Theme: "Ick Factor" - EW is inserted to each theme answer.
26A. Sign outside the women's locker room? : BEWARE NAKED LADIES. Barenaked Ladies, a Canadian rock band.
41A. Hopper using hops? : BREWER RABBIT. Br'er Rabbit. Uncle Remus. Also Spitzboo's favorite molasses brand.
66A. Powerful Persian bloodline? : MEWING DYNASTY. Ming Dynasty. Don't forget Zhou & Qin dynasties. That's how I got my name.
91A. Draft in a moldy basement? : MILDEW BREEZE. Mild breeze.
107A. Stray nut among the Doritos? : CASHEW IN ONE'S CHIPS. Cash in one's chips. I'd love that stray cashew.
15D. Another showing of an Edsel documentary? : LEMON REWIND. Lemon rind. I often wonder why the I has the long vowel sound when the I in "ring" has a short I.
65D. Pulled hamstring, to a hurdler? : DEADLY SINEW. Deadly sin. Which do you think is the deadliest of the deadly sins?
This
is a classic word addition theme, with a classic 7-themer in a classic
grid arrangement, except the first theme entry starts in Row 4 rather
than Row 3.
No shock and awe entries, the fill is extremely smooth. I love Melanie's grids.
Across:
1. Trade : SWAP. Easy start.
5. Bestow upon, as a compliment : PAY
8. Increased excessively, with "on" : PILED
13. Back country : WILDS
18. Subject of a memorable chocolate simile : LIFE. Oh, "Life is like a box of chocolates" from Forrest Gump.
19. Sport with four-person teams : POLO
20. Came to : AWOKE
21. Theatrical work : OPERA. I put DRAMA first.
22. Barbecue feature : OPEN GRILL
24. More cordial : NICER
25. Canning tomatoes : ROMAS. Can't wait to start my little garden. No Romas for me though. I like a few cherry tomato plants and beefsteaks.
29. Paper cut cries : OWS
30. High : LOFTY
31. Wooded depression : DELL
32. How the riot act is read : STERNLY
34. Lifeboat item : OAR
37. Beginning of Christmas? : CEE. Christmas.
38. Tiny __ : TIM
39. Gadget in the game Twister : SPINNER
45. Gardner of "The Hucksters" : AVA. Alas, still no DuVernay.
46. Cher's "Burlesque" role : TESS
49. Reason : INFER
50. Auditorium sections : BALCONIES
52. Illegal USMC status : AWOL. Do you like my cap?
53. Pot filler : SOIL
54. Castaway's signal : FLARE
56. Where Yogi naps : DEN. Yogi Bear.
57. Vice president before Gerald : SPIRO
58. Fragrant bloom : LILAC. The smell is a bit strong for me.
60. Excitement : ADO
61. Edison's 1,000-plus : PATENTS. Is that a record?
63. Told too much : OLD. Tricky clue.
70. It's longer than a dit : DAH
71. Finale of Copland's "Rodeo" : HOEDOWN. Got via crosses.
73. Hosp. areas : ERs
74. Wii fanatic, say : GAMER
76. Shaker unit : GRAIN. Salt.
77. __ tai : MAI. Remind me of the lady who mis-ordered "Mai tai" rather than "Pad Thai", Hahtoola!
78. Equine array : GAITS
80. Paintballs, e.g. : AMMO
84. Fizzles out : ENDS. I tried DIES first.
85. Fire sign? : ALARM BELL. Nice clue/answer.
88. Inflict : WREAK
89. Sushi options : EELS. Unagi! By the way, what's your favorite giardiniera brand? Please share if you have a simple recipe.
