To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on title "DUST" below.
DUST
Image (click to enlarge): Dust ‘knots’ like these are a factor as we contemplate future probes moving at a substantial percentage of light speeds. Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
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Friday, July 27, 2007
Puzzle by John R. Conrad, edited by Will Shortz
Twelve entries sharing six one-square entries of the word “DUST” --
DUSTOFFS (4A Medevacs, in military slang);
DUSTUP (4D Quarrel) --
SAWDUST (9A Shop coat?);
DUSTCOVER (12D Furniture protector) --
BITTHEDUST (2D Went kaput);
DUSTYSPRINGFIELD (31A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee known as the White Lady of Soul) --
INTERSTELLARDUST (37A Nebulous stuff);
DUSTBUSTER (42D Black & Decker offering) --
CHALKDUST (43D Classroom sneeze elicitor);
DUSTMOP (62A Janitorial tool) --
ENDUST (57D Cleaning product with the slogan “It’s that fast!”);
STARDUST (63A Big band era standard)
Squeezing one word, albeit small, into one crossword square is a clumsy affair -- the electronic on-line puzzle allows only the letter “D” -- making for a rather clumsy SECRECY (3D Opposite of openness); however, it does LIVEN (60A Make more interesting).
Other "dust" -- SOD (9D Plot thickener?); NIT (33D Thing to be picked); NOVA (52D Astronomer's study) (just that it fits nicely with "interstellar dust"; and things to make something else of dust -- ETCH (17A Sharply outline); DADO (19A Carpenter's grove); ATABOIL (10D Very, very hot); ADOBE (56A Reservation dwelling); WHIPSUP (49A Puts together in a hurry); ADZ (50A Wood smoother); HOSE (53A Rip off); SEED (61A Future shoot); SHEETS (14D What rain might fall in); SOPPEDUP (25D Absorbed); RESOLED (41D Put a new bottom on, in a way); and SPEEDY (45A Express) -- kicking up the dust!
Other stuff: NIT crosses dead center very nicely with POLITIC (36A Tactful); HITTUNE (46A Billboard listing) complements STARDUST; the pairs of HIES and LIES; ETRE and ALTE; ERROR and LIES.
The good words, or their clues: URIAH (15A Officer slain in the Old Testament); PENTA (18A Prefix with -hedron); OSAKA (21A City of canals); CHEESES (24A Things wheeled in supermarkets?); HORMONE (27A Kind of therapy); HECTOR (29A Cow); CELEBS (44A People people); ARTICLEI (22D (It contains the elastic clause); FILCH (35D Cop); IRIDIUM (37D Metal in the points of gold pens); NETZERO (38D EarthLink alternative); and WEBER (49D Grill brand) -- only because I thought it was "TYSON". Well, now it's time to ENDIT (48D Get divorced) and get on with the day!
Excellent puzzle!
To hear "Stardust", go HERE.
For today's cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
07.26.07
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on the following:
WORD/CROSS
Illustration: Hamlet stands over his uncle Claudius praying for forgiveness for the murder of his brother -- the Bell Shakespeare Company at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, March 1, 2003.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
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Puzzle by Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz
I ripped this puzzle in half and changed the left with the right half so that the thing made some sense. It’s now a parallelogram -- note that the puzzles' construction is actually two puzzles completely divided by a top-to-bottom stepping of black squares -- so no harm done!
The across clues for 1, 13, 16, 19, 26, 34, 37, 41, 45, 51, 59, 63 and 66 are all the same -- a hyphen (-).
The right side of the puzzle (which is now the left side after being torn asunder) has the following across clues:
10 Opposite of all;
15 Loser;
18 Try, as something new;
22 Like some low-rise buildings;
30 Places where fans may gather to watch a game;
36 Noted 1829 West Point graduate;
40 Deem appropriate;
44 Irish playwright who wrote “The Shadow of a Gunman”;
47 Countryman of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer;
55 Target of chondrolaryngoplasty;
61 Barely; 65 Comforting words; and
68 What some browsers browse.
The English language is written left to right. Why are these entries right to left? The meager hyphen clues and their inter-related clues opposite are just gimmick for gimmick’s sake -- a joyless discovery eliciting “why?” (Upon receiving a note in the Comments section from an "anonymous", my "why?" has been answered --I cannot but help agreeing with same -- the explanation is very enlightening and recommended. See Comments section at end of the original post.)
The longer across entries and their clues are RANTED (14A Went on and on); EMCEES (17A Hosts); HENRYI (60A English king who was the youngest son of William the Conqueror); ENAMEL (64A Canine coat?) and SALSAS (67A Some dips).
The longer down entries and their clues: ATHROB (15D Like a thumb struck with a hammer); LIPSYNC (24D Not really sing); SMILEY (42D Symbol in Wal-Mart ads); ISRAELI (25D Certain Middle Easterner); OPEN ARMS (39D Guests may be greeted with them); and most of ARSENAL (43D Magazine locale).
On the new right is STEPSON (7D Hamlet, to Claudius) which hangs from GHOSTS (4A Common Halloween costumes) bringing to mind the action in the photograph of "Hamlet" above -- and this schizophrenic puzzle!
"Alas!"
WORD/CROSS
Illustration: Hamlet stands over his uncle Claudius praying for forgiveness for the murder of his brother -- the Bell Shakespeare Company at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, March 1, 2003.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
.
Puzzle by Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz
I ripped this puzzle in half and changed the left with the right half so that the thing made some sense. It’s now a parallelogram -- note that the puzzles' construction is actually two puzzles completely divided by a top-to-bottom stepping of black squares -- so no harm done!
The across clues for 1, 13, 16, 19, 26, 34, 37, 41, 45, 51, 59, 63 and 66 are all the same -- a hyphen (-).
The right side of the puzzle (which is now the left side after being torn asunder) has the following across clues:
10 Opposite of all;
15 Loser;
18 Try, as something new;
22 Like some low-rise buildings;
30 Places where fans may gather to watch a game;
36 Noted 1829 West Point graduate;
40 Deem appropriate;
44 Irish playwright who wrote “The Shadow of a Gunman”;
47 Countryman of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer;
55 Target of chondrolaryngoplasty;
61 Barely; 65 Comforting words; and
68 What some browsers browse.
The English language is written left to right. Why are these entries right to left? The meager hyphen clues and their inter-related clues opposite are just gimmick for gimmick’s sake -- a joyless discovery eliciting “why?” (Upon receiving a note in the Comments section from an "anonymous", my "why?" has been answered --I cannot but help agreeing with same -- the explanation is very enlightening and recommended. See Comments section at end of the original post.)
The longer across entries and their clues are RANTED (14A Went on and on); EMCEES (17A Hosts); HENRYI (60A English king who was the youngest son of William the Conqueror); ENAMEL (64A Canine coat?) and SALSAS (67A Some dips).
The longer down entries and their clues: ATHROB (15D Like a thumb struck with a hammer); LIPSYNC (24D Not really sing); SMILEY (42D Symbol in Wal-Mart ads); ISRAELI (25D Certain Middle Easterner); OPEN ARMS (39D Guests may be greeted with them); and most of ARSENAL (43D Magazine locale).
On the new right is STEPSON (7D Hamlet, to Claudius) which hangs from GHOSTS (4A Common Halloween costumes) bringing to mind the action in the photograph of "Hamlet" above -- and this schizophrenic puzzle!
"Alas!"
07.25.07
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on the following TITLE of this post’s commentary:
A Night at the Opera
Wednesday, July 26, 2007
Puzzle by Ed Early, edited by Will Shortz
A quotation from Marx Brothers first MGM film, “A Night at the Opera“, “I’d give you my seat, but I’m sitting in it”, spoken by Chico Marx, is the main feature of this crossword puzzle filled with a great number of people in attendance, including Thomas Alva Edison, Raul Julia, Irma Rombauer, John McEnroe, Houdini, Orson Bean, Oliver North, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Bud Selig, Imus, Noah, Enos Slaughter, Bobby Inman, Jimmy Carter, Elton John, Saudis, Floria Tosca, Sgt. Snorkel, General Tso, Norm Peterson, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Chico’s brother, Harpo Marx -- but no Groucho, Zeppo or Gummo, much less a Karl.
There were two operas in the film “A Night at the Opera” -- "Il Trovatore" and "Pagliacci", but no TOSCA (1A “Vissi d’arte” opera), this puzzle’s first entry.
The quotation, broken up as IDGIVEYOUMY (17A Part 1 of a snaky quote by 54-Across), SEATBUTIM (38A Middle of the quote), and SITTINGINIT (64A End of the quote) ANCHORS (41D Firmly ties to) this very likeable and pleasant ONEA (23A Prime status) ACT (41A Take steps) by puzzle constructor Ed Early.
PSYCH (10D Coll. course), CLIMAXES (4D Punch lines, e.g.), TRIVIAL (43D Worth bubkes), PALED (44A Showed fright), SIN (36D Thing to confess), SNAGS (35A Picks off, as a pass), "It's nobody ELSES business" (33A), GRILL (14A Not just question), and SSS all seem to MOBILIZE (40D Put into action) emotions in this far from LACONIC (21A Unwordy) wacky Wednesday puzzle.
The people who COHABIT (42D Share digs) today's puzzle and make it their OME (23D Cockney's abode) for the day include HOUDINI (47D Master escapologist), IMUS (57A Celeb fired in 2007), Baseball exec Bud SELIG (51A) (oh, what to do about Barry Bonds?), and OEDIPUS (12D Antigone's father) -- a foursome that would complement the MARX (28A With 53-Across, noted comedy group, in brief) BROS (53A See 28-Across) by adding sheer TEARS (15A Evidence of pain) and escapism, perhaps on TNT (65D "We know drama" channel).
Although this puzzle has a SOUS chef (kitchen #2)(32A) and OVENS (69A Some are Dutch) the only thing on the menu is HAVARTI (58A Pale yellow Danish cheese). Offering a SCRIP (6A Rx, for short) and a PESTLE (25D Apothecary tool), the only doctor in the house is SEUSS (29A Geisel's pen name).
Today's quote from "A Night at the Opera" will do fine for today --but next time give us Chico's reply to Groucho about SIGNERS (3D Parties to a contract) -- "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause!"
To view a trailer for the film, go HERE.
A Night at the Opera
Wednesday, July 26, 2007
Puzzle by Ed Early, edited by Will Shortz
A quotation from Marx Brothers first MGM film, “A Night at the Opera“, “I’d give you my seat, but I’m sitting in it”, spoken by Chico Marx, is the main feature of this crossword puzzle filled with a great number of people in attendance, including Thomas Alva Edison, Raul Julia, Irma Rombauer, John McEnroe, Houdini, Orson Bean, Oliver North, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Bud Selig, Imus, Noah, Enos Slaughter, Bobby Inman, Jimmy Carter, Elton John, Saudis, Floria Tosca, Sgt. Snorkel, General Tso, Norm Peterson, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Chico’s brother, Harpo Marx -- but no Groucho, Zeppo or Gummo, much less a Karl.
There were two operas in the film “A Night at the Opera” -- "Il Trovatore" and "Pagliacci", but no TOSCA (1A “Vissi d’arte” opera), this puzzle’s first entry.
The quotation, broken up as IDGIVEYOUMY (17A Part 1 of a snaky quote by 54-Across), SEATBUTIM (38A Middle of the quote), and SITTINGINIT (64A End of the quote) ANCHORS (41D Firmly ties to) this very likeable and pleasant ONEA (23A Prime status) ACT (41A Take steps) by puzzle constructor Ed Early.
PSYCH (10D Coll. course), CLIMAXES (4D Punch lines, e.g.), TRIVIAL (43D Worth bubkes), PALED (44A Showed fright), SIN (36D Thing to confess), SNAGS (35A Picks off, as a pass), "It's nobody ELSES business" (33A), GRILL (14A Not just question), and SSS all seem to MOBILIZE (40D Put into action) emotions in this far from LACONIC (21A Unwordy) wacky Wednesday puzzle.
