11.01.09 -- Compound Fractures

Sunday,
November 1, 2009
COMPOUND FRACTURES, Puzzle by Matt Ginsberg and Pete Muller, edited by Will Shortz
Merriam-Webster defines a compound fracture as “a bone fracture resulting in an open wound through which bone fragments usually protrude” -- there is no other definition...
However, that’s not the meaning behind the title of this Sunday crossword in which
pairs of words overlap by 5 letters to form 12 compounded words, or put another way, faux portmanteau words with fantasy clues adorned with question marks. There are a couple that may be eligible to entry in the language, but one could easily choke on the clue for CATHARTICHOKE as that of a vegetable that gives you an emotional release?…!
The rest of the group in numerical order -- RETROSPECTACLES (22A. Eyewear providing hindsight?); ELEPHANTOM (29A. Peanut-loving ghost?); SPORADICAL (32A. Intermittent revolutionary?); PSYCHEDELICACY (43A. Rare mushroom?); CONTRABANDON (56A. Give up smuggled goods?); ROULETTERMAN (71A. High-school athletic star at a casino?); GUITARISTOCRAT (81A. Noble Les Paul?); PERHAPSODY (99A. “Maybe” music?); FOREVERIES (101A. Dreams that don’t die?); CENTIPEDESTRIAN (109 Bug that never takes a ride?); WIKIPEDIATRIC (21D. Like online medical advice for kids?).
Other entries of length --
APOCRYPHA (17A. Some extra books); FLEW A KITE (27A. Repeated a Benjamin Franklin electrical experiment); HALF PRICE (11D. Greatly reduced); HIROSHIMA (104A. 1946 John Hersey book); JUST DANDY (76D. Peachy-keen); MAKE HASTE (115A. Hustle); REFINISH (85D. Strip, sand and stain).
Eight-letter -- INTRADAY (83D. Like some stock market highs and lows);
OH FATHER (69A. 1989 Madonna hit); POT BELLY (3D. Paunch); ROSE RED (13D. Fairy tale sister); THE STAGE (7D. Broadway, say); YES I CAN (89D. Sammy David Jr. autobiography).
Six --
ARARAT (98D. Dormant Turkish volcano); CELICA (14D. Sporty Toyota); CORTES (35A. Leader against the Aztecs); DELTAS (15D. River areas named for their shape); COMERS (96D. They’ve got promise); ERRATA (94D. Slips); LECTER (95A. Hannibal of “The Silence of the Lambs”); NEUMAN (61D. Mad man?); NO DICE (347A. “Uh-uh”); ONE LOT (12D. Trading unit); ORATOR (79A. Barack Obama, for one); PETITE (63D. Opposite of plus); REHASH (39D. Go over and over); REISER (93D. Hunt’s “Mad About You” co-star); SCRAPS (4D. Gives up on); SOLEMN (97d. Like many an oath); TACK ON (8D. Append); WILDER (40D. Director, writer and actor in “The Woman in Red,” 1984).
Five -- ABHOR, ADRAG, ARDEN, BYSEA, CACAO, COMMA, CUOMO, EFILE, ESSEN, ISLAM, METRO, MISOS, NAFTA,
NSYNC (117A. “This I Promise You“ group, 2000), OATER, OTHER, PHOTO, PIANO, RALPH, SEDGE, STEEL, TETES, TWEET, VILLE, WASON, VASES.
Short stuff -- AAH, AFEW, AGEE, ALA and ATA, AMO, APAT, APE and APP, ASAN, BATE and BATT, BEER, CAPS, CAR, CDS, CHAR, CRAG, DOTE, EARP and EAT, ECOL, EGO, EKE, ESTH,
“Dona FLOR and Her Two Husbands“, FOP, LANG, LIES, ICI, ILAY and IVEY, NEW, NOEL, NYAD and NYES, ORA, PAS, RAJ, REC and REL, ROTH, SKAT, SODA, SOLE, STL, SVEN, TAM and TAME, TEN, THAW, TILT, TOOL, TOWS, TVAD, UTAH, WADI, YAN, ZINC and ZOLA.
------------------
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. Tops; 5. Quilt filler; 9. Detest; 14. Some I.R.A.’s; 19. Softly; 20. Post a modern status update; 24. French town; 25. Restrain; 26. Game in which a player may be schneidered; 33. Afflicts: 34. “___ Can Cook” (onetime PBS show); 37. Christianity, e.g.: Abbr.; 38. Bluff bit; 40. Desert stream; 41. Emulate a grandparent, maybe; 51. Backrub response; 52. It comes before the carte; 53. Put away; 55. Some sushi bar orders; 64. Area code 801 area; 65. Swamp thing; 66. Use www.irs.gov, say; 68. Not exciting; 74. ___ area; 75. Indian government of 1858-1947; 77. Word from Antony to Cleopatra; 78. Parisian roll call response; 88. “As ___ Dying”; 90. Man’s name meaning “young man”; 91. Coward with a pen; 92. ___ gratification; 93. Boombox button; 97. Old TWA hub: Abbr.; 98. Three or four; 105. Runner Budd; 106. Simile words; 107. Japanese financial center; 113. Deux of these are better than one; 114. “As You Like It” setting; 116. 60 minuti; 118. “Bill ___ History of the United States”; 119. Détente. Down: 1. Limo, e.g.; 2. Form of the Egyptian god Thoth; 5. What “two” meant, historically; 6. iPhone download; 9. Give ___ on the back; 10. Inexpensive pen; 18. “The Human Stain” novelist; 20. Big Super Bowl expense; 23. Pompom holder; 28. Had as a base; 29. One of three brothers in the Old West; 30. White ones are little; 31. Swimmer Diana; 32. Fountain order; 35. Kind of bean; 38. Blacken; 39. Go over and over; 42. Age-old robbers’ target; 45. Eng. Or Span.; 46. “Lux et Veritas” collegian; 48. Belief of about 1 ½ billion; 49. Pause producer; 50. City near Dusseldorf; 54. Bias; 58. New York politico Andrew; 57. Follower of each or no; 58. Source of a “giant sucking sound,” according to Ross Perot; 59. Common cause of a 3-Down; 60. Not fun at all; 70. Lever or level; 72. “The Big Country,” for one; 73. Sci. specialty; 80. “Happy Days” role; 82. Poker star Phil; 84. Lone; 86. Tommie of the Amazins; 87. Tugboat services; 99. Candid, maybe; 100. Botanist Gray and others; 101. Popinjay; 102. Mings, e.g.; 103. Job precursor: Abbr.; 105. 97.5% of a penny; 109. X; 110. Manage, with “out”; 111. ___ premium; 112. Mint.

No comments: