Today's theme, provided by our blog's host, C.C., is a tossed diner salad. It's so simple we don't even need (those pesky) circles to see it. Let's take a look:
17. Practical baby shower gift: DIAPER GENIE.
When the Girls were infants, we had one. Insert a soiled diaper and twist twice. It keeps the smell down and creates a twisted "poop sausage." //Apologies if you're still finishing breakfast.
Diaper Genie
26. Sheer brilliance: PURE GENIUS.
36. Hidden nerdy side: INNER GEEK. I wear my GEEK on the outside.
52. Pumping device in a pub: BEER ENGINE. A hand pump developed by John Lofting, a hydraulic engineer. You can build your own.
61. Simple salad, or what 17-, 26-, 36-, and 52-Across all have: MIXED GREENS.
I love a salad with my meal. It starts with mixed greens, but then I go a little crazy.
One of my dinner side salads.
Across:
1. Supports for crow's nests: MASTS.
6. In the company of: WITH.
10. Half-__ latte: CAF.
13. How ballerinas may stand: ON TOE.
Degas' Pink & Green
14. In the lead: AHEAD.
16. R&B singer Lennox: ARI.
She's new to me.
17. [See: Theme]
19. Last leg of a triathlon: RUN. Swim, cycle, RUN.
20. First responder certified in AED use: EMT. An Automated External Defibrillator is used by an Emergency Medical Technician.
21. "Stranger Things" actress Hawke: MAYA. She's the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.
Maya Hawke
22. Blacksmith's workshop: FORGE.
24. Praise: LAUD.
26. [See: Theme]
29. Put emphasis on: STRESS.
31. Monopoly players?: CARTELS.
32. Fish enjoyed on Unagi Day: EELS. There's a Unagi Day?
I do love me some unagi.
33. Back out (on): BAIL.
35. "Barbie" actress Issa: RAE. She was in Thursday's puzzle.
Issa RAE
36. [See: Theme]
40. TruTV sister station: TBS. Turner Broadcasting System. Ted Turner died last week.
55. Leafy vegetable rich in vitamin K: KALE. A GREEN leafy.
56. Boutonniere spot: LAPEL. A boutonniere is French for a cute pin. Madeleine Albright was a master of using them.
57. Ladder crosspiece: RUNG.
59. PC hookup: LAN.
60. Flight takeoff abbr.: ETD. Estimated Time of Delay ;-)
61. [See: Theme]
65. "It just clicked!": AHA.
66. Skirt with flare?: A-LINE.
67. Colorful striped stone: AGATE.
68. Currency in MN and NM: USD. Minnesota & New Mexico use United States Dollars.
69. "None of that is true!": LIES.
70. Living room seats: SOFAS.
Down:
1. Workers who strike poses: MODELS.
2. Bring to life: ANIMATE.
RUSH!
3. Level of importance: STATURE.
4. Blouse or turtleneck: TOP.
5. Come across as: SEEM.
6. Pricey Japanese beef: WAGYU.
7. "Rumor is ... ": I HEAR.
8. Number of legs on a lobster: TEN.
9. "Yes," in Osaka: HAI.
10. Verizon or T-Mobile: CARRIER.
11. Leafy vegetable also known as rocket: ARUGULA. Another leafy GREEN. Arugula is a bit peppery and adds depth to a salad.
12. Delicate handling: FINESSE.
15. Postpone: DEFER.
18. Sings like G-Dragon: RAPS. Sings? Four letters? An educated WAG.
That's G-Dragon
23. Toronto's prov.: ONT. The greatest band ever, RUSH, is from Ontario's Toronto.
//I've got one more expo before seeing RUSH's R50 (something) w/ Bro, Sis, & Eldest 30 JUN in Dallas. What I'm saying is, anything I can connect to RUSH will be posted 'cuz I'm totes pump'd.
You've been warned.
25. Place to order a Reuben: DELI. This is one of my favorite sandwiches. Only a summer-time BLT is better.
38. Org. that banned DDT: EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.
39. Punt or field goal: KICK. Did you get a KICK out of this clue/answer? //Sry - #DadJoke
40. Picturesque scene: TABLEAU.
41. Gulps of air: BREATHS.
42. Father in a blended family: STEP DAD. I've had three. Mom didn't grow moss.
45. Bit read by a fortune teller: TEA LEAF.
46. City with the world's busiest airport: ATLANTA. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is Delta's main hub and very busy.
