Theme: "R&D" - R is replaced by DR in each theme entry.
23A. Saloon with a strict no-quipping policy? : ANTI-DROLL BAR. Anti-roll bar.
35A. Art class focused on river rapids? : WHITE WATER DRAFTING. Whitewater rafting
52A. Has the downspouts inspected? : GETS A DRAIN CHECK. Gets a rain check.
76A. Portrait of Donald's life? : A DRAKE'S PROGRESS. A Rake's Progress.
89A. Worries about contract details? : DREADS THE FINE PRINT. Reads the fine print. This one has a sound change.
108A. Refreshment after some winter recreation? : SKATING DRINK. Skating rink.
A few stray R's, but none starting letters in the theme entries.
Only
6 entries, but they're all quite long. I dread 15+ letter entries.
This grid only has 138 words and 66 black squares (our norm is 144 words
and 78 squares). Those stacks of 8's in the upper right and lower left
are hard to fill cleanly. Big fan of today's grid.
Across:
1. Route with many turns : SLALOM. Had ??AL??, still could not nail it, Marti!
7. Command to a guard dog : SIC 'EM
12. Cap with a feather, to Yankee Doodle : MACARONI
20. Way out? : PAROLE. Third week in a row the upper left corner stumped me with its tricky clues.
21. Budget rival : ALAMO
22. Cosmetic oil source : AVOCADOS. My avocado oil is half gone. Pretty good. Scentless like almond oil.
25. Hallucinatory state : DELIRIUM
26. App symbol : ICON. And 28. "There's __ for that" : A NAME. You wanted AN APP, right?
27. Basic chem. unit : MOL. For Molecule?
30. Port on the Danish island Fyn : ODENSE. Hans Christian Andersen was born here.
31. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. This has become a gimme.
32. Wraparound garment : SARI
33. Simba's mate : NALA
34. NFL commentator Collinsworth : CRIS. Strange Wiki does not have a picture of him.
41. Brought up : REARED
44. Suffix with polymer : ASE. We also have 70. Grieg's "__ Death" : ASE'S. Constructors don't use these fill if they have better options.
45. Hide-and-seek word : READY
46. "Go jump in the loch!" : NAE! Little things make me happy, like this clue.
47. Take up, say : ALTER
48. Data-transfer meas. : BPS. OK, Bits/Bytes per Second.
50. San Jose-based tech giant : CISCO. Our Steve is with ORACLE.
51. Wag : CARD. Got me also.
56. "Big" star : HANKS. I'd got it easily if Tom were in the clue.
57. Sieben-neun link : ACHT. 7, 8, 9.
58. Porridge bit : OAT
59. Miffed : IRED
60. Board game based on pachisi : SORRY. Easy crosses.
62. Subway fixtures : STILES
64. Fencing tools : EPEES
65. Primate in "Tarzan" films : CHEETA
68. Muscular power : SINEW
71. Delt neighbor : LAT
73. Perón and others : EVAS
74. Jam cacophony : HORNS. Traffic jam. I just do not see a *S ending answer with this type of clue.
80. "So I'm cuter," to Tom Cruise: Abbr. : ANAG (Anagram). Cute.
81. Brooklyn institute : PRATT. Crosses as well.
82. Cephalopod's defense : INK
83. Range in NE Utah : UINTA. Rare UI* starting word.
84. Nonsense : ROT
85. Juvenile response : I AM SO
86. Suffix with human : OID
88. Sailing term preceded by a number : MASTED. Like two-masted.
94. Light bite : NOSH
95. Isn't up to par : AILS. And 8. Not up to par : ILL
96. 100 cents : EURO
97. Ryder Cup org. : PGA. So who do you think will win today? Left or Right? Or neither?
100. Pain : HASSLE
103. Refuse : TRASH. Noun "Refuse".
104. Fjord kin : RIA
105. Vein extracts : ORES
106. Shoe specification : EEE WIDTH
111. Customs-exempt storage facility : FREE ZONE. Lower left corner was easy to tackle today.
112. Anthrax-prevention drug : CIPRO. Fair crosses.
113. Concert cry : ENCORE
114. Downpours : TORRENTS
115. Start of the Common Era : ONE AD
116. Cowed : SCARED
Down:
1. Mediterranean land : SPAIN. MALTA won't fit.
2. Medieval Times prop : LANCE. Googled afterward. Never heard of the theater. Started in Texas. Been there, D-Otto/Anon-T?
3. Lovable droid : ARTOO
4. Butcher's cut : LOIN
5. __ school : OLD. Neither LAW or MED fit.
6. Madison in "Splash," as it turns out : MERMAID. Never watched the movie.
7. __ Mae : SALLIE
9. Changing places : CABANAS. Great clue also.
10. Flow (from) : EMANATE
11. Pep talk target : MORALE
12. Earned : MADE
13. Postal address abbr. : AVE
14. State bordering seven others : COLORADO. Easy crossings.
15. Turn sour : ACIDIFY
16. Least cooked : RAREST. I had RAWEST.
17. God with an eight-legged horse : ODIN
18. Toi et moi : NOUS
19. "Woe __!" : IS ME. And 36. "Where __?" : WAS I
24. __ cloud: comet-filled region in interstellar space : OORT
29. Wedded couples : MARRIEDS
32. He-Man's twin : SHE-RA
34. Solves : CRACKS
35. Sport with pins : WRESTLING. No bowling. Cool, TTP, right?
37. Fam. tree member : DESC
38. Regardless : IN ANY EVENT. And 43. "The way things are going ... " : AT THIS RATE
39. British stoolie : NARK. Forgot. We had this before.
40. Night sch. goals : GEDs
41. Sitar tunes : RAGAS
42. Campaign sign word : ELECT
48. Olga product : BRA. Gimme. Never bought their bras though.
49. Square spread on a slice : PAT. Butter!
50. Burger topper : CHEESE
51. Workaholic : CAREERIST. Not a word I use.
53. Teaspoon, e.g. : DOSE
54. Goes for, puppy-style : NIPS AT
55. Brook : CREEK
56. Princely letters : HRH (His Royal Highness)
61. Prefix with pod : OCTO
63. USN rank : ENS
64. Like some grins : EAR TO EAR
66. Try : TASTE
67. Mideast leadership family name : ASSAD
69. Friendliness : WARMTH
71. ICU worker : LPN
72. Old flood insurance? : ARK. Ha ha.
74. Like some facts and stuff : HARD
75. __ about : ON OR
77. Go like mad : DASH
78. Steamed veggies, say : SIDE
79. Organic fertilizer : GUANO. I know the word when I see it. But I don't know how to spell it correctly.
81. Relayed : PASSED ON
85. Revere : IDOLIZE. My idol. Zhang Yimou is from Xi'an as well. He discovered Gong Li.
86. Seaman's protective garment : OILSKIN
87. Fit : IN SHAPE
88. Illusions : MIRAGES
90. Pick up the phone : ANSWER
91. Debacle : FIASCO
92. " ... and that's final" : PERIOD
93. Total : RUIN
97. Poet Matthew buried in Westminster Abbey : PRIOR. Got via crosses.
98. Category : GENRE
99. FAQ part : ASKED
100. Test by lifting : HEFT
101. Aviation prefix : AERO
102. One in a ball game? : SEER. Crystal ball.
103. Bk. with synonyms : THES (Thesaurus)
105. Sea lion predator : ORCA
107. Blasting material : TNT
109. Refrain start : TRA
110. Caucus organizer: Abbr. : DNC. or RNC.
C.C.
