Theme: "Oh, I Get It!" - "Oh" sound is added to each theme entry, adjusting spellings as needed.
22A. Glass insulation consideration? : WINDOW CHILL FACTOR. Wind chill factor.
43A. Dessert served to waiting commuters? : DEPOT DISH APPLE PIE. Deep-dish apple pie.
98A. Skits at teatime? : PEKOE PERFORMANCES. Peak performances.
122A. Where clay letters are mailed? : PLAY-DOH POST OFFICE. Played post office. This changes a past tense verb into two words. Very unexpected.
3D. Alaskan butcher's tool? : JUNEAU CLEAVER. June Cleaver.
59D. Fruit used in a numbers game? : BINGO CHERRIES. Bing cherries. Seasonal right now.
So, six long theme entries, 6 different spellings of "Oh" sounds. This is another addition theme that needs creativity and imagination.
The
grid is skillfully designed. Frank intersects two sets of the themers.
This happens when you have quite a few theme entries, but Frank's
choices are rather limited.
Across:
1. '80s IBM flop nicknamed "Peanut" : PCjr. PC Junior. Unknown to me.
5. "Do I need to draw you __?" : A MAP
9. Give some slack : LOOSEN
15. "Lord, is __?": Matthew : IT I
18. Shivering fit : AGUE
19. Fish-filled fare, frequently : TACO. What kind of fish do you use for fish tacos?
20. High-speed contest : AIR RACE
21. AOL rival : MSN
25. Shanty : HUT
26. Ground : EARTH
27. It may be covered by a wig : NAPE. Not HEAD or DOME.
28. Interval between mi and fa : HALF TONE. And 127. Scale note : SOL
30. Just-in-case strategy : PLAN B
32. Destroyer attacked in Aden in Oct., 2000 : USS COLE. Where were you in Oct 2000? I was in Shanghai for a project.
35. One known for high living? : TIBETAN. Nice clue. Tibetans drink Yak Butter tea every day. Their daily bread is Tsampa, made of barley flour.
36. Beats on streets : ROUTES
38. Buttonless top : TEE
39. This, in Tijuana : ESTO
41. Polite interruptions : AHEMs
42. Firm finish? : INC. Company. I was expecting a suffix.
47. Flo's workplace : MEL'S
49. Go limp : WILT
50. Minuscule time fraction: Abbr. : NSEC
51. Martinique, par exemple : ILE
52. Where Lux. is : EUR. Luxembourg.
54. __ Caesar, slain heir of Emperor Augustus : GAIUS. Drew a blank. Gaius is also Julius Caesar's first name.
56. Like some property : REAL. Only familiar with "Real estate".
58. Ground rule hits: Abbr. : DBLS (Doubles)
62. Gomer Pyle's "Well, I'll be!" : SHAZAM
65. Classic orange soda : FANTA
67. Kit Carson House site : TAOS. New trivia to me.
69. Slip in a pot : IOU. I kept thinking of my soup pot.
70. Spread quickly online : GO VIRAL
72. Rapscallion : SCAMP
74. Musical section : STRINGS
76. With 125-Down, fictional tall-hat wearer : THE. 125. See 76-Across : CAT. The Cat in the Hat.
77. In a muddle : ASEA
79. Spanish souls : ALMAS. Learning moment to me. We've seen AME clued as "French soul".
81. Puts on : STAGES
82. Kind : SORT
84. Prefix with pad : HELI
86. Short-straw drawer : LOSER
88. Latin 101 verb : AMO
89. Kwik-E-Mart owner on "The Simpsons" : APU
91. Feminine suffix : ENNE. Or ETTE.
93. Overflow (with) : TEEM
95. Old Canadian skit show : SCTV. Second City TV.
104. Step on it, old-style : HIE
105. Start of a fitness buff's motto : USE IT. Or lose it.
106. Entre __ : NOUS
107. Steve Martin won its 2015 Life Achievement Award: Abbr. : AFI (American Film Institute)
108. Porcupine, e.g. : RODENT
110. Salon workers, at times : RINSERS
112. Recent delivery : NEONATE. Tried NEWBORN first.
115. "Phooey!" : NERTS
116. Storage closets : PANTRIES
118. Actress Penélope : CRUZ
119. Cacophonous : AROAR
121. Sugar suffix : OSE. Also 134. Prefix with -itis : OSTE
128. "Hands off!" : ALL MINE!
