Theme: - "Surprise Package"- Box can follow both words in each theme entry.
22A. *Editorial comment: TEXT SUGGESTION. Text box. Suggestion box.
35A. *Solid piece of security hardware: STRONG LOCK. Strong box. Lock box.
39A. *Part of a school kid's allowance: LUNCH MONEY. Lunchbox. Money box.
70A. *Online dating coup: TINDER MATCH. Tinderbox. Matchbox.
101A. *Tough talk tension easer: ICE BREAKER. Icebox. Breaker box.
104A. *Offenbach output: OPERA MUSIC. Opera box. Music box.
121A. *Fast talk from the on-deck circle: BATTER'S CHATTER. Batter's box. Chatterbox.
14D. *Traveler's aid: PACKING LIST. Packing box. List box.
69D. *Bank transaction: CASH DEPOSIT. Cash box. Deposit box.
Reveal:
130. Shipping supply that links the answers to starred clues: BOX.
This is a very impressive set. For this type of both words that can follow/precede theme, it's easy to find a set of 3 or 4 solid in-the-language phrases, but not 9. Amazing.
Two of the Down theme entries intersect two Across ones. I love when this happens. It does not always make filling easier though, as I've learned myself. Sometimes it creates unexpected knotty spots.
Across:
4. Singer with a Best Actress Oscar: CHER. For "Moonstruck".
8. Best-of-seven MLB semifinal: ALCS. American League Championship Series. We also have 52. AL West team, in crawl lines: LAA.
12. Put one over on: DUPED.
17. Cupid counterpart: EROS.
19. Olympics event since 1964: LUGE.
20. Poi source: TARO. Cantonese use taro paste as filling for buns. Or even mooncakes. Yes, Gary, Chinese eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival. This year it's Sept 21, 2021.
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21. Aquafina alternative: DASANI.
25. Builds: ERECTS.
26. Rainforest rodent: AGOUTI.
27. Channel with a gate: SLUICE. This shows up on Google Images.
28. Onboard assent: AYE.
29. Family tree fill: KIN.
30. Last word in a popular drinking game: PONG. Beer pong.
32. Completely wraps: ENCASES.
34. "Well done!": NICE. Thanks for the NFT and blockchain explanation last Wednesday, Bill!
42. London driver's unit: LITRE. Of petroleum.
43. She's no pro: ANTI.
44. Making a case for: STATING.
45. Woman on the Sistine Chapel ceiling: EVE.
46. Snowballs in a fight, e.g.: AMMO.
48. '60s protest gp.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.
51. Dashboard nos.: RPMS.
55. Doctor's order: DOSAGE. Glad all went smoothly, Picard!
57. Belgian lager, familiarly: STELLA. Stella Artois.
59. Bethlehem university: LEHIGH. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
61. Jet Ski rival: SEA-DOO. Looks fun.
64. Kaley who played Penny on "The Big Bang Theory": CUOCO.
66. One with dreads: RASTA.
67. Church branch: SECT.
73. Govt. accident investigator: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board. The police is investigating the death of our neighbor. Pretty scary. Did you know that a hazmat team is needed to clean up the crime scene?
74. Shrinking retailer: KMART.
76. All together: AS ONE.
77. Mississippi River explorer: DE SOTO.
79. "That was a brutal workout!": I'M SORE.
81. Solution measures: TITERS. chemical solution. Wiki says "Titer has the same origin as the word "title", from the French word titre, meaning "title" but referring to the documented purity of a substance, often gold or silver. "
83. Paper-saving party announcements: E-VITES.
87. "I guess not": NAH.
88. Space race initials: USSR.
90. Pocatello-to-Provo dir.: SSE.
91. One in a bust: NARC. Drug bust.
93. Raisman with three Olympic gold medals: ALY. Two of our Minnesota girls made the US Olympic gym team this year.
94. Advice from a loser?: DIET TIP.
97. Local bond, briefly: MUNI.
99. "__ Burr, Sir": song in "Hamilton": AARON.
