11.14.09

Saturday Stroll

La Promenade, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1870

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Puzzle by Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz

Four 15-letter across entries are the main feature of this Saturday crossword which sports an extra line across resulting in a 15x16 grid. Reportedly, four full-length entries, one atop another makes for a difficult puzzle to construct; however, equal difficulty for the solver doesn’t seem a result in this instance as the clues are fair, making for a leisurely stroll in the park. INCOME STATEMENT; MOON OVER PARADOR; ARRIVEDERCI ROMA; MANDARIN ORANGES.

Other entries of length include CORNED BEEF; LA PROMENADE (28D. Renoir at the Getty); PRAIRIE DOG; YOU PASSED IT.

Mid-size -- ALOE VERAS; CELLULAR; GET ACROSS; LEONID; MARNER; MATERIALS; MESSROOM; UNMOVABLE.

Five -- ANTES; AZTEC; ELVES; ENTER; GNOME; IMAMS; I QUIT; MAIZE; MIMES; MOTES; MUSEE; NEALE; NORAH; ORIEL; OTRAS; PEEL; SABLE; SO FAR; TAINT; T-BILL; ZEBRA.

Short stuff -- ACED, AIDE, AMEX and APEX, ANTZ, BAT, DEFS and DELS, ELL, ENOS, ERN, FATS, FRO, GARR, IDEE, IGO, IMP, JOSE, KIEV, LET, MAJ, MAMA, MOLE, NOSE, ONME, ORNO, QUE, RES, SAT, SHE, SKID (49D. A screech may accompany it), SPAN, TREN, UTES, WACO, WINS, YEAR.

------------------

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.13.09

OH ME!

OH ME (53D. Worrier’s words), Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

-----------------

Friday, November 13, 2009

Puzzle by Dana Motley, edited by Will Shortz

For today’s post, go HERE.

11.12.09

Diamond

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley, edited by Will Shortz

A [DIAMOND] IS FOREVER (36A. Classic marketing tagline) and [DIAMOND] LIL (37D. Mae West role), [DIAMOND] JIM BRADY (1A. Tycoon who was reputedly the first person in New York City to own an automobile) and [DIAMOND] RING (1D. Union symbol?), [DIAMOND]HEAD (10A. Hawaiian landmark) and [DIAMOND]BACKS (10D. Chase Field team), NEIL [DIAMOND] (67”Heartlight” singer, 1982) and BLACK [DIAMOND] (44D. Symbol for a difficult ski run), BASEBALL [DIAMOND] (68A. Home setting) and HOPE [DIAMOND] (54D. Subject of a renowned curse) comprise the interrelated group of this gem of a Thursday crossword.

Thursday links -- ARTERIOLE (66A. Small blood vessel); TURBOPROP (62A. Commuter aircraft, maybe); MELTED (4D. Like the Wicked Witch of the West at the end of “The Wizard of Oz”); SPELLS (50A. Kisses may break them); AXELS (18A. Tricky jumps); RECTO (32A. Chapter’s starting point, usually); WHELK (65A. Marine snail); CFOS (33D. Inc. article subjects), COS (33D. Inc. article subjects).

A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental /On your humble flat, or help you at the automat /Men grow cold as girls grow old /And we all lose our charms in the end /But square cut or pear shaped /These rocks don't lose their shape /Diamonds are a girl's best friend!

-----------------

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.11.09

Letter Count

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 -- Veterans Day

Puzzle by Kelsey Blakley, edited by Will Shortz

ONE TWO THREE FOUR (39A. Start of a count … or the letter frequencies in 17-, 30-, 46- and 64-Across), BEER BREWER (17A. User of barley malt), I DID INDEED (30A. Emphatic boast of responsibility), TO THE TEETH (46A. One way to be armed) and ROTO ROOTER (64A. “And away go troubles …” company) are the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword.

Wednesday links -- RAMPAGE (58A. Go nuts), RAMROD (10D. Musketeer’s need), RANDI (45A. “Amazing” debunker of the paranormal), RAVI (18D. Raga player Shankar).

-----------------

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.10.09

Angstless

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld, edited by Will Shortz

The starts of 17-, 23-, 36-, 45- and 57-Across, TAKE, THE, MONEY, AND and RUN, along with WOODY and ALLEN (61A. With 63-Across, name associated with the starts of 17-, 23-, 36-, 45- and 57-Across), e.g., TAKE PLACE (17A. Happen), THE SOPRANOS (23A. First cable series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama), MONEY LAUNDERING (36A. Process involving illegal drug profits, say), AND I LOVE HER (45A. Flip side of the Beatles’ “If I Fell”) and RUN SCARED (57A. Retreat in fear) are the interrelated group of this angstless Tuesday crossword. For the trailer of 1969 Take the Money and Run, go HERE.

