04.26.08

Egg

Bishop: "I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr Jones";
Curate: "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!"
"True Humility" by George du Maurier, originally published in Punch, 1895.

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Saturday, April 26, 2008

Puzzle by Brad Wilbur, edited by Will Shortz

This is a nice-enough crossword for a Saturday -- a quick countdown and then I’m out of here!

Ten letters: IAMACAMERA (5A. Play for which Julie Harris won the 1952 Tony for Best Actress); MRSMINIVER (16A. Title housewife in an Oscar-winning film); CURATESEGG (18A. Something damned with faint praise, in British lingo); ONARAMPAGE (51A. Like King Kong in New York City); MADAGASCAR (56A. Its currency unit is the ariary); PLOTTWISTS (58A. O. Henry specialty).

Nine letters: WAXPOETIC (30A. Rhapsodize); CESTSIBON (37A. Song title followed by the lyric “Lovers say that in France); SCHEMATIC (1D. Techie’s drawing); PHONELINE (2D. Cell’s lack); CODENAMES (3D. Indicators of intelligence?); TAILSKIDS (31D. Some airplane runners); ISLEOFMAN (32D. Douglas is its capital); CLOWNCARS (33D. High-occupancy vehicles?).

Seven letters: MENIALS (22A. Drones); ENTITLE (24A. Call); STPETER (44A. Titular author of two books of the Bible);
NILSSON (47A. Swedish soprano noted for her Wagnerian roles); MISFILE (11D. “Lose” at the office); TREERAT (38D. Small, furry African climber).

Six letters: ALARUM (27A. Old-style call to arms); CURLEW (43A. Cousin of the sandpiper); IMCALM (5D. Response to “Don‘t panic“); CIDERS (43D. Some like them hot).

Five letters: AXIAL (28A. Kind of skeleton or symmetry); TIMED (29A. Like Olympic races); HEROS (35A. Torpedoes); PHILO (40A. Gunsmith Remington); RAVEN (42A. Croaking flier); ARUMS (6D. Green dragon and skunk cabbage); EVERT (12D. Winner of six U.S. Opens); REGAL (13D. Splendid); ARGUE (14D. Get into it, so to speak); EXXON (24D. Replacer of the Humble brand in the early 1970s); AARON (28D. One of a pair of biblical brothers); WEBER (30D. Max who wrote “Politics as a Vocation”); STOMP (44D. Jazz Age dance); TONAL (45D. Like much music); PRADO (46D. Home of “The Garden of Earthly Delights”); NAGAT (47D. Plague).

Four Letters: ADAR, CHOW, FRAU, HIVE, HODS, LAMP, LAUD, MACS, MADE, MSRP, NIPS, PIMA, PULE, SPCA, SSNS, TORE.

Three letters: AMA, ANE, ASL, AWS, CIT, ENE, HRS, INE, IRE, KFC, MAW, PAS, PSI, SAT, TAO.

As puzzle‘s go, I suppose one might say that parts of it are well-rounded, egg and all!

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

For clown-car cartoons, go HERE.

For egg cartoons, start from the top, work your way back down, and then go HERE.

04.25.08

Fossil

Friday, April 25, 2008

Puzzle by Mike Nothnagel, edited by Will Shortz

Get out your Rosetta Stone, it's going to be a bumpy solve!

PENNYWISEAND (30A. With 36-Across, shortsighted); POUNDFOOLISH (36A. See 30-Across); along with THEBORNLOSER (7D. Long-running Art and Chip Sansom comic strip); and MAXWELLSMART (21D. Fictional secret agent) are the longer entries in this Friday fossil -- a tedious exercise in etymological archaeology.

OOLONGS (37D. Gunpowder alternatives) is the star relic in this dig -- I was thinking ammunition. ICEDTEAS (12D. Some are sweetened) has all the potential for being "deals". RACEME (18A. Simple inflorescence, as in a lily of the valley) could have been more simply clued, perhaps something to do with the Indianapolis 500? MATZO (25A. Food described in Exodus) really should be MANNA. ETTA (38A. Editorial cartoonist Hulme) is usually "James".

