08.31.10 — Undertakers of the Sky

California Condor by Jodi Schneider

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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Puzzle by Paula Gamache and Ed Stein, edited by Will Shortz

Five pairs of seven-letter heteronyms, uniformly noun across, verb down — EXPLOIT (20A. Bit of derring-do; 4D. Take advantage of), eks′plo̵it′ and ĕkˈsploit; PRESENT (22A. Here and now; 10D. Show, in a show-and-tell), prez′ənt or prē zent′; ADDRESS (39A. Lincoln’s famous one was just 272 words; 25D. Prepare to drive, as a golf ball), ə dres′ and a′dres′; INCENSE (56A. Aromatic sticks; 44D. Make boiling mad), in′sens′ and ĭn-sĕnsˈ; CONSOLE (58A. Home entertainment centerpiece; 47D. Say “There, there” to, say), kŏnˈsōl and kən sōl′ — constitutes the interrelated group of this flightless Tuesday crossword.

Other — CONDOR (49D. Flier with a 10-foot wingspan), ELOPED (50A. Fled to wed), ESPIED and EYED (5D. Spotted; 31D. Gave the once over), EXOTIC (50D. Wonderfully foreign), ODETTE (26A. “Swan Lake” swan), REWIND (27A. Put the tape back to the start), SPEEDO (9D. Swimwear brand), VIACOM (51A. Nickelodeon’s parent company).

Five-letter — “With A CAST of thousands!” (movie ad boast), ACIDS, ACUTE, AGENT, AMATI, DELON, DRAMS, EELER, GESSO, GLAND, INLET, NCAAS, OMEGA and OMNIA Vincent amor, OTTER, PREGO, RELET, ROLLS, SALON and SAXON, SOFT G (6D. Start of either syllable in “ginger”), SPRAT, TORTE, VIGGO.

Short stuff — AMEX, ANTE, AUDI, BALE, BITE, DO IT, EDAM, “What ELSE?“, EMMA, ENL, ERTÉ, ESTH, HMS Pinafore, HOSP, IDEA and IDYL, IMAX, LAMP, LAST and LESS, MAHI, MISC, OUI, OVAL and OVER, PFCS, PLED, RAHM, REED, REUP, SOLO, TEMP, TLC, TRAP, WASH.

“Give me a condor's quill! Give me Vesuvius' crater for an inkstand!” — Herman Melville

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Nosh; 5. Only O.T. book that never mentions God: Abbr.; 9. Jack who could eat no fat; 14. Certain charge card, informally; 15. Aria, typically; 16. Ragú rival; 17. Tiffany creation; 18. Ones ranking below cpls.; 19. Conger catcher; 24. Alpha’s opposite; 30. French actor Alain; 32. Cremona craftsman; 33. Pastoral poem; 34. Big mouth, slangily; 42. Photo blowup: Abbr.; 43. When doubled, a food fish; 45. Oboe or clarinet; 46. Less than 90 degrees; 48. Big tournaments for university teams, informally; 54. Anglo-___; 62. Producer of sweat and tears, but not blood; 63 “Go ahead!”; 65. Done; 66. Painting surface; 67. Auto on the autobahn; 68. In the cellar; 69. Web-footed mammal; 70. Catchall abbreviation. DOWN: 1. Unit of cotton; 2. Supersized movie screen format; 3. Short-term worker, for short; 7. An attentive doc gives it to a patient; 8. Doctor’s place: Abbr.; 11. Lease to a new tenant; 12. 15-percenter; 13. Rich cake; 23. Status symbol car, familiarly; 27. Obama adviser Emanuel; 28. Austen novel; 29. Get the grime off; 33. Invention starter; 35. Sign on for another tour; 36. A chip or two to start with; 37. Said “Not guilty!,” e.g.; 40. Small amounts; 41. Permanent provider; 51. “The Road” star Mortensen; 52. Fjord, e.g.; 55. They turn litmus paper red; 57. Cheese with a red coat; 59. Ellipsoid; 60. Minus; 61. Art Deco artist; 64. Non’s opposite.

08.30.10 — Hand and Hand

Two Hands, Vincent Van Gogh, 1885

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Monday, August 30, 2010

Puzzle by Richard Chisholm, edited by Will Shortz

TWO HANDS (59A. Things a clock has … or, literally, what 17-, 25-, 35- and 50-Across are), along with OFF STAGE (17A. Where Claudius is during Hamlet‘s “To be, or not to be“ soliloquy), BEFORE LONG (25A. Any time now), SECOND HELPING (35A. Extra plateful) and RIGHT FIELD (50A. Position for Babe Ruth) — that’s right, offhand, stagehand, beforehand, longhand, secondhand, helping hand, right-hand and field hand — are the interrelated entries of this deft Monday crossword, not a bit unlike the August 19th crossword of HEAD FIRST.

