10.17.08

Quadrupuzzle IV

The Four Corners

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Friday, October 17, 2008

Puzzle by Patrick Berry, edited by Will Shortz

Today's crossword is essentially four small puzzles joined in the center by PAS (25A. Things that talk in school), and most generously, PASTMASTERS (16D. People of much experience); SPEEDOMETERS (23A. They offer rates for automobiles); SPARESTHEROD (26A. Isn‘t strict enough say); TATTIEST (14D. Showing the most wear and tear); and apropos, OPENNESS (24D Candor). Divided by four big black "hammers", each quadrant needs to be solved separately, however, the long entries allow reasonable access to other sections of the puzzle, along with the welcome few spill-over blocks of letters. This is the fourth and most friendly crossword of this type over the past year -- See 12.01.07 -- Quadrupuzzle with almost the same diagram; 12.22.07 -- Quadrupuzzle II, a close variation; and most recently, 09.20.08 -- Quadrupuzzle III.

Go four it!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

10.16.08

WOE

The Chicago Cubs, 1907
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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Puzzle by Ian Tullis, edited by Will Shortz

With the addition of a C, an L and an A, three baseball teams become crossword puzzle EXPANSIONTEAMS (48A. 20-, 25- and 42-Across, so to speak) -- HOUSTONCASTROS (20A. Some Cubans in Texas?); CHICAGOCLUBS (25A. Where hot jazz developed?); and NEWYORKMEATS (42A. Broadway deli offerings?). One lone expansion team is indeed alone -- LONERANGER (29D. Silver topper?), representing that other Texas real-life expansion team strangely denied a mention at 48-Across! Hey wait, and the Cubbies just celebrated 100 years of something! Ah, well!

ENTOMOLOGY (6D. Buggy field?) leads the remaining longer entries which include AMMETER (41D. Current measurer); BEESWAX (5D. Affairs, slangily); ETRUSCAN (4D. Pre-Roman Roman); NEATENS (42D. Put in order); SLOTHS (10D. They often go out on a limb); and THESAUCE (38D. Alcohol, slangily).

This is yet a another puzzle with quite a few three-, four-, and five-letter entries -- a few links: DONNE (37A. “Go, and catch a falling star” poet); RELAX (31A. Untighten) and LOOSE (32A. Untight); TUBED (56A. Floated downstream, in a way); ELMS (6A. Historical mansion in Newport, R.I., with “the”); LIAO (3D. Ancient dynasty of northern China); SOBE (22D. Beverage brand whose logo is two lizards); TORI (18A Holey things); and WOE (39A. Heartbreak).

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

10.15.08

Baby, Etc.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der, edited by Will Shortz

BABY (53D. Word before the starts of 16-, 36- and 58-Across and 10-, 14- and 33-Down) unites the entries of GRANDPOOBAH (16A. Self-important sort); SITBACKANDRELAX (36A. Chill); TALKISCHEAP (58A. Words to a blowhard); BLUEWHALE (10D. Krill-eating creature); BOOMSHAKALAKA (14D. Hoops announcer’s “Slam dunk!”); and STEPSONIT (33D. Wastes no time) resulting in the non-entries of baby grand, baby sit, baby talk, baby blue, Baby Boom, and baby steps.

Links for the day: SAD (50A. Needing a 53-Across) and BOOST (53A. Spirits lifter); AMATI (51D. Rare strings); JONI (45D. “Big Yellow Taxi” singer Mitchell); OPRAH (2D. She played Sofia in “The Color Purple”); PEPPER (6D. Fab Four’s “Sgt.”); HOTTIP (1A. Tout’s offering) along with ODDSON (46D. Heavily favored) and … about that BABY!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

10.14.08

I-95

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Puzzle by Lucy Gardner Anderson, edited by Will Shortz

WIKI (1D. User-edited online reference) tells us that INTERSTATE (20A. With 59-Across, highway that goes through the 15 places indicated in this puzzle, in order, north to south) NINETYFIVE (59A. See 20-Across) (I-95) is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Miami. It is one of the north-south routes of the Interstate Highway System, having replaced older U.S. Highways, mainly U.S. Route 1.

The puzzle sports the zip code abbreviations of the 15 states through which the highway passes contained in double circles placed from top to bottom in order of the route from north to south -- ME, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL. Unlike the straight-a-way of I-95, the road indicated by those abbreviations in the crossword is reminiscent of the old roads of the west where it is said the builders followed a jackrabbit, which is just fine -- it makes for a scenic route!

The remaining entries, however, do seem to exist simply to serve the indication of a highway within the puzzle, that too is good -- who wants to get LOST (33A. Needing directions)?

A few links: 38A. “Dueling BANJOS”; DRACO (47A. Harsh Athenian lawgiver); FABLE (68A. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” e.g.); NIOBE (54D. Weeper of myth); WEBMD (48A. Online health info site); 50. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You EVAH?"; SHIP (One of the S’s in U.S.S.).

Getting there is half the fun!

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

For the complete post, go HERE.

10.13.08

Mainly Monday

Monday, October 13, 2008

Puzzle by Anthony J. Salvia, edited by Will Shortz

The main (yes, that’s intentional) entries of today’s wonderful crossword are the interrelated SPANISHMAIN (17A. Caribbean area where pirates plundered); THELIONSMANE (29A. Sherlock Holmes adventure, in brief); BEEFCHOWMEIN (45A. Faux Chinese dish); BANGORMAINE (59A. City on the Penobscot River) in a puzzle which ignores Columbus Day -- for that, The New York Times published a wonderful acrostic in the Magazine Section on Sunday.

Links for the day -- QUADRATIC (11D. Kind of equation graphed as a parabola); HANSOLO (24A. Harrison Ford’s “Star Wars” role); MIMOSA (47D. Brunch cocktail); BOSCH (1D. Painter of “The Garden of Earthly Delights”); 53D. ”EVERY Breath You Take" (#1 hit by the Police); JELLO (39A. Translucent dessert); OGDEN (22A. Poet Nash); 56D. Teen-AGER; 12D. Italy’s Villa d’ESTE; TINA (41A. Turner who sang “We Don’t Need Another Hero”); AVA (8D. Gardner who was once married to Frank Sinatra); 61D. NOR’easter; PEI (9D. Louvre Pyramid architect).

Try that Sunday acrostic -- it's great!

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For a few Columbus Day cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.

10.12.08

Duth!

Anubis

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Sunday, October 12, 2008

CHANGE OF HEART, Puzzle by Rich Norris, edited by Will Shortz

Anagrams can be fun -- or not! In the case of this Sunday crossword, which contains three- and four-letter samples in the center (thus the "heart" of the puzzle‘s given title) of seven of the puzzle’s longer entries, they mostly land with a duth (my own version of thud)… stew/west, arts/star, god/dog, pots/post, cool/loco, thing/night (that’s the good one) and lime/mile. Justifying the "changes", wry clues are provided, all punctuated by a question mark.

DUTCH STEW INDIES (23. Low-budget films about hearty European meals?); LONE ARTS STATE (33. Where hermit painters retire?); SHAGGY GOD STORY (42. Biography of Odin, e.g.?); GENERAL POTS OFFICE (69. Place to go for kitchenware?); IN COOL PARENTIS (95. How beatniks raise kids?); ONE THING STAND (103. Étagère with a single tiny shelf?); THREE LIME ISLAND (116. Where citrus trees grow in small groups?).

For the complete post, go HERE.

10.12.08 -- the Acrostic

Columbus Day

The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus -- Salvador Dali, 1958/59

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Sunday, October 12, 2008

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon

Today’s puzzle commemorates Columbus’ Day with a quotation from The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus by Washington Irving.

The quotation: HE DIED IN IGNORANCE OF THE REAL GRANDEUR OF HIS DISCOVERY UNTIL HIS LAST BREATH HE ENTERTAINED THE IDEA THAT HE HAD DISCOVERED WILD REGIONS OF THE EAST HE SUPPOSED CUBA AND TERRA FIRMA WERE BUT REMOTE PARTS OF ASIA.

The author’s name and the title of the work: WASHINGTON IRVING COLUMBUS

The defined words (A to X): WHITTLE; ASTER; HALFHITCH; ICHABOD; NOREASTER; GOODHOPE; NEREID; INDIES; RUDDER; VERITAS; ICESHELF; NAVIGATION; GREED; CHANTEY; OUTBOARD; LIFERAFT; UNDERWATER; MASTHEAD; BEAUFORT; UNTIED; SEASIDE.

This acrostic is a nautical kaleidoscope of seaworthy references -- a pure delight and a perfect puzzle for Columbus Day!

For a few Columbus Day cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

For the complete post, go HERE.