22A. "... you've repaired planes for civilian pilots, but can you __?" : SERVICE ACES
34A. "... you've made indie films, but can you __?" : DIRECT HITS
40A. "... you've made decorative bowls, but can you __?" : FASHION PLATES
69A. "... you've conned small-time dealers with your forgeries, but can you __?" : SNOW FENCES
74A. "... you've monitored planets with your telescope, but can you __?" : TRACK STARS
100A. "... you've coached gymnasts, but can you __?" : TRAIN SPOTTERS
107A. "... you've run dining rooms, but can you __?" : HANDLE BARS
125A. "... you've written non-theatrical prose, but can you __?" : SUPPLY LINES
Notice that the first nouns all become verbs, the second nouns all change meaning drastically: tennis shots become fighter pilots, bomb hits to movie hits, clotheshorses to dinner plates, etc. Very consistent.
Train spotters is a new word to me. Google shows they're just train buffs.
Across:
1. Join the cast of : ACT IN
6. Apt. listing unit : BDRM (Bedroom)
10. Golden __ : AGER
14. Biblical verb : DOST
18. Bara of the silents : THEDA. Nicknamed "The Vamp".
19. Exonerate : CLEAR
20. Judicious : SAGE
21. Sundance's sweetie __ Place : ETTA
24. One guilty of disorderly conduct? : SLOB. Ha ha.
25. Slightly : A TAD
26. Quasimodo's love : ESMERALDA. Great fill.
27. Trendy greeting : CIAO. Why "trendy"?
29. "The Optimist's Daughter" Pulitzer winner Welty : EUDORA
31. Biblical beast : ASS
32. Some Miles Davis groups : OCTETS
36. Govt. loan agency : SBA
37. Web page standard : HTML. Woo hoo, Misty, you rock!
39. Game show host : EMCEE
46. Lightweight hats : PANAMAS
50. It may be restricted : AREA
51. Artsy Manhattan neighborhood : SOHO
52. Latin clarifier : ID EST
54. Desert trial : N TEST. Some old North Koreans still can't believe that Chinese eat rice any time we want. During the Great Leap Forward when tens of millions of people died of famine, many Chinese escaped to North Korea for food.
55. Derring-do, e.g. : DEEDS
57. Disciplined, in a way : FINED
59. Many a Prado painting : GOYA
61. Windy City rail initials : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.
62. Longtime Pro Bowl site : OAHU
64. Closer's stat : SAVES
66. B vitamin used to treat high cholesterol : NIACIN
76. Sparkly strands : TINSEL
77. Rhone tributary : SAONE
79. Standstill : HALT
80. Theater chain letters : AMC
81. "__ bigger than a breadbox?" : IS IT
83. Sprain site : ANKLE. My grandma used to rub hot alcohol on sprained ankle.
86. Like some coincidences : EERIE
90. Fairway adjoiner : ROUGH
93. Nike competitor : ASICS. According to Wiki, the name is an acronym for the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano: which translates as "a healthy soul in a healthy body".
