Above llustration: 61A, 62A, 37A
May 3, 2007
Puzzle by Richard Chisholm, edited by Will Shortz
Two answers -- PARTY (61A With 62-Across, clue for 19-, 37- and 50-Across) and LINE (62A See 61 Across) provide the clue for the answers of 19A POLITICALSCRIPT, 37A OLDPHONESERVICE and 50A HAVEWEMETBEFORE. Simple and clean, however, my noodle was in a tangle -- I just couldn’t get the right half of the puzzle, and by the time I did, the three long answers had appeared without being “solved”.
I had BOSOX instead of CELTS (42A Boston team, informally), stared at 9A The second of January? which turned out to be SHORTA, my personal life got in the way because I wouldn’t think of going to the SHORE (15A Vacation locale) for the clued reason, because I live there; have never said HUH (36A Question from a person just awakened) when awakened (but have said some really raw things at times), couldn’t connect IDOL and its clue (62A False), had ASONE instead of ATONE [49D Joined (with)], wasn’t sure if RUBLES (46D Moscow moolah) was “e” before “l” or “l” before “e”, had ONTO for a spell instead of INON (60A Wise to) which I still think it should be, stared at POLITICAL---I-T, OLDPH--ESE----- and HAVEW----B--O-E and simply said “I’m speechless!”
Long story short, in desperation, I actually Googled (yes, I did!) 53A (80% of the Kentucky Derby) and got nothing -- I thought, I must be on the wrong track -- oh, track!, Googled "Kentucky Derby length" and got “in 1896 they changed the length of the Kentucky Derby to 1.25 miles” -- got past that and said to myself, ETES (65A Form of “to be” with “vous”) isn’t clued that way (oh but it is!), and neither is ATONE clued the way it is (it is!) -- struggle I did but finally 'finis”!
Illustrations: With 61A and 62A, both 19A, 37A and maybe 50A; (24A Long-tubed flower) CROCUS, photograph of croci taken in my front yard last month.
Puzzle available on the internet at
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Donald speechless? That's a new one : )
ReplyDeleteI only struggled with half of the puzzle, detailed you-know-where.
Yep, the right side was filled with odd clues, plus --
ReplyDeleteDid puzzle on-line and was bothered by the IDOL business -- just picked up the paper from the driveway and there is a blank line following "False" which was not in the on-line version.
Not too often the hard-copy is in error, but more often so is the electronic -- wonde why?
Wow, the mimeographed(?) YIPL party line instructions are way cool! Wheredja find that bit of ephemera? Am I to think that you engaged in such tele-techno-terrorrism in your youth? Wish I'd been IN ON it :)
ReplyDeleterock rabbit
ReplyDeletehttp://www.d-i-n-a.net/arthack03/history3.html
We weren't IN ON it, but now with that link can get IN TO it...
I think the net has everything or at least it's getting there!
Thanks, I'll check it out! ps I love your croci...
ReplyDeleteDo tell what comes down with the YIPL link.
ReplyDeleteLike the alternate "croci" rather than "crocuses" -- hope it springs up in a puzzle.