Theme: - "Morning Addition" - AM is added into each theme answer.
23A. Harsh criticism of an old Pontiac? : GRAND AM SLAM. Grand slam. All but this AM addition is part of another word.
27A. Unprincipled operator? : AMORAL SURGEON. Oral surgeon. "Unprincipled operator?" describes Dave's doctor so well.
57A. Salesperson who doesn't take your offer seriously? : AMUSED CAR DEALER. Used car dealer.
66A. Mexican dish you were warned not to eat? : CAUTIONARY TAMALES. Cautionary tales.
76A. "Missionary squad loses big in softball game"? : APOSTLES CREAMED. Apostles' Creed. The answer cracked me up.
107A. Memoirs of a penitent bookie? : ODDS AND AMENDS. Odds and ends.
117A. Really large items thrown overboard? : JUMBO JETSAM. Jumbo jets.
Funny,
I solved the whole puzzle thinking "Morning Edition" is the title. It
aptly sums up the gimmick, though not as perfectly as "Morning
Addition".
Seven entries with a total 95 theme squares is
very manageable amount of theme material. Matt went low on word count,
only 138 entries today. I've yet to explore that territory. 144 and I
are just so inseparable.
Across:
1. Opinionated assortment : BIASES. Skipped to next entry right away.
7. Biblical shepherd : ABEL. Not Jesus.
11. Polaris Rangers, e.g., briefly : ATVs
15. Asian cookware : WOKs. I've collected a few recipes you guys put on the Comments section occasionally. Click here if you're interested.
19. Start a bulleted list, perhaps : INDENT
20. Forecast : BODE
21. Painful, in a way : TRAUMATIC
25. Superman or Spider-Man : TITLE ROLE. We also have 66D. First name in superhero lore : CLARK
26. Unavoidable end : DESTINY. Got via crosses.
29. "__, I'm flying in my taxi": Harry Chapin lyric : AND ME. Never heard of the song.
31. Table salt, in chem class : NACL
32. Pool stroke : MASSÉ
33. Therapists' org. : APA
36. Corporate rule : BY-LAW
39. Something for a fan to support : THE TEAM. And 42. Fan appreciation event : BAT DAY. I like Bobblehead Days.
45. Personal: Pref. : IDIO. I put in IDEO.
47. Pleads not guilty : DENIES IT. Just could not parse my own answer.
51. Soviet cooperative : ARTEL. We had this concept in China also. Not surprising. We copied lots of things from Soviet in those earlier years.
52. Loud salutes : SALVOS
55. Type of cell or cent : RED
56. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" constable : ODO. Learning moment to me.
61. [Uh-oh!] : GULP. [ ] hints that the answer is a sound.
62. Annual August golf tournaments, familiarly : PGAs
63. Classic theaters : RKOs. Not ODEON.
64. Aiming devices : SCOPES
71. Current king of Spain __ VI : FELIPE. His Australian wife is a fashion icon.
73. Silents star Negri : POLA. Just like TTP, I learned her name from doing crosswords.
74. Time to beware : IDES
75. Truth stretcher : LIAR
83. Rink legend : ORR
84. Tee sizes: Abbr. : SMs. OK, smalls
86. Done like Donne : POETIC. Simple in retrospect.
87. Rancor : SPITE
88. If it's orange, it's really black : PEKOE TEA. Read here. I never heard of Pekoe until I came to the US.
91. Physics unit : DYNE
92. Strengthen : BEEF UP. I'm a kind of Beef.
93. Race on the water : REGATTA. Also 114D. Zip (through) : SAIL
96. Kidney-related : RENAL
98. Match in size : FIT
99. Doo-wop band instruments : SAXES
102. After-hours : LATE
104. Hoods : THUGS
112. WWII bond designation : SERIES E. Unknown to me.
116. Carefree : FOOTLOOSE
119. Life partners : TRUE LOVES. Terrific stacks in this corner. I really hope Splynter finds his in 2016.
120. Snack in a stack : OREO
121. Nails the test : ACES IT
122. Doesn't have to ask about : GETS
123. Egg holder : NEST. Lovely clue.
124. Sign of boredom : YAWN
125. Techniques involving falsetto : YODELS
Down:
1. Texas city nickname : BIG D
2. About : IN RE
3. Some govt. lawyers : ADAs
4. "The Flying Dutchman" soprano : SENTA. Foreign to me.