95. Lang. of Livorno : ITAL
97. Kind : SORT
98. Cilium, to the layperson : EYELASH. Cilium sounds like a drug.
103. Tuckered out : ALL IN
105. Like falling off __ : A LOG
106. Frat letters : NUS
111. Thickets : COPSES
114. Actor Daniel __ Kim : DAE
117. Was crazy about : ADORED
118. Greeted the judge : ROSE
120. Prospector's disappointment : FOOL'S GOLD. Another sparkly fill.
122. Actress Delany : DANA. She made a puzzle for the NYT a long while ago.
123. "Oh, nuts!" : DANG
127. Spellbound : AGOG
128. Early role for Ronny : OPIE
129. Takes the Black Friday plunge : SHOPS. Tried once. Not fun at all. So rushed.
130. Sorbonne enrollee : ELEVE
131. Melanie's "Working Girl" role : TESS
132. Drive, for one : GEAR
133. Catch a glimpse of : ESPY
134. Pittsburgh product : STEEL
Down:
1. Between ports : AT SEA
2. Fischer's forte : CHESS
3. Contract conditions : TERMS
4. "If only __ known ... " : I'D'VE
5. African capital on its own river : NAIROBI. Vibrant night lights.
6. Ice skate part : BLADE
7. Summer Olympics event : DECATHLON
8. Actress Charlotte : RAE
9. "Happy Days" mom, to Fonzie : MRS C
10. Very, in music : ASSAI
11. In quantity : GALORE
12. Id controller : EGO
13. The first Mrs. de Winter, in fiction : REBECCA. The second one has no name. That was a scary movie.
14. Tie : DEAD HEAT
15. 10th-century emperor : OTTO I. First of four Holy Roman Emperors. Then the House of Otto decided to move to Roman Forest, Texas!
16. Get cracking : START
17. "Yay me!" shouts : TADAs
19. Breton or Gael : CELT
23. Chocolate trees : CACAOS. I bought a bag of cocoa nibs out of curiosity. Then I ground them into cocoa powder.
28. Was in a jam? : IDLED
30. Sch. in Knoxville : U TENN
33. Penn, e.g.: Abbr. : STA
35. Insincere, as a promise : EMPTY
36. Sunny-day shapes : SHADOWS. Awfully cold the past two weeks, thankfully Sun has been visiting us daily.
38. Crete's highest elev. : MT IDA
40. Hula hoops, say : FAD
41. "__ we good?" : ARE
42. Spot : SEE
43. Party-pooperish : NO FUN
44. Honor society letter : PHI
45. "Turn the Page" rocker : SEGER. Also 60. "Diana" singer : ANKA
47. Hajji's destination : MECCA
48. Up and at 'em : ASTIR
49. Kenton and Getz : STANs
53. Cubs' all-time home run champ : SOSA. Shunned by the Cubs these days.
56. Burglar's challenge : SAFE
58. Exxon, formerly : ESSO
63. Prefix with port : HELI
65. Powerful engine : V TEN
67. Man, but not woman : ISLE. Isle of Man.
68. Swears to : ATTESTS
69. Rubberneck : STARE
70. Spock portrayer : NIMOY
71. Well-timed : ON CUE
72. Forensic detectives, for short : CSIs
73. Take the loss : EAT IT
75. Chintzy : CHEAP
78. Like Willie Nelson vocals : NASAL. Boomer listens to his "On the Road Again" often.
82. Indian title : SAHIB
84. Michael Jackson compilation album : KING OF POP
85. Many OCS grads : LTS
87. Salmon-to-be : ROE. I enjoyed TTP and Yellowrock's continued miso and miso soup discussions. Dashi too.
88. Discount abbr. : IRR
89. Some "X-Files" characters : ETs
91. Fancy threads : GLAD RAGS
92. Oscar winner Berry : HALLE
94. Unrefined : CRASS. My Dashi is very unrefined, just dried anchovies, but good enough to make a simple Ramen noodle broth. No appetite for miso soup these days.
96. Remote : LONELY
99. Iditarod team member : SLED DOG. This race might end soon.
101. Winter Games org. : IOC
102. Grapples : TUSSLES. Next year I'm getting the flu shot.
104. Whence Aslan : NARNIA
107. Went after : HAD AT
108. Saw : ADAGE
109. Taboos : NO-NOs
110. NFL commissioner Goodell : ROGER. Powerful guy.
112. Flanders Fields flower : POPPY
113. Beethoven's fifths? : SOLs. Got via crosses.
114. Beneficiary : DONEE. Spell check does not like this word.
115. Naproxen brand : ALEVE. Heal quickly, Chairman Moe!
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116. Ford finned flop : EDSEL. All alliterative.
119. In __: existing : ESSE
121. Snazzy coating : GILT
124. Barbary beast : APE
126. Hesitant speaker's sounds : UHs
