Theme: "At Present" - AT is added to each theme answer.
23A. Extra vacation clothes? : SPARE ATTIRE. Spare tire.
29A. Big party for jalopy owners? : BEATER BASH . Beer bash.
46A. Clergyman who works wonders? : MIRACLE CURATE. Miracle cure.
93A. Biker's trail? : RIDING HABITAT. Riding habit.
110A. Volga Region daily? : TATAR PAPER. Tar paper.
118A. Bees battling over nectar? : HONEY COMBAT. Honeycomb. The only one-word base phrase.
33D. Swindler at a New York zoo? : BRONX CHEATER. Bronx cheer.
42D. Gave stars to kippers? : RATED HERRING. Red herring.
Easy puzzle, yes? Gail always makes the smoothest Sunday grids. She's not going to shock and awe young solvers with edgy & trendy phrases. Her focus is always her overall solvers.
Were you bothered by the HAS OPEN (105A. Didn't fill yet, as calendar slots) clue? I had ?AS OPEN and wanted WAS OPEN due to the tense.
Across:
1. China problem : CHIP. And 14. China setting : FAR EAST. China clue echo. I nailed CHIP immediately.
5. Brought to Broadway : STAGED. Also 115. Fakes being : ACTS
11. Clothing fold : CUFF
15. TV talk pioneer : PAAR (Jack)
19. Like some bears' market predictions : DIRE. Not DOWN. Also 22. Bear overhead : URSA
20. Happened next : ENSUED
21. New Balance competitor : AVIA. Got easily with the crossing 12. Iris locale : UVEA. Quite a few 4-letter sneaker brands.
25. Barely burn : SEAR
26. Reactions to mice, maybe : EEKS
27. Acct. earnings : INT
28. 2010 title role for Denzel : ELI. The Book of Eli.
31. Simply not done : TABOO
34. Trying experiences : ORDEALS
36. Catamaran mover : SAIL
37. Emergency supplies delivery method : AIR DROP. Wish we could eradicate those ISIS thugs. Bloody Jihadists.
39. Coll. drilling group : ROTC
41. Ball game delayers : STORMS
45. "As I see it," in texts : IMO. Also 57A. Intimate modern message : SEXT. Slight clue/answer dupe. I thought of our passionate PK when I read these steamy letters.
51. "How relaxing!" : AAH
52. Periscope part : LENS
54. Wood shop tools : LATHES. Hi there, Splynter/Jerome!
55. Mid-Atlantic st. : DEL
56. Sight from the Sicilian village of Taormina : ETNA. Gimme for long crossword solvers.
58. Clipped, in a way : SHORN
59. Shrill cry : YELP
61. Race : TEAR. Not an easy clue.
62. Corn or cotton : CROP
64. Bores for ore : MINES
67. Fairy tale food : PORRIDGE. I call my morning oatmeal "porridge" too.
69. Rival of Brom in an 1820 novel : ICHABOD. Ichabod Crane/Brom Bones. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I drew a blank.
72. Pops in the fridge : SODAS
74. Hoisting devices : WINCHES. New word to me, Santa! Met with Spitzboo yesterday?
75. Wildly excited : FRENETIC
77. Classic pops : NEHIs
79. Solidify : CAKE. I don't think I've used CAKE as a verb before.
80. Frog's kiddie-lit friend : TOAD
81. Condescending sort : SNOB
83. Photoshop developer : ADOBE
85. Mother of the Valkyries : ERDA. I had E?DA, then I waited.
88. Makeshift shelters : HUTS
89. "Mr. Blue Sky" band, briefly : ELO
90. Future litigator's study : PRE-LAW
91. Airport transport : TRAM
92. Virtuoso : ACE
97. Ristorante suffix : INI
98. Upheaval : THROES
100. Call for : NEED. Joann told me she enriches their garden with Miracle-Gro every two weeks. Maybe I should try that also.
101. Puts on the right track : ORIENTS
103. Evil sitcom organization : KAOS. Get Smart.
109. They may be rough : EDGES
114. Sharp turn : ZAG
115. __ premium : AT A
116. Traveling : AWAY
117. Cantina cooker : OLLA. It's similar to the traditional Cantonese soup pot.
123. "In your dreams" : NOPE
124. Wiped out : DEAD
125. Friendly court contest : ONE SET. Tennis.
126. Toledo's lake : ERIE
127. Delighted : GLAD
128. Three-part figs. : SSNs
129. Mouth formations : DELTAS
130. Identical : SAME
Down:
1. They may be writable : CDs
2. Fanny pack spot : HIP. Here is our Yellowrocks. Thanks for the book recommendations yesterday.
3. Portfolio element, for short : IRA. And 44. Portfolio units : SHARES
4. Game division : PERIOD
5. Reserved __ : SEAT
6. Demolition aid : TNT
7. Sunflower relative : ASTER. My daises bloomed for a very short period this spring.
8. Artisan group : GUILD
9. Like many King novels : EERIE
10. RMN was his VP : DDE. Nixon.
11. Analytical write-up : CASE STUDY
13. Punto and Bravo : FIATS. All crosses.
15. Colorado county or its seat : PUEBLO
16. Geometry figure : AREA
17. Sets a price of : ASKS
18. Reckless : RASH
24. Vast, in verse : ENORM
29. Voting coalition : BLOC. They did not ask for my ID when I voted in the primary two weeks ago. I did see the $10,000 fine warning for vote fraud.
30. Baptism, e.g. : RITE
31. Formal affair wear : TAILS
32. Singer Mann : AIMEE
34. Media mogul with a Presidential Medal of Freedom : OPRAH. I just cannot warm up to her.
35. Mars, to the Greeks : ARES
38. Drips on the driveway : OIL SPOTS
40. Move like ivy : CREEP
43. Run : MANAGE
47. Elementary bit : ATOM
48. Matthews of "Hardball" : CHRIS. Very aggressive.
49. Fab Four name : LENNON
50. Sanction : ALLOW
53. Leaves high and dry : STRANDS
56. Flier's printout : E-TICKET
60. Competition with slashing : PRICE WAR. Oh, price slashing.
63. 2001 honor for J.K. Rowling : OBE. Order of the British Empire.
65. Suffix with stamp : EDE
66. Much of Libya : SAHARA
68. Genetic messenger : RNA
69. "Maybe even less" : IF THAT. Can you give me an example of how the clue & answer match?
70. Catching position : CROUCH
71. Enjoyed some courses : DINED
73. It's usually not a hit : SIDE B
76. 2014 U.S. Senior Open winner Montgomerie : COLIN. Surly & annoying at times.
78. Diva highlights : SOLI
82. Jerks : BONEHEADS. Lovely entry.
84. Relay stick : BATON
86. Poet who feuded with Pope Boniface VIII : DANTE. Easy guess.
87. Off the mark : AMISS
90. Advanced degs. : PhDs
93. Bring up : REAR
94. 14-legged crustaceans : ISOPODS. I didn't know they have 14 legs.
95. Equipment : GEAR
96. Connect with : TIE TO
99. Signed off on : OKAYED
102. One of four singing brothers : ED AMES. All crosses.
104. Corporate division : SALES
106. Form of oxygen : OZONE
107. Comic strip frame : PANEL
108. Spew out : EGEST
110. Strong flavor : TANG
111. Mil. no-show : AWOL
112. Appetizer in una taberna : TAPA
113. Not leave things to chance : PLAN
118. Mortar trough : HOD. This little word used to stump me.
119. Word of support : YEA
120. One may be padded : BRA. Have you been in a relationship where the guy loves shopping bras with you?
121. Intention : AIM
122. Driving need? : TEE
C.C.
