Sunday July 16, 2023 Zachary Schiff & Shannon Rapp

Theme: "You Don't Belong Here" - U is added to each famliar phrase.

21. Paid one's respects to Charlie Brown and Snoopy?: SALUTED PEANUTS. Salted peanuts.

31. Good name for a salon offering a sweet treat with every haircut?: DOS AND DONUTS. Dos and don'ts.

45. Tech for toddlers to play with?: FAUX MACHINES. Fax machine.

62. TV pilots that soar?: OUTSTANDING DEBUTS. Outstanding debts.

81. Like the birthday money from Grandma to a responsible kid?: SAVINGS BOUND. Savings bond.

96. Nice vengeful spirits?: FRENCH FURIES. French fries.

108. Discussion board with topics like "How to get back to your home planet"?: ALIEN LIFE FORUM. Alien life form.

To me, "You Don't Belong Here" suggests that "U" is removed from each phrase. Plus, we also have "Dos and Don'ts" as a theme entry. 

This might be our constructor. Congrats on your LAT debut, Zach!

Across:

1. Paintball garb: CAMO.

5. Mason jar, in a pinch: VASE.

9. Cape __: COD.

12. Pink quaff, informally: COSMO. Cocktail. And 17. Blonde brews: ALES.

18. Tightwad: MISER.

19. "Absolument!": OUI.

20. Playful back-and-forth: BANTER.

24. DeBose of "West Side Story": ARIANA. In yellow skirt. Also a talented singer.

25. Confessional music genre: EMO.

26. Low-power mode: SLEEP.

27. Bruins great Bobby: ORR.

28. Mete out: ALLOT.

29. Sack of old clothes, perhaps: DONATION. The mantra: Does It Spark Joy?

35. Profit opposite: LOSS.

36. Dakar's locale: SENEGAL.

37. "Save me __": A SEAT.

38. Trees used to make some Fender guitars: ALDERS.

41. Reggae kin: SKA.

42. Complete, as a PDF contract: E-SIGN.

44. General with a chicken dish: TSO. Try "lo mai gai". It's wrapped in lotus leaf. So good. Gai is Cantonese for "chicken".

49. Lawyer's gp.: ABA.

50. Link letters: HTTP.

51. Disney role for Kristen Bell: ANNA.

52. Loophole: OUT.

53. Select with care: CULL.

55. "Elf" actress Deschanel: ZOOEY.

57. Rapper MC __: REN. N.W.A (gangsta rap). "Straight Outta Compton". Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were in that group also.

58. "Better Call __": AMC drama: SAUL.

60. "I smell trouble": OH NO.

61. Goes "vroom": REVS.

67. "The Five Second Rule," e.g.: MYTH.

68. Fullness of flavor: BODY.

69. Dorm unit: ROOM. And 77. Not single-sex: CO-ED.

70. Balancing pro: CPA.

73. Exceptional: SUPER.

75. Cow house: BARN.

76. Calico coat: FUR.

78. "Language!" elicitor: CUSS.

79. Insurance market reform law, initially: ACA.

85. "Ready when you __!": ARE.

86. Is too sweet: CLOYS.

88. Sumi-e medium: INK. Sumi-e  is Japanese ink painting.

89. Takes in: LEARNS.

90. Soul singer Hutson: LEROY. Learning moment for me.

92. Blotchy: MOTTLED.

95. Journeys home?: MALL. Never visited this store.

98. Monty Python's "The __ of Silly Walks": MINISTRY.

102. Team race: RELAY.

103. "How bizarre": ODD.

104. Glue: PASTE.

105. Break ground?: HOE. OK, verb.

106. Cream container: CARTON.

111. Wilts: DROOPS.

112. The Guardians of the MLB, on scoreboards: CLE. Hi there, Janice! We also have 4. Brutus Buckeye's sch.: OSU. Also 63. Diamond experts: UMPS.