Other than “penny-wise and pound-foolish”, “The Born Loser” and the secret agent named “Smart”, the author of the puzzle has a fondness here for even more gradations of intelligence, e.g., EASYA (43A. Piece of cake in school); HIPTO (50A. In on); ONTARGET (17A. Accurate); APES (49D. Goons); SOTOSAY (8D. In a manner of speaking).

I am sure it’s my lack of total-knowledge-of-everything-in-the-universe that kept me from instantly recognizing such rarely-seen artifacts as KARA Sea (arm of the Arctic Ocean) (5D); ALEPH number (set theory concept) (26D.); LORAX (28A. Dr. Seuss book, with “The”); or the preposterously overdressed clue for LEOI (29A. He was succeeded by his archdeacon Hilarius), not hilarious at all! ZMED? I can honestly say I have never heard of, nor have I any idea how to pronounce this man's name, nor have I seen the referenced "T. J. Hooker" of the clue, where to access same, nor any idea what subject matter is involved! HERE!

CAROM (48A. Two strikes?) is but one of many clues so far-fetched that a question mark is required after the clues, along with ESS (27A. Start to salivate?); GRIDIRON (56A. Rushing home?); ECG (6D. Thing that keeps track of the beat?: Abbr.); OUTSCORE (34D. Come home more often than?). Clues that could use a question mark are BMOVIE (1D. No Oscar contender) or should that be BOMBS (20A. Zero-star movies); and half-a-dozen others -- take your pick!

Did METEOR (41A Streaker with a tail) flash to mind for you? Other fragments strewn across the puzzle are clued as 9A. Cheerleaders’ doings; 40A. She played Fantine in ‘”Les Misérables,” 1998; 46A. "T. J. Hooker" actor Adrian; 58A. Its dome was designed by Michelangelo; 9D. Dinar earner; 30D. Iloilo’s island; 50D. 1996-2001 House Judiciary Committee chairman.

In this puzzle pit, TREXES (57A. Some natural history museum attractions) are afoot! ...and with that I'll ZIPIT (“Shut your pie hole!”)?!

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

04.24.08

Who?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Puzzle by Michael Langwald, edited by Will Shortz

Feeling silly? Good. This will be right up your alley!

IGOTYOUBABE (62A. 1985 hit by the performers suggested phonetically by the ends of 18-, 24-, 37- and 56-Across), MIDNIGHTSUN (18A. Summer arctic phenomenon); WOUNDEDKNEE (24A. 1890 battle site that’s now a memorial); SAINTANNE (37A. Grandmother of Jesus); and MARKETSHARE (56A. Measure of a company’s dominance) combine for I Got You Babe, Sonny & Cher. What the…?!

I mean, what the….??!!!?

Oh well, here's a few more of the acrosses: 4. Former New York governor; 15. Big name in pest control; 16. ALOHA Bowl; 32. Mysterious creature; 41. Hamilton who wrote “Mythology”; 45. Pool accessory; 53. “Ghostbusters” director Ivan; 67. Classic sportster, for short.

Downs: 4. Field for Fields; 4. Field for Fields; 12. Condiment made with a mortar and pestle; 13. Two-wheeled carriages; 25. Item for a travel bag; 36. Mother of Charlemagne; 51. War preceder; 52. Actress Andress;

SUNKNEEANNESHARE -- Who?

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

04.23.08

Ride 'em, Cowboy!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Puzzle by Stephen Edward Anderson, edited by Will Shortz

QUICKSILVER (17A. Mercury); HAIRTRIGGER (60A. Easily set off, as a temper); CHARTTOPPER (11D. #1 on the Hot 100); and TALENT SCOUT (25D. Discoverer of stars?) are today’s inter-related entries -- horses for The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy and Tonto comprise the second half of each entry. RIDEEM (30D. With 27-Down, western cry) COWBOY (27A. See 30-Down)!

Ridin’ the high country are the seven-letter entries including ENCLOSE (4D. Hem in); HADABIT (38A. Ate, but not much); INASTIR (29A. All riled up); OKAYGUY (46D. Nice enough fellow); and Neil Simon’s “Lost in YONKERS” (49A.).

