Japanese native / SUN 4-8-12 / Lurid 1979 film about John Dillinger's girlfriend / Athlete wearing calligraphic D logo / Cockney greeting / Ex-senator Bayh / Sasquatch's kin / Letter seen twice in Philadelphia / Stone-pushing Winter Olympian / 1997 Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones flick

Constructor: Daniel A. Finan

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: "In-Nuendos" — Answers follow pattern "___ IN ___" but are represented by a description of the word in the second blank, INside of which are circles containing the word that belongs in the first blank.

Word of the Day: AINU (99A: Japanese native) —

n., pl., Ainu, or -nus.

1. A member of an indigenous people of Japan, now inhabiting parts of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands.
2. The language of the Ainu.

[Ainu aynu, person.]

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/ainu#ixzz1rPFUC99H

• • •

Oh boy, non-contiguous circles! This should be good! ... is what I didn't say when starting this puzzle.

Interesting idea, but the preposterousness of the actual answers made me mostly dislike this one. I think "IT'S TOLD USING A WATCH" basically killed any affection I might have had for this puzzle. Audible groan! Literally, I emitted an audible groan. Also, no one has ever called "wool" "sheep's clothing," facetiously or otherwise. WTH? Some of the longish answers are interesting (see esp. PARCHEESI, MEAT-EATER, HONEYDEWS) (114A: The Royal Game of India; 85D: Tyrannosaurus rex, archetypally; 7D: Breakfast items often eaten with spoons), but then there's stuff like TREF, AINU, 'ELLO (90D: Not kosher; 99A: Japanese native; 91D: Cockney greeting) ... Kind of a wash. If you thought the theme cute, I envy you.



Theme answers:

• 22A: 1997 Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones flick (AFRICAN-AMERICAN) — this is where I got the theme, and it took some doing. Got very hung up in the north, with PEST for TICK (12D: OFF! target), SUM for ARE (9D: Total), and ESCAPED for VACATED (8A: Left). Figuring out that "MEN" was in the circles got me ARE, and things righted themselves from there. Sped through puzzle after that.
• 36A: Preventive measure, proverbially (IT'S TOLD USING A WATCH)
• 51A: Headstone phrase (TREATY RESULT)
• 69A: Lurid 1979 film about John Dillinger's girlfriend, with "The" (COLOR FOR VALENTINE'S DAY)
• 88A: "To be on the safe side ..." (JUDGE'S MATTER)
• 101A: Golf ace (THE LONELIEST NUMBER)
• 121A: One who looks friendly but isn't (WOOL, FACETIOUSLY)

Bullets:

• 67A: Athlete wearing a calligraphic "D" logo (TIGER) — 2-0, thanks for asking! First game was a nail-biter, next was a delicious blow-out. So happy baseball season is underway and Verlander and Cabrera and Fielder all look magical.
• 79A: Letter seen twice in Philadelphia (PHI) — Greek letter, that is.
• 97A: Stone-pushing Winter Olympian (CURLER) — At least the clue didn't say "athlete."
• 130A: Spouse's acquiescence ("YES, DEAR") — this clue actually creeped me out a little. 
• 13D: Ex-senator Bayh (EVAN) — he was a darling of the Dems at one point. Not sure what's up now.
• 52D: Sasquatch's kin (YETI) — "kin"? Yes, insofar as they are both non-existent, sure. I guess they are also "kin" of the unicorn.

• 72D: "Game of Thrones" protagonist ___ Stark (NED) — can't bring myself to read this. Wife says "don't bother" but then keeps reading ... she's weird that way. I'm reading Patrick Rothfuss's "The Name of the Wind" (vol. 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicle). If you are at all into all that fantasy / Hobbit / Harry Potter / whatever, you *must* read this guy. Fantastic. I'm not generally a fan of the genre, but this guy can Write.
• 102D: Percussion instrument with a pedal (HI-HAT) — One H didn't give it to me. Two Hs did.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld