1A: With 22- and 126-Across, saying about the difficulty of dieting? : A WAIST
22A. See 1-Across : IS A TERRIBLE THING. And 126A. See 1-Across : TO MIND. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
36A: Proverb about creeps getting their just deserts? : TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS. Time heals all wounds.
69A: Handles every objection? : ANSWERS ALL THE NOES. Knows all the answers.
96A. Fed up with a corporate VIP? : BORED OF THE CHAIRMAN. Chairman of the board.
114A. Spars during dance music? : PUNCHES TO THE BEAT. Beat to the punches. Isn't the saying "beat to the punch"?
The last one has no homophone change, turned, but not twisted.
I don't think I've seen a theme entry broken into three symmetrical parts. Very creative. Otherwise, we would have lost a 30-letter fun themer.
Across:
7. 1956 hot spot : SUEZ. Suez Canal Crisis. We also have 86. '60s hot spot : NAM
11. Healthful getaway : SPA
14. Lodge : STOW
18. Social classes : CASTES. Caste system still exists in India.
19. Trick joint? : KNEE
20. Consequently : THEN
21. Big name in spydom : HARI (Mata)
25. Part of Kurdistan is in it : IRAN
26. Code word : DAH. DIT too.
27. Bluesman Redding : OTIS
28. Nada, across the Pyrenees : RIEN. "De rien".
29. Grocery section : AISLE
30. Mrs. Addams, to Gomez : TISH
33. Deck (out) : TOG
34. Like the most popular beaches : SANDIEST. When was the first time you saw the ocean?
42. World Heritage Site org. : UNESCO
45. Surgeon's patient? : TREE. Tree surgeon.
46. __ Aviv : TEL
47. Difficult position : SPOT. In a spot.
48. Middle X or O : TAC
49. "Things Fall Apart" novelist Chinua __ : ACHEBE
52. Crisis of the middle ages? : SAG. Ha ha.
54. Flour may be made with it : SOY. I eat tons of soy products. Never tried flour though.
55. "__, Sing America": Langston Hughes poem : I TOO
57. Prynne's stigma : RED A. "The Scarlet Letter"
58. Street fleet : CABS. Not CARS.
61. Irregularly notched : EROSE. Like these leaves.
63. Tidal extreme : LOW WATER
66. Calf-roping loop : NOOSE
68. Cartoon genre : ANIME
72. __-Roman wrestling : GRECO
73. Like cornstalks : EARED
74. Cadillac SUV : ESCALADE
77. Mercury astronaut Cooper, to friends : GORDO. Learning moment for me.
78. Website for techies : CNET
79. Big celebration : FEST
81. More than tickle : SLAY. Our Peg! We also have 93. Tickled : AMUSED
82. Troy, N.Y., tech school : RPI. Our Spitzboov & Irish Miss!
83. Lao Tzu's "way" : TAO. Lao Tzu spoke Mandarin, so he would have used DAO.
85. You don't have to face the music to do it : LISTEN. Thought the answer would be a noun.
87. Cremona crowd? : TRE. Three.
88. Lined up, with "in" : A ROW
90. IV league? : RNs. Cute.
92. Democratic donkey designer : NAST (Thomas)
101. Comic book artist's supply : INDIA INK. Ink was invented in China. Paper too.
102. __ Friday's : TGI
103. Winter cord : WOOD
106. Plant life : FLORA
109. "__ Nacht": German parting : GUTE
110. Vintner's prefix : OENO
111. Lingerie item : BRA
113. Noble title : LORD
119. Biblical brother : ABEL. Also the given name of The Weekend.
120. Principal : ARCH
121. Whaler's direction : THAR
122. Home to Napoli : ITALIA
123. Like a yenta : NOSY
124. "Not impressed" : MEH
125. __-Coburg: former German duchy : SAXE
Down:
1. Vinegary : ACID. Any of you tried sherry vinegar?
2. Attended : WAS AT
3. Japanese beer brand : ASAHI
4. Shades-wearing TV cousin : ITT
5. "Didn't I tell you?" : SEE
6. Original Dungeons & Dragons co. : TSR. It stands for Tactical Studies Rules.
7. Trail access aid : SKI TOW
8. Tolerant : UNBIGOTED. I only know BIGOTED.
9. Fish that can swim backwards : EELS
10. What's at the heart of every calzone? : ZEE. Just the middle letter.
11. Reacted skittishly to : SHIED AT
12. Broke : PENNILESS
13. "The Ice Storm" director Lee : ANG
14. Islamic worshippers : SHIITES. I spell it as "worshipers". You?
15. Experienced crew : TARS
16. __ agreement : ORAL
17. Press release? : WINE. Nailed it.
20. Dilutes : THINS
23. Mechanically, after "by" : ROTE
24. Business : TRADE
29. Hearth residue : ASH
31. Google Maps lines: Abbr. : STs
32. Kool-Aid alternative : HI-C
34. Bygone blade : SNEE
35. "Enchanted" girl in a 2004 film : ELLA. The film title is "Ella Enchanted".
37. Bygone bird : MOA
38. Graffiti and such : URBAN ART
39. Hydrated magnesium sulfate : EPSOM SALTS. For hot baths.
40. Baggy : LOOSE
41. Eye affliction : STYE. Also 76. Checked out : EYED. Any of you wear Acuvue Oasys? I had two abrasions on my right eye. Been having antibiotic drops. Need to see the doctor again next week.
42. Payment made each mo. : UTIL
43. Gp. joined by Montenegro in 2017 : NATO
44. Environmental activist : ECO-WARRIOR
50. Canadian tribe : CREE
51. German gentlemen : HERREN. Plural of HERR.
53. Italy's largest port : GENOA
56. Had : OWNED
58. Ultra-aloof type : COLD FISH
59. Nova Scotia hrs. : AST
60. Strong request : BEHEST
62. Cambodian currency : RIELS. Like Chinese, their language do not have plural form.
64. English race place : ASCOT
65. Small partnership : TWO
67. "Bravo!" : OLE
68. RSA ruling party : ANC. African National Congress
70. Ed.'s request : SAE
71. Ferrara family name : ESTE. Often clued as [Noble Italian family].
72. Start playing for money : GO PRO. Tiny clue dupe with 80. Going rate? : ESTATE TAX
75. Challenge : DARE
77. Screen __ : GRAB. Not SHOT.
78. Assemble, as a computer system : CONFIGURE
84. J.Lo's main squeeze : A-ROD. Beautiful couple.
85. Deficiency : LACK
89. In a strange way : WEIRDLY
91. Firm in principle : STAUNCH. Consonant-rich.
92. "Buffalo Stance" singer Cherry : NENEH. Another learning moment for me.
94. Big mouth : MAW
95. A, in Acapulco : UNO
97. Paternity suit evidence : DNA
98. Thumb : HITCH
99. Brush aside : IGNORE
100. Very funny one : RIOT
104. Dagger-shaped editing marks : OBELI. Plural of Obelus. No dagger here.
105. Exhaust : DRAIN
106. Custard concoction : FLAN. Amazed that pie crusts were nowhere to be found yesterday at Cub Foods. Did get rutabaga though. We only eat rutabaga once a year, thankfully.
107. Western wolf : LOBO
108. Mining haul : ORES
110. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA
112. Hardly more than not at all : A TAD
114. Nonstick cooking spray : PAM
115. UFO crew, so it's said : ETs
116. Big success : HIT
117. WWII command : ETO (European Theater of Operations, 1942-1945)
118. Emeril catchword : BAM
Lemonade spent three weeks in Thailand with his wife Oo. Look at these two amazing pictures. He said "It was good to be king".
