09.02.08 -- Of Mice and Men

Stairs inside Torre del Mangia (Bell tower). Siena, Tuscany, Italy -- the photography of QT Luong

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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Puzzle by Stanley Newman, edited by Will Shortz

It is worth noting that the name of the author of today’s crossword contains the word MAN as the crossword itself utilizes it as its action figure in five descending (or ascending) interrelated entries creating a human word staircase as follows:

MANAGINGEDITORS (17A. Newspaper V.I.P.’s);

PERMANENTMARKER (23A. Laundry pen, e.g.);

TENCOMMANDMENTS (39A. Exodus 20 subject);

REFERENCEMANUAL (51A. User’s guide); and

MIDDLELOWGERMAN (62A 12th-15th century European tongue).

There are a couple of extra “men” here and there, including MANOR (3D. Feudal estate) and MENACE (42D. Threat) which may or may not have been intended, just as ARID (21A. Bone-dry) and AROD (27A. Yankee nickname starting in 2004) or ADIDAS (9D. Avia alternative) and DDS (63D. Person who’s always feeling down in the mouth?: Abbr.) are just hanging out with no intrigue or relationship; however, NEWS (70A. Part of CNN) furnishes the finish in the puzzle for NEWMAN, the author’s last name.

Middle-sized entries include GEARTO, UNARMS; ORELSE (47D. Threat ender); 4D. PLASMA-screen TV and ABCTV (9A. “Lost” airer); with a fair amount of those of five letters -- AROSE, ATARI, CANTO, CLARE, CLOCK , CNOTE, DELHI, EBERT, EDAMS, EXILE, FEDON, INONE, LONER, NOLAN, ORGAN, PLODS, RAMPS, REMAP, SENSE, STORE, THREE, TRACI, UNMET and VISOR.

The fill: ALTO, ANT, ANY, ASK, ATOP, AXE, BET, CAT , CEO, CURB, DIME, DRAM, EEL, ELAL, ESE, ETON, GPS, HUN, MERE, MOP, NANU, NASA, NORM, PEA, PETE, PTA, RCMP, SCI, SHOE, STIR, STU, WOW and YUK.

The juxtaposition of the two clues 42A. Threat and 47A. Threat ender was neat. The clue for CLOCK (11D. What a mouse ran up, in a rhyme) confirms my suspicion that the MAN is ascending and descending, or am I confusing man and mouse. I must admit staring (or should I pun stairing) at the crossword when finished, failing (or should I pun falling) to see MAN negotiating the diagrammatical stairs like an obligatory scene from Alfred Hitchcock.

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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.

Xword search information -- Across: 1. Dudley Do-Right’s org.; 5. Hoof protector; 14. Airline that flew the humanitarian Operation Solomon; 15. Place to park a car; 16. India’s second-largest city; 20. Sprang up; 22. Many a corner office holder, for short; 28. Lingo: Suffix; 29. Tiny brain size; 32. Bingham of “Baywatch”; 35. Letters on Endeavour; 43. Choral voice; 44. Keep on file; 45. Big laugh; 46. Deck cleaner; 49. Half of Mork’s sitcom sign-off; 59. It might be stuck in a log; 60. English prince’s alma mater; 61. Division of an epic poem; 66. Moves slowly; 67. On the summit of; 68. Insignificant; 69. Logic; 71. Hoo-ha. Down: 1. Chart again; 2. County north of Limerick; 5. ___-fi; 6. Attila or one of his followers; 7. Company newsletter; 8. Chicago-based film reviewer; 10. “You ___!” (“O.K.!”); 11. What a mouse ran up, in a rhyme; 12. Midafternoon; 13. Sunblocker; 18. Adjust for; 19. “Thin” coin; 24. What’s expected; 25. Wax-coated cheeses; 26. Actress Russo; 29. Baker sale holder, maybe: Abbr.; 30. Sushi fish; 31. Pantry invader; 33. Mouse chaser; 34. Hole-___; 36. Whichever; 37. Alphabetic trio; 38. Invoice (out), say; 40. Order to Rover; 41. Fraction of an ounce; 48. Tampa/St. ___; 50. Deprives of weapons; 51. Accelerates, with “up”; 52. One who’s persona non grata at home; 53. Got nourishment from; 54. ___ Ryan, a k a the Ryan Express; 55. Equivalent of 20 fins; 56. Not yet realized; 57. Arcade game pioneer; 58. One averse to mingling; 64. “Holy moly!”; 65. Modern dashboard attachment, for short.