07.16.07 -- HAIR

STRIPTEASE (31D *Alluring dance) -- Miss Maud Allen as Salome with her reward for the Dance of the Seven Veils

Born in Toronto in 1873, Maud Allen (Herstory 1990) trained in Vienna and made her debut there. She danced to critical acclaim in London and between 1910 and 1918 toured the world. Although she is almost forgotten now, at the height of her success she was as well known as IsadoraDuncan. Her style of interpretive dancing helped expand the definitions of modern dance.

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Monday, July 16, 2007

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Puzzle by Elizabeth A. Long, edited by Will Shortz

Six inter-related entries are the main feature of this back-to-work Monday crossword puzzle:

HOWTOFIX (25D With 22-Down, what the ends of the answers to the four starred clues are examples of); YOURHAIR (22D See 25-Down); SAGEBRUSH (17A *It rolls across the Plains); OCEANSPRAY (11D *Juice drink brand); HONEYCOMB (65A "Beehive contents); and STRIPTEASE (31D "Alluring dance) suggest four ways of "how to fix your hair -- comb, brush, tease, spray".

STRIPTEASE is sure to give the Puzzle Police pause, who think The New York Times is answerable to a more prudish standard than other newspapers when it comes to the contents of its crossword puzzles -- however, this is surely a Biblical reference, e.g., Salome of the dance of the seven veils, so the reference should pass muster. If it STEAMS (4D Really ticks off) these dear well-meaning crossword folk, well, let it be observed that OCTAVIA (52A Wife of Marc Antony), PIAF (48A Edith who sang “La Vie en Rose”) and Saint LUCIA, Caribbean nation (59A) are INNO way, shape or form (26D) GUILTYOF (49A Responsible for, as something bad) ABIT (62D Not much) of a lack of CAVEATS (45D Cautions) nor excess of BRIO (55A Vivacity) -- TEST (28D Try out), and TRUE (43A "It is so")!

Always love seeing a reference to POE (56A "The Tell-Tale Heart" teller) -- probably the best short “fill” word in crosswords. Other stuff -- the recently demised OLDS (1A Cutlass or 88, in the auto world), COMER (53D Person who shows promise) and COMA (5A Result of a serious head injury), those near-twin brand names ALCOA (16A Big foil maker) and AMANA (63A Range maker); that half-a-fish entry MAHI (24A When repeated, a Hawaiian fish); OPART (52D Bedazzling museum works); EURO and LIRA (or LIAR and LIRA); Rapper Snoop DOGG (3D) and CUR (5D Snarling dog); CANASTA and COSTNER; COOLS and COLE; ORGAN and OOZE.

In the middle of the grid SWUNG (32D Moved like a pendulum) bisecting TOUGH (41 Barely chewable) recalls “hung tough” -- and to gild, LILY (50D Easter bloom) stands astride of TOUCAN (51D Big-billed bird).

This puzzle is a nice one to start off the week and makes one await the NEXT (73A Barber’s call) -- oh, there’s that HAIR again!

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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.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

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