google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Mar 20, 2016

Sunday, March 20, 2016 Rebecca Durant

Theme: "Border Pairs" - Two vowels bookend each theme answer.

23A. *Part of a Quaker recipe batch : OATMEAL COOKIE. Tried the oatmeal raisin cookie recipe in the Quaker box kid once. So so result.

37A. *It attracts koalas : EUCALYPTUS TREE. Yum!


56A. *Beverage made from sun-withered leaves : OOLONG TEA. In Chinese, it's called Wu Long. Long = Dragon.


79A. *Cyclades setting : AEGEAN SEA

94A. *Financial oversight group : AUDIT COMMITTEE
 
17D. *Too much to handle : OUT OF ONE'S LEAGUE

45D. *Forced to apologize : EATING HUMBLE PIE
 
113A. Answers to starred clues, as hinted by this puzzle's title? : VOWEL LANGUAGE. Play on "foul language".

When I first read the title, I thought this might be a "border states" puzzle. Nope. Just vowels. I then emailed Argyle to see if I missed anything. Nope. This is it.

It'd be great if those vowels are of different combos, but we have three EAs', two EE's. I do realize however, double-vowel starting/ending words are limited.

I think this is an LAT debut. Congratulations, Rebecca!

Across:

1. Beauty pageant accessories : SASHES

7. Won't take no for an answer : INSIST

13. Information unit : FACTOID. We also have 53A. Data measure : BYTE

20. Grammar class subject : CLAUSE. Did I ever tell you my very first English word is FACE? We were not taught how to pronounce it properly. We just wrote down the closest Chinese pronunciation, so FACE becomes Fei Si. BUS is Ba Si. Totally lost when RESTAURANT came long. No equivalent for R-starting multi syllable word.

21. More malicious : MEANER. Not EVILER.

22. Not done externally : IN HOUSE

25. Shock : STARTLE

26. Thurman of film : UMA

27. New Mexico county or its seat : TAOS

28. Alicia's son in "The Good Wife" : ZACH. Gimme for JD. She likes the series.

30. Golf tournament kickoff : PRO-AM

31. Schroeder's most prized possession : TOY PIANO

34. Vatican City statue : PIETA


36. Character on a staff : CLEF. Got via crosses.

40. Corvallis sch. : OSU (Oregon State University)

43. First-stringers : A TEAM

46. Each : A POP

47. Ristorante desserts : TORTONIS. Never had one.


49. One not honoring an oath : LIAR. Anagram of the next answer 50. Hideaway : LAIR
 
54. Big Ten athlete since 2014, briefly : TERP. Maryland Terrapins. With ACC pre-2014. We also have 87. South Carolina athlete : GAMECOCK

55. Slugger Mel : OTT

60. Absorption process : OSMOSIS

62. Buzz and trim : HAIRCUTS. Here is my new haircut. Chopped a few inches off the messy long hair. Spring is not here yet. Everything is so brown. I woke up to a dusting of snow yesterday morning.


64. Assessment : LEVY

65. 2015 Verizon acquisition : AOL

66. With 48-Down, Martha Kent portrayer on "Smallville" : ANNETTE. 48. See 66-Across :
O'TOOLE. Is she very famous? Never heard of the lady. We also have 24. Lang on "Smallville" : LANA

67. Divine rings : HALOS

68. Sole food : FILLETS. Lovely clue.

72. "Today" rival, initially : GMA (Good Morning America)

73. Bk. before Daniel : EZEK. You've got to commit this to your memory. This clue & fill will appear again and again.

74. "Don't worry" : REST EASY

75. Many a text writer : SCHOLAR

81. Roadside sign : GAS

82. Été month : AOUT (August)

83. Outdo : BEST

85. Check numbers : DATE

86. Songwriter Bacharach : BURT. Very successful career.

89. Start of a solution : IDEA

92. Get ready for work : DRESS

93. Wagering letters : OTB. Also 71. Betting aids: Abbr. : SYSTs. Tiny dupe.

99. Sequence of 106-Across : LIST. And 106. 99-Across things : ITEMS. Not fond of no-clue clues.

101. English city that's home to Kirkgate Market : LEEDS. Easy guess.
 
102. Diamond gem : NO-HITTER. Nailed it.

108. Monthly pmt. : ELEC

109. "Un-shareable since 1972" breakfast food : EGGO
 
110. "Norma __" : RAE

111. Dover diapers : NAPPIES. Alliterative clue.

118. Buds in a circle : FRIENDS. I was picturing flowers.


119. Slide by : ELAPSE

120. Adorned : GRACED

121. The least bit : ONE IOTA

122. Circular currents : EDDIES

123. Underground maze : SEWERS
  
Down:

1. One getting ahead? : SCOUT. Oh, recon.

2. Texas mission : ALAMO

3. Skewered Thai dish : SATAY. Very popular street food. Bangkok has the second best street food. Guangzhou has the best!
 