106. Slack-jawed look: GAPE. 107. They might be holy: TERRORS.
109. Removed: SHED.
110. Family card game: UNO.
111. URL addresses: IPS.
113. Subject of a 2021 packet shortage: CATSUP. Boomer only uses the bottled ketchup.
115. It's been shortening for over a century: CRISCO. 124. It's not butter: OLEO.
119. "Broken Arrow" co-star: ANSARA (Michael)
123. Marcus partner: NEIMAN.
125. Vannelli of pop: GINO.
126. NE syst. with 64 campuses: SUNY.
127. Bond's car starter?: ASTON. Martin.
128. Night sch. awards: GEDS.
129. Exxon, formerly: ESSO.
Down:
2. Wash. neighbor: OREG.
3. Love letters?: XOXO.
4. Crossword constructor's job: CLUING. Hours & hours of googling, researching, checking and double-checking.
5. Group __: HUG.
6. They're beaten in kitchens: EGGS.
7. Put back in a seat: RE-ELECT.
8. Overhead storage: ATTIC. Do you have your heat exchanger installed there also?
9. Secular: LAICAL.
10. King known for his wealth: CROESUS. Hence "Rich as Croesus".
11. John David, to Denzel: SON. Washington.
12. Double-dog action?: DARE. I double-dog dare you.
13. Take advantage of: USE.
15. Lure: ENTICE.
16. Man with a World: DISNEY. Cute clue.
18. Fog: STUPOR.
21. "L.A. Law" actress: DEY.
23. Flintstones time: STONE AGE.
24. Orange soda brand: SUNKIST.
28. Songwriters' org.: ASCAP.
31. Glitzy genre: GLAM.
33. Break in the theater: ENTR'ACTE.
34. Nice turndown: NON. Nice, France. Also 102. French film festival site: CANNES.
35. Winter transport: SLED.
36. Pioneering DVR: TIVO.
37. Rd. map lines: RTES.
38. Plastic __ Band: ONO.
40. Webmaster's code: HTML. I don't know why the link button is not available in the Comments section. It's so much easier to make a link in our blog write-ups.
41. Unlikely GoFundMe donor: MISER.
47. Deli array: MEAT.
49. Orders: DECREES.
50. Run-down area: SLUM.
53. Movie industry reps: Abbr.: AGTS.
54. Queequeg's captain: AHAB.
56. Intro to physics?: ASTRO. Astrophysics.
57. "Likewise": SO DO I.
58. Laundry units: LOADS.
60. Capital NE of Vientiane: HANOI.
62. Part of una semana: DIA. Day/one week.
63. Picketing: ON STRIKE.
65. Mil. training site: OCS. Officer candidate school.
67. Tattoo canvas: SKIN.
68. Watson who played Hermione: EMMA.
71. Rhinitis docs: ENTS.
72. Weed killer: HOER. Our chives grow so quickly, and the squirrels never bother them. Squirrels (maybe rabbits) ruined our beautiful Asiatic lilies this year.
75. More faithful: TRUER.
78. Studio picture taker: TV CAMERA.
80. Uruguay's Punta del __: ESTE.
82. Guilty feeling: REMORSE.
84. Works on a route: TARS.
85. Wells race of the future: ELOI.
86. Match in a studio: SYNC.
89. Scoreboard figs.: STATS.
91. SSW's opposite: NNE.
92. Snobbish attitude: AIRS.
95. "When Will __ Loved?": 1975 hit: I BE.
96. Sheet material: PERCALE. Bed sheet.
98. Sudden spike: UPSURGE.
100. Reviews of books: AUDITS. Not the book you read.
101. Dora the Explorer's Isa, e.g.: IGUANA.
103. Not for kids, filmwise: R-RATED. Restricted.
105. Cold sound: AHCHOO.
108. Four Holy Roman emperors: OTTOS.
111. Caspian Sea land: IRAN.
112. Not a good review: PAN. Have any of you visited the Stonewall Kitchen store? We just got some fantastic sheet pans from them. And this fish spatula. Xie Xie, Agnes.
114. Trident-shaped frat letters: PSIS.
116. Concert memento: STUB.
117. Prefix with -zoic: CENO.
118. Serengeti antelope: ORYX.
120. Word in a Latin love poem: AMO.
121. Cranberry source: BOG.
122. Brain and spinal cord, initially: CNS. Central Nervous System.
Thank you for the birthday wishes! I'm surprised that I did not get a letter from the AARP.
Boomer bought me a pretty cake. We shared it with his Monday golf buddies and their spouses at a picnic.
C.C.
