07.31.10 — The View From Tuzigoot

The View from Tuzigoot

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

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Puzzle by Barry C. Silk, edited by Will Shortz

A dozen eight-letter entries are the main group of this sere Saturday crossword — AMARILLO (36D. City mentioned in “Route 66”), ANAEROBE (15A. Septic tank resident), I MEANT IT (60A. “My comment was serious”), ONE SUGAR (13D. Coffee specification), SOLSTICE (63A. Occurrence after the fall), 17A. “PANDERER To Power” (Frederick J. Sheehan’s expose of Alan Greenspan), PARAFFIN (35D. Coating of cheese), PIZZA BOX (1D. It may measure 16” x 16” x 2”), POSTPONE (14D. Shelve), TRASH CAN (65A. Pitching target), TUZIGOOT (37D. National monument near Flagstaff), WIND CAVE (12D. National park in South Dakota).

Seven-letter — CIA-GATE (26D. The Plame affair, informally), DR SEUSS (54A. One of his aliases was Theo. LeSieg), EPEEIST (42D. Jabber in a mask), ETAGERE (38A. Holder of ornaments), LABELED (24D. Pigeonholed), PATENTS (35A. Preventers of many thefts), SO SORRY (20A. “My bad!”), XEROSIS (8D. Possible result of a vitamin A deficiency).

Six — ALBINO (16A. Accidentally uninked embossed stamp), BASEST (32A. Least dignified), DARRIN (9D. Catcher Fletcher of the 1990s Expos), DOO WOP (9A. It was sung in Rocky Balboa’s neighborhood), EROICA (47D. Musical work whose name means “valiant”), ESSAYS (33D. Some nonfiction), FLOWER (58A. Bed riser?), GET SET (45A. Ready), ILOILO (62A. Philippine port), IN A PET (2D. Miffed), NOT NEW (64A. Used), 44D. “Good MORROW” (quaint greeting), PAPERS (1D. Researchers’ output), RAINES (18A. 1987 All-Star Game M.V.P. Tim), RANTED (21D. Didn’t just opine), SEDONA (41A. New Age mecca in the Southwest), SEPTIC (46D. Infected), STRAPS (27A. 26-Across attachments), TOP TEN (48D. Billboard’s best), ZANIER (3D. Comparatively clownish).

Five — 40A. “And Absalom rode upon A MULE”: Samuel 18:9; JAVAN (34A. Like the rarest rhino); OBESE (7D. Extremely upscale?), RUMOR 51D. One may circulate quickly).

Short stuff — ARES, ARID, BORO, C-CUP (26A. Measure of support?), DELE, DST, EERO, EPI, ESAI, FIG, IAGO (31A. Literary character whose first word is “Sblood“), INN, JANE and PANE, MAP, NTH, OBI, OLAY, OYER, POP, RAZE (43A. Word whose antonym is its own homophone), REEL, SASS and SST, SELA, TOG, WIN and ZED (4D. London Zoo opening?).

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

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: 19. Center opening?; 22. Forward-moving occasion?: Abbr.; 23. Suffer the effects of a haymaker; 25. Tony’s portrayer on “NYPD Blue”; 30. Traditional gathering place in old Europe; 44. Legend locale; 49. Like arroyo areas; 50. Legal hearing; 52. Interior designer Aarnio; 53. Whit; 57. Frequent sound at a wine tasting. DOWN: 5. His chariot was drawn by fire-emitting horses; 6. ___ Park (B’klyn neighborhood); 10. Big name in anti-aging products; 11. One getting waisted in Tokyo?; 28. Window shopper’s selection; 29. Retired runway model; 34. Doe being defended; 39. Deck (out); 54. Word often written in red; 55. Ward with awards; 56. Reason to scold a kid; 59. Have the est time, say; 61. Last in a series.

07.30.10 — Bein' Green

California Academy of Sciences Building 

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

Friday, July 30, 2010

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der, edited by Will Shortz

Seven 15-letter entries are the main feature of this Friday crossword:

AUTO ACCESSORIES (17A. Cup holders and such)
ENTER INTO DETAIL (55A. Elaborate)
GREEN ARCHITECTS (8D. Ones concerned with sustainable design)
LOSE ONE’S BALANCE (56A. Tip over, say)
MACHINE READABLE (16A. Like bar codes)
STOCKING STUFFER (1A. Christmas trifle)
VINTAGE CLOTHING (52A. It was put on decades ago)

Other — BIZET and “Jeau d’ ENFANTS” (42-Across keyboard work), CAELIAN (38D. One of the seven hills of Rome), ELEISON (14D. “Have mercy,“ in a Mass), FBI FILE (13D. Dangerous thing to leak), HARD CLAMS (32A. Quahogs), HAVE A COW (37A. Wig out), LAZY SLOB (33D. Epithet for an annoying roommate), NECROSED (7D. Dead, as tissue), OCTAVES (3D. Musical series), ORGANIC (39D. Free of hormones, say), PESTERER (29A. Nag), PIANINO (35D. Undersize keyboard), RESTART (15D. Result of jumping the gun), SHRIVEL (34D. Decrease in vitality), SMASH-UP (1D. Bad traffic accident), TAURINE (2D. Bullish), WRANGLE (40D. Have words).

Mid-size — ARETES (19A. Glaciation products), BUTENE, CHOSE, COLOR, COME TO, CUTESY (49A. “Aww-inspiring), DREARY, DUG IN, HINNY (41A. Rare equine hybrid), HIVED, LOTSA, MEHTA, OMEGA, POTENT, RESAT, SESTET, SPEARS (34A. Potential game stoppers), TASER (10D. Real stunner), THANE.

Short stuff — ARR, CARO, DUTY, ELAN, ERRS, “FAR out!”, FIT, IN A heap, INCA (6D. User of a record-keeping device called a quipu), KIA, LISA, ONER (23A. Knockout), PAVE, SRAS, TEE and TEL, UDOS, UNE, YODA (50D. Sage exiled on the planet Dagobah).

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

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: 18. Femmes mariees, across the Pyrenees: Abbr.; 20. Tailor’s concern; 21. Joined the swarm; 24. Actress Edelstein of TV’s “House”; 25. “UNE Femme Mariee” (Jean-Luc Godard film); 26. Reconvened anew; 28. Walnut, e.g.; 43. Flight ticket abbr.; 44. ___ McCawley, Ben Affleck’s role in “Pearl Harbor”; 45. Airport patrons often avoid it; 46. Series finale; 51. Bounce. DOWN: 4. Drew a lot, say; 5. Amanti maker; 9. Quatrain’s longer relative; 11. Japanese salad plants; 22. Overcast; 24. Mucho; 27. Goes off; 28. Total; 30. Ross, Lennox or Angus, in Shakespoeare; 31. Smooth over; 42. C4H8; 45. Started on a course; 47. Masur’s New York Philharmonic predecessor; 49. Italian sweet?; 53. Sports supporter; 54. Abbr. that might appear above “e-mail”.

07.29.10 — School

The Young Cicero Reading — a 1464 fresco the Wallace Collection

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

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins, edited by Will Shortz

MIDDLE SCHOOL (3D. With 44-Down, educational stage … or a hint to the contents of 18-, 22-, 47- and 53-Across) and schools found in middle of SAND RAKES (18A. Golf groundskeepers’ tools), MILE HIGH STADIUM (22A. Broncos home, once), CENTER ICE CIRCLE (47A. Place for an N.H.L. logo) and STAY ALERT (53A. “Keep your eyes open!”), e.g., DRAKE, LEHIGH, RICE and YALE, comprise the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword.

Other — ALONZO, ATEAMS, CISTERNS (21A. Reservoirs), DOMINICA (51A. Roseau is its capital), DONNIE, HARRAH, NOMINEES (36D. Some contenders), QUANDARY (35D. Bind), RAW / BAR (6A. With 55-Down where to get oysters), REMADE, RESIGN, TEPEES, WENT SOUR (8D. Fell apart, as a deal), VECTOR (43D. Airplane heading), YUKS IT UP (11D. Has some laughs).

Five — ADMIT, ADOZE, AIRED, ALULA, APRIL, AWASH, BOONE, CIRCE (49D. Sorceress on the island of Aeaea), CLYDE, DETOX, ENDOR (17A. Enchanted world in “Return of the Jedi”), HOYAS, I LOSE, HOYAS, OLAND, RELOS, RIO DE Oro, TAPES, TOILE, TOQUE, TOYED.

Short stuff — ABUT, ALE, ANDS, AOL, CINQ, ECO, EWE, HIDE, IHOP, INN, JUGS, JAX and LAX and LUX, Mauna LOA and LOL, LOCA, MISS, NOR, OBOE, OOH, PDQ, PUT, RPM, SAC and SAS and SAT, SEE and SER and TER, TALC, TAXI, TIL, TRI, URGE, VOX (43A. It came out of Cicero’s mouth).

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

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. Take it; 9. Big East team; 14. Decorative fabric; 15. Milk source; 16. “Be-Bop-___”; 20. Added conditions; 26. “What did I tell you?”; 27. Stopover; 28. “Nice!”; 29. Prefix with -nominal; 30. [Snap snap]; 31. Unilever soap brand; 32. Rural musical instruments; 33. Chef’s hat; 36. Here/there separator; 37. “The Basement ___” (1975 Dylan album); 38. Rest on; 39. Internet giant; 40. Flying Tiger Line hub, for short; 42. Tach measure; 44. Rested; 52. Blue-roofed chain; 55. Battle of Blue Licks fighter, 1782; 58. Showed; 57. “Baudolino”: novelist; 58. Napping; 59. River through Glasgow; 60. To be, in Baja; 61. Moves, briefly. DOWN: 1. Starting groups; 2. ___ Wash, N.B.A. executive; 4. “The pot’s all yours”; 5. Dutch painter Gerard ___ Borch; 6. Bow out; 7. Inundated; 9. Casino chain founder William F. ___; 10. Chan portrayer in film; 12. Bath suds?; 13. Carrier that had a pioneering transpolar route; 19. Get clean; 21. Quitting time in Quebec, maybe; 23. Cow cover; 24. Press; 25. Whiff; 30. Worded; 31. Titter in a tweet; 32. N.F.L. team with teal jerseys, for short; 33. Rash treatment; 34. High-pitched wind; 37. Shout made with a raised arm; 39. Fourth of 12; 40. “Mi Vida ___,” gritting 1994 drama set in L.A.; 42. Like “King Kong” and “Psycho”; 45. Hoopster Mourning; 46. Plain homes?; 48. Flirted (with); 53. Kind of fly, for short; 54. Up to, quickly.

07.28.10 — ‘Ow to Solve a Crossword

Audrey Hepburn as Liza Doolitte and Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins in the 1964 film of My Fair Lady, the musical version of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion

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

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Puzzle by Howard Baker, edited by Will Shortz

MR ‘IGGINS AND MISS DOOLITTLE ATTEMPT TO SOLVE A CROSSWORD (17A. With 27-, 49- and 63-Across, the story behind 5-, 36-, 39- and 70-Across), ‘OSIER (5A. Professor says “Stocking stocker,” pupil suggests …), ‘EATS (36A. Professor says “Qualifying races,” pupil suggests …), ‘EWER (39A. Professor says “Ax wielder,” pupil suggests …) and ‘ALTER (70A. Professor says “Equine restraint,” pupil suggests …) are the interrelated group of this ‘umorous Wednesday crossword.

Other — ANSWER (13D. Respond to a knock), CARRION (43A. Buzzard’s fare), DAHLIA (48D. Mexico’s national flower), DIATOM (52A. Simple bit of plankton), EDISON (46D. “Speaking machine” developer), EPILOG (11D. Feature of TV’s “The Fugitive”), INCOME (25A. 1040 entry), NICOLE (47D. Paris’s “The Simple Life” co-star), PEEWEE (51D. Tiny), SESAME (12D. Halvah ingredient), SIGNAL (4D. Prepare to turn), TRIES OUT (3D. Goes for a spot on the team), WEE LASS (34A. Bonny young girl), WET SPOTS (40D. Signs of leaks).

Five-letter — AROSE, ARTIS, ASNER, ATWAR, BALSA, DYNES, EAGER, ELIOT, ENDOR, GAUDY, LETIT, MEARA, PEPSI (60A. “Twice as much for a nickel” sloganeer, once), RANDI, ROOMY, SCENE, SEETH, TERRA.

Short stuff — CASE, DUE, ECOL, ESAS, ESE, EST, ESAU, ETTE, GERI, Mata HARI, HOME, “ICH liebe dich“, IDES, ILSA, LAW, NEAL, MESA, MOM, MOPS, OBI, OHMS, OLIO, OPEN, OPTS, “… OR A mouse?“, PARC, REO and ROES, SANG, SARA and SRTA, SCOT, SYR, TROT, URU, VOL.

Poor Professor Higgins! On he plods Against all odds;

Oh, poor Professor Higgins! Nine p.m. Ten p.m.

On through midnight every night.

One a.m. Two a.m. Three...! Quit, Professor Higgins!

Quit, Professor Higgins! Hear our plea

Or payday we Will quit, Professor Higgins!

Ay not I, O not Ow, Pounding pounding in our brain.

Ay not I, O not Ow, Don't say 'Rine,' say 'Rain'...

