The New York Times Crossword in Gothic: April 2010

04.30.10 — TGIFriday...

Friday, April 30, 2010

Puzzle by Natan Last, edited by Will Shortz

Since appearing in the media in the 1970s, crop circles have become the subject of speculation by various paranormal, ufological, and anomalistic investigators ranging from proposals that they were created by freak meteorological phenomena to messages from extraterrestrials — some are definitely known to be the work of human pranksters, much the same as many of the clues of this perplexing TGI Friday crossword.

Across — 1. Inspiration for Björn Again, ABBA; 5. Bob of stand-up comedy, SAGET; 10. Waves back?, ECHO; 14. It has many functions, briefly, CALC; 15. Art center since 1819, PRADO; 16. Risky thing to try in figure skating, QUAD; 17. Risky thing to try for on “Jeopardy!”, TRUE DAILY DOUBLE; 20. Novel whose title comes from Ecclesiastes, THE SUN ALSO RISES; 21. “Doo WOP (That Thing) (#1 hit for Lauryn Hill); 22. Nonpro?, CON; 23. Heat unit?, LAP; 24. Player of Sethe in “Beloved”, OPRAH; 26. It might go through a filter, E-MAIL; 29. Campaign crunch time: Abbr., OCT; 32. Opposite of schadenfreude, PITY; 33. Offerer of package plans, UPS STORE; 35. Source of jumbo eggs, in brief, DINO; 36. Hound, BESET; 38. Complicit with, IN ON; 39. Subject of a Sophocles tragedy, ANTIGONE; 41. Result of excessive bending, SNAP; 42. Midgets of the 1960s-’70s, e.g., MGS; 43. Gets charged up?, LOADS; 45. Hound, POOCH; 47. Image on Connecticut’s state quarter, OAK; 48. EKE out a profit; 50. Main role on “My Big Fat Greek Life”, NIA; 51. Justice League member, THE GREEN LANTERN; 57. Diamond deception, HIDDEN BALL TRICK; 58. Drive, URGE; 59. Gifted individual?, DONEE; 60. Fashionista’s read, maybe, ELLE; 61. Like some bets and patients, SEEN; 62. Bottleneck, SNARL; 63. Red, e.g., for short, NLER.

Down — 1. Drama center, often, ACT TWO; 2. Lush travel plan?, BARHOPPING; 3. Detailed outlines, BLUEPRINTS; 4. Hotshots, ACES; 5. “Apollo 13” actor Joe, SPANO; 6. 1906 Massenet opera, ARIANE; 7. Brass, GALL; 8. Brand with the flavor Fudge Tracks, EDY’S; 9. It might include check boxes, TO-DO LIST; 10. Outfit, EQUIP; 11. Litter lying around a den, CUBS; 12. Fit, HALE; 13. Pablo Neruda’s “Elemental ODES”; 18. Brunswick, e.g., once, DUCHY; 19. Grad students often dread them, ORALS; 25. Tours “yours”, ATOI; 27. Said reflectively, MUSED; 28. Make like, APE; 29. Debutante who dated J. D. Salinger and Orson Welles, OONA O’NEILL; 30. Crushed corn creation, CROP CIRCLE; 31. Total hottie, TEN; 34. Martinez of the diamond, TINO; 35. Clog, DAM; 36. Title holders, BOOKENDS; 37. Disney doe, ENA; 40. Driving problem, GLARE; 41. Ready for retirement, SPENT; 44. Bear say, SELLER; 47. Setting of Hill Air Force Base, OGDEN; 49. Lara’s son, in DC Comics, KAL-EL; 51. So, THUS; 52. Give a name badge, say, HIRE; 53. Work (in), EDGE; 54. Like death’s dart, in Shakespeare, EBON; 55. Family moniker, NANA; 58. Tampico track transport, TREN.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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04.29.10 — ODD...

Illustration by Harry Clarke for Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, 1919

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Thursday, April 29, 2010 — International Dance Day

Puzzle by J. W. Simpson, edited by Will Shortz

EACH ANSWER HAS AN ODD NUMBER OF LETTERS (17A. With 37- and 54-Across, curious property of this crossword) in this strange Thursday crossword.

