05.29.07 -- QUESTIONS

Monday, May 28, 2007

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Puzzle by John Underwood, edited by Will Shortz

A popular variant of “Twenty Questions” is called "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Other". In this version, the answerer tells the questioners at the start of the game whether the subject is an animal, vegetable, mineral, or other. The game defines an animal as a member of the animal kingdom, a vegetable as a member of the plant kingdom, a mineral as anything geological, and other as anything else.

TWENTYQUESTIONS (55A Game suggested by the first words of 17-, 25- and 42-Across)

ANIMALMAGNETISM (17A Sex appeal)

VEGETABLEGARDEN (25A Where to grow carrots and spinach)

MINERALDEPOSITS (42A Places to find some gems)

This wonderful little Monday crossword puzzle asks many other questions (note that the name of the game [suggested by the first words of 17-, 25- and 42-Across] referred to in the clue of 55A is missing OTHER -- it, however, can be found in the one clue with a question mark, 48D Way off base?, which is AWOL.

Other questions include ROSETTA (41D _______ Stone [hieroglyphic key]) -- which unlocked the mystery of the Egyptian hieroglyphics; EXIT (11D Sartre's "No ____") a play in which the characters question where they are, who they are and existence in Hell; EMINEM (43D Rapper a k a Slim Shady) who questions authority and everything in life with his interrogatory lyrics; the tiny little QUI (56D On the ___ vie); LEAK (7D Unauthorized disclosure), who dunnit?; ELSE (12D If not); BLUE (50A With 52-Across, Thomas Gainsborough portrait, with "The") BOY (52A See 50-Across), a painting painted over a painting to answer the question of blue in composition; DALAI (30D With 18-Down, Tibetan V.I.P.) LAMA (18D See 30-Down) with the many questions of domain; and last but not least KANE (2D "Citizen ____").

CITIZEN KANE's tale begins when wealthy media magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies, and he utters the enigmatic word "Rosebud". The producer of an obituary newsreel asks a reporter to find out about Kane's private life and personality, in particular to discover the meaning behind his last word -- “Ask the question anyway, Thompson! Build the picture around the question, even if you can't answer it.”

The reporter questions in interviews the great man's friends and associates, and Kane's story unfolds as a series of flashbacks; however, he is unable to solve the mystery, and he concludes that "Rosebud" will remain an enigma. At the end of the film, the camera pans over workers burning some of Kane's many possessions. One throws an old sled, with the word "Rosebud" painted on it, into the fire, the same sled that Kane was riding as a child the day his mother sent him away. There is a shot of a chimney with black smoke coming out. The film ends as it began, with the "No Trespassing" sign. The closing shot shows the "K" on top of the iron fence.

There is much else to like in this gem of a crossword puzzle. A "V" in the center of the grid, along with LST (46A D-Day craft: Abbr.) and GETEM (40A "Don't let these guys escape!") -- perhaps for Memorial Day? ECOLI crosses ECOLE. SUNLIGHT (9D Source of Vitamin D) shines on ASTER (63A Flower with rays) with the blessing of IRIS (3D Rainbow goddess). The late neighbor to the crossword puzzle in the The New York Times, GOREN (27D Charles who wrote "Winning Bridge Made Easy") gets a friendly nod. BEATLE (28 John, Paul, George or Ringo), VENOM (25D What a fang ejects); SCAR (1D Memento of a knife fight), DEADEYES (37D Sharpshooters) one of which our Vice President is not!

With that, I'll SIGN (62A Aries or Libra) off, but not without noting this puzzle is AONE (58A Super-duper)!

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For today's questionable cartooon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

The New York Times Crossword Puzzle solution above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

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