Crossword
Note: This puzzle is part of Merl’s best-of series.
ACROSS
1 Razor by Gillette 5 Little Gilbert on the prairie 12 Mil. outfit for Drew Carey 16 Abundance of racing victories? 19 Minister of “positive thinking” fame 21 Compulsion to race? 23 Fiber from old ropes 24 Strip 25 Tallow source 26 Hairpin or U 28 Latin shortening 29 Salinger girl 30 Beverly Hillbilly Max Jr. 32 Spacious 34 Verb ending 35 The British and the Greek, e.g. 37 Villain’s visage, maybe 40 Old game show, ___ Clock 42 All-news network 44 Chase out of Hollywood 46 Not yet anted 48 Like some cheddar 49 Flail one’s fists 51 Gets a flat? 54 ___ of Two Cities 56 Key to success, in racing? 59 Supercilious sorts 61 Cornfield sound 62 Comic section, formerly 63 Joist or lintel 66 Soleil time 67 Terrier type 68 Start of the 8th century 71 Racer Al or Bobby went by? 74 Nation that found breaking up hard to do: abbr. 75 Hot rod org. 76 I, in Innsbruck 77 Tokyo, before 78 Bank offer 80 ___ culpa 81 ___ in the arm 83 Racing anticlimax? 88 Sex, Italian-style 90 How racing judges might argue? 93 Birdbrained talker 94 River through the Alps 96 Utters 97 Pineapple producer 100 Racing abbr. 101 Poet friend of Sappho (anagram of AS A CLUE) 103 Ottoman VIP 105 Little actor Billy 107 “To ___ not to ...” 108 ___ fizz (cocktail) 110 Most important 112 On the debit side 115 H-deux-O 116 Subject of Morita’s Made in Japan 117 No-way-out situation 119 Clark’s love 121 ___ in the bucket 123 Speedway feature? 127 Coil guy 128 First-place finisher’s expression? 129 Burgundies 130 “___ and say we did” 131 Tips
DOWN
1 Lower forty, e.g. 2 Postprandial sweets 3 Bob Hope specials, e.g. 4 See 84 Down 5 A Little Woman 6 Obliterate 7 Madagascar primates 8 “___ delighted!” 9 Type of ball, curl, or fire 10 Convened 11 “Just ___ thought!” 12 Second word in a fairy tale 13 The Black, Red, or Yellow 14 Builds speedways? 15 Gear-shifting stratagems? 17 Vanished author Fletcher 18 Dog that exposed the Wizard 20 Host 21 Cold War pres. 22 Novocained 27 Yeasty-sounding breads 31 One way to learn 32 Bull Run victors 33 Cookies in ice cream 34 Coup d’___ 36 Oft-numbered print, briefly 38 Bawlroom? 39 Double-bond suffix 41 Brainstorming shouts 42 Tai ___ 43 Little louse 45 Member of a Philippine tribe 47 Melodies 50 Heart parts 52 The Beatles’ “Let ___” 53 “And lived ___ about it” 55 Kool-Aid container 57 Sewing cases 58 Chihuahua coat? 60 Lie on a ___ nails 64 Monkey’s uncle 65 Headlong scramble 67 Classic Bobby Hebb tune 68 Fades 69 Root for the frontrunner? 70 Treacherous speedway? 72 Straight-arm 73 Vichyssoise, e.g. 79 Pointer 81 Mint, as condition 82 Allegro, e.g. 84 ’60s drug 85 Eddy Arnold’s “What’s He Doing ___” 86 Enervate 87 LBJ VP 89 Hang-glide 91 Long, narrow inlets 92 Columbo, Tragg, et al. 95 Bill used at Disneyland Paris 98 Kobe robe tie 99 Jousting weapons 101 Pound ___ (patrol on foot) 102 Warbled 104 “___ my position can’t afford to take chances” 106 On the road ___ 109 Breckinridge or Hess 111 Part of a renter’s address: abbr. 113 Mischief makers 114 Darin’s darling 116 Curative springs 117 Mrs. Dumbo’s dress? 118 Ex-pres. and son 120 Pinnacle 122 Clichéd 124 Tool common in Concentration rebuses 125 Rock ’n’ roll will never do it, says Neil Young 126 One of two dimensions: abbr.