The people who COHABIT (42D Share digs) today's puzzle and make it their OME (23D Cockney's abode) for the day include HOUDINI (47D Master escapologist), IMUS (57A Celeb fired in 2007), Baseball exec Bud SELIG (51A) (oh, what to do about Barry Bonds?), and OEDIPUS (12D Antigone's father) -- a foursome that would complement the MARX (28A With 53-Across, noted comedy group, in brief) BROS (53A See 28-Across) by adding sheer TEARS (15A Evidence of pain) and escapism, perhaps on TNT (65D "We know drama" channel).
Although this puzzle has a SOUS chef (kitchen #2)(32A) and OVENS (69A Some are Dutch) the only thing on the menu is HAVARTI (58A Pale yellow Danish cheese). Offering a SCRIP (6A Rx, for short) and a PESTLE (25D Apothecary tool), the only doctor in the house is SEUSS (29A Geisel's pen name).
Today's quote from "A Night at the Opera" will do fine for today --but next time give us Chico's reply to Groucho about SIGNERS (3D Parties to a contract) -- "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause!"
To view a trailer for the film, go HERE.
07.24.07
Gluteus maximus et lepus sequelitis!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Puzzle by Bruce Adams, edited by Will Shortz
Four inter-related full-across entries are the main feature of this crossword:
HOTCROSSBUNNIES (17A Angry rabbits in August?);
HIGHESTBIDDIES (25A Hens at the greatest altitude?);
KEEPINGTABBIES (42A Cat lady's mission?); and --
WHITESOXFANNIES (35A What a Chicago ballpark bench holds?)
The New York Times Crossword Puzzle of Wednesday, May 2, 2007 featured the following three inter-related entries:
FOUNTAINPENNY (20A Coin thrown for good luck);
BASKETBALLFANNY (38A Result of sitting on a court bench too long?);
HOTCROSSBUNNY (51A Bugged Bugs?)
See "Hot Cross Bunny" HERE.
So, same old story -- whatever I said in relation to the fannies and bunnies on May 2nd is fairly accurate for today’s puzzle -- except that instead of a penny, we have biddies and tabbies, and perhaps that this is a slight improvement over that construction -- which wouldn’t take much!
Today’s puzzle also features these long entries upper left and lower right:
ESPERANTO (1A Language in which plurals are formed by adding -oj) -- who knew?
COUTURIER (15A Christian Dior, e.g.) -- had to consult Webster’s.
CLAMBAKES (60A Beach cookouts) -- I remembered the song from “Carousel”.
TETEATETE (62A Private chat) -- must figure out how to use this in normal conversation without seeming pretentious.
Look-alikes in today’s puzzle include TESS (8D Trueheart of “Dick Tracy”), HESS (14D Dame Myra), HISS (36A Villain’s reception), HAHN (25D 1944 Chemistry Nobelist Otto), and 54A In ESSE (existing). Then there’s the side-by-side ABBE (38D French cleric) and ABE (41D Face on a fiver), and the across-the-grid fillers NNE and MME.
I now know APICES (37D Zeniths) is the spelling for the plural of “apex”; that there is a team called the AEROS (33A Houston skaters); and ANNULI (11D Tree rings) also refers to fish.
Always like seeing such entries as OPULENT (40D Luxuriant); AFLAME (44D On fire); AROMAS (6D Scents), ECHO (1D Greek nymph who pined away for Narcissus); along with ININK (26D Permanently written).
My favorite of today's puzzle -- ALIEN (37A Green card holder) and BEING (29D Life form) crossing dead center. Now, if only we'd had a UFO -- WHAM (48D Impact sound)!
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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.23.07
STOP
Monday, July 23, 2007
Puzzle by Randall J. Hartman, edited by Will Shortz
I don’t know how many times I’ve sat at a STOP sign and contemplated anagrams!
Today, we get POTS, STOP, SPOT, TOPS and POST -- hopefully, later in the week we’ll get OPTS -- many drivers read STOP signs as optional!
The five “two-word” entries containing the anagrammed STOP (including STOP) are:
LOBSTERPOTS (17A Traps off the coast of Maine)
BACKSTOP (28A Ball catcher behind a catcher)
SUNSPOT (34A Source of disruption to satellites)
TANKTOPS (42A Sleeveless shirts)
NEWYORKPOST (56A Gotham tabloid)
I don’t recall seeing The New York Post mentioned in The New York Times crossword puzzle before -- Alexander Hamilton would be pleased!
Innocence and humor permeate this construction: ABOO (2D “Peek-____”); BOPEEP (13D “Little” shepherdess of children’s verse), BEANPOLE (36D Tall, skinny guy), TOOT (20A Horn sound), INLAWS (45A Strained relations?), and BLOOPER (41D Knee-slapping goof).
More seriously, ABASE (14A Humiliate), NODEAL (26A Part of a TV catchphrase from Howie Mandel), DEFIES (39A Disobeys), RIPS (7D Steals, with “off”), and CURSE (62A Put a hex on) are the flip side.
CEO (30D Corporate V.I.P.), NBC (56D Peacock network), KFC (57D Col. Sanders chain), DKNY (39D Designer letters), USSTEEL (4D Andrew Carnegie corp.) and DUPONT (11D Company behind nylon and Teflon) hang heavy in the grid, while LABORDAY (3D Jerry Lewis telethon time) and friendly talk, SALUD (1A Toast to one’s health), BRO (36A “My man!”) and FELLA (60A Guy) keep things human.
Interesting juxtapositions, etc.: BEANPOLE and IBEAM form a cross; BACKSTOP and BASES (28D Points on a diamond?) share initial B; aren’t LOBSTERPOTS and a CREEL (63A Fish basket) pretty much the same thing?; OPIE has returned to his standard clue (52A Mayberry lad) after receiving two wild variations this past week; and ENESCO (12D Georges who composed “Romanian Rhapsodies”) spelled his name ENESCU -- it's the French who spell it wrong -- oh well!, we need the O for STOP!
