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Trios
Monday, August 20, 2007
Puzzle by Lynn Lempel, edited by Will Shortz
LITTLEPIGS (17A Fortune-seeking trio); MENINATUB (11D Trio at sea); BILLYGOATSGRUFF (36A Grass-eating trio); BLINDMICE (33D Trio on the run); FRENCHHENS (57A Gift-giver’s trio) are the inter-related entries of this cheerful HOMAGE (52A Respectful tribute) to threesomes in this Monday back-to-work puzzle!
If you’re not careful, you’ll be caught whistling nursery rhymes at the water cooler! Everyone will think you had a hot EROTIC (10D Titillating) weekend, ala LANA (64A Turner of “Peyton Place,” 1957) or stirring up trouble in SALEM (1A Town known for witch trials)! Unless, that is, you’re one of those lucky souls who this day STAYS (65A Sticks around) or can ABIDE (2D Put up with) ABED (31D In the sack)!
No need to explain, let them complain -- good! This crossword puzzle also provides them with stern and solemn words: GLITCHES (38D Minor hang-ups); DONTWALK (43A Pedestrian’s intersection warning); DRATS (47A Exclamations of annoyance); FLED (63A Ran away from) and a TRACK (28D Racecourse) for that purpose.
Or just AMBLE (31A Mosey along) until you’ve SATDOWN (48A Took a load off one‘s feet); and then there is SEESRED (24A Hits the roof); DIDIN (26A Brought to ruin); EKE (27A Barely make, with “out”); PITIES (22A Feels sorry for); NEIN (54D Dresden denial); WANLY (50D In a weak manner), EMT (4D Aid provider to the critically injured, briefly).
You’ll need a cup of LATTE (3D Coffee concoction) to put up with the boss’s MALARKEY (5D “Nonsense!”).
This Monday special won’t tax your LOBES (42A Brain sections), however, TITICACA (28A Peru-Bolivia border lake) has to be the oddest damn word seen in a crossword puzzle this month. OBAMA (14A Politician who wrote “The Audacity of Hope”) is very “current events“, unlike MAO (55A China’s Chairman); IDI (23D Amin of Africa); and SANTA (48D December list keeper). Who cares -- we've got the Venus de MILO (32D) and MARC (46 Painter Chagall) as RESPITES (9D Peaceful interludes).
With that, I hit the ROAD (39D Highway or byway)!
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Abridged commentary of The NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD IN GOTHIC.
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For the puzzle in syndication, there is a number below each puzzle in syndication which corresponds to the original publication date, e.g., 0201 = 02/01/09, etc. All puzzles indexed in the Blog Archive below are archived by date which corresponds to the puzzle number.
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