03.29.09

ET

Lightning strikes the Eiffel Tower on June 3, 1902, at 9:20 P.M

Sunday, March 29, 2009

ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING, Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski, edited by Will Shortz

The EIFFEL TOWER (118A. Landmark inaugurated 3/31/1889 whose shape is suggested by nine squares in this puzzle’s completed grid) will be 120 years old on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 – it was recently reported that the French, unsatisfied with the one of the most instantly recognizable structures in the world have decided to place what looks like a flying saucer atop the tower to enable larger groups of tourists to gape down on the city, ignoring the fact that everyone comes to look “at” the tower, not “from” it. Thankfully, today’s crossword does not include the unsightly platform, delightfully indicating the classic outline of the structure with the nine “connect-the-ETs” (extraterrestrials?) -- à la connect-the-dots. * See note at end of commentary!

There are several long entries related to the subject – AN AMERICAN IN PARIS; CHATEAU LAFITE; THE FRENCH CONNECTION; PATISSERIE; CAFÉ AU LATE.

The entries providing the ETs – Across: AR[ET]HA; D[ET]S (59A. Police dept. employees); [ET]ICK[ET]; [ET]UDE; RES[ET]; SE[ET]HE; ONS[ET]; [ET]ONS. The necessary corresponding down entries: A[ET]NA; LUM[ET]; IC[ET]; AN[ET]; [ET]HEREAL; [ET]AGERES; [ET]HEL; [ET]RE; [ET]UI.

Across links for the day: 8. Umbrella locale; 13. It’s got magnetic pull; 24. Queen Mary, e.g.; 29. “Cinderella Man” co-star, 2005; 56. One of Judy Garland’s girls; 63. Letters on a cross; 87. Gunwale pin; 88. York product; 92. Author Janowitz; 123. Philospher Zeno of ELEA; 123. “Shake A TAIL Feather” (1967 hit); 129. Midmonth date.

Down: 4. “Raspberry Beret” singer; 6. OKEMO Mountain (Vermont ski resort); 9. Playwright Bogosian; 12. Mata HARI; 18. Peace Nobelist John Boyd ORR; 28. NERF ball; 33. Square meal component?; 39. Rowing trophy; 46. Long flights; 58. Royal son of the comics; 70. Soyuz letters; 78. Circle makers; 83. River of France and Belgium; 85. Macarena, for one; 102. Fictional elephant; 109. Actress Celeste; 119. “Down with you!” ; 120. “You can’t fool me!”

* ”Parisians can rest easy. Their iconic Eiffel Tower is in no more danger of an architectural intervention than New York's Lady Liberty or Cairo's Great Pyramid. Unfortunately, ARCHITECT reported on March 17 that a temporary addition was planned after Paris-based Serero Architects sent an e-mail touting its "new design for the restructuring of the public spaces of the Eiffel Tower" and claiming that "[t]he structure is expected to be assembled for the 120th anniversary of the tower construction."

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

For the complete post, go HERE.