-The Rain In Spain lyrics by My Fair Lady

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

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. Declines, with “out of”; 10. Badlands formation; 15. Model glider material; 16. Still unfilled; 20. Public commotion; 21. Like much Vegas stage wear; 22. Postgraduate field; 23. Ramirez of “Spamalot”; 33. Neighbor of Arg.; 38. MGM motto ender; 45. Suffix wit Brooklyn; 54. Some reddish deer; 56. Has in view, archaically; 66. Hodgepodge; 67. Like limousines; 68. Un-P.C. suffix, to many; 69. “Hud” Oscar winner; 71. Those, in Toledo. DOWN: 1. Resistance units; 2. Parisian picnic spot; 5. Kobe sash; 6. Turned state’s evidence; 7. “Play it, Sam” speaker; 8. Genesis twin; 9. “Amazing” magician; 10. Soccer or hockey follower; 18. Ex-Spice Girl Halliwell; 19. Force units; 24. Fighting it out; 26. Docket item; 27. Directly; 29. Earth, in sci-fi; 30. “___ ride” (“Don’t change a thing”); 31. Poet whose work inspired “Cats”; 35. Ed of “The Bronx Zoo”; 37. Kilt wearer; 41. Jocular suffix with “best”; 42. Flying Cloud automaker; 44. Came about; 50. Beatlesque dos; 53. Anne of “Archie Bunker’s Place”; 57. Life sci. course; 58. Gait slower than a canter; 59. Pentagonal plate; 61. Madrid Mlle.; 62. Fateful day in the Roman senate; 64. Solid geometry abbr.; 65. Onetime U.A.R. member.

07.27.10 — Everything

Big Bang, drmikie

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

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Puzzle by Mike Torch, edited by Will Shortz

The whole ENCHILADA, The whole SHEBANG, The whole SHOOTING MATCH, The whole SCHMEAR and The whole NINE YARDS comprises the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” — Albert Einstein

Six-letter — ANTONY (44A. Lover in a Shakespeare title); ANYWAY (41D. Nonetheless); CLOSER (9D. Ninth-inning hurler, often); CYCLES (3D. Presoak, wash and rinse); I DUNNO (18D. “Beats me!”); NESTLE (45D. Get cozy); ODESSA (50D. “The Battleship Potemkin” port); ORATOR (34A. William Jennings Bryan, for one); PONIES (2D. Track bettors play them); RED DOT (49D. Mark of a rifle’s laser sight); SHEAVE (1D. Bundle, as wheat); SNAP TO (35A. Regain consciousness suddenly), SPORES (48D. Future ferns); SWIPED (53A. Ran through, as a credit card); TALONS (43A. Raptor’s grippers); VEEDUB (23A. Autodom’s Beetle is one, slangily), what?

Five — AAHED, AILED, ANODE, BARTS, CLUES (9A. This puzzle has 78), ETNAS, GETAT, INANE, LENTO (16A. Slowly, on a score), ODIST (19A. Pindar, notably), OPALS, PRELL, RENTS, SNAPE, SODOM (35D. Biblical sin city), SPEWS, WELTS (21A. Mementos of a caning).

Short stuff — ALP, ATIC, BOAT and “DAS Boot”, DYAD, EOS (64D. Aurora‘s counterpart), ERN, ESS and ETS, ESTA, GPS, GRE, “ Hell HATH no fury …”, HOYA, IHOP, LED, LODE, MOCS, NEOS and NOSE and NOSH, OGLE, OIL, OSLO, RISE, SECY, SETS, SHAW, SNIT and SPIT, SOT (13D. Sighter of pink elephants), SPCA, SRO, SYNC, TEA Party movement, THO, TRIO, UNI, WIRE, YAP (48D. Talk, talk, talk).

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

“I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” — Steven Wright
. 

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. Pet welfare org.; 5. Nobel Peace Prize city; 14. Georgetown athlete; 15. Stack-serving chain, for short; 16. Slowly, on a score; 20. Had a bug; 30. Double curve; 31. Nail-biting margin of victory; 35. Regain consciousness suddenly; 37. React to a crowing rooster, say; 42. Twosome; 47. Cabinet position: Abbr.; 489. B’way success sign; 55. Expels forcefully; 58. Battery terminal; 59. Subtly suggest; 65. Shampoo brand; 66. Rock music’s Rush, for one; 67. Revivalists, informally; 68. Potter’s potions professor; 69. What the sun does at dusk; 70. This, in Toledo. DOWN; 4. Sounded content; 5. Salad bar bowlful; 6. Clarinetist Artie; 7. Prospector’s strike; 8. Gems from Australia; 10. Took charge; 11. Prefix with -form; 12. U.F.O. crew; 22. Even if, briefly; 24. Vehicle on a trailer, perhaps; 26. St. ___ (Caribbean hot spot); 27. Suffix with problem; 28. Munch on chips, say; 29. College sr.’s test; 32. Rotisserie rod; 33. Lab burners of old; 36. Gawk at; 38. Align; 40. Around-the-house footwear, for short; 52. Most Monopoly income; 54. Totally absurd; 56. Electrician’s hookup; 57. Foul mood; 59. Modern navigation tool, for short; 60. Directional suffix; 62. Tour de France peak.

