Theme: "NBA Divisions" - Seven NBA team bookend the common phrase.
23A. Fijians and Hawaiians in Indiana?: PACIFIC ISLANDERS. Indiana Pacers.
39A. Small office printers in Los Angeles?: LABEL MAKERS. LA Lakers.
61A. Vehicles serving pale ales and pilsners in Milwaukee?: BEER TRUCKS. Milwaukee Bucks.
81A. Taps and reveille in Chicago?: BUGLE CALLS. Chicago Bulls.
98A. Nutritionist's plan in Miami?: HEALTHY DIET. Miami Heat.
120A. Attractive objects in Charlotte?: HORSESHOE MAGNETS. Charlotte Hornets.
38D. "Jeopardy!" host in Sacramento?: KEN JENNINGS. Sacramento Kings.
45D. Kitchen blade holders in New York?: KNIFE BLOCKS. New York Knicks.
I
originally had circles in the grid (I know some of you hate circles!). Patti thought circles made the
theme too obvious for a Sunday grid. She added the city names to the
clues. Sunday grid is big, but the difficulty level is normally about LAT Thursday.
Across:
1. Harder to find: RARER.
6. Dry lip soothers: BALMS.
11. City with a tilted tower: PISA. Guess who this guy is.
15. Leave abruptly: BAIL.
19. Like a parkour athlete: AGILE.
20. Weak hit that may drop in for a single: BLOOP. Also 37. Popped (out): FLIED.
21. Berry from the Amazon: ACAI. A bit bitter for my taste.
22. __ Minor: URSA.
26. Festival shelter: TENT.
27. Pi, for one: RATIO.
28. Gosling parents: GEESE.
29. Univ. system with SF and LA campuses: CAL STATE. California State University.
31. John of pop music: ELTON.
33. __-Magnon: CRO.
35. Conscious beginning?: ECO. Eco-conscious.
36. Prez on the half-dollar: JFK.
44. Hopping joint?: ANKLE.
48. Apple Watch screen, for short: OLED.
50. "When pigs fly," for one: IDIOM. Me and Splynter.
51. "Oy __!": VEY.
52. Tablecloth fabric: LINEN.
53. Family tree information: LINEAGE.
56. Cold, pink drink: FROSE. Frozen Rosé.
58. Quiet moment for a nanny: NAP TIME.
60. Selena's genre: TEJANO.
63. Cub's coat: FUR.
64. Naval daily record: DECK LOG.
66. "All Things Considered" host Chang: AILSA. Her parents are from Taiwan.
67. Stout sleuth Wolfe: NERO.
68. Japanese masked drama: NOH.
69. Catchall abbr.: MISC.
73. Burglarize: ROB.
74. Olivia of "The Predator": MUNN. Her son is super cute.
76. "Yes __, Bob!": SIREE.
77. Shocks: APPALLS.
80. Poke bowl protein: AHI.
85. Common soccer score: ONE ONE.
87. City on the Italian Riviera: SAN REMO.
89. Home on the prairie: TEPEE. TIPI is the preferred spelling.
90. Fraud involving a forged painting, e.g.: ART SCAM.
91. Honey alternative: SUGAR.
92. "i can't believe u said this": SMH. Shaking My Head.
94. Covers with asphalt: PAVES.
96. Peruse quickly: SKIM.
97. Beast of Borden: ELSIE.
102. Conniving: SLY.
103. "Don't think so": NAH.
105. Enjoyed a salad: ATE.
106. Glitzy parties: GALAS.
108. Spotify creation: PLAYLIST.
112. Broth often made with kombu: DASHI. I mostly use kombu, occasionally dried sardines. And 111. Noodles in 112-Across, perhaps: SOBA.
116. "Good job!": BRAVO.
119. Clutched: HELD.
124. Numbers to crunch: DATA.
125. Lie right next to: ABUT.
126. Taco bar condiment: SALSA. Have any of you tried this Sambal Oelek? It's an Indonesian condiment.
127. Like a foggy forest: EERIE.
128. Fix, as a pet: SPAY.
129. Notebook flaps: TABS.
130. Silly sorts: TWITS.
131. Romantic rendezvous: TRYST.
Down:
3. Costa __: RICA.
4. Upper crust: ELITE.
5. Request at a bar: REFILL.
6. "EastEnders" airer: BBC.
7. Set straight: ALIGNED.
8. Come in last: LOSE.
9. Source of leaks: MOLE.
10. Places for dermaplaning: SPAS. This picture can't be true.
11. Inflate artificially: PAD.
12. Glacier sample for paleoclimatologists: ICE CORE.
13. Bareilles of "Girls5eva": SARA.
14. Window alternative: AISLE.
15. "Not another word": BUTTON IT.
16. 97,813 square miles, for Wyoming: AREA. Never been there. You?
17. "Money __ everything": ISN'T.
18. In after the deadline: LATE.
24. Teeny amount: IOTA.
25. Head stand?: NECK. And
30. Head massage targets: SCALPS.
32. Theater honor: OBIE.
34. Daydream: REVERIE.
36. Sudden shock: JOLT.
40. "Story of my __!": LIFE. So I've been sleeping on the basement floor due to the loud new 5501 renter (the last one was evicted quickly). Was worried that the mice might snack on me. They couldn't be less interested.
41. "Encore!": MORE.
42. Omnia vincit __: AMOR.
43. Matches, as audio to video: SYNCS UP.
46. Madagascar primate: LEMUR.
47. Febrero preceder: ENERO.
49. Church figure: DEACON.
54. Egyptian cross with a top loop: ANKH.
55. Shout in La Liga: GOL.
57. Galaxy member: STAR.
59. Alias indicator: AKA.
61. Female hip-hopper: B GIRL.
62. Forearm bones: ULNAS.
65. "Geez Louise!": OMIGOSH.
67. "... if you can believe it": NO LESS.
70. "Did you watch?": SEE THAT.
71. Gospel singer Winans: CECE. I had ONCE there, failing to notice the dupe with ONE. Patti caught it, of course.
73. Go on a tirade: RANT.
74. En __: together: MASSE.
75. Moving day rental: U HAUL.
76. Total amount: SUM.
78. "__ favor": POR.
79. Garden mollusk: SNAIL.
81. "Face facts!": BE REAL. If only I would listen to Agnes!
82. Date with a doc: APPT.
83. Actress Remini: LEAH.
84. Impose, as a tax: LEVY.
86. Award for "Ted Lasso": EMMY.
88. Saving time?: RAINY DAY. Patti's clue.
90. __ Minor: ASIA.
93. Barbecue spice blend: MEAT RUB.
95. Most provocative: EDGIEST. Been loving "Nasty" lately. Is somebody gonna match my freak?
99. News story intro: LEDE.
100. Idris of "Luther": ELBA.
101. Place for a bull's-eye: TARGET.
104. Part of a drum kit: HI HAT.
107. Less outlandish: SANER.
108. Some postgrad degs.: PHDs.
109. Take a big jump: LEAP.
110. Baja's opposite: ALTA.
113. Abbr. in job titles: ASST.
114. "Pygmalion" playwright: SHAW.
115. Hindu festival celebrated with water balloons: HOLI. There's a big Hindu Temple in Maple Grove, where my favorite pool and trails are. Big Holi celebration there every March.
117. Exceedingly: VERY.
118. Elevator innovator: OTIS.
121. Some GPS lines: STS.
122. Some postgrad degs.: MAS.
123. Stage design: SET.
C.C.
