Theme: "First Cuts"- Saw can follow the first word in each theme answer.
27A. Something to deal with? : COPING STRATEGY. Coping saw. Another puzzle where the first themer starts in Row 4.
42A. Olympic sport since 1988 : TABLE TENNIS. Table saw.
67A. Music in a shell : BAND CONCERT. What's "in a shell"? Band saw.
96A. Mouse feature : SCROLL WHEEL. Scroll saw. This is new to me.
115A More than an idea : CONCRETE OBJECT. Concrete saw. New to me also.
14D. Domino effect : CHAIN REACTION. Chainsaw.
56D. Begging the question : CIRCULAR LOGIC. Circular saw.
Reveal:
119. A kind of one appears in this puzzle's seven longest answers : SAW
As I mentioned a few weeks ago that "we don't often see words that precede/follow theme type on Sundays.
They're mainly the early week domain.Not easy to get a "Go ahead" from
Rich with this type."
I'm not a tool person. When I googled those SAW images, DeWalt keeps showing up. They must be big.
Smooth sailing. The puzzle is solid made and the fill is quite clean. Reminds me of Gail's puzzles.
Across:
1. "Voilà!" : THERE!
6. Midday refresher : NAP. I wanted TEA.
9. "Monday Night Football" airer : ESPN
13. Note-to-self paper : SCRAP. I have lots of cute notebooks.
18. Dealt with a squeak : OILED
19. Busy as __ : A BEE
21. West Point mascot : MULE
22. ORD, on luggage tags : O'HARE. ORD stands for Orchard Field.
23. Clobbered, old-style : SMOTE. We just had it last Sunday.
24. Wine bottle info : YEAR. And 75. Red options, briefly : CABS. Cabernet.
25. Sticking point? : CRAW. Nice clue.
26. Hard to spot : FAINT. Not VAGUE.
30. Fence crossings : STILES
31. "We agree completely!" : AMEN!
32. Brewer's kiln : OAST
33. Pay attention to : HEED
34. Lady lobster : HEN
35. Like granola bars : OATY. Have any of you tried overnight oats? Mine has toasted coconut flakes mixed in, and various berries. So good.
37. Rene of "Nightcrawler" : RUSSO
38. Beyond belief : UNREAL
47. Sickly : WAN. Not ILL.
49. View from Catania : ETNA. Got via crosses.
50. It beat out Madrid as host city for the 2016 Olympics : RIO. Golf
is back to the Olympics after many years of absence. Alas, lots of
golfers skip it due to Zika. We also have 53. Dream Team org. : USOC
51. Unisex wrap : SARONG
52. Back : FUND
54. Sonoran flora : CACTI
55. Brand that evolved from Standard Oil of Indiana : AMOCO
57. Needles : TEASES
59. Bummed : MOOCHED. Not DEPRESSED.
61. Salon indulgence : MANI-PEDI. Don't think I can paint my big toe like this. Pro work.
64. Old hand : PRO
65. Tracy Marrow's stage name : ICE-T
66. Road or gang ending : STER
71. Carnival stop : ISLE. Carnival Cruise Line.
77. Organ with a drum : EAR
78. Thought-out : REASONED
80. Misery : ANGUISH
83. Coca-Cola brand : FRESCA. Not in our house. We're loyal to Pepsi.
86. Gale's 40, on the Beaufort scale : KNOTS. Tiny clue/answer dupe with 3D. Tie the knot on the fly : ELOPE.
87. Sam of "Jurassic Park" films : NEILL
88. Breyers shelfmate : EDY'S
90. Not effective : FUTILE
93. MLB line score letters : R H E (Runs, Hits, Errors)
94. Forum attire : TOGA
95. Air pressure meas. : PSI
98. Rudely sarcastic : SNARKY. Tricky for me to catch sarcasm at times.
100. Some entryways : RAMPS
103. Operate with a beam : LASE
104. Rapper __ Wayne : LIL
105. Falco of "The Sopranos" : EDIE
106. Certain language unit : SIGN. This refer to sign language, correct?
108. Montand of cinema : YVES
112. Make a decision : CHOOSE
118. Ladder units : RUNGS
119. Houston player, to fans : STRO. And 123. 119-Across, since 2013 : ALer (American Leaguer). Glue entry.
120. Penzance pad : FLAT. Got via crosses.
121. Site of Theban ruins : LUXOR. Also a casino in Vegas. Also an ex-Cornerite who liked to attack others. He might be lurking.
