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Jump to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
CROSSWORD SETTER: Rebecca Durant
THEME: Border Pairs … each of today’s themed answers start and end with PAIRS of VOWELS, i.e. the answers are BORDERED by PAIRS of VOWELS:
113A. Answers to starred clues, as hinted by this puzzle’s title? VOWEL LANGUAGE
23A. *Part of a Quaker recipe batch OATMEAL COOKIE
37A. *It attracts koalas EUCALYPTUS TREE
56A. *Beverage made from sun-withered leaves OOLONG TEA
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
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 19m 25s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
23. *Part of a Quaker recipe batch OATMEAL COOKIE
The Quaker Oats Company was founded in 1901 when four oat mills merged, including the Quaker Mill Company of Ravenna, Ohio. Quaker Mill’s owner Henry Parsons Crowell played the key role in the new company and remained at the helm until 1943.
26. Thurman of film UMA
Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name “Dbuma”. Uma’s big break in movies came with her starring role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit “Pulp Fiction”. My favorite Uma Thurman film is the wonderful 1996 romantic comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”.
27. New Mexico county or its seat TAOS
The town of Taos, New Mexico is named for the Native American village nearby called Taos Pueblo. Taos is famous for its art colony. Artists began to settle in Taos in 1899, and the Taos Society of Artists was founded in 1915.
28. Alicia’s son in “The Good Wife” ZACH
“The Good Wife” is a legal drama showing on CBS starring Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, a litigator who returns to practicing the law after spending 13 years as a stay-at-home mom. I binge-watched a few series of the show some time back. I find it to be well-written, with a great cast and great acting …
31. Schroeder’s most prized possession TOY PIANO
Schroeder is a favorite character of mine in the comic strip “Peanuts”. He is young boy who constantly plays on a toy piano, especially pieces by Beethoven. Schroeder is also the subject of an extreme infatuation by young Lucy van Pelt, who often leans on his piano and looks at him adoringly as he plays.
34. Vatican City statue PIETA
The Pietà is a representation of the Virgin Mary holding in her arms the dead body of her son Jesus. The most famous “Pietà” is probably the sculpted rendition by Michelangelo which is located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. In some depictions, Mary and her son are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament, and these depictions are known as “Lamentations”.
Vatican City is a sovereign city-state that is walled off within the city of Rome. Vatican City is about 110 acres in area, and so is the smallest independent state in the world. With about 800 residents, it is also the smallest state in terms of population. Although the Holy See dates back to early Christianity, Vatican City only came into being in 1929. At that time, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini signed a treaty with the Holy See on behalf of the Kingdom of Italy that established the city-state.
36. Character on a staff CLEF
Clef is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. The bass clef is also known as the F-clef, and the treble clef is the G-clef.
37. *It attracts koalas EUCALYPTUS TREE
The koala really does look like a little bear, but it’s not even closely related. The koala is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Koalas aren’t primates, and are one of the few mammals other than primates who have fingerprints. In fact, it can be very difficult to tell human fingerprints from koala fingerprints, even under an electron microscope.
40. Corvallis sch. OSU
Corvallis is a city in western Oregon that is home to Oregon State University (OSU). Corvallis was the capital of the Oregon Territory before Salem was selected as the seat of government.
43. First-stringers A-TEAM
We’ve been using the phrases “first string” and “second string” in athletics since the mid-19th century. The expressions come from archery, in which a competitor would carry a second bowstring in case the first bowstring broke.
47. Ristorante desserts TORTONIS
Biscuit Tortoni is an ice cream dessert made with eggs and heavy cream and usually enhanced with a couple of teaspoons of rum. “Tortoni” was apparently an 18th century owner of an Italian café in Paris.
