02.20.10 -- Silent Bingo




-----------------

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Puzzle by Paula Gamache, edited by Will Shortz

NEARER in bloody thoughts, but not in blood“: Richard III

Why is it that I know POUILLY-FUISSE is a Chardonnay from Burgundy, but not that the BIG MAC is a product with a secret sauce? Or KAZ MATSUI, the first Japanese infielder to sign with a major-league team, familiarly (to be formal, Kazui or 松井 稼頭央), and not that USAIN BOLT is/was a 2008 Olympics sensation?

Why did I write in YOUR FLY IS OPEN and then take it out -- it just didn’t seem right? I put it back in toward the end of the solve, shortly after I changed SUPERDOG to UNDERDOG (32D. Cartoon hero with a blue cape) -- I am totally unfamiliar with flying dogs! Exposure warning? I had SPAYS for GELDS (47A. Emasculates) -- ROAD TO RUIN (40A. Alcohol or drugs, it’s said), after all ADDICTION fits --I guess it’s the it’s said that’s the thing of the clue -- A MISSTEP (7A. Muff) to be sure. As for RIOT (25A. Ran-tan), not in any dictionary or reference in my world -- what?

More didn’t know -- ONE-ARMED (17A. Like the drummer for rock’s Def Leppard, amazingly); COBRA (20A. Naja naja, familiarly); 48A. STARA Zagora, Bulgaria, the city or the province?; IRINA Spalko, Indiana Jones villainess; what’s with PEI (38A. I.M. not sent through AOL?); and should I know 46A. “NEIN doch!“ (German reply) or 24A. DAIL Éireann (Irish legislative assembly)? Should I? and why?!

Other knew -- 12D. “The Essence of  EMERIL” Food Network show); TIMBAL (11D. Kettledrum); MARMOT (4D. Burrower with a bushy tail); GRAZIOSO (3D. Elegantly, to Brahms); BANKER’S / LIEN (1D. With 44-Across, it may lead to a seizure); MANILA (7D. The Pearl of the Orient); ORISON (23D. Prayer); and last but not you-know-what, EPILOGUE (34D. Words after “The End”).

What’s up here!

I’ll answer my own question due to how difficult I’ve made it to post a Comment on this blog -- who the hell should know all this trivia and nonsense! Only a fanatic -- hey!, you’ll find one this weekend for sure in Brooklyn at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament -- it’s a bit like static golf or silent bingo! If your lucky you’ll meet a self-appointed blogger (nay, crossword critic!) joyously describing words with words such as juicy, scrabbley, light, breezy, smooth, and fresh, clunky, etc., rubbing elbows with constructors on a nickname basis -- Ashish Vengsarkar and Narayan Venkatasubramanyan, we'll just call you Ashy and Nary!  Bingo!

Remaining across: 14. Pitcher’s charge, AD RATE; 15. Like many student jobs, PART-TIME; 21. Writer of the 1950 Tony-winning play “The Cocktail Party”, ELIOT; 22. Letter after Julie in a phonetic alphabet, KILO; 26. Energy converters of a sort, SOLAR CELLS; 28. Bourbon and others: Abbr., STS; 29. Certain suckling, GOAL; 30. Note from one who’s shy, IOU; 36. Catchy thing?, NET; 37. Some bushes, for short, FROS; 45. Be-all and end-all, ACME; 52. Heat, HAND GUNS; 54. Model for Machiavelli’s “The Prince”, BORGIA; 55. Person making a check mark?, ENDORSEE; 56. Nereus and Proteus, SEA GODS; 58. Bridge problem, RENEGE. See anything you like?!

Down: 2. Perfection, IDEALITY; 5. Bugged, ATE AT; 6. Superior court writ: Abbr., CERT; 8. Extreme soreness, IRE; 9. Disconnected, in music: Abbr., STAC; 10. Approached purposefully, STRODE UP; 13. Goes by foot, in a way, PEDALS; 19. Copenhagen alternative, SKOAL; 26. Liking romantically, SOFT ON along with 27. Talks romantically, COOS; 29. Neck piece, FRET; 35. Some provocation, NEEDLING; 39. Tuition classification, INSTATE; 40. Breakouts, RASHES; 41. OCTANE rating; 42. “Finding AMANDA,” 2008 comedy; 43. Participates in a class action, REUNES; 44. James of the court, LEBRON; 47. Diminutive chthonic figure, GNOME; 49. Prefix with biology, AGRO; 51. Building piece; I-BAR; 53. Foreign exchange abbr., USD. That's a wrap!



Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at


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.

4 comments:

Phil said...

No one comments here, or, no one says anything approvable?

DONALD said...

Phil

The comments section gets blitzed with spam -- to keep the blog clean, all comments need approval. Additionally, all links in the text are thoroughly checked out for same -- explaining why so many are now Wikipedia and YouTube.

Dialogues and mini-crossword-commentators appear with regularity on other crossword blogs, along with chit-chat and all that.

I welcome comments that are on topic and constructive, thanks!

Phil said...

On topic, like if I say 'rotate the grid 22.5 degrees left and you'll see spongebob squarepants going for a walk' ?

Or do I have to say 'gee .. felt more like thursday to me. And thursday felt like a friday, which in turn felt like last easter sunday to me. But it was my best time this decade.'

DONALD said...

Ha, ha!