11.07.08

Miscellaneous

Selfillumination by Andre Kutscherauer
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Friday, November 7, 2008

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der, edited by Will Shortz

Sharing their M in the center of the grid, electronically oriented gadgetry, e.g., INSTANTMESSAGES (8D. E-mail alternatives) and KARAOKEMACHINES (36A. Self-contained music equipment) are the main entries of today’s crossword.

Links: KAWASAKI (1A. Big name in bikes); HOTISSUE (13D. Highly sought shares); ACAPELLA (37D. Like many doo-wop groups: Var.); ERICIDLE (63A. “Spamalot” lyricist); KBTOYS (1D. Retail chain popular with kids); MONROE (16A. Doctrine developer of 1823); AWAKES (48D. See 50-Down), which pairs with RISER (50D. One who 48-Down); KABUKI (7D. Drama in which male actors play both male and female parts); ROSINA (26D. Almaviva serenades her in “The Barber of Seville”); ISAAK (51A. “Wicked Game” singer, 1991); LAIKA (45A. Space traveler of 1957) along with MISHA (21D. Bear cub mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics); SAKAI (24A. Port on Osaka Bay); WHELK (35D. Snail variety); KEN (41A. Burns into film).

Oh, and LONGI (10D. Piece of pi?)!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.06.08

Shuffle

The Red Queen by ‘Dianae of Deviant Art

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Puzzle by Jeremy Newton, edited by Will Shortz

SUIT (1-Across -- What the 13 circled things in this puzzle constitute). “Things”, you see, not letters or the like…

O.K., those circles, cards -- Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace -- written. For the technocrats working the crossword on the applet, you can type in the numerals, but they won’t be accepted as a correct solution -- type in the first letter of the spelled-out number instead -- T, T, F, F, S, S, E, N, T, J, Q, K, A. Plus one needs to bear in mind the circle is missing for the J, but the square functions properly.

Across: CA[NINE] (10A. Pound delivery); MP3 PLAYERS (16A. Devices for music lovers); BEST OF 5 (21A. A.L. or N.L. Division Series format); 8-MAN (25A. Like squads in arena football); 6-SHOOTER (32A. Something that may hold up a train?); WOR[KING] 24 7 (38A. Never idle); SURF[ACE]AREA (48A. Full coverage?); LATOYA[JACK]SON (60A. “Bad Girl” singer); MC[QUEEN] (66A. Actor known as the King of Cool; 68. PA[TEN]T.

Down: IN 3-D (3D. Having depth); 9 TO 5 (12D. Like many office jobs); SALE[SEVEN]T (22D. Bargain hunter’s lure); PAR[KING]SP[ACE] (24D. Spot); 86 IT (25D. “Scratch that!”); V4S (35D. Some engines); 2-YEAR OLD (39D. Juvenile, in horse racing); RED[QUEEN] (54D. “Through the Looking-Glass antagonist); ROT[TEN] (57D. No-good); [JACK]UP (62D. Hike).

Shuffling the remainder of the deck, here are a few links -- AIRBUS (8D. Winged mammoth); EMILE (64A. Actor Hirsch of “Into the Wild”); 1D. SAML Adams, signature on the Declaration of Independence.

Off I shuffle!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.05.08

Division

Sawing a Woman in Half

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Puzzle by Doug Peterson, edited by Will Shortz

The division of the word LONG in three different ways in three entries is the subject of today’s four interrelated entries -- LONGDIVISION (55A. Arithmetic exercise … or what literally occurs in 20-, 33- and 40-Across?); LONESTARFLAG (20A. Sight at the Texas Capitol); LOBSTERFISHING (33A. It’s done in Maine waters); and LANCEARMSTRONG (40A. Athlete with four ESPY awards).

…and that's the long and the Shortz of it!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.04.08

Election Day

William Hogarth's The Polling. (London, 1758)

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins and Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz

CAST A VOTE -- 36A. What many Americans will do on 17-Across (as hinted at by highlighting all the V’s in this puzzle’s answer -- is the main entry of this crossword, together with ELECTION DAY (17A. Early November occasion in the U.S.) and BALLOT BOXES (58A. Sights at polling places). The V’s form a grid-size check-mark (a) upon the face of the crossword.

Words serving the gimmick, e.g., containing the letter V, are PREVENT; VOLTA; VICTOR (35A. Inaugural ball holder); CASTAVOTE; VACATES (41A. Leaves early, as an office); VENA; LOUVRE; ANNIV and BEREAVE. Of course, one could look at the downs as taking the vote -- AVOCET; EVITA; VOCAL; VANE; WEAVE; VEILED; VIAND; MCVIES; LARVA.

After the vote, a few links -- DELILAH; ELGRECO; EREMITE; TELSTAR; SICEM...

The winner?

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.03.08

Verbs and Votes

© 2007 -- Karl Rottmann

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Monday, November 3, 2008

Puzzle by Susan Gelfand, edited by Will Shortz

I know, I know, it’s not Tuesday! EMILYPOSTS (17A. Etiquette expert writes messages online?); STEVIEWONDERS (26A. Singer speculates?); WINSLOWHOMERS (42A. Artist clears the bases?); and HELENHUNTS (56A. Actress searches?) are the interrelated entries on this back-to-work who-are-you-going-to-vote-for-tomorrow Monday. Turning the second half of a proper name into a verb through the addition of an S, resulting in a very short sentence is this puzzle’s fun gimmick, though it could include ALGORES (Environmentalist slaughters bull). Oop!, enough of the election already!