113. Sturdy: SOLID.

114. Glam gala: FETE.

115. Preserves, as beef: CORNS.

116. Slow start?: ESS. Slow.

117. Skin concern: CYST.

118. Many a new driver: TEEN.

Down:

1. Scoped out for a heist: CASED.

2. Budget rival: ALAMO.

3. Fruit served with prosciutto: MELON. Never had this. Cantaloupe?

5. TikTok uploads: VIDEOS.

6. Roaring Fork River city: ASPEN.

7. Ooze: SEEP.

8. Bullpen stat: ERA.

9. Tasting menu unit: COURSE.

10. "This is an __!": OUTRAGE.

11. Put down: DIS.

12. Aid in obtaining a Passport?: CAR LOAN. Honda Passport.

13. Soffritto ingredient: ONIONS. From Google: "Soffritto is an aromatic mix of diced onions, carrots, and celery gently cooked in olive oil or butter. In fact, the Italian word soffritto means “slightly-fried”. Sounds like the Louisiana holy trinity.

14. Oscar, for one: STATUETTE.

15. All eleven of "Ocean's Eleven": MEN.

16. British singer Rita: ORA.

18. Actress McCarthy: MELISSA.

20. Like worn-out tires: BALD.

22. Noisy weather event, briefly: T-STORM. If not for the Canadian wildfires, our weather here would have been perfect. Hazy at times.

23. Hands-up time: NOON.

28. Respond in an improv class: AD LIB.

30. Amazon Echo assistant: ALEXA.

31. Academic VIP: DEAN.

32. __ spray: NASAL.

33. Delicious: TASTY. I still dream of Liang Pi from time to time. Have not had it for over 21 years. Popular street food in my hometown Xi'an.

34. "Enough!": STOP.

36. Burlesque bit: SKIT.

38. Not even close: AFAR.

39. Road division: LANE.

40. "Beats me": DUNNO.

41. Only NFL coach with a perfect season: SHULA (Don)

43. Garden structure: GAZEBO. My neighbor has a gazebo in his yard.

46. Well-mannered: COUTH. Uncouth is more common.

47. Egg-laying mammal: ECHIDNA.

48. Like a beach-friendly day: SUNNY.

50. Podcast presenter: HOST. Don't always agree with Sam Harris, but I like him.

54. Roleo surface: LOG.

56. Egg cell: OVUM.

58. Eye sore: STYE.

59. Celestial: ASTRAL.

60. Stenches: ODORS.

61. Result of a corp. audit, perhaps: RE-ORG.

64. Org. that pits Grizzlies against Pelicans: NBA.

65. "__ on You": Luke Bryan hit: DRUNK.

66. Use a Brillo pad, say: SCOUR.

71. Ivy in Philly: PENN.

72. Puts into the mix: ADDS.

73. More reliable: SURER.

74. Problem not caused by the computer: USER ERROR. Nice fill.

75. Catfish habitat: BAYOU.

76. Discover: FIND.

77. Fire-walking materials: COALS. I just don't get this. Crazy.

78. Soleus muscle location: CALF.

80. Like jammies: COMFY.

82. Strives (for): VIES.

83. Not on the level: SLANTED.

84. Conviction: BELIEF.

86. One-eyed monster: CYCLOPS.

87. Goes for a walk: STROLLS. Windhover might visit me next year. He's 77 now. He and his wife Irish are still farming. Incredible!

91. Pickup capacity: ONE TON.

93. Straightens (up): TIDIES.

94. Journo's article opening: LEDE.

95. Fish out of water: MISFIT.

97. Composer Zimmer: HANS.  From Wikipedia: "Since the 1980s, Zimmer has composed music for over 150 films. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score for The Lion King (1994), and Dune (2021). His works include Gladiator, The Last Samurai, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Man of Steel, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and No Time To Die."

98. Sends off: MAILS.

99. Midafternoon: THREE.

100. Waze suggestion: ROUTE.

101. Red Sea country: YEMEN.

104. Cunning ruse: PLOY.

106. Yellow Book org.: CDC.

107. Like one in a queerplatonic relationship, for short: ARO. Short for "aromantic". The short form of "asexual" is ACE.  OK, from Google: Queerplatonic relationships may involve some forms of physical affection such as hand-holding, cuddling, kissing, or occasionally having sex. Sounds romantic to me.

108. Big name in bandages: ACE.

109. Foreign policy gp.: NSC.

110. Many a time, in verse: OFT.

C. C.