Saturday, December 20, 2008
Puzzle by Brad Wilber, edited by Will Shortz
Yes, this Saturday puzzle has all the letters of the alphabet -- so what? A holoalphabetic crossword without an ulterior purpose is like a can of Campbell’s alphabet soup (“oh, let me see if they are all there…”). What it is not is a “pangram” -- an overused misnomer of crossword bloggers. A pangram is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet. A holoalphabetic crossword allows the construction of a pangram, e.g., “In PALAZZO PANTS, FELIX, the SLOB with MOJO, thawed an OVENPROOF ANTIQUE from OMSK so FRIGID his SCHWA was lost in Canada.” Pangrams? -- HERE. That said, onward!
I’d never heard of PALAZZO PANTS (7D. Woman’s loose-fitting garment with flared legs) which translates to palace trousers -- what? NETFLIX QUEUE (21D. It has things you want to see) is another unfamiliar entry -- let’s look that up, HERE.
Other links -- AGNES GREY (20A. Brontë classic); MOGADISHU (52A. World capital long beset by civil unrest); OENOLOGY (58A. Science concerned with aging); AMADEUS (41D. Broadway play with the role of Emperor Joseph II) and/or the film; THE FRUG (26A. 1960s dance showcased on “Laugh-in”); ORALES (57A. Papal capes); MORAY (2D. Reef predator); SCHWA (40A. One of two in Canada?); ALFA (55D. Soviet sub class); 39A. “LIDA Rose” (song from “The Music Man”); OMSK (31D. Trans-Siberian Railroad stop); ROME (4D. Capitoline Museums locale); 46A. XBOX 360; MOE (43D. Bart Simpson’s prank call victim); NYE (22A. Frequent ad-libber on “The Steve Allen Show”).
Unless you love the alphabet, don’t go HERE!
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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
For the complete post, go HERE.
