Medieval engraving of the Knights of the Round Table ----------------- Sunday, July 26, 2009 STORY CIRCLE, Puzzle by Kevin G. Der, edited by Will Shortz KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (14D. With 76-Down, 1953 Ava Gardner film … as depicted elsewhere in this puzzle?) and SIR squeezed into five of the puzzle's squares in a loose circle with no particular centerpiece is this crossword’s conceit, along with the interrelated entries of EXCALIBUR (2D. 1981 film in which Helen Mirren plays a sorceress), A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHURS COURT (4D. With 12-Down, 1889 Twain novel), MIST OF AVALON (71D. 2001 Anjelica Huston miniseries, with “The”), SWORD IN THE STONE (137A. 1963 animated film with the song “Higitus Figitus,“ with “The”) and QUEST FOR CAMELOT (143A. 1998 animated film featuring the voice of Pierce Brosnan). The puzzle does not have circles in the Magazine. The entries containing SIR -- Across: 38. [SIR]ES (Fathers); 40. AE[SIR] (Norse pantheon); 72. [SIR]IUS (Part of Canis Major); 73. YES[SIR] (Boot camp affirmative); 101. DE[SIR]ED (101A. Popular. Down: 18. PUMP[SIR]ON (Does some heavy lifting); 19. FIRE[SIR]EN (Red alert?); 72. [SIR]LOINS (72D. Some steaks); 74. [SIR]OCCOS (Hot desert winds); 88. YA[SIR] (Chairman Arafat). The remainder of the crossword is lavished with a nerve-racking compilation of bits and pieces, fragments, abbreviations, nonsense and other gruesome and grueling fill! -- ACE, ADA, ARI, AYN, BIZ, CAL and CAS and GAS, DOS, ESS, EVA and EVE, FGS, HRS, ICS, IRR, LAN, LEE, LST, NAH and NAG, NHL, NSA, OAR, ORU, RAH, REN, SAX, SNO and SON, TAT, TEC, THO, YAO and YON. More? -- ANNI, AURA, CERA, COMA, DEFT, DORM, EARS, ESAI, ETCH, FLOR, FOES, IFFY and ILLE, INRE, IONO, ISAO and IPSO, JAVA, KNOB, LABS, LRON, MERC and MESH, NANS, NILS and NIPS, NANS, ODON, ORSO, PODS, ROTC, SINO, SQIN, STEM, STYE, UGLI, VOUS. Five-letter -- ADIEU, ANGIE, AOLER, AUFEU, CHAIN, CHICO, DISKS, DOESA, ENCYC, ENRON, ERICA, EXIST, FLYIN, FRIAR, INGOT, KOMBU, LEDGE, LOFAT, MEDAL, NEALS, NISAN, NOTIF, OPTIN, DISKS, CHAIN, OCEAN, OLMOS, REHEM, RHINE, SABOT, STOCK, SYNOD, TITAN, TVSET, ULTRA, UVULA, VIDEO, VIXEN, YEANS. Other longer entries -- BAR LINES (58A. Additions to a musical staff); BEATIFIC (62A. Blissful); GUIDE RAIL (24A. Stabilizing track); SAID HELLO (65A. Expressed a welcome); UP TO SNUFF (17A. Satisfactory). Mid-size -- AGEISM (110D. AARP concern)); AMEN-RA 78D. Supreme Egyptian deity); AM I LATE (120A. “Did you start without me?”); ASHCAN (123D. Antisub weapon); BRANDT (108D. 1971 Peace Nobelist from Germany); CASSIO (47D. One of Iago’s victims); DARIAS (3D. Onetime MTV animated title character and others); DOG STAR (41A. Another name for 72-Across); EJECTS (118D. Gives the heave-ho); ENAMEL (118A. Crown covering); ENVYING (87A. Green-eyed); ESCROW (23A. Place in trust); 124A. Rachmaninoff’s “ETUDES-tableau”; EYRIES (125D. Cliff homes: Var.); IGNORE (121D. Not pick up); KAISERS (35A.Bygone leaders); KEITHS (69D. Conductor Lockhart and others); LATRIA (122D. Highest worship in Catholicism); LEONORA (117D. Heroine in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”); 29D. NADINE Gordimer, Literature Nobelist; NAVAHO (119D. Arizona native); NUANCE (10D. Subtlety); ONE NIL (21A. Low soccer score); ON SITE (27D. Kind of inspection); OTIOSE (6D. Slothful); OX CART (70D. Rustic transport); REVEAL (77D. Magic trick’s climax); RIBOSE (51D. Five-carbon sugar); SEEN AS (13D. Perceived to be); SEIZES (126D. Takes by force); SKEINS (25A. Weaver’s supply); SLOW-UPS (114D. Delays); TEXACO (16A. Sky Chief company). So much for CAMELOT! ------------------ 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.
