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.
