her clothing for the rest of her life, hence the novel’s title “The Scarlet Letter”.

61. Irregularly notched : EROSE

An edge that is “erose” is irregularly notched or indented.

63. Tidal extreme : LOW WATER

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

68. Cartoon genre : ANIME

Anime is cartoon animation in the style of Japanese Manga comic books.

72. __-Roman wrestling : GRECO

Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic Games, back in 1896. Back then there was relatively little regulation of the sport and Greco-Roman contests were noted for their brutality. Bouts also took a long time to finish, often lasting hours. In fact, two competitors in the final round of the event at the 1912 Olympic Games fought a match that lasted 11 hours and 40 minutes. The victor was so exhausted after the contest that he was unable to compete in the final bout.

74. Cadillac SUV : ESCALADE

The Escalade is a full-size SUV that Cadillac introduced in 1999. The word “escalade” describes the act of scaling defensive walls with ladders during a siege.

77. Mercury astronaut Cooper, to friends : GORDO

Gordon “Gordo” Cooper was an American astronaut who went into space as part of both the Mercury and Gemini Programs. Cooper had the honor of being the first American to have a snooze in space!

78. Website for techies : CNET

c|net is an excellent technology website. c|net started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a c|net show.

82. Troy, N.Y., tech school : RPI

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

83. Lao Tzu’s “way” : TAO

The name of the Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

Lao Tse (also “Lao-Tzu”) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism. Tradition holds that Lao-Tzu wrote the “Tao Te Ching”, a classical Chinese text that is fundamental to the philosophy of Taoism.

87. Cremona crowd? : TRE

In Italian, “due” (two) is company, and “tre” (three) is a crowd.

Cremona is a city in Lombardy in northern Italy that lies on the Po river. Cremona has a rich musical history and was the home to famous craftsmen who made stringed instruments, including Stradivari and several members of the Amati family.

90. IV league? : RNS

A registered nurse (RN) might administer an intravenous drip (IV).

92. Democratic donkey designer : NAST

Thomas Nast was an American caricaturist and cartoonist. Nast was the creator of the Republican Party elephant, the Democratic Party donkey, Uncle Sam and the image of the plump and jocular Santa Claus that we use today.

101. Comic book artist’s supply : INDIA INK

The black ink known as “India ink” was actually developed in the China. The carbon pigment used to give the dark color was imported from India, hence the name.

102. __ Friday’s : TGI

T.G.I. Fridays is an American restaurant chain, founded in 1965 in New York City. Today there are over a thousand T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants in over 50 countries. I think that Fridays has always been particularly successful overseas. I used to visit one a lot with my family when we lived in the Philippines, and I believe the most successful Fridays restaurant anywhere in the world is the one in Haymarket Leicester Square in London in the UK.

103. Winter cord : WOOD

A cord of wood has a volume of 128 cubic feet. More commonly it’s a neat stack measuring 4 feet high, 8 feet long and 4 feet deep.

109. “__ Nacht”: German parting : GUTE

“Gute Nacht” is a German for “goodnight”.

110. Vintner’s prefix : OENO-

In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oen-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.

111. Lingerie item : BRA

“Lingerie” is a French term, but as used in France it just means any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we use “lingerie” to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term “lingerie” comes into English via the French word “linge” meaning “washables”, and ultimately from the Latin “linum”, meaning “linen”. We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like “lan-zher-ee”, as opposed to “lon-zher-ay” (American) and “lon-zher-ee” (British).

119. Biblical brother : ABEL

In the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Cain murders his brother Abel. Subsequently, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain replies, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

120. Principal : ARCH

We use “arch-” to mean “chief, principal”. Said prefix comes from the combining form of the Greek word “arkhos” meaning “chief, lead, commander”.

121. Whaler’s direction : THAR

“Thar she blows!” is a phrase that originated on whaling ships. A lookout spotting a whale surfacing to breathe might see the spray from the blowhole caused by the expulsion of carbon dioxide. Thar (there) she blows!

122. Home to Napoli : ITALIA

Naples (“Napoli” in Italian) is the third largest city in Italy. The name “Napoli” comes from the city’s Ancient Greek name, which translates as “New City”. That’s a bit of a paradox as today Naples is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.

123. Like a yenta : NOSY

Yenta (also “Yente”) is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater “yenta” came to mean a busybody, a gossip.

125. __-Coburg: former German duchy : SAXE

Saxony was the name given at different times in history to states along the Elbe river in central Europe. As the various states broke up, they spawned many duchies that retained the name “Saxe”. The most famous of these duchies was probably Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, two united duchies in Germany that ceased to exist after WWII. A notable branch of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House is the British Royal Family, as Queen Victoria was married to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. King George V of the United Kingdom changed the name of the family to the House of Windsor in a politically sensible move during WWI.

