07.07.08 -- Honey, I Shrunk the Puzzle!

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, 1989
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Monday, July 7, 2008
Puzzle by Bob Klahn, edited by Will Shortz
IOTA, HINT, ATOM, TRACE and BIT are contained in five otherwise wholly unrelated entries -- PATRIOTACT (17A. Antiterrorism legislation of 2001); STITCHINTIME (20A. Proverbial saver of nine, with “a”); MARISATOMEI (35A. “My Cousin Vinny” Oscar winner); PENNANTTRACES (54A. Classic battles between the Giants and Dodgers, e.g.); DEBITHOMAS (58A. 1986 world champion American figure skater).
“What’s in those circles?” probably won’t come to anyone’s mind as they work this mini-Monday back-to-work-after-the-long-July-the-fourth-weekend. The Times publishes its supposedly easiest puzzle on the first day of the work week, so stopping to see what’s in the squares with circles most likely happens when the solver completes the crossword, whereupon it all becomes smaller and smaller and smaller -- honey, I shrunk the puzzle!
All the standards are here -- ABE, ALIBI, ANAIS, ARISTA, BEREA, BOXER, CNOTE, DUCT, ELIA, ENDUP, ENOS, EROS and ERSE, ESTEEM, EVE, EXACTA crossing EXETER, HEM (30A. Pants part) along with its Shortzesque partner SEAT (62A. Pants part), HITAT, IDLE, INA, ISAIAH, ISITI, LOCH, MESH, MINOR, MIT, MIX, NAT, NONAME, OILY, OLLA, ONHIGH, OTTO, OVER, PAL, PERM, PESTO, PORE, QANTAS, RBIS, REHAB, REPOSE, REPTILE, REQ, ROB, ROOMIE, SAP, SETTEE, SHOT, SINAI, SIR, STLO, SURREAL, TELE, TRAC, ULA (41D. Diminutive suffix), YESMAN.
Seen less often: 45. “Keep it simple, STUPID”; SHARP (28D. On the ball or on the dot), OSTINATO (9D. Recurring melodic phrase), TENORSOLO (34D. Pavarotti performance), AIRSTREAM (4D. Wind tunnel tunnel), INTANDEM (36D. Working together) and NOOGIE (25A. Playful knuckle-rub), the latter which is often committed as a cruel act to a defenseless individual.
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The shrunken clues:
Too small to see? -- SOU (37D. Trivial amount)!
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4 comments:

alanrichard said...

As long as Surreal is in the puzzle - lets see "The persistance of memory"

Anonymous said...

I was looking for the sister of Prince Charlas, but you have a different puzzle then I do for this day. Why is that?

DONALD said...

alanrichard

Then the heading could be "Honey, I Melted the Clocks!"

You're right -- the very next opportunity...

DONALD said...

Anonymous

Probably because the puzzle you have is in syndication, meaning it is six weeks ago -- there is a link on the sidebar for 5/26/08 titled To Tell the Tooth -- there you will find Princess ANNE.