Silents and Silence
Nita Naldi
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Monday, September 24, 2007
Puzzle by Fred Piscop, edited by Will Shortz
While it’s true THERESNOIINTEAM (39A Admonition to a showboating athlete), there is a M and an E (think “me“)! PLAYME (9D Benchwarmer’s plea)! Joining in that “admonition” are an introduction, HERESJOHNNY (20A Old “Tonight Show” intro), and a question, WHERESWALDO (53A Kid’s book with a hidden character), comprising a trio of HERE, THERE, WHERE, or HERES, THERES, WHERES -- IDSAY (14A “In my opinion…”) it doesn’t really matter. This is a happy little back-to-work Monday puzzle which will please anyone who knows what day it is.
The other long entries are EYESHADE (5D Poker player’s headgear), NOTAWHIT (41D Zero), RELEASED (31A Set free), and IDENTITY (45A What a driver’s license shows proof of), followed by PACMAN (27A Classic arcade game), CASTLE (26D Windsor, notably), MIRING (30D Sinking in mud), TOWNIE (46D (Local no collegian, to a collegian), and STEELS (47A Makes tough).
Lots of five-letter words: DOUSE (1A Put out, as a fire), PIQUE (9A Arouse, as interest), SIEVE (Utensil used with flour), AMISS (19 Out of kilter), ACRID (36A Pungent-smelling), OLDIE (44A Almost any doo-wop tune), OCEAN (60A Atlantic or Pacific), HOARD (63A Squirrel away), ALIBI (Suspect’s story), INBAD (66A Out of favor, informally), SMITH (40D Most common U.S. surname), PURSE (67A Derby prize), TESTS (69A Activities in 57-Down) which is LABS, ALLOW (6D Give the O.K.), PATRI (27D Father: Prefix), ACHED (28D Felt sore), CRÈME (29D Oreo’s filling), ROOMY (31D Hardly cramped), SUEDE (33D Napped leather), EMAIL (34D Cybermessages), DOMES (35D Stadium toppers), and VENAL (49D Open to bribery).
There’s (there’s that word again) plenty of four-letter words: DISH, ODIE, USER, SAVE, LEAH, QUIP, URSA, EASY, GNAT, ELIA, SOAP, ACLU, MEIR, EZRA, REEL, AONE, LABS, DRAT, ODDS, GOLD, SUMO, REMI, and MAMA, and finishing off the fill are the three-letter entries ALF, LEA, LAW, ZEN, REA, ALL, ABS, SIS, IAM, AMC, HOW, GOT, and VIA.
Last, but not least is NALDI (22D Nita of silent films), the featured silent star of this Monday jewel.
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Johnny Carson’s last TV appearance (on Letterman), HERE.
For today's cartoon go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
Marcel Marceau, Mime -- 1923 - 2007
Appropriately, today’s crossword puzzle is silent, that is to say,
without its frequent variations, entries and/or definitions of a MIME.
Video HERE.
