07.17.08 -- Shapes

Castle and Sun -- Paul Klee

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

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Puzzle by Elizabeth A. Long, edited by Will Shortz

SHAPESUP (42D. Quits misbehaving … or a literal hint to 4-, 9-, 13-, 49- and 57- Down), along with ELGNAIRT (4D. Percussion instrument in an orchestra), ELCRIC (9D. Coterie), RATS (13D. Headliner), ERAUQS (49D. Unhip person) and LAVO (57D. Racetrack) are the interrelated entries of this pleasant Thursday crossword. Of course, reading the entries given the “literal hint” results in TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, STAR, SQUARE and OVAL, names of familiar geometrical shapes here running up in down spaces.

WHIRLIGIG (33A. Colorful lawn or garden fixture) and ARTICHOKE (44A. Something you might want to get to the heart of?) are the other long entries in this puzzle of otherwise evenly distributed average-sized entries.

CRINKLE (20A. Make rustle, as foil), EPISTLE (39A. Hebrews, for example), LORELAI (57A. One of TV’s Gilmore Girls), PRAISES (22A. Writes odes to, e.g.), RATTLER (38A. Slithering danger) and SPREADS (60A. Unfolds) are the next longest at seven letters, followed by six-letter entries of CASABA (29A. Winter melon), NETTLE (46A. Annoy), SPLITS (10D. Forks) and TWEETS (47D. Chirps).

Five-letter entries are the main bulk of the puzzle and include ANNAN, ATILT, BELLE, CIRCA, DINAH, EPSOM, ICIER, IOTAS, KNOLL (21D. Small hill), LEAPT, LILAC, MANIA, MSDOS, ODETS, ORIEL, QATAR, RANIN, SAUNA, SHONE, UNITY, UTURN, WORDS.

AGRA, ALA, AMIE, ANNE, ASI, BOLL, CURE, ERA, ERIE, GETA, HARE, ITAL and ITAT, ITO, LAG, LENT, LIL and LOL, OMEN, ONES, PASS, PIES, PIN and PINA, PYRE, RISE (59D. Small hill), RMS, RUNG, SPAR, STAN, SUED, TIE, UNTO, VEST and WREN are the fill.

That’s how it shapes up!

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

For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

Search information -- Across: 1. Salt or smoke; 5. Starr of the Old West; 10. Boom; 14. Type type: Abbr.; 15. Bay window; 16. ___ colada; 17. Like a bell; 18. Pale purple; 19. Pancake Day is the day before this begins; 24. U.N. secretary general from Ghana; 37. Soundtrack annoyance; 43. A pitcher should keep it low; 50. Sale day feeling; 51. They cross here; 53. ___ salts; 62. Pen pal in Paris, perhaps; 63. Agreement; 65. Exercised a legal option; 66. Police protection; 67. Doha’s domain; 68. “___ This Last” (series of John Ruskin essays); 70. Stood out, in a good way; 71. Say no. Down: 1. Around; 2. Often-illegal maneuver; 3. Entered quickly; 5. Cotton pod; 6. Pennsylvania’s northwester most county; 7. One of TV’s Rugrats; 8. Bounded; 11. “The Worst ___ in London” (“Sweeney Todd” song); 12. Monarch immediately after William and Mary; 23. Mobile home?: Abbr.; 25. “___ see it …”; 27. Railroad crossbeam; 28. Tourist city between Jaipur and Lucknow; 30. Middle range; 31. Hesitate; 32. Author James; 33. Bird with speckled eggs; 34. Fabled racer; 35. “Take ___ face value”; 36. “ ___ life!”; 40. Fraternity jewelry; 45. Abbr. in real estate ads; 48. Ha-ha, nowadays; 52. Alice’s pet cat in “Alice in Wonderland”; 54. Hot spot; 55. “The Country Girl” playwright, 1950; 56. Many PCs once ran on it; 58. Impending clouds, e.g.; 60. Avant-garde filmmaker Brakhage; 61. Funeral sight; 64. “What am ___ do?”