Other — FISHEYE (26D. Kind of lens with a wide angle), NINTENDO (38D. Video game maker that owns the Seattle Mariners), NOT FOR ME (36D. “No thank you”), SOFT-SHOE (3D. Form of tap dance), SQUIRREL (8D.Acorn lover).

Six-letter — ADROIT, AGLARE, ARTIST (43D. Warhol or Wyeth), BYE NOW, CLOWNS (47D. Performers with big red noses), ELAINE, FLAMBÉ (5D. Served on fire as cherries jubilee), INANER, GIANTS (44D. San Francisco nine), PIG PEN, Former vice president Dan QUAYLE, RETAGS, SENIOR, SOMBER, STREAM, UNSEAT, TOY CAR (46A. Matchbox racer), and last but not least, TSE TSE (65A. Feared African fly).

Five — Stick out like A SORE thumb, Frontiersman Daniel BOONE, DROID (37D. R2-D2, for one), ECASH, ENIAC (41A. Early computer that weighed 30 tons), LEDIN, ORATE, OUNCE, SNEAD, THUMP (20A. More than a gentle tap), TREAS, WOOER.

Short stuff — AGAS, AHSO, APER, BIC, CPO, DEO and DEW, ESTO, ETH, EWES (30A. Rams‘ madams?), GAIL, ILIE, JIF, MAS, NET, NIA and NIP, OTOS, OWL, PEW, PJS, POSY, PRO or con, RIO de Janeiro, ROD, SFPD, SHY, SITU, SOL, SROS, STA, STLO, TAL, TUE, Les États-UNIS.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Sleepwear, informally; 4. Law enforcement org. featured in “Bullitt”; 8. Like a requiem; 15. Tennis’s Nastase; 19. Defeat, as an incumbent; 21. Inexpensive pen; 22. Actress Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”; 23. Bouquet; 28. Biblical verb ending; 29. 12th grader; 31. One who goes a-courting; 33. Three-time Masters winner Sam; 43. Old Turkish leaders; 49. Tiny bite; 52. Normandy battle site; 53. 1960s world chess champion Mikhail ___; 54. Tennis legend Laver; 55. Make a grand speech; 57. More nonsensical; 62. Creek; 64. ___ gratias (thanks be to God: Lat.); 66. This, in Tijuana; 67. Bird that gives a hoot. — DOWN: 2. Skippy alternative; 4. In ___ (as found); 6. Sty; 7. Ruby or Sandra of film; 9. 1/16 pound; 10. Some grad school degrees; 11. “See ya later”; 12. Actress/director May; 13. Changes the price of, as at the supermarket; 18. Reluctant to meet people, say; 23. Sunday seat; 24. Plains tribe; 27. Saw to the seat at church, say; 29. Sellout signs; 32. Online money; 34. Copycat; 39. Collins on the Op-Ed page; 42. “___ Sharkey” of 1970s TV; 45. Blazing; 48. Dexterous; 51. Club finance offers: Abbr.; 52. Depot: Abbr.; 56. “I see,” facetiously; 58. Butterfly catcher; 59. U.S. Election Day, e.g.: Abbr.; 60. Morning moisture; 61. Note above fa.

08.29.10 — The Ghost Map — the Acrostic

Wentworth Street, Whitechapel from London: A Pilgrimage (1872) Paul-Gustave Doré and Blanchard Jerrold.

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Sunday, August 29, 2010

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

This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World, a book by Steven Berlin Johnson in which he describes the most intense outbreak of cholera in Victorian London, the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak, and what it means to us today, from the way we understand cities, science, disease, and the modern world.  The Ghost Map takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes London. Dr. John Snow—whose ideas about contagion had been dismissed by the scientific community—is spurred to intense action when the people in his neighborhood begin dying. He creates the map that traces the pattern of outbreak back to its source, establishing a precedent for the way modern city-dwellers, city planners, physicians, and public officials think about the spread of disease and the development of the modern urban environment.

The quotation: AN ITINERANT UNDERCLASS MANAGED TO CONJURE UP AN ENTIRE SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING THE WASTE GENERATED BY TWO MILLION PEOPLE THE SCAVENGERS OF VICTORIAN LONDON WEREN’T JUST GETTING RID OF THAT REFUSE THEY WERE RECYCLING IT

The author’s name and the title of the work: STEVEN JOHNSON THE GHOST MAP

The defined words:

