Theme: - "Where the Boys Are" - Each theme answer is a city with a man's name.
23. Golden State 90-Down: CHICO, CALIFORNIA.
39. Sooner State 90-Down: NORMAN, OKLAHOMA.
57. Hoosier State 90-Down: GARY, INDIANA.
64. Mount Rushmore State 90-Down: PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA.
73. Lone Star State 90-Down: IRVING, TEXAS.
91. Sunshine State 90-Down: ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
112. Grand Canyon State 90-Down: CHANDLER, ARIZONA.
Reveal:
90. Premier League powerhouse, familiarly, and an alternate title for this puzzle: MAN CITY.
Very consistent, with city & state names in the answers and state nicknames in the clues, which provides key foothold in case you're not famliar with Man City (Manchester City).
Very smooth grid, hallmark of Doug's puzzles, whether themed or themeless, no odd names or weird Abbrs.
Across:
6. __ iced tea: THAI. Made with black tea. Sweetened with condensed milk.
10. Sgts. and cpls.: NCOS.
14. Slap sharply: SMACK.
19. Broadband device: MODEM. I have three pods.
20. Overcook: BURN.
21. Subj. with AB and BC AP tests: CALC.
22. "Cold Hearted" singer Abdul: PAULA.
26. Two-in-one conjunction: AND/OR.
27. Midsize Hyundai: SONATA.
28. Yemeni port: ADEN. I just learned that the best Sidr honey is made in Yemen. Very pricey.
29. Pro with a racket?: CON ARTIST. Also 114. What pros say: AYE. I love both "pro" clues.
31. __ bean: LIMA. Boomer's favorite bean.
33. React to yeast: RISE.
35. Divisions of a biblical chapter: VERSES.
36. Explosive initials: TNT.
44. Feature of Goliath, but not giants: HARD G. The starting letter G. Another great clue. Of course, we all associate Hard G with my mentor Don G.
 |
| Don G and his wife Barbie |
46. Like carbonara: BACONY.
47. Take a strop to: HONE.
48. Org. with a Ballpark app: MLB.
51. Much of an atlas: ASIA.
52. Encircles with a band: GIRDS.
53. Jazz style: BOP.
54. Surf sound: ROAR.
55. Use lofty language: WAX POETIC.
61. Olympic skating gold medalist Nathan: CHEN. His mom is from Beijing.
62. Chorus syllables: LA LA.
63. Ready to wear, in a way: IRONED.
69. Rum cocktail: MAI TAI.
71. Lawful borders?: ELLS. Letters again.
72. Privy to: IN ON.
76. Like a noteworthy day: RED-LETTER.
81. Highest-paid corp. employees, often: CEOS.
82. Trellis climber: IVY.
83. Jordanian archaeological site: PETRA. Wikipedia says "Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the color of the sandstone from which it is carved."
84. Shakespearean manipulator: IAGO.
85. Snack on: EAT.
86. Bit of Christmas candy: CANE.
88. Truckers' competition: ROADEO. Portmanteau of "road" and "rodeo".
90. __ Madness: Snapple flavor: MANGO.
94. Planet Fitness, e.g.: GYM.
95. Before too long: IN A BIT.
98. Teeming (with): RIFE.
99. Cozy hideaways: DENS.
101. Roast lamb condiment: MINT SAUCE. The last time I had lamb is 2002 when I was back home. Xi'an has the best lamb kabobs.
104. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP.
107. Sharp insight: ACUMEN.
111. Start to go haywire: ACT UP.
115. Gaggle creatures: GEESE.
116. Color similar to chartreuse: LIME. OK. This is chartreuse green.
117. Website with a Daily Deals section: EBAY.
118. Knight contests: TILTS.
119. Pick from a menu: ORDER.
120. Hill inhabitants: ANTS.
121. Unchanged: SAME.
122. "Good grief!": YEESH. Splynter made a clip about his troubles with the new Blogger picture embed. Maybe you will hear his voice someday.
Down:
2. __-chic: BOHO.
3. Father of Thor: ODIN.
4. Windshield sticker: DECAL.
5. Acting with great feeling: EMOTING.
6. Schedule abbr.: TBA.
7. Island performance: HULA.
8. Desiccated: ARID. Excited to find Hami melons last week. They grow in a very arid region of Xinjiang.
9. Intense blazes: INFERNOS.
10. ATM manufacturer: NCR.
11. Call off: CANCEL.
12. Spaghetti aglio e __: OLIO.
13. Skim through: SCAN.
14. "I really don't want to know": SPARE ME.
15. Meditation recitation: MANTRA.
16. German luxury cars: AUDIS.
17. Complete the deal: CLOSE.
18. Go-__: mini racers: KARTS.
24. Paintballer's attire, for short: CAMO.
25. Vegetable in pico de gallo: ONION.
30. Mary Kay rival: AVON. Never used any Avon or Mary Kay products.
32. Dispute settler: ARBITER.
34. Place for vapor trails: SKY.
36. Warm up: THAW.
37. Distant exploration acronym: NASA.
38. Cereal that's not for a silly rabbit: TRIX.
40. Camp Pendleton soldier: MARINE. Hi there, Dennis!
41. "Thunderstruck" band: AC/DC.
42. Greeting on the bridge: AHOY.
43. Uto-Aztecan language: HOPI.
45. Big name in caulk: DAP. Still have an unopened tube at our garage.
48. Movie set on the island of Motunui: MOANA.
49. Lois who debuted in Action Comics No. 1: LANE.
50. Slender nail: BRAD.
52. Yankee legend Lou: GEHRIG. And 64. Shortstop's double play move: PIVOT.
53. "Dude!": BRAH.
54. Hilarious person: RIOT.
56. Coral reef's place: OCEAN.
57. People conquered by Caesar: GAULS.
58. Secondary social media accounts, briefly: ALTS. Alternatives.
59. Inventor Tesla: NIKOLA.
60. Remote-controlled flier: DRONE.
62. "Run __ Run": 1998 thriller: LOLA.
65. "For real?": IT IS.
66. Seductive: SEXY.
67. Calorie counter: DIETER.
68. M3GAN, for one: ANDROID.
69. Itchy and Jerry, in cartoons: MICE. I don't know Itchy.
70. Domain: AREA.
74. Actress Fey: TINA.
75. Fairly matched: EVEN.
76. Modernize, say: REDO.
77. Spanish aunt: TIA.
78. Zippy flavor: TANG. This means "sugar" in Chinese.
79. Like hollandaise: EGGY.
80. Dorm assignment: ROOM.
83. Brewpub orders: PALE ALES.
86. Refrigerator drawer: CRISPER.
87. Banff's prov.: ALTA. Alberta.
88. Rouen royal: ROI.
89. Eliminated, in noir lingo: OFFED.
91. Angle type: OBTUSE.
92. Experienced while sleeping: DREAMT.
93. Sweetie: DEAR.
95. Cicada stage: IMAGO.
96. Less churlish: NICER.
97. Started a pot: ANTED. Poker pot.
100. "__ Q": Creedence Clearwater Revival hit: SUZIE.
102. Sch. near Bel Air: UCLA.
103. Facial feature: CHIN.
105. Country great McEntire: REBA.
106. Brighton baby buggy: PRAM. Full alliteration.
108. Spy-fi figure: MOLE.
109. Tinnitus docs: ENTS.
110. "Claws" actress Niecy: NASH.
113. 1980s gaming console: NES.
C.C.
