Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Puzzle by Patrick Merrell, edited by Will Shortz
ONE WHO CAN'T CHANGE HIS MIND AND WON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT (17A, 27A, 44A and 60A) clued by 17A Winston Churchill's description of a fanatic, part 1; 27A Description, part 2; 44A Description, part 3; and 60A Description's end.
Is someone having a bad day? This puzzle seems to ROIL (1A Churn) with the ABYSMAL (39A Dreadful) and HATED (64A Like a despot, typically), including a TSAR (10A Pre-Communist leader), an ORCA (14A It’s a killer), along with Churchill’s quotation -- and even though she’s clued in a different manner ONO (43A “Lead __ _ King Eternal) [hymn]), my least favorite crossword personality (yes, Yoko) BECLOUDS (40D Obscures) the TETE (55D Head, in an ecole) leaving a bad taste for the title of a hymn this writer has never heard. O, no! She’s done it again!
Things get EDGY (66A Pushing the envelope) when the BIBLE (49D Oath taker’s aid) reduces “Satan wills me!” to WRITHE (45D Squirm) in an anagram for LEM (51A Science fiction author Stanislaw).
LANG (34D “Metropolis” director Fritz) fits nicely with ALL DAY LONG (29D From dawn to dusk), I was thrown into the world of the Ancients with ROMAN (13D Not italic) (what?), PLINY (22D “Elder” of ancient history) and the ILIAD (50D Classic epic), but I did not get REELEDIN (25A Secured, as a fish on a line) between a tail and a tale with an Aesop FABLE (5A Tale with a point)!
EINE (37D Bild article) more thing, so many O-beginning entries -- ONO, ORCA, ORNO (2D “Yes ___?”), OBOES (15A Tubular instruments), ORATES (54A Formally speaks), OTOE (65A Western Indian), OLD HAT (46D Commonplace), including the beginning of the quotation’s “O” from Churchill -- read one of his BIOS (58A Resume addenda) HERE.
For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
Illustrations: Above: 34A LANG ("Metropolis" director Fritz) and 29D ALLDAYLONG (From dawn till dusk) Below: 11D SPEEDDEMON (Leadfoot) and 28D HIED (Double-timed)
Click here for original post with illustrations and puzzle grid.