129. 67, for Beethoven's Fifth : OPUS. I bet Jayce nailed it.
130. Zoom : TEAR. Oh, the "move quickly" Zoom.
131. USCG rank : ENS (Ensigns)
132. Highlands legend nickname : NESSIE
133. Overtakes, in a way : LAPS. New meaning to me.
Down:
1. Dog offering : PAW
2. "Frozen" FX : CGI. FX= Effects. CGI= Computer-generated imagery
4. Household pest : RED ANT
5. Chem class abbr. : AT WT (Atomic Weight)
6. __ Picchu : MACHU
7. "Jiminy!" in Germany : ACH
8. Plants with their own national day every December 12 : POINSETTIAS. Easily guessable.
9. Lacking zip : LIFELESS
10. "... boy __ girl?" : OR A
11. Theater ticket abbr. : ORCH. Orchestra.
12. Perched on : SAT ATOP
13. Beef recall cause : ECOLI
14. "Throw it indoors" toy : NERF BALL
15. Architect of Egypt's Step Pyramid of Djoser : IMHOTEP. Can never remember this guy's name.
16. Quake consequence : TSUNAMI
17. Strong : INTENSE
20. It's for the dogs : ALPO. And 75. Brand at Petco : IAMS
23. "The full-__ moon with unchanged ray": Thoreau : ORBED
24. Like some punch : LACED
29. Tittered : TEHEED
30. Proper companion? : PRIM. Prim and proper.
31. Only : LONE
33. Minn. college : ST OLAF. Yay, gimme for me.
34. Surrey town where demo versions of many "White Album" songs were recorded : ESHER. Unfamiliar to me.
37. Put in stitches : SEW
40. "Be quiet," in scores : TACET
44. __ Latin : PIG. Fill in the blank clues can be tricky when you have several other choices.
45. Cable guy, e.g. : INSTALLER
46. Test episodes : PILOTS
48. "If You Knew __...": Quatro album : SUZI. I thought it's SUSIE.
53. __ avis : RARA
55. Donald, to Huey : UNCA
57. Small cells : AAs
60. Theater section : LOGE
61. Work (out) : SUSS. Suss out. Figure out.
62. Certain NCOs : SGTS
63. Twinkie relative : HO HO
64. "Glee" specialty : MASH-UP
66. Bullets : AMMO
68. Miss, in much of S.A. : SRTA
71. "Go Set a Watchman" author Harper : LEE. Timely.
73. Soup in "That's Amore" : PASTA FAZOOL. Unknown to me also. Pasta and beans.
78. Last Olds model : ALERO
80. "Already been to that movie" : SEEN IT
83. Lao-tzu follower : TAOIST
85. Just for kicks : IN FUN
87. __ room : REC
90. Book that begins, "All children, except one, grow up" : PETER PAN
92. Heat shield site : NOSE CONE
94. Nice view : MER. Nice the French city.
96. Sunglasses feature : TINT
97. Lab attendants : VETS. Dogs.
98. Aim : PURPOSE
99. Football's "Boomer" : ESIASON. Hi, Boomer, smile!
100. Watchers of boxers : KENNELS
101. Formally approves, formerly : ENSEALS. Not a word I use.
102. Show some spine : MAN UP. And 114. Enjoy thoroughly : EAT UP. Tiny UP dupe.
103. Ben, in Hebrew names : SON OF. Ibn in Arab names.
109. Ignoring : DEAF TO
111. Lunar valley : RILLE. I only know RILL.
113. "What's Hecuba to him, __ to Hecuba": Hamlet : OR HE
117. Sylvia of jazz : SYMS. Another stranger to me. Update: Thank you, HowardW. (Argyle)
120. Eponymous sea discoverer : ROSS. Ross Sea.
123. 20% of MMDX : DII. 5/1 of 2,510= 502. (Correction: 1/5. Thanks, D-Otto.)
124. Place for sweaters : SPA. Or GYM. Sweat-ers.
126. Afore : ERE
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