SUNDAY, April 11, 2010 — Tom Heilman (syndicated)

Theme: "The Last Shall Be First" — Theme answers are familiar compound words with their two parts reversed, creating new wacky words clued "?"-style.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme answers:

• 23A: Hayride musical group? (WAGON BAND).
• 25A: Results of a burglar's bumps and bruises? (TAKING PAINS).
• 38A: Bleating art? (GOATSCAPE).
• 42A: Brief film on kneading and baking? (BREAD SHORT).
• 61A: Contest related to the knife toss? (FORK PITCH).
• 78A: Violinist who loves the spotlight? (STRING HAM).
• 96A: Handy lint-removing tool? (POCKET PICK).
• 98A: Primitive projectile that's like new? (MINT SPEAR).
• 118A: Disaster at a Ritz factory? (CRACKER FIRE).
• 120A: Astronaut's alien squeeze? (MOON HONEY).

Everything Else — 1A: Prayer start (LORD); 5A: Assertive comeback (AM SO); 9A: Sir Toby of "Twelfth Night" (BELCH); 14A: Done with (RID OF); 19A: 1970 Neil Young protest song (OHIO); 20A: Spa option (PEEL); 21A: Donovan who played Amber in "Clueless" (ELISA); 22A: January, in Juárez (ENERO); 27A: Choice (PRIMO); 28A: "The Thieving Magpie" composer (ROSSINI); 30A: Jumpers, e.g. (DRESSES); 31A: "Thou shouldst not have been old till thou __ been wise": "King Lear" (HADST); 32A: Like a hoops shot (ARCED); 33A: Sexually attractive (NUBILE); 35A: Justice Dept. org. (DEA); 37A: Valuable deposit (ORE); 47A: "Full Metal Jacket" gp. (USMC); 48A: __ populi (VOX); 49A: Not easy to hang onto (EELY); 50A: Some have prizes inside (CEREALS); 52A: "Alrighty then" ("OKEY-DOKE"); 56A: Rock genre (EMO); 57A: Director Vittorio De __ (SICA); 58A: Matched, as a bet (SEEN); 60A: Parroted a Persian (MEOWED); 64A: Afternoon celeb (SOAP STAR); 67A: Ruin (SPOIL); 68A: Hipbone prefix (ILIO-); 70A: Trim (NEAT); 71A: Carpentry files (RASPS); 75A: Early development (NASCENCY); 80A: Phrase on a mailing label (SEND TO); 83A: Semi-convertible auto roof (T-TOP); 85A: Vermilion and cardinal (REDS); 86A: Santa __ winds (ANA); 87A: Fund source (TREASURY); 90A: Unlike the life of the party (ASOCIAL); 92A: __ Blair: George Orwell's birth name (ERIC); 93A: Classified ad letters (EEO); 94A: Boss (HEAD); 102A: Covert __: spy missions (OPS); 103A: Soft & __ (DRI); 104A: Beat (RHYTHM); 105A: Prepare, as merchandise for a sale (RETAG); 108A: Cruise, for one (ACTOR); 112A: Tenor Pavarotti (LUCIANO); 115A: Impose (OBTRUDE); 117A: Joe of "Hill Street Blues" (SPANO); 122A: German thanks (DANKE); 123A: Like the verbs "cast" and "cost": Abbr. (IRREG.); 124A: German earth (ERDE); 125A: Part of NEA: Abbr. (EDUC.); 126A: Dispatches, as a dragon (SLAYS); 127A: 1980s-'90s Olds (CIERA); 128A: Certain title (DEED); 129A: Classification (TYPE); 1D: Like acidic detergents (LOW PH); 2D: "BUtterfield 8" novelist (O'HARA); 3D: Stiff (RIGID); 4D: End of the world (DOOMSDAY); 5D: LAPD broadcast (APB); 6D: Anne of "Awakenings" (MEARA); 7D: Hombre's address (SEÑOR); 8D: It's often hard to settle (OLD SCORE); 9D: Happen (BETIDE); 10D: Vigor (ELAN); 11D: Preferences (LIKINGS); 12D: Drama set in Vegas (CSI); 13D: Return, as graded papers (HAND BACK); 14D: Staves off (REPELS); 15D: "Hang on!" ("IN A SEC!"); 16D: Agnus __: Mass prayers (DEIS); 17D: D-day invasion river (ORNE); 18D: Composer Lukas (FOSS); 24D: Wrote down (NOTED); 26D: Mettle (GRIT); 29D: Perfect Sleepers, e.g. (SERTAS); 34D: Man of Messina (UOMO); 36D: Computer data acronym (ASCII); 39D: State purposefully (AVOW); 40D: Nudge (POKE); 41D: Left one's mark on (EXED); 42D: Complaints (BEEFS); 43D: Clean again, as a floor (REMOP); 44D: Ecuadoran province named for its gold production (EL ORO); 45D: Feverish (HECTIC); 46D: Divine counselor (ORACLE); 47D: Apply to (USE ON); 51D: Bandleader Brown (LES); 53D: 911 respondent (EMT); 54D: Has strong desires (YEARNS); 55D: Biker's headgear, perhaps (DO-RAG); 57D: Water balloon impact sounds (SPLATS); 59D: Rob Roy refusals (NAES); 62D: In a manner of speaking, slangily (KINDA); 63D: Suggestion (HINT); 65D: "The Alamo" co-star Jason __ (PATRIC); 66D: Unbroken sequence (STREAK); 69D: Oars in a quad scull, e.g. (OCTAD); 72D: Lewis with Lamb Chop (SHARI); 73D: Go to pieces (PANIC); 74D: Slap (SMACK); 76D: Insignificant amount (SOU); 77D: Informal his (YOS); 79D: Whittled on the porch, say (IDLED); 80D: Restrain (STEM); 81D: "Oh the joys that came ... __ was old!": Coleridge (ERE I); 82D: Night light (NEON); 84D: Corny gadget? (POPPER); 88D: Bombast (RHETORIC); 89D: "Righto" ("YEAH"); 91D: Like some ball attendees (COSTUMED); 92D: Milton or Virgil (EPIC POET); 95D: Large wardrobe (ARMOIRE); 97D: Criticize severely (TRASH); 99D: Devious (TRICKY); 100D: Jiggles (SHAKES); 101D: Joe __, confrontational '50s-'60s talk show host (PYNE); 102D: Former Sandinista leader (ORTEGA); 106D: Dig deeply? (ADORE); 107D: Glittery rock (GEODE); 109D: Frequent Cronyn co-star (TANDY); 110D: Outdo (ONE-UP); 111D: Automaker Henry (ROYCE); 112D: Some time displays, briefly (LCDS); 113D: River through Magnitogorsk (URAL); 114D: Site of Jesus' first miracle (CANA); 116D: Fox's title (BRER); 119D: Time assoc. with a common superstition (FRI.); 121D: Novelist Buntline (NED).