9 — DECOMPOSE (3D. Rot) and DEHYDRATE (9D. Parch), POKER BETS (31D. Pot contents), SNEAK INTO (39A. Enter surreptitiously), TAEKWONDO (8D. Olympic sport since 2000), demonstrated HERE, TO THAT END (33D. For the reason stated), ZEN MASTER (32A. Asian spiritual guide), ZONKED OUT (32D. Totally beat).

7 — APPEASE (47A. Quiet), JAMES II (23A. King with a statue in Trafalgar Square), VALERIE (44A. Actress Harper); WADDLES (25A. Imitates a penguin).

5 — ARUBA, ASWAN, ATLAS (47D. Mini-section of an almanac), BASAL, DEBUG, DODOS, DYSON, ENTRY (41A. Dictionary listing), ERASE, ERECT, ESTEE, ETRES, GECKO (42A. Lizard that chirps), GENES, HENNA, ICIER, JESTS, LEMON, MISTI, OCHRE, ORNOT, PATHS, REARM, RHYME (35D. Gun, for one), SANDS, SEDAN, STANS, SWOOP, TASSO, TOAST, TOOTH, UBOAT, VENUS (44D. Mythological subject for Titian and Botticelli), WEDTO, WORRY (28A. “Interest paid on trouble before it falls due, per W. R. Inge), not to be confused with William Inge, USAGE (12D. Dictionary topic).

3 — AGE, BAD and BED, DEE, ERA and “ERE fancy you consult, consult your purse“: Benjamin Franklin, ESP, FTD, HEM, “Every day IS A new day”, KEY, MST, “NO I did not!”, POE (48D. Who wrote “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him”), ORA, RNA, SAN, SSW, TDS, UTA.

How odd…

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Rattlebrains; 6. Winter hours in Colo.; 9. Fix, in a way; 14. Stiff-backed; 16. Clear; 20. “Whether ___”; 21. Common item in a purse; 22. Mellow, say; 23. King with a statue in Trafalgar Square; 27. It may actually be a hunch; 29. What hawks do; 36. “Jerusalem Delivered” poet; 38. Nail’s partner; 43. Something that may be let out; 52. Foundation; 53. Hold over the fire, say; 59. W.W. II blockade enforcer; 60. Hagen with three Tonys; 61. Salon supply; 62. Smooths; 63. Some sports scores, briefly; 64 U.S. term for a British “saloon”. DOWN: 1. Subpar grade; 2. 60 minuti; 4. Autumn shade; 5. Maurice of Nixon’s cabinet; 6. Peruvian volcano El ___; 7. Dr. from Paris to Bordeaux; 10. Procter & Gamble’s first liquid laundry detergent; 11. ___ metabolism; 13. Code carriers; 19. Abrogate a peace treaty, maybe; 23. Isn’t serious; 24. City on the Nile; 26. Big name in vacuum cleaners; 28. Conjoined with; 30. County name in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma; 34. French beings; 40. Less welcoming; 45. One of the ABC islands; 46. It may be found often in a shop; 47. Mini-section of an almanac; 49. Walks; 50. First name in perfume; 55. Misbehaving; 56. Busy co. on Mother’s Day; 57. Material in protein synthesis; 58. Colorado’s ___ Luis Peak.

04.28.10 — SP OUT

Silver teapot pouring tea, photos.com

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Puzzle by Andrea Carla Michaels and Peter L. Stein, edited by Will Shortz

In this awful Wednesday crossword, removing the first two letters, S and P, from space invader, spring chicken, spin the bottle and spellbinders as clued by SPOUT and/or SP (space) OUT (66A. Teapot part .. Or a two-word hint to 16-, 25-, 43- and 59-Across), yields the ridiculous ACE INVADERS, RING CHICKEN, IN THE BOTTLE and ELL BINDERS, weakly clued as 16A. Attila, for one?, 25A. Cowardly boxer?, 43A. Where to find a genie? and 59A. Holders of some pipe joints? SP OUT has a somewhat more bearable companion crossword utilizing SP IN, published October 27, 2008 -- HERE.

Other — CRAVEN (6D. Lily-livered), IN STONE (22A. How some things are set), MASSLESS, PREACHER, ROUGHAGE, TY-D-BOL (44D. Popular bathroom cleaner), UNSHAVEN, YES DEAR (47A. Polite reply that may be accompanied by eye-rolling).

Five-letter — ABACI, AROMA, ARRAU and AURAE, BELOW, WEARS, DEISM (37A. Jefferson’s religious belief), DEMUR, DIDUP, ENERO, GRIST, MOIST, OLEOS, PRODS, RECON, RESET, SHIVA (52A. The Destroyer, in Hinduism).

Short stuff — ADO, AMEN, ANT, ARIA, AWN, CHA, CHUM, CLAP, COOS and COS, DEBT, DEMI, DOOR, EGAD, ELAN and ELON, ESO and ESP, ETAT, EVEN, FIDO, FLOE, HIKE, HIPS, IDEA, ILSA, KATO, LENA the Hyena of “Li’l Abner”, LEOI, LODE, MOST, NAS (60D. “If I Ruled the World” rapper), NETS, OPEN, OPTS, ORR, PEAL, PER and PES, PROP, RIOT, ROME, SHOT, SOSO, TSA, VENI, WHIG (21D. Taylor or Tyler).

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Appetite rouser; 6. Show appreciation, in a way; 10. Busyness; 13. Reporting to; 14. “Gladiator” setting; 15. Groucho’s cigar, e.g.; 18. First-rate stand-up comic; 19. Bird sounds; 20. Neck and neck; 21. Is tiresome; 24. When said three times, a dance; 31. Voice opposition; 35. Food with lots of fiber; 36. North Carolina’s ___ University; 39. “L’ ___ c’est moi”; 40. Like a photon; 42. Herders’ tools; 46. Colony worker; 55. Relative of Bowser; 57. Concerning; 58. Trek; 61. Start the bidding; 62. Middling; 63. Nimbi; 64. Carry-on-checkers: Abbr.; 65. Bit of laughter. DOWN: 1. Early counters; 2. Military drone’s job, for short; 3. Spreads in bars; 4. Like towelettes, typically; 5. Barley bristle; 7. Prospector’s strike; 8. Word of agreement; 9. A pop; 10. “Habanera” from “Carmen” is one; 11. “Let’s Make a Deal” choice; 12. Stops waffling; 15. Flock leader; 17. Caesar’s “I came”; 23. Norris Trophy winner for eight consecutive years; 24. One to hang with; 26. Miller’s need; 27. N.Y.S.E. listing; 28. Green Hornet’s sidekick; 29. “Yikes!”; 30. Pulls in; 31. Prefix with god; 32. Zip; 33. Kind of votes a candidate wants; 34. Stubbly; 37. Cardholder’s woe; 38. That, in Toledo; 42. Foot, to a zoologist; 45. First pope with the title “the Great”; 48. Fixed fashionably; 49. Summer month in South America; 50. Pianist Claudio; 51. Change, as an alarm; 52. It may precede a chaser; 53. They may swivel; 54. Self-assembly retail chain; 55. Ice sheet; 56. She said “Play it, Same”; 59. “I know what you’re thinking” skill.

04.27.10 — Which Switch Is Which?

Switchblades have been with us for many years and have even been used by the military. The Congress of the United States enacted Public Law 85-623, commonly called the "Federal Switchblade Act" designed "to prohibit the introduction, or manufacture for introduction, into interstate commerce of switchblade knives, and for other purposes". This act was mainly symbolic as even the proponents of the act did not expect it to have any affect on the crime rate or of their use by criminals.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Puzzle by Oliver Hill, edited by Will Shortz

SWITCHBLADE (62A. Street weapon … or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle), DABEL, BEDLA, DLEBA, EDBLA, BALDE, ABLED contained within CAIN AND ABEL (17A. Genesis duo), BEDLAMP (21A. It’s found on a nightstand), HANDLEBAR (29A. Certain mustache shape), HEATED BLANKET (38A. Means of staying toasty at night), BALD EAGLE (50A. American symbol) and ENABLED (57A. Made possible) are the interrelated group of this twisted Tuesday crossword.

Other — CAN OPENER (6D. One use of a Swiss Army knife), GARDEN HOE (36D. Tool you can lean on), LAMBDAS (27D. Greek L’s) and fourteen of six letters: ATOMIC, CANOLA, CHEAPO, DERMIS, EMAILS, ESTATE, GAMEON, IGETIT, OCELOT, REININ, RIVERA, SCREEN, SNAPTO, STOPIT (28A. “Enough!”).