5. Conclude with : END IN. I had END ON first.
6. One awaiting a cancellation : STAND-BY. Great clue.
7. Six-pack set : ABS
8. Two-balled weapon : BOLA
9. European cheese town : EDAM
10. Bar fruit : LEMON. D-Otto (Tom) also lost his brother John earlier this month. I can't picture a life without my brother.
11. Hook on : ATTACH
12. Warbled : TRILLED
13. Winery fixtures : VATS
14. Course-plotting "Star Trek" crewman : SULU
15. Simulated military exercise : WAR GAME
16. Chiwere speakers : OTOES
17. Bust measurements? : KILOS. Oh, I finally got it. Narc's bust.
18. Not a good thing to make : SCENE
22. Marine myth : MERMAID. Cute, isn't it?
24. "Goodness!" : MY MY
28. Traitor : RAT
30. Woman in a "Paint Your Wagon" song : ELISA. This girl always stumps me.
33. Simple rhyme scheme : ABAA
34. Veal __ : PARM. Never had it.
35. Largest of the Near Islands : ATTU. Gimme for Spitzboov. I drew a blank.
37. Purim month : ADAR
38. Like most zoo animals : WILD
40. La., once : TERR
41. Lincoln-to-Des Moines dir. : ENE
43. Give up : DESPAIR
44. Advantage to get : A LEG UP
46. Like talent, in a Geoff Colvin best-seller : OVER-RATED. Have any of you read the book?
48. Liquid courses : SOUPS
49. Not working : IDLE. Also 65. Monty Python co-founder : CLEESE
50. Beats : TOPS
53. Vanilla-flavored, as wine : OAKY
54. Machine displaying fruit symbols : SLOT. Rigged. You just can't win.
58. Go out with : DATE
59. CBS drama since 2000 : CSI
60. Spanish "that" : ESA. Our Korean vet neighbor Andy moved away to a nursing home. A Spanish-speaking family moved in.
61. Throws a fit : GOES APE
64. Iraq's __ City : SADR
67. W, vis-à-vis E : OPP
68. Don Knotts denial : NOOP
69. Too : ALSO
70. Open __ night : MIC
71. Disaster : FLOP
72. Where the Shannon flows : EIRE
76. Fishing, perhaps : ASEA
77. Interstellar dist. : LTYR (Light-year)
78. Berlin article : EINE
79. Canine attraction : SCENT
80. Annoy : MIFF
81. Decorative sewing case : ETUI. Long time no see!
82. Cabinet part: Abbr. : DEPT.
84. Phrase on a fortuneteller's business card : SEES ALL
85. Office conf. : MTG
89. Son of Agamemnon : ORESTES. Electra's brother.
90. Travelers' references : ATLASES
92. Rogers Centre player : BLUE JAY. Only one Hall-of-Famer in Blue Jay uniform.
94. Least likely to bite : TAMEST
95. Downed : ATE
97. "Sure, I get it" : AH SO. Yellowrocks knows Japanese. In Chinese, we tend to say "Ah, it is because of so" for the "Doh moment".
99. Magic center? : SOFT G. I figured it's G, but did not think of SOFT G.
100. Be gaga over : ADORE
101. Marked for deletion : X'D OUT
103. Relish : ENJOY
105. Artist El __ : GRECO
106. Located : SITED
108. Classic showdown time : NOON. "High Noon".
109. Went off the deep end : DOVE
110. Commercial prefix with "cell" : DURA. Duracell. Gluey entry.
111. Fish-eating duck : SMEW
113. Forum infinitive : ESSE
115. First responders, for short : EMTs
118. __ mot : BON
C.C.