07.26.10 — CO2

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) , Global Warming photo by Lester Brown

"Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree,

And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud, I can't understand,

I get misty…"

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

Monday, July 26, 2010

Puzzle by Janet Bender, edited by Will Shortz

CO twice as in CO2 or COCO in four entries, CONTRA COSTA, COMPUTER CODE, COURTENEY COX and COMMON COLDS, constitutes the interrelated group of this mild-mannered Monday crossword.

Other — BIG MAC, CENTRUM (2D. Vitamin brand promoted as “Complete from A to Zinc”), DECAMP, ERASER, ISSUES, OGLERS, ON RECORD, REDCOAT, RETIREE, SHINTO, SHORTCUT, ST CROIX, TRACTS, YAHOOS (45D. Brutes in “Gulliver’s Travels”).

Five-letter — ATOMS, AUDIT, AVIAN, DEERE, DOLLS, ENTER, EVOKE, MINED, “Play MISTY for Me“, POUND (37A. Hit with a hammer), SCION, SOIRS, STAGS, TABOO, TACIT, TEMPO, TESTY, UNLIT, USAGE.

Short stuff — AIR, ASK, AVA, BAJA, BRET, BTUS, COM, DAM, DART, ENOS, ESSO (31A. Old U.S. gas brand), ETAS and ETAT, ETS, GAWK, GOTO, IKE, ISEE, IVES, JEW, LED, LUAU, MAS, MBA, MENU, ODIN, ONE, OPEC (32D. Source of some of the oil for 31-Down), OUI, PAT, PADS, RDAS, REG (41A. Lowest-priced gas grade: Abbr.), SHOT, SMOG (54D. Pollution that may sting the eyes), SUE, TED, URDU, USA, ZIP and ZULU.

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

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. Musical pace; 6. Tractor maker John; 11. Do (up), as a fly; 14. Bird-related; 15. Opposite of exit; 16. ___ Today (newspaper), 17. County ENE of San Francisco; 19. Was ahead; 20. ___ & Tina Turner Revue; 21. Greek H’’s; 22. Debate topics; Hall-of-Famer Williams; 25. End of many U.R.L.’s; 26. ___ Easton Ellis, author of “American Psycho”; 27. What a programmer writes; 32. They get an eyeful; 35. Take to court; 36. Nutritionists’ nos.; 38. “No ___!” (“Uncle!,” in Spanish); 39. Evenings in Paris; 40. Coup d’___; 42. Japanese religion; 43. Monica player on “Friends”; 46. Language in Lahore; 47. Broadcast; 48. China’s Three Gorges project; 51. Alternative to a Quarter Pounder; 54. Photographed; 55. “Yes, madame”; 56. Palindromic girl’s name; 57. Winter afflictions; 60. Observer of Yom Kippur; 61. Eating pork, to an observant 60-Across; 62. Dark, as a room; 63. Pose a question; 64. Does’ companions; 65. Irascible. DOWN: 1. Implied; 2. Draw forth; 3. Extracted ore; 4. Butter serving; 5. Publicly known; 6. Leave suddenly; 7. Grandson of Adam; 8. Org. that produces college entrance exams; 9. Pensioner; 10. Blackboard accessory; 11. Native of eastern South Africa; 12. “Oh, right!”; 13. Goalie protectors; 18. Elementary units; 23. Largest of the Virgin Islands; 26. A/C measures; 28. Custom; 29. Chief Norse god; 30. Missile that might be tipped with curare; 33. Attend; 34. Hawaiian feast; 38. It might start with “Starters”; 39. Clever travel suggestion; 41. British soldier in the American Revolution; 42. Offspring; 44. Political pamphlets; 48. Ken and Barbie; 49. Cheating bookkeeper’s fear; 51. Lower California, for short; 52. Burl who won an Oscar for “The Big Country”; 53. Get an eyeful; 58. Deg. From Wharton; 59. Last number in a countdown.

07.25.10 — Birds of a Feather — the Diagramless

Fowl on a Riverbank, 1651, Gijsbert d'Hondecoeter

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

Sunday, July 25, 2010

DIAGRAMLESS, Puzzle by Fred Piscop, edited by Will Shortz

Fowl designations used idiomatically, e.g., DUCKED THE ISSUE (13A. Equivocated), CHICKENED OUT (32A. Turned yellow), GAVE IT A GOOSE (51A. Floored the accelerator) and WENT COLD TURKEY (70A. Dried out quickly) are the interrelated group of this clever Sunday diagramless crossword. BAD EGGS (28A. Rotten so-and-sos) — not included.