Switch and Swiss? How ‘bout a little bit of butterfly?…

The remainders — ABA and ALA, ABCS, ACTV, ARC, AROD, BACH, BORE, CDS, COBB, DEA and DEB, DIGS, DOB and DOT, DRAB (18D. Blah), ENGR, ERA, ETE, HEN, ICED, ILL, INA, INRE and IRAN, KIA, LET and LETA, LOS, MEGS, MEN, NED, NEWLY, NOR, NYSE, OBI, OHS, OLGA (69A. Bond girl Kurylenko), OLSON, OVI, PAL, RED and REL, SAE, SOSO (33A. Not great, but not awful either), SNEE, TAE and TAS, TIA and TOI, TILE, VELDT.

Perhaps a little romance…

…and in closing…

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Tiny; 7. End of a Shakespeare play; 11. MP3 holders; 14. Artist Diego; 15. One who talks only about himself, say; 16. Egg layer; 19. Historical time; 20. Fish-fowl connector; 23. ___-Wan with the Force; 26. Chum; 34. TV part; 35. Compputer capacity, informally; 43. Yankee nickname starting in 2004; 24. Control, as expenses; 46. Treated, as a sprained ankle; 52. “Let’s play!”; 55. Major coll. Fraternity; 56. Sunburned; 59. “___ moment!” (“Don’t rush me!”); 61. French pronoun; 68. Under the weather; 70. Spotted feline; 71. Profs.’ helpers; 72. Wall Street inits.; 73. Darcy’s Pemberley, e.g., in “Pride and Prejudice”. DOWN: 1. Parabola, e.g.; 2. ___ Maria; 3. Prefix with duct; 4. Target audience of Details magazine; 5. Coun try with a Guardian Council; 7. Lawyers’ org.; 8. Ty with batting titles; 9. Sequoias, e.g.; 10. Open grassland; 11. Penn-pincher, slangily; 12. Skin layer; 13. Wake with a start; 22. ___ Lonely Boys (rock band); 23. Cries of surprise; 24. “The Well-Tempered Clavier” ; 25. Memo starter; 30. Org. monitoring narcotics smuggling; 31. “___ thousand flowers bloom”; 32. Bible study: Abbr.; 37. Snick’s partner; 39. When you entered this world: Abbr.; 40. Seoul-based automaker; 41. Hwy. planner; 42. 10-point Q, e.g.; 45. Actor Beatty; 46. “That’s clear”; 47. Kind of oil; 48. Contacts via the Net; 49. Girl with a coming-out party; 51. Secular; 53. Johnny who used to cry “Come on down!”; 54. As of late; 58. Shovels; 60. Rudimentary education; 63. ___ Bo; 64. Redo, in tennis; 65. ___ mode; 66. Half of a colon; 67. Summer on the Seine.

04.26.10 — Fire!

Fire photographed at 1/4000th of a second.

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Puzzle by Lynn Lempel, edited by Will Shortz

PLAYING WITH FIRE (37A. Doing something risky … or a hint to the last words of 18-, 24-, 49- and 58-Across), PACK LIGHT (18A. Common advice to travelers), DEAD HEAT (24A. Race that finishes in a tie), OLD FLAME (49A. Bygone love interest) and HOLY SMOKE (58A. “Omigosh!”) are the interrelated group of this hot little Monday crossword.

LYING AWAKE with PANDA BEARS (29D. Suffering from insomnia; 3D. Adorable zoo critters from China) are the other long entries followed by four of seven letters — AT STAKE (44A. Being risked, as in a bet), HALF DAY (39D. 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., say, for a worker), MODEL T’S (28A. Early Fords that “put America on wheels”) and SWAHILI (14D. Widespread language of East Africa), which has a companion, the four-letter URDU (62A. Language of Pakistan).

Other mid-size — AMANA, ANISE, AUNTS, COAST (6A. Where a hurricane makes landfall), EXALT, FRINGE, HOSED, KNEED, LEEDS, MANES, ON KEY and ONSET, OVALS and OVINE, SEPIA, SINEW, SPADE (53A. Digging tool), SPELL, TIDY UP and YOKEL (64A. Hayseed).