If you must go through, plan for a 2hr layover or you won't make your connection. //Youngest & classmates were stuck overnight on their way to IREland.
48. Furious state: IRE.
49. Alabama city in civil rights history: SELMA.
50. __ shui: FENG.
51. Gets the feeling: SENSES.
53. Adler who outwits Sherlock Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia": IRENE. With all the interpretations of Holmes, I can't recall if she's Sherlock's sister or just "The Woman" who can outsmart him a bit. Anyone know better?
54. Some lipstick shades: NUDES.
58. Mardi __: GRAS. Years ago, I was with Krewe of Bacchus - it's not for the faint of liver.
62. Down with a bug: ILL.
63. Noon, on sundials: XII. If you visited the XIV Stations of the Cross in Catholic school, the Roman Numeral for 12 is a gimme.
64. Self-image: EGO.
C.C. delivered another gem. I had fun. You?
Here's the Grid:
The Grid
WO: FuNG shui.
ESPs: ARI, MAYA Fav: I'm going to BAIL on this one ;-).
I always enjoy solving a Doug Peterson puzzle and I was not disappointed with this effort. However, as I was solving, Inspector Gadget kept playing in my head so, I wasn't quite expecting the reveal:
117. Make it big, or a hint to the pairs found in the answers to the starred clues: GO PLACES.
22. *American Samoa's capital: PAGO PAGO. Capital of American Samoa.
29. *Dramatic ending for a tied hockey game: GOLDEN GOAL.
35. *Mohair source: ANGORA GOAT.
55. *"Stranger Things" monster: DEMOGORGON. Clickat your own risk.
79. *Symbol often adorned with a "Doodle": GOOGLE LOGO.
Apropos for next Sunday
100. *Smugly sanctimonious sort: GOODY GOODY.
107. *Wasting time: GOOFING OFF.
15. *Martial arts-themed toy line: LEGO NINJAGO.
66. *Band with the 1998 hit "Iris": GOO GOO DOLLS. I have this CD but, post-solve, I had to Google to know the title of the song I've heard >100 times.
Iris
A fun theme, I think. Now let's get on to the rest of the fill before we get on with our day.
Across:
1. Invitation letters: RSVP. Répondez s'il vous plait or, in English, "respond if you please."
5. Three-striper: Abbr.: SGT. The rank of sergeant.
8. WNBA star Reese: ANGEL. She played for LSU (Geaux Tigers!) and Chicago Sky (which I think was in Thursday's puzzle(?))
19. "Ni __": Chinese greeting: HAO. Hello in English. Mr. Di, who was the night supervisor at the lab where I worked in college, taught me that. //How am I doin' C.C.? :-)
20. __ Doone cookies: LORNA. This cookie is slowly replacing OREO :-)
21. Will of "BoJack Horseman": ARNETT. This was a Netflix animated series for adults that "aired" from 2014 to 2018.
BoJack Horseman
22. [See: Theme]
24. Pipsqueak: TWERP.
25. Half-baked?: DOUGHY.
If you've seen this movie, you weren't thinking DOUGHY
26. Shoulder wraps: STOLES.
27. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SAO. A tiny country off the coast of Africa.
Those two islands
29. [See: Theme]
31. Really annoy: GRATE ON.
33. Farm buildings: BARNS.
34. 180º from SSW: NNE. Compass points.
35. [See: Theme]
38. Instagram's parent: META.
39. Rhubarb treats: PIES.
A Prairie Home Companion
40. Preppy brand: POLO. POLO & IZOD make me think of the '80's.
41. Doomscrolling, perhaps: ONLINE. This stackexchange has arguments for and against online being one word or hyphenated. Oh, and as for Doomscrolling, that's the act of watching headline after headline (of usually bad news) in short-form media such as TikTok, Meta's Reels, or YouTube Shorts.
43. "Oh, rats!": AW DARN.
46. Program for aspiring docs: PREMED. Does this get a hyphen? ;-)
49. Readily apparent: OVERT.
51. Basic garage service: LUBE JOB. This is not hyphenated.
54. Texting tech: SMS. Short Message Service.
55. [See: Theme]
59. Sub meat: SALAMI. Add some pepperoni, mortadella, provolone - I'm getting peckish.
60. Inconsequential: MINOR.
61. Hate with a passion: DETEST. Or what Tattoo exclaims to Roarke at exam time? //Sorry for stealing your job, RayO :-).
63. Dry-__ beef: AGED.
64. Striped 96-Down, in Spanish: TIGRE. These kinda cross-reference clues can be fun. However, this one made me fast-forward to a corner I wasn't playing in and I got distracted from what I was there for.
67. Doorway piece: JAMB.
70. Plastic Clue weapon: ROPE. I thought all of the weapons in Clue were made with plastic.
Then
Now
71. Preppy jackets: ETONS. Back to the preppies again.
72. __ appeal: SNOB. Now we're really getting preppy :-)
73. Arizona neighbor: SONORA. To the south of AZ.
75. Tequila plant: AGAVE. Drink in 73a (and pretty much everywhere else).
77. In the area: AROUND. Tequila all around!
79. [See: Theme]
82. Electric jolt: ZAP.
85. Backslide: REGRESS.
87. Slight adjustment: TWEAK.
88. Gazpacho need: TOMATO. Yummers! More Italian food. Ok, we kinda appropriated [Read: stole] it from Spain but... Gazpacho is a wonderful cold "soup" for summer.
90. Does better than: ONE UPS.
92. Haudenosaunee Confederacy people: SENECA. One of the Six Nations' tribes.
95. Birthstone for some Scorpios: OPAL.
96. __ and hisses: BOOS.
98. Home of tennis's Italian Open: ROME. Four letter Italian city? The pen works itself.
100. [See: Theme]
103. "__ be nice if ... ": IT'D.
104. Canonized one: SAINT.
Father Guido Sarducci on March Saints
106. Not intended: UNMEANT. This feels like it needs a hyphen.
107. [See: Theme]
110. NYC subway org.: MTA. New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
111. Poet Amy who won a Pulitzer Prize posthumously: LOWELL.
114. Piña __: COLADA. If you like 'em (and getting caught in the rain), Escape.
Who knows any other songs by Rupert Holmes?
115. Engine booster, for short: TURBO. Wife's Alfa is a turbo, mine is five on the floor.
117. [See: Theme]
119. Geopolitical partners: ALLIES.
120. Pioneers in Philly soul, with "The": O'JAYS. For the younger solvers who've joined The Corner and weren't around in the '70's...
The O'Jays
121. Feel bad about: RUE.
122. Mauna Loa flow: LAVA.
123. Electricity pioneer Nikola: TESLA.
124. High-flying toys: KITES.
125. Assist: AID.
126. Make a shawl, maybe: KNIT. Young'uns seem to be getting into this "grandma" skill. Eldest started the craft at 12 yrs old and still does it when procrastinating her dissertation :-)
Down:
1. Performs like Kendrick Lamar: RAPS.
2. Flight assignment: SEAT. Are you aisle or window?
3. Immersive gaming gear, briefly: VR GOGGLES. There's only one (1) GO in this fill.
4. Spot for table games: POOL ROOM. Feels a bit forced(?) I call 'em a POOL hall (or just a dive bar). You?
5. California peak: SHASTA. Also the brand name of a diet soda my maternal grandfather drank.
6. Silly prank: GAG.
7. "I didn't wait long enough?": TOO SOON. Can we make Millard Filmore jokes yet?
8. Voice above tenor: ALTO. Eldest is a soprano but can do a great alto falsetto. One time, when she was 12 (or 13?), she blew away our local TexMex joint singing karaoke to Bohemian Rhapsody. On the "from me" high bit, the whole place went quiet and looked where it was coming from. Just my little shy kid belting out her voice. #ProudDad
9. This very second: NOW. STAT didn't fit.
10. Hall of Fame pitcher Maddux: GREG. I know he was with the Braves longer (where he secured a WS ring), but he'll always be a Cub to me.
11. Dress for a graduation ceremony: ENROBE. Not the dress you wear but the verb dress. Cute, Doug, cute.
12. City near Buenos Aires: LA PLATA. ?!? Is Buenos Aires also in the Texas panhandle? I'm kidding, it's the capital city of Buenos Aires province of Argentina.
13. Clubs with metal heads: IRONS. Oh, again not dive bars (with crank'd up music).
14. Tight-fitting: SNUG.
15. [See: Theme]
16. Compound in natural gas: ETHANE. A hydrocarbon which just got more expensive.
17. Does salon work: STYLES.
21. Yemeni port: ADEN. For the life of me, I can never remember this crossword staple.
23. Fruit in fruit cocktail: PEAR.
28. Like some watches: ANALOG. I made sure my kids could read a proper clock (with Roman Numerals too! :-))
30. Southern sound: DRAWL. Over 40 years in the south, I've developed a bit of one.
32. Freudian concept: EGO.
35. Slack and Signal: APPS. APPlications for you pocket communicator. Signal is actually pretty nifty if you're into privacy & security.
36. "Cheers" regular: NORM.
Best of Norm Peterson
37. Early DVR brand: TIVO. Two college buddies of mine worked for TiVo.
38. Corporate combination: MERGER.
39. Senior clergyman: PRELATE.
42. Square one?: NERD.
44. Coating on knickknacks: DUST. That's why DW & I have few.
45. Litigators' org.: ABA. American Bar Association.
47. Falco of "Avatar: Fire and Ash": EDIE.
48. Lair: DEN.
50. "Rosanna" band: TOTO.
According to popular myth, at the first recording sessions, in order to distinguish their own demo tapes from other bands' in the studio, Jeff Porcaro wrote the word "Toto" on them. In the early 1980s, band members told the press that the band was named after Toto the dog from The Wizard of Oz. After the completion of the first album, the band and record were still unnamed. David Hungate, after viewing the name on the demo tapes, explained to the group that the Latin words "in toto" translated to "all-encompassing". Another explanation was that singer Bobby Kimball's "real" name was Robert Toteaux, pronounced "toto". Because the band members played on so many records and so many musical genres, they adopted the name "Toto" as their own. - WikiP
Toto's Africa
52. Warning sign: OMEN.
53. Says "two no trump," e.g.: BIDS. I'm guessing the card game of Bridge ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
56. Magic charm: MOJO.
57. Sumatran primate, informally: ORANG.
58. Himalayan nation: NEPAL.
60. Owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant: MR. BURNS. The Simpsons.
62. Lily variety: SEGO. It's the State Flower of Utah.
64. Bygone Russian title: TSAR.
65. Memo heading: INRE. IN REgards to:
66. [See: Theme]
68. Not worth debating: MOOT.
69. Look through casually: BROWSE. Leaf, skim, etc.
71. Acronym for a dressing base: EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's all I use.
73. Aztecs' sch.: SDSU. San Diego State University - Home of the Fightin' Aztecs.
74. "Peacemaker" actor Steve: AGEE.
76. Reality show hosted by Terry Crews, for short: AGT. I'm guessing America's Got Talent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
78. Once known as: NEE.
80. "Auld __ Syne": LANG.
81. Barely manage: EKE OUT.
82. Mesoamerican language family common in Oaxaca: ZAPOTECAN. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Read all about it here.
89. Dance move also known as a backslide: MOONWALK. You can't not think of Michael Jackson here.
This looks AI he's that good
91. Majorly unacceptable: SO NOT OK. An HR violation, I'm thinkin'.
93. Packaged foods giant: CONAGRA. You may not know the company (I'm sure HG does), but you probably eat their food. I know I do.
Their Brands
94. USN VIP: ADM. Naval Admirals are Very Important People.
96. Jaguar or leopard: BIG CAT. Just like a TIGRE.
97. Peter of "The Lion in Winter": O'TOOLE.
99. "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" peak: Abbr.: MT FUJI.
101. Gave a sudden squeal: YELPED.
102. Hastings hoosegow: GAOL. Hastings is an English town (Battle Of in 1066) and GAOL is Old Norman French. The G in GAOL is soft like in gentle; so, aloud GAOL sounds like jail -- which is what the word means.
104. Better half?: SIDE A. Cute. But is Hey Jude really better than Revolution?
The Fab Four
105. Santa __: dry California winds: ANAs.
108. Blunder that might be epic: FAIL. #EpicFail
109. Greek house: FRAT.
Obligatory
110. Green trunk growth: MOSS.
112. Strauss of jeans: LEVI.
113. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT. Youngest passed and is nearly done with her OneL.
116. "So long!": BYE.
118. Arles agreement: OUI. We started with French and we end with French, YES?
Well, that was fun. Now, here's the Grid:
The Grid
WO: laura -> LORNA
ESPs: ANGEL, LAPLATA (making that whole area a mess o' ink), ADEN, SAO, SENECA, LOWELL, ZAPOTECAN Fav: MOJO
Dr. Evil steals Austin Powers' Mojo
I've missed playing with y'all the last few weeks. I've been busy catching up from my short vacation in DC to visit my daughters at school. These next few weeks, my attendance will also be sporadic as I'm attending a couple of cybersecurity conferences.
Cutthroat compounds are verb-noun compounds where the verb acts on the noun (i.e. cut-throat). While the themers are not compound words, they are in-the-language nouns turned into 'verb-ing on a noun' for each whimsically-clued career.
Let us play...
23. Job for an elephant caretaker?: BATHING TRUNKS.
He doesn't have a trunk. He has a glove compartment.
33. Job for a department store model?: SPORTING GOODS. To sport clothes is to wear the goods.
51. Job for a tailor?: EVENING DRESSES. Read this as EVEN-ing a dress and then "tailor" makes sense.
65. Job for a nanny?: HANDLING CHARGES. A nanny's charges are the little imps she must handle with grace.
Mary Poppins, Burt, and her charges, Jane and Michael Banks.
85. Job for a cheesemonger?: PITCHING WEDGES.
Monty Python's Cheese Shop Sketch taught me all the cheeses.
100. Job for an interior designer?: CHANGING ROOMS. My fav of the themers.
117. Job for a corporate VIP?: RUNNING BOARDS.
Across:
1. Screenwriter's output: SCRIPT.
7. Confined: SHUT IN.
13. Emma of "Madame Web": ROBERTS.
20. "Gotcha": OH I SEE.
21. Excalibur, notably: CASINO. Sword was a letter short and perps didn't agree. My first gamble was roulette at Excalibur. I won on my first bet (on 19) and played with the house's money the rest of the night. I've never been that lucky since.
Excalibur Casino - Las Vegas, NV
22. Resolve: IRON OUT.
23. [See: Theme]
25. Hot pepper: CAYENNE.
Baldo is always a fun read
26. "Double-quick!": STAT.
27. Eggs __ easy: OVER. How I build my eggs every weekend.
28. Sugar source: CANE.
29. Mountain __: DEW.
30. Dangerous biters: ASPS. Egyptian snakes.
33. [See: Theme]
38. Show contempt for: SNORT AT.
41. Carrot, e.g.: ROOT.
42. Ring bearer, perhaps?: EAR. Who else thought "wedding" 1st?
43. Alter, in a way: HEM.
44. Coastline feature: RIA.
45. "__ Fideles": ADESTE. Better known as the carol "O Come, All Ye Faithful." [Wikipedia]
47. Kibble maker: ALPO.
51. [See: Theme]
54. Onetime Nissan make: DATSUN. In college, DW & I had a used ('84?) Datsun Z for a few years. I can't recall if it was a 240 or a 280Z but many of the parts were stamped "Nissan."
56. Galoot: BIG APE.
57. Cartesian conclusion: I AM. Rene Descartes: "cogito, ergo sum" ("I think therefore I am"). I learned that from Monty Python, too ;-)
The Philosopher's Song - Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
58. Needle holder: TONE ARM. On your [98a] SPINNER.
59. "C'est la vie": ALAS. "C'est la vie" is classier than "sh** happens."
60. Saint __ fire: ELMOS. St. Elmo's Fire is a weather phenomenon caused by a pointy object in an electrically charged atmosphere [WikiP] and a Brat Pack movie from the mid-'80's.
62. Brook fish: TROUT.
64. Casual attire: TEE.
65. [See: Theme]
70. Cry of realization: AHA.
73. Roos in pouches: JOEYS.
I'm fairly sure I was much younger when I figured that out.
74. 1990s cardio workout system: TAE BO.
75. Third-longest river in Europe: URAL.
79. Summers on "Gilligan's Island": MARY ANN. Dawn Wells (Reno, NV) played the character from KS who won the Three Hour Tour via a lottery.
Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Summers
81. Las Vegas drama: CSI. Crime Scene Investigation. I don't think I've ever seen an episode.
82. Brand for competitive divers: SPEEDO.
Image, fortunately, not available.
