Theme: "Say What?" - The spoken phrase in each clue modifies the first word of each theme
answer & serves as an example of the whole theme answer.
22A. "I got a C" : PASSING COMMENT. In my school days, it's 60.
37A. "Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1931" : LIFE SENTENCE
67A. "This is my fishing spot--please find your own" : BANK STATEMENT. Barry G loves fishing. But he's too polite to utter that statement.
96A. "Heart, liver, kidneys, ... " : ORGAN RECITAL
117A. "I survived boot camp!" : PRIVATE MESSAGE. Love the clue/answer.
16D. "That's the worst synopsis I've ever read!" : SUMMARY JUDGMENT
45D. "Do you know how to copy this disk?" : BURNING QUESTION
Fun theme. I like Sundays when the theme answers are all solid in the language and the clues play a major part in the gimmick.
Nice theme placement also. Those top/bottom 6/7 breaks are not easy to fill in cleanly.
Across:
1. Prohibition specifics : TABOOS. And18D. Prohibition notable : NESS (Eliot). Clue echo.
7. Embodiment : EPITOME. My first Across fill.
14. Bad flareup? : ARSON. Great clue. Was thinking of arthritic flare-up.
19. Yukon neighbor : ALASKA
20. Supermodel Schiffer : CLAUDIA. The iconic Guess girl.
21. Ring bearer, often : SPOUSE. Another great clue.
24. Causes for pauses : COMMAS. Rhyming clue.
25. Bordeaux bud : AMI
26. End of a series, briefly : ET AL
27. Worldwide cultural org. : UNESCO
29. Adams and Grant : AMYs
30. Fish order : SOLE
32. Exeter exams : A-LEVELS. Got via crosses.
35. 1986 rock autobiography : I, TINA. Big gimme for all crossword vets.
41. Bases for deviation : NORMS
44. Put up with : ABIDE
46. '80s IBM models : XTs. No idea.
47. Eagle-eyed raptors : ERNES
49. Word from a pro : YEA. The "in favor of" pro.
50. Rig : TRUCK
51. C-ration successors : MREs
53. __ set : JET
54. Obstacle to progress : LOGJAM
56. Atmospheric prefix : AERI. Always want AERO.
57. French for "under" : SOUS. Underground: Sous terre.
58. Tries to buy, on eBay : BIDS ON
60. Arrivals at home? : RUNS. Home plate.
61. Bach choral works : CANTATAS
63. Market order : SELL
64. Worked (up) : RILED
66. Govt. assistance program : SSI
70. Econ. yardstick : GNP. No GDP error today due to the easy NANOS (71D. Some iPods).
73. North of Nogales : NORTE. Same root.
75. Hammer sites : EARS. Nailed it.
76. Grade school exhibits : DIORAMAS
78. They're deliberately broken so they can be fixed : EGGS. I love banana egg pancakes.
80. Oft-swiped item : ID CARD
82. Vicious and others : SIDs
83. Little houses on the prairie : PENS. All crosses. Clever clue also.
84. Kitchen toppers : TOQUES
86. Gator tail? : ADE. Gatorade.
87. Hairy "pet" : CHIA. So, do any of you eat Chia seeds?
88. "Ready __ ... " : OR NOT
89. R&B group __ Hill : DRU
90. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam.
92. White wine apéritif : KIR
93. FDR and JFK : INITS. Tricky clue. Makes you think of DEMS
94. Moves very slowly : SEEPS
100. Farm call : SOOEY
102. StubHub offerings : TICKETS. Husker Gary buys concert tickets from StubHub.
103. Actress Gilbert of "The Big Bang Theory" : SARA
107. Riga resident : LETT
109. Pinpoint : LOCATE
112. "Let __ There": Newton-John hit : ME BE. Not familiar with the song.