4. Run smoothly : HUM Also 11. Stop running, as an engine : SEIZE UP

5. Language suffix : ESE

6. Washington airport : SEA-TAC.  Seattle & Tacoma.

7. "It's all good, dude" : I'M COOL

8. Revivalists : NEOs

9. __ Tomé : SAO

10. Fluid applied through a nib : INK

12. Rewards for tricks : TREATS

13. Seek sneakily, with "for" : FISH

14. Tiny crawler : ANT

15. Rosary relative : CHAPLET. Learning moment to me also. I've always just called this rosary.


16. Yankee manager after Showalter : TORRE. I bet many of you nailed this with the R in PRO-AM in place.

18. Land in un lago : ISLA

19. Regard : DEEM

29. Slyly spiteful : CATTY

32. Apple cousin : PEAR

33. End of chem class? : IUM. Tricky clue.

34. "Moonlight Sonata" directive : PPP.  Got via crosses. Did any of you hear the "Let's go Peay" cheer segment on NPR? I never heard of Austin Peay until we had it in a puzzle last December. Turns out Peay and Pee have the same pronunciation. 


35. "How was __ know?" : I TO
 
36. Demeter's Roman counterpart : CERES. Goddess of agriculture.

38. Tale : YARN

39. Prefix with tiller : ROTO

41. Acronymic Apple assistant : SIRI. We also have IOS, though clued differently: 52D. Cyclades island

42. Gp. putting letters in boxes : USPS

43. Maui ciao : ALOHA

44. Business bigwig : TITAN. Weirdest election cycle I've ever seen.

50. Boor : LOUT

51. Old, in Oberhausen : ALTE
 
53. Bights, e.g. : BAYS. "Bight" is a new word to me.

56. In base eight : OCTAL

57. Cruller coating : GLAZE

58. Comm. with STOP signs : TELEG. Got via crosses also.

59. Call to mind : EVOKE

61. Mediterranean island country : MALTA

63. 95-Down convenience : REMOTE. 95D. Den fixture : TEEVEE.

67. What culinary alarms measure : HEAT. Have any of you tried Hunan food? Incredibly hot. It's Chairman Mao's favorite. He grew up in Hunan and loved spicy hot food.


68. Ending for song or slug : FEST

69. "Right you are" : I SEE

70. Old Russian monarchs : TSARS
 
74. Genetics lab subject : RNA

75. Palm starch : SAGO

76. Dredge, as with flour : COAT

77. Partner of up : ABOUT. Up and about.

78. In, on a stamp : REC'D.

80. Inspector Dalgliesh in P.D. James novels : ADAM

84. Ability : SKILL

86. Poker Flat chronicler Harte : BRET

88. City NNW of Naples : CASSINO. Never heard of the city. See Napoli?


89. Freezing : ICE COLD

90. Pentagon org. : DOD (Department of Defense). Don't google. Who's the current Secretary of Defense?

91. Ambulance initials : EMS

92. Agnus __ : DEI

96. Hearths : INGLES

97. Frat party garment : TOGA

98. Flip-flops : THONGS

100. Louvre Pyramid architect : I. M. PEI. He'll be 99 years next month.


103. Vestige : TRACE

104. Like one who can't wait : EAGER

105. Wetland stalks : REEDS

106. What FAQs offer : INFO

107. Mountain lake : TARN. I always have trouble remembering this word.

108. She, in Salerno : ESSA. ELA in Portuguese.

109. In addition : ELSE. Wanted ALSO.

112. Mount Washington summer hrs. : EDT

114. Tidy sum : WAD

115. Prefix with dermis : EPI

116. Univ. senior's exam : GRE

117. Motor City org. : UAW (United Automobile Workers)

Happy Birthday to Spitzboov (Al), my dear friend and occasional puzzle collaborator. Al served in the Navy Reserve for over 20 years. He retired as Commander and continues to support the Navy in any way he can. I love reading stories of his farm boy childhood & later Navy days.


Argyle and Spitzboov
(August 23, 2014, Washington County Fair)

2) Happy Birthday to John28man as well! How are you doing, John? Where did you spend the winter? Colorado or Arizona?


C.C.