Monday, October 1, 2007
Puzzle by Allan E. Parrish, edited by Will Shortz
This Monday's back-to-work puzzle features a JUNKDRAWER (30D Location for the ends of the answers to the four starred clues) -- you know, those PIGPENS (24D *Sties) into which we PLUNK (36A Put [down], as money) something in case we might ever need it? FLORIDAKEYS (18A *Popular Sunshine State vacation); TICKERTAPE (3D *Material for an old-fashioned parade); and THIRDSTRING (61A *Like players below the B team) are also thrown into this miscellaneous mess -- however, that's really not enough junk, so I'm throwing in a YOYO (12D Toy that might go "around the world") and an UZI (14A Israeli submachine gun) too.
Oh, junk! Want junk? -- here's junk! Lots and lots of words we see over and over again and again in puzzle after puzzle after puzzle -- ALOE, BET, BUNT, SON, OPT, ASTA, HINDI, OKIE, ERE, ADO, WAR, OPED, LOCI, EMI, EZRA, FROM, JAS, NRC, UAR, SLIM, SESS, ASTA, STAGE, DODO, EDGE, INTL, NETS, SKIED, STLO, NICE, ETTA, RES, NAME, IHOP and REX! Now, that's junk!
O.K., that drawer's full, I'll just have to leave the rest of it out FORALL (15A Last words of the Pledge of Allegiance) to see and EFFUSE (4A Gush) over! MEDICOS (22A Docs); TAKEAIM (20A Prepare to shoot) and TARGET (26A Dartboard, for one); EFFACE (4D Wipe off) or get ERODED (Wore away).
We'll need chairs for ISIAH (53D N.B.A. coach Thomas); LIONEL (37D Hampton of jazz fame); ALEC (11D One of the Baldwin brothers); ANDIE (31D Actress MacDowell) and ADOLPH (19D Coach Rupp of college basketball); Fur trader John Jacob ASTOR (27D); DESI (43A Arnaz of "I Love Lucy") and MAYS (10A Willie of the 19850s-'60s Giants). The ELDEST (9D Firstborn) is a TOPER (42A Serious drinker) who never MINDED (49A Objected to) "MAKIN Whoopee!" (10D)!
Get ready to FOLIATE (5D Decorate with leaves) your DORSAL fin (48D) and LASHES (68A Mascara goes on them) to ENGAGE (21D Take on); not ODON (47A Take too much of, briefly), but SIMMER (52A Keep just below boil) and TASTE (26D One of the five senses) ACRID (51D Pungent) TRIX (60D Cereal whose ads feature a "silly rabbit") -- be SINCERE (64A Not deceitful), ATEASE (65A "Relax, soldier!"), ENCAMP (23A Stop for the night, as soldiers) -- I have IMAGES (50D Representations) of an IMMENSE (44D Really, really big) ADO (51A Brouhaha)!
The rest will just have to go in the round file, there's no more room!
Oops!