53. Data measure BYTE
In the world of computers, a “bit” is the basic unit of information. It has a value of 0 or 1. A “byte” is a small collection of bits (usually 8), the number of bits needed to uniquely identify a character of text. The prefix mega- stands for 10 to the power of 6, so a megabyte (meg) is 1,000,000 bytes. And the prefix giga- means 10 to the power of 9, so a gigabyte (gig) is 1,000,000,000 bytes. Well, those are the SI definitions of megabyte and kilobyte. The purists still use 2 to the power of 20 for a megabyte (i.e. 1,048,576), and 2 to the power of 30 for a gigabyte.
54. Big Ten athlete since 2014, briefly TERP
The sports teams of the University of Maryland are called the Maryland Terrapins, or “the Terps” for short. The name dates back to 1932 when it was coined by the the university’s president at the time, Curley Byrd. He took the name from the diamondback terrapins that are native to the Chesapeake Bay.
55. Slugger Mel OTT
At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.
56. *Beverage made from sun-withered leaves OOLONG TEA
The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon”. Oolong tea is processed a little differently than other teas in that prior to picking the leaves, the plant is allowed to wither in the sun.
60. Absorption process OSMOSIS
Osmosis is the movement of a solvent (often just water) across a semipermeable membrane. In the process of osmosis, the solvent tends to flow from an area of less concentration to an area of higher concentration. This sense of “absorbing” water effortlessly gives rise to the expression “learning by osmosis”.
65. 2015 Verizon acquisition AOL
GTE was a rival to AT&T, the largest of the independent competitors to the Bell System. GTE merged with Bell Atlantic in 2000 to form the company that we know today as Verizon. Verizon made some high-profile acquisitions over the years, including MCI in 2005 and AOL in 2015.
66. With 48-Down, Martha Kent portrayer on “Smallville” ANNETTE
(48D. See 66-Across O’TOOLE)
Annette O’Toole is the actress who plays Clark Kent’s mother on the TV show “Smallville”.
Superman was sent to Earth in a rocket as a child by his parents who were living on the doomed planet of Krypton. On Earth he was discovered by the Jonathan and Martha Kent, farmers who lived near the fictional town of Smallville. The Kents raised the infant as their own, giving him the name Clark.
68. Sole food FILLETS
A “fillet” is a boneless cut of meat or fish. The term comes from the Old French “filet” meaning “small thread, filament”. Apparently we applied the term to food as the piece of fish or meat was tied up with string after it was boned.
The group of flatfish known as soles take their name from “solea”, the Latin word for “sandal”. And, they kind of have that shape.
72. “Today” rival, initially GMA
“Good Morning America” (GMA) is ABC’s morning show, and has been since 1975. There was even a spinoff show called “Good Afternoon America”, although that only lasted for a few months in 2012.
73. Bk. before Daniel EZEK
The Book of Ezekiel (Ezek.) in the Old Testament (OT) is a collection of the preachings of the prophet Ezekiel.
79. *Cyclades setting AEGEAN SEA
(52D. Cyclades island IOS)
The Cyclades are a group of islands in the Aegean Sea lying southeast of the Greek mainland. There are about 200 islands in the group, almost all of which are the peaks of a submerged mountain range. Ios is one of the larger islands, 11 miles long and 6 miles wide.
82. Été month AOUT
In French, “août” (August) is a month in “l’été” (the summer).
86. Songwriter Bacharach BURT
Composer and pianist Burt Bacharach had an incredible run of hits from the fifties through the eighties, usually working with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach’s hits ranged from “Magic Moments”, a fifties hit for Perry Como, “Close to You”, a sixties hit for the Carpenters, and “Arthur’s Theme”, a hit for Christopher Cross in the seventies. Bacharach was married to Angie Dickinson for fifteen years.
87. South Carolina athlete GAMECOCK
The University of Carolina’s sports teams have gone by the moniker “Gamecocks” since about 1900. The name was chosen in honor of a South Carolina revolutionary war hero named Thomas Sumter. Sumter’s nickname was the Carolina Gamecock, as British General Banastre Tarleton once said that Sumter “fought like a gamecock”.
