Sunday August 13, 2023 Matthew Stock

Theme: "Blood Bank" - Four different blood type letters are added then removed from each common phrase.

23. Excuse for a presidency's shortcomings? (A+): FAILING CABINET. Filing cabinet.

33. Where Parisians get their newspapers? (A-): LE MON(A)DE STANDS. Lemonade stands.

49. Oscar the Grouch's backing instrumentalists? (B+): GARBAGE BAND. Garage band.

53. Angry tennis player, perhaps? (B-): (B)RACKET BUSTER. Bracket buster.

74. Barista-inspired dessert? (O+): AMERICANO PIE. American Pie.

76. Warmup stretches at a company retreat? (O-): STAFF L(O)UNGES. Staff lounges.

91. Excited cry when the shellfish course finally arrives? (AB+): ABALONE AT LAST. Alone at last.

106. Reason so many classic songs are earworms? (AB-): OLD H(AB)ITS DIE HARD. Old habits die hard.

The orderly  + and - letter placement makes the theme easier to spot and adds elegance to the puzzle execution. The letter hints in the clues are probably not needed for our blog regulars, but novice solvers need the extra hint.

Across:

1. Uses a treadmill: RUNS.

5. Many a personal website: BLOG. Can you see that guy in hard hat?

9. Apple player: IPOD.

13. Deceives: LIES TO.

19. "Am __ loud?": I TOO.

20. Spanish tender: EURO.

21. Purple pet in old cartoons: DINO. "The Flintstones". Wikipedia has a pink one.

22. Turn over: INVERT.

26. Antenna: FEELER.

27. Fencing move: THRUST.

28. Distribute: ALLOT.

29. Sales agt.: REP.

30. Music producer Brian: ENO.  Ambient music.

31. Geopolitical alliance: BLOC.

37. Bagel feature: HOLE.

39. Cover story piece?: ALIAS. Great clue.

41. Jet stream heading: EAST.

42. Bit of sunlight: RAY.

43. __ au lait: CAFE.

44. Tight end Rob with four Super Bowl rings, familiarly: GRONK. Gronkowski. Played with Tom Brady for many years.

45. Siddhartha __: the Buddha: GAUTAMA.

47. Wisecracking extraterrestrial of 1980s TV: ALF.

48. Riot: HOOT.

57. Top __: TEN.

58. Milne character who likes to swing on Tigger's tail: ROO.

59. Cook quickly, as vegetables: BLANCH. Authentic Cantonese veggies are often blanched.

60. Fraud: SHAM.

61. Parting exchanges: BYES.

63. Subway Series side: METS.

64. "I guess that works": UMM OK.

65. Menial worker: PEON.

66. "Family __": FEUD.

67. "Tut-tut" evokers: NO NOS.

68. Yardstick's three: FEET.

69. Brink: CUSP.

70. __ chic: GEEK.

71. Oscar-nominated film about a South Korean family in rural Arkansas: MINARI. That green plant is called minari.

72. 34-Down opposite: FAR. 34. 72-Across opposite: NEAR.

73. Space-saving bed: COT.

80. Button on some scales: TARE. The ramen sauce is also called TARE.

81. Above, in odes: OER.

82. "Agreed": I CONCUR.

83. Moved furtively: SLUNK.

85. Short lunch orders?: BLTS.

86. Knee part, for short: ACL.

88. "Keep this private" docs: NDAS.

89. Handsome, in Honduras: GUAPO. Hombre.

90. Keep afloat: BUOY.

94. Give voice to: EMIT.

96. Confer knighthood on: DUB.

97. Mess up: MAR.

98. Nonspecific category: OTHER.

100. Window-switching shortcut: ALT TAB.

104. Used a loom: WEAVED. This loom is just like my grandma's. Everything I wore before I was 10 was handmade. Rough fabric.

109. Put forth: ALLEGE.

110. Small sled: LUGE.

111. Ardent: AVID.

112. Aretha Franklin's gospel/soul-singing sister: ERMA.

113. Some Ethiopian Christmas celebrants, for short: RASTAS.

114. __ so slightly: EVER.

115. Honor roll stats: GPAS.

116. Overly curious: NOSY.

Down:

1. Fault: RIFT.

2. Capitol Reef National Park setting: UTAH.

3. Spider-Man __: monochromatic comic book character: NOIR. Learning moment for me.

4. Like sugar in water: SOLUBLE.

5. Square meal?: BENTO. Bento boxes are often in square shape. We also have 83. Dinner rolls?: SUSHI.

6. Schlep: LUG.

7. Large part of a pod: ORCA.

8. Hold nothing back: GO ALL IN.

9. The bee's knees and the cat's meow: IDIOMS.

10. Old Ford named for a horse: PINTO.

11. Solid yellow ball: ONE. And 67. Striped yellow ball: NINE.

12. On the __: DOT.

13. Infancy, adolescence, etc.: LIFE STAGES.

14. Hardly handy: INEPT.

15. Night before: EVE.

16. One-named Tejano singer: SELENA. Played by J-Lo.

17. Hot now: TRENDY. Everyone and her mom seem to be wearing this Lululemon crossbody bag now.

18. Others, in Oaxaca: OTROS.

24. Key in the sea: ISLE.

25. Not optimistic: BLEAK.

29. Said again: RE-STATED.

32. Legume used in vegan chocolate: CAROB.

35. Apply messily: DAUB.

36. Many an Emirati: ARAB.

37. Lamb eaten on Eid, e.g.: HALAL MEAT. I also like 38. Heard but not seen, maybe: OFF-CAMERA. 43. Those with a driving passion?: CAR BUFFS. 50. Sport that encourages horsing around?: ARENA POLO. 51. Infamy: NOTORIETY. 62. Crack some jokes: YUK IT UP. 84. Infielder's untimely move: LATE TAG. And 85. "Plot twist ... ": BUT THEN. Just great fill.

40. Some sacred flowers: LOTUSES. I love lotus roots.

44. Post-punk subculture: GOTH.

45. Long-nosed fish: GAR.

46. Gents: MEN.

48. "Consarn it!": HECK.

49. Special find: GEM.

52. Spycraft files: DOSSIERS.

54. Massage target: KNOT. Oh I need this for my left shoulder. Wendy, do you think "high elbow" when you pull and recover?

55. Selling point?: SHOP.

56. Sun-kissed: TAN.

61. Taproom offering: BEER.

63. Stereo alternative: MONO.

65. Sedate: PUT UNDER.

66. Extra charge: FEE.

69. Portico pillars: COLONNADES.

70. Buicks, e.g.: GMS.

71. Indicator: MARK. Shout out to this Mark, Nina's husband.

73. Banned refrigerant, for short: CFC. OK, it stands for "chlorofluorocarbon".

74. __ Lingus: AER.

75. Riverside rental: CANOE. And 79. Sailor's boon: GUST.

77. "__ in the blanks": FILL.

78. ESPNU focus: NCAA.

86. Mamá's mamá: ABUELA.

87. Plot-makers: CABALS. Conspiracy.

89. Assemble: GATHER.

90. Acrimony: BILE.

91. Pitching duel?: AD WAR.

92. NASA-approved watch brand: OMEGA.

93. Park ranger's post: LODGE.

95. "Downton Abbey" figures: MAIDS.

99. Accept an invite, perhaps: RSVP.

101. Poi base: TARO. The way we eat in Guangzhou.

102. Upper limbs: ARMS.

103. Annual milestone, briefly: B-DAY.

105. Pet doc: VET.

106. __ Henriksen: skin care brand: OLE. Famous for their "truth serum".

107. Hon: LUV.

108. Noche preceder: DIA.

C.C.