Other across — 1. 500 sheets, REAM; 5. 2010 N.B.A. champs, LAKERS; 11. Melvin known as the King of Torts, BELLI; 12. Lacking principles, AMORAL; 16. Morale-boosting grp., USO; 17. Deck out, ADORN; 18. Study intently, PEER AT; 22. Orbiter until 2001, MIR; 23. Camera type, for short, SLR; 24. Trevi toss-in, once, LIRA; 25. Bunk framework, BEDSTEAD; 31. Command after “ready”, SET; 35. State on a bay: Abbr., DEL; 37. Countless, A LOT OF; 38. Actor Alejandro or Fernando, REY; 39. Young seal, PUP; 41. 11-Across’s profession, LAW; 42. Earn, NET; 44. Schooner filler, ALE; 47. Big bang, REPORT; 49. “Go team!”, RAH; 55. Cote sound, COO; 57. Touched up, AMENDED; 58. Campaign fund, WAR CHEST; 61. Keep watch over, TEND; 62. Where shepherds keep watch, LEA; 63. Vacation rental, CAR; 64. Bars, legally, ESTOPS; 67. Fresh-mouthed, SAUCY; 69. Sit in a cellar, say, AGE; 74. Of a main line, AORTAL; 75. Old-time politico, Kefauver, ESTES; 76. Fancy-chancy, SWANKY; 77. 1.0 equivalents, DEES.

Down — 1. Made a tape of, RECORDED; 2. Bugling beast, ELK; 3. The Rays’ div., A L EAST; 4. Piano student’s reference point, MIDDLE C; 5. Co-star of Haley and Bolger, LAHR; 6. Call from the flock, AMEN; 7. Fish in a garden pool, KOI; 8. Medevac destinations, briefly, ERS; 9. Talk like a tough guy, RASP; 10. Turn on a pivot, SLUE; 13. Boneheaded, DUMB; 14. Holy scroll, TORAH; 15. Fished with pots, EELED; 19. Attention to detail, RIGOR; 20. Present a case, ARGUE; 21. “Mm-mm-good!”, TASTY; 26. Listing in a how-to, STEP; 28. Go all-in, say, BET; 29. Quotation book abbr., ANON; 30. Put on the shelf, DEFER; 33. Mild smoke, CLARO; 34. Act the bootlicker, KOWTOW; 36. Like tabloid headlines, LURID; 40. Best of the early Beatles, PETE; 43 Dash gadget, TACH; 44. Playground shooter, AGATE; 45. Causes to limp, LAMES; 46. Triple jump, e.g., EVENT; 48. Add to dishonestly, PAD; 50. Cornmeal concoctions, HOE CAKES; 52. Fund, ENDOW; 53. “To your health!”, SALUD; 54. Put up, ERECTED; 56. Siouan speakers, OSAGES; 60. Deuce beater, TREY; 65. Wasabi PEAS (spicy snack); 66. Rare cause of April baseball postponements, SNOW; 67. Overcharge, slangily, SOAK; 68. One on your side, ALLY; 71. Lilting syllable, TRA; 72. UPS unit: Abbr., CTN; 73. 66, famously: Abbr., RTE.

More? Eat CROW, wise as an OWL, looking like the cat that swallowed the CANARY, doing a SWAN song, the COCK of the walk, as mad as a WET HEN, naked as a JAYBIRD, proud as a PEACOCK, happy as a LARK, like a BAT out of Hell, and crazy as a LOON!

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

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.

07.25.10 — Up Starts

"The Temptation of Adam" by Tintoretto (1552)

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

Sunday, July 25, 2010

UP STARTS, Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld, edited by Will Shortz

Upping one letter in the alphabet at the start of the first word of a common phrase yielding a different word and an uncommon phrase accompanied by a justifying clue comprises the interrelated group of this silly Sunday crossword.

FAST OF EDEN (23. Cause for Adam to refuse the apple?)
TENT PACKING (28. Precamping preparation?)
SEASON TO BELIEVE (35. Christmas, for Christians?)
DREAM OF THE CROP (51. Bountiful harvest?)
CORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (67. Independence Day barbecue serving?)
HOOD FOR NOTHING (86. Unnecessary part of a jacket?)
MOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (98. Ultimatum from a spouse who wants nicer digs?)
NIXING BOWLS (106. Refusing to watch football on New Year’s Day?)
EATING GAME (119. Nathan’s annual hot-dog contest, e.g.?)

