Theme:"Secretly Jealous" - NV spans across each theme entry.
29A. Sure thing : CERTAIN VICTORY. The first theme starts in Row 4 rather than the traditional Row 3.
52A. Oath : SOLEMN VOW
77A. City NNW of San Diego : MISSION VIEJO. I just learned that Viejo means "old".
80A.Gourmet : BON VIVANT. Thought it just means "man about town".
104A. Many a side dish : GREEN VEGETABLE
3D. Tanzanian flowering plant : AFRICAN VIOLET
58D. Hollywood adaptation : SCREEN VERSION
Reveal entry:
123A. Word homophonically hidden in the eight longest puzzle answers : ENVY
Two
pairs of theme entries intersect one another. Very nice. The reveal is
also perfectly placed as the last Across entry crossing one more theme
entry.
We've seen ENVY puzzles where the theme entries are all in N* V* pattern. Nice change of pace.
Not many long fill. A pair of 8's. But lots of solid 6's and 7's.
Across:
1. Plush carpet : SHAG
5. Lunchbox staples, initially : PBJs. Very American. No such thing in my childhood.
9. Two-time Argentine president : PERON
14. Piglike rhino relative : TAPIR. Have any of you read "Sapiens?"
19. Sword handle : HAFT. Not HILT.
20. Beat but good : ROUT
21. Texas Revolution battle site : ALAMO
22. All-page link : ON ONE. Some partials are tricky to clue. All on one page.
23. Field: Pref. : AGRO
24. Scrape in the sandbox : OWIE
25. Hold fast, as one's attention : RIVET
26. Get behind, as a desk : SIT AT
27. Pouilly-__: wine : FUISSE. Learning moment for me.
32. Sam Spade type : TEC. Short for "Detective".
33. Wrote to, nowadays : EMAILED
35. Low-tech travel guide : AAA MAP
36. "You can't fool me!" : AHA
38. Explorer Ericson : LEIF
39. Washroom item : BASIN
43. Nine months, for some tots : AGE
44. "Lou Grant" star : ASNER. His surname and full name have very grid-friendly letter combo.
46. Wash. neighbor : ORE
47. Language of many mottos : LATIN
48. Spikes : LACES
50. Reduce in importance : DEVALUE
57. Really gets to : IRKS. We also have the wobbly 79. Riles up : IRES
59. Native of Nigeria : IBO. I learned this word from Maron's interview with Godfrey, whose parents were from Nigeria.
60. Sloppy kiss : WET ONE
61. Cause of a close shave : RAZOR
64. Epidemic-fighting agcy. : CDC
67. Belief sys. : REL (Religion)
68. Investment descriptor that should sound alarms : NO RISK. Also 13. Homework shirker's punishment : NO TV
69. For instance : NAMELY
70. Actor Stephen : REA
71. Suffix with stamp : EDE
72. Order to swabs : AVAST. Sailor swab.
73. Donizetti opera "L'elisir __" ("The Elixir of Love") : D'AMORE. No idea. But the bracketed "Love" helped.
74. Poet's adverb : E'ER
75. Emotion indicator, often : TONE
84. Hardly fleeting : ETERNAL
85. Casual tops : POLOs
88. Work well together : CLICK. Like "they just clicked immediately".
89. '60s protest org. : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
91. "If I Were a Rich Man" singer : TEVYE
92. Pasta ending : INI
93. Pal : CRONY
94. Longfellow's bell town : ATRI. Our old pal.
95. Half a fly : TSE. Our old pal.
96. Like some ancient Celts : GALLIC
99. Dessert square : BROWNIE. Oh Dudley and MJ, my friend Roberto (Project Manager with Kraft then) ate an Oreo Pie every morning. They were widely sold in China.
101. Long John Silver creator's monogram : RLS
109. "__ Fideles" : ADESTE
111. Little bits : IOTAS
112. Base lines : X-AXES
113. Oater actor Jack : ELAM. Our old pal.
115. Capital south of Helsinki : RIGA. Put in OSLO. Dumb!
116. Lycée student : ELEVE
117. Industry leaders : CZARS
118. Hieroglyphics bird : IBIS
119. Rise in a big way : LOOM. Bad thing, normally.
120. Cold fall : SLEET
121. Exaggerated on stage : HAMMY
122. "Eli's Coming" songwriter : NYRO (Laura). Drew a blank. Read her Wiki page. She died quite young.
