Sunday January 5, 2020 David Kwong

Theme: "Initial Offerings" - The initials of each three-word entry are also contained in each theme entry.
  
23. When the Commodore 64 computer was released: NINETEEN EIGHTY TWO. (Thanks, Owen).
     
30. World capital since 1931: NEW DELHI, INDIA. Steve traveled their for business once. Toxic smog.

52. 1982 Physical Tour singer: OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN.

67. "Excuse me ... ": PARDON THE INTERRUPTION.

85. What a shutout lowers: EARNED RUN AVERAGE.

104. Capital near Siena College: ALBANY,  NEW YORK. Two places in our theme set.

116. Highest grossing movie of 1980, with "The": EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I like EARNED RUN AVERAGE answer the best as ERA is an common abbreviations, very apt initial.

So nice to see David Kwong's byline. He's a magician and a fantastic crossword constructor.

Across:

1. Extra NHL periods: OTS.

4. Official order: EDICT.

9. Prefix suggesting savings: ECONO.

14. Weightlifting units: REPS.

18. Like a nonexistent chance: FAT.

19. Provides an excuse: ALIBIS. Did not know it's also a verb.

20. Queen Amidala's "Star Wars" home: NABOO. Forgot. We had this before. We also have 112. Lucas droid: ARTOO.

21. Rink move: AXEL.

22. Christmas buy: FIR.

26. Clean Air Act org.: EPA.

27. Eye drop: TEAR.

28. Looks for prints: DUSTS.

29. Driveway hoops game: H-O-R-S-E. Unfamiliar to me.

34. Bart Simpson's grandma: MONA. We see ABE more often.

35. One might be slipped: DISC.

36. California's Santa __ River: ANA.

37. Character who said about her father, "Yet he hath ever but slenderly known himself": REGAN. Sounds like Rich's clue.

40. Amigo of Fidel: CHE.

43. Doctrines: ISMS.

47. Tennis great: ASHE.

50. Hood: GANGSTER.

57. Corrida participant: TORO.

58. Bug: NAG.

59. Novel makeup: PROSE.

60. Prey for a Hauskatze: MAUS. Gimme for Spitzboov. Hauskatze is house cat in German. We also have 51. German town: STADT.

61. Starchy roots: TAROS. I love taros. You can find taro cakes in some dim sum places.

62. Card game shout: UNO.

63. "Cotton Candy" jazzman: HIRT (Al)

64. Defeat: LICK.

65. Low-pH stuff: ACID.

74. Son of Seth: ENOS.

75. "Gigi" playwright: LOOS (Anita)

76. Assures, as a win: ICES.

77. Cal Poly campus site, initially: SLO. OK, San Luis Obispo.

78. Zoo features: CAGES.

81. "Beloved" novelist Morrison: TONI.

82. Lab dish eponym: PETRI.

83. Give the chance to: LET.

84. Word on a bill: UNUM.

89. Place to get a lift: SKI SLOPE.

91. Aspiring atty.'s exam: LSAT.

92. Sushi roll wrap: NORI. I like these hand rolls. Sometimes I spread a thin layer of wasabi inside.

93. Camera move: PAN.

94. Ahead: ON TOP.

96. Personal quirk: TIC.

98. Org. giving G's and R's: MPAA.

102. Declines: EBBS.

110. Stiller's partner: MEARA.

114. Quick reminder: MEMO.

115. Hindu title: SRI.

120. X, at times: TEN.

121. Cut out: OMIT.

122. Attach with twine: TIE ON.

123. Unsettling looks: STARES.

124. Bread grain: OAT. Never tried oatmeal bread.

125. Living __: WAGE.

126. Professional gps.: ASSNS.

127. One of the vitals: PULSE.

128. With 87-Down, fairly: PRO. 87. See 128-Across: RATA.

Down:

1. Insult: OFFEND.

2. National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall site: TAIPEI. Gimme.

3. Soda shop supply: STRAWS.

4. Architect Saarinen: ELIEL.

5. Alice's cat: DINAH.

6. Andorra's region: IBERIA.

7. Op. __: CIT.

8. Half a fly: TSE.

9. Ho-hum feeling: ENNUI.

10. Type of salad: CAESAR.

11. Parting words?: OBIT.

12. Quaffs with punch: NOGS. Eggnogs.

13. Massage reaction: OOH.

14. Ersatz silk: RAYON.

15. Tool for removing broken screws: EXTRACTOR. Do you have this in your tool box, TTP/D-Otto?

16. Seats arranged in rows: PEWS.

17. Shrub with a purple fruit: SLOE.

19. Chip in a pot: ANTE.

24. Baseball Hall of Famer Roush: EDD.

25. Beachwear for the immodest: THONG.

31. Lowest multiple of CLI that fits in this space: DCIV. Wow, can anyone explain this to me?

32. Thunderstruck: IN AWE. I'm in awe of the above clue.

33. Creator of the GOP elephant: NAST (Thomas)

34. "Death in Venice" author: MANN.

38. Freudian topics: EGOS.

39. "Dilbert" cry: GAH.

41. Subway fare?: HERO.

42. God with a quiver: EROS.

44. Drawing tools: SIPHONS.

45. First quarterback to exceed 5,000 passing yards in a season: MARINO (Dan)

46. Derisive sounds: SNORTS.

48. Superfamily including gibbons: HOMINOIDS.

49. Makes into law: ENACTS.

52. "Movin' __": '70s-'80s sitcom theme song: ON UP.

53. "Smallville" character: LANA.

54. Horror film helper: IGOR.  "Young Frankenstein".

55. O.T. queen: ESTH.

56. Artful dodge: JUKE. Learning moment for me.

61. More under the influence: TIPSIER.

64. Soccer great Messi: LIONEL. FC Barcelona. Has anyone shopped via Rakuten?

65. Inverse trig function: ARCTAN.

66. Big name in tequila: CUERVO. Wiki says Jose CuervoIt is "the best-selling tequila in the world".

68. Thinks: DEEMS.

69. SpaceX CEO Musk: ELON. One of the Most Admired Men in 2019.

70. Nothing, in Nantes: RIEN.

71. Madonna's "La __ Bonita": ISLA.

72. Cassini of fashion: OLEG.

73. Reference book reference: NOTE.

78. Verge: CUSP.

79. "Lonely Boy" singer: ANKA.

80. Testing subject: GUINEA PIG. Nice fill.

81. Palm smartphone: TREO.

82. World leader who's a judo black belt: PUTIN.

85. Long times: EONS.

86. Pertinent: APT.

88. Frost-covered: RIMY.

90. Kind of pneumonia: LOBAR.

95. Benefactor: PATRON.

97. One of two in a crash: CYMBAL.

99. Recovery place: POST-OP.

100. Overdue debt more commonly pluralized: ARREAR. True

101. Quite a bit like: AKIN TO.

103. Shiny, in product names: BRITE. Love this lint roller.

105. Butcher shop cuts: LOINS.

106. __ choy: BOK. With oyster sauce.

107. Is closer to reaching: NEARS.

108. Run the show: EMCEE.

109. Bowl-shaped pans: WOKS.

110. "I'm ready to come in now": MEOW.

111. John's first partner on American TV's "The Avengers": EMMA (Peel)

112. Clearance item caveat: AS IS.

113. Highways: Abbr.: RTES.

117. Bus sched. letters: ETA.

118. FRA neighbor, to the IOC: ESP. France. España.

119. Onetime Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.

C.C.