93. Wagering letters OTB
Off-Track Betting (OTB) is the legal gambling that takes place on horse races outside of a race track. A betting parlor can be referred to as an OTB.
101. English city that’s home to Kirkgate Market LEEDS
Leeds Kirkgate Market is an indoor market that has served the public since 1822 as an open-air market, and as a covered market since the 1870s. Kirkgate is now the largest covered market in the whole of Europe.
109. “Un-shareable since 1972” breakfast food EGGO
Eggo is the brand name of a line of frozen waffles made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced the original name chosen, which was “Froffles”, created by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.
110. “Norma __” RAE
“Norma Rae” is a 1979 movie starring Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster in a tale of union activities in a textile factory in Alabama. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called “Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance”.
111. Dover diapers NAPPIES
“Diaper” is another word that I had to learn when I moved to America. What are called “diapers” over here, we call “nappies” back in Ireland. “Diaper” is actually the original term that was used in England for the garment, where “diaper” referred to the cloth that was used. The term diaper was brought to the New World where it stuck. Back in Britain, diaper was displaced by the word “nappy”, a diminutive of “napkin”.
121. The least bit ONE IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.
Down
2. Texas mission ALAMO
The famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission was founded in 1718 and was the first mission established in the city. The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, a thirteen-day siege by the Mexican Army led by President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Only two people defending the Alamo Mission survived the onslaught. One month later, the Texian army got its revenge by attacking and defeating the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, many of the Texian soldiers were heard to cry “Remember the Alamo!”.
3. Skewered Thai dish SATAY
The dish known as “satay” originated in Java, Indonesia and is marinated pieces of meat served on a skewer in a sauce, often a spicy peanut sauce. “Satay” is the Indonesian spelling, and “sate” is the Malay spelling.
6. Washington airport SEA-TAC
Sea-Tac Airport is more fully known as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Sea-Tac is the main hub for Alaska Airlines.
9. __ Tomé SAO
São Tomé is one of two islands off the west coast of Africa that make up the nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
10. Fluid applied through a nib INK
“Nib” is a Scottish variant of the Old English word “neb”, with both meaning the beak of a bird. This usage of “nib” as a beak dates back to the 14th century, with “nib” meaning the tip of a pen or quill coming a little later, in the early 1600s.
15. Rosary relative CHAPLET
A “chaplet” is a Christian prayer that is said while using prayer beads. The term “chaplet” can also be used for the prayer beads themselves.
The Rosary is a set of prayer beads used in the Roman Catholic tradition. The name “Rosary” comes from the Latin “rosarium”, the word for a “rose garden” or a “garland of roses”. The term is used figuratively, in the sense of a “garden of prayers”.
16. Yankee manager after Showalter TORRE
As a manager, Joe Torre was part of four World Series wins, all of them with the New York Yankees baseball team. Torre is an Italian American who was born in Brooklyn, New York. During the run up (pun intended!) to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Torre carried the Olympic flame part of the way through Florence in Italy, handing it over to the next runner at the famous Ponte Vecchio. I’d guess that was quite a thrill for him …
Buck Showalter is a Major League Baseball manager. Showalter has won the American League’s Manager of the Year award three times.
18. Land in un lago ISLA
In Spanish, an “isla” (island) can be found in a “lago” (lake).
24. Lang on “Smallville” LANA
Smallville, Kansas is the town on Earth in which Superman grew up (as Clark Kent). One of Clark’s best friends in Smallville, and the romantic interest of his youth, was Lana Lang.
33. End of chem class? -IUM
The names of many chemical elements have the suffix “ium”, for example barium, titanium and einsteinium.
34. “Moonlight Sonata” directive PPP
The musical term “pianissimo” is abbreviated to “pp”, and is an instruction to the performer to sing or play very softly. The concept can be extended to “ppp”, short for “pianississimo”, an instruction of play even more softly. The opposite instructions are fortissimo (ff) and fortississimo (fff), instructions to perform very loudly, and even more loudly.
Beethoven subtitled his “Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27, No. 2” as “Quasi una fantasia”, or “sonata in the manner of a fantasy” in English. Five years after Beethoven died, a music critic wrote that the (superb!) first movement of the piece had an effect like that of moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne. Since then, the work has been known as the “Moonlight Sonata”.
36. Demeter’s Roman counterpart CERES
Ceres was a Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility, and was the counterpart of the Greek goddess Demeter. Our modern word “cereal” comes from the name “Ceres”.
39. Prefix with tiller ROTO-
The rototiller (or rotary tiller) was invented by Arthur Clifford Howard in 1912, in Australia.
41. Acronymic Apple assistant SIRI
Siri is software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You’ve probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There’s no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google’s ads! By the way, voice-over artist Susan Bennett recently revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.
42. Gp. putting letters in boxes USPS
The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government’s right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.
43. Maui ciao ALOHA
The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.
Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. Maui is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.
“Ciao” is the Italian for “‘bye”. “Arrivederci” is more formal, and translates as “goodbye”.
45. *Forced to apologize EATING HUMBLE PIE
The phrase “humble pie” derives from a medieval meat dish called “umble pie”. The filling in umble pie usually contained the offal (heart, liver, lungs and kidneys) of deer. The name “umble” came from the French “nomble” meaning “deer’s innards”.
51. Old, in Oberhausen ALTE
Oberhausen is the name of a number of municipalities in Germany, the most famous being the city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr region in the very west of the country.
53. Bights, e.g. BAYS
A bight is a bend in shoreline, or the body of water bounded by such a bend. A bight is therefore similar to a bay.
57. Cruller coating GLAZE
Crullers (also “twisters”) are fried pastries that have a twisted shape. The pastry’s name comes from the Dutch “kruller” meaning “to curl”. Crullers are a traditional dish served on Shrove Tuesday (the day before Lent) in some European countries, including Germany.
58. Comm. with STOP signs TELEG
Telegraph (teleg.)
61. Mediterranean island country MALTA
The island state of Malta is relatively small, but its large number of inhabitants makes it one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Malta’s strategic location has made it a prized possession for the conquering empires of the world. Most recently it was part of the British Empire and was an important fleet headquarters. Malta played a crucial role for the Allies during WWII as it was located very close to the Axis shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. The Siege of Malta lasted from 1940 to 1942, a prolonged attack by the Italians and Germans on the RAF and Royal Navy, and the people of Malta. When the siege was lifted, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta collectively in recognition of their heroism and devotion to the Allied cause. The George Cross can still be seen on the Maltese flag, even though Britain granted Malta independence in 1964.
67. What culinary alarms measure HEAT
The spiciness or “heat” of a serving of chili is often designated by an unofficial scale ranging from one-alarm upwards.
The full name of the dish that is often called simply “chili” is “chili con carne”, Spanish for “peppers with meat”. The dish was first created by immigrants from the Spanish Canary Islands in the city of San Antonio, Texas (a city which the islanders founded). The San Antonio Chili Stand was a popular attraction at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and that stand introduced the dish to the rest of America and to the world.
70. Old Russian monarchs TSARS
The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “Caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time.
74. Genetics lab subject RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.
75. Palm starch SAGO
When I was growing up in Ireland I was very familiar with pearl sago, which is very similar to pearl tapioca. Pearls of sago are simply little balls of sago starch used to make breads, pancakes, biscuits, or the steamed puddings that we ate as kids. Sago comes from pith of the sago palm tree. To get at the starch the tree has to be cut down and the trunk split to reveal the pith. The pith is crushed and manipulated to make the starch available, which is then washed out of a fibrous suspension. One sago palm tree yields about 150-300 kg of starch. Personally I love the stuff, but then, I am a bit weird …
76. Dredge, as with flour COAT
“To dredge” something is to coat it with a powdered substance, particularly flour when cooking.
