Sunday,
November 1, 2009COMPOUND FRACTURES, Puzzle by Matt Ginsberg and Pete Muller, edited by Will Shortz
Merriam-Webster defines a compound fracture as “a bone fracture resulting in an open wound through which bone fragments usually protrude” -- there is no other definition...
However, that’s not the meaning behind the title of this Sunday crossword in which pairs of words overlap by 5 letters to form 12 compounded words, or put another way, faux portmanteau words with fantasy clues adorned with question marks. There are a couple that may be eligible to entry in the language, but one could easily choke on the clue for CATHARTICHOKE as that of a vegetable that gives you an emotional release?…!
The rest of the group in numerical order -- RETROSPECTACLES (22A. Eyewear providing hindsight?); ELEPHANTOM (29A. Peanut-loving ghost?); SPORADICAL (32A. Intermittent revolutionary?); PSYCHEDELICACY (43A. Rare mushroom?); CONTRABANDON (56A. Give up smuggled goods?); ROULETTERMAN (71A. High-school athletic star at a casino?); GUITARISTOCRAT (81A. Noble Les Paul?); PERHAPSODY (99A. “Maybe” music?); FOREVERIES (101A. Dreams that don’t die?); CENTIPEDESTRIAN (109 Bug that never takes a ride?); WIKIPEDIATRIC (21D. Like online medical advice for kids?).
Random links -- APOCRYPHA (17A. Some extra books); HIROSHIMA (104A. 1946 John Hersey book); OH FATHER (69A. 1989 Madonna hit); ROSE RED (13D. Fairy tale sister); YES I CAN (89D. Sammy David Jr. autobiography); ARARAT (98D. Dormant Turkish volcano); CORTES (35A. Leader against the Aztecs); LECTER (95A. Hannibal of “The Silence of the Lambs”); NEUMAN (61D. Mad man?); WILDER (40D. Director, writer and actor in “The Woman in Red,” 1984); NSYNC (117A. “This I Promise You“ group, 2000); “Dona FLOR and Her Two Husbands“.
------------------For today’s cartoon, go to
The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.For the complete post, go HERE.
