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Constructed by: Chandi Deitmer
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Obviously!

IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING that we need to remove IT from the themed answers in order to match with the corresponding themed clues:

• 65A “We all see the obvious here, right?,” and how to make six long answers in this puzzle match their clues? : IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING

• 23A Poorly put together trays? : CRUDITE PLATTERS (crude platters + IT)
• 39A Donkeys who got caught in the rain? : WET BURRITOS (wet burros + IT)
• 51A Pews? : PRIORITY SEATING (priory seating + IT)
• 83A Khaki work uniform? : TITAN OF INDUSTRY (tan of industry + IT)
• 92A Request from one who prefers dry mashed potatoes? : ZERO GRAVITY (zero gravy + IT)
• 115A Energy supplies that are just OK? : FINITE RESOURCES (fine resources + IT)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 17m 24s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Luminescent gems : OPALS

An opal is often described as having a milky iridescence known as opalescence.

6 Fish head? : CRAW-

“Crawdad” and “crawfish” are alternative names for crayfish, with “crawdad” being more common in the south of the country.

10 “Who Let the Dogs Out” group __ Men : BAHA

The Baha Men are so called because they hail from the Bahamas. Their big hit was “Who Let the Dogs Out?” That song once ranked third in a list of the world’s most annoying songs!

14 Act extempore : AD-LIB

To do something extempore is to do it in an extemporaneous manner, on the spur of the moment.

19 Lear daughter : REGAN

In William Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, Regan is the king’s second daughter. Regan vies with her older sister for influence over her father, and for the attention of Edmund, illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester.

20 Breakfast scramble : HASH

Hash, beef and vegetables mashed together, is a very American dish and one that really surprised me when I first came across it. “Hash” just seems like such an unappetizing item, but I soon found out how delicious it was. The name “hash” in this context comes from the French “hacher” meaning “to chop”. Back in the early 1900s the dish called “hashed browned potatoes” was developed, which quickly morphed into “hash browns”. From there the likes of corned beef hash was introduced.

22 Enlightenment philosopher Thomas : PAINE

Thomas Paine was an English author who achieved incredible success with his pamphlet “Common Sense” published in 1776 which advocated independence of colonial America from Britain. Paine had immigrated to the American colonies just two years before his pamphlet was published, and so was just in time to make a major contribution to the American Revolution.

23 Poorly put together trays? : CRUDITE PLATTERS (crude platters + IT)

Crudités are a French appetizer made up of sliced and whole raw vegetables that are dipped into a sauce. The French word “crudité” simply means “raw vegetable”, and derives from the Latin word “crudus” meaning “raw”.

26 Mary-in-mourning piece : 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 undoubtedly the sculpted rendition by Michelangelo that is located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. That particular sculpture is thought to be the only work that Michelangelo signed. In some depictions of the Pietà, Mary and her son are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament. Such depictions are known as Lamentations.

27 Marshmallow Man in “Ghostbusters” : STAY PUFT

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is a character in the 1984 film “Ghostbusters”. He is a giant paranormal being who lumbers down the streets of New York City destroying everything in his path.

28 Capital of Tibet : LHASA

Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, with the name “Lhasa” translating as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

29 Literary whaler : PEQUOD

The most famous whale-hunting ship in fiction has to be Herman Melville’s Pequod, which is featured in his novel “Moby-Dick”. It is skippered by the maniacal Captain Ahab, and the young chief mate is the thoughtful and intellectual Starbuck. Starbuck’s name was lifted and used by the Seattle-based coffee company.

30 Start and end of a faceoff? : EFS

The word “faceoff” starts and ends with a letter F (ef).

33 Rap’s Snoop __ : DOGG

Rap star Snoop Dogg’s real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus. He is the most famous protege of the notorious rapper Dr. Dre. Sadly, Snoop Dogg has had numerous run-ins with police all round the world, even after he started to live the good life that came with his fame. Snoop Dogg has also been known as “Snoop Doggy Dogg”, and more recently as “Snoop Lion”.

37 God destined to slay the sea serpent Jörmungandr : THOR

Jörmungandr is a huge sea serpent of Norse mythology. It lives in the world sea that encircles the Earth. Jörmungandr is also known as the World Serpent as it encircles the whole planet, with its tail in its mouth.

39 Donkeys who got caught in the rain? : WET BURRITOS (wet burros + IT)

A wet burrito is one smothered in a red chili sauce, and with shredded cheese melted on top.

45 “Snowy” bird : EGRET

The snowy egret is a small white heron that is native to the Americas. At one time the egret species was in danger of extinction due to hunting driven by the demand for plumes for women’s hats.