77. Partner of up ABOUT
I’m up and about, I really am …
78. In, on a stamp RECD
Received (recd.)
80. Inspector Dalgliesh in P.D. James novels ADAM
P. D. James was an incredibly successful English author of crime fiction, with her most famous books being a series that features a policeman and sometime poet, Adam Dalgliesh. James’ 1992 novel called “The Children of Men” was adapted into a 2006 movie (“Children of Men”) starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. It tells of a world that develops after two generations of human infertility.
86. Poker Flat chronicler Harte BRET
“The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is a short story by Bret Harte, first published in 1869. Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York.
88. City NNW of Naples CASSINO
Cassino is a township in central Italy that was almost completely destroyed during the Battles of Monte Cassino during WWII. The battles were a series of four assaults by Allied forces against German and Italian forces who fought fiercely to halt the march into Rome. The Axis troops were eventually rooted out of their positions, but at the cost of 55,000 Allied men killed and wounded. The Axis casualties were about 20,000 men killed and wounded.
90. Pentagon org. DOD
Department of Defense (DOD)
The incredible building known as the Pentagon was built during WWII, and dedicated on January 15, 1943. It is the largest office building in the world (by floor space) covering an area of about 6.5 million square feet. As it was built during the war years, a major requirement was that it use a minimum amount of steel. So the steel shortage dictated that the building be no more than four stories in height, covering an awful lot of real estate.
91. Ambulance initials EMS
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
92. Agnus __ DEI
“Agnus Dei” is Latin for “Lamb of God”, a term used in Christian faiths for Jesus Christ, symbolizing his role as a sacrificial offering to atone for the sins of man.
95. Den fixture TEEVEE
Television (TV, teevee, the tube)
96. Hearths INGLES
An ingle is a name for a hearth or fireplace. The word “ingle” probably comes from the Scottish word “aingeal” meaning “fire”.
97. Frat party garment TOGA
In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.
100. Louvre Pyramid architect IM PEI
I. M. Pei (full name: Ieoh Ming Pei) is an exceptional American architect who was born in China. Of Pei’s many wonderful works, my favorite is the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, especially the Glass Pyramid in the courtyard.
103. Vestige TRACE
We use the term “vestige” for a trace, mark or sign. The term comes from the Latin “vestigium” that also means trace, as well as footprint.
106. What FAQs offer INFO
Most websites have a page listing answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). There is a link to this blog’s FAQ page at the top-right of every page.
107. Mountain lake TARN
A tarn is a mountain lake that has been formed by glacial excavation.
108. She, in Salerno ESSA
Salerno is a port city on the southwest coast of Italy. In WWII, after the Italians negotiated a peace treaty with the Allies in 1943, the King of Italy relocated to Salerno from Rome. The new Italian government was set up in the city, and for a few months Salerno was “capital” of the country.
112. Mount Washington summer hrs. EDT
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Mount Washington in New Hampshire is the highest peak in the northeast of the country. It is located in the state’s White Mountains, in the Presidential Range. The Presidential Range comprises the highest peaks in the White Mountains, most of which are named for US Presidents including: Washington, Eisenhower, Monroe, Jefferson, Adams, Quincy Adams and Madison.
115. Prefix with dermis EPI-
The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. The thickest piece of epidermal tissue in humans is on the soles of the feet and the palms, measuring about 1.5 mm. The thinnest measures 0.1 mm, and that would be the human eyelid.
116. Univ. senior’s exam GRE
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.
117. Motor City org. UAW
The United Auto Workers (UAW) was founded to represent workers in auto plants in the Detroit area in 1935. Nowadays the UAW’s membership extends into the aerospace, agriculture and other industries.