Other — AD HOMINEM (80D. Personal), AGEISTS and AGELONG (6D. Ones prejudiced against 125-Across people; 90D. Eternal), ÁNTONIA (76A. Girl in a Willa Cather title), FRED ROGERS (19A. PBS figure from 1968 to 2001), GLACIER (95D. There’s a national park named for one), IN REGARD TO (123A. Concerning), IRON MAN (59A. Robert Downey Jr. title role), OFFENSE (20D. Umbrage), OUTLINES (64D. Plans), PARK PLACE (15D. Property that costs $350), TENERIFE (33D. It’s WNW of Grand Canary Island).

Six-letter — ACT FOR, ANTLER, ANYHOW, AT DUSK, ATTLEE, ELAPSE, EL TORO, ESCHEW, GUSTAV, ID TAGS, LISSOM, MA BELL, OCTANE, ODORED, PREFAB, STATIC, THAT SO, THE SON, TOP HAT, UNSURE, YANKEE (73D. Ruth, once).

Five — AERIE, ASCAP, CACHE, CLAIM, EPPIE (1A. “Silas Marner” foundling), FELON, GAUSS (127A. Magnetic induction unit), HOMES (89D. Great Lakes mnemonic), ILENE, LILAC, MONAD, NASAL, NGAIO, NIGEL, OCULI, OLDER (125A. Grayer, perhaps), STOOL, TALIA, VIAGRA.

Short stuff — ABEL, ALSO, ALTI, AMPS and APSE, ASIR, ASSN, ATA, ATRA and ATRI, AYLA, BADU (114D. “On&On” singer Erykah), she of bad behavior, HERE, COCO, ECTO, EFFS and EFT, EGGO, EINE, EIS, ELOI (16D. Patron saint of goldsmiths), EMTS, ERO, ESC, ESOS, ESPN, EXAM, FIEF, FLAT, GAG, GRES, HAWN and HEWN, IBM, JOAD, ICAN, IGER, IMAX, ISON, LAIT, LEER, LEOS, LIMO, LUNN, MEDE, MOA and MOC, MOPE and NOPE and ROPE, NIBS, NONE, NOTV, OMEN, ORDS, PANE, PEER, PESO, POST, PRAT, RILE, ROAN, ROE and ROEG, ROUE, SEAR, SHES, SLOE, SPCA, STOA, SSN, TACO, TLC, TOAT, TOE, TOFU, TOON, USSR, WINE, XENA (108D. Lawless role).

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

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: 6. They’re schlepped on tours; 10. Bruce who played Watson in Sherlock Holmes films; 15. Equal; 21. Eyes; 22. As well; 24. Congested-sounding; 25. Weapon in Clue; 26. Feature of some Greek buildings; 27. Feudal holding; 30. Tests for srs.; 32. One-time connection; 34. BMI rival; 41. Alibi, e.g.; 45. Antique restorer’s need, for short; 46. Locale in a 1968 Beatles song; 47. Beaks; 48. “Really?”; 49. British P.M. during the creation of Israel; 55. Good source of protein; 58. Saudi Arabian province; 57. ___ gin fizz; 58. Article in Die Zeit; 62. Prom rental; 65. Place to pray; 74. Auel heroine; 76. Prefix with plasm; 77. Shelter grp.; 81. Cut; 83. Serving with gateau, maybe; 85. P.T.A. member?: Abbr.; 90. When streetlights go on; 92. Refuse; 93. The Road Runner, for one; 94. Freezer brand; 96. Caviar; 97. Makeshift stepladder; 102. Single-celled organism; 104. PC key; 105. Some chorus members; 111. Tijuana fare; 113. Genesis victim; 117. 1970s-’80s horror film franchise, with “The”; 1187. Lofty retreat; 121. It may be framed; 122. ___ Chaiken, creator and writer of “The L Word”; 124. Eye __; 126. Scorch. DOWN: 1. Pair of ruffians?; 2. Rear end; 3. Coin with a profile of Jose Maria Morelos; 4. Conference clip-ons; 5. Suffix with ranch; 7. One subjugated by Cyrus the Great; 8. Kind of housing, for short; 9. 104 datum: Abbr.; 10. Bar ___; 11. Self0-motivational mantra; 12. Composer Mahler; 13. Slip by; 14. Eye shadow shade; 17. Where to find “Baseball Tonight”; 18. Nicholas who directed “The Man Who Fell to Earth”; 28. Shire in Hollywood; 29. Treasure hunter’s find; 31. See 110-Down; 35. Interference; 36. Figure at una corrida; 37. Represent; 38. Municipal laws: Abbr.; 39. Maker of the trivia-playing computer program Watson; 40. Those, in Toledo; 42. Longfellow’s bell town; 43. “The heat ___”; 44. Look down; 48. Trinity component; 50. Sally ___ (teacake); 52. Agitate; 53. Needing tuning, maybe; 54. Mr Peanut prop; 56. Hunting lodge decoration bit; 60. Bird that is no more; 61. “As I was saying …”; 63. Casual slip-on, casually; 66. Young newt; 68. “Cactus Flower” Oscar winner; 69. Alternative to chestnut; 70. 1940 Fonda role; 71. Hesitant; 72. Willowy: Var.; 77. Does, say; 78. Blog comment; 79. First name in fashion; 80. Personal; 82. Alternative to grounding; 84. Media exec Robert; 87. Person with a serious conviction; 88. Sandal’s lack; 91. Perfectly; 98. Old phone company nickname; 99. Scented; 100. Station identification?; 101. Alternative to Cialis; 103. Marsh of mysteries; 106. “Uh-uh”; 107. Big picture?; 109. Shirez, for one; 110. Look from a 31-Down; 112. Gilette product; 115. CPR experts; 116. Some summer births; 119. Winter hazard in Munich; 120. Stand-up staple.

