Monday, March 10, 2008
Puzzle by Ken Bessette, edited by Will Shortz
OBEDIENCESCHOOL (64A. Command center? ... or where you might hear the starts of 17-, 28- and 49-Across); SPEAKOFTHEDEVIL (17A. “Here he is now!”); SITONTHEFENCE (28A. Be undecided); STAYTHECOURSE (49A. Persist to completion) -- I am sure OTTO (43A. Sgt. Snorkel’s dog) would be pleased to enlist.However, there’s really not a lot to bark about in this back-to-work puzzle, which is filled with obediently familiar Monday crossword standards. The exceptions are the entries of length, ten-letter LOVELETTER (11D. Billet-doux) and THISSIDEUP (30D. Message on a shipping crate); seven-letter SADSONG (9D. Dirge) and PARTIES (45D. Republication, Democratic, Green, etc.); and the six-letter GLADTO (4D. “My pleasure”); INHALE (8D. Divided 50/50); TWENTY (51D. A score); and UPSHOT (52D. End result).
Over-and-over-again fill includes the five-letter entries of AESOP (44A. Fable writer); ALONE (16A. Unaccompanied); COMIC (47D. “Luann” or “Blondie”); ECOLE (53D. French place of learning); EXPOS (71A Bygone Montreal ball club); GOTON (35A. Mounted, as a horse); ISLIP (60A. Long Island airfield town); KEENS (18D. Wails); LOUIE (68A. Nephew of Donald Duck); PHOTO (40A. Snapshot); POBOX (54D. Mail receiver, in brief); SALUT (9A. French greeting); SPADE (20A. Black card); TELEX (13D. Old message system); UNITE (12D. Join).
The bulk of the puzzle are words one could easily use as commands to a dog, all four letter crosswordese: AREA, ATOP, CIRC, CITY, EARL, ECHO, EPEE, FEES, FLAG, FOCI, GLIB, IOTA, ISLE, LAPP, LOCH, NONE, OCTO, ORCA, OTIS, OTTO, PLOW, RAIN, RAMP, SAGA, SHAH, SOAP, TEAS, THAW, THEE, TIER, TREE, YAPS, YOGA, and YORE.
In the end, the best of the verbiage with which to get your lazy dog to roll over are most likely the three-letter entries: ALE, ASH, BOT, COD, COO, EEG, EIN, EPI, ETE, FRO, LEX, LEO, OAF, ROW, and SEA. Any one of them alone, spoken loud and firmly will perk old Droopy’s ears right up!
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