Detroit (aka Motor City) is the largest city in the state of Michigan. Detroit was founded in 1701 by the French explorer Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. The city takes its name from the Detroit River, which in French is called “le détroit du Lac Érié” meaning “the strait of Lake Erie”.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Beauty pageant accessories SASHES
7. Won’t take no for an answer INSIST
13. Information unit FACTOID
20. Grammar class subject CLAUSE
21. More malicious MEANER
22. Not done externally IN-HOUSE
23. *Part of a Quaker recipe batch OATMEAL COOKIE
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
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
37. *It attracts koalas EUCALYPTUS TREE
40. Corvallis sch. OSU
43. First-stringers A-TEAM
46. Each A POP
47. Ristorante desserts TORTONIS
49. One not honoring an oath LIAR
50. Hideaway LAIR
53. Data measure BYTE
54. Big Ten athlete since 2014, briefly TERP
55. Slugger Mel OTT
56. *Beverage made from sun-withered leaves OOLONG TEA
60. Absorption process OSMOSIS
62. Buzz and trim HAIRCUTS
64. Assessment LEVY
65. 2015 Verizon acquisition AOL
66. With 48-Down, Martha Kent portrayer on “Smallville” ANNETTE
67. Divine rings HALOS
68. Sole food FILLETS
72. “Today” rival, initially GMA
73. Bk. before Daniel EZEK
74. “Don’t worry” REST EASY
75. Many a text writer SCHOLAR
79. *Cyclades setting AEGEAN SEA
81. Roadside sign GAS
82. Été month AOUT
83. Outdo BEST
85. Check numbers DATE
86. Songwriter Bacharach BURT
87. South Carolina athlete GAMECOCK
89. Start of a solution IDEA
92. Get ready for work DRESS
93. Wagering letters OTB
94. *Financial oversight group AUDIT COMMITTEE
99. Sequence of 106-Across LIST
101. English city that’s home to Kirkgate Market LEEDS
102. Diamond gem NO-HITTER
106. 99-Across things ITEMS
108. Monthly pmt. ELEC
109. “Un-shareable since 1972” breakfast food EGGO
110. “Norma __” RAE
111. Dover diapers NAPPIES
113. Answers to starred clues, as hinted by this puzzle’s title? VOWEL LANGUAGE
118. Buds in a circle FRIENDS
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
2. Texas mission ALAMO
3. Skewered Thai dish SATAY
4. Run smoothly HUM
5. Language suffix -ESE
6. Washington airport SEA-TAC
7. “It’s all good, dude” I’M COOL
8. Revivalists NEOS
9. __ Tomé SAO
10. Fluid applied through a nib INK
11. Stop running, as an engine SEIZE UP
12. Rewards for tricks TREATS
13. Seek sneakily, with “for” FISH
14. Tiny crawler ANT
15. Rosary relative CHAPLET
16. Yankee manager after Showalter TORRE
17. *Too much to handle OUT OF ONE’S LEAGUE
18. Land in un lago ISLA
19. Regard DEEM
24. Lang on “Smallville” LANA
29. Slyly spiteful CATTY
32. Apple cousin PEAR
33. End of chem class? -IUM
34. “Moonlight Sonata” directive PPP
35. “How was __ know?” I TO
36. Demeter’s Roman counterpart CERES
38. Tale YARN
39. Prefix with tiller ROTO-
41. Acronymic Apple assistant SIRI
42. Gp. putting letters in boxes USPS
43. Maui ciao ALOHA
44. Business bigwig TITAN
45. *Forced to apologize EATING HUMBLE PIE
48. See 66-Across O’TOOLE
50. Boor LOUT
51. Old, in Oberhausen ALTE
52. Cyclades island IOS
53. Bights, e.g. BAYS
56. In base eight OCTAL
57. Cruller coating GLAZE
58. Comm. with STOP signs TELEG
59. Call to mind EVOKE
61. Mediterranean island country MALTA
63. 95-Down convenience REMOTE
67. What culinary alarms measure HEAT
68. Ending for song or slug -FEST
69. “Right you are” I SEE
70. Old Russian monarchs TSARS
71. Betting aids: Abbr. SYSTS
74. Genetics lab subject RNA
75. Palm starch SAGO
76. Dredge, as with flour COAT
77. Partner of up ABOUT
78. In, on a stamp RECD
80. Inspector Dalgliesh in P.D. James novels ADAM
84. Ability SKILL
86. Poker Flat chronicler Harte BRET
88. City NNW of Naples CASSINO
89. Freezing ICE-COLD
90. Pentagon org. DOD
91. Ambulance initials EMS
92. Agnus __ DEI
95. Den fixture TEEVEE
96. Hearths INGLES
97. Frat party garment TOGA
98. Flip-flops THONGS
100. Louvre Pyramid architect IM PEI
103. Vestige TRACE
104. Like one who can’t wait EAGER
105. Wetland stalks REEDS
106. What FAQs offer INFO
107. Mountain lake TARN
108. She, in Salerno ESSA
109. In addition ELSE
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
So many errors on this one it might as well be a DNF.
