Crossword

Note: This puzzle is part of Merl’s best-of series.

ACROSS

1 Auction action 4 × 9 Kan opener? 12 Fine-tune 18 Smell ___ 20 Work ___ 21 Promising words 22 Darwin’s ship to the Galapagos 23 “I’ve had enough ribs, so may I have ___, please?” 25 Acapulco article 26 One way to pay bills 27 “We’re shorthanded today. ___ right over?” 29 25 Across, here 31 Feed the kitty 32 Love Story

composer Francis 33 UFO fragment? 34 Beatles tune, “Things ___ Today” 36 Tinseltown Turner 39 Defense org. 43 A Florida beach 45 Isadora’s undoing 48 Idyllic settings 50 Awkward fellow 52 Fenced-off area 53 Less sanguine 54 “I’d like you to meet my friends, ___” 57 Kidnapping “army” of the ’70s 58 Hit the ice 59 In demand 60 Stable child 61 In-between word 63 Jetliner types 65 Egglike 66 Fizzy quaffs 68 Ear trouble 71 Ominous carriage 73 ___ for the FBI (Eskimo exposé?) 76 Alabama city 78 Dress down 79 Meager 82 Jacques who directed The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 83 Flock member 85 Jesse Jackson title: abbr. 86 Can’t stand 88 Holy vessel

90 I, Robot author’s first name 92 Crafty 94 “My car? Why, it’s a Dodge ___!” 97 Hawaiian crooner 98 Wander 100 Knowing 101 Insinuatingly nasty 102 Per ___ (a year) 103 Pope’s An Essay ___ 105 Some profs 107 Backstage folks 108 Like a bump ___ 110 Stick up

112 2001 computer 114 He won Wimbledon five straight times 116 Ms. Hogg of Texas 117 “Flat tire, eh? Your wife’s never ___” 124 Teeming 126 Tango number 128 “Doc, I’ve got a ___ in my neck” 129 Actress Gless 130 Enjoy entrees 131 “That ___” (common signoff) 132 Agitated state 133 Agree 134 AMA members 135 Prison units 136 Joan, to Olivia

DOWN

1 Sop up rays 2 Dies ___ 3 ___ Yankees 4 An alarm bell, not a poison 5 “___ hollers ...” 6 Most important 7 Gardner who created a lawyer 8 One of the sauruses 9 Party pooper 10 Commotion 11 Arthur Conan Doyle saga, with The 12 Singer Lane and others 13 Susan of L.A. Law 14 Recruiter: “Why don’t ___ out of the Army?” 15 “Are ___ it up or do it right this time?” 16 Open a “boil-in-a-bag” 17 Communications combiner 19 Babes’ hangout? 24 Auto grp.

28 Nightline network 30 Brain pain 35 Venomous ones 36 Poland’s Walesa 37 Type of committee 38 “Peachy keen!” 40 Pierce portrayer 41 Inaudible, as TV volume 42 ___ Town 44 Instance, in France 46 Do laces again 47 Mr. Friendly or Mr. Rogers 49 Trip to the big game 51 Mover’s rental 55 Cash register button 56 Before it happened, in Latin 62 Renounce 64 Takes care of 67 “At Chub Boy’s, our big portions never ___” 69 Column guide, in typing 70 Pepper, for one: abbr. 72 Way in 74 Editors’ environs 75 Go over old arguments 76 Eensy-weensy particle 77 “Oh, brother! Not a chance!” 80 Low point 81 Exchange 82 ___ double take 84 Stretched out 87 Breezed through 89 Was up on 91 Robin Cook book 93 Tuber with turkey 95 Nightcap 96 Frees from a fastener 99 Kidder and Fonteyn 104 Japanese theater 106 Sand bars 109 Describes 111 Rudimentary 113 Green and Smith 114 Largemouth catch 115 Safety org. 118 Wall St. abbr. 119 Sea between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 120 Till item 121 Often customized vehicles 122 Four, on old clocks 123 Wee workers 125 Unknown Richard 127 The killing field