Theme: "Business Meetings" - LLC meets in the middle of 9 theme entries.
23A. "Gladiator" Best Actor winner : RUSSELL CROWE. I liked his "A Beautiful Mind" as well.
39A. Ended up where one started : CAME FULL CIRCLE
58A. Hotel supervisor : BELL CAPTAIN. Supervisor of bellhops.
70A. One in a hospital room display : GET WELL CARD. Get well soon, Lucina!
83A. Annual sports event, familiarly : FALL CLASSIC. World Series! I could not find the Mariners/Rangers (Friday) bad call clip on YouTube. Anyone else?
102A. One may include Barbies : DOLL COLLECTION. JD collects Cinderella dolls. 113A. 102-Across chorus, maybe : MAMAS
124A. Triceps-strengthening exercise also called a French press : SKULL CRUSHER. Looks hard. Let's just stick to our Russian twists.
17D. Old West showman : BUFFALO BILL CODY. Buffalo Bills was named after him.
46D. Marx Brothers forte : SCREWBALL COMEDY
125D. Business "meeting" hidden in nine puzzle answers : LLC
As
soon as I downloaded the puzzle and read the title, I figure there must
be something meet in the middle. LLC! Very clever. I guess you could
hide INC also. Maybe it's done before.
Love the theme entry placement. Always amazed when others make the intersection work.
Across:
1. They're put up in fights : DUKES. Put up your dukes.
6. Zany : MADCAP
12. Small car brand : MATCHBOX
20. 12-time NBA All-Star Thomas : ISIAH. He stumped some last time.
21. San Francisco mayor, 1968-'76 : ALIOTO (Joseph). Learned from doing Xword.
22. Draft-y building? : ALE HOUSE. Thanks for the - y mark!
25. High-reaching ruminants : GIRAFFES
26. Stomach opening? : GASTRO. A rather long prefix.
27. In-crowd : ELITE
29. ["Boohoo"] : SNIFF
30. Eastern Nevada city : ELY. What is it famous for, Doha Doc?
31. Silents star Negri : POLA
34. Old European capital : LIRA. Last Sunday we had: "Former capital of Italy" : LIRA. My comment: I bet this clue would stump the Pope (Call me, maybe?). Capital refers to "money" here. Euro now.
36. 900 and 9000 : SAABS
44. Poet Edgar __ Masters : LEE
45. Long Beach sch. : CSU
47. Hackled headwear : SHAKO. The plumes are hackles.
48. Florence farewell : CIAO
49. Theater section : LOGE
50. Ipso __ : FACTO
52. About to faint : AREEL. How can we live without the A* word?
54. Cinematic sled : ROSEBUD. "Citizen Kane".
56. Supplier of household dishes : DIRECTV. Satellite dish.
62. Explosive state : IRE
63. Editing mark : CARET
66. Frosty material? : COAL. Nice clue.
67. Modern address : URL
68. They really never come home, figuratively : COWS. Til the cows come home.
74. Some cameras, for short : SLRs
77. Preschooler's protector : BIB. I attended school at age 7. How about you? I knew not even one Chinese character before then, having brought up by my grandma who had bound feet & was illiterate. I miss her so so much!
79. Skylab org. : NASA
80. Asparagus unit : SPEAR. I like oven-roasted asparagus.
82. "The Little Mermaid" collectible : CEL
87. Colorful Italian dessert : SPUMONI
89. Not what a fox wants to hear : TALLY HO. Our next-door neighbor keeps feeding squirrels. They're ruining my garden.
90. 100 kopeks : RUBLE
93. Syndicated computer adviser Mr. __ : MODEM. TTP might read his columns. Not me. Never heard of the guy.
94. Sole : ONLY
95. Flamenco cries : OLES
98. Tilts a little : LEANS
100. Affirmative at sea : AYE
101. __-1701: Starship Enterprise markings : NCC. For Naval Construction Contract, per Wiki. "Star Trek".
106. Home of Iwatayama Monkey Park : KYOTO. Guessed. Have you been there, Yellowrocks?
108. Baking __ : SODA
109. This, to Tito : ESTA. Or ESTO.
110. Some undergrad degs. : BAs
116. Colorful tank fish : TETRA
119. "__ Full of Love": "Les Miz" song : A HEART. One 6-letter partial is allowed in LAT.
121. Take over, as a role : STEP INTO
127. Banquet product : TV DINNER. Frozen dinner brand Banquet.
128. Floral parts : SEPALS
129. Acid type : AMINO
130. Hospital recreation areas : DAY ROOMS
131. Look : ASPECT. Noun.
132. Under, to Byron : NEATH
Down:
1. Musical lament : DIRGE
2. Run-of-the-mill : USUAL
3. __ Suzuki, mother of Bond's unborn child at the end of Fleming's "You Only Live Twice" : KISSY. I had no idea Bond had a child.
4. Vane direction : EAST
5. Nepalese people : SHERPA. Some are. I don't like this clue.
6. Evil, to Yvette : MAL
7. Proof is its std. of strength : ALC (Alcohol)
8. Desperate : DIRE
9. Slangy "Excellent!" : COOL
10. Whenever you want : AT WILL
11. Like Shakespeare : POETIC
12. GQ, e.g., briefly : MAG
13. Laila and Tatyana : ALIs
14. Coastal bird : TERN
15. Lounging site : CHAISE. The girl with the perfect legs. I bet Splynter wants to consort with her in the bar.
16. 1992 Nicholson role : HOFFA
18. Sweet ending : OSE
19. Marks on a ballot : X'ES
24. They have shuttles : LOOMS. Tricky clue.
28. Szmanda of "CSI" : ERIC. Doesn't ring a bell.
32. City on the Seine : LE HAVRE
33. Where many travelers come from? : AFAR
35. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI
37. Kicked off : BEGUN
38. Sesame __ : SEED. Love deep-fried sesame rice balls.
39. Precious : CUTE
40. Tiny Tim's instrument : UKE
41. Leopold's nefarious partner : LOEB
42. Turin term of affection : CARA. "Dear".
43. Script "L" feature : LOOP
45. African capital : CAIRO
49. Some military transports : LEARS. Unaware that Lears are used in the military as well, Dudley!
50. S&L guarantor : FDIC
51. Job: Abbr. : OCC (Occupation)
53. Baroque composer Jean-Marie : LECLAIR. No idea!
55. R-V connectors : STU. Alphabet.
57. Graffiti ID : TAG
59. Online guffaw : LOL
60. Érié and others : LACS. French for "lakes".
61. Applaud : CLAP
64. Sicilian spewer : ETNA
65. Christmas or Carroll poem opening : 'TWAS
69. Inane : SILLY
71. Mulholland Drive segment : ESS
72. Is offended by : RESENTS
73. Fist bump : DAP. Like this.
75. Taylor of "The Nanny" : RENEE. Fran's mother.
76. Opposite of likely : SLIM. Chance.
78. Activist Nellie : BLY
81. Cuba libre liquor : RUM
83. __-pants: foppish : FANCY
84. Sound on a track? : CHOO. Train tracks for the dumb blondes in Manac's joke.
85. Hang loose : LOLL
86. Glean : CULL
88. Haunted house sound : MOAN
89. Honky-__ : TONK
91. Honey source : BEE. Hi there Melissa!
92. Victoria's Secret frill : LACE. I like this one. But in pink. Pretty & comfy.
96. Lullaby trio? : ELS. Three L's in Lullaby.
97. British poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, for one : SCOT. Not familiar with the poet. Wiki says She is the first woman, the first Scot and the first gay to hold the position.
99. Plucked instrument : SITAR
102. Piece with pips : DOMINO
103. Ukrainian port : ODESSA
104. Fried Hanukkah fare : LATKES. Never had Latkes before.
105. Obama, by birth : OAHUAN
107. Hoglike mammal : TAPIR
110. Coastal Brazilian state : BAHIA
111. "__ we all?" : AREN'T
112. German brewer Bernhard : STROH. Founder of Stroh's.
114. Dating word : ANNO. The A in A.D. Not the dating I had in mind.
115. Floral part : STEM
117. __ Arena: Kentucky Wildcats home : RUPP. Gimme for PK.
118. Latin wings : ALAE
120. Carlisle's wife in "Twilight" : ESME. Played by Elizabeth Reaser.
121. Part of 126-Down: Abbr. : STD. 126. Western Fla. Panhandle setting : CST
122. Norris Dam prog. : TVA
123. Surg. centers : ORs
C.C.
