Illustration by Gustave Doré for Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" ------------------
Friday, February 15, 2008
Puzzle by Patrick Berry, edited by Will Shortz
INTHENEARFUTURE (45A. Sometime soon), this DOGWATCH (30D. 1600 to 1800, on a boat) upon the UNLIMITED (11D. Vast) and yet MINUTE (36D. Trifling) ocean of games and NAMES (26A. Stray animals don’t have them) will be INREPOSE (13D. Awaiting burial) in the DESERT (38A. Roughly a third of the earth’s land surface) MUD (36A. Yielding ground) of words -- like a ROCKANDROLLSTAR (47A. One with a guitar and shades, stereotypically) TRACTABLE (42A. Compliant) to those who EGGON (34A. Incite) for PUNTS (44A. Gives up responsibility) and ENHALO (48A. Bathe in a glow) wearing CLERICALCOLLARS (17A. Band of holy men), HULKS (40A. Ships on the seafloor) shunting CLONES (32A. More of the same) having followed POLARIS (8D. Pilot light?) to the LOCUS (35A. Center) of PULP (44D. Great literature’s opposite).
ARTUROTOSCANINI (15A. He conducted the premiere performances of “Pagliacci” and “La Boheme”) will lead the crew of ANNE Elliot, heroine of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” (20A.); CARON (21A. Star of “Gigi” and “Lili”); the CUTEST Couple (yearbook voting category) (27A.); MADIGAN (“Field of Dreams” actress Amy); SADEYES (31A. 1979 #1 hit for Robert John); NEWT (39A. Young cowboy in “Lonesome Dove”); PACMAN (1D. Game featuring Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde); ARLENE (2D. Photographer/children’s author Alda); UTAHAGEN (7D. Stage actress who wrote “Respect for Acting”); Albee’s “Three TALL Women” (10D.); FAGEN (24A. Steely Dan singer Donald); NINOTCHKA (26D. 1939 film taglined “Garbo laughs”); CAMUS (27D. First African-born Literature Nobelist); MCENTIRE (28A. “Is There Life Out There” singer); ALGERNON (29D. Titular mouse in a classic Daniel Keyes novel); ULTRAS (37D. Political extremists); HANNO (40D. Carthaginian statesman who opposed war with Rome); and the TUTSI (41D. Rwandan people).
PASSEDUP (1A. Didn’t take advantage of) in the paragraphs above: STUPID (9A. Muscleheaded); MERGE (18A. Become one); HAIRLINES (19A. Newspaper column separators); FOGIN (24A. Strand at the airport, maybe); NIKON (25A. Maker of Coolpix cameras); DOMED (33A. Like St. Basil’s); SOUPIEST (49A. Most mawkish); STERNO (3D. Jelly seen on buffet tables); SURGE (4D. Kind of protector); SCORN (9D. Treat badly) and SCION (16D. Boxy Toyota product); PIANOKEY (12D. One that gets depressed during recitals); DISSENTS (14D. Files a minority opinion); COMAS (21D. Some emergency cases may be found in them); NUDES (25D. Some Degas paintings); SOCKEROO (31D. Big hit); DOLLARS (33D. Number to the left of a decimal point, maybe); and LUBED (35. Unlikely to rattle or squeak, say).
Four letter words left unuttered on this voyage include ERIE, MOPE, TEAL, TILE, with nary a three-letter -- DOC, FLU, NEO... forgetting MUD!
Our etymological mystery today is DOGWATCH -- from the best that can be gathered dog watches formed the only authorized play-time for the crews of most ships at sea. In order that the same group should not have the same hours of duty, day after day, the dog watch was usually divided into two parts, the first and second dog watch ("Dog watch" is defined in some references as a corruption of “docked,” or shortened, watch.).
Seaman worked four hours on and four hours off -- the “off” taken up partly by the ship’s routine work -- was a considerable hardship. “All hands up hammocks” was piped by the boatswain’s mates about 7:30 A.M. and from then until 8 P.M. those off watch got little chance for an extra snooze. This meant that the men had less than four hours’ sleep one night and some seven and a half the next.
What a life!....... T.G.I.F.!
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Click on image to enlarge. Puzzle available on the internet at
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