22. First-aid kit brand: ACE BANDAGE.
24. Reprimanded: CALLED DOWN.
36. Liz Taylor's husband before Richard Burton: EDDIE FISHER.
39. One whose mouth shouldn't be examined?: GIFT HORSE.
56. Disloyal crimes: INSIDE JOBS.
62. One of three planetary motion principles: KEPLER'S LAW.
70. Raised a ruckus, say: MADE NOISE.
80. Source of zest: ORANGE PEEL.
84. What a texter usually expects: QUICK REPLY.
99. Donut ... or the consequence of eating too many of them?: SPARE TIRE.
104. Car on craigslist: USED VEHICLE.
118. Ways to detect fractured trapeziums: WRIST X-RAYS.
120. Restricted parking area, perhaps: YELLOW ZONE.
Quite often constructors can move theme entries around in the gridding process. Not today's grid though. AB/CD/... YZ dictated the strict order and put lots of pressure on Mark in his designing and filling process.
Except the middle M* N*, all the other entries are placed in the same row separated by one black square. This makes the theme gimmick easy to spot visually.
Across:
1. "College Football Live" channel: ESPNU.
6. Apple-order link: PIE.
9. Turner's device: LATHE. Turn-er.
14. Start-the-day ABC talk show, familiarly: GMA.
17. Govt. red tape reduction: DEREG. Deregulation.
18. Parched: ARID.
20. Burger add-on: ONION. I only like green onions.
21. Smooth, in a way: IRON.
26. More achy: SORER.
27. Harassed impertinently: HECKLED.
29. "Bolero" composer: RAVEL.
30. Palais resident: ROI. Palace.
32. Piece of land: TRACT.
34. Antipoverty agcy.: OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity.
35. "__ was I?": WHERE.
43. "__ there, done that!": BEEN.
44. Blowhard: GAS BAG.
46. NYC area above Houston Street: NOHO. North of Houston Street.
47. Nickname usually related to hair color: RED.
50. Drew __, Patriots' quarterback before Brady: BLEDSOE. Unknown to me.
52. Upscale retailer: SAKS.
64. Menlo Park initials: TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.
65. Opera outburst: BRAVO.
66. Green-lights: OKS.
67. __ Sketch: ETCH-A.
68. Ward (off): STAVE.
74. Song of worship: PSALM.
75. Indulge: HUMOR.
76. U.N. workers' agcy.: ILO. International Labour Organization.
77. Slow, on scores: LENTO.
79. Humdinger: PIP.
86. N.C. neighbor: TENN.
87. "Sacré bleu!" kin: MON DIEU. My god.
89. Extra NHL periods: OTS.
90. To the __: maximally: HILT.
91. Himalayan native: SHERPA.
95. Small cells: AAAS.
107. Jazz pianist Chick: COREA.
108. Can cover: LID.
110. Shop: STORE.
111. La. neighbor: TEX. Texas Tom. Chicago Tom. That's how Boomer and I discuss our two Toms at home.
112. One on a trail: HIKER.
113. Song title words before "for Miles": I CAN SEE.
116. Connection points: NODES.
124. Top-drawer: A ONE.
125. Nemo's creator: VERNE.
126. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE.
127. Words of domination: I RULE.
128. Waze ways: Abbr.: STS. Waze is the GPS navigation app. So sorry you missed the annual lunch, Agnes!
129. Dot in the ocean: ISLET.
130. Pampering place: SPA.
131. Components of fences: GATES.
Down:
1. Author LeShan: EDA.
2. Bama's conf.: SEC.
3. Act the chair: PRESIDE.
4. Mount from which Moses saw the Promised Land: NEBO.
5. Lorre's "Casablanca" role: UGARTE.
6. Two-time British Open champ Harrington: PADRAIG. Gimme for me.
7. Keogh plan rel.: IRA.
8. Pizzas slices, commonly: EIGHTHS.
9. Age of Reason philosopher: LOCKE.
10. Not digital: ANALOG.
11. Shower wall item: TILE. We'll probably cave in to Plumb Right to fix the bathtub and the tiles sometime next year.
12. Hang onto: HOLD.
13. OKC-to-Tulsa dir.: ENE.
14. Muppet prone to eschewing contractions: GROVER
15. Lawn machines: MOWERS.
16. Shakers founder: ANN LEE.
19. Not a good mark: DEE.
21. Sun Valley state: IDAHO.
23. Soft toy brand: NERF.
25. BBC time traveler: DR WHO.
28. Reef material: CORAL.
30. Hoops stat.: REB. OK, rebound.
31. Tribute in verse: ODE.
33. Breakaway nation: Abbr.: CSA.
37. Crucifix letters: INRI. Latin for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews".
38. Pulls back: EBBS.
40. Brit. police rank: INSP.
41. Trick: FOOL.
42. "... I __ wed": THEE.
45. "Wall Street" antagonist: GEKKO (Gordon) 48. Stefan of tennis: EDBERG. 53. Li'l Abner drawer: AL CAPP. 54. Poet Gibran: KAHLIL. A bit name heavy in a few Down spots.
49. __ Spiegel: German magazine: DER.
51. Arnaz-Ball studio: DESILU.
52. Bygone boomers: SSTS.
55. Like England's "the Fens": SWAMPY.
56. "Turn on the AC!": IT'S HOT.
57. Mother __: NATURE.
58. Low naval rank: SEAMAN. Our Spitzboov retired as a Commander.
59. Fruity spread: JAM.
60. Egg cells: OVA.
61. Able or full follower: BODIED.
63. Think tank output: REPORT.
66. Tokyo-born Yoko: ONO.
69. World Cup skiing champ Lindsey: VONN. Born here in St. Paul.
71. Perry of fashion: ELLIS.
72. Due times tre: SEI. 2 times 3.
73. Bus. letter insert: ENC.
78. Ref's call: TKO.
81. Send forth: EMIT.
82. __ sci: POLI.
83. __'acte: ENTR.
84. Q&A part, briefly: QUES.
85. Morales of "Jericho": ESAI.
88. Israeli prime ministers Barak and Olmert: EHUDS. And 101. Acting father and son: ARKINS.
90. Ticker: HEART.
92. Works on a lawn: RESEEDS.
93. Calif. summer hrs.: PDT.
94. "Anne of Green Gables" setting: AVONLEA.
96. Pantomimes: ACTS OUT.
97. Pub pint, perhaps: ALE.
98. __ symbol: SEX.
99. Pair in "awaken": SCHWAS. The two vowel sounds.
100. "Little grey cells" detective: POIROT.
102. Piece maker?: REESE.
103. Funny Boosler: ELAYNE.
105. Buck back?: EROO. Buckeroo.
106. Harry Potter's owl: HEDWIG.
109. Map within a map: INSET.
113. More than annoys: IRES.
114. Poet Sandburg: CARL.
115. Hurricane feature: EYE.
117. Cornell founder Cornell: EZRA.
119. Driving age in old Rome?: XVI. Drive a chariot.
121. Gloss target: LIP.
122. Div. with Braves: NLE. NL East.
123. Some RPI grads: EES.
Boomer
struggles with this back brace. We'll see if his doctor has other
options early next week. We're also going to meet with the radiation
oncologist next Friday for a consultation. Hopefully the radiation can
start the week after.
C.C.
