Crossword

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

1 Tennessee Williams’s Maggie 7 Slogs 12 Past, to Picasso 18 Proportionately 19 They are driven 20 California institute where Fritz Perls taught Gestalt 21 War lover’s justification? 23 Sound of nuclear destruction? 24 Serena Smash 25 Hombre’s home: abbr. 26 Nuclear attraction? 28 Arms buildup? 32 Win ___ nose 33 She who’s shorn 36 Like Mitty’s “life” 37 Female praying figure 39 Reagan and Sinatra 42 Rock producer Brian 43 Craft crammed with critters 44 Fly like an eagle 46 Comics sections, old-style 47 Roast host 50 Loopy Louis 51 Pipe down, Navy-style 53 Blue hue 54 ___ rat (slangy toddler) 56 Mr. Edison: abbr. 59 Iron-rich Minnesota range 62 Decorative vessel 63 Put ___ (sail) 65 With 70-Across, the trouble with fallout? 67 Riposte to a bomb advocate? 70 See 65-Across 71 Cranky conditions 72 Triennia parts: abbr. 74 Ukase 75 Slangy followers 77 The way, to Beijing 78 Really smell 79 That Stephen King feeling 81 59-Across truckful 83 Singer Pendergrass 84 Stands up to 87 Name for a farm dog 89 ___-de-lance 90 What XX means, sex-wise: abbr. 91 Overactor 93 Start of a carol title 95 Kind of 99 Ear assault 100 Gassy prefix 102 Only place where nuclear issues are black and white? 105 With 111-Across, the theme of this puzzle 109 “___, then B ...” 110 ___ Alamos 111 See 105-Across 112 Bird’s-eye view of World War III? 116 Spain and Portugal 117 Without ___ in the world 118 Needle-shaped 119 Items of real worth 120 Rhyme or reason 121 Record again

DOWN

1 Lozenge 2 Class in household skills 3 Before, once 4 Tech preceder 5 “___ cast away stones” (Ecclesiastes) 6 “I can ___ hint” 7 Pei or wan preceder 8 Do better at selling 9 Home of Odysseus 10 Unknots 11 Planes for VIPs 12 Full of vim and vinegar 13 Catcher under a grate 14 Out of danger 15 ___ Romeo 16 Knock away, as a pass 17 Thunder Bay’s prov. 18 Acad. tests 22 Second tel. line 27 Pound ___ (do a cop’s job) 29 Too soon to make good kindling 30 Actor Auberjonois 31 Actor Calhoun 34 Old Faithful’s state: abbr. 35 Govern ending 38 50-50 propositions 40 British upper-crusters 41 ___ public 43 Actress Beverly D’___ 45 Black Sea country 47 Old French coin, or new European currency 48 Countless 49 “____ just agree to disagree” 52 Attended 54 He probably has shingles 55 Loan sharks 57 Hilton or Sheraton alternative 58 Part of a caveman’s name, in the comics 60 Kept afloat 61 Accustomed (to) 63 “Hath not ___ a thorn, Plantagenet?” (Henry VI: Part I) 64 Regarded highly 66 Earthly goal of a Jules Verne expedition 68 Scented bag 69 That guy’s 73 People watch it on Fourth of July night 76 Mollifiers 78 Chart anew 80 Chicago hub 82 1963 John Wayne film, Donovan’s ___ 83 House cover when painting or fumigating 84 Gave Gerber’s 85 Friend of François 86 Scams 88 Rodents in the family 90 Pay for in a big way 92 ___ in (make money in a big way) 94 Flight navigation syst. 96 Knock one’s socks off 97 Silly as ___ 98 “___ have no bananas” 101 Lanchester and Maxwell 103 Carnival city 104 Forsyth’s The Dogs ___ 106 Usually nicer rds. 107 Glazed finish for fabrics 108 Arts degs. 111 Woody’s Husbands and Wives co-star 113 Actress Sandra 114 Trifecta, for one 115 History chapter, perhaps