GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES, Puzzle by Patrick Berry, edited by Will Shortz
ORBITS, and its clue -- 7A. What this puzzle’s eight concentric rings (uncircled and circled) represent -- is the simple explanation for a very complex-looking layout. Is it worth it? Well, it really depends upon one’s propensity for amusement with the impossibility of square orbits comprised of all those circles (electronic version) or shaded squares (dead-tree version), uh, well, perhaps a square orbit is just fine… the world was once flat!
Actually, this is a rather flat crossword for a solver, best worked with total disregard for its gimmick -- those circles (or shaded squares) are of little help in the solution and exist but to define the orbit of a
PLANET (124A. One of these can be found reading counterclockwise somewhere in each concentric ring). SUN (70A. Appropriate center for this puzzle) is as is stated the center entry of the crossword, incongruously crossed by GOUDA (60D. Semisoft cheese from Holland).
After one has completed the crossword, there is the task of finding a planet "in each concentric ring” -- innermost to outermost in order. Curiosity alone and duty to blog caused me to ferret out each and every one with less and less amusement upon each revelation. I see no reason to list the planets -- that very well could alienate any reader who has at least mastered the likes of say, the alphabet.ASK FOR THE MOON (5D. Make impossible demands) provides a satellite entry next to our planet, and very close to MERCURY. Oh, damn, there I did it -- well, it’s too late now -- VENUS, EARTH, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS and NEPTUNE. Wait!, there’s PLUTO bent out of shape in the lower left corner inside Neptune’s orbit, which, in fact, happens in the life-size version of the solar system
.
The bulk of the entries are slaves to the gimmick, but some are from another… uh, planet.
All in all, this is a crossword with many twists and turns, bright spots and black holes, but it makes it into orbit and out of this world -- it may take a while, but after all, getting there is half the fun!-----------------
For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
