03.31.09

Tuesday Tossup

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Puzzle by Allan E. Parrish, edited by Will Shortz

Four anagrams of the letters A, B, E and R constitute the interrelated entries of this pleasant crossword -- BROCCOLI RABE (20A. Bitter-tasting vegetable); RUNNING BEAR (32A. “Young Indian brave” in a 1960 Johnny Preston #1 hit); BARE MINIMUM (41A. Least acceptable amount); REBA MCENTIRE (54A. Country singer with a hit sitcom). Inclusion of BAER, BREA and E-BAR would complete this Tuesday tossup, but enough's enough!

The next longest entries include BOREDOM; IMPETUS; OPIATES; PLATES; PENCHANT; RIGATONI; SANDRA; SAROYAN; SASHAYS; STABLER.

Five-letter -- AMIGO; ARNAZ; COREA (10D. Jazzman Chick); DREGS; ELIHU; ERICA; HERBS; LIVED; NIXON; OBOES; OCEAN (50D. Great blue expanse); OVALS; RAKES; SCUFF; SEEKS; SPASM (65A. More than a twitch); and 27D. SPERM whale; TATUM; TIARA; TIBER; TORRE; TRIOS (3D. The Dixie Chicks and the Dixie Cups); UTICA.

Short stuff -- EIRE, RAIN, AHAB (42D. Melville‘s obsessed whaler), ALA and ALP, AMFM, APIA, ATIT, AVOW, CALI, DEEM, ECO and EOE, EWER, FEZ, FRA and FRAU, GERM, HTTP, IMP, IRAS, KIX, LAS, LORI, MEG, MENS, MOET and MORE, NECK, NEIN, OBIE and ODIE, OHMS, RARE and RUHR, SOLE, TIE, URN, VIA.

Incidentally, was that tossup with Max BAER fair?!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.30.09

Progression

Quadruple Bypass

Monday, March 30, 2009

Puzzle by Andrea Carla Michaels, edited by Will Shortz

This back-to-work crossword features four 15-letter interrelated entries -- SINGLE OCCUPANCY (17A. Small hotel room specification); DOUBLE INDEMNITY (27A. 1944 thriller with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck); TRIPLE LAYER CAKE (47A. Baked dessert with lemon filling, maybe); QUADRUPLE BYPASS (62A. Serious heart surgery).

Mid-size entries -- ACCEPTS; BIG BABY; DECAY; IDEAL; NINJA I PLEDGE (44D. Start of a daily school recital); REASONS; SPENCER. Five-letter -- AERIE; ARMED; ASTRA; CELIA; CREED; DIG AT; I TINA; LEONA; OTTER; TAE BO; TRANK; UTERI; VERGE; YALIE.

Short stuff -- ALS, ANNI, ASIA and ASIS, AJAX and APEX, BOA, CLUE, DAY, EDIE, EMIL, ENCS, ESAI, ETTU, EURO, EXES, GOO, GTE, HARE, IAL, INCH, ISNT, ITTY, JAMB, JEST, KERN, LAOS, LAT, LOCI, MANE, MEOW, MONO, OMAR, QVC, RED, RENO, SAC, SEEP, SELA, SHE, SOS, SSTS, SUER, TACK, TONI, WHIR, XENA.

...and now to on those five days ahead!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.29.09 -- the Acrostic

Crash!

Sold Out (1929), Rolin Kirby.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

"The Great Crash, 1929 is a book written by John Kenneth Galbraith and published in 1954; it is an economic history of the lead-up to the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The book argues that the 1929 stock market crash was precipitated by rampant speculation in the stock market, that the common denominator of all speculative episodes is the belief of participants that they can become rich without work and that the tendency towards recurrent speculative orgy serves no useful purpose, but rather is deeply damaging to an economy." -- Wikipedia. The Great Crash, 1929

The quotation: THE PRINCIPLE OF LEVERAGE IS THE SAME AS IN THE GAME OF CRACK-THE-WHIP. BY THE APPLICATION OF WELL-KNOWN PHYSICAL LAWS A MODEST MOVEMENT NEAR THE POINT OF ORIGIN IS TRANSLATED INTO A MAJOR JOLT ON THE PERIPHERY.

