Sunday July 4, 2021 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: - "Surprise Package"- Box can follow both words in each theme entry.

22A. *Editorial comment: TEXT SUGGESTION. Text box. Suggestion box.

35A. *Solid piece of security hardware: STRONG LOCK. Strong box. Lock box.

39A. *Part of a school kid's allowance: LUNCH MONEY. Lunchbox. Money box.

70A. *Online dating coup: TINDER MATCH. Tinderbox. Matchbox.

101A. *Tough talk tension easer: ICE BREAKER. Icebox. Breaker box.

104A. *Offenbach output: OPERA MUSIC. Opera box. Music box.

121A. *Fast talk from the on-deck circle: BATTER'S CHATTER. Batter's box. Chatterbox.

14D. *Traveler's aid: PACKING LIST. Packing box. List box.

69D. *Bank transaction: CASH DEPOSIT. Cash box. Deposit box.

Reveal:

130. Shipping supply that links the answers to starred clues: BOX.

This is a very impressive set. For this type of both words that can follow/precede theme, it's easy to find a set of 3 or 4 solid in-the-language phrases, but not 9. Amazing.

Two of the Down theme entries intersect two Across ones. I love when this happens. It does not always make filling easier though, as I've learned myself. Sometimes it creates unexpected knotty spots.

Across:

1. Seuss critter in socks: FOX.

4. Singer with a Best Actress Oscar: CHER. For "Moonstruck".

8. Best-of-seven MLB semifinal: ALCS. American League Championship Series. We also have 52. AL West team, in crawl lines: LAA.

12. Put one over on: DUPED.

17. Cupid counterpart: EROS.

19. Olympics event since 1964: LUGE.

20. Poi source: TARO. Cantonese use taro paste as filling for buns. Or even mooncakes. Yes, Gary, Chinese eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival. This year it's Sept 21, 2021.

21. Aquafina alternative: DASANI.

25. Builds: ERECTS.

26. Rainforest rodent: AGOUTI.

27. Channel with a gate: SLUICE. This shows up on Google Images.

28. Onboard assent: AYE.

29. Family tree fill: KIN.

30. Last word in a popular drinking game: PONG. Beer pong.

32. Completely wraps: ENCASES.

34. "Well done!": NICE. Thanks for the NFT and blockchain explanation last Wednesday, Bill!

42. London driver's unit: LITRE. Of petroleum.

43. She's no pro: ANTI.

44. Making a case for: STATING.

45. Woman on the Sistine Chapel ceiling: EVE.

46. Snowballs in a fight, e.g.: AMMO.

48. '60s protest gp.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

51. Dashboard nos.: RPMS.

55. Doctor's order: DOSAGE. Glad all went smoothly, Picard!

57. Belgian lager, familiarly: STELLA. Stella Artois.

59. Bethlehem university: LEHIGH. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

61. Jet Ski rival: SEA-DOO. Looks fun.

64. Kaley who played Penny on "The Big Bang Theory": CUOCO.

66. One with dreads: RASTA.

67. Church branch: SECT.

73. Govt. accident investigator: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board. The police is investigating the death of our neighbor. Pretty scary. Did you know that a hazmat team is needed to clean up the crime scene?

74. Shrinking retailer: KMART.

76. All together: AS ONE.

77. Mississippi River explorer: DE SOTO.

79. "That was a brutal workout!": I'M SORE.

81. Solution measures: TITERS. chemical solution. Wiki says "Titer has the same origin as the word "title", from the French word titre, meaning "title" but referring to the documented purity of a substance, often gold or silver. "

83. Paper-saving party announcements: E-VITES.

87. "I guess not": NAH.

88. Space race initials: USSR.

90. Pocatello-to-Provo dir.: SSE.

91. One in a bust: NARC. Drug bust.

93. Raisman with three Olympic gold medals: ALY. Two of our Minnesota girls made the US Olympic gym team this year.

94. Advice from a loser?: DIET TIP.

97. Local bond, briefly: MUNI.

99. "__ Burr, Sir": song in "Hamilton": AARON.

