Las Meninas (after Velázquez), 1957 -- Pablo Picasso
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Sunday, January 27, 2008
I NEED MY SPACE, Puzzle by Mike Nothnagel, edited by Will Shortz
This Sunday construction houses seven entries that add a ROOM to each entry:
AFRAID OF THE DARKROOM (24A. Like a useless photo lab employee?);
BRINGSHOMEROOMTHEBACON (39A. Offers breakfast to students before first period?);
POWDERROOMKEG (53A. Beer sources for genteel guests?);
THEBALLSINYOURCOURTROOM (72A. Reminder to a forgetful judge on bowling night?);
GREENROOMPARTY (92A. What talk show guests have before the broadcast?);
NORESTROOMFORTHEWICKED (107A. Sign outside a church lavatory);
DAVYJONESLOCKERROOM (125A. Where a Monkee changes after a game?).
After those rooms have been given the once-over, there are plenty of nooks and crannies in this crossword puzzle to explore, many of them are dead ends and others are mazes leading one into an attic or a boiler room of angst. Clues are duplicitous and entries are auspicious in strange ways.
Giving pause is such fare as BEAV, SPAC, ZIG, ROUX, OHGOD, OMAHA, OOFS, ASHRAMS, ATANEND, PUTUPJOB, VOSTOK, CHEST, KTOSLIN, and KOBE. Nothing really sadistic or vicious, just a little wiggy here and there, ditto with the clues; e.g., 71D. Pouting person’s action winds up being STAMP -- well, who knew that pouting could lead to that?! Who do you know that stamps when they pout? -- I’d smack ‘em good a couple of WHAMS (32D. Loud hits)! Here’s some pouting and stamping to a tune by DRJOHN (85D. “Right Place Wrong Time” singer, 1973).
Incidentally, it appears there’s a fee for the use of the church’s facility (Sign outside a church lavatory -- “No Restroom For the Wicked”), delineated in the central lower hallway of this puzzles’ maze, following RESTROOM, ONION, FUMES, LOCKERROOM, is TITHE (132A. Church support), immediately followed by 136A. ENTER! Unless you haven’t taken care of 29A. Trespasses -- SINS! -- OHGOD (84A. 1977 George Burns film), a lovely Sunday puzzle?
Finally, subject crossword ends with ONSET (137A. Beginning) -- an appropriate exit -- but hopefully not out the bathroom door into the graveyard!
“My Father's house has many rooms. If that were not true, would I have told you that I'm going to prepare a place for you?” -- John 14:2
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For an illustration of a double-duty throne, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
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