11.11.07 -- TON

Sunday, November 11, 2007

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PUTTING ON SOME WEIGHT

Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld, edited by Will Shortz

KUNGFUTONGUEINCHEEK (Black Belt babbling Bach in bed?) is not in today’s puzzle, but the following are:

ASGOODASNEWTON (22. Up to top physics standards?); PATTONONTHEBACK (32. Recumbent W.W. II general?); CANTONOPENER (46. First game of a Chinese double-header?); CLUBCARTON (55. Container for an iron or wedge?); DONTGIVEMEANYLIPTON (68. “I’m not interested in having tea!”?); PROTONSHOP (86. Where to pick up nuclear supplies?); SEXTONSYMBOL (Crucifix?); .................................... CHARLESTONATLAS (107. Traveler’s aid in South Carolina?); ROLLAWAYCOTTON (Easily transportable plantation product?).

The remaining acrosses consist of: 1. Award for hanging; 7. 18th-century Venetian master who painted “Adoration of the Magi”; 14. Magnetic induction unit; 19. LAGUNA Beach, Calif.; 20. How miracle workers walk; 21. It may be left holding the bag; 24. Flammable gas; 25. Time, in Munich; 26. Pet lovers’ org.; 27. Raid target; 29. Actress Scala; 30. Spinning; 37. Punching tool; 39. Perry of fashion; 40. Zhou ENLAI; 41. Substitute (for); 50. Inkling; 51. Omelette ingredient; 53. Yard units; 54. Answer, briefly; 58. Grab; 62. Scot’s topper; 63. Prefix with comic; 64. Ludacris’s music; 66. “Air Music” composer, 1974; 76. Absolut rival, for short; 77. Thing often rolled over, in brief; 78. Tiny amounts; 80. British rule in India; 83. Bureau; 90. Lago composition; 92. Seagoing: Abbr.; 94. Small salmon; 95. Big rig; 101. Like some odes; 103. Fabric with a repeated pattern; 104. House overhang; 106. Green; 111. Item often cloned; 116. With it; 117. Burglar’s advance man, maybe; 118. Goes (for); 120. Bern’s river; 121. Bakery lures; 128. Take umbrage at; 129 Lawyer, at court; 130. Writers Shreve and Brookner; 121. “Golden Boy” playwright; 132. Wharf locale; 133. Schoolyard challenge.

The downs are: 1. Square; 2. Surgical beam producer; 3. Texas A & M athlete; 4. Nasdaq info. 5. Game with Skip and Reverse cards; 6. St. Louis’s historic EADS Bridge; 7. Puccini classic; 8. Present at birth; 9. Meadow mother; 10. Pussy foot; 11. Member of the 500-home run club; 12. “The Joys of Yiddish: author; 13. “Smoking ORNON?”; 14. Call 911, e.g.; 15. Sound of satisfaction; 16. Facing; 17. Seattle cager, for short; 18. Word with round or rump; 21. Modern music genre; 23. Makeup kit item; 28. Give two fives for ATEN; 31. “Well, LAH-di-dah!”; 33. Spa offering, briefly; 34. Patron saint of Norway; 35. Low cards in pinochle; 36. 1930s heavyweight champ; 38. “Hold on there!”; 41. Brief shots?; 42. Killed time; 43. Prefix with surgery; 44. Mountain retreats; 45. When repeated, a reproach; 47. Eared seal; 48. Longoria of “Desperate Housewives”; 49. Record letters; 52. Fairway cry; 56. Baked, in Bologna; 57. ‘60s hot spot; 59. Party person; 60. William Tell’s home; 61. Charlemagne’s father, dubbed “the Short”; 65. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designer; 67. Peak in NE Greece; 69. Prince in Ezekiel; 70. ILE de France; 71. Joe Pesci title role; 72. Dada pioneer; 73. Figure in a bust; 74. Questionnaire category; 75. Watts at the movies; 79. SPIC and Span (cleanser) ; 80. Coll. Dorm figures; 81. Questionnaire info; 82. Place together; 84. Small part; 85. Folgers alternative; 87. Alley OOP; 88. Unable to pass the bar?; 89. Biography subtitled “Living in the Shadows”; 91. Suffix with liquid or fabric; 93. “L’Shana TOVA” (Rosh Hashanah greeting); 97. Garage litter; 98. Marlins’ div.; 99. Cong. Period; 100. Court ruling?; 102. It makes MADD mad; 105. Not as busy; 107. Singer with Xavier Cugat; 108. Brought on board; 109. A.C.C. team, informally; 110. Spaced out; 112. It’s a dyeing art; 113. Photo finish; 114. Tourney type; 115. Perfume, in a way; 110. Con game; 122. Run into; 124. Shepherd’s locale; 123. Child seat?; 126. Brouhaha; 127. ONA trial basis.

Things for the nitpickers to accept (like, “GETHELP!“) are variations on “lah-di-dah“; “with it” can be hip or hep; double-cluing will continue (74. Questionnaire category, 81. Questionnaire info); impossible abbreviations will flourish (IBMPC); obscure artists will keep popping up (TIEPOLO) whenever they‘re needed; we’ll continue to be flooded with references to H2O (AGUA, ON WATER, SEAPORT, NAUT, THIRSTY); multiple-vowel entries WHOA and OEUF are here to stay as are OOP and OONA (if not OONA, then ONA); GUASS will be used when GLASS cannot, AWL when AWOL is AWOL; and OTARY will appear in desperation.

JUXTAPOSE, UPAGAINST, and APART provide a little movement, PINCHHIT and PINDARIC seem almost compatible, while the fill falls rampant with the likes of RSVP, SPCA, RPM, IRA, the aforementioned IBMPC, and non-initials TOVA, RAJ, GOG, COHO, ZEIT, ATOR, and, yes -- LAH!

Best entry and clue of the year appears in this puzzle -- SEXTONSYMBOL (96A Crucifix?).

Hey, it’s Sunday!

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