The author’s name and the title of the work: J K GALBRAITH THE GREAT CRASH

The defined words: A. JACKPOT; B. KILLJOY; C. GROWTH; D. ANHINGA; E. LENTO; F. BOOT CAMP; G. RIIS; H. ANTONYM; I. INVESTMENT; J. TIPTOE; K. HAIRPIN; L. THEOREMS; M. HAM-FISTED; N. ELECTRIFY; O. GRIMACE; P. RELIEF; Q. ENVELOPE; R. ANAPEST; S. TILAPIA; T. CASH FLOW; U. RENOWN; V. Flower said to fill the plains of Hades, in Greek myth, ASPHODEL; W. STROPHE; X. HEEHAW.

Crack-the-Whip!

03.29.09

ET

Lightning strikes the Eiffel Tower on June 3, 1902, at 9:20 P.M

Sunday, March 29, 2009

ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING, Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski, edited by Will Shortz

The EIFFEL TOWER (118A. Landmark inaugurated 3/31/1889 whose shape is suggested by nine squares in this puzzle’s completed grid) will be 120 years old on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 – it was recently reported that the French, unsatisfied with the one of the most instantly recognizable structures in the world have decided to place what looks like a flying saucer atop the tower to enable larger groups of tourists to gape down on the city, ignoring the fact that everyone comes to look “at” the tower, not “from” it. Thankfully, today’s crossword does not include the unsightly platform, delightfully indicating the classic outline of the structure with the nine “connect-the-ETs” (extraterrestrials?) -- à la connect-the-dots. * See note at end of commentary!

There are several long entries related to the subject – AN AMERICAN IN PARIS; CHATEAU LAFITE; THE FRENCH CONNECTION; PATISSERIE; CAFÉ AU LATE.

The entries providing the ETs – Across: AR[ET]HA; D[ET]S (59A. Police dept. employees); [ET]ICK[ET]; [ET]UDE; RES[ET]; SE[ET]HE; ONS[ET]; [ET]ONS. The necessary corresponding down entries: A[ET]NA; LUM[ET]; IC[ET]; AN[ET]; [ET]HEREAL; [ET]AGERES; [ET]HEL; [ET]RE; [ET]UI.

Across links for the day: 8. Umbrella locale; 13. It’s got magnetic pull; 24. Queen Mary, e.g.; 29. “Cinderella Man” co-star, 2005; 56. One of Judy Garland’s girls; 63. Letters on a cross; 87. Gunwale pin; 88. York product; 92. Author Janowitz; 123. Philospher Zeno of ELEA; 123. “Shake A TAIL Feather” (1967 hit); 129. Midmonth date.

Down: 4. “Raspberry Beret” singer; 6. OKEMO Mountain (Vermont ski resort); 9. Playwright Bogosian; 12. Mata HARI; 18. Peace Nobelist John Boyd ORR; 28. NERF ball; 33. Square meal component?; 39. Rowing trophy; 46. Long flights; 58. Royal son of the comics; 70. Soyuz letters; 78. Circle makers; 83. River of France and Belgium; 85. Macarena, for one; 102. Fictional elephant; 109. Actress Celeste; 119. “Down with you!” ; 120. “You can’t fool me!”

* ”Parisians can rest easy. Their iconic Eiffel Tower is in no more danger of an architectural intervention than New York's Lady Liberty or Cairo's Great Pyramid. Unfortunately, ARCHITECT reported on March 17 that a temporary addition was planned after Paris-based Serero Architects sent an e-mail touting its "new design for the restructuring of the public spaces of the Eiffel Tower" and claiming that "[t]he structure is expected to be assembled for the 120th anniversary of the tower construction."

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For today’s cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.28.09

Singers & Structure

Singer Building at Night, Charles Vezin (1858-1942)

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Puzzle by Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz

This Saturday’s crossword features eight 15-letter entries -- four across -- INTERNAL REVENUE (15. Estate taxes, e.g.); SCARLET TANAGERS (17. Grosbeak relatives); A LOT ON ONE’S PLATE (50. Tons of work to do); PLEASURE CRUISES (53. Carnival offerings); and four down -- UNCONDITIONALLY (2. Without reservations); STAND ON ONE’S TOES (3. Try to get a better view, say); ONE MOMENT PLEASE (12. Operator’s line); EUROPEAN THEATER (13. It included the Eastern and Western fronts).

Saturday linkage -- BISCOTTI (36A. Crunchy café treats); APTERAL (22D. Having no aisles, in architecture); SEA MAPS (35D. Oceanographers’ references); TASTERS (55A. Intrepid palace employees); BE MINE (36D. Words from the heart?); 35A. SINGER Building, company headquarters erected in 1908 in New York City, at the time the tallest building in the world); AETAT (43D. Old tombstone abbr. meaning “at the age of”); 22A. Joseph ALOIS Ratzinger, birth name of Pope Benedict XVI; PONTE (18A. Common sight in Venezia); TOSCA (27D. Object of Cavaradossi’s affection); ANSA (42A. Looped vase handle); AVAS (10D. Prizes for video production); ULEE (45A. Title apiarist of a 1997 film); EDO (25A. Nigerian native or language); 28A. La MER Caspienne; TIR (48A. French shooting match).

The preponderance of white squares and minimal black squares may be of interest to those concerned with the visual and statistical aspects of a crossword puzzle -- it’s actually a rather solver-friendly diagram and its’ structure will probably be seen time and again in the future.

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.27.09

Bimbo Eruption!

Monica Lewinsky by Tom Richmond / Mayan Volcano Eruption

Friday, March 27, 2009

Puzzle by Paul Gamache, edited by Will Shortz

This Friday crossword is a self-described GRAB BAG (8A. Gallimaufry) that’s all over the place featuring a centerpiece of BIMBO ERUPTION (34A. Certain sex scandal, in slang), and twenty or so two-word entries with generally unhelpful clues.

More of the two-word-or-more entries -- ABOUND IN, BAD JOKE, BLOWS ON, BUST INTO, EGGED ON, ET VOILA, FAUX FUR, ICE CAVES, JUST RELAX, MR FIXIT, NOT MANY, OIL TUBE, SEA WARS, SWUNG BY, UP TO IT, YARD LINE.

STEP-CUT (57A. Diamond-shaping choice) and BAGUETTE (34D. Diamond-shaping choice) with their Shortzesque clues are the bridge from the two-word entries to the singular.

One-word mid-size entries -- ACUATE, CACAOS, CALMEST, CAPELLA, CICADA, DOYENS, EDAMAME, ENAMOR, GENTILE, GOBOTS, LEFTIE, RITZIER, SCRIBE, TESTATE, WAIVES.

Five-letter entries -- AGENT, BLEAK, ESSEX, ESTOS, FUDGE, KLUTE, PETER, PRNDL, RICED, RILKE, SABOT, SALUT, SCARF, TAINT.

Short stuff -- ALE and ALOE, BEIN, BTW, CAY, FICA, GLIB, IOS, ISS, IVO, LPS, LUCY, MEA and MEW, MINI, NEZ, OPT, RAGA, TINO, TUT (22A. Critical cluck).

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.26.09

The King in Spring

Geoffrey Rush as King Berenger in “Exit the King,” by Ionesco, opening on Thursday. Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Puzzle by Edward Safran, edited by Will Shortz

A LITTLE MADNESS IN THE SPRING IS WHOLESOME EVEN FOR THE KING (20A. Start of a poem by Emily Dickinson that continues “But God be with the Clown, / Who ponders this tremendous scene”) is an apt quotation for both this season of Spring, spring break, March madness, and the Broadway season, as Ionesco’s “Exit the King” opens today at the Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. Read New York Times article HERE.

When I saw that this was a puzzle with a quotation, I groaned, as quotations in crossword puzzles are my least favorite, with the exception of the acrostics which are another animal. However, if a quotation can be as apt and topical as today’s then all's well that ends well, or what you will!

Mid-size entries include ADDS TO, ALARMS, ASK OUT, CELADON, DEAD SEA, ENTENDRE, GALLEON, KNOTTS, MACHETE, SHAKES UP.

Five-letter -- AGNES, ANTIC, AS ONE, DOWSE, DRAWL, EMOTE, ENORM, GOLEM, LLOYD, LOOMS, OSLER, RIVET, SIXER, STERE, TIERS, TROVE, TUCKS, UTTER.

Short stuff -- AMIS and AVIS, COMA, CORK, DEMO, ELAL, ELKE, ENYA, ERE, EVER, EXON, GRAM, HAM and HAS, IDLE, KIA, LEG and LEN, LOWS, MANO and MENU, NEAP, NOME and NONE, NOR, ODIN and ODOR, OMIT, ORAL and ORAN, PREP, RANI, TEEM, THEN, TITI, TWAS and TWIG, ULNA, VINE.

