Theme: "Nowhere"- Parse it as No W Here. W is removed from each theme entry.
23A. Black kitten crossing your path? : LITTLE WOMEN. Little Women.
34A. Transgressions timeline? : THE WAGES OF SIN. The wages of sin. Not a familiar phrase to me.
49A. Matching food containers? : IDENTICAL TWINS. Identical twins.
64A. New England proceedings concerning allergic reactions? : SALEM WITCH TRIALS. Salem Witch Trials.
86A. Cheating millionaire? : WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Wheel of Fortune.
99A. Tony Soprano's quilt? : DOWN COMFORTER. Down comforter.
14A. Wrigley's in-house hip-hop group? : GUM WRAPPERS. Gum wrapper.
There are no stray W's in this whole grid. Very nice.
I
think this is Robyn Weintraub's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations,
Robyn! It's a beauty. Only 138 words. No cheater squares. In a grid like
this, you'd expect a few obscure abbrs or boring EST/ER ending fill,
but all her long fill (8+) shine, some intersect or parallel another
long fill, or both. Just amazing.
Across:
1. Where there's smoke : FLUE. Not FIRE.
5. Happy, in Juárez : FELIZ. Happy Año Nuevo! Any of you were born in the Year of the Rooster? (1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005...). This site says "Rooster is almost the epitome of fidelity and punctuality." True for Argyle (1945), who's a Rooster.
10. They go with the flow : RAFTS. Nice clue.
10. They go with the flow : RAFTS. Nice clue.
15. Misplace : LOSE
19. Ninth Greek letter : IOTA. I used to have a cheat sheet.
20. Girl who obeyed 4-Down : ALICE. And 4. Fictional words written in currants : EAT ME
21. Courtier in "Hamlet" : OSRIC
22. Gem for some Libras : OPAL. I'm not into this birthstone thing.
25. Wedding registry category : CHINA
26. Old TV knob : VERT. Don't feel TV is enough of an Abbr. hint.
27. Aftershock : TREMOR
28. Exhilarating : BRISK
30. Princess Peach creator : NINTENDO. Needed crossing help.
32. Words often etched in stone : HERE LIES
36. Villain Luthor : LEX
37. "Boston Legal" co-star : SHATNER (William)
38. Name change indicator : NEE
39. It's done in Paris : FINI
43. Superfund agcy. : EPA
45. Clears : RIDS
46. Bad-mouthed : DISSED
53. Summer getaway : COTTAGE. Nice and quiet.
54. Worked one's fingers to the bone : SLAVED
55. One may be jam-packed : JAR. So simple in retrospect.
56. Angler's shout : GOT ONE. Also 39. 56-Across object : FISH.
We used to catch carp in the small lake near our home. Carp is a
popular dish in Asia. We steam it. Then sprinkle with slices of green
onions & ginger, which are marinated in a sweet soy sauce.
58. Dept. head : MGR
59. Straight : HETERO
60. Biblical prophet : AMOS. Got via crosses.
62. Medium power? : ESP
63. It feels like forever : AEON
69. Indication to stop playing : REST. Musical rest.
72. Letters for 94-Across : AKA. 94. Crook's creations : ALIASES
73. Get the message : HEAR
74. Brand whose ads feature alpenhorns : RICOLA
78. Pipe plastic : PVC
79. Arms treaty subjects, briefly : N-TESTs
82. 2001 boxing biopic : ALI
83. Went on and on : DRONED
84. Places for reflection : MIRRORS. This clue makes me smile.
89. Doc's pal : SLEEPY. Seven Dwarfs. Same letter count as SNEEZY.
90. Kings, e.g. : BEDS
91. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE
92. Go across : SPAN
93. Canal site : EAR
96. Gardner of old Hollywood : AVA
102. Emergency supplies delivery point : DROP ZONE. Followed by another 8: 107. Area of severe industrial decline : RUST BELT
108. Brainless : INANE
110. Like typical laundromats : COIN-OP
111. First century Roman emperor : OTHO. Newbies probably want OTTO.
112. When "eye of newt" is mentioned in "Macbeth" : ACT IV
116. It could be fishy : ODOR
117. Feudal lord : LIEGE
118. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty : O'DOUL. Way before my time. There's another Lefty in baseball. Lefty Grove. Pitcher.