Short stuff — ACES, ALDA, ASHE, AWL (35D. Hole-making tool), BAIT, BEST (67A. Crème de la crème), CAR, COED, DALY, END, EONS, FLAW, FUEL, HOPI, HOST, HUG (26A. Warm embrace), ICE and ILE and ILLS, KOOK, LEAP, LOGS, LOUD, MANE, MCS, MOB, MRIS, NET, NIKE, OARS, ODE, OGLE and OLEG, ONCE, PLAT, PORE, ROSA (16A. Parks who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom), SCOT, SHUL, SKYS, SPCA, SUES and TORT (31D. Takes to court; 30D. Wrong that’s adjudicated in court), WATT, WAX and “YOU don’t say!”

Playing with fire?... TSK (8D. "For shame!")

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The location for the filming of "Gone With The Wind" was to be the Pathé lot in Culver City, not far from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. To clear this lot of some old standing sets in order to make way for the construction of the plantation mansions of Tara and Twelve Oaks and the Atlanta buildings and streets, the art director, William Cameron Menzies, proposed that the old sets be brought down in a monstrous nighttime conflagration which could be photographed to constitute the big scene of the burning of Atlanta, a climax in the film. Two stunt men were engaged to ride in an old wagon in front of the burning sets to represent in long shot the flight of Rhett and Scarlett.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Navajo’s neighbor in Arizona; 5. Edinburgh native; 9. Defect; 13. Racetrack shapes; 15. Many millennia; 17. Tendon; 20. Terminus; 21. Seed with a licorice like flavor; 23. Beginning; 27. Worms, to a fisherman; 32. Say “C-A-T” or “D-O-G,” e.g.; 34. Boathouse gear; 41. Avis or Alamo offering; 42. Misfortunes; 43. Uncles’ mates; 47. Cassini of fashion; 48. Cubes from the freezer; 56. Weak-___ (easily intimidated), 57. Candlemaking supply; 60. Oven brand; 63. What Yale became in 1969; 65. Vault (over); 66. “The ___ the limit”. DOWN: 1. Cleaned with water, as a sidewalk; 2. Sheeplike; 4. Suffix with percent; 5. Tone of many old photos; 7. ___ in a blue moon; 8. “For shame!”; 10. Hearth contents; 11. U.S. tennis legend on a 37¢ stamp; 12. The “W” of kWh; 19. Earsplitting; 22. Ping-Pong table divider; 25. Tyne of “Cagney & Lacey”; 26. Party giver; 28. CT scan alternatives; 32. Org. for cat and dog lovers; 33. Builder’s map; 34. Look at lustfully; 38. Athletics brand with a swoosh; 40 Gasoline or peat; 45. Neaten; 46. Unreturned tennis serves; 47. Keats’s “___ to Psyche”; 49. Not sharp or flat; 50. Textile city of north-central England; 51. Grooms comb them; 52. Praise mightily; 53 Place for a bar mitzvah service; 54. Skin opening; 55. Alan of “M*A*S*H”; 56. Nutcase; 59. Introducers of a show’s acts, e.g.; 61. “The Godfather” crowd, with “the”.

04.25.10 — Pyramid

Louvre Pyramid, completed in 1989

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Sunday, April 25, 2010

MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT, Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski, edited by Will Shortz

I. M. Pei, a crosswordese favorite, was born April 26, 1917 and will be 93 tomorrow. Today, this timely and quite pleasant crossword asks us to pay a small tribute to the occasion by scribbling on our completed puzzle, as noted:

Note: When this puzzle is done, the seven circled letters can be arranged to spell a common word, which is missing from seven of the clues, as indicated by [ ]. Connect the seven letters in order with a line and you will get an outline of the object that the word names.

P, Y, R, A, M, I and D are the seven letters and connecting them in order yields a three-dimensional pyramid. Supporting the pyramid are seven across entries all with the same clue device, e.g. open and close brackets, [ ], possibly enclosing a transparent pyramid: 23. CHEERLEADING FORMATION; 37. IMAGE ON A DOLLAR BILL; 55. YOGA POSE; 66. THE LOUVRE (Paris attraction that features a [ ]); 78. CARD GAME; 89. GLASS DESIGN BY I M PEI ([ ] that was the creation of an architect born 4/26/1917); 109. THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE.

