Theme: "Fitting Jobs" - Each theme entry is punnily clued as if it's a suited job for the person in the clue.
25A. Fitting job for Will? : PROBATE JUDGE. Very fitting.
46A. Fitting job for Stu? : HASH HOUSE COOK
67A. Fitting job for Sue? : TRIAL ATTORNEY. The 11-letter TRIAL LAWYER works as a middle entry also.
90A. Fitting job for Roger? : RADIO OPERATOR
113A. Fitting job for Bette? : CASINO DEALER. Because Bette is close to Bet?
3D. Fitting job for Art? : MUSEUM GUIDE
70D. Fitting job for Miles? : TRUCK DRIVER. Or * PILOT.
Fun
theme! I like this type of theme where in the language phrases are
punnily re-interpreted. You need to be really imaginative and come up
with plenty of candidates for a workable set. Often constructors have
to discard a perfect entry due to wrong letter count.
Mark
took fully advantage of the low themeage (7 entries/85 squares) and
gave us another clean grid with six great 9-letter fill.
Across:
1. Places for reps : GYMS. Love an easy start.
5. Texter's "Mercy me!" : OMG
8. National park near Bar Harbor : ACADIA. Got via crosses.
14. Make the grade : RATE
18. Été month : AOUT. August. Not a good time to visit Paris. Some shops are closed.
19. By way of : VIA
20. Hard work : LABORS
21. Official order : EDICT
23. Bit of trickery : RUSE. And 84. Bit of physics : ATOM
24. Some urban commuter lines : ELS
27. Would rather : PREFERS TO
30. Pipe piece : ELL
31. Anchor in a race : GO LAST
32. Strange craft : UFOs
33. 2001 Audrey Tautou title role : AMELIE. Lovely movie. She works at a cafe in Montmartre.
35. Warble : TRILL
36. White-coated critter : ERMINE
38. Time lines, perhaps : X-AXES. Also got via crosses.
39. Value of a Benjamin : ONE C
40. "Sesame Street" network : PBS
43. Greyhound, e.g. : DOG. Not BUS.
44. Hasselblad product : SLR Not familiar with Hasselblad. Wiki says it's a Swedish camera maker.
49. "Parlez-__ français?" : VOUS. Third French reference.
