09.23.07 -- Words for Words

The Color of Words IX -- Wosene Worke Kosrof, Ethiopia

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

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Click here for LARGE PRINT

FLIP-FLOPS

Puzzle by David Levinson Wilk, edited by Will Shortz

The familiar phrases of “go for broke”, “play for keeps”, “fish for compliments”, “work out for the best”, “king for a day”, “make up for lost time”, “thirst for knowledge”, “bob for apples”, and “free for all” are inverted, resulting in the following:

BROKEFORGO (23A Rolled sixes while on Water Works, in Monopoly?);

KEEPSFORPLAY (28A Doesn’t throw away, as a stage prop?);

COMPLIMENTSFORFISH (35A What a sushi chef loves to hear?);

THEBESTFORWORKOUT (48A “8 Minute Abs,” according to some?);

ADAYFORKING (69A January 15?);

LOSTTIMEFORMAKEUP (83A Was late to an appointment at the cosmetician?);

KNOWLEDGEFORTHIRST (95A What scientists working for Gatorade have?);

APPLESFORBOB (108A Dylan not liking Dell computers?);

ALLFORFREE (115A Like pro bono work?).

The remaining acrosses are: 1. Kicked off; 6. Pill, 10. Jacket-and-tie affair; 14. Afternoon fare; 19. Good, to Guido; 20. Comedy Central’s “CALL 911”; 21. Jubilant cries; 22. Unadulterated; 25. 552, on a cornerstone; 26. Whirlpool alternative; 27. Co-star on TV’s “Taxi”; 28. Doesn’t throw away, as a stage prop?; 31. Element that’s liquid at room temperature; 33. Remote; 34. King’s lands; 41. “Say Say Say,” say; 42. Royal jelly maker; 43. Hi-RES; 44. Nasdaq listings: Abbr.; 47. Opposite of morn, to a poet; 56. Wilson of Tinseltown; 57. Blackberry nos.; 58. Vatican emissary; 59. Extra-large; 64. Webster and Wyle; 67. Canon competitor; 68. Till; 72. Bond; 73. Pull a GROIN; 76. Unit of yarn; 76. Historical separation; 78. Dish; 80. Volume by Horace; 82. History; 88. Stroke; 91. Flight attendant’s announcement, for short; 92. German name part; 93. “Shine a Little Love” grp.; 94. Arcade; 103. Some moon rocks; 106. Three-day holiday; 107. Hero of Sophocles’ “Electra”; 112. Grosse POINTE, Mich.; 113. Opera SERIA; 114. Not closed all the way; 119. Part of TWA; 120. “HADI known then…”; 121. Gladness: Fr.; 122. Andropov and Gagarin; 123. To date; 124. Darkens, maybe; 125. Let go; and 126. Actress Graff.

The downs: 1. Fraud finder: Abbr.; 2. Grand tour locale: Abbr.; 3. A bird flying by on the right, to the Greeks; 4. Disheveled; 5. Words following see, hear and speak; 6. For now; 7. Start of many airline names; 8. Like Mozart’s Symphony No. 10; 9. Cozy spot; 10. Develop anacrusis; 11. Gridiron star; 12. Rings of islands; 13. “Like that’ll ever happen!”; 14. Indications of anger; 15. Kind of band; 16. One bit; 17. The Beatles arrived in New York in 1964 on this; 18. Does in; 24. Done, in Dijon; 20. 40% of fifty?; 30. Prayer; 31. A following?; 32. Wolf; 36. Withdraw; 37. Born as; 38. Try; 39. Basics of grade school learnin‘?; 40. Small number; 44. Certain shell; 45. “But of course, Monsieur!”; 48. More than buzzed; 48. Deuce; 49. “HESA Tramp,” Peggy Lee song in “Lady and the Tramp”; 50. Bagnold and others; 51. Carpenter, at times; 52. Spanish bloom; 53. Honshu port; 54. “Danger! Danger!”; 55. Dungeons & Dragons figure; 56. Mitch Miller, , e.g.; 59. What multitask do with things; 60. Displace; 61. Greek peak; 62. Ringo’s eldest; 63. EYEOF newt (witches’ brew ingredient); 65. With it; 66. Hogwarts professor; 70. Paul Bunyan’s dog; 71. Pulitzer-winning novelist Shirley Ann GRAU; 74. Little complaint; 77. Recipe amt. 79. Moves around; 81. “Peter Pan” pirate; 84. Cut (down); 85. 8 x 10, say: Abbr.; 86. TV character from the planet Melmac; 87. “Rock and Roll, Hoochie KOO”; 88. Rear seating section in a theater; 89. “What ELSE?”; 90. B’way buys; 94. Yearning; 95. Al in Cooperstown; 96. The Braves’ div.; 97. Online investing site; 98. Ruins; 99. Classic Ferrari; 100. Laid some tiles; 101. The Police, e.g.; 102. Son of William the Conqueror; 103. “No more, Luigi!”; 104. Parrots; 105. Nozzle choice; 109. Late Saudi king; 110. Any member of a 1970s R & B group; 111. Low: Sp.; 112. “Swan Lake” bend; 116. Nova, e.g.; 117. German article; and 118. Wind dir.

I found this Sunday crossword a bit of a dry and tedious solve -- the inordinate amount of familiar entries and their definitions contributed to my ennui; however, it does contain a lot of variety resulting in some artful wordplay.

Autumn Leaves

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

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery subscription.