106. Slack-jawed look: GAPE. 107. They might be holy: TERRORS.

109. Removed: SHED.

110. Family card game: UNO.

111. URL addresses: IPS.

113. Subject of a 2021 packet shortage: CATSUP. Boomer only uses the bottled ketchup.
 
115. It's been shortening for over a century: CRISCO. 124. It's not butter: OLEO.

119. "Broken Arrow" co-star: ANSARA (Michael)

123. Marcus partner: NEIMAN.

125. Vannelli of pop: GINO.

126. NE syst. with 64 campuses: SUNY.

127. Bond's car starter?: ASTON. Martin.

128. Night sch. awards: GEDS.

129. Exxon, formerly: ESSO.

Down:

1. Greek salad topper: FETA.

2. Wash. neighbor: OREG.

3. Love letters?: XOXO.

4. Crossword constructor's job: CLUING. Hours & hours of googling, researching, checking and double-checking.

5. Group __: HUG.

6. They're beaten in kitchens: EGGS.

7. Put back in a seat: RE-ELECT.

8. Overhead storage: ATTIC. Do you have your heat exchanger installed there also?

9. Secular: LAICAL.

10. King known for his wealth: CROESUS. Hence "Rich as Croesus".

11. John David, to Denzel: SON. Washington.

12. Double-dog action?: DARE. I double-dog dare you.

13. Take advantage of: USE.

15. Lure: ENTICE.

16. Man with a World: DISNEY. Cute clue.

18. Fog: STUPOR.

21. "L.A. Law" actress: DEY.

23. Flintstones time: STONE AGE.

24. Orange soda brand: SUNKIST.

28. Songwriters' org.: ASCAP.

31. Glitzy genre: GLAM.

33. Break in the theater: ENTR'ACTE.

34. Nice turndown: NON. Nice, France. Also 102. French film festival site: CANNES.

35. Winter transport: SLED.

36. Pioneering DVR: TIVO.

37. Rd. map lines: RTES.

38. Plastic __ Band: ONO.

40. Webmaster's code: HTML. I don't know why the link button is not available in the Comments section. It's so much easier to make a link in our blog write-ups.

41. Unlikely GoFundMe donor: MISER.

47. Deli array: MEAT.

49. Orders: DECREES.

50. Run-down area: SLUM.

53. Movie industry reps: Abbr.: AGTS.

54. Queequeg's captain: AHAB.

56. Intro to physics?: ASTRO. Astrophysics.

57. "Likewise": SO DO I.

58. Laundry units: LOADS.

60. Capital NE of Vientiane: HANOI.

62. Part of una semana: DIA. Day/one week.

63. Picketing: ON STRIKE.

65. Mil. training site: OCS. Officer candidate school.

67. Tattoo canvas: SKIN.

68. Watson who played Hermione: EMMA.

71. Rhinitis docs: ENTS.

72. Weed killer: HOER. Our chives grow so quickly, and the squirrels never bother them. Squirrels (maybe rabbits) ruined our beautiful Asiatic lilies this year.

75. More faithful: TRUER.

78. Studio picture taker: TV CAMERA.

80. Uruguay's Punta del __: ESTE.

82. Guilty feeling: REMORSE.

84. Works on a route: TARS.

85. Wells race of the future: ELOI.

86. Match in a studio: SYNC.

89. Scoreboard figs.: STATS.

91. SSW's opposite: NNE.

92. Snobbish attitude: AIRS.

95. "When Will __ Loved?": 1975 hit: I BE.

96. Sheet material: PERCALE. Bed sheet.

98. Sudden spike: UPSURGE.

100. Reviews of books: AUDITS. Not the book you read.

101. Dora the Explorer's Isa, e.g.: IGUANA.

103. Not for kids, filmwise: R-RATED. Restricted.

105. Cold sound: AHCHOO.

108. Four Holy Roman emperors: OTTOS.

111. Caspian Sea land: IRAN.

112. Not a good review: PAN. Have any of you visited the Stonewall Kitchen store? We just got some fantastic sheet pans from them. And this fish spatula. Xie Xie, Agnes.

 

114. Trident-shaped frat letters: PSIS.

116. Concert memento: STUB.

117. Prefix with -zoic: CENO.

118. Serengeti antelope: ORYX.

120. Word in a Latin love poem: AMO.

121. Cranberry source: BOG.
 
122. Brain and spinal cord, initially: CNS. Central Nervous System.

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I'm surprised that I did not get a letter from the AARP. 

Boomer bought me a pretty cake. We shared it with his Monday golf buddies and their spouses at a picnic.

C.C.