Drive carefully if your on the way back to work this Monday, and have a good week!
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For today's "cartoon" go to TheCrossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Puzzle by Randall J. Hartman, edited by Will Shortz
I don’t know how many times I’ve sat at a STOP sign and contemplated anagrams!
Today, we get POTS, STOP, SPOT, TOPS and POST -- hopefully, later in the week we’ll get OPTS -- many drivers read STOP signs as optional!
The five “two-word” entries containing the anagrammed STOP (including STOP) are:
LOBSTERPOTS (17A Traps off the coast of Maine)
BACKSTOP (28A Ball catcher behind a catcher)
SUNSPOT (34A Source of disruption to satellites)
TANKTOPS (42A Sleeveless shirts)
NEWYORKPOST (56A Gotham tabloid)
I don’t recall seeing The New York Post mentioned in The New York Times crossword puzzle before -- Alexander Hamilton would be pleased!
Innocence and humor permeate this construction: ABOO (2D “Peek-____”); BOPEEP (13D “Little” shepherdess of children’s verse), BEANPOLE (36D Tall, skinny guy), TOOT (20A Horn sound), INLAWS (45A Strained relations?), and BLOOPER (41D Knee-slapping goof).
More seriously, ABASE (14A Humiliate), NODEAL (26A Part of a TV catchphrase from Howie Mandel), DEFIES (39A Disobeys), RIPS (7D Steals, with “off”), and CURSE (62A Put a hex on) are the flip side.
CEO (30D Corporate V.I.P.), NBC (56D Peacock network), KFC (57D Col. Sanders chain), DKNY (39D Designer letters), USSTEEL (4D Andrew Carnegie corp.) and DUPONT (11D Company behind nylon and Teflon) hang heavy in the grid, while LABORDAY (3D Jerry Lewis telethon time) and friendly talk, SALUD (1A Toast to one’s health), BRO (36A “My man!”) and FELLA (60A Guy) keep things human.
Interesting juxtapositions, etc.: BEANPOLE and IBEAM form a cross; BACKSTOP and BASES (28D Points on a diamond?) share initial B; aren’t LOBSTERPOTS and a CREEL (63A Fish basket) pretty much the same thing?; OPIE has returned to his standard clue (52A Mayberry lad) after receiving two wild variations this past week; and ENESCO (12D Georges who composed “Romanian Rhapsodies”) spelled his name ENESCU -- it's the French who spell it wrong -- oh well!, we need the O for STOP!
Drive carefully if your on the way back to work this Monday, and have a good week!
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For today's "cartoon" go to TheCrossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.22.07 Acrostic
Thermodynamics
Sunday, July 22, 2007
ACROSTIC by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz
Natalie Angier's "The Canon" -- "The second law of thermodynamics guarantees a certain degree of chaos and mishap in your life no matter how compulsively you plan your schedule and triple-check every report... to err is not just human, it's divined." is this Sunday science and sociology stumper's quotation -- a recentlly published work reviewed in The New York Times -- HERE.
A partial quote from a review by Amanda Schaffer of The Houston Chronicle states "...New York Times science writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Natalie Angier offers up her own witty, idiosyncratic primer on the sciences — an exuberant Cliffs Notes for grown-ups that highlights core principles of physics, chemistry, evolutionary and molecular biology, geology and astronomy."
The quotation and defined words certainly spark an interest in this publication -- however, it's not easy for non-scientific specimens such as myself getting there! The defined words, for the most part, fit neatly into the scheme of things:
NEPHOLOGY (A. The study of clouds and their formation)
ANKYLOSAUR (B. Armor-plated club-tailed herbivore of the Cretaceous Period)
TRUFFAUT (C. Director of the 1966 sci-fi film "Fahrenheit 451")
ALPHAWAVES (D. Electromagnetic output of the brain [2 wds.])
LEYDENJAR (E. Early form of capacitor made of glass and tinfoil [2 wds.])
ICHTHYIC (F. Fish-related)
ENTROPY (G. Degradation of matter and energy)
ANSWERS (H. What researchers search for)
NYCTALOPIA (I. Night blindness)
GROUNDED (J. Like good AC wiring [or a bad teen?])
IMPERFECT (K. Falling short of the ideal state)
EVENEDOUT (L. Leveled off; became more uniform [2 wds.])
REDUCTIVE (M. Like reasoning from complex to simple)
TIDES (N. Gravity-caused fluctuations)
HAMMERHEAD (O. Predator whose eyes may be three feet apart)
ECHINODERMS (P. Sea urchins, sand dollars and their ilk)
COLORS (Q. Parts of the visible spectrum)
ATRIUM (R. A place in the heart)
NEUTRON (S. A little something that comes free of charge)
OSMOSIS (T. One way to get through a wall)
NEOLITHIC (U. From the last phase of the Stone Age)
A tough, but rewarding solve!
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.22.07
Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (1725-1798) Ölgemälde von Pietro Longhi (1702-1785).
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Sunday, July 22, 2007
WORST PICKUP LINES
Puzzle by David Levinson Wilk, edited by Will Shortz
23A "Pardon me, are you from the Caribbean? Because..." -- JAMAICANMECRAZY
30A "I know it's not my business, but if you were a laser..." -- YOUDBESETONSTUNNING
48A "Say, is it hot in here...?" -- ORISITJUSTYOU
66A " Sorry to bother you, but do you work for NASA? Because..." -- YOUREOUTOFTHISWORLD
85A "Excuse me, I seem to have lost my phone number -- ...?" -- CANIHAVEYOURS
102A "I don't mean to pry, but are you from Nashville? Because..." -- YOURETHEONLYTENISEE
114A "Even though we've never met, I'm sure your last name is Campbell. That's because..." -- YOUREMMMMMMGOOD
I'm no Casanova, but I can't agree that these are the worst pickup lines -- they've always worked for me! Just kidding! -- and so is this Sunday crossword puzzle with its humorous septet of Lotharioisms -- except perhaps for one "Excuse me, I seem to have lost my phone number; can I have yours!" That's the gold standard of pickup lines -- and it's not the worst by any standard! What would I know, I never had to speak -- I was chased! Uh, chaste! The image of the drooling male has always been a rather unattractive sight, and I never thought it wise to add that liability to my repertoire -- enough, this is about today's crossword! Outside of two entries in the upper left of the grid -- ALADY (2D Henry James's "The Portrait of ____") and ROMEO (3D Amorist) -- this puzzle quickly gets on to other matters.
Surely a coincidence, there are two repeats from Saturday’s puzzle -- one of them being the ROMEO clue “Amorist” (an entry clued as “Love lover” in yesterday’s puzzle), and the other MOESHA (98A Title teen in a 1990s sitcom) -- this gave me trouble even though I’d seen it yesterday -- why? There is also a “Mae Shi” and I was unfamiliar with the cross, NAAN (86D Indian bread), needless to say!
Plenty of baseball in the puzzle, including 50D One OCAT (kids’ game), RBI (82A Suicide squeeze result, for short), BERRA (25A Catcher in the World Series’ only perfect game), MLB (92A Orioles’ org.), and OTTS (90D Slugger Mel et al).
COLORADO (72A Dinosaur National Monument site) may please Linda G of Madness…Crossword and Otherwise. The electronic clue for ICETEA (96A Lemonade + _____ = Arnold Palmer) is stated differently in the NYT Magazine (96A Lemonade -- _____ -- Arnold Palmer) -- there may be more differences, but I’m not going to proofread the whole damn puzzle! Most everyone SHRUGSOFF (17D Doesn’t get bothered by) these discrepancies -- well, better read Michael of Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle to be sure. Oh, and incidentally, ORANGE (Amy of Diary of a Crossword Fiend) will have a thing or two to say about love!
This crossword won’t STUMP (101A Baffle) anyone, though it’s not quite a SNAP (108D Go postal) -- stay cool this July weekend -- have a POPSICLE (122A It gets a licking) while you work this easy-going and humorous Sunday diversion, all at the expense of male testosterone!
...and you know, a lot of those pickup lines work like a charm!
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For today's cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.21.07
Antithesis
Wassily Kandinsky's "Composition VIII"1923; Oil on canvas; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
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Saturday, July 21, 2007
Puzzle by Raymond C. Young, edited by Will Shortz
All of the clues for this inscrutable crossword puzzle might as well be "word", "word", "word", etc. Perhaps the biggest exception is 1A Faux pa? - STEPFATHER. No, that can't be, one might say -- but yet it is, and then nothing! It's good there is as much variety in this crossword puzzle (or any, for that matter) or else one might very well see just "word" for every clue. The challenge in making a puzzle more difficult is to remove the entry as far away from the clue as possible without losing all connection between the two. Certainly, today's puzzle has achieved that task!
SECRETCODE (58A Something to crack); ENTROPY (9D Chaos); TITLING (2D Calling); TOORDER (38D Specially); NINEONEONE (15A Helpful figures?) ORIENTATED (56A Became adjusted); and SUPERHERO (46A DC figure) form a faux neologistic BROCADE (41D Weave a raised design into) with an AMORIST (12D Love lover) crossing an EROTICIST (22A Purveyor of hot stuff) in a mess of MANICOTTI (11D Italian for "sleeves") and TAPIOCA (36D Dessert Calvin doesn't like in "Calvin and Hobbes") for those with NOTASTE (13D Blandness) for HOHOS (47A Snack cake brand since 1967) -- a veritable esoterica upon a palpable pyre of Pyrrhonism, and PLENTYMORE (19A Enough for everyone to have seconds)!
TSAR (26D The first one ruled 1547-84) and VLAD (31D 15th-century prince of Wallalchia) and ATTIRED (40D Not au naturel) ATTENDANTS (17A Retinue) LAWLESSLY (29D How a mob acts) challenge the IRENIC (44D Peaceful) and ENTENTE (3D Dove's desire) with words like NEUTRAL (35D Uncommitted) and SLAY (57A Whack) wielding a handy ICEAXE (23D Scaling aid) CLOSETO (39D Almost at) a villainy that's AGELESS (28A Opposite of ephemeral) -- and there are still leftovers!
OPERAMUSIC (50A Libretto accompaniment), SIESTAS (14D Breaks in the heat?), HANDCAMERA (54A Little shooter), ASSIGNS (34A Gives out), TEAMERS (7D Special-______[football players used only in specific situations]), SEAEAR (25D Abalone), are several more long entries with languid clues.
Other people in the puzzle include HONORE (8D French novelist d'Urfe), COSTA (27A 2002 French Open winner Albert), GROS (53A French painter of Napoleonic scenes), MATT (52A "Futurama" creator Groening), and YVETTES (30A "Moesha" actress Wilson and others) -- none of which I've ever heard of in my life!
I'm not committng any of this to memory... Oh, maybe SNAPPEA (1D Stir-fry vegetable) and the clue for NOTE (18A One given a staff position?) -- plus, I really wanted 38A Something often looked for on a rainy day (TAXICAB) to be a RAINBOW!
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To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.20.07
A masquerade at the Pantheon in Oxford Street London as drawn by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Ackermann's Microcosm of London (1808-11).
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Friday, July 20, 2007
Puzzle by Barry C. Silk, edited by Will Shortz
This A to Z ball of an alphabet soup is disguised in every way imaginable giving up its arcanum one painful square at a time -- much like meeting the guests at a masquerade with the need to know who's who, but by playing a game with every name.
From its first entry, ABOVEZERO (1A Positive), to the last, SNAKEEYES (57A Loser in a casino), every entry or its clue of this crossword comes prestidigitatiously swathed with deception or duplicity -- words one's not met and old ones in dark terra incognita burkas -- LIVEALIE (13D (Be what you're not) is the rule!