A. Gavel-to-gavel period, SESSION
B. Raze, pan (2 wds.), TEAR DOWN
C. Production of the ovary, ESTROGEN
D. Convert into glass, VITRIFY
E. Momentous, historic, EVENTFUL
F. Elementary particle that can pass through matter almost undisturbed, NEUTRINO
G. Gin-flavoring berry source, JUNIPER
H. Heading in the right direction, accurate (2 wds.), ON TARGET
I. Einstein or Erasmus, philosophically, HUMANIST
J. Pay no attention to, disregard, NEGLECT
K. Preservative for dried fruit, often, SULFITE
L. Contents of some magazines, ORDNANCE
M. State ranked first in population density (2 wds.), NEW JERSEY
N. Stuff commonly sold by Yankee peddlers, TINWARE
O. Staged undertaking?, HYPNOTISM
P. Acts of vandalism by environmentalists, ECOTAGE
Q. Support for a drop leaf (2 wds.), GATE LEG
R. Property divider that needs tending, HEDGEROW
S. Locale for some underwater treasure hunters (2 wds.), OYSTER BED
T. City where “The Office” is set, SCRANTON
U. Belonging to the nobility, TITLED
V. Oscar-winning role for Robert Donat (2 wds.), MR CHIPS
W. Kind of marigold native to Mexico, oddly, AFRICAN
X. Stinker of the species Mustela putorius, POLECAT

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The full quotation — We’re naturally inclined to consider these scavengers tragic figures, and to fulminate against a system that allowed so many thousands to eke out a living by foraging through human waste. In many ways, this is the correct response. (It was, to be sure, the response of the great crusaders of the age, among them Dickens and Mayhew.) But such social outrage should be accompanied by a measure of wonder and respect: without any central planner coordinating their actions, without any education at all, this itinerant underclass managed to conjure up an entire system for processing and sorting the waste generated by two million people. The great contribution usually ascribed to Mayhew’s London Labour is simply his willingness to see and record the details of these impoverished lives. But just as valuable was the insight that came out of that bookkeeping, once he had run the numbers: far from being unproductive vagabonds, Mayhew discovered, these people were actually performing an essential function for their community. “The removal of the refuse of a large town,” he wrote. “is, perhaps one of the most important of social operations.” And the scavengers of Victorian London weren’t just getting rid of that refuse — they were recycling it. — more from Google Books, HERE.

Félix-Hilaire Buhot, The Spirits of Dead Cities, 1885, National Gallery of Art

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08.29.10 — The Alphabet

The alphabet in light writing by Nir Tober 

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Sunday, August 29, 2010

GOING FOR A RUN, Puzzle by Derek Bowman, edited by Will Shortz

The title of this sluggish Sunday crossword means absolutely nothing during the solution, being a mere afterthought. Clues with an asterisk (*) generate an across group of two-word entries running consecutively through the alphabet from top to bottom of the puzzle. Yes, that’s it. So… Army Brat, Carbon Dating, Exhaust Fans, Gray Hairs, Inside Job, Kitty Litter, Mixed Nuts, Outer Planet, Quick Read, Speed Trap, Used Vehicle, Winter X games and Year Zero.

Across, six-letter or more — 20. Auditorium features, AISLES; 22. *Kid constantly switching schools, maybe, ARMY BRAT; 23. *Age-revealing method, CARBON DATING; 27. Kind of expression, PAINED; 29. *Stale air reovers, EXHAUST FANS; 33. *Supposed results of stress, GRAY HAIRS; 42. Newer, as a car, LATE MODEL; 58. *Embezzlement, e.g., INSIDE JOB; 60. *Pet shop purchase, KITTY LITTER; 68. *Party bowlful, MIXED NUTS; 78. *Pluto, e.g., before it was plutoed, OUTER PLANET; 81. *Harlequin romance, e.g., QUICK READ; 91. Delicate skill, DIPLOMACY; 101. *Leadfoot’s downfall, SPEED TRAP; 106. *It’s got some miles on it, USED VEHICLE; 113. Was two under, EAGLED; 117. *Annual sports event since 1997, WINTER X GAMES; 120. *Beginning of time?, YEAR ZERO; 122. Bagel request, SESAME; 124. Arrive continuously, STREAM IN.

Down, six-letter or more — 3. “You bet!”, OH YEAH; 5. Navy, e.g., DARK SHADE; 7. Went by, ELAPSED; 10. Egyptian god of the universe, AMON RA; 11. Rice source, PADDY FIELD; 31. Donation location, ALMS BOX; 37. Oscar winner for “Life is Beautiful”, BENIGNI; 39. Skipping, OMISSION; 40. Carries on, CONTINUES; 41. Is not as easy as it seems, HAS A CATCH; 48. Soldiers home from service, e.g., RETURNEES; 49. Start of a popular children’s rhyme, ONE POTATO; 57. Where the limbo dance originated, TRINIDAD; 64. Woolgathering, REVERIE; 70. Citation’s end, END QUOTE; 75. Like aprons, at times, SPLATTERED; 84. Low-cost, lightweight autos of the 1910s-’20s, CYCLECARS; 92. Sensible, PRUDENT; 97. Gