05.10.09 -- Mother -- the Acrostic
Sunday, May 10, 2009, Mother’s Day ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz
Consider the Oyster is a book by M.F.K. Fisher that deals in the history, preparation and eating of oysters. The work was first published in the United States in 1941 and has been in print ever since. Thin, poetical, and whimsical, it is, perhaps, the most famous book about oysters ever written. More HERE. The quotation: FOR ABOUT A YEAR OUR OYSTER IS A MALE THEN ONE DAY MATERNAL LONGINGS SURGE BETWEEN HIS TWO VALVES IN HIS COLD GUTS AND GILLS AND ALL HIS CRINKLY FRINGES NECESSITY THAT WELL-KNOWN MOTHER MAKES HIM ONE HE IS A SHE The author’s name and the title of the work: M F K FISHER CONSIDER THE OYSTER The defined words: A. Activity for a chef or a dandy, MINCING; B. Child, to man, per Wordsworth, FATHER; C. Figures often viewed at a tilt, KNIGHTS; D. Admiral’s charge, FLEET; E. Nacre or abalone on a guitar, INLAY; F. Like a clam, SILENT; G. Stay calm, don’t freak (2 wds.), HANG LOOSE; H. Mayonnaise or butter, e.g., EMULSION; I. Dissolute; debonair, RAKISH; J. Exacting a high price, COSTLY; K. River diverted to Los Angeles via aqueduct, OWENS; L. Sexually developed and attractive, NUBILE; M. Imbued with flavor; having experience; SEASONED; N. Belief based on five pillars, ISLAM; O. Dolphinfish, DORADO; P. Hermaphroditic burrower, EARTHWORM; Q. Aimlessly wandering; unorganized, as a speech, RAMBLING; R. Torment for Tantalus, THIRST; S. Place where fry or spat are raised, HATCHERY; T. Otis, who gave us a lift, ELISHA; U. Diminutive egg, OVULE; V. Half of a gender-related duality, YANG; W. Periods of development, STAGES; X. Dismantle; copy onto paper, defeat, as a powerful enemy (2 wds.), TAKE DOWN; Y. Midmorning tea with a snack, ELEVENSES; Z. Path for a triple jumper, RUNWAY. The full quotation: For about a year this oyster -- our oyster --is a male, fertilizing a few hundred thousand eggs as best he can without ever knowing whether they swim by or not. Then one day, maternal longings surge between his two valves in his cold guts and gills and all his crinkly fringes. Necessity, that well-known mother, makes him one. He is a she. Perhaps “Beware the Oyster“!
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Click on image to enlarge. Puzzle available on the internet at THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games
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Consider the Oyster is a book by M.F.K. Fisher that deals in the history, preparation and eating of oysters. The work was first published in the United States in 1941 and has been in print ever since. Thin, poetical, and whimsical, it is, perhaps, the most famous book about oysters ever written. More HERE. The quotation: FOR ABOUT A YEAR OUR OYSTER IS A MALE THEN ONE DAY MATERNAL LONGINGS SURGE BETWEEN HIS TWO VALVES IN HIS COLD GUTS AND GILLS AND ALL HIS CRINKLY FRINGES NECESSITY THAT WELL-KNOWN MOTHER MAKES HIM ONE HE IS A SHE The author’s name and the title of the work: M F K FISHER CONSIDER THE OYSTER The defined words: A. Activity for a chef or a dandy, MINCING; B. Child, to man, per Wordsworth, FATHER; C. Figures often viewed at a tilt, KNIGHTS; D. Admiral’s charge, FLEET; E. Nacre or abalone on a guitar, INLAY; F. Like a clam, SILENT; G. Stay calm, don’t freak (2 wds.), HANG LOOSE; H. Mayonnaise or butter, e.g., EMULSION; I. Dissolute; debonair, RAKISH; J. Exacting a high price, COSTLY; K. River diverted to Los Angeles via aqueduct, OWENS; L. Sexually developed and attractive, NUBILE; M. Imbued with flavor; having experience; SEASONED; N. Belief based on five pillars, ISLAM; O. Dolphinfish, DORADO; P. Hermaphroditic burrower, EARTHWORM; Q. Aimlessly wandering; unorganized, as a speech, RAMBLING; R. Torment for Tantalus, THIRST; S. Place where fry or spat are raised, HATCHERY; T. Otis, who gave us a lift, ELISHA; U. Diminutive egg, OVULE; V. Half of a gender-related duality, YANG; W. Periods of development, STAGES; X. Dismantle; copy onto paper, defeat, as a powerful enemy (2 wds.), TAKE DOWN; Y. Midmorning tea with a snack, ELEVENSES; Z. Path for a triple jumper, RUNWAY. The full quotation: For about a year this oyster -- our oyster --is a male, fertilizing a few hundred thousand eggs as best he can without ever knowing whether they swim by or not. Then one day, maternal longings surge between his two valves in his cold guts and gills and all his crinkly fringes. Necessity, that well-known mother, makes him one. He is a she. Perhaps “Beware the Oyster“! 
Click on image to enlarge. Puzzle available on the internet at THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games
Thanks for the write-up.
ReplyDelete'How do ya' like dem ersters?' Spoken over dinner at Antoine's by Mayor Robert Maestri to President Franklin Roosevelt.