09.29.08 -- Word for Word

Monday, September 29, 2008
Puzzle by Sharon Delome, edited by Will Shortz
This Monday back-to-work crossword features four examples of homographs -- SEWERSEWER (18A. One who embroiders a waste conduit?); DRAWERDRAWER (26A. Sketcher of a bureau compartment?); SHOWERSHOWER (47A. Presenter of a bathroom stall?); TOWERTOWER (60A. One pulling a tall structure?). A homograph is one of a group of words that share the same spelling but have different meanings. When spoken, the meanings are sometimes, but not necessarily, distinguished by different pronunciations. In today’s case, the duplicated words are pronounced differently.
TYRANTS (24A. Despots) lead(s) off the people in the puzzle which include an ALEUT (12D. Native on the Bering Sea); an AMEER (55A. Mideast chief: Var.); CEOS (38D. Corporate V.I.P.’s); a HERR (48D. München mister); HOWE (39D. Hockey legend Gordie); LEWIS (53D. Annual telethon host Jerry); MATTS (51D. Actor Damon and others); MINEO (68A. Sal of “Rebel Without a Cause”); ROMAN (30A. Caesar or Cicero); a SCHOLAR (37A. Ph.D. recipient); SHEPARD (10D. Astronaut Alan); TORI (17A. Actress Spelling); ETAL (54A. And others: Abbr.).
Other entries of length include the phonetically similar 51A. “The MALTESE Falcon and MOLESTS (46D. Bothers); and the very dissimilar ESTEEMS (43D. Holds in high regard); ICEBERGS (56A. Shipping hazards in the North Atlantic); OKINAWA (4D. Pacific island in major W.W. II fighting); and STUNGUNS (20A. Police weapons that immobilize suspects).
Mid-size entries include ABIDE (65A. Put up with); AMORE (52D. Love Italian-style); IONIC (5A. Charged, as particles); EMOTE (45A. Ham it up); GLENS (21D. Secluded valleys); ISSUER (5D. Main bank vis-à-vis currency); OPENED (6D. Unlocked); OPIUM (22A. Drug that’s smoked in a pipe); RECEDE (49D. Many men’s hairlines do this); REHAB (40D. Get-off-drugs facility); RHONE (29D. French wine region); SPELT (15A. Said letter by letter, British-style); STEREO (50D. Not mono); TERMS (13D. Contract provisions); TOWIN (11D. Bring, as a disabled car to a garage).
Plenty of little stuff -- ALEE, ATE, CTR, DATA, DRAG, ECRU, EON, GENE and GONE, HIC, HOLE, ILE, IWIN, NEWS, OBI, OPTS, OREO, PICK, RIOT, ROOK, ROTE, SESS, SKEW, SOOT, SORE, STAT, STEW, TAIL, TAM, TONE, VAC, YWCA, and AMEN (28D. “You said it, brother!”).
Word for word, that’s that!
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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games
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