Down

3. Japanese beer brand : ASAHI

Asahi is a beer, and the name of the brewery that produces it. “Asahi” is Japanese for “morning sun”. Asahi introduced a “dry beer” in 1987, igniting a craze that rocketed the brewery to the number one spot in terms of beer production in Japan, with Sapporo close behind.

4. Shades-wearing TV cousin : ITT

In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family had a frequent visitor called Cousin Itt. Itt is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Cousin Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

6. Original Dungeons & Dragons co. : TSR

Dungeons & Dragons is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

8. Tolerant : UNBIGOTED

“Bigot” is a French word that back in the late 1500s meant “sanctimonious person, religious hypocrite”. We use the term today to describe someone who is biased towards his or her own group, and who is intolerant of those outside of that group.

10. What’s at the heart of every calzone? : ZEE

The letter Z (zee) is in the middle of, at the heart of, the word “calzone”.

A calzone is like a pizza but with the dough base folded in half, forming a semicircle.

13. “The Ice Storm” director Lee : ANG

Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

“The Ice Storm” is a 1997 drama film based on a 1994 novel of the same name by Rick Moody. Set in the seventies, it’s the story of two dysfunctional families celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. The film was a flop at the box office, despite having a fabulous cast and positive reviews from the critics. The cast includes Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood. Based on that alone, I am putting “The Ice Storm” on my “to see” list ..

14. Islamic worshippers : SHIITES

The Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia Muslims differ in the belief of who should have taken over leadership of the Muslim faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of the Sunni tradition agree with the decision that the Prophet Muhammad’s confidante Abu Bakr was the right choice to become the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Followers of the Shia tradition believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet Muhammad’s own family, and favoured the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali.

15. Experienced crew : TARS

A jack tar, or just “tar”, was a seaman in the days of the British Empire. The term probably arose due to a sailor’s various uses of tar back then, including waterproofing his clothes and using tar in his hair to slick down his ponytail.

31. Google Maps lines: Abbr. : STS

Google Maps was developed as a web mapping service for desktops. The (wonderful!) Google Maps mobile app was released in 2008, and is now the most popular smartphone app in the world.

32. Kool-Aid alternative : HI-C

Hi-C orange drink was created in 1946, and introduced to the market in 1948, initially in the south of the country. The name Hi-C was chosen to emphasize the high vitamin C content in the drink, as it contained added ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

The drink we know today as Kool-Aid was invented by Edward Perkins and his wife, in Perkins’ mother’s kitchen in southwest Nebraska. Kool-Aid is now the Official Soft Drink of the state.

34. Bygone blade : SNEE

A “snee” is a type of dagger formerly used by Scottish highlanders.

35. “Enchanted” girl in a 2004 film : ELLA

“Ella Enchanted” is a fantasy novel written by Gail Carson Levine, and published in 1997. It is a retelling of the story of Cinderella, with lots of mythical creatures added. A film adaptation was released in 2004, starring Anne Hathaway in the title role.

37. Bygone bird : MOA

Moas were flightless birds native to New Zealand that are now extinct. The fate of the Moa is a great example of the detrimental effect that humans can have on animal populations. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand about 1300 AD, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. The Moa were hunted to extinction within 200 years, which had the knock-on effect of killing off the Haast’s Eagle, the Moa’s only predator prior to the arrival of man. Moas were huge creatures, measuring up to 12 feet tall with their necks stretched upwards.

38. Graffiti and such : URBAN ART

“Graffiti” is the plural of “graffito”, the Italian for “a scribbling”. The word was first used to describe ancient inscriptions on the walls in the ruins of Pompeii.

39. Hydrated magnesium sulfate : EPSOM SALTS

The Surrey town of Epsom in England is most famous for its racecourse (Epsom Downs), at which is run the Epsom Derby every year, one of the three races that make up the English Triple Crown. We also come across Epsom salt from time to time. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters. Epsom was indeed a spa town at one time. The town is also home to Epsom College, an English “public school” (which actually means “private, and expensive”). One of Epsom’s “old boys” was the Hollywood actor Stewart Granger.

41. Eye affliction : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

43. Gp. joined by Montenegro in 2017 : NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded not long after WWII in 1949 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The first NATO Secretary General was Lord Ismay, Winston Churchill’s chief military assistant during WWII. Famously, Lord Ismay said the goal of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”

50. Canadian tribe : CREE

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US most of the Cree nation live in Montana on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

53. Italy’s largest port : GENOA

Genoa is a seaport in the very north of Italy, in the region known as Liguria. One of Genoa’s most famous sons was Christopher Columbus. Another was the violinist Niccolò Paganini.

58. Ultra-aloof type : COLD FISH

I suppose one might guess from the “feel” of the word “aloof” that is has nautical roots. Originally “aloof” meant “to windward” and was the opposite of “alee”. A helmsman might be instructed to stay aloof, to steer the boat into the weather to keep a distance from a lee-shore. It is from this sense of maintaining a distance that aloof came to mean “distant” in terms of personality. Interesting, huh …?

59. Nova Scotia hrs. : AST

Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The list of locations that use AST includes Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

62. Cambodian currency : RIELS

The Cambodian riel was introduced in 1953, and was taken out of circulation by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 when they completely abolished money on taking control of the country. After the Vietnamese invasion of 1978, money was reintroduced and the Cambodian people are still using the “second” riel. The original riel was divided into 100 centimes, but this was changed to 100 “sen” in 1959.

64. English race place : ASCOT

Ascot Racecourse is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and is located in the town of Ascot, Berkshire in England. The course is located just six miles from Windsor Castle, and is often visited by members of the royal family. Royal Ascot is the name given to the most famous race meeting in the year, at which members of the royal family attend each day, arriving in horse-drawn carriages amidst great ceremony.

68. RSA ruling party : ANC

The African National Congress (ANC) started out as the South African Native National Congress in 1912 with the goal of improving the lot of black South Africans. After years of turmoil, the ANC came to power in the first open election in 1964.

Republic of South Africa (RSA)

70. Ed.’s request : SAE

An SAE is a “stamped, addressed envelope”. An SASE is a “self-addressed, stamped envelope”.

71. Ferrara family name : ESTE

“Ferrara” is the name of a province and its capital city in northern Italy. The city is located just 30 miles northeast of Bologna. The city was also home to a branch of the princely House of Este during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Este is a town in the Province of Padua in the north of Italy. The town gave its name to the House of Este, a European princely dynasty. Members of the House of Este were important patrons of the arts, especially during the Italian Renaissance. The House of Hanover, that ruled Britain from 1714 to 1901 when Queen Victoria died, was perhaps the most notable branch of the House of Este.

80. Going rate? : ESTATE TAX

In many jurisdictions, there is a difference between an estate tax and an inheritance tax. An estate tax is applied to the assets of the deceased, whereas an inheritance tax is applied to a legacy received by a beneficiary of an estate.

84. J.Lo’s main squeeze : A-ROD

Apparently, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez started dating retired baseball player Alex Rodriguez in February 2017.

86. ’60s hot spot : NAM

By some definitions, the official involvement of Americans in the Vietnam War started in 1955. At that time, President Eisenhower deployed a Military Assistance Advisory Group to assist in the training of the South Vietnamese Army. American involvement in the conflict officially ended in 1973 with the signing of an agreement that came out of the Paris Peace Accords.

92. “Buffalo Stance” singer Cherry : NENEH

Neneh Cherry is a rap singer from Stockholm, Sweden. Cherry was born Neneh Karlsson, but she took the name of her stepfather, American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry.

95. A, in Acapulco : UNO

The Mexican city of Acapulco is on the southwest coast of the country, in the state of Guerrero. The name “Acapulco” translates from the local language into “at the big reeds”.

104. Dagger-shaped editing marks : OBELI

A dagger (also “obelisk”, plural “obeli”) is a typographical symbol. The dagger is usually used to indicate a footnote.

107. Western wolf : LOBO

The timber wolf is also known as the gray wolf, tundra wolf or lobo.

110. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

114. Nonstick cooking spray : PAM

PAM cooking oil was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin and Arthur Meyerhoff. The name “PAM” is an acronym … standing for “Product of Arthur Meyerhoff”. Who’d a thunk it …?

115. UFO crew, so it’s said : ETS

One might speculate that an unidentified flying object (UFO) is flown by an extraterrestrial (ET).

117. WWII command : ETO

General Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII.

118. Emeril catchword : BAM!

Emeril Lagasse is an American chef who was born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved notoriety as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. With 22- and 126-Across, saying about the difficulty of dieting? : A WAIST …
7. 1956 hot spot : SUEZ
11. Healthful getaway : SPA
14. Lodge : STOW
18. Social classes : CASTES
19. Trick joint? : KNEE
20. Consequently : THEN
21. Big name in spydom : HARI
22. See 1-Across : … IS A TERRIBLE THING …
25. Part of Kurdistan is in it : IRAN
26. Code word : DAH
27. Bluesman Redding : OTIS
28. Nada, across the Pyrenees : RIEN
29. Grocery section : AISLE
30. Mrs. Addams, to Gomez : TISH
33. Deck (out) : TOG
34. Like the most popular beaches : SANDIEST
36. Proverb about creeps getting their just deserts? : TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS (from “time heals all wounds”)
42. World Heritage Site org. : UNESCO
45. Surgeon’s patient? : TREE
46. __ Aviv : TEL
47. Difficult position : SPOT
48. Middle X or O : TAC
49. “Things Fall Apart” novelist Chinua __ : ACHEBE
52. Crisis of the middle ages? : SAG
54. Flour may be made with it : SOY
55. “__, Sing America”: Langston Hughes poem : I TOO
57. Prynne’s stigma : RED A
58. Street fleet : CABS
61. Irregularly notched : EROSE
63. Tidal extreme : LOW WATER
66. Calf-roping loop : NOOSE
68. Cartoon genre : ANIME
69. Handles every objection? : ANSWERS ALL THE NOES (from “knows all the answers”)
72. __-Roman wrestling : GRECO
73. Like cornstalks : EARED
74. Cadillac SUV : ESCALADE
77. Mercury astronaut Cooper, to friends : GORDO
78. Website for techies : CNET
79. Big celebration : FEST
81. More than tickle : SLAY
82. Troy, N.Y., tech school : RPI
83. Lao Tzu’s “way” : TAO
85. You don’t have to face the music to do it : LISTEN
87. Cremona crowd? : TRE
88. Lined up, with “in” : A ROW
90. IV league? : RNS
92. Democratic donkey designer : NAST
93. Tickled : AMUSED
96. Fed up with a corporate VIP? : BORED OF THE CHAIRMAN (from “chairman of the board”)
101. Comic book artist’s supply : INDIA INK
102. __ Friday’s : TGI
103. Winter cord : WOOD
106. Plant life : FLORA
109. “__ Nacht”: German parting : GUTE
110. Vintner’s prefix : OENO-
111. Lingerie item : BRA
113. Noble title : LORD
114. Spars during dance music? : PUNCHES TO THE BEAT (from “beats to the punch”)
119. Biblical brother : ABEL
120. Principal : ARCH
121. Whaler’s direction : THAR
122. Home to Napoli : ITALIA
123. Like a yenta : NOSY
124. “Not impressed” : MEH
125. __-Coburg: former German duchy : SAXE
126. See 1-Across : … TO MIND (from “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”)

Down

1. Vinegary : ACID
2. Attended : WAS AT
3. Japanese beer brand : ASAHI
4. Shades-wearing TV cousin : ITT
5. “Didn’t I tell you?” : SEE?
6. Original Dungeons & Dragons co. : TSR
7. Trail access aid : SKI TOW
8. Tolerant : UNBIGOTED
9. Fish that can swim backwards : EELS
10. What’s at the heart of every calzone? : ZEE
11. Reacted skittishly to : SHIED AT
12. Broke : PENNILESS
13. “The Ice Storm” director Lee : ANG
14. Islamic worshippers : SHIITES
15. Experienced crew : TARS
16. __ agreement : ORAL
17. Press release? : WINE
20. Dilutes : THINS
23. Mechanically, after “by” : ROTE
24. Business : TRADE
29. Hearth residue : ASH
31. Google Maps lines: Abbr. : STS
32. Kool-Aid alternative : HI-C
34. Bygone blade : SNEE
35. “Enchanted” girl in a 2004 film : ELLA
37. Bygone bird : MOA
38. Graffiti and such : URBAN ART
39. Hydrated magnesium sulfate : EPSOM SALTS
40. Baggy : LOOSE
41. Eye affliction : STYE
42. Payment made each mo. : UTIL
43. Gp. joined by Montenegro in 2017 : NATO
44. Environmental activist : ECO-WARRIOR
50. Canadian tribe : CREE
51. German gentlemen : HERREN
53. Italy’s largest port : GENOA
56. Had : OWNED
58. Ultra-aloof type : COLD FISH
59. Nova Scotia hrs. : AST
60. Strong request : BEHEST
62. Cambodian currency : RIELS
64. English race place : ASCOT
65. Small partnership : TWO
67. “Bravo!” : OLE!
68. RSA ruling party : ANC
70. Ed.’s request : SAE
71. Ferrara family name : ESTE
72. Start playing for money : GO PRO
75. Challenge : DARE
76. Checked out : EYED
77. Screen __ : GRAB
78. Assemble, as a computer system : CONFIGURE
80. Going rate? : ESTATE TAX
84. J.Lo’s main squeeze : A-ROD
85. Deficiency : LACK
86. ’60s hot spot : NAM
89. In a strange way : WEIRDLY
91. Firm in principle : STAUNCH
92. “Buffalo Stance” singer Cherry : NENEH
94. Big mouth : MAW
95. A, in Acapulco : UNO
97. Paternity suit evidence : DNA
98. Thumb : HITCH
99. Brush aside : IGNORE
100. Very funny one : RIOT
104. Dagger-shaped editing marks : OBELI
105. Exhaust : DRAIN
106. Custard concoction : FLAN
107. Western wolf : LOBO
108. Mining haul : ORES
110. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA
112. Hardly more than not at all : A TAD
114. Nonstick cooking spray : PAM
115. UFO crew, so it’s said : ETS
116. Big success : HIT
117. WWII command : ETO
118. Emeril catchword : BAM!

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