Crossword

Wild in the City ... A place where savage beasts are protected from man

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

1 Zenith 5 Plots 12 Darling 18 Old exclamation 21 Don, as galoshes 22 J.D. Salinger story 23 Stoat 24 L.A. Law lady 25 Part of “snafu” 26 Upbeat tune 27 Rocket launcher or bubblegum 28 Dwell 30 Louis, McCarthy, and Tex 31 Thomas Hood’s “___ and a Fairy Boat” 33 Wee bit 34 Tank feature 36 Normally 38 High range 41 Inculcate 42 Belly-flopper sound 44 Emerald City princess 48 Nobelist in physics, 1933 50 Uprising 52 Book by 22 Down, ___ Way 53 Class time devoted to “creature features,” perhaps 55 “___ distressed” (I Sam. 28:15) 57 Unabridged 58 La ___ Tar Pits 59 Amahl’s visitors 60 Oolong 61 The study of wine 63 1960s folksinger and activist 66 Show ___ 68 Bird genus that sounds like a word meaning “crevices” 69 Common verb 70 Outfits 73 The study of the ear 75 Edna Ferber’s birthplace 78 Manhattan Project product, briefly 79 Related to regulations 81 Old World tree (anagram of TAINT) 82 Part of TVA: abbr. 83 Fun house features 84 Diplomat’s place: abbr. 86 Actress Persson 87 Former 89 Shopping places 91 Designer Taylor 94 Evidence of coffee grinding 95 Hits the road 97 Access 101 Adjusts for a closeup 103 Fix holes 104 Place a stake 105 Suitable 106 Cause of 50 Across 107 1950s puppet show 111 Seat for three 112 Birthplace of actress Stella Stevens: abbr. 113 ___ as nails 114 Adjective for Rome 115 Alliance

DOWN

1 Have no differences 2 Seeks divine guidance 3 Glasgow night 4 Kane’s estate 5 Recyclable item 6 Commerce leftover 7 Harriet’s guy 8 Some cigarettes 9 Sweep’s target 10 Peewee guitar 11 Mind field: abbr. 12 “Louder!” 13 Mangel-___ (big beet) 14 Patron saint of sailors 15 Prufrock’s creator 16 Toy truck company 17 Sam of golf 19 First family, 1841-45 20 Square dance partner 22 Yalta conferee’s inits. 27 Ostentatious, homewise 29 “Perjurer!” 30 Hinged CD holder 31 Drivers may go for it 32 Composer Schifrin 35 Actor Calhoun 36 Singer Guthrie 37 Ages 38 Cutting tool 39 43 Down, for one 40 Animalcule 42 Author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 43 Born Free character 45 Snazzy threads 46 Wall in 47 Yard, e.g. 49 Pipe material 51 Ice mass or composer 52 Pi preceder 54 Mr. Ohm 56 1960s nightclubsign word 59 Part of Riyadh’s skyline 62 Exaggerates 63 Fuel blocks 64 It means “blood” 65 Most cozy 66 Gravy dish 67 Beatles song, “Let ___” 69 Spinning top, e.g. 71 “Pieces of the pie”: abbr. 72 Carriage 74 Alphabet center 75 Destiny 76 Stub ___ 77 Prefix meaning “ferment” 80 In shape 83 Earned 85 Carefree 88 Sadat’s predecessor 89 Nero’s tutor 90 Bury 91 California city heard in gag train announcements on The Jack Benny Show 92 Ninth day, before the ides 93 One way to go 95 Swamp denizen 96 Hunter in the sky 98 Dustin in Midnight Cowboy 99 Bishop-led church: abbr. 100 Hot time, to Hugo 102 Prefix with “physics” 103 Snooze 104 Blink 107 Pumpernickel ingredient 108 Type of cake or meal 109 Metric distance measure: abbr. 110 Olive product