07.24.10 — AHA!

Hiawatha and Minnehaha on Their Honeymoon, 1885, Jerome B. Thompson

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

Saturday, July 24, 2010 — 150th birthday of Alphonse Mucha

Puzzle by David J. Kahn, edited by Will Shortz

AHA MOMENT (66A. What you may have while solving this puzzle?) with AHA within a single square, along with, reading across, MINNEH[AHA] (13. Literary character whose name is said to mean “laughing water“), YAM[AHA]S (34. Raptor 350 and others), MI[A HA]MM (38. Founding member of the Washington Freedom), M[AHA]LIA (41. Singer Jackson), and reading down, S[AHA]RA (6. Hot spot), SIR GAL[AHA]D (12. Tennyson hero), TALL[AHA]SSEE (20. Seat of Leon County, Fla.), M[AHA]RANEES (36. Old Royalty) and OM[AHA]S (58. Some Siouan speakers) constitutes the interrelated group of this surprising Saturday crossword, featuring a good share of the ordinary dressed in enigmatic clues.

Other — CHAMOIS (14A. Nonabrasive leather), ESPOUSAL (27A. Advocacy), HAD MORE (17A. Went back to the buffet, say), IMPRESS (35D. Awe), NOONTIME (11D. When two hands meet), MADE MAN (63A. Fellow with no monetary woes), OLDSTER (16A. Grandma or grandpa), PLAYED AT (37D. Didn’t do seriously), SEALERY (65A. Place for barkers?), SEAPORTS (47A. Places to unload), SEDALIA (61A. Missouri site of the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival), SEERESS (15D. Figure in the Iliad), SETS OUT (4D. Embarks), SPIED ON (44D. Watched closely from a distance).

Mid-size — ACHED, ASPENS (7A. Sources of woods used for saunas), CAME ON, FACILE, FILLES (1D. Nice girls), FIRSTS (1A. Some Guinness Book listings), IN DEEP, IN OIL, MOOSE (13D. Yellowstone sight), PRANKS, ROOMER, SATIRE (46D. “Fahrenheit 451,” e.g.), SEATER, SEE TO, SENTRA, SHARIF, SHAYS Rebellion, SLANT, STAGES, STILLS, THE ONE, TIRANA, TOSS IN.

Short stuff — ADIN, AKC, ALIT, ANGE, CASE, ENES, EMMA, EMT, IMPS, LEG, MTA, NAME, NAY, Norwegian violinist OLE Bull, ORA, PAD, RAY, RNS, SALA, SIM, SMEE, TAR, THEE.

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

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: 19. Two- ___; 21. Figure depicted in une eglise; 22. Mind; 24. Server’s edge; 26. Besmirch; 30. Smooth; 32. Film studio stock; 35. Pucks; 40. Many mail-order items, briefly; 43. English word that comes from Tswana; 45. Tomfoolery; 51. Alpha or beta follower; 52. Jewelry store feature; 54. How fried foods are fried; 55. Hydrocarbon endings; 57. 1992 Elton John hit; 60. Sessanta minuti; 67. Adolescence and others; 68. Civic alternative. DOWN: 2. Seriously committed; 3. Workers with 64-Downs, for short; 7. Hurt; 8. “Hidalgo” co-star, 2004; 9. Digs; 23. Add; 25. Con’s call; 28. Actor who played Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol,” 1951; 29. Settled; 31. Appeared in, as a TV show; 33. Literary pirate; 39. N.Y.C. travel letters; 42. Springer’s org.; 48. Paying guest; 49. Capital midway between Rome and Istanbul; 50. Editorial feature; 56. Palacio part; 59. Handle; 62. One with a supporting role; 64. Colleague of 3-Down.