Close on their heels are the six-letter entries: AUGURY (12D. Prognostication); BOARDS (54A. SATs); ETCETC (55A. And so on and so forth); FAKEIT (5D. Try to get by through bluffing); HOTOIL (23A. What French fries are fried in); ICESIN (9D. Strands after a blizzard); ISOBAR (39D. Weather map line); NODICE (50D. “I ain’t buyin’ it!“); ONDUTY (31A. Working the desk, say); PECAN (48D. State tree of Texas); SALIVA (18D. Spit); SITCOM (47D. Soap alternative); SKIRUN (21A. Where to spend time with moguls?); STEPPE (47A. Part of the Kazakhstan landscape).

Kickin' up the dust are the five-letter entries of ARENA, ASSTS, CURED, ENNUI, EYERS, FCLEF, , LEANT, MENSA, PHONO, PIECE, STRIP, STRUT, TILTS, TOADY.

The posse includes the four-letter words BIRD, EROS, HIRE, IOUS, MIST, ONUS, OPIE, OTIS, OTRO, PERK, RULE, SESS, SPIN, THEA, VIEW and three-letter extras, AGO, AMT, CRU, DOT, EAR, EER, EMS, ESE, FAQ, GAP, HAP, HUH, INS,LEI, NBA,NCO, OSO, PBS, RDS, REV, SCI, SOU -- I’m sure I missed one or two hidin’ in them bushes, keep an eye out fer them rattlers!

Ride ’em, cowboy!

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For cartoons for today’s Shakespeare’s 444th Birthday celebration (“A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!”), go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

04.22.08

Earth Day



The Dream -- Henri Rousseau
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Puzzle by Nancy Salomon, edited by Will Shortz

SOIL (48A. Terra firma) is the sole bow to Earth Day in this Tuesday crossword -- other than that, it’s business as usual.

NETEARNINGS (17A. Fishing trawler’s haul?); CAPITALGAINS (28A. Seat of government’s acquisitions?); PAPERPROFITS (44A. Publisher’s windfall?); and GROSSINCOME (59A. Salary for selling insects as food?) are ordinary phrases in themselves, inter-related by the fact, and dressed up with twisted clues containing a faint trace of humor.

So, what does this crossword offer…diversion, I guess. HARDG (1A. What a gal has that a gent doesn’t?) is certainly the most outrageous entry/clue seen in a Times puzzle in a while, slightly ameliorated by it’s following entries, BABAR (6A. Elephant of children's literature) and PEW (11A. Church perch).

Pairs include AMEER & OMANI; AYE & YES; and I guess SPLURGE & FATTENUP. Lots of little stuff including AIR, AMI, ANT, ANY, APE, ARA, ART, CAN, CHE, DES, DIE, EON, ERN, LIS, MIN, PTA, RAE, REO, SAX, SEE, URI.

Longer entries are DEEPSIXES, PUMPSIRON, ANGRILY, GLADHAND, ICINGUP and DRIPPED, followed by BONSAI, FIRSTS, RIGGED, RISING, SAINTS, SEDANS and STARDOM.

Five-letter entries include the notorious HARDG -- AROAR, along with ADELE, DEKES, EGRET, FLOAT, HENCE, ONEND, PERSE, RATON, REAPS, REMUS, SINAIR, UHAUL, along with four-letter entries BAND, CAPE, ENYA, ERIE, HAAS, INTS, ISAY, MINT, NEAT, PORK, SOAP, SOTS, PORK and WIND.

At sunset yesterday, I went out to the oceanfront. As I walked along the water’s edge, I saw a tangle of thin ribbons and knew they were tied to a murderous object -- I planted my cane firmly in the sand and bent down to pick up the colorful but deadly item, for dangling from the end of the ribbons was a fragmented balloon.

Through ingesting plastic bags and balloons, approximately one billion seabirds and mammals die every year. I am only one of 6,500,000,000 -- I put it in my pocket, not sure if I made any difference at all, not sure where to dispose of it, not sure of anything.