114. Price __ : WAR
115. Panini cheese : ASIAGO. And 15D. It's often grated : ROMANO
121. Exactly right : SPOT ON
122. Control on a wing : AILERON. For Dudley.
123. Just-in-case items : SPARES
124. Ecclesiastical council : SYNOD
125. Weatherproofing application : SEALANT
126. City where the Alcázar is located : TOLEDO. Lucina might have visited this place.
Down:
1. Salamanca snacks : TAPAS
2. Memorable shrine : ALAMO
3. Pho soup garnish : BASIL. I don't like basil at all.
4. Org. that employed Julia Child during WWII : OSS. She graduated from Smith College. OSS employees were mostly from prestigious colleges those days.
5. Steinbeck's Tom Joad, e.g. : OKIE
6. Capital east of Gallup : SANTA FE. Never heard of Gallup, NM. What's it famous for, Owen?
7. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" source: Abbr. : ECCLES. No idea.
8. Gaza Strip gp. : PLO
9. "Who __": 2001 #1 country hit : I AM. Unfamiliar to me also. I don't like country songs.
10. Uproars : TUMULTS
11. Danish seaport : ODENSE
12. "Battle Hymn of the Republic" possessive : MINE. Was it gimme for you? I was stumped.
13. Wolfs down : EATS
14. Pvt. address : APO
17. Anthem opener : O SAY
21. Alexander Graham Bell, e.g. : SCOT
23. Major blow : GALE
28. Diez squared : CIEN. Diez = 10. Dix in French.
31. Draw out : ELICIT
33. Aggravates : VEXES
34. Frodo's forest friends : ENTS
36. Words before many words : IN SO. Far trickier a clue than " ___ many words".
38. Texting shrug : IDK. I Don't Know.
39. Space __ : NEEDLE
40. Increasingly rare screens : CRTS
42. Average : MEAN
43. Shopping club : SAM'S
44. Gray ones are debatable : AREAS. Gray areas.
48. Causes of unusual weather : EL NINOs. It's plurable, D-Otto?
50. Tic __ : TACs
51. Sounded like the wind : MOANED
52. '60s secretary of state : RUSK (Dean). JFK era.
53. Leaves painfully : JILTS. Not an easy clue for me.
55. LSAT cousin : GRE
57. Supporter of a strong, centralized government : STATIST. New word to me.
58. What a sports star may sport : BEARD
59. Company founded by Gem State brothers : ORE-IDA. I did not know this trivia.
62. Condensed, condensed : ABR (Abridged). The second "condensed" indicates abbr.
63. Gawk : STARE
65. Paper size: Abbr. : LTR
68. Salt : SEA DOG
69. 16th-century date : MDII. 1502.
72. Head-turner of a sort : PSST
74. The Cowboys of the Big 12: Abbr. : OSU. Oklahoma State.
77. March followers : APRILS
78. SFO postings : ETDs
79. Quayle follower : GORE. VP.
81. Vocalist Vikki : CARR
82. Green 2001 title hero : SHREK. Easily obtainable via crosses.
85. Canadian pump name : ESSO
87. Pub. concern : CIRC. Circulation. Pub is for "Publisher" I suppose.
88. "Bird-Wire" link : ON A. Bird on a wire.
91. It has a string attached : YO-YO
92. Big name in stunt jumping : KNIEVEL
93. "We did the right thing" : IT'S BEST. Not a phrase I used.
95. Chip source : POTATO
97. Number one Hun : ATTILA. We learned a lot about Genghis Khan in school. Somehow not Attila the Hun.
98. Binding material : CEMENT
99. Column couple : ITEM. Oh, newspaper columns.
101. Tar Heel State campus : ELON
104. Tuned in : AWARE
105. Flowed furiously : RAGED
106. Sandbox rebuttal : ARE SO
107. Girl : LASS
108. Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, e.g. : ESPY. Never heard of Jimmy V.
110. Bk. reviewers? : CPAS. I nailed it also.
111. Singer India.__ : ARIE
113. Old Bruin nickname : ESPO. Phil Esposito.
116. Word on U.S. coins : GOD
118. Celestial altar : ARA
119. Gross __ : TON
120. Muppet monkey Minella : SAL. Stranger to me also.
C.C.
