Theme: "Hair Majesty" - The first word in each theme entry is a hairstyle.
24A. Leader of the Wild Bunch gang : BUTCH CASSIDY
26A. Plush floor covering : SHAG CARPET
53A. Greet from a distance : WAVE HELLO
93A. Dreaded musician? : BOB MARLEY. Dupe with 4D. Hopes it never happens : DREADS THE DAY
118. Low-altitude delivery agent : CROP DUSTER
122. Fetal metaphor : BUN IN THE OVEN
17. One way to decide : FLIP A COIN
40D. Scenic Massachusetts route : MOHAWK TRAIL. Remember the NASA Mohawk guy?
68D. Four Corners nickname : BEEHIVE STATE
84D. Rams : BANGS INTO. My ex-boyfriend is crazy about Jane Birkin. She has the most famous bangs in the world.
Amazing grid design. Loved how MOHAWK TRAIL
crosses two Across theme entries in the grid. The four other pairs intersect
as well. It really takes luck and skill to make this work.
Across:
1. Profitable venture : GOLDMINE. Great start. We don't often see a 8-letter 1-Across.
9. Bombay bigwigs : RAJAHS
15. Fox role : MCFLY (Marty). "Back to the Future". Michael J. Fox,
20. "My pleasure!" : I SURE CAN
21. Region north of Morocco : IBERIA
22. Finnish architect Alvar __ : AALTO. Stranger to me. Eero Saarinen is Finnish too. So many vowels in their names.
23. Punkish accessory : NOSE RING. Boomer's daughter-in-law Sherie has a nose ring.
28. Asian region, with "the" : EAST. "The East is Red" woke me up every morning in my childhood. Our reveille.
29. Lhasa __ : APSO
30. Wilmington's st. : DEL
31. Short : SHY
32. "Silent Spring" subj. : DDT
33. "Bossypants" writer Fey : TINA. Someday she'll change her mind and host the Oscar.
35. Loses one's cool : SEES RED
39. She played Molly in "Ghost" : DEMI. Oh, I loved "Ghost".
41. Ready to shoot : IN FOCUS
44. Contact, nowadays : TEXT
45. Walton of Walmart : SAM. Say what you want about Walmart. They've always paid their taxes, unlike Apple (!!!), Microsoft & Google.
47. Two bells, in the Navy : ONE AM. Got it, Dave?
50. Old pool ball material : IVORY
51. Oahu's __ Stadium : ALOHA
56. Hotel team : MAIDS
57. Apportioned, with "out" : METED
58. Nickname for Margaret : GRETA. Wow. I thought it's Meg or Peggy.
59. Start of something big? : MEGA
61. Devotee : NUT
62. Safari sightings : PRIDES. Lion packs.
64. Is aware of : KNOWS
66. Star : CELEB
69. Notes comprise them : SCALES
71. It's over a foot : ANKLE. Clever clue.
73. Amazingly enough : NO LESS
76. Mythical giants : YETIs
78. Newspaper section : STYLE. And 95. Common newspaper name : TIMES
80. Hardly a guffaw : TEE HEE
82. Graceful male swimmer : COB. Male swan. I can't swim. You?
85. Aware of : IN ON
87. Double-check : RE-ADD
89. Burns a bit : CHARS
90. "Our Gang" series creator Hal : ROACH. New to me as well.
96. Bother : ANNOY
97. Video game pioneer : ATARI
98. Site of heavy traffic, with "the" : NET
100. Wind indicator : VANE
101. City on the Tigris : BAGHDAD
103. Acronym that includes middle sch. : EL HI. It just won't go away. Too useful a letter combo.
106. Tinactin alternative : DESENEX. For Athlete's Foot.
108. Evidently are : SEEM
109. Engine housing : POD
111. Takes too much : ODs
113. Xi preceders : NUs. Not An.
114. "Madama Butterfly" wardrobe items : OBIs
116. Did perfectly : ACED
125. Uncommon thing : RARA AVIS
127. Playground rejoinder : IS TOO
128. Company promoted by a nine-month-old financial wizard : E-TRADE. The E-Trade Baby has his own Twitter account.
129. Theft target : IDENTITY
130. Beach shoe : THONG. The Bikini wear is more appealing than a single shoe.
131. Pastry-making aid : ZESTER
132. Like some loafers : TASSELED
Down:
1. Sling ingredient : GIN. Singapore Sling, right?
2. Zoo animales : OSOS. Bears.
3. Like some lawns : LUSH
5. Big deal : MERGER. So simple in retrospect.
6. Winter spikes : ICICLES
7. "Peter Pan" pooch : NANA
8. Many Caltech grads : ENGRS. Both Spitzboov & Splynter graduated from RPI.
9. Outback order : RIB EYE
10. Be next to : ABUT
11. Fast flier : JET
12. Like a parabola : ARCED
13. Percussion kit item : HI-HAT
14. Egg holders : SACS
15. Parental nicknames : MAs
16. Eponymous 18th-century adventurer : CASANOVA. Womanizer.
18. Old Fords : LTDs
19. Toy on a string : YO-YO
25. Envelope abbr. : ATTN
27. Postgrad degree : PhD
32. More than just eat : DINE
34. "__ any judge of character ..." : IF I'M. Sometimes partials are not easy for me to see.
35. Philatelist's find : STAMP
36. Catchers with pots : EELERS
37. Strikingly strange : EXOTIC
38. "Hi and Lois" pooch : DAWG
41. Daughter in Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" : IMOGEN. No idea.
42. Pakistani language : URDU. Still waiting for Anony-Mouse (aka Vidwan) to answer my Urdu question.
43. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYST
46. Blemish : MARK
48. Lumber tree : ELM. Hard to clue ELM in a new way.
49. Blind-from-birth pianist Templeton : ALEC. Never heard of him.
52. British singer with the age-related albums "19" and "21" : ADELE. Pure talent.
54. __ cava : VENA
55. Berkshire jackets : ETONs
60. Almost all the time : A LOT
63. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)
65. More sneaky : SLYER
67. Put in power : ELECT
70. Sailor from Basrah : SINBAD. I always use Basra.
72. It has both Hebrew and English letters on its planes : EL AL
74. Medicine man : SHAMAN
75. Still : SERENE
77. Stains on a red suit? : SOOT. Santa!
79. Perfect place : EDEN
81. Cambridgeshire neighbor : ESSEX
82. Grump : CRAB
83. O'Neill's daughter : OONA. Long time no see!
86. Pistons' org. : NBA. Detroit Pistons.
88. Added highlights to, in a way : DYED
91. Strong team quality : COHESION
92. Stevenson villain : HYDE. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
94. TV role for Bamboo Harvester : MR. ED
99. Grants academic security to : TENURES
102. Latin trio member : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.
104. Good boy of verse : HORNER. Little Jack Horner. "What a good boy am I".
105. Response known to preclude its question : I DO.
107. Lazy __: trays : SUSANs
109. Golfer Calvin : PEETE. He cleared the fairway for Tiger Woods. Golf pioneer.
110. Reasons to clean : ODORS
112. Sail-extending pole : SPRIT. New word to me.
114. Late notice? : OBIT
115. Foundation plant : BUSH
117. Stylish eatery word : CHEZ. I bet it's all tasty Chez D-Otto's. He seems to be a great cook.
118. Give up : CEDE
119. Anti-art movement : DADA
120. Bad doings : EVIL
121. Altar event : RITE
123. Holiday quaff : NOG
124. Piece of winery equipment : VAT
126. Guitarist Barrett : SYD. Pink Floyd.
C.C.