47 Ice rink leap : AXEL

An axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. The maneuver was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

55 Bob in the Basketball Hall of Fame : PETTIT

Bob Pettit is a retired NBA basketball player who played for the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks in the fifties and sixties. In 1956, he became the NBA’s first recipient of the Most Valuable Player Award.

56 Dutch painter Frans : HALS

Frans Hals was a painter in the Dutch Golden Age who was born in Antwerp but who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals is best known for his portraits, the most famous of which is probably “The Laughing Cavalier”.

57 Pat Benatar’s “Love __ Battlefield” : IS A

“Love Is a Battlefield” is a 1983 song released by Pat Benatar. The song’s music video was also a hit. It features Benetar as a rebellious teenager, and was one of the first music videos to include dialogue. As the video opens, Banatar’s “father” shouts out, “If you leave this house now, you can just forget about coming back!”

59 Historic space station : MIR

Russia’s Mir space station was a remarkably successful project. It held the record for the longest continuous human presence in space at just under 10 years, until the International Space Station eclipsed that record in 2010. Towards the end of the space station’s life however, the years began to take their toll. There was a dangerous fire, multiple system failures, and a collision with a resupply ship. The Russian commitment to the International Space Station drained funds for repairs, so Mir was allowed to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in 2001. “Mir” is a Russian word meaning “peace” or “world”.

62 Dorky one : DWEEB

“Dweeb” is relatively recent American slang that came out of college life in the late sixties. Dweeb, squarepants, nerd; they’re all not-nice terms that mean the same thing, i.e. someone excessively studious and socially inept.

64 Picnic pest : ANT

Our term “picnic” comes from the French word that now has the same meaning, namely “pique-nique”. The original “pique-nique” was a fashionable potluck affair, and not necessarily held outdoors.

71 Piccata bud : CAPER

The seasoning we know as “capers” are the edible flower buds of the caper bush, also known as Flinders rose. By the time we get them in a jar, the buds have been pickled and salted. I’m not a huge fan of capers …

The dish named “piccata” originated in Italy, with the traditional meat used being veal. Whatever meat used is sliced and flattened with a tenderizer, seasoned, dredged in flour and browned in a pan. The juices from the pan are the base for the sauce, to which are added lemon juice, white wine, shallots, capers and butter.

72 Marine mammal in a matrilineal group : ORCA

Orcas tend to live in groups. Those groups center around a matriarch, a female orca surrounded by male and female offspring. A male orca tends to stay with his mother for life. A female orca does spend time away from her mother, creating her own pod. Her pod usually travels relatively close to the matriarch’s group.

73 Anti-fraud org. : BBB

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private concern (nope, it is not a government agency) that was founded in 1912. It operates like a franchise, with local BBB’s managed independently while operating to a “corporate” set of guidelines.

75 Reddit forum for inquiries : AMA

Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name “Reddit” is a play on “read it”, as in “I read it on Reddit”. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for “ask me anything”), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama’s AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.

77 Potent potion : ELIXIR

An elixir is a solution of alcohol and water that is used to deliver a medicine. The term “elixir” can also be used to mean a medicine that has the power to cure all ills.

81 Purple or green herb : BASIL

Traditionally, basil is considered “the king of herbs”. In fact, the herb’s name comes from the Greek “basileus” meaning “king”.

83 Khaki work uniform? : TITAN OF INDUSTRY (tan of industry + IT)

“Khaki” is an Urdu word that translates literally as “dusty”. The word was adopted for its current use as the name of a fabric by the British cavalry in India in the mid-1800s.

89 Waffle __ : IRON

Waffle irons have been around since the 1300s, in the Low Countries. The original version comprised two iron plates connected by a hinge, and two wooden handles. The plates were often cast with a pattern that left an image on the waffle. The waffles were baked in the iron over a fire in a hearth.

99 Yule tune : NOEL

“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, and ultimately comes from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). “Noel” has come to be used as an alternative for “Christmas carol”.

107 French composer Gabriel : FAURE

Gabriel Fauré was a French composer whose most famous work has to be his elegant “Pavane”. Fauré was a student of Camille Saint-Saëns, who later became a very close friend.

109 Former police procedural starring Kathryn Morris : COLD CASE

“Cold Case“ is a police show that originally ran from 2003 to 2010. Star of the show is Kathryn Morris playing Detective Lilly Rush of Philadelphia PD’s homicide department.

114 Jazz great Armstrong : LOUIS

Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1900. Armstrong had a poor upbringing, and only stayed in school until he was 11 years old. The exact origin of Louis’s nickname “Satchmo” seems to be a little unclear. One story is that he used to dance for pennies in New Orleans as a youngster and would hide those pennies in his mouth away from the other kids. For this he earned the nickname “satchel mouth”, which was shortened to “Satchmo”.

119 Pool table fabric : FELT

A good pool table has a very flat surface, usually one made from 2-3 ground slabs of slate sourced from quarries in Italy, Brazil or China.

Down

1 Fantasy baddies : ORCS

According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth (also called “Mordor”). They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.

3 Tlaxcala water : AGUA

Tlaxcala is in east-central Mexico, and is the smallest of the nation’s 32 states. The state is named for its capital: Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl (often just “Tlaxcala”).

4 Pop’s __ Gaga : LADY

Fans of Lady Gaga often refer to the singer as Mother Monster. In turn, Gaga refers to her fans as Little Monsters, and has a “LIttle Monsters” tattoo in their honor.

5 Dig (at) : SNIPE

To snipe is to attack with snide criticism, especially from a safe distance. This usage of the term is an extension of the older meaning, to take a shot from a hidden position (as in “sniper”). Such a shot was originally taken when hunting the game birds called “snipes”.

6 Toque : CHEF’S HAT

A toque was a brimless style of hat that was very fashionable in Europe in the 13th to 16th centuries. Nowadays we associate toques with chefs, as it is the name given to a chef’s hat (called a “toque blanche” in French, a “white hat”). A chef’s toque is quite interesting. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats, often said to signify the number of ways that an egg can be cooked.

8 Comm. system with visual cues : ASL

American Sign Language (ASL)

9 Beluga, e.g. : WHALE

The beluga whale is also known as the white whale, and is a mammal that inhabits Arctic and sub-Arctic seas. The name “beluga” comes from the Russian “belukha”, which in turn derives from “belyy” meaning “white”.

12 Greek goddess of childbirth : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

15 Rum cocktail : DAIQUIRI

Daiquirí is a small village on the coast near Santiago, Cuba and a key location in the American invasion of Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Supposedly, the cocktail called a “daiquiri” was invented by American mining engineers in a bar in nearby Santiago.

31 NPR show hosted by Terry Gross : FRESH AIR

“Fresh Air” is a marvelous radio talk show broadcast on NPR, and hosted by Terry Gross. The first broadcast of the program was made in 1975, with Judy Blank hosting. Terry Gross took over a few months later, and Gross has been presenting and producing the show ever since. I had the privilege of hearing Terry Gross give a talk here in my hometown some years ago. What a fascinating woman she is, full of great stories about her experiences interviewing so many interesting personalities.

33 Lily-Rose __ of “The Idol” : DEPP

French-American actress Lily-Rose Depp is the daughter of actors Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp. Lily-Rose’s godfather is rock musician Marilyn Manson.

“The Idol” is a drama TV show that aired for just one season in 2023. It stars Lily-Rose Depp in the title role, a pop idol trying to reclaim her reputation as a sexy pop star after she suffers a nervous breakdown. This one wasn’t received well, not well at all …

36 Location metadata : GEOTAG

“Metadata” is usually defined as “data about data”. The classic example is the card catalog of a library. The catalog is a set of data about a collection of books. Each entry in the catalog is data about a specific publication. A more contemporary example of metadata is information written in a digital photo, such as copyright owner, keywords describing the photo, location, time and date.

38 Skin care brand : OXY

OXY 10 is a brand medication with the active ingredient benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide is used as an acne treatment as well as for dyeing hair, whitening teeth and is also used in the preparation of flour.

42 Abolitionist Harriet : TUBMAN

Harriet Tubman was not only a former slave who became a legendary abolitionist, but she was also a spy for the Union army during the Civil War. She gathered intelligence behind enemy lines, led raids that freed enslaved people, and even served as a nurse and cook for Union troops.

44 Hägar’s dog : SNERT

“Hägar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hägar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons. The strip’s title character is a red-bearded Viking living on the Norwegian coast during the Middle Ages. Hägar lives with his overbearing wife Helga, his sensitive son Hamlet, his pretty daughter Honi, and his clever dog Snert.

53 Swiss instrument traditionally made from red pine : ALPHORN

The alphorn (also “alpenhorn”) is a wooden horn that can be several meters long. Today, it is used as a musical instrument, but historically, the alphorn was used for communication.

54 Pastel shade : BABY BLUE

A “pastel” is a crayon made from a “paste” containing a powdered pigment in a binder. The term “pastel” can also be used to describe a work created using pastels.

