Illustration: "Philosopher in Meditation" -- Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1632; Musee du Louvre, Paris
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Puzzle by Donna Hoke Kahwaty, edited by Will Shortz
Standard crossword puzzles range in ease or difficulty depending upon the obscurity of the entry or the vagueness of its definition (clue).
A gradation was established by Margaret Farrar, the late crossword puzzle editor for the New York Times, of a Monday to Saturday scale of easy to difficult -- primarily with the thought of the office worker in mind in New York City.
Monday’s puzzle, with its everyday usage entries and sensible definitions allows everyone to get back to work without struggling over some damn nonsense in a crossword puzzle -- a quick-fix feel-good mental challenge. Arriving at work, puzzle done during the commute -- or, if not, quickly under the spread-sheet, or at coffee break. Monday example: Post office purchase = STAMP.
Tuesday’s puzzle is a Monday puzzle with something spilled on it -- workable, but in need of a little squinting. Wednesday and Thursday (and including Sunday) are geared for mid-level ease or difficulty. By Friday -- when one really needs a distraction from the humdrum of the rat race -- an entry like STAMP is defined as “Budd portrayer”. Lord knows what definition (still the same word) it would receive on a Saturday!
Illustration: Postage STAMP and Terence STAMP
In actuality, a fully-constructed puzzle from a Monday can be re-clued (e.g., re-define the words) where both the entry and the definition are totally removed from everyday use or knowledge. One does not necessarily need entries or definitions that are archaic in order to construct a Friday puzzle; however an OSNABURG or an OSSIFRAGE will insure angst -- Drapery material named for a German city ...and... Vulture that feeds mostly on bone marrow.
From Monday through Thursday there will be entries with quotations, inter-associations, double meanings, letter runs (e.g., “QWERTYUIOP“), single-square word (e.g., “LAM“) and symbol (e.g., “&”) entries -- usually clued by a single entry, such as today’s -- ARTLESS (38A Ingenuous…or like 17-, 24-, 50- and 60-Across), which in this case could be called a double-clued entry with an imaginary second entry.
One finds in this case, the answers (or entries) and their definitions (or clues) to be STINGSALARY (17A Con man’s pay?), HEOFDARKNESS (24A Satan?), SURPRISEPIES (50A Slapstick staples?), and MINIGLASSES (60A Parts of dollhouse dinner table settings?) -- inserting the word “ART” these entries become "starting salary", "heart of darkness", "surprise parties", and "martini glasses".
That takes care of five of the 76 entries; however, those five entries are probably of little use to the solver as in all likelihood one will work toward these entries, rather than from them -- I doubt sincerely, that "sting salary", "he of darkness", "surprise pies" and "mini-glasses" are of everyday usage. Being that there are 71 entries left to solve, these five entries are hardly the main composition of the puzzle; however, I am sure you’ll read otherwise elsewhere -- it certainly is simplistic to lump nearly all of crossword-puzzledom under a one-word definition, especially when it is hackneyed and etymologically incorrect. Further, does one really need a secondardy name for a crossword puzzle?
The ten-letter entries UPTHERIVER (11D Jailed); FORESTFIRE (12D Dry season danger), ROADRUNNER (29D Cartoon beeper); DINNERDATE (30D Restaurant companion) are the four other long answers in this puzzle’s grid.
Seven-letter entries and their definitions include CINCHES (4D They’re easy), LOSESIT (46D Snaps), KAYAKS (10D Transportation around the Aleutians) and AROMAS (48D Perfumer’s stock in trade). Six-letter entries -- ARDENT (28A Full of gusto), RESORT (31A Vacation destination), REMAND (47A Send back), and SNORES (49A Disturbs the peace, in a way).
Five-letter entries -- SCARF (6D Simple knitting project), PALED (7D Went white), OWENS (13D 1936 Olympics record-breaker), ARMED (26D Ready to fight), STUDS (33D Ear decorations), SARGE (50D “Beetle Bailey” character), EVITA (51D Broadway hit that originally opened in London in 1978), PAGER (52D Cellphone’s predecessor), DANCE (1A Flicker), SPEAK (6A Dog command), USAIR (14A Aviation name until 1997), ASHEN (22A Almost white), NOISY (32A Blasting), ANDSO (53A “Then what happened?“), AGATE (65A Banded stone), BITES (66A Snacks), SONAR (68A Ocean explorer’s aid), STILT (69A Long leg?) and CAPRA (15A “Ladies of Leisure” director) -- on Monday, he’s the director of “A Wonderful Life”.
There are some twenty or so four-letter word entries, including ASTA (2D 1930s film dog) and ASTI (56D Town ESE of Turin) at the beginning and end of the grid; and the Will Shortz twice-used-definition hallmark (in this case with a contrast), SOOT (18D Symbol of blackness) and SNOW (23D (Symbol of whiteness).
A few less than twenty entries are of three letters, including UFO, IGO, ORE, ERE, ERG, EPA, TRE, TAN and NAN -- often referred to as “fill”, but more appropriately these entries are pure happenstance, although their definitions attempt to give them deliberateness; e.g., 11A Object of some amateur films, 61D “Where did ___ wrong?”, 21A Source of wealth, 67A Palindromic preposition, 5D Bit of work, 8D DDT banner, 19A Afternoon hour in Italy, 37A Salon acquisition, and 62D Bert Bobbsey’s twin.
Donna Hoke Kahwaty’s mid-level standard puzzle construction with its five double-meaning entries is pleasant and ARTFUL!
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid, click on title at the beginning of commentary.