Other — AEROPLANE (13D. Part of a Virgin Atlantic fleet), AUSTRIA (99A. Mozart’s birthplace), CAPITAL A (52D. April first?), FIG TREE (43D. Parts of some Mediterranean orchards), FOOD PLAN (42D. Nutritional regimen), LITCHIS (88D. They’re nuts), MADE NOISE (77D. Clapped and shouted, e.g.), SEES FIT (4D. Deems worthy), STEFANI (31A. Gwen who sang “Don’t Speak,” 1996), TWO-TIMER (53D. Double-crosser).

Six-letter — ALARMS, AMNIOS and ANOMIE (76A. Prenatal procedures, informally; 104A. Breakdown of social norms), ARARAT, ASKNOT, ATONAL, CLEATS, CLONAL, DMITRI, D TRAIN (60A. New York City transport from the Bronx to Coney Island), FLAKES, FOSSAE (81D. Anatomical cavities), GLUTES, HOTTEA, ICIEST, KOENIG, LUSHLY, MADAMS, MONTEL, NUCLEI, RENOIR (29A. “Le Déjeuner des Canotiers,” e.g.), SAFECO, SKICAP, SLIPON, STRATI (73A. Low clouds), SAFECO, SUMMER, UNEASE.

Five — FATSO, KAPUT, AFOUL, AKERS, ALOSS, ALTUS, APRES, AREAS, ASHER (19A. Tribe of Israel), ASHOT, ASSNS, AURAE, BLARE, CDROM, DIMAG (59D. Joltin’ Joe), FACTS, HEAPS, HENIE, INPEN, LULUS, OFFTO, OLEOS, OMANI, OMITS, RIDER, ROADS, SALAD, SIEVE, STOAS, THESE, TIGHT.

Short stuff — ALAS and ALEE, AMAD, AMBI, AMES and ASES, AMO and AMTO, ANDS, ANE, BES, CMDR, CONK, CORA, COSI, CTS, DAWS (59A. Glossy black birds), DOIT, EAT, EDAM, EDGE, ELMS, ENS, ESAU, EST, EYE, FEY,GLEN, GRID, HUNK, IDE, ISNT, KAT, KCAR, KERT, LANA, LEY, LOAD and LORD, LSU, MAES, MNOP, NDAK, OOH, ORR, PADS, PAST, PURL, ROI and TOI, SCAD, SCH, SNIT, SRA, SSNS, SYST, TIN, TNT, TOSS, TRL, UBS, UNI, USA.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Tubs; 6. Dead; 11. Large amount; 15. Imported cheese; 20. Resident of a country that’s 97% mountains and desert; 21. Sailor’s direction; 22. “Here I ___ Worship” (contemporary hymn); 27. Fling; 28. English connections; 30. You may get a charge out of it; 33. Top of a mountain?; 35. Saintly glows; 41. Leaving for; 44. “Go on!”; 45. “A pity”; 46. Charles, for one; 47. Very friendly (with); 49. Start of a famous J.F.K. quote; 52. Price part: Abbr.; 58. Pizza orders; 61. Throat soother; 63. Like clogs; 65. After, in Avignon; 69. Passes over; 70. Football shoes; 72. Nervousness; 75. Fannie ___ (some investments); 80. Coast Guard rank: Abbr.; 81. Snow fall; 82. Run ___ of; 84. Willy who wrote “The Conquest of Space”; 85. Whites or colors, e.g.; 86. NASA’s ___ Research Center; 87. Trumpet; 97. Humdingers; 98. Atomic centers; 99. Mozart’s birthplace; 103. Network that airs “WWE Raw”; 104. Breakdown of social norms; 106. Naval officer: Abbr.; 108. Bop; 114. O’Neill’s “Desire Under the ___”; 115. “___ Death” (Grieg movement); 116. Flat storage place; 117. Headless Horseman, e.g.; 118. Way: Abbr.; 119. Larry who played Tony in “West Side Story”; 120. Compost units; 121. Professional grps. DOWN: 1. Almanac tidbits; 2. “Give it ___”; 3. “___ Foolish Things” (1936 hit); 5. Canadian-born hockey great; 6. Walter of “Star Trek”; 7. “Diary of ___ Housewife”; 8. Crash sites?; 9. Prefix with sex; 10. Cookie holder; 11. Seattle’s ___ Field; 12. Like some cell growth; 14. Prefix with monde; 15. “Let’s ___!”; 16. Composer Shostakovich; 17. Like Berg’s “Wozzeck”; 18. Williams of TV; 24. Smallville girl; 25. Sudoku feature; 26. Genesis landing site; 32. “I love,” in Latin; 33. Tizzy; 34. “Krazy” one; 36. Financial inst. That bought PaineWebber in 2000; 38. Upper hand; 39. “I’m impressed!”; 40. At ___ for words; 41. Suffix with contradict; 47. French pronoun; 48. Exists no more; 49. High: Lat.; 50. It doesn’t hold water; 51. 1980s Chrysler debut; 54. Payroll stub Ids; 56. Fields; 57. History; 58. Covered walkways; 59. Joltin’ Joe; 61. “Thin Ice” star Sonja; 62. Bars from the refrigerator; 64. “___, is it I?”; 65. Tip-top; 67. Pinup boy; 68. “___ Wood sawed wood” (start of a tongue twister); 71. Light lunch; 74. Bygone daily MTV series, informally; 78. “___ fan tutte”; 79. Ophthalmologist’s study; 82. Both: Prefix; 83. Tina of “30 Rock”; 85. Baton Rouge sch.; 86. “Wheel of Fortune” purchase; 87. Wanna-___ (imitators); 89. Sitting areas, slangily?; 90. How rain forests grow; 91. Bells and whistles, maybe; 92. Kind of romance; 93. Least friendly; 94. Valley; 95. House keepers; 96. Knitting loop; 100. Some have forks; 101. How some people solve crosswords; 102. Singer/actress Karen of Broadway’s “Nine”; 105. Neighbor of Sask.; 106. Mrs. Dithers of “Blondie”; 107. Run before Q; 110. Ballpark fig.; 111. Brown, e.g.: Abbr.; 112. Chemical suffix; 113. Spanish Mrs.