61 “Raw” org. : WWE

“WWE Raw” is a professional wrestling TV show. The initialism “WWE” stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. Not my cup of java …

63 Iga Swiatek’s org. : WTA

Iga Swiatek is a professional tennis player, and the first from Poland to win a major singles title (the French Open in 2020).

Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

67 __ awareness : SPATIAL

A spatial relation defines how an object is related in space to another object, i.e. where the two objects are positioned relative to each other.

68 Twistable cookies : OREOS

There is an “official” competition involving Oreo cookies, in case anyone is interested in participating. A competitor has to take several steps to finish an OREO Lick Race:

1. Twist open the cookie.
2. Lick each half clean of creme.
3. Show the clean cookie halves to the fellow competitors.
4. Dunk the cookie halves in a glass of milk.
5. Eat the cookie halves.
6. Drink the milk.
7. Ready, set, go …

69 Birds mummified in ancient Egypt : IBISES

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

70 Madison Ave. industry : AD BIZ

Madison Avenue became the center of advertising in the US in the twenties, and serves as the backdrop to the great TV drama “Mad Men”. There aren’t many advertising agencies left on Madison Avenue these days though, as most have moved to other parts of New York City. The street takes its name from Madison Square, which is bounded on one side by Madison Avenue. The square in turn takes its name from James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

79 “Bearded” flower : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

93 Gave a boost : GOOSED

To goose is to prod into action, albeit in a very rude way. A “goose” is a prod or a pinch in the rear end.

94 Film critic Reed : REX

Rex Reed is a film critic who used to co-host “At the Movies”, the show that originally featured Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

95 Steppes tent : YURT

A yurt is a wood-framed dwelling that is used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. Although a yurt is a substantial structure, it is also extremely portable.

A steppe is a grassland that is devoid of trees, apart from those growing near rivers and lakes. The term “steppe” is Russian in origin, and is used to describe the geographical feature that extends across Eurasia. In South Africa, the same feature is called a “veld”, and in North America it is called a “prairie”.

103 “Mrs. America” Emmy winner Uzo : ADUBA

Uzo Aduba is an actress best known for playing prison inmate Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix TV show “Orange Is the New Black”.

The 2020 miniseries “Mrs. America” chronicles the (so far) unsuccessful campaign to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. This historical drama has quite the cast, including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Tracy Ullman and Sarah Paulson. I haven’t seen this one yet, but it’s on my “Must See” list …

104 Marina space : SLIP

A “slipway” or “slip” is a ramp on the shore in which boats can “slip” into the water. This “slipping” into the water is literally the case in a shipyard, where a vessel’s hull “slips” off the ramp after it is coated with grease.

106 Currency also known as the renminbi : YUAN

Even though we generally refer to the currency of China as the “yuan”, the yuan is actually the basic unit of the “renminbi”. This is analogous to “sterling” being the official currency of the UK, with the “pound” being the basic unit of sterling.

107 Rock, in Rock, Paper, Scissors : FIST

Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people, at least here in North America. Back in Ireland we called the game “scissors-paper-stone”, and another name encountered around the English-speaking world is “roshambo”. The game is often used as a way to choose between two options or two individuals.

108 __ Mae Bullock: Tina Turner’s birth name : ANNA

“Tina Turner” was the stage name used by Anna Mae Bullock, the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Turner always loved Europe and moved there in the eighties, splitting her time between her homes in England, France and Switzerland.

109 Gaul or Breton : CELT

The Celts are a very broad group of people across Europe who are linked by common languages. The original Celts were largely absorbed by other cultures, although a relatively modern revival of the “Celtic identity” is alive and well in Britain and Ireland. Such Celtic peoples today are mainly found in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany in France.

The Gauls were a Celtic race, with Gaul covering what is now known as France and Belgium. We use the term “Gallic” today, when we refer to something pertaining to France or the French.

Brittany is a large peninsula in the northwest of France that is known in French as “Bretagne”. A native of Brittany is a Breton.

110 Ocean Spray prefix : CRAN-

A blend of cranberry and apple juice is sold by Ocean Spray as Cran-Apple juice.

111 Base’s chemical opposite : ACID

The “opposite” of an acid is a base. Acids turn litmus paper red, and bases turn it blue. Acids and bases react with each other to form salts. An important subset of the chemicals called bases are alkalis, hydroxides of the alkali metals and of ammonium. The term “alkali” is sometimes used interchangeably with “base”, especially if that base is readily soluble in water.

113 Provincial petrol provider : ESSO

The Esso brand has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.