90. Black batt. terminal : NEG
94. "Wanna bet?" : YES IT IS
97. Academic no. : GPA
98. Full Sail or Harpoon product : ALE. Not familiar with the two brewers.
99. Title stuffed bear in a 2012 comedy : TED. Never saw the movie.
100. Squat hounds : BASSETS
102. Red Carpet stance : POSE
104. Rotisserie league data : STATS. Fantasy baseball
106. Israeli machine gun : UZI
113. Total : RUN TO
115. Naps, maybe : LOLLS. Not equivalent to me.
116. Athenian landmark : PARTHENON
117. Gussy up : PREEN. We had a big mirror in our tiny college dorm, shared by 5 girls.
118. Some map dots : ISLES
119. Olympian chariot rider : ARES
120. Real estate division : ACRE
121. Repaired, in a way : SEWED
122. Bothersome : PESTY. I use PESKY.
123. Was in the driver's seat : LED
124. Dieter's data : FATS
Down:
1. Hardly a pick-up expert? : SLOB. Ha ha.
2. Cleaning cloth : WIPE
3. Rough quantity : A FEW
4. __ colony : PENAL
5. Tip : POINTER
6. Temper : ALLAY. Verb.
7. Crème brûlée ingredient : YOLK. Exciting to see it prepared by the table.
8. Considerable outbreak : PANDEMIC
9. Cooperative words : I WILL
10. Hometown folks : LOCALS
11. Managed with difficulty, with "out" : EKED
12. Disdainful : DERISIVE
13. Slip : WORSEN
14. NYSE event : IPO
16. Matthew McConaughey has one : DRAWL. Indeed. He has very pronounced Southern drawl.
17. Nervy : SASSY
19. Want more : PREFER
23. Seller of staples : GROCER
27. Safe to have : EDIBLE. Raw honey is one of the poisonous foods in Dave's link last week. I have it almost daily. Mine is from Trader Joe's.
28. Former lab burners : ETNAS
33. Prepare to paint again : RE-TAPE
34. Kimono holders : OBIS
35. It occasionally floods Florence : ARNO
36. Mtge. adjustment : RE-FI
38. Lift not as common as it used to be : T-BAR. What's the common lift nowadays, then, Marti?
40. Tylenol target : PAIN. Safe for Dave.
42. Fit as a fiddle : WELL
43. Summers in China? : ABACI. Gimme. Abacus sums, hence summer.
44. Tom and Jerry, e.g. : TODDY
47. Partially, casually : SORTA
48. Spill clumsily : SLOSH
51. Hard-to-miss sign : NEON. Like this one in Vegas.
54. Zoomed : FLEW
55. Estate highlight, often : LAWN
57. Lid inflammation : STYE
59. "__ a mission" : I'M ON
60. Some magazine spreads : ADs
61. Coll. prep test : PSAT
62. Some drive-thrus : ATMs
63. "That's a surprise" : OH GEE
64. Greene of the original "Battlestar Galactica" series : LORNE
67. Move in on : NEAR.
68. "The Frog Prince" byline : GRIMM
69. Like gymnasts : AGILE
72. Trash-talks : DISSES
75. Not at all typical : RARE. One of Boomer's bowling buddies has a 1954 Mickey Mantle & 1955 Jackie Robinson.
77. Wise men : MAGI
78. Ballpoint alternative : GEL PEN
79. "The Blacklist" actor : ALDA
81. Gather : MEET
82. Cornfield attraction : MAZE
83. Accepted : OK'ED
85. Santa __ Derby : ANITA
86. Accidentally reveals : LETS SLIP
87. Fraidy cat : BIG SISSY. Only used "Sissy" before.
88. "That sav'd a __ like me!": "Amazing Grace" : WRETCH
92. Filled with tears : WATERED
93. Denounces : BLASTS
95. Duel attendant : SECOND. It's fun to trick others with "Second" in DUEL clue.
96. Bouts : SPELLS
100. Goals of some back pats : BURPS
101. Poetic blue : AZURE
103. Young barn dweller : OWLET
104. Trap : SNARE
105. Bound bunch : SHEAF
108. Washer part : HOSE
109. Abundant gemstone Down Under : OPAL
110. Old empire builder : INCA
111. Vancouver, for one : PORT
112. Sega competitor in the 16-bit market : SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
114. Ball holder : TEE
C.C.