04.25.10 — Stones — the Acrostic

"He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." John 8:7

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Sunday, April 25, 2010

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic draws its quotation from A Map of the World, a 1994 novel by Jane Hamilton. The book is essentially about a search for authenticity in the contemporary American Midwest and concerns how one seemingly inconsequential moment can alter lives forever. It was made into a movie released in 1999 -- HERE.

The quotation: THERE IS NEVER AN END TO STONES IN A FIELD. YOU CAN CLEAR FIVE ACRES ONE SUMMER AND COME SPRING THERE WILL BE A NEW CROP. WITH EACH FREEZE AND THAW STONES ARE PUSHED UP TO THE LIGHT, AS IF THEY HAVE THE SENSE OF A SEED.

The author’s name and the title of the work: HAMILTON A MAP OF THE WORLD

The defined words:

A. Hard rock of a sort (2 wds.), HEAVY METAL
B. Hero of Greek myth who was the son of Aphrodite, AENEAS
C. Part of a Cyborg’s nature, MACHINE
D. Doing no harm, free from all wrong, INNOCENT
E. Forage plant also known as bush clover, LESPEDEZA
F. Typical harmony intervals in country music, THIRDS
G. Condition undesirable in a wrestler, OVERWEIGHT
H. Land that gave birth to the word “ski”, NORWAY
I. New York, to drivers in D.C., say, AVENUE
J. Striking redhead in a book?, MATCH
K. Volcanic rock named for a mountain range, ANDESITE
L. Like a viewer of Medusa, in legend, PETRIFIED
M. Song Stephen Foster sold for $100 (2 wds.), OH SUSANNA
N. Exemplar of something gotten for nothing (2 wds.), FREE LUNCH
O. Medieval siege engine for catapulting big rocks, TREBUCHET
P. Quality of not being square, HIPNESS
Q. Burst forth into bloom, EFFLORESCE
R. “I love riding roller coasters like this!”, WHEE
S. Therapist with a musculoskeletal specialty, OSTEOPATH
T. Creation of a city dweller with a green thumb (2 wds.), ROOF GARDEN
U. Martin’s partner in 1963’s “The Stooge”, LEWIS
V. “I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want DESSERT” (Jason Love)

“I found A Map of the World to be hauntingly-true and scary. In today's society, it is very easy to be falsely accused of a crime, especially those in the public eye. Your life can be ruined, as people automatically assume you are guilty.” Book Review by Amy Coffin, TheBookHaven.net

Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

04.24.10 — Firestorm

A firestorm is created as a result of the stack effect as the heat of the original fire draws in more and more of the surrounding air. This draft can be quickly increased if a low level jet stream exists over or near the fire. As the updraft mushrooms, strong gusty winds develop around the fire, directed inward. This would seem to prevent the firestorm from spreading on the wind, but the tremendous turbulence also created causes the strong surface inflow winds to change direction erratically. This wind shear is capable of producing small tornado- or dust devil-like circulations called fire whirls which can also dart around erratically, damage or destroy houses and buildings, and quickly spread the fire to areas outside the central area of the fire. Wikipedia.