A few links: SMASHER (41D. See 53-Down) paired with ATOM (53D. With 41-Down, nuclear device); BROWSE (6D. Read a little here and there); RIVER (29D. Potomac, for one); NEXT, OVAL (16D. Zero-shaped), “OVER and out“ (60A), and finally, XES (39A. Ballot marks).

Vote!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.02.08

Web Master

Sunday, November 2, 2008

WEB MASTER, Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski, edited by Will Shortz

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII[SPIDER] (25-Down -- Visual presentation of what gave 115-Across special powers) and THE AMAZING [SPIDER]MAN (115-Across), along with PHOTOGRAPHER (12D. 115-Across’s day job), TOBY MAGUIRE (64D. Film star who played 115-Across); OTTO OCTAVIUS (26D. Tentacled enemy of 115-Across), ALFRED MOLINA (47D. Film star who played 26-Down), GREEN GOBLIN (38A. Pumpkin bomb-throwing enemy of 115-Across, with “the”), WILLEM DAFOE (100A. Film star who played 38-Across) and COMIC BOOK COVER (24A. Where you might see 115-Across), are the interrelated entries of this Sunday crossword. Wow! All those I’s forming a strand from which to dangle a glyph of a spider? Cool!!!

If the way to a man’s heart were not through his stomach, it would be through the boy he hides in himself along with his heroes, those secret idols scrawled upon pages splashed with color and fantastic adventures, valiant rescuers with other-worldly powers and incredible magnetism for the opposite sex, all in the spare time of an everyday everyman possessing an undisclosed identity. Ah, that’s the life!

Today’s crossword covers much more, however, and the few following links may reveal where this brilliant crossword and its author would have us travel, providing a secondary clue or an outright answer in a puzzle that’s a bit like a diversion in study hall, you know, a comic book read between the pages of Dostoevsky or Proust!

Across: 1. Precipitate; 21. Falafel sandwich sauce; 27. They’re hidden in a Hirschfeld sketch; 40. Scottish cattle breed; 43. Gibson’s “Ransom” co-star; 44. Prominent stars in constellations; 50. Food writer Rombauer and others; 61. Bandleader Puente; 68. “London Fields” author; 73. Plant with tendrils; 75. Sight from the Bering Sea; 80. Vintage wheels; 86. Singer Lauper; 97. Handel opera based on Greek myth; 108. The planet Venus; 122. Pupil’s spot; 127. Firewood measures.

Down: 1. 10-G, e.g.: Abbr.; 3. Actor Jeremy of “North Country”; 7. Chewy cookie; 9. Monet painting also known as “:The Woman in the Green Dress”; 11. Wooden shoe; 17. California’s High SIERRA; 18. Joan of Arc’s crime; 33. Indian fort locale; 46. Largest moon of Uranus; 51. Comfy shoe; 63. Mohawk, for one; 82. “Scenes From a MALL” (Woody Allen film); 86. Home of Rapid City: Abbr.; 87. Setting of the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware”; 89. Natural sweetener; 101. Small program; 104. Swindle; 107. Young business partner?; 117. Glamorous Gardner.

If crosswords were webs and their authors were spiders, Elizabeth C. Gorski is herself, a web master!

Excuse me, I hear a damsel in distress!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.01.08

Two-Way Street

South Shields, King Street, 1905. Postcard by Raphael Tuck & Sons of London, Town & City Series
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Saturday, November 1, 2008

Puzzle by Donald K. Willing, edited by Will Shortz

Love the fact that The Times is mixing it up a bit, probably much to the consternation of the puzzle police who have determined what all the rules should be now and forever and are likely scampering this way and that unable to direct traffic that won’t follow their commands. Hey, let's take the hum out of ho hum!

This Saturday’s puzzle is an excellent example of the above -- a two-way street! The entries of the fifteen lines across alternate from left to right / right to left, with seven lines winding up backwards to illustrate STEERTS YAW-OWT (35A. Many thoroughfares .. Or what this puzzle’s Across answers consist of?), the central entry of the crossword.

The forward entries -- 1. BLAME; 6. ROD; 9. SAHIB; 17. ALTERNATEROUTES; 23. CAFÉ; 25. SEPAL; 27. TETE; 31. DECREE; 33. RAFER; 39. ARSON; 40. NETHER; 48. LEST; 49. DEPOT; 50. CALM; 55. REVERSEDECISION; 63. SERTA; 64. FDA; 65. ESSEN.

The backwards entries -- 14. EIREA; 16. TPODA; 20. ISPEP; 21. DEW; 22. TAH; 28. ILA; 29. STRAW; 30. NARER; 35. STEERTSYAWOWT; 42. FRACS; 45. NITAL; 47. ELO; 51. AVE; 52. AID; 53. PILUT; 60. ERESI; 61. AIK; 62. TPEDA.

For all of that, the down entries of the puzzle are quite, well -- normal! A few links for some of the clues: 1. Comic actress BEA Lillie; 4. Predecessor of Thomburgh in the cabinet; 6. Person who’s combining; 10. Seller of Squishees on “The Simpsons”; 18. Cranes constructing homes, e.g.; 26. Member of the carrot family; 27. Fool’s place; 36. Unable to hit pitches?; 37. Total alternative; 46. Seat of Shawnee County; 50. Canine features; 59. Staple of Indian cuisine.

Loved it! Well, after all, love is a two-way street!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.