Remaining clues -- Across: 1. Do well in the Olympics; 6. Choose to take part; 11. Modern storage sites; 26. Word with mail or letter; 27. Actor Edward James ___; 28. 2001 headline maker; 30. It’s worth its weight in gold; 31. PC linkup; 32. Tweaks; 33. Michael of “Juno” and Superbad”; 34. “Ixnay”; 45. Center; 46. A Marx brother; 48. Thither; 50. Longtime Susan Lucci role; 52. ___-Caps (candy); 53. Tulsa sch.; 54. Largest moon of Saturn; 55. Subject of a tipster’s tip; 56. Joe Montana or Jerry Rice, informally; 57. Windsor’s home: Abbr.; 60. ___ but when; 64. Crackerjack; 68. Org. with spring playoffs; 69. Dried seaweed popular in Japanese cuisine; 75. Fanatic; 79. Be more than a dream; 80. Lite; 82. Clip, e.g.; 83. Bring up, perhaps; 84. Suffix with magnet; 85. 7’6” Ming; 89. ___ in Charlie; 91. Wall-E’s love in “Wall-E”; 92. One side of an exchange; 93. It may be bid; 95. Big band instrument; 96. It comes in volumes: Abbr.; 98. Cartoon pooch; 99. Slugger’s stat; 100. Tandoor flatbreads; 103. Prefix with sphere; 104. Galley figure; 105. Bones may be found in it; 107. Cousin of a clog; 109. Oscar winner Patricia and others; 111. It’s found near the tongue; 113. Achilles and Hector; 115. Clothes rack abbr.; 116. Gridiron scores: Abbr.; 117. Scientologist ___ Hubbard; 127. Island where Sundanese and Madurese are spoken; 128. Take too much of briefly; 131. Windbag’s output; 132. Golfer Aoki; 135. Certain infection; 136. Operatic heroine wooed by Beckmesser; 141. ___ Gold, character of “Entourage”; 142. Stanford’s Big Game rival; 144. Hollywood, with “the”; 145. Notwithstanding that, for short; 146. ___ jure (legal tem); 147. “The Canterbury Tales” traveler; 148. Gun for hire; 149. Loser at Gettysburg; 150. Heir, perhaps; 151. Org. in Clancy’s “Red Storm Rising”; 152. Gives birth to a kid; 153. Bit of cheer; 154. Road twist. Down: 1. Work together; 5. Weathercast figure; 7. Underwater families; 8. Japanese market: Abbr.; 9. Memo header; 11. Things first on the way up?; 15. ___-Japanese; 16. Gumshoe; 17. Relative of a grapefruit; 20. Bilbao bloom; 22. W.W. II vessel; 35. Aid in finding a station; 36. Magical glow; 37. River that flows past more than 40 castles; 39. Bishop’s group; 40. 1973 Rolling Stones #1 hit; 42. Davy Jones’s locker; 43. Years in old Rome; 44. Drilling grp.; 49. Words of commitment; 59. Culture areas?; 60. Passover month; 61. Arrive by air; 63. “Winnie ___ Pu”; 66. Pot-___ (French stew); 67. Overhang; 81. Soap box?; 82. One of Santa’s reindeer; 86. Drilling grp.; 90. ___ Rand, developer of Objectivism; 94. Lou’s “La Bamba” co-star; 101. Temple structure?; 102. Quick; 106. Result of going out?; 112. “Parlez-___ francais?’ 129. ___ number on; 130. About; 133. What an inflectional ending is added to; 134. Certain netizen; 137. Area meas.; 138. Up in the air; 139. Canal sites; 140. Emulate some of Goya’s work.
No comments:
Post a Comment