Sunday May 5, 2024 Katy Steinmetz & Rich Katz

Theme:  "Name That Tune" - Each song is rephrased fitting the "what line" in the clue.

23. Power line?: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.

33. Life line?: I WILL SURVIVE.

49. Party line?: LET'S GET IT STARTED.

68. Opening line?: I'VE GOT A BLANK SPACE BABY.

91. Time line?: YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE.

107. Dividing line?: GO YOUR OWN WAY.

119. Shore line?: UNDER THE BOARDWALK.

Not sure about 68A. Is it a song title? I only know it's a line from Taylor Swift's "Blank Space". 

Otherwise, I really like this theme set. We've seen "... line" rephrase theme before, but not with the extra song layer. Congrats on your Sunday debut, Katy and Rich!

Across:

1. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" novelist Jamie: FORD. His debut novel. He's half Chinese.

 

5. Low-end speaker: BASS. And 18. One throwing out the first pitch?: OBOE.

9. Emulate successfully: PASS AS.

15. Cooling units, for short: ACS.

19. __ research: some dirt-digging: OPPO. Opposition research.

20. Baseball level just below the Majors: TRIPLE A. And 22. Hall of Fame slugger Mel: OTT. 86. One of Nolan Ryan's record seven: NO-HIT GAME.

26. Parched: DRY.

27. Two-time Best Female Golfer ESPY winner Ko: LYDIA. Kiwi. She was born in Korea.

28. Leaf wrangler: RAKE.

29. Bewitch: ENTHRALL.

31. Fright: TERROR.

37. Like some candles: SCENTED.

39. Home of many Goyas and El Grecos: PRADO.

40. "Fire" gemstone: OPAL.

41. Unlikely duo?: ELS. The two L's in "Unlikely"

42. "The Boy and the Heron" genre: ANIME.

44. Gifts at some Honolulu hotels: LEIS.

46. The blue in blue cheese, e.g.: MOLD.

54. Follower of up, down, and mid: TOWN.

56. Shake: LOSE.

57. Ireland, to the Irish: EIRE.

58. Like some adoption records: SEALED.

60. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.

61. Train cos.: RRS.

64. Prehistoric: OLD.

66. Data on dashboards: MILEAGES.

75. Yoga asana that requires balance: TREE POSE.

76. MSNBC journalist Cabrera: ANA.

77. Like this clue's number: ODD.

78. "Am __ time?": I ON.

79. Require: ENTAIL.

82. High point of the "Odyssey"?: OSSA. Mount Ossa.

85. Meter or liter: UNIT.

89. Dirty: SOIL.

95. Swap __: MEET.

97. Room in una casa: SALA.

98. HS course covering the facts of life: AP BIO.

99. Curse: HEX.

100. Guides with keys: MAPS.

103. __-panky: HANKY.

105. Writer of pastoral poems: IDYLIST. Spell check does not like this word.

111. Didn't cook, but didn't order in: ATE OUT.

112. Totalitarianism, metaphorically: IRON RULE.

113. Villain's hangout: LAIR.

115. Rims: EDGES.

118. Relieved (of): RID.

124. Female deer: DOE.

125. Spring agricultural machines: SEEDERS.

126. Beauty spot?: ULTA. Mecca of beauty products.

127. "That could work for me": I MAY.

128. "Weekend Update" show, casually: SNL.

129. Restoration poet dubbed "Glorious John": DRYDEN.

130. Headed to overtime: TIED.

131. __ pool: GENE.

Down:

1. Duck or goose: FOWL.

2. Comply: OBEY.

3. Consumer Reports tasks: ROAD TESTS.

4. "Merci" response: DE RIEN.

5. Social media annoyance: BOT.

6. Goddess of love who had five children with the god of war: APHRODITE. One of the kids is Eros.

7. Fishing tool: SPEAR.

8. "__ it to me!": SOCK.

9. Old school crowdfunding org.?: PTA.

10. Branch: ARM.

11. Wee drink: SIP.

12. Pitch: SPIEL.

13. Mets slugger Pete nicknamed "Polar Bear": ALONSO. New York Mets. Patti's team.

14. Mocked: SENT UP.

15. Vietnamese tunic: AODAI. Pretty. China's qipao is pretty too.

16. PC paste shortcut: CTRL V.

17. Flair: STYLE.

21. Place for a spiritual retreat: ASHRAM.

24. Livestock marker: EAR TAG.

25. Successor: HEIR.

30. KOA option: RV LOT.

32. Actress Russo: RENE.

34. Mickey's co-creator: WALT.

35. Brainstorming output: IDEAS.

36. French wine valley: LOIRE.

37. Go like hotcakes: SELL.

38. Egyptian queen, familiarly: CLEO. Cleopatra.

39. Gas, across the pond: PETROL.

43. Nintendo avatar: MII.

45. Snail mail need: STAMP.

47. Piece of cake?: LONG A. The A in "cake".

48. Square peg in a social circle?: DWEEB. Ha.

50. Durable twill fabric: SERGE.

51. Ward with two Emmy Awards: SELA.

52. Director Kazan: ELIA.

53. Big name in car batteries: DELCO.

55. Snoopy: NOSY.

59. Heroic act, say: DEED.

62. Tug of war need: ROPE.

63. Full of rocks: STONY.

65. Genetic letters: DNA.

67. Pop star Paula who was once a Lakers cheerleader: ABDUL. I did not know this.

68. "Can confirm": IT IS.

69. Noise made while playing with a Matchbox car: VROOM.

70. "__ Meenie": 2010 pop single: EENIE.

71. Regarding: AS TO.

72. Quaint baes: BEAUS.

73. Two half hitches, maybe: KNOT.

74. Verb that comes from a corruption of the ballet term "chassé": SASHAY. Another fun trivia.

80. Mogul Carl: ICAHN.

81. Former TV drama about SoCal attorneys: LA LAW.

83. "How's it hangin'?": SUP.

84. Get in the middle of, in a way: ARBITRATE.

87. Currier and __: IVES.

88. Words on a page: TEXT.

90. __ juice: LEMON.

92. Gran: NANA.

93. Log flume, e.g.: RIDE.

94. Went up and down, say: YOYOED.

96. Many a spring birth: TAURUS.

101. Cut back: PRUNED.

102. Machine shop alloy: SOLDER.

104. Six-time NBA All-Star Lowry: KYLE.

106. __ van Beethoven: LUDWIG.

107. Supports: GIRDS.

108. Constellation with a belt: ORION.

109. Sound that comes from on high: YODEL.

110. Like some unkempt gardens: WEEDY.

111. Garlicky sauce: AIOLI. This one seems to have egg yolks.

114. Border: ABUT.

116. Flair: ELAN.

117. Ione of "La Brea": SKYE.

120. __ velvet: RED.

121. Green Day drummer __ Cool: TRE.

122. Channel for bargain hunters: HSN.

123. "Gnarly": RAD.