102-Across. I wouldn't call a NOHITTER a "Diamond gem" (shows no one involved with the creation of the grid knows baseball). Games can get rather nasty and still qualify as such.
Have a good rest of the weekend.
not so sure Maryland is a Big Ten school…
42:29, no errors. Either I'm having a bad day or this one was unusually difficult. Part of the problem was writing in EATING ONE'S WORDS in place of EATING HUMBLE PIE, from which I had a heck of a time recovering. A major tussle … 🙂
Yes, this was unusually difficult! Did the same thing as Dave noted above. First time o this site. Nicely done! Thanks!
Not too hard for me but didn't like reveal answer. Vowell language?
@Bill
Could I just mention to you, as a devout "Peanuts" fan, that it is Lucy van Pelt who has the intense crush on Schroeder, not the other way around. Schroeder actually doesn't like Lucy very much; he's too absorbed by his music.
@Justjoel
Indeed you are correct. That's what I get for trusting my memory. All fixed now. Thanks!
Any mention of Peanuts makes me smile instantly. A happy Palm Sunday to all!
Agreed with all of the above. Tough puzzle, but I made it tougher on myself by making some things more difficult than need be. The whole ITEMS/LIST thing took me forever because I was looking for something more complicated. The word "sequence" messed me up.
Anon- Maryland switched from the ACC to the Big 10 a couple of years ago for the same reason they all switch… $$$$$
Glenn – Remember this is crossword world. Not all no hitters are diamond gems, and not all diamond gems are no hitters. But as long as some no hitters are diamond gems, the clue is ok. Then try saying that three times fast…
I still lament that there are no comics I like that are current, but at least the likes of Peanuts still appear in reruns…
Best –
Got several of the starred answers and the reveal.
Made no sense to me whatsoever.
Thanks Bill for explaining the "so-called" theme.
That's the theme? Pairs of vowels?
Ugh. I'm going to lie down, still feeling punk.
Every thing went really well with this puzzle except for the NE corner because I just had a devil of a time figuring out the answer to 30 Across "Golf tournament kickoff" (which should have had abbrv. in the clue, should it not?). Finally it clicked and I was done without any final errors. Whew!
Hi everyone! Welcome loreofox and, tho I think you've been here before, welcome Texas solver!
My paper went missing AGAIN, and I'm not about to do a big Sunday grid online, so I'm really just here to read blog & comments and take up some space!
Sweet dreams ~~™
In our paper the theme was typo'd as "Border Paris"! Even after I got several starred answers that made NO sense at all! So I HAD to get on the web after I finished to figure out what the heck the theme was. But I agree with Pookie above, "starts and ends in 2 vowels" is a lame theme and certainly not reflected in the "Vowel Language" non-clue. It wouldn't have helped me much even if I had tumbled to that pattern.
I have to disagree with anyone who doesn't think a no-hitter is a "gem." There are only 2 or 3 in a whole season of major league baseball So that's sour grapes from someone who didn't think of it. Of course, it came to me immediately, so I'm not likely to complain..