Friday, May 25, 2007
Puzzle by Mike Nothnagel, edited by Will Shortz
JACK WEBB (1A Actor with an L.A.P.D. auditorium named after him)
Viewers of the old TV program, Dragnet, remember Sgt. Joe Friday repeatedly telling the witnesses he'd question about a crime, "Just the facts, Ma'am." He had no time to get mixed up in the emotional aspects, he just wanted names, numbers, and details.
This Friday’s crossword puzzle has no time to get mixed up either -- names, numbers, and details:
(Scene, LAPD holding cell, suspect: the notorious Crossword Puzzle Butcher)
IMONADIET (14A Words that often follow sweet offers) -- see, cold, not hot.
HIRELINGS (17A Flunkies) -- more at mercenary. A flunky cringes.
"Just the facts, Ma'am."
ANKLET (19A It can have its charms) Vague clue, low blow.
SAAB (20A “Born from jets” sloganeer”) A Saab story.
FISCALQUARTER (33A Subject of a financial report) Good, cold, nice and cold.
MODEM (37A Kind of port) Not your mother’s Manischewitz
MYLAI (49A Hamlet in 1969 headlines)
"Just the facts, Ma'am."
NINELIVES (55A Feline gift) Also a cat food not on the shelf.
JIHADS (1D Crusades) Why is the puzzle so hostile?
AMINUS (2D It’s less than perfect) The way we were going, I thought Nothnagel was looking for “animus“.
WALES (5D Its flag has a large red dragon) Oooo…quotation from movie “Red Dragon”:
Hannibal Lecter: Tell me, Will. Did you enjoy it? Your first murder? Of course you did. And why shouldn't it feel good? It does to God. Why only last week in Texas, he dropped a church roof on the heads of 34 of his worshippers, just as they were groveling for him. He wouldn't begrudge you for one Journalist.
Well, now that BEGSTHEQUESTION (8D Commits a logical fallacy) petitio principia.
"Just the facts, Ma'am."
GRADEAS (13D Good eggs) and RATEDR (44D Like “The Godfather”) or "Goodfellas"?
GORE (29D 2006 Oscar winner for his first film) -- could be clued to fit a crime.
DIESES (45D Double daggers in printing) -- you were thinking Edward Scissorhands? Google it, you’ll get this message -- Did you mean: diseases?
"Just the facts, Ma'am."
SEMI (35D Interstate sight) Now that could be a really, really lot of different things!
MACAQUE (37D Monkey with cheek pouches)-- it’s like I have a twin!
“…the facts!”
Oll Korrect, OK! I confess, I confess -- a Lulu is a CORKER, KNELLS sounds ominously, MARKUP is an edit, the “Shoe” waitress was ROZ, well, not fully, just INASENSE, when she CALLS, secretaries often hold them, I put mine on a pedestal to IDEALIZE, I’m trying to keep it simple or MERE, SUEME, yeah, a snide challenge, you have a way of turning TOONESIDE, you can’t UNZIP, open, in a way my yap, I’ll POUT, look down, if you’re looking for AXEMEN or guitarists, slangily, I’m just one not mingling much, a LONER!
Am I making any sense, any sense at all!!!
"Just the facts, Ma'am."
Dah... da, dum dum!
(Commercial)
For today's cartoon go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
Click here for original post with illustrations and puzzle grid.