119. __ facto : IPSO
120. Nursery stock : POTS
121. Fountain fare : SODAS
122. Tweeting locales : NESTS. We also have 7. Branches : LIMBS
123. IRS agents : T-MEN
Down:
1. Laundry challenge : FILTH. Not STAIN or GRIME.
2. Chateau-dotted valley : LOIRE
3. Consummate : UTTER
5. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE
6. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp. : ELO
8. Bakery artist : ICER
9. Apex : ZENITH
10. Speeding : ROCKETING. Never used the verb form of ROCKET.
11. Camel debris : ASH. Not the desert animal.
12. Peripheries : FRINGES
13. Even smaller : TINIER
14. Digitizes, in a way : SCANS
15. Affectionate celebration : LOVEFEST
16. "Let me in," facetiously : OPEN SESAME. Two gorgeous entries side by side.
17. Restaurateur with an honorary Tony : SARDI (Vincent). Unaware of this fact, though I do know Sardi's is the birthplace of Tony Awards.
18. "The Lion King" co-composer John : ELTON
24. Lounge about : LOLL
29. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI
31. Marquee time : TONITE. Also got via crosses.
33. Biz bigwig : EXEC
35. Conclusion beginning : AND SO
37. Hero material? : SALAMI. Think of Sandwich whenever you see Hero with a ?
40. Frivolous : IDLE
41. Like a pin? : NEAT
42. Get some Intel, say : INVEST. Intel stock. Also 44. Undercover attire? : PAJAMAS. Two great clues.
46. Longtime "SNL" announcer : DON PARDO. Not often we see his full name.
47. Freezer aisle breakfast brand : EGGO
48. "Jurassic Park" co-star : DERN (Laura)
50. Prefix with hertz : TERA
51. Blind reverence : IDOLATRY. Banned in Islam. But so many boys are called Muhammed.
52. Relaxed pace : TROT
53. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI
57. Scare stiff : TERRIFY
61. Destination for many srs. : SCH. I was thinking of Florida.
63. Natty neckwear : ASCOTS
65. Just about makes, with "out" : EKES
66. Get better : HEAL
67. Raptor features : TALONS
68. NYC line to the Hamptons : LIRR
69. Record speeds, for short : RPMS (Revolutions Per Minute)
70. Really bad : EVIL
71. Picture of a picture : SCREENSHOT. Got via crosses, despite grabbing screenshots for all my blogging posts.
75. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme : ON UP
76. Contemporary of Ella : LENA (Horne)
77. Mideast seaport : ADEN
79. "Piece o' cake!" : NO PROB!
80. His and hers : THEIR. The clue is asking for THEIRS, no?
81. Calming agents : SEDATIVES. Boomer is now calming his foot nerve problem with Scotch tape. I'm amazed that it works. He also rubs the Therapeutic Blue Ice Gel on his legs for the sciatic nerve pain. He does it every time before he goes bowling. It stinks, but again, it works for him. Similar to below bottle, but Health Smart brand. Boomer gets his at the Dollar Store.
85. Powerful power sources : REACTORS
87. Ruhr Valley city : ESSEN
88. Cause of white knuckles : FEAR
90. Fixed, as one's lipstick : BLOTTED. How many lipsticks do you think an average woman own?
94. Union union : AFL-CIO
95. Christopher Paolini fantasy best-seller : ERAGON. Friendly letter combo. I always want DRAGON.
97. They may be recorded separately : VOCALS
98. Each : A POP
99. Succumb to gravity : DROOP
100. Surpass : OUTDO
101. Board with a room? : MEALS. Another tricky clue.
102. Reps' promotions : DEMOS
103. "Not another word!" : ZIP IT!
104. Latish lunch hr. : ONE PM
105. Like the mythological Aesir-Vanir War : NORSE
106. HP competitor : EPSON
109. Hosiery shade : NUDE. No ECRU today.
113. Supermarket chain with a red-and-white logo : IGA. Never been to one.
115. Hard thing to get out of : RUT
C.C.