Across
10 Vacuum maintainers -- no, not a repairman
15 Like some fruit bats and petrels -- anyone think
16 Cornrow component -- could be “braid”
17 Whine -- unexpectedly colloquial
18 Royal jelly consumer -- I thought it was the “queen”
19 Jungian principle -- weren’t there a few?
20 Samoan, e.g. -- so simple, it’s silly
22 Kind of party -- take your pick
23 Top of a stadium -- explain this one to me!
25 Comic character -- a stretch
26 From Niger to Zambia: Abbr. -- just geography
27 Hacker of the Middle Ages -- they had computers?
28. “The Dram Shop” author -- a tale within a novel
29. Squeals -- you’d think “oinks”
30. Start of a Spanish Christmas greeting -- I wanted “felice”
31. Certify -- lots of possibilities
34. Unwelcome discovery on a credit card -- ditto of above
36 Period to find out more -- a "q" but no "u", with an "a"
37 Tough companions? -- very sneaky clue
38 Minor leader? -- “asia”, “ursa”, etc.
39 Carving in an Egyptian tomb -- which one?
41 Relief may follow it -- “bas”, bah!
44 Botanist’s beard -- the plant, not the person
46 Rubberneck -- this one made sense
47 Where cell phones don’t work -- yup
49 Weed-B-Gon maker -- “Ortho” again
50 200 milligrams -- now I know
51 Popular reference work -- think internet
54 Match point? -- think place
55 “Shoot!” -- think “shucks”
56 Name on a truck -- not U-Haul, not Penske, think "Winona"
57 Loser in a casino
Down
1 Opportunities to run away from home -- very obtuse
2 Gustavo’s good -- foreign language
3 Require -- hop-scotch meaning
4 Female role in “Chicago” -- not Roxie
5 “Paint the Sky With Stars” singer -- who is this “Enya” anyway?
6 Suffix with proto- -- “zoa” matching 28A “Zola”
7 Abbr. on a key -- not "alt"
8 They're back on board -- another sly one
9 City on the Permian Basin -- this "Odessa" not that "Odessa"
10 Extend awkwardly -- just weird
11 Sparkle -- almost farfetched
12 Cousin of a hyena -- new to me!
14 Be a night watchman? -- not a profession
21 Manhattan ave. -- not Mad.
23 Sudden impact -- "bang" more appropriate
24 First home of the University of Nevada -- knew this!
27 Firm assistant, briefly --- this too!
28 Couple of pizzas? -- yesterday it was "Affluent duo?"
29 Revelation exclamation -- not "ahha", "ohho", etc.
30 Work unit: Abbr. -- this I still don't get
31 Black-and-white -- they're blue and white here
32 Spent from all the conflict -- not "worn down"
33 Webbed -- it's that "nsn" part that's strange
34 Generation-to-generation information -- long way to go
35 Poet Seeger -- Not Pete
37 Otherworldly one -- think "War of the Worlds"
39 It's appetizing to aphids -- another long way to go
40 What ochlophobists fear -- oh, those phobias!
41 Big-league promotional event -- matches 1-Down
42 For some time -- one of several possibilities
43 Drinks a toast -- another stretch
45 It's massive and relatively hot -- what begins with "bst"?
46 _____Waitz, nine-time New York City Marathon winner - var. sp.
48 King Claudius, e.g. -- nationality
49 Artist John, known as the Cornish Wonder -- another way to clue "opie"
52 Malay Peninsula's Isthmus of KRA -- Google constructing!
53 Publicity -- the final stretch!
37D - MARTIAN -- Alien tripod illustration from the 1906 French edition of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.19.07
K Ni Fe
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Puzzle by David J. Kahn, edited by Will Shortz
There’s no rule that a crossword puzzle can’t be dull or that it need be on the cutting edge, but when it presents a “riddle”, there is usually a twist. The entries and clues: WHATIMPLEMENT (20A With 28-, 48- and 56-Across, riddle whose answer appears in the circled squares); CANBEPRODUCED (28A See 20-Across); FROMPOTASSIUM (48A See 20-Across); NICKELANDIRON (56A See 20-Across); and in the circled squares, KNIFE.
Upon completing all the entries, I thought “I must be missing something here -- it is late at night. Earlier our hamlet had a blackout, so I am blogging late -- but I just don’t get it." I thought a riddle was supposed to be “a problem or a puzzle in the form of a question or statement so formulated that some ingenuity is required to solve or answer it.” Yeah, Websters.
As in, you know, the Riddle of the Sphinx: “What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?” -- The solution: "A man -- who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and walks with a cane in old age."
The “riddle” presented in this crossword puzzle felt so much like a science class question that I became convinced it was one. Again, I asked myself, am I missing something? If this is a riddle, then the answer (KNIFE) must be a riddle itself. "It’s late...there was a blackout...I have an excuse for my obtuseness...this can't be as dull as it seems!"
Finally, it hit me like one of the bolts of lightning that had been threatening our poor little hamlet all evening -- there are three elements and the answer is separated into three.
The riddle: “What implement can be produced from
The circles are in very light print, all on one line and are contained in the words ICKY (60A Like worms); ENIAC (61A Computer unveiled in 1946); and FEAR (62A Cold feet). O.K., so that’s good. Additionally, AMI (23A “Who…….?” [common riddle ending]) and REE (64D “Riddle-me-…..”) are stuck into the grid up left and down right. Little riddles in the puzzle: 12D Canines that bite -- TEETH; 37A Affluent duo? -- EFS; and even perhaps 29D How some music is played -- BYEAR.
Original clues for standard entries -- UFOS (5A Project Blue Book subject); PAST (9A Ex-); OPIE (15 Talk radio’s ____ & Anthony); EPEE (19A Abbe de l’____, pioneer in sign language); LOG (25A Camp seat); ACER (23D One with a sterling service) and EXITS (31D Takes off).
People in the puzzle -- SIBYL (39A Fortuneteller); TROY (47A Movie featuring Peter O’Toole as Priam); ALI (51A Kentucky’s Athlete of the Century); REDWING (3D N.H.L. team at Joe Louis Arena); ORFEO (30D Monteverdi opera); MAGI (24D Ancient gift givers); KYLE (57D MacLachlan of “Desperate Housewives”); and BRIANENO (40D Musician who created the Windows 95 start-up sound).
