OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Derrick Niederman, of Charleston, S.C., is a former teacher of mathematics at the College of Charleston. Currently he’s finishing a statistics textbook that incorporates puzzles. Derrick is one of the longest-running crossword contributors to The Times, spanning 39 years from 1983 to now. This puzzle got its start when he noticed the curiosity of 114-Across, followed by 24-Across. The other theme examples are a result of a methodical search. — W. S.

ACROSS

1 Try to hit

7 Numbskull

11 With 108-Down, hot stretch of summer

14 Moment of

inspiration

19 ‘‘He’s’’ this, in a 1963 hit for the Chiffons

20 Woes

21 ‘‘I know, I know!’’ 23 What this might

mean: ‘‘

24 English poet who wrote ‘‘The Highwayman’’ 26 World Cup org. 27 Digs in the ice? 28 Persian ____ (rug maker’s deliberate mistake)

29 Humorist Bombeck 30 Early American

pseudonym

32 Within

33 Prop that enabled Houdini to ‘‘walk through’’ a brick wall 35 Napoleonic ____ 36 Sounds of

disapproval

37 Accept imminent

punishment 39 Republic toppled

in 1933

41 Red block in

Minecraft 42 Sopranos’

highlights

43 Rapper Fiasco 45 Curse out

49 Word with open or

pigeon

50 I, personally

52 Bird associated

with bats

53 Place side by side 56 Doctrine of East

Asia

58 Six-Day War

combatant: Abbr. 59 Natural fertilizer 60 Jack of old TV 61 Neighbor of Jammu

and Kashmir 64 Instrument that makes a ‘‘tsst’’ sound 66 ‘‘Mazel ____!’’

67 Wrestler’s goal 68 Caesar-salad

ingredient

71 Clanton at the O.K.

Corral

72 It’s over here 73 Ground

74 Works a wedding,

perhaps

75 Flying ____

(martial arts strike) 76 Spots for

snorkeling 78 Women’s ____ 80 Helpful

connections 81 Friendly

conversation ender 83 Wrap on a rancho 84 Opts 87 Horse-drawn

carriage

88 ‘‘In Praise of Folly’’

essayist

90 Norman or English

king?

91 With 93-Across,

young river critter 93 See 91-Across 96 Tribal circle,

perhaps

98 Scramble some

eggs, say

101 Smile ... or shine 104 Burden

105 Large

electromotive unit 106 Strong cleaners 107 Branch of dentistry that specializes in root canals

110 Name hidden backward in ‘‘excellent’’

111 Actress Teri

112 Davis of ‘‘Thelma

& Louise’’

113 Go to sleep, with

‘‘out’’

114 Noted songwriter behind Wynonna Judd’s ‘‘Tell Me Why’’ and Linda Ronstadt’s ‘‘All My Life’’

117 You can’t run on this for long

118 ____ Martell, ‘‘Game of Thrones’’ princess

119 Goods for sale:

Abbr.

120 Taiwan-born

filmmaker

121 George Washington chopping down a cherry tree, and others

122 Total mess

123 Sought redress, in

a way

124 Heeded an

owner’s order

DOWN

1 Org. created under

F.D.R.

2 Howler of a movie? 3 Beset

4 Rant

5 ‘‘So let us begin

____ ... ’’: J.F.K.

6 Talk acronym 7 Model for a grade

schooler

8 Mountain residence 9 Argues

10 What three dots

might mean 11 Accomplish on

behalf of

12 Home of Kenyon

College

13 Walk, so to speak 14 Org. created under

F.D.R.

15 Shower

16 Eponym for one of the earth’s five oceans

17 Baby bearer,

maybe

18 Stove toppers 22 Vice president

after Pence

25 One of Neptune’s

moons

30 Second half

of an incantation 31 Helen Reddy’s

signature hit 32 Rearward, to a rear

admiral

33 It shares space

with #

34 Like dipsticks 38 Southwestern art

hub

39 Tom Jones and Anthony Hopkins, by birth 40 Make bubbly 44 Suzhou Museum

architect

46 Same old, same

old

47 He set a Guinness World Record in 2014, reporting for 34 consecutive hours

48 Boob tubes 49 Northernmost N.B.A. city, on scoreboards 50 Magic power 51 Brotherly figures 53 Placate

54 Job with numerous applications?

55 Her name is Greek for ‘‘all-gifted’’ 56 One always having a place to hide 57 Mounds of

activity 61 The standard 62 Pro Bowl side, for

short

63 Item with straps 65 ____ Master’s

Voice

68 ‘‘I’m in trouble!’’ 69 Approach

gradually

70 One who gave us

all a lift? 75 Development

in cryptography 77 A few weeks ago,

probably

79 Worker with a

comb 81 Mountebank 82 ‘‘Listen!’’

85 Some hangouts

for remote workers 86 It has its ratios,

for short

87 Popular beer

brand, casually 89 Meeting with a

dead line? 91 One side of the

coin

92 Baited online 93 What all companies try to make 94 Service charge 95 Scoring figs. 97 Lifts up 99 Literary utopia 100 Projecting edge 101 Deck out with

spangles

102 The other side 103 Crackerjack 105 Longtime sports

journalist Jim 108 See 11-Across 109 Still competing 111 Sold out

114 Tour de France distance units: Abbr.

115 ‘‘____,

humbug!’’

116 Added paper to,

as a printer