Sunday January 17, 2021 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:  "Hitting the Big Leagues" - Letter PRO goes backward inside each theme entry.

21A. *Discount ticket based on age: SENIOR PASS.

23A. *Raffle rewards, perhaps: DOOR PRIZES.

45A. *Avocado misnomer: ALLIGATOR PEAR.

69A. *Cause of some back pain: POOR POSTURE.

91A. *Pre-wedding bash: BACHELOR PARTY.

116A. *It's not 112-Across: MINOR POINT.

38D. *Building diagram: FLOOR PLAN.

53D. *Workforce: LABOR POOL.

Reveal:

119A. Leaving the amateur ranks, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: TURNING PRO.

I originally had eight entries. The total themage felt a bit slight to Rich, so I added one more.

I tried to intersect two theme sets. Alas, no luck. As usual, quite a few great clues are Rich's creation.

Across:

1. Splendid display: POMP.

5. Unable to decide: TORN.

9. Stare in wonder: GAWK.

13. Leaf through: SKIM.

17. Superlative prefix: UBER. Avoided the ride clue angle because I have another company closer by:  25. Sonata producer: HYUNDAI.

18. Quick attack: FORAY.

19. Causing the willies: EERIE.

20. Malek of "Mr. Robot": RAMI.  Won an Oscar in 2019 for playing Freddie Mercury.
 

26. Downed with an ax: HEWN.

28. Ration (out): METE.

29. Grain in granola: OAT.

30. Piece of cake: CINCH.

32. Acknowledge surreptitiously, maybe: NOD AT.

34. Pretender: PHONY.

36. Checking account lure: NO FEE. In Xi'an, even the street vendors accept mobile payment.

39. Mo. with dog days: AUG.

41. Winter's day outburst: BRR. Our road to the mailbox is so icy after the snow & rain mix last week.

42. Most capable: ABLEST.

44. One who gives a hoot: OWL.

48. Investigate again, as a cold case: REOPEN.

51. Itinerary abbr.: ARR.

52. "Gimme a minute": ONE SEC.

53. Part of a journey: LEG.

56. Gets by: DOES OK.

58. Downright or outright: DARNED. Rich's clue, of course!

60. Beer with a black eagle in its logo: TECATE.

62. Waze option: Abbr.: RTE.

63. Playground response: ARE SO.

65. Mexican buffet feature: SALSA BAR. The Palace Station buffet in Las Vegas is heavy on Mexican food. So fresh.

67. Trio for A-Rod and Trout: MVPS. Mike Trout. Angels.

72. Garden rodent: VOLE.

73. Lea Salonga, e.g.: FILIPINA.

75. Publisher Larry __, portrayal for which Woody Harrelson received an Oscar nomination: FLYNT. Rich's trivia as well.

76. IOC country code three before Qatar: POR. Portugal. And 36. Neighbor of Den.: NOR. Norway. Both Rich's clues.

77. Virtual alter ego: AVATAR.

78. Finds: DIGS UP.

81. Everest expert: SHERPA.

84. __ Diego Padres: SAN.

85. "The Irishman" Oscar nominee: PACINO. And 89. Many Oscar nominees: ACTORS. Pacino won one for "Scent of a Woman".

87. Encountered: MET.

94. Olive extract: OIL.

95. "See ya!": BYE BYE. Zai jian in Chinese.

97. Brouhaha: ADO.

98. Sweetie, in slang: BAE.

99. Twitch stream annoyance: DELAY.

101. Civil War general: MEADE.

102. Cried in the cornfield: CAWED.

104. Aficionado: MAVEN.

106. Squid's squirt: INK. Have any of you tried squid ink pasta?

107. Inquires: ASKS.

109. Exec's aide: ASST.

112. Having significant consequences: SERIOUS.

121. B-school subject: ECON.

122. Autobahn autos: AUDIS.

123. Layered veggie: ONION.

124. __ Millions: MEGA. The winning should be capped at $35K. Anything more is just trouble. I've mentioned to you before about how our old neighbor lost all his winnings plus his house. $35K can probably get you a decent SUV with a raisable passenger seat.

