01.25.09 -- the Acrostic

Extraction

Steve Martin, "The Little Shop of Horrors", 1986

Sunday, January 25, 2009

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

This Sunday’s acrostic utilizes a quotation from Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up. A review of the book by NPR states in part: Steve Martin gave up stand-up comedy in 1981, at the height of his fame, moving on to acting and writing. Martin calls his new book Born Standing Up a biography rather than an autobiography of a guy he used to know. In the beginning, there was a string of small, quirky stages like the drive-in movie theater, where the audience honked at the punch lines. In the end, there were giant arenas and a life suffused, as he puts it, with a "freakish celebrity aura."

The quotation: MY MOST PERSISTENT MEMORY OF STAND-UP IS OF MY MOUTH BEING IN THE PRESENT AND MY MIND BEING IN THE FUTURE THE MOUTH SPEAKING THE LINE WHILE THE MIND IS OBSERVING ANALYZING WORRYING AND THEN DECIDING WHAT TO SAY NEXT

The author’s name and the title of the work: STEVE MARTIN BORN STANDING UP

The defined words: SHEBANG; TERMITE; ENDGAM; VESTIGE; EYETEST; MANHUNT; ALTHING; RHYMING; THINKER; IMHOTEP; NUMBERS; BRUXISM; OPPIDAN; RHIZOME; NIGHTLY; SHERIFF; TIMOTHY; ACIDITY; NOSWEAT; DENTIST; INANITY; NEWMOWN; GODSEND; UNFUNNY; POODLES.

A few thorny defined words, including oppidan, rhizome and bruxism, plus a less than memorable quotation and my lack of interest in Steve Martin’s career, made this a solemn solve. However, there‘s no accounting for taste -- that‘s why they have menus in restaurants!

For the complete post, go HERE.