10.25.09 -- Not a Clue

Sunday, October 25, 2009

WISHFUL THINKING, Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley, edited by Will Shortz

I’m not fond of quote puzzles, and this Sunday’s changes nothing -- MY GOAL IN LIFE IS TO BE A CLUE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE. I’VE NEVER TOLD ANYONE, BUT IT’S TRUE (23A. Start of a wish by 12-Across on 9/21/09), etc., along with PETER KING (112A. NBC football analyst/reporter and longtime writer) and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (94A. Magazine for which 112-Across writes).

BIGMOUTHS (3D. Windbags) and GET OVER IT (85D. “Stop your moping!”) are the other long entries, followed by six eight-letter answers -- ABBA EBAN (1A. “My People” writer); EPITOMES (66A. Paragons); ONE LITER (129 Soda bottle size); OXYMORON (74A. Hell’s Angels, e.g.); ROID RAGE (19A. Violent behavior due to excessive use of banned athletic substances); TEST RIDE (126A. Take for a spin).

Seven-letter -- CADETTE (13D. Middle-school Girl Scout); DEFINER (10D. Noah Webster, for one); EQUATES (14D. Draws a parallel between); FATTEST (36A. Like the best wallets?); I LOST IT (97D. Lame excuse for missing homework); 73A. ISIDORE, the Laborer, patron saint of farmers; LOVABLE (98D. Endearing); PUNKERS (95D. Some Warped Tour attendees); SAID I DO (9D. Got hitched); SAVANNA (104A. Tropical grassland); SCARIER (94D. More hairy); TOOLBOX (67A. Garage container).

Six -- ADELIE, AQUINO, AZO DYE, CEDRIC, DUNCES, DUNLOP, ENTERS, HOLMES, HOOVES, PACINO (Actor who said “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse), however, it’s BRANDO‘s line, SVELTE, UP-TIME, VASTER, YEOMEN.

Five -- ADLER, AETNA, ARBOR, ARMEY, ARSON, ASKEW, A-TEST, BOYLE, END UP, ETUDE, EWERS, GEESE, GIZMO, IN-OUT, NALDI, OXEYE, OY VEY, RILLS, SAPOR, SASHA, SEDAN, SEGUE, SHEER, SIGIL, SEVEN, TONAL.

Short stuff -- ADO and APU, AGE and AGIN, AIDE, ALEE and ALY, ANO, ANTS, ASH, ASOF, AYES, BAL, BAUM, COPE, DATS, DESI, DINA, EAR and ERA, ELM and ELY, ELSA and ELSE, EON, EST, ETH and ETCH, ETD and ETE, GAG, GHIJ, IAS, IDLE, ITOO, JETE, KNIT, LEY, MELC, MPH, NENA and NINA, NLER, NOVA, NSA, OMNI, ORT and TORT, OTTO, PAVE, RIEN, RIO, SCUM, SDAK (9A. Its motto is “Under God, the people rule”: Abbr.), SHOE, SOI and SOIL, SOLO, STL, TRI, TSE, USE, UTES, YEOH.

Be careful what you wish for...

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THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

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Remaining clues -- Across: 13. ___ Errol, main character in “Little Lord Fauntleroy”; 20. Humana competitor; 22. Time’s 1986 Woman of the Year; 26. Big name in tires; 26. ___ bark beetle (pest); 27. Nita of silents; 34. Actress Merrill; 40. Lucy’s guy; 42. Big wheels; 47 [Yuck … that’s awful!]; 50. Parliament output?; 51. Toward the quiet side; 52. It seemingly never ends; 53. Page, e.g.; 54. Malia’s sister in the White House; 63. Table scrap; 65. Oxford, e.g.; 76. Aside from that; 79. Prince ___ Kahan, third husband of Rita Hayworth; 84. Transition; 88. Words of agreement; 89. Musical sense; 90. Not in operation; 92. Christmas hours in N.Y.C.; 93. Law, in Lima; 101. Refuse; 102. What can one do?; 107. Astronomer’s sighting; 109. Monotaur feet; 114 Flavor; 117. Sudan neighbor: Abbr.; 118. Kind of penguin; 124. More massive; 125. Magical symbol; 127. Infiltrates, say; 128. Ballet jump. Down: 1. Dick who was once House majority leader; 2. Danny who directed “Slumdog Millionaire”; 4. Whirl; 5. Long, long time; 6. ___ Harbour (Miami suburb); 7. Sayin’ no to; 8. ‘99 Luftballons” pop group; 11. “I already ___”; 12. Pullover, e.g.; 15. Boneheads; 16. Streamlets; 17. Kind of tray; 18. Hack it; 21. Starting with; 24. Obama’s honorary deg. From Notre Dame; 29. Creator of Oz; 31. Dashboard stat; 32. L’heure di’ ___” (2008 Juliette Binoche film); 33. Historic ship whose real name was Santa Clara; 35 Cockeyed; 38. Nickname of the Spice Girls’ Sporty Spice; 39. Porcelain containers, maybe; 41. Poem with the lines “Nobody’ll dare / Say to me, / Eat in the kitchen”; 43. “___ in ice”; 44. Hush-hush org.; 45. Michelle of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”; 46. Memo intro; 47. Contraption; 48. Freud disciple Alfred; 49. Canada ___; 53. Chemical coloring; 55. Famous deerstalker wearer; 56. Shady spot; 58. “___ though”; 59. John Elway, for the Broncos; 60. Printer resolution meas.; 61. Piazza del Miracoli town; 62. Monthly expenditures: Abbr.; 64. Battery, e.g.; 67. Like most music; 68. It has ray flowers; 69. “Sheesh!”; 70. Losing tic-tac-toe combo; 72. Bridge expert Culbertson; 75. Member of the Brew Crew, e.g.; 77. Dirty; 78. Land, eventually; 81. “___ all!” (“Fini!”); 82. Hot topic in insurance; 83. ___ Schneider, villainess in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”; 86. Capitalize on; 87. Flight board fig.; 91. Impress permanently; 96. Big name in hotels; 99. 2016 Olympics locale; 100. It’s got mayo; 101. Thin; 104. Alternative to a wagon; 105. Secret event of ‘45; 106. Harvesters, e.g.; 108. “Much ___ About Nothing” (“The Simpsons’ episode); 110. Practice piece; 111. Like some stockings; 112. Asphalt, e.g.; 113. Run of letters; 115. Germany’s ___ von Bismarck; 116. Nothing, in Nantes; 120. Subject of many lies; 121. K’unt Fu-___ (Confucius); 122. The Gateway to the West: Abbr.; 123. Prefix with valent.