84. Entice: ALLURE.
85. [See: Theme]
90. Ran off with: TOOK.
91. Bounces back: ECHOES.
92. Bounce house filler: AIR.
93. Ginger __: ALE. A soda flavor.
94. Uni ref. work: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.
97. Microbe: GERM.
98. Record player: SPINNER. While I've heard "spin some records," I've never heard a turntable called a spinner.
100. [See: Theme]
106. Whirlybird: HELO. I'm guessing Gary & Amy are looking for helicopter and not the opening command in RFC 821 - SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) § 3.5.
107. Feel poorly: AIL.
108. __ Goose vodka: GREY.
109. Cedar Point state: OHIO. The Internet tells me that Cedar Point is a Six Flags property on the shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio.
6. Mark of perfection, at times: TEN. But these go to 11...
Obligatory clip
7. Sketch show that once starred John Candy, for short: SCTV. Second City [Toronto] TeleVision. So much talent -- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara (who passed last week), Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, et.al. -- came out of SCTV. Lorne Michaels could pick 'em even b/f SNL.
Having been a smoker, the bit about "golden arm" stuck with me.
8. Animals that can run up to 50 mph: HARES. Cheetahs didn't fit and they run 60+ mph.
9. Appropriate, as power: USURP.
10. Pewter metal: TIN.
11. Tats: INK.
12. Discouraging words: NOS. If you think it's a NO, don't ask 'til it's time for forgiveness (learnt that in the Army, I did :-))
13. Puerto __: RICAN.
14. Anaheim's county: ORANGE. Anaheim, CA is in Orange County. I don't know why I know this 'cuz I've never been there.
15. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" actor John: BOYEGA.
16. Compass reading: ENE.
17. Repetitive musical composition: RONDO. Think Row, Row, Row Your Boat repeated over and over but started on three separate downbeats.
18. Properly pitched: TUNED.
19. Hearty dishes: STEWS.
24. Show up solo: GO STAG.
28. Mentions in a footnote: CITES.
31. Ribbon of fabric: STRIP.
32. "Common Sense" pamphleteer: PAINE. Thomas, the OG pamphleteer rabble rouser.
34. Assayers' stuff: ORES.
35. "The Joy of Painting" host Bob: ROSS. Pop & I would watch on PBS every Saturday.
36. Carry: TOTE.
37. Take the floor: ORATE.
38. Kingdom in what is now Yemen: SHEBA.
39. "On the Beach" author Shute: NEVIL.
40. Alpha's opposite: OMEGA. Greek to me.
45. Friend of d'Artagnan: ARAMIS. I'm thinking a Three Musketeers reference - Google says I'm right :-)
46. Evil fiend: DEMON.
48. Exam with an Argumentative Writing section: LSAT. Youngest passed hers and now has a semester of GWU Law under her belt.
49. 100%: PURE. My shower barsoap, Ivory, is touted as 99.44% pure.
50. "Put your wallet away": ON ME. Their treat.
52. Poet Ogden: NASH.
53. Humdinger: DILLY. Does anyone say this now? I'll tell Eldest; She'll bring it back to fashion.
54. Pederson who coached the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win: DOUG.
55. Penny-__: ANTE. FIL used to say this for anything unimportant.
58. Tuna tartare cut: TORO. Sushi!
60. Locale in a Steinbeck title: EDEN. Just a little East of, if I recall correctly.
61. Certain NCO: SGT.
62. Core argument: THESIS.
63. 1990s Israeli prime minister: RABIN.
66. Open a bit: AJAR. When is a door not a door? When it's a jar. Pop got me a Dad Joke of the Day calendar and now you must all suffer.
67. __ the wiser: NONE. Y'all really don't want the Dad Joke desk calendar.
68. Secret store: CACHE.
69. Sought damages: SUED.
70. Part of a Latin 101 conjugation: AMAT.
71. __ Top Creamery: HALO.
72. "The Good Dinosaur" dinosaur: ARLO. Google tells me Arlo is the protagonist in Disney's 2015 movie. An Alice's Restaurant
or Motorcycle Song reference is more in my wheelhouse for ARLO.
76. Lear daughter: REGAN.
77. "Easy on Me" singer: ADELE.
78. Last one to cross the finish line: LOSER. How about the softer euphemism "didn't place"?
80. Klondike Gold Rush site: YUKON.
What would you do?
82. Run off with: SWIPE. Took [90a clecho], steal, rob, sometimes clued as 'take badly.'
83. Risk: PERIL.
85. "Mad Men" role for Elisabeth Moss: PEGGY.
86. "Happy Birthday" writer: ICER.
87. "Comin' __ the Rye": THRO. Robert Burns' 1784 poem.
88. Singer Perry: COMO.
89. Fuel guzzler: GAS HOG.
95. Omelet maker: EGG PAN.
96. Work behind the camera: DIRECT.
99. Wanderers: NOMADS.
Dion
100. Brutus co-conspirator: CASCA. He, too?
101. Casual lead-in to "I'm home": HI HON.
102. Memorable Texas mission: ALAMO. The first time I went to the Alamo was post-Basic AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio in '88. The River Walk has grown a lot since then, but the core (and the Alamo) remains the same.
Remember the um, um, um...
103. "Botheration": NERTS.
104. "Haystacks" painter: MONET.
Haystacks
105. English county: SHIRE. The OED [94a] (subscription required, so this instead) will tell you that Sheriff comes from "Shire's Reeve" where reeve is an official steward.
110. Quaint hotels: INNS.
112. Black-and-white treat: OREO.
113. Arabian port: ADEN.
114. Cough syrup amts.: TSPS.
116. Upstate NY school: RPI. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy (Hi, IM!) New York.
117. 50 Cent piece?: RAP. 50 Cent, aka Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), is a Rapper.
118. Letters on Megan Rapinoe's jersey: USA. Megan in a soccer player.
119. Some Windows systems: NTS. Windows NT / XP / Vista / 10 / 11 all have the same kernel base first developed for IBM's OS/2. I first worked with NT 3.1 & 3.5 on a DEC Alpha in the early '90's.
120. Chest protector: BIB.
121. "Painting To Be Stepped On" artist Yoko: ONO. Is there any other Yoko? Oh, there is (but not in crossword-world).
67. Small matter?: FINE PRINT. Fine is a synonym for small. But, in contracts, it's no small matter. Youngest will tell you all about it in few more semesters :-)
87. Private matter?: BASIC TRAINING. Ha! A military Private.
111. Sensitive matter?: TOUCH PANEL. Some Touch Panels are sensitive while others, like the printer at my office, havta be whacked with a knuckle to get it's attention.
115. Grave matter?: BURIAL SITE. Yep.
35. Gray matter?: HUMAN ANATOMY. This was my favorite of the themers. I kept thinking of Poirot's "little gray cells" but "brain" didn't fit. Gray's Anatomy is the reference book of human anatomy. Oh, it's also a TV show with Dr.s hooking up -- I've never seen an episode but it was in the zeitgeist.
45. Encourage a comedian: LAUGH. This fill is why HYENA wasn't clued as a laughing carnivore @18a. When setting a grid, it's easy to miss a dupe like this - that's how you know C.C.'s a pro.
46. "Is that true about me?": AM I.
47. [See: Theme]
51. Nintendo Switch avatar: MII. I guess a MII for your WII :-)
52. Dull learning method: ROTE.
54. Popped the question: ASKED. But the answer is always 42*
65. First woman, in Greek myth: PANDORA. She had a box with all the evils, but, when she opened it, all save hope escaped. Just like Eve, she's blamed for all the evils in the world.
85. Crepe served with sambar: DOSA. Wanna hear a funny? I didn't know this fill but, after completing the puzzle, we went to an Indian restaurant and Eldest ordered it w/o hesitation. DOSAs are delicious.
Dosa
86. "Vive le __!": ROI. Long live the [French] King!
87. [See: Theme]
90. Utility closet tool: MOP.
91. Not on a major label: INDIE. Think music.
93. Vietnamese New Year: TET.
94. "Interstellar" actress Burstyn: ELLEN. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Her Wikipedia page.
99. Symptoms: SIGNS. Is my failing eyesight a sign of aging? That's what I'm chalking it up to.
101. Moth-repellent wood: CEDAR. I put cedar chips in my sweater storage bags. Living in Houston, I need sweaters about 3 weeks a year so,... [I have sweaters from brick-n-mortars that closed in the '90's].
103. Recycle bin, e.g.: ICON. Cute. An ICON on your "desktop."
105. Pet doc: VET.
106. Result of a good pitch: SALE. Nice clue. I was thinking C.C. would go with baseball's strike or foul and only perps saved me from filling foul.