Off to madness!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For today's post, go HERE.

03.25.09

TCHES!

Sneetches

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Puzzle by Jerry E. Rosman, edited by Will Shortz

Fun puzzle! Four interrelated across entries actually help with the solution of this crossword!

CATCHES GLITCHES (17. Debugs computer programs, e.g.); SCRATCHES ITCHES (24. Responds to rashes); PATCHES BRITCHES (41. Does some mending); MATCHES STITCHES (54. Lines up the sewing). Once one gets a couple of the TCHES, other TCHES follow easy! Alas, no LATCHES SNITCHES (Incarcerates informers)...

ARISTA and ARTISTA, JESSE and JETSET, AIM HIGH and HIGHLY, ETCETC add to the puzzle’s pleasant repetitiveness.

Links of the day: ANSELMO and ANTIGUA, IN SEASON, O NEGATIVE and OPEN WEAVE, SELASSIE, WHARTON, CASBAH, DOPEY, HARSH, REVUE, TOOHOT.

…and then there’s The Sneetches!

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For today‘s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.24.09

The Law

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Puzzle by Pancho Harrison, edited by Will Shortz

POLICE (62-Across. They can be found in 20- and 55-Across and 10- and 26-Down), and the partial entries of FUZZ, COPS, THE MAN and HEAT comprise the main feature of this Tuesday crossword.

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.23.09

Thrust!

Discobolus, Myron, circa 460 - 450 B.C.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Puzzle by Randy Sowell, edited by Will Shortz

TOSS A SALAD (20A. Fix part of dinner with lettuce), PITCH A TENT (58A. Prepare to camp), CAST A VOTE (10D. Participate on Election Day) and THROW A FIT (36D. Show childish anger) are this Monday crossword’s interrelated entries. Included is a BRAT (1D. Kid with frequent temper tantrums) to execute the activity of 36D and a crew of CHEFS (48A. Food Network stars) to take care of 20A. Is KERRY (71A. Bush’s 2004 opponent) fair game for 10D, or PATCH (30D. Where watermelons grow) a match for PITCH?

More Monday links: CRESCENT (41D. Moon shape); CHISOX (48D. Longtime Comiskey Park team, informally); SPACEK (49D. Sissy of “Carrie”); LOOFAH (38D. Sponge used in a 39-Across); AKITA (32D. Japanese dog); PETCO (40A. Retail giant selling dog food, birdcages and such); …and EXIT!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.22.09

Closing the Deal

Alice and Cards, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, 1951

Sunday, March 22, 2009

CLOSING THE DEAL, Puzzle by Joon Pahk and Matt Matera, edited by Will Short

I’m sure one doesn’t need to be hot for a crossword puzzle to solve it, but a little fire might help. It also helps if the puzzle's got a bit of rhythm (if that can be applied to a crossword) or pizzazz (and that can be applied to anything) which might motivate the solving process; however, this one manages to serve up just a so-so hand, which is no complaint -- it's actually fairly interesting in retrospect.

There’s a group of interrelated across entries referring to the playing of cards -- I suppose if one plays cards, the puzzle's a done deal; however, I was unfamiliar with several of the card games what with two having secondary names and never having played four of the games -- not that one need have experienced or experience anything found in a crossword puzzle contrary to the ramblings of one self-appointed crossword "critic"!

RED HOT POKER (25. Painful prod); DIAMOND SOLITAIRE (27. Engagement gift); YOM KIPPUR WAR (50. Conflict of 1973); DINETTE SET (57. Showcase Showdown prize, perhaps); ARTICHOKE HEARTS (67. Fancy salad ingredients); BATHTUB GIN (83. Speakeasy supply); LONDON BRIDGE (92. Subject of a nursery rhyme that has only eight different words); CENTURY TWENTY-ONE (109. Big name in real estate); PIZZERIA UNO (119. Classic name in chain restaurants).

Other entries of length -- EX-MARINES, MAGNETIZED, TAKES A WALK, TOW HEADED, ZOOT SUITS (52A. Bygone party attire). Zoots, but not SUITS!

People in the puzzle -- ALOIS, CPAS, DAMOZEL, DIOR, EGDON, ELY, EMP, IKE, ITURBI, LEEAAKER, LORI (9D. “Full House” actress Loughlin), NICOLE, OZMA, 43A. PAAVO Nurmi, the Flying Finn, PETER, PYE, REBS, REESE, ROS, SERB, SETH, SHUTE, THOM, T-MAN, TUTU and YGOR.

A few links across -- 21. Manuscript marks noting possible errors; 47. Traveler’s alternative to 90-Down, JFK; 88. Montréal-MIRABEL International Airport; 107. Historian’s Muse.

Down -- 6. Typeface imitative of handwriting; 11. Sacred Hindu text; 33. “Zoom-zoom” sloganeer; 68. “TAKIN’ Care of Business” (1974 hit); 88. Home of Mondrian’s “Broadway Boogie Woogie”; 90. Traveler’s alternative to 47-Across, LAG; 111. Sodium hydroxide, chemically.

Go here for Alice nel paese delle meraviglie - Carte!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.21.09

Whatever

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Puzzle by Robert H. Wolfe, edited by Will Shortz

Across: 17. “Whatever”, I DON‘T CARE.

Down: 60. Buddhist monastery, WAT.

For today's post, go HERE.

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

03.20.09

It's Spring!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Puzzle by David Levinson Wilk, edited by Will Shortz

It’s the first day of Spring!

Ten 15-letter entries are the main feature of this Friday criss-cross crossword with a very tidy diagram: CHARACTER ACTORS; SOAKED TO THE SKIN; AT SOME OTHER TIME; FILL IN THE BLANKS; FEEL IN ONES BONES; ALABAMA SLAMMERS; ROTTEN TO THE CORE; DRESS TO THE NINES; ACROSS THE STREET; STOP MAKING SENSE.

It’s the first day of Spring!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.19.09

Running on MT

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Puzzle by Laura Sternberg, edited by Will Shortz

Envy, any, Emmy and empty in the form of state abbreviations of NV, NE, ME and MT are the minimalist element of the four interrelated across entries -- GREEN WITH NV (17. Eco-friendly in Las Vegas?), NE PORT IN A STORM (26. Omaha’s waterfront during downpours?), ME AWARD WINNERS (44. First-place finishers in Bangor?), RUNNING ON MT (59. Jogging atop Great Falls?).

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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated

For the complete post, go HERE.

03.18.09

Zero G

The Letter G formed of Le Soleil, ou la Chute d'Ircare, 1819 by Merry-Joseph Blondel

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Puzzle by Robert A. Doll, edited by Will Shortz

The letter G is “g-g-gone” missing! from the recipe for GRIDDLE CAKES, giving us a zero G recipe for RIDDLE CAKES (16A. Mystery desserts?) and by token of that omission, five other interrelated entries morph -- ROWING PAINS (60A. Sculler’s affliction?), REEK WEEK (8D. Period of seven days without bathing?), RAIN ALCOHOL (10D. What the sky might do in an inebriate’s dream?), RAVEN IMAGES (24D. Illustrations for a Poe poem?), and RUNT WORK (40D. Employment in Munchkinland?). The clues are meant to give justification and humor to the resulting truncations.

Mid-size entries include KERNEL, MEADOW, ON A PAR, PROVOKE, SNOOTS, RED TAPE and SOPRANO. Five-letter entries form the bulk of this crossword -- ALICE, ALTOS, AMBER, APERS, ARETE, ASHEN, CO-OPT, CRACK, EGRET, GLEAN, HULAS, INANE, INDIE, IN-LAW, INNER, IPANA, LEAVE, LEGAL, LINER, MENSA, MOLAR, MONET, MOTEL, NAVEL, PEALS, RODEO, SNARL, TIMOR, TRA LA (51A. Refrain syllables). Short stuff -- AGE, ALMA, ARR, BAG, CAM, CATS, EDD, EMIR, ENE, EMIR, EPIC, ERSE, EVE, ICON, IDO, INK and LINK, IRA, MIRA, NIP, ORCS, ORE, OVA, PAD, PLEA, POI, RCA, REP and RES, SANG, SET, SIRE, SKYE, SOLI, TEN, WAY (61D. Modus operandi).

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More groans -- RAVE YARD (Noisy cemetery?); RAY MATTER (Sunburn?); RAZE LAND (Strip mining?); RID LOCK (Hair cut?); ROUND BEEF (Heavy steer?); ROW UP (Paddle against the current?) RUMPY OLD MEN (Overweight elderly gents?) -- ah, gee!

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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.