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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Puzzle by Thomas Heilman, edited by Will Shortz

Flummoxed? Good! It’s a Saturday crossword!

Twelve-letter — BIKINI WAX (15A. Summer salon service, for some), FIRESTORM (55A. Violent outburst), FLUMMOXED (59A. At a loss), GAME TABLE (31D. Play furniture?), IN A MOMENT 17A. Directly), IT’S A SHAME (1A. “Alas”), JAM-PACKED (29D. Very full), KNEE BENDS (13D. Ups and downs of exercise?) aren’t for LAZY BONES (12D. Person prone to proneness?), SANDBLAST (14D. Remove graffiti from, in a way), SETS ASIDE (61A. Saves) and UNIT PRICE (30D. Sales statistic).

Mid-size — AIMING (4D. Rifle range activity), ANATOMY (34A. Makeup lessons?), ASOCIAL (42A. Not mixing well), CRAB MEAT (51A. Target of some leg-pulling), EXTANT (9D. Not lost), GALOOTS (26A. Lugs), HAWK-EYED (20A. Keenly observant), HOSTILE (39D. Inimical), LOTTOS (44D. Means of quick wealth), MANHOOD (8D. Virility), OPTS TO (46A. Decides one will), SEABEDS (36A. Wet bottoms), STAFFS (43D. Gets help for), 23A. “STONEY End” (1971 Barbra Streisand hit), hit? really, never heard of it!

Five-letter — ALANA (16A. One of Ariel’s sisters in “The Little Mermaid), along with Adella, Andrina, Aquata, Aresta and Attina, COZEN (18A. Swindle), DEEMS, ECLAT, ERRED, 33A. Broadway’s “Never GONNA Dance”, IBIZA (1D. One of the Pine Islands), KIBEI (54A. U.S.-born Japanese educated in Japan), LEO XI (48D. Leader who died 27 days after his election), nicknamed Papa Lampo ("Lightning Pope") for the brevity of his pontificate, MIMES (38A. Quietly tells a tale), 50D. NOM DE guerre; OMITS (46D. Passes by), SKALD (3D. Viking poet), TACKY (10D. In poor shape), TALKS, TINED (2D. Like some harrows), UTERO, ZELIG.

Short stuff — ADDN, ALOE, AMOS, APE and APT, AWE, BBB (25A. Org. with the motto “Start With Trust“), BEAM, ELIO, EMS, JOB, JOEL, JUG, GALA, HELL (39A. Misery), HIM, MIND, OLEN, PTER, SECT, SLIM (23D. Fat, as a chance), SNOG (5D. Make out, to Harry Potter), SST, RUT, TER, TONY, USMA, and WES Welker.

Hot stuff!

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 10. Is successfully interrogated; 18. Swindle; 19. Title role in a 1983 black-and-white film; 22. Annex: Abbr.; 28. Biblical preceder of 27-Down; 29. One with an ear and a small mouth; 32. What an idea comes to; 409. One with delta wings, briefly; 41. Wing: Prefix; 45. Well-said; 47. Author Robert ___ Butler; 53. In ___ diagnosis; 58. Brilliant effect; 60. Thinks. DOWN: 6. Exclamation at a lineup; 7. Something to gaze in; 11. Hydrocortisone additive; 24. What “1776” got in 1969; 27. Biblical follower of 28-Across; 28. Something to land; 33. Festive; 35. Thrice, to a pharmacist; 36. Friends, e.g.; 37. Chacon of the 1962 Mets; 42. Mad about, with “over”; 49. Was faulty?; 52. Appear elated; 53. Black Knights’ home: Abbr.; 56. Progress preventer; 57. Rescue inits.