125. Puts in stitches: SEWS.

126. Part of a process: STEP.

127. Golf great Karrie: WEBB. Saw her in person once.

128. Asian laptop brand: ACER. Our monitor is Acer.

Down:

1. Promotional campaign: PUSH.

2. Follow: OBEY.

3. Channel guide, say: MENU. Our TV lost signal on January 6th. The DirecTV techs fixed it in the late afternoon. Then Boomer turned on the TV.

4. Hamlet, for one: PRINCE.

5. Like salves: TOPICAL.

6. "For You" co-singer Rita: ORA.

7. Impulsive: RASH.

8. Wall St.'s "Big Board": NYSE.

9. Nat __ Wild: cable channel: GEO.

10. Pizzeria allure: AROMA. Had my first pizza in Pizza Hut Guangzhou. Hawaiian pizza.

11. Bugs in cop shows: WIRETAPS.

12. Held on to: KEPT.

13. Hindu honorific: SRI.

14. Easy-to-play instruments: KAZOOS.

15. "To clarify ... ": I MEANT.

16. Not quite foggy: MISTY. Our Misty with her husband Rowland.

18. Hall of Fame quarterback Tarkenton: FRAN. With the Vikings.

19. Sitcom sewer worker: ED NORTON.  "The Honeymooners".

22. Garfield's frenemy: ODIE.

24. Supersedes: REPLACES.

27. Dallas Wings' org.: WNBA.

31. Grass-skirt dance: HULA.

33. Monotonous sound: DRONE.

35. Yachter's pronoun: HER.

37. Had to pay: OWED.

40. Building beam: GIRDER.

43. Ladybug or weevil: BEETLE.

45. "I'll take that as __": A NO.

46. Understanding: GRASP.

47. Feature of Japan's flag: RED SUN.

49. Watch dogs?: PET SIT. Rich's clue!

50. L.A.-to-Tucson dir.: ESE.

54. List-ending abbr.: ET AL.

55. "Chicago" star: GERE.

57. Unstable subatomic particle: KAON.

59. Spots for ski racks: ROOFS.

61. Romp: CAVORT.

64. Amp carrier: ROADIE.

66. Language __: ARTS.

67. Degs. for playwrights: MFAS.

68. Bounty rival: VIVA.

69. High seas concern: PIRACY.

70. Dry spell at the plate: SLUMP.

71. Blood bank category: TYPEA B.

74. Chicago NFL team's founder: PAPA BEAR. Nickname for George Halas. Rich's clue also.

76. Push-up target: PEC.

79. Marriage acquisition: IN LAW.

80. Alton Brown cooking show "Reloaded" in 2018: GOOD EATS.

82. Monetary trifle, in slang: HAY. Oh, OK, ain't hay.

83. La Scala highlight: ARIA.

86. Borrow from a library: CHECK OUT.

88. Disneyland shuttle: TRAM.

90. Sneaky: SLY.

91. Nap site: BED.

92. Engine parts: RODS.

93. One who scoffs at bagged pekoe, perhaps: TEA SNOB. I'm not one. I just prefer loose jasmine tea.

95. "No fighting!": BE NICE.

96. Informal "Get me?": YA KNOW.

99. Laura of "Big Little Lies": DERN.

100. Total mystery: ENIGMA.

101. Silent performers: MIMES.

103. Line to the audience: ASIDE.

105. Blood line: VEIN.

108. Retreats with peels: SPAS. Chemical peels.

110. Pack away: STOW.

111. Adjust for pitch: TUNE.

113. Crude cartel: OPEC.

114. Implore: URGE.

115. Go sky-high: SOAR.

117. Walk-__: small roles: ONS.

118. Quick drink: NIP.

120. Celery piece: RIB.

Here is the list of the frequently used abbreviations on our blog. Let me know the ones I should add to.  Just the ones specific to our blog, not common ones like YMMV, IMHO, OMG, etc.

C.C.