Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Puzzle by Alison Donald, edited by Will Shortz
“BUD” -- that’s the unprinted and unprintable (no place to put it) answer to several confusing clues one would best be off not reading. Electronically, the Notepad at Across Lite says “The answers at 17- and 51-Across and 11- and 24-Down can all be defined by the same missing three-letter word. What is it?”, the Play Against the Clock, “Same Clue Missing Four Times”, and the clues themselves read simply “See blurb”. The hard copy of the newspaper agrees with Across Lite with the Note as a heading and the clues as "See blurb". Normally, the clue might simply read “Bud” -- but no! Alas, what we have here a serious case of kalikaphobia!
CLOSEFRIEND (17A See blurb); COMICABBOTT (51A See blurb); POPULARBREW (11D See blurb); and BLOSSOMTOBE (24D See blurb).
Let's hope Blurb Abbott doesn’t spill his Blurb while giving a blurb to a blurb!
Enough? Other truncated material includes PRENUPS (5D Engagement contracts, briefly); JOKY (27D Facetious) (would you like to spell that “jokey”?); SEC (1D Trice, informally); RES (4D Counterpart of bus.); ERN (9D Directional suffix); FESS (18D Come clean, with “up”); OUTIE (23D Belly button type); TEES (25D Summer shirts); ZAPS (26D Nukes); TATA (37D “Later”); TRU (55D Play about Capote); RBI (32A Slugger’s stat); CARBS (36A Pasta is loaded with them); ELO (50A “Evil Woman” band, for short); NEB (57A Cornhusker State: Abbr.) -- sounds like someone’s too busy to speak wholesome! Oh, and not to forget HAL -- you may know how that devious computer got his name -- one letter backwards thrice from/for IBM.
People: MITZI (47A Actress Gaynor); MARLA (40A An ex of the Donald) (is there any other way to clue her?); DHARMA (28A Greg’s sitcom mate); OHARA (48A Scarlett of Tara); DORIS (28D Day of “Pillow Talk”); LIZ (42D Designer Claiborne); SARA Lee cakes (43D); BEA (53D Arthur of “The Golden Girls”); and OTT (54A Hall-of-Famer Mel), along with other sports references DODGERS (10D For whom Sandy Koufax pitched); YANKS (61A Doughboys) (oops, not sports-related); and RBI (32A Slugger’s stat).
For puzzledom fiends and nitpickers, there is SHARP (1A Keen-edged); EAGER (14A Chomping at the bit); OBTUSE (23A Not exactly insightful); ZEALOT (26A Gung-ho sort); KNACK (58A Special talent); EMEND (44D Make corrections to); FINICKY (39D Like a picky eater); GRUMP (21A Grouch); “I cannot tell ALIE” (7D); CARVE (6D Cut up); CAVED (6A Gave in); and NEVER (20A “When hell freezes over”). Ooh, the vicious world of the crossword aficionado!
MACBRE (40D Like much of Poe’s work) leads the eclectic entries, followed by ALAMO, ALERO, EATUP, ERMINE, FOLIO, HOOPS, JULEPS, MACAWS, MACKS, OLIVES, OTOES, RETRO, RILEY, SATEEN, and TEMPT, along with the four- and three-letter entries of AGO, COVE, DYE, HALE, HICK, HOBO, KISS, OLE, OMAN, ONA, PAM, PAT, TOP, TBAR, SEC, RAM and VEER.
Oh YES, and (shudder) “BUD”!
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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