122. Paraplegic "Glee" teen : ARTIE. I think we had this clue a while ago.
124. Dog seller : DELI. Hot dog!
125. Artist with the album "25" : ADELE
126. Voting groups : BLOCS
127. "The Swiss Family Robinson" author : WYSS. I learned this while making a puzzle with Don G.
128. Barfly : SOT
129. "... your laments, / Wherewith you now __ King Henry's hearse": Shak. : BEDEW. This might be Rich's clue.
Down:
1. Puccini heroine : TOSCA
2. Sideline greeting : HI MOM
4. Vitamin A form : RETINOL. Ingredient in eye creams.
5. Steinbeck title place : EDEN. East of Eden.
6. Skeptic : NAYSAYER
7. Provides a false alibi for : ABETS
8. Rush drummer Neil : PEART. Splynter might have linked this picture before.
9. Handles the intros : EMCEES
10. Swells : SURGES
11. Trivialize : PLAY DOWN
12. Dvorák's "__ World Symphony" : NEW
13. Ease : SOFTEN
15. Training guide? : RAIL. Clever clue or a bit far-fetched?
16. "Rule Britannia" composer : ARNE
17. Strokes : PETS
20. Big time : ERA
28. "Ya __ believe!": 1973 Mets catchphrase : GOTTA
29. Like so : THUS
30. Avoid : SHUN
36. "Zeus and the Tortoise" storyteller : AESOP
37. Baltic port : RIGA
39. Permanently mark : ETCH
40. It will get you a hand : ANTE
41. Let go, with "off" : LAID
42. Mine vehicles : TRAMS
43. Point toward : AIM AT
44. Wilderness Road pioneer : BOONE (Daniel). Solving crosswords is how I learn American history.
45. Away : NOT IN
46. Nashville-to-Louisville dir. : NNE
48. Look up to : ADMIRE
52. Maidenhair, e.g. : FERN. I don't know it has a specific name: Maidenhair. Also 58. 52-Down cell : SPORE
54. Cedar Rapids college : COE
60. Numerical prefix : OCTA. Eight.
62. Drops back : EBBS
63. Short races : DASHES
68. Stand up to : DEFY
69. Diner and sleeper : CARS
70. Rhyme writer's Muse : ERATO. She loves our Owen!
72. Sleep soundly? : SNORE. Another great clue.
73. River in Hades : LETHE
74. Ranger of the '50s : EDSEL. I had to ask Boomer for explanation.
76. Suffer : AIL
79. Distorts : SKEWS
80. Hill builders : ANTS
81. Its atomic number is 10 : NEON. Is this a gimme for you? We had a terrifying chemistry teacher and I was scared to attend her class.
82. Prefix with byte : GIGA
84. Army E-7s : SFCs. OK, Sergeant First Class.
85. Despicable character : CUR
89. Forthwith : DIRECTLY. Do you use "forthwith" in your daily conversation? I just use "straightforward with".
91. Response to a doorbell : I'LL GET IT. Nice fill.
92. West Texas grassy plain : LLANO
95. Pulitzer-winning WWII journalist : PYLE (Ernie)
96. An article may be written on it : SPEC. On spec. Same with crossword puzzles.
97. 1968 #1 hit with a four-minute coda : HEY JUDE
99. Chocolate bites : KISSES. And 101. Loves a bunch : ADORES. Sweet.
102. Many nonvoters : MINORS
106. Nine-time Grand Slam singles champ : SELES
107. Author Calvino : ITALO
109. Nettled : VEXED
110. French school : ECOLE
111. Spread : STREW
112. Chesapeake delicacy : CRAB. If you had a choice, would you rather live near the beach or by the mountain?
113. Attack with, as insults : HURL
114. Not bamboozled by : ONTO
116. Outlying mail rte. : RFD
117. Prove untrustworthy, in a way : BLAB
C.C.
