24A Software update strategies? : VERSION TACTICS. Diversion tactics.
36A. Counsel offered by Carlo Rossi? : VINE GUIDANCE. Divine guidance.
54A. Dream about childbirth? : VISION OF LABOR. Division of labor.
67A. Views about poetry? : VERSE OPINIONS. Diverse opinion.
86A. Reminded guests that certain casual attire is required? : STRESSED JEANS. Distressed jeans.
99A. Uncompromising boss? : STRICT LEADER. District leader.
118A. Mastering a basic golf lesson? : STANCE LEARNING. Distance learning.
This is such a consistent & tight set. Notice how the new words and the original words share no roots at all?
Gail is a true master. She just makes things look easy.
Across:
1. Financial smartphone download : ATM APP. Also 112. Smartphone display : TIME
7. Vague feeling : VIBE
11. Shot spot : ARM
14. Take up or let out : ALTER
19. More profound : DEEPER
20. Attention-getting type: Abbr. : ITAL
21. Gunk : GOO
22. Russian bread : RUBLE. Here's the real bread. Black bread.
23. Crooner Vic : DAMONE
27. Urban view obscurer : SMOG
28. Action-filled : SLAM-BANG. Great fill.
30. Get by succession : INHERIT
31. Stand in a loft : EASEL. Noun "Stand". And 47. State secrets? : RAT. Verb "State".
33. Title absentee : GODOT. Waiting for Godot.
35. Bridge installer's deg. : DDS. Dental.
42. Map in a map : INSET
45. Ristorante suffix : INI
46. Pursued : TRAILED
48. Container with slats : CRATE
52. Recommend : ADVISE
57. What alibis may be : LIES
58. Series of rings : PEAL
60. Ultra-secret org. : NSA
61. Like yoga devotees : LIMBER. Also 91. Yoga pose : ASANA. Hi there Lucina!
62. Naval strength : SEA POWER
65. Co-host Shapiro of "All Things Considered" : ARI
66. Celeb's freebie : VIP PASS
71. "That film is awful" : I HATE IT. Two great 7-letter fill in a row.
75. '60s-'80s Brit. sports car : MGB
76. Frozen fruit-flavored snack : OTTER POP. Favorite snack of D-Otto's dad.
81. Soda purchases : LITERS
82. 1999 Moviefone acquirer : AOL
83. Fluency : EASE
85. Normal beginning? : PARA. Paranormal.
89. Baseless accusation, to an alleged perp : BUM RAP. Snazzy!
92. Pic for a doc : MRI
93. "Dig in!" : LET'S EAT. Here is the recipe of my Eight Treasure Congee. Have any of you cooked red rice before? I just bought a bag of Lundberg red rice at Walmart. I presume it's the same way we cook wild rice.
96. When Le Havre heats up : ETE
97. Run through a reader : SWIPE. Scanner. Not you. We also have 5. Writer : PEN. Write-r.
101. Break down : SOB
104. Mar. parade honoree : ST PAT
106. Shake awake : ROUST
107. Taking in a sunrise, say : UP EARLY. I'm an early riser.
110. Crowd control weapons : RIOT GUNS
114. Headquarters : BASE
120. Golfer's starting point : TEE BOX
122. Salon dye : HENNA
123. Scepter top, perhaps : ORB
124. Salon, for one : E-MAG. You can find many old Life magazines at flea market for a dollar.
125. Not leave to chance : ENSURE
126. Concepts : IDEAS
127. They're often grad students : TAs
128. Wraps (up) : SEWS
129. Went bad : ROTTED. Traditional Chinese black bean sauce is made of fermented black soy beans that smell bad to the uninitiated. My grandma never put garlic in her sauce. So I never put it in mine either.
Down:
1. Throws into the mix : ADDS
2. Group with lineups : TEAM
3. Exec's reminder : MEMO
4. Orbital high point : APOGEE. Learned from doing crosswords.
6. Put the squeeze on : PRESSURE
7. "The Four Seasons" composer : VIVALDI
8. It might follow a bullet : ITEM. Bullet point.
9. Zinger : BARB
10. "Frozen" princess : ELSA. Also 71. Rick calls her "kid" : ILSA
11. Disco phrase : A GOGO
12. Pal of Harry : RON. Harry Potter
13. Summon silently : MOTION TO
14. St. Louis landmark : ARCH. Been there for a short time. Never saw the Arch.
15. Renaissance instrument : LUTE
16. 1954 Ford debut : T-BIRD
17. Legendary Spanish hero : EL CID
18. Intervals of inactivity : RESTS
25. "Picnic" playwright : INGE
26. Queen's subjects : ANTS. Can't fool me any more.
29. Princess from Alderaan : LEIA
32. Spy-fi figs. : AGTs
34. Grammy-winning singer Krall : DIANA. Wife of Elvis Costello.
36. Medical containers : VIALS
37. Common film festival entry : INDIE
38. Skin lotion brand : NIVEA
39. Menlo Park middle name : ALVA. Edison.
40. Justice Gorsuch who replaced Antonin : NEIL
41. DJ's stack : CDs
43. 8/21/2017 celestial event : ECLIPSE. It was quite cloudy that day. So I did what Trump did. Look at the sun directly.
44. Vagabond : TRAMP
47. Violinist's need : ROSIN
49. Quartet named for its members : ABBA
50. They're usually seen with sandals : TOES. Cute.
51. Miscalculates : ERRS
53. Connection method: Abbr. : ISP
55. Cross inscription : INRI
56. Spark producer : FLINT
58. Apt to mouth off : PERT
59. Critical care ctrs. : ERs
63. Supervised : OVERSAW
64. Houdini's family name : WEISS. Unknown to me.
65. BOLO equivalent : APB. Be on the lookout.
66. Popular __ : VOTE
68. Expressive online image : EMOJI. "Hey, I just met you.... " This is so sweet.
69. Take in the wrong way? : OGLE
70. Apple mobile platform : IOS
72. Google successes : HITS
73. Quattro competitor : ATRA
74. Cold weather word : TEENS. Mall walk time. Grateful for the Springbrook Nature Center this summer. So quiet and meditative. No dogs. No bikes. No cameras allowed either.
77. Turntable letters : RPM
78. Took a little off : PARED
79. Give a keynote, say : ORATE
80. Morning read : PAPER. Important part of our morning.
82. TV spot seller : AD REP
83. U.S. dept. with a windmill on its seal : ENER
84. Wine city near Turin : ASTI
87. Unimproved property : EMPTY LOT
88. In-flight fig. : ALT
89. Railing feature : BALUSTER. Learning moment for me.
90. Western natives : UTES
94. Earl with a three-finger banjo-picking style named for him : SCRUGGS
95. Berkshire boarding school : ETON
98. Castaway's home : ISLE
99. Foment, with "up" : STIR
100. If all goes right : AT BEST
101. Rolls with rice : SUSHI. My favorite. Eel sushi.
102. Withdrew, with "out" : OPTED
103. "Moneyball" baseball exec Billy : BEANE. Played by Brad Pitt.
105. Mettlesome mounts : ARABS
108. Paquin of "True Blood" : ANNA
109. Pioneering TVs : RCAs
111. Column on the right : ONES
113. Nibble : GNAW
115. Be flush with : ABUT
116. Ill-tempered : SORE
117. Struck (out) : EX'ED
119. Period that may be named for a president : ERA
121. "Lux" composer Brian : ENO