My time on this Earth is nearly gone -- I will gladly go with the soon to be extinct, rather than weep in the coming storm. It is not someone else that must save our world -- it is us! Balloons and plastic bags? May God help us! There is so much more that is wrong -- take the time to view the following -- Earth Day 2008.

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Google has dedicated its' main page to Earth Day, with the above logo -- go to Google, or click on following: GOOGLE -- after you're there, click on their logo, which provides links to everything on the subject of Earth Day.

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

04.21.08

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning -- Mark Keathley

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Monday, April 21, 2008

Puzzle by Janet R. Bender, edited by Will Shortz

CLEANSLATE (18A. Symbol of a new start); SCRUBOAK (20A. Low-growing tree found typically in rocky soil); SWEEPHAND (33A. It indicates the seconds on a clock face); DUSTDEVIL (40A. Small whirlwind); WASHSALE (52A. Stock transaction done at a loss for tax purposes); VACUUMTUBE (57A. Old radio part) are the inter-related entries of this Monday back-to-work puzzle.

Getting one's surroundings in order, of course, is more complex than just cleaning, scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, washing and vacuuming, but spring cleaning days are here, and on the eve of Earth Day, this crossword is an appropriate reminder of chores to be performed. Recycling, of course, is an important consideration, as is conservation and preservation. Let’s clear out this crossword by using it's words!

Spring's in the AIR and there are SEEDS to be planted, later to REAP, remember, no ALAR -- perhaps cleaning the EAVES, watch your STEP, oh and do the GLASS -- in a LULL catch a few RAYS, wander through ARDEN with a NET or be one that SWIMS. Perhaps ESCORT your SWAIN to your respective ZOOS to espy some ROOS, or go to a SPA.

The IRS has your return for the YEAR, hope for no audit, just APERCU by a HARD nosed accountant somewhere in PERU. Our banks are now SITED o’er the ATLAS we fear, tax forms floated by NAVIES ASEA with a shiploads of HAZMAT and ETAIL. Yes, your bank accounts’ RIFLED, but that’s knowledge at ERST.

Visitors are here with one DRACULA by GASLAMP, issuing a REEK and RUIN. At the NABES we might find EVA, AUDIE or EWELL. MESTA may have a guest or two, perhaps ALOU, the MAGI who'll perform ALOES with ADAIR, then serving everyone MEALS done MEDIUM, EARS, and PECAN, all sprinkled with SENNA, by an outgoing EXEC, ALLIED in oil.

No time or room left for such as ERIE, ARAL, DEED, PLANE, RDS, AXLE or NINE -- for where they’d fit in, we’d need ESP!

So get out that AJAX in the corner with AJAR, go into a SPATE, turn on the TAP -- don’t be a WUSS, clear off that SHELF, get everything SITED; SEVER from clutter without BIAS, get to the PITH of what LAGS in your world, no more of the SAME --RESEAT!

With that, I EXIT -- PSST, Earth Day tomorrow!
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For today’s cartoons, go to

The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

04.20.08

SOLAR SYSTEM

Honey, I Shrunk the Solar System -- NASA
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Sunday, April 20, 2008

SPACED OUT, Puzzle by John Farmer, edited by Will Shortz

In today’s crossword puzzle, another one of those irreconcilable differences occurs between the electronic and printed newspaper (New York Times Magazine) versions of this puzzle.

Electronic reads SUN (9D. Center of many revolutions) -- Notepad: When the puzzle is done, the letters in the following squares spell a bonus phrase: 7A - 3rd letter, 31A - 5th, 65A - 4th, 104A - 6th, 136A - 3rd, 151A - 1st, 149A - 4th, 133A - 4th, 100A - 1st, 62A - 1st, 29A - 6th.

Printed copy reads SUN (9D. Center of many revolutions [whose first letter starts a bonus phrase reading clockwise around the shaded squares]).

It appears that shaded squares cannot be implemented in the electronic version, hence the long explanation in the Notepad.

However, the solution posted here is from the electronic version, so I just shaded them in because it's tedious to look up all of the notepad letters, e.g.:

S O L A R S Y S T E M

Now, with that out of the way -- what fun!