Tuesday links -- EDIE (40A. Falco of 23-Across [e.g. THE SOPRANOS]) and TONY (23D. Lead role on 23-Across), SATURN (9D. Second-largest planet in the solar system) and MOON (33A. Titan, to 9-Down); WOMEN’S LIB (11D. 1960s movement rejecting traditional gender roles); ARDEN (51D. Elizabeth of cosmetics); HESSE (44A. “Steppenwolf” author); LEROY (37D. Jim Croce’s “bad, bad” Brown); SNAPE (6D. Potions professor at Hogwarts).

-----------------

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.09.09

Going Down

Monday, November 9, 2009

Puzzle by Lynn Lempel, edited by Will Shortz

COUGH DROP (18A. Throat soother), NIGHTFALL (23A Time just after sunset), KITCHEN SINK (36A. Where dishes may pile up), SKINNY DIP (51A. Go in without a suit) and THINK TANK (57A. Problem-solving research institute) are the interrelated group of this friendly Monday crossword.

Monday links -- GIRL TALK (11D. Chitchat at a sweet sixteen sleepover) and KING-SIZE (36D. Really big, as a mattress), AFRICAN (21D. From Niger or Nigeria), ATHENS (1D. Parthenon’s site), ANTSY (35D. Restless), KANGA (52D. Roo’s mom in “Winnie-the-Pooh”), MILNE (63A. “Winnie-the-Pooh” writer), TSARS (53A. Rulers until 1917), OOZE (61A. Slime).

-----------------

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

11.08.09

ANTSY

Sunday, November 8, 2009

COLONIZATION, Puzzle by Robert W. Harris, edited by Will Shortz

In this sparsely hymenoptera-populated crossword titled Colonization, ANT is added to hem-line, base ten, plain dealer, pry bar, GI bill, madam I am Adam, ped xing and web page to produce ANTHEM LINE (23A. “O say can you see” or “Thru the perilous fight!?), BASE TENANT (25A. Resident of a military installation?), PLANTAIN DEALER (40A. Tropical fruit seller?), PANTRY BAR (61A. Place to get drunk in the kitchen?), GIANT BILL (67A. What overuse of a credit card might result in?), MADAM I’M ADAMANT (84A Gentleman’s intransigent reply?), PEDANT XING (105A. Where nitpickers walk on a street?) and WEB PAGEANT (108A. Online beauty contest?). Yes, that’s really it -- except for the two lost ANTs contained in TYRANT and ANTSY.

Eight-letter entries -- ACADEMIA; APERITIF; BEARDING; CASSETTE; END PAPER; GENERATE; OIL SHIPS; RATTIEST; RELISTED; SENTINE.

Seven -- AIR FARE; APPAREL; ARTISAN; CESURAS; CRONIES; DISOWNS; FORESEE; INUTILE; LIBELEE; LONG RUN; PLATTED; MADEIRA; NERDIER; RADIOED.

Six -- ALIGNS; ANGELA; ANODAL ; ARTERY; CONTRA; ENTRÉE; ESTOPS; GRAPES; LENORE; PHASER; PRUNED; REHEAR; RENTAL; ROMERO; SECOND; SEREST; STRAIN; STRONG; TREATS.

Five -- ABAFT, ACMES, ADAGE, ANTSY, ARETE, AWRAP, BATES, CAMEL (20A. Brand with a pyramid on the package); CARLY, COACH, ERASE, GRAIN, INFOR, 57A. Poet Federico Garcia LORCA; NIXON, NSYNC (112A. Group with the 2002 hit “Girlfriend”); PILAF, SALTS, SNEER and SNOOD (59A. Hair net); SOLES, STASH, SUPRA, USHER.

Four -- ADIN, AIME, ALER, ANDS and ANDY, ARIE, BEAD, BENE, DALE, EARN, ECRU, EERO, EGOS, ELAN, ELOI, ESTA, FEAR, INON, IRMA, LENA, LIES, LINT, LPNS, NABS, NEE, ONES, OPIE, OREO, RASP and SAPS, RONA, SEAT and SUET, SRTA, ZAPS and ZEBU.

Three -- AEC, ALA, AMI and AMO, ASET, AWS, BYA, DEI, DIG and DIS, EIN, GIN, HIP, LED, LPS, LON, NEB, OOP, SAM, SSE, STE, USN and TAN, an anagram of the occasional wandering ANT…

-----------------

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

For the complete post, go HERE.