Monday, October 15, 2007
Puzzle by Andrea Carla Michaels, edited by Will Shortz
Four animal idioms, EATINGCROW (17A Taking back one's words in humiliation); TALKINGTURKEY (27A Negotiating in a no-nonsense way); PLAYING POSSUM (43A Pretending to be dead); and CRYINGWOLF (58A Raising a false alarm) are the inter-related entries of this Monday menagerie.
As ugly as a TOAD (2D Relative of a frog) and jumping for JOEYS (32A Baby kangaroos) (groan) aren't here for idioms, but BAA (54A Ewe's call) is and a little too NEAR (6A Close) to WOLF for it's own well-being!
"Eating, talking, playing and crying?" -- there is plenty of fodder for fables and foibles in this crossword -- STOIC (1A Indifferent to pleasure or pain); URGE (15A Impulse); "These ARE the times that..." (35A); "Love ISIN the air" (39A); ISEE (19A "Oh, that's what you mean"); ONTO (3D Seeing through the deception of); Suite to ATEE (12D); ERR (7D Misplay, e.g.); AGOG (8D Slack-jawed); Give ARUN for one's money (23D); "GOT Milk?" (28D); WOW (60A "Man alive!"); and AMENS (42A Prayers ends).
SHEA (1D New York stadium) leads a pack of people for the purpose, including RENEE (24 Actress Zellweger); COEN (34A Joel who directed "Raising Arizona"); ERTE (36A One-named Art Deco designer); Roman statesman CATO the Elder (61A); NORMA Rae (Sally Field title role); IDI (4D Dictator Amin); RAYE (24A Comedic actress Martha); KASEM (29D Casey with a radio countdown); ANG (38D "Hulk" director Lee); IMUS (39D Don with a big mouth); TINA (41D One of the Sinatras); YARROW (44D Peter of Peter, Paul & Mary); SEAN (46D Actor Penn), with YMA (59D Singer Sumac) bringing up the rear.
There’s a COINER (10D Neologist) in the corner up right who might want to look into the meaning of the likes of REWRITES (9D Edits); CONDUCTS (37D Leads, as an orchestra); ASSIGNS (42D Hands out, as duties); CANCELS (5D Calls off); DEFRAUD (49A Rip off); ENCRYPT (25D Put into cipher); and the inclusion of both OATH of office (16A) and SWEAR (66A Say with one’s hand on the Bible) -- or it could all just be GUNK (18D Sticky matter)!
Quite a NUCLEI (6D Cell centers) of back-to-work word ORGIES (45D Unrestrained revelries) -- a cubicle CUL-de-sac (21A) of a puzzle as fun as a barrel of monkeys
IDIOMS?
Hey, it's Monday, back to work like a dog to keep the wolf from the door!
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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