Long down entries and their clues include: UNSTOPS (5D Pulls the plug on); FILIGREE (6d Fine metal openwork); SEEPED (8D Trickled); ASLOUD (15D Comparatively noisy); SETADATE (38D Plan for nuptials); and RADICAL (46D Avant-garde).
Contrasts: NILE (58D With 66-Across, Egyptian agricultural area) crosses DELTA (66A See 58-Down); SHONE (36D Stood out) abuts SMILED (44D Beamed); the aforementioned OPIE sits on top of EPEE; FICKLE (48D Changeable on a whim) crosses NICKEL…etc., and INRE (67A Concerning) changes places with ENCLS (22D Bottom-of-letter abbr.).
This puzzle and its “riddle”? I almost drew a NIL (53A Goose egg), but now the “Bells ARE Ringing” (55A) -- and it’s my alarm clock -- so I'll cut right to the end!
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For today's "cartoon" go to
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07.18.07
ET TU?
Assassination of Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) in Roman senate. Painting (19th century), Vincenzo Camuccini
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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Puzzle by Tibor Derencsenyi, edited by Will Shortz
FAMOUSLASTWORDS (41A) and six related entries are the main feature of today’s crossword puzzle -- however, these are not “famous last words” but simple everyday farewell remarks: 1A SOLONG, 7A GOTTARUN, 39A SAYONARA, 45A AUREVOIR, 73A TIMETOGO, and 74A BYEBYE.
Misnomer aside, this is a well-constructed and pleasant puzzle -- and, I suppose, 41A is deliberately misleading in order to give the crossword a modicum of difficulty it would not otherwise possess.
This is a very talkative puzzle with a fair variety of everyday remarks in addition to the farewell remarks: OKAYBYME (16A “That’s fine”) and ISURECAN (71A “Be delighted”); “YOUVE got mail" (31D); UMS (13D Speakers' no-nos); "I love him like ASON" (38D); ISEE (65D "Mm-hmm"); "Do ASI do" (67D); NANA (5D Sha follower); YOWLS (35D Cries from the woods); and even an ORATOR (2D Keynote speaker, e.g.).
TRIBAL (15A Like "Survivor" groups), RAMONA Quimby of children's books (17A);PICKIEST (18A Most finicky); ATPEACE (19A Not fighting); SATIRES (63A Works of Swift and Wilde); HASBEENS (66A They're over the hill); BISTRO (70A Dancing locale); ONEALL (72A Low tie); and ROSARIO (24D Actress Dawson of "Rent") are the other longer entries -- a mix of the old and the new.
Happenstance fill includes GOP, RYE, UMS, NET, TOE, EEL, EER, EYE, BAS, LID, TAS, LOA, ELL, IRE, OAK, AVE, HIT, ASI, and SUM -- a normal amount for a puzzle with six or seven cordoned-off areas rendering the whole as several small ones.
Among the four-letter words, DEET (60D Bug juice?) was a word of which I'd never heard, or if I did, didn't remember; DECO (61D Like Radio City Music Hall, informally) brought to mind good memories; BEAR (26D Polar denizen) and BYRD (27D Polar explorer) stand astride each other with their Shortzesque clues; and I'll stop here before anyone can LOBBY (32A Push [for]) me to ENDIT (48A Call the whole thing off) -- so long, gotta run, sayonara, au revoir, time to go, bye bye! -- famous last words!
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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
Assassination of Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) in Roman senate. Painting (19th century), Vincenzo Camuccini
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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Puzzle by Tibor Derencsenyi, edited by Will Shortz
FAMOUSLASTWORDS (41A) and six related entries are the main feature of today’s crossword puzzle -- however, these are not “famous last words” but simple everyday farewell remarks: 1A SOLONG, 7A GOTTARUN, 39A SAYONARA, 45A AUREVOIR, 73A TIMETOGO, and 74A BYEBYE.
Misnomer aside, this is a well-constructed and pleasant puzzle -- and, I suppose, 41A is deliberately misleading in order to give the crossword a modicum of difficulty it would not otherwise possess.
This is a very talkative puzzle with a fair variety of everyday remarks in addition to the farewell remarks: OKAYBYME (16A “That’s fine”) and ISURECAN (71A “Be delighted”); “YOUVE got mail" (31D); UMS (13D Speakers' no-nos); "I love him like ASON" (38D); ISEE (65D "Mm-hmm"); "Do ASI do" (67D); NANA (5D Sha follower); YOWLS (35D Cries from the woods); and even an ORATOR (2D Keynote speaker, e.g.).
TRIBAL (15A Like "Survivor" groups), RAMONA Quimby of children's books (17A);PICKIEST (18A Most finicky); ATPEACE (19A Not fighting); SATIRES (63A Works of Swift and Wilde); HASBEENS (66A They're over the hill); BISTRO (70A Dancing locale); ONEALL (72A Low tie); and ROSARIO (24D Actress Dawson of "Rent") are the other longer entries -- a mix of the old and the new.
Happenstance fill includes GOP, RYE, UMS, NET, TOE, EEL, EER, EYE, BAS, LID, TAS, LOA, ELL, IRE, OAK, AVE, HIT, ASI, and SUM -- a normal amount for a puzzle with six or seven cordoned-off areas rendering the whole as several small ones.
Among the four-letter words, DEET (60D Bug juice?) was a word of which I'd never heard, or if I did, didn't remember; DECO (61D Like Radio City Music Hall, informally) brought to mind good memories; BEAR (26D Polar denizen) and BYRD (27D Polar explorer) stand astride each other with their Shortzesque clues; and I'll stop here before anyone can LOBBY (32A Push [for]) me to ENDIT (48A Call the whole thing off) -- so long, gotta run, sayonara, au revoir, time to go, bye bye! -- famous last words!
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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
07.16.07
HAIR
STRIPTEASE (31D *Alluring dance) -- Miss Maud Allen as Salome with her reward for the Dance of the Seven Veils
Born in Toronto in 1873, Maud Allen (Herstory 1990) trained in Vienna and made her debut there. She danced to critical acclaim in London and between 1910 and 1918 toured the world. Although she is almost forgotten now, at the height of her success she was as well known as IsadoraDuncan. Her style of interpretive dancing helped expand the definitions of modern dance.
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Monday, July 16, 2007
Puzzle by Elizabeth A. Long, edited by Will Shortz
Six inter-related entries are the main feature of this back-to-work Monday crossword puzzle:
HOWTOFIX (25D With 22-Down, what the ends of the answers to the four starred clues are examples of); YOURHAIR (22D See 25-Down); SAGEBRUSH (17A *It rolls across the Plains); OCEANSPRAY (11D *Juice drink brand); HONEYCOMB (65A "Beehive contents); and STRIPTEASE (31D "Alluring dance) suggest four ways of "how to fix your hair -- comb, brush, tease, spray".
STRIPTEASE is sure to give the Puzzle Police pause, who think The New York Times is answerable to a more prudish standard than other newspapers when it comes to the contents of its crossword puzzles -- however, this is surely a Biblical reference, e.g., Salome of the dance of the seven veils, so the reference should pass muster. If it STEAMS (4D Really ticks off) these dear well-meaning crossword folk, well, let it be observed that OCTAVIA (52A Wife of Marc Antony), PIAF (48A Edith who sang “La Vie en Rose”) and Saint LUCIA, Caribbean nation (59A) are INNO way, shape or form (26D) GUILTYOF (49A Responsible for, as something bad) ABIT (62D Not much) of a lack of CAVEATS (45D Cautions) nor excess of BRIO (55A Vivacity) -- TEST (28D Try out), and TRUE (43A "It is so")!
Always love seeing a reference to POE (56A "The Tell-Tale Heart" teller) -- probably the best short “fill” word in crosswords. Other stuff -- the recently demised OLDS (1A Cutlass or 88, in the auto world), COMER (53D Person who shows promise) and COMA (5A Result of a serious head injury), those near-twin brand names ALCOA (16A Big foil maker) and AMANA (63A Range maker); that half-a-fish entry MAHI (24A When repeated, a Hawaiian fish); OPART (52D Bedazzling museum works); EURO and LIRA (or LIAR and LIRA); Rapper Snoop DOGG (3D) and CUR (5D Snarling dog); CANASTA and COSTNER; COOLS and COLE; ORGAN and OOZE.
In the middle of the grid SWUNG (32D Moved like a pendulum) bisecting TOUGH (41 Barely chewable) recalls “hung tough” -- and to gild, LILY (50D Easter bloom) stands astride of TOUCAN (51D Big-billed bird).
This puzzle is a nice one to start off the week and makes one await the NEXT (73A Barber’s call) -- oh, there’s that HAIR again!
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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
STRIPTEASE (31D *Alluring dance) -- Miss Maud Allen as Salome with her reward for the Dance of the Seven Veils
Born in Toronto in 1873, Maud Allen (Herstory 1990) trained in Vienna and made her debut there. She danced to critical acclaim in London and between 1910 and 1918 toured the world. Although she is almost forgotten now, at the height of her success she was as well known as IsadoraDuncan. Her style of interpretive dancing helped expand the definitions of modern dance.
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Monday, July 16, 2007
Puzzle by Elizabeth A. Long, edited by Will Shortz
Six inter-related entries are the main feature of this back-to-work Monday crossword puzzle:
HOWTOFIX (25D With 22-Down, what the ends of the answers to the four starred clues are examples of); YOURHAIR (22D See 25-Down); SAGEBRUSH (17A *It rolls across the Plains); OCEANSPRAY (11D *Juice drink brand); HONEYCOMB (65A "Beehive contents); and STRIPTEASE (31D "Alluring dance) suggest four ways of "how to fix your hair -- comb, brush, tease, spray".
STRIPTEASE is sure to give the Puzzle Police pause, who think The New York Times is answerable to a more prudish standard than other newspapers when it comes to the contents of its crossword puzzles -- however, this is surely a Biblical reference, e.g., Salome of the dance of the seven veils, so the reference should pass muster. If it STEAMS (4D Really ticks off) these dear well-meaning crossword folk, well, let it be observed that OCTAVIA (52A Wife of Marc Antony), PIAF (48A Edith who sang “La Vie en Rose”) and Saint LUCIA, Caribbean nation (59A) are INNO way, shape or form (26D) GUILTYOF (49A Responsible for, as something bad) ABIT (62D Not much) of a lack of CAVEATS (45D Cautions) nor excess of BRIO (55A Vivacity) -- TEST (28D Try out), and TRUE (43A "It is so")!
Always love seeing a reference to POE (56A "The Tell-Tale Heart" teller) -- probably the best short “fill” word in crosswords. Other stuff -- the recently demised OLDS (1A Cutlass or 88, in the auto world), COMER (53D Person who shows promise) and COMA (5A Result of a serious head injury), those near-twin brand names ALCOA (16A Big foil maker) and AMANA (63A Range maker); that half-a-fish entry MAHI (24A When repeated, a Hawaiian fish); OPART (52D Bedazzling museum works); EURO and LIRA (or LIAR and LIRA); Rapper Snoop DOGG (3D) and CUR (5D Snarling dog); CANASTA and COSTNER; COOLS and COLE; ORGAN and OOZE.
In the middle of the grid SWUNG (32D Moved like a pendulum) bisecting TOUGH (41 Barely chewable) recalls “hung tough” -- and to gild, LILY (50D Easter bloom) stands astride of TOUCAN (51D Big-billed bird).
This puzzle is a nice one to start off the week and makes one await the NEXT (73A Barber’s call) -- oh, there’s that HAIR again!
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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
To go to original post with illustrations and puzzle grid or to leave a Comment, click on TITLE at the beginning of this post’s commentary.
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