51. Whitman's dooryard bloomers : LILACS
53. Makes a choice : OPTS
54. Promising : ROSY
55. Fennel-like herb : ANISE. I call it spice. It's one of the ingredients in Chinese Five-spice powder. Star anise.
57. Birdhouse creation : NEST
58. Stinging remarks : OWs
59. Sign of life : PULSE
60. Create a new look for : RE-DESIGN
62. Georgia, for one : FONT. The default font of our blog. I was thinking of SSRS.
64. Notable periods : ERAS
66. Darken, say : DYE
70. Fed. power agcy. : TVA
73. Spotted : SEEN
74. Gothic cathedral feature : ARCH
75. Not for the masses : ESOTERIC. Sparkly fill.
77. Long accounts : SAGAS. Not TALES.
80. Tournament pass : BYE
81. Seesaw sitter of song : ESAU. Never heard of this. "Esau Wood sawed wood".
83. Beneficial : OF USE
85. Hayride perch : BALE
87. Inveterate critic : SNIPER. New meaning to me.
89. Entom. and geol. : SCIs
93. Archaeologist's project : DIG. The dig in my hometown.
95. Colorful pond fish : KOI
96. Supplement, with "to" : ADD
97. Bunch : SLEW
98. Workbench grippers : VISES
100. "You __ worry" : NEEDN'T
102. Eponymous chair maker : EAMES (Charles). Nailed it.
104. University lecturer : DOCENT
105. Dallas Cowboys logo : STAR
106. One with a flat to fix, maybe : LESSOR. Not flat tire. Apartment.
108. Body art, slangily : INK. Not TAT.
109. Is more efficient : SAVES TIME
117. Icky stuff : GOO
118. English : John :: Slavic : __ : IVAN
119. Hardly eager anticipation : DREAD
120. Ill-tempered : ORNERY
121. Keebler spokesman : ELF
122. Peter on piano : NERO
123. Phishing targets: Abbr. : SSNs
124. Hockey rink area : CREASE
125. Rapper Mos __ : DEF
126. Became : GREW
Down:
1. Williams title role : GARP. Robin William. "The World According to Garp".
2. The Isley Brothers' "It's __ Thing" : YOUR
4. She kept Martina from winning a seventh straight Wimbledon in 1988 : STEFFI
5. Pitch too eagerly : OVERSELL
6. Thickness units : MILs. Got via crosses also.
7. It's paid at pumps : GAS TAX
8. Swiss landscape feature : ALP
9. Negligent : CARELESS
10. Get rid of : ABOLISH
11. Paso __: two-step dance : DOBLE. Double.
12. George's lyricist : IRA
13. Puerto Rico hrs. : AST
14. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" verb : REJOICE
15. "Never __ moment!" : A DULL
16. Clam-digging area : TIDAL POOL. Never dug clams before. Looks cold.
17. Ticker tapes, for short? : ECGs. Nice clue.
22. Vietnamese holiday : TET. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival. Next year it falls on Jan 28.
26. Barnum "attraction" : EGRESS. Googled afterward. Turns out it's just an exit sign.
28. Seemingly forever : EONS
29. Plains people : OMAHAS
34. Common mass transit requirement : EXACT FARE
35. Flanged fastener : T-NUT
36. Composer Grieg : EDVARD
37. TV pundit who wrote "Years of Minutes" : ROONEY. Boomer really liked Andy Rooney.
39. "My bad!" : OOPS
41. Order (around) : BOSS
42. Scottish isle : SKYE
45. Celebrate, as the new year : RING IN
47. Bookstore section : HOW TO. What's the last time you visited a bookstore? We also have 59. Check words : PAY TO
48. French vineyards : CRUs
50. Atlanta-to-Miami dir. : SSE
52. Olin of "Chocolat" : LENA
56. __ Park, Colorado : ESTES
58. Precisely : ON THE NOSE. Another great fill.
61. Wrath : IRE
63. Needing no Rx : OTC
64. Came after : ENSUED
65. Early 20th-century car : REO
68. Atmosphere component : LAYER
69. Bring in : REAP
71. TV component? : VISION. Letter V. Also 106. TV screen type : LCD
72. Does the job perfectly : ACES IT
73. Scandinavian natives : SAMI. Glad it's not LAPP/LAPPS. See here why LAPPS is now regarded as derogatory.
76. Scruffy couple? : EFS
77. First name in desserts : SARA
78. Slightly : A TAD
79. Nike and Demeter : GODDESSES
80. Gusted : BLEW
82. "Odyssey" threats : SIRENs
85. Ravel classic : BOLERO
86. Tarzan's foster family : APES
87. Places for prices : STICKERS. I bought a huge Kobocha at the farmer's market last week for $3. The smaller ones are $1/each. They look ugly, but they're creamy and sweet. Just like acorn squash.
88. Lightly wash : RINSE OFF
91. 1970 self-titled pop album : OSMONDS. Unknown to me. No Marie?
92. "Anne of Green Gables" town : AVONLEA
94. Becomes : GETS
99. Produced : STAGED
101. Having lunch : EATING. My lunch the past few days: Kobocha Udon.
103. Like most people : ASIAN
104. Veteran telejournalist Sawyer : DIANE
107. Corn units : EARS
110. Mouselike critter : VOLE
111. Former filly : MARE
112. "I must not think there are / Evils __ to darken all his goodness": Shak. : ENOW
114. Dopey comrade : DOC. My dad's colleges were all his "comrades". Now people use "Mr." instead. I miss the pre-1989 China. Miss the way we were.
115. Miscalculate : ERR
116. Reuben basic : RYE
C.C.