Down:
1. Harsh treatment, with "the" : SHAFT
2. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE. "The" echo.
4. Classic muscle cars : GTOs
5. Introduction : PROEM. Not a word I use.
6. Acknowledge applause : BOW
7. Better, as gossip : JUICIER
8. Metal marble : STEELIE. Our old pal.
9. Medicare Rx section : PART D
10. Lamb pen name : ELIA. Our old pal.
11. Indian musician who influenced Beatle George : RAVI. Our old pal.
12. Symbolic warning : OMEN
14. Puccini heroine : TOSCA
15. "West Side Story" girl : ANITA. Same letter count as MARIA.
16. River to Chesapeake Bay : POTOMAC
17. Hitting the roof : IN A RAGE
18. Enters again : RE-TYPES
28. Pfizer-owned trademark : SEARLE. They made Celebrex. Oh My God the side effects.
30. One crying foul? : REF. Great clue.
31. James' creator : IAN. Bond.
34. Skin-treatment plant : ALOE VERA. Nice to see the full name.
37. Go : HEAD. Also 97. Go : LEAVE
39. Field unit : BALE. Not ACRE.
40. Dined : ATE. The Prime Rib Loft changed their menu, Steve. The classy orange-glazed salmon was replaced by the ordinary tasting roasted salmon.
41. __City: computer game : SIM
42. Vacation spot : INN
44. Look up to : ADMIRE
45. Wet floor : SEABED
47. Theater option : LOGE
48. Irish truck : LORRY Also. 61. Trucks with ovine logos : RAMS
49. Parrot's cry : AWK. New sound to me.
51. Not yet interlaced, as yarn : UNWOVEN
52. Putted into the hole : SANK. Boomer never practices his putting/chipping. Not a good strategy when you're losing driving distance.
53. Like some bad weather : VIOLENT
55. Up-and-down inventor? : OTIS. Nice clue also.
56. 2015 World Series winning manager Ned : YOST. Gary's KC Royals.
62. Mine, to Mimi : A MOI
63. Refines one's aim : ZEROES IN
65. Dance runner : DEEJAY
66. King of pop : CAROLE. Carole King. Not that JACKSON fits.
68. Smallish iPods : NANOS.
My 10-year-old iPod Classic gave me another scare last week. Finally
reset to Factory Settings. Do you listen then delete, Gary? I've saved
so many episodes. Thousands.
69. Tammany Hall Tiger artist : NAST
73. Childless couple's acronym : DINK. "Dual Income, No Kids"
76. "I'll take what I can get," in classifieds : OBO. Or Best Offer.
77. R&B singer Gray : MACY. Stranger to me.
78. Authenticated : VETTED
81. DVD predecessor : VCR
82. U.N. workers' gp. : ILO. International Labour Organization
83. Cru output : VIN
85. Tot's toes : PIGGIES
86. Hot : ON A ROLL
87. 1992 Kentucky Derby winner : LIL E TEE. Was this a gimme to you? Never heard of it.
89. Entered on tiptoe : STOLE IN
90. Med. man of '70s TV : DR WELBY. Got via crosses.
93. MML ÷ X : CCV. 205.
94. NYSE trader : ARB (Arbitrager)
98. A metro area may be shown in one : INSET
99. Low in pitch : BASSY
100. Playground dispute words : I AM SO
102. St.'s second-in-command : LT GOV.
At this moment, I can't remember ours. I can picture how she looks like
though. Man! OK, Tina Smith. That's our Governor Mark Dayton to her
left. Such a compassionate guy. His great-grandfather founded Dayton's (now Target).
103. Sordid : SEAMY
105. Part of NYSE: Abbr. : EXCH (Exchange).
106. __ Strip : GAZA
107. Final __ : EXAM
108. Semester, e.g. : TERM
110. First name in legal fiction : ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner.
114. Tune : AIR
C.C.
