Sunday, January 20, 2008
TRIANGULATION, Puzzle by Natan Last, edited by Will Shortz
Note: The online and the Sunday Magazine versions of this puzzle have different clue numbering to accommodate online technology -- both the Sunday Magazine and the online versions are provided at the end of this commentary. Where reference is made in this commentary to an entry, the Sunday Magazine numbers are used, and where the numbers differ, the online number is included in parenthesis immediately following.
A triangle of highlighted squares containing circles in the center of the grid spells out TRIGONOMETRY (80A[81A] Subject of this puzzle [and proceeding counterclockwise]).
Six squares in the puzzle contain abbreviations associated with trigonometry, SIN for sine, COS for cosine, and TAN for tangent as follows:
DANTESINFERNO (3D. Whence the line “Into the eternal darkness; into fire and into ice”) crossing SINNER (37A. One succumbing to 6-Down); and TWOPEASINAPOD (69D[70D] Like things) crossing CASINOS (104D[105D] Strip joints?).
BELLICOSITY (79D[80D] Aggressiveness) crossing ACCOSTS (107A[108A] Buttonholes); and COSMOKRAMER (15D “Seinfeld” character) crossing DISCOSTU (12A “The Simpsons” character who often refers to himself in the third person).
CATANDMOUSE (24A Something to play) crossing SATAN (6D See 37-Across); and EQUIDISTANT (116A[117A] Like any points on a circle, from the center) crossing STANZA (112D[113D] Anthem part).
Unnecessarily complex for a Sunday puzzle and without much reward in the solving, this crossword has some odd bedfellows -- starting with the center crossing of MYDARLING and RESTROOMS -- what? For patrons we have AROD, OLIVEOYL, SPITZER, ORTEGA, KEYNES, DESMOND, SADSACK, SIMONE, NATE, MAMET, SADIE, TYRONE, MELISSA, and a host of others representing both SEXES (106D[107D] Makes attractive, with "up") run AMOK (107D[108D] Every which way)!
Conversation among them includes “A sad tale’s best for winter”, “Where did I go wrong?”, “Don’t worry about me”, IMFINE, “That is as it should be”, “Catch your breath”, TAKEAREST, “Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno”, “That makes sense!”, IGETIT, “Do what you want”, IDONTCARE, ISITI, et cetera.
Other games included are CATANDMOUSE, HANGMAN, SUDOKU, SEEKERS (50A Some players in a kids’ game), GAMBLED, CASINOS, and MISC sports, including the Owls of the N.C.A.A. (77D[78D] RICE), and but one KNEEPAD (87A[88A]) Skateboarder’s accessory) for protection.
There’s also WEE, RUNT, SIZE, EQUIDISTANT…hmmm… A lot to ponder in this puzzle, but I’m starting to EXHAUST (88D[89D] Poop), and TOMORROW (128A[129A] Sunday), I must ARISE (2D. Greet the day)!
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