107. Stack-selling chain: IHOP. International House of Pancakes.
111. [See: Theme]
115. [See: Theme]
117. Lift with a bent elbow: CURL.
118. Unholy things: EVILS. The crossing of apse @104d stalled this fill far too long.
119. Word said with a sigh: ALAS. I could have prefaced above's response w/ this fill :-)
120. Karate rank indicators: BELTS.
121. Distance between markers: MILE. Highways. In some states, especially on long bridges [looking at you I-10 over LA swamps], I've seen 1/10 mile markers.
122. Refuse to admit: DENY.
123. Mixed-breed dog: MUTT.
124. Spot to boop a doggo: SNOOT.
Down:
1. "Well, hello there": OH, HI.
2. House calls?: AYES. Think Congress.
3. Mammal that barks and claps: SEAL.
4. Play the market: INVEST.
5. Blurt out: SAY.
6. Pork in a burrito: CARNITAS.
Yummers!
7. Roasting pan holder: OVEN RACK. Not an insulated pot holder.
8. Partiality: BIAS.
9. "Unholy" singer Smith: SAM.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's ok to dupe a clue [see: 118a]
10. Respectful reference in court: HER HONOR. It's remarkable that, coming from a language w/o (I think) gendered pronouns, C.C. "gets it." In college, I worked at a wastewater testing lab w/ a guy from China (a PhD candidate in ChemE) who kept using "its" for him/her. I was befuddled until he explained Chinese doesn't use gendered pronouns (and it's silly that English does, he said).
11. Sch. whose mascot is a buckeye nut: OSU.
Brutus Buckeye
12. Cake mix instruction: STIR. Youngest has been building from scratch since she was 9 yrs old. And her cakes get quite elaborate.
Youngest's Mardi Gras Cupcakes
13. These, in Tijuana: ESTOS. English to Spanish.
14. Smith College graduate: ALUMNA. Smith is an all girls college; ALUMNA is gendered alumni.
15. Introductory food for keiki: POI. Keiki is Hawaiian for offspring. Poi is a taro dish. You do the math :-)
16. Pipe plastic, for short: PVC. Polyvinyl chloride - hard plastic.
17. "What did I say!?": SEE. Oh, I usually ask that question not 'cuz I was right but when someone gets peeved at me :-)
20. Degs. for graphic designers: BFAS. We got a Fine Arts major that didn't go to grad school :-)
23. Org. in many spy thrillers: CIA. Central Intelligence Agency.
25. Unit of energy: JOULE. I know the EEs got this. To everyone else, it's 0.0009478 BTUs.
28. "Being the Ricardos" role: DESI. I 🩷 Lucy.
31. Key above Caps Lock: TAB.
32. "Chores finished!": ALL DONE.
33. Early Boston settlers: PURITANS.
35. [See: Theme]
36. Gerontologist's focus: AGING.
37. "Totally agree!," on social media: THIS. In the Discord channels I frequent, it's an pointy-up finger emoji [☝].
38. Rural businesses: FARMS.
39. Word on receipts: AMOUNT.
40. [See: Theme]
42. Practice depicted in the Japanese film "Flower and Sword": IKEBANA. It's the art of arranging flowers.
44. Mum: SILENT.
48. Young lady: LASS.
49. DJ's stack in the 1990s: CDS. 90's Disk Jockeys with Compact Disks instead of vinyl -- unless they were a Rap DJ that needed to scratch a sample :-)
50. Decked out: CLAD.
53. Sincere: EARNEST.
56. Hot-headed deity?: FIRE GOD.
58. Jumped: LEAPT.
60. __-Bismol: PEPTO. Susan Stamberg's Mother-in-law's cranberry relish recipe results in the hue of Pepto.
62. More tender: SORER. Not a fillet but your own muscles after exercise.
WOs: Pilgrims was started but too many boxes @33d; LPs -> CDs; APSE -> NAVE; BurCH->BEECH; Trek->TRIP.
ESPs: DOSA, SAM as clued, LEONI, ELLEN, DOPED, IKEBANA, NIN and probably others. Fav: I'm going w/ FANTA 'cuz of this Gabriel Iglesias bit. //Don't watch too long unless you start from the beginning.