Qualify that. It’s fun for the solver of the printed copy, not as much for the electronic solver. In the printed copy, there are those mysterious shaded squares, and in the electronic version, one doesn’t even know they exist -- hence it’s an afterthought instead of a clue or a goal of the solution. Both copies, of course, have the circled squares, which spell out MERCURY, VENUS, EARTH, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS and NEPTUNE.

The SUN (9D) presides above center of the puzzle, and the planets in the eight entries follow in order of their proximity to the sun. Alas, however, poor PLUTO (131D. 2006 neologism meaning “to demote”) doesn’t even get a “dwarf planet” mention -- Pluto’s been doubly Plutoed! Credit that as “gone, but not forgotten!”

The entries containing the planet names are as follows: THEAMERICANCENTURY (24A. 1941 Henry Luce article that coined a name for an era); EVERYTHINGMUSTGO (34A. Closeout come-on); THECATCHERINTHERYE (52A. Novel that ends “Don’t ever tell anybody anything, if you do, you start missing everybody”); SMOKEANDMIRRORS (75A. Artful deception); JUMPINTOTHEFIRE (82A. 1972 Harry Nilsson hit); FIVESTARRESTAURANT (107A. Prime eatery); VANCOUVERCANUCKS (125A. Stanley Cup finalists of 1982 and 1994); and INDEPENDENTCOUNSEL (138A. Head of a special government inquiry).

I went on and on about PLUTO in the post of 03.11.08 -- A Shot in the Dark, so I’ll cool it here, ‘cause I already did it there!

Pluto in True Color -- Eliot Young (SwRI) et al., NASA

The verb "to pluto" (preterite and past participle: "plutoed") is a neologism coined in the aftermath of the decision to demote the planet Pluto to the status of "dwarf planet". In January 2007, the American Dialect Society chose "plutoed" as its 2006 Word of the Year, defining "to pluto" as "to demote or devalue someone or something", "as happened to the former planet Pluto when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet."

Beyond the solar system, I found myself wavering on the spelling of AMONTILLADO, ECHT, JETES, HENMAN, VAIL, VIJAY, WOLDS, and others. There were lots of conversational entries and clues -- “Poor venomous fool“; “I’m king of the world!”; “You did it!”, YAY; “Dee-lish!” and YUMMY; “These ARE the times that …”; “ANY takers?”; “NONEOF (either) the above” or “your business”; “So long, dahling” and TATA; “The fix ISIN”; “May IGO now?”; “OUR Father…”

I also exhausted the subject of "The Catcher in the Rye" (here used to give us EARTH in circles) with the post of 03.16.08 -- Solitaire -- the Acrostic -- so, that too, I’ll leave alone -- “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody”, oops, couldn’t resist!

Never heard of MOTHERNIGHT; didn’t know Sting’s last name was SUMNER; just couldn’t register ROTHKO, There are lots of people in the puzzle -- YAZ, Antony and Cleopatra, Mary URE, ALAN King, Henry Luce, SHOLOM Aleichem; ORR; Celine Dion and RKELLY; Seigneur de Montaigne; Beethoven, ROSSINI, LIV Ullmann; Harry Nilsson, PORTIA; MINEO and Gene Krupa; Lorenz Hart; NAOMI Watts; Charles de Gaulle; STELLA; ASA Gray; LEAH and Judah; IRVS Kupcinet and Cross; Paul Bunyan; YASMINE Bleeth; IDI Amin; Robert URICH; Nick Nolte, Kurt Vonnegut; Jean KERR; Mussorgsky; Miley Cyrus; Emile HIRSCH; EUCLID; Joel and Ethan COEN; and those two standards AYN Rand and EMO Philips. They are all awaiting Gustav Holst, composer of “The Planets”!

Today’s little square box of a crossword puzzle containing so much of our solar system with a vast variety of miscellany is a brilliant composition, and conjures up William Blake -- “To see the world in a grain of sand; And heaven in a wildflower; Hold infinity in the palm of your hand; And eternity in an hour.”

Read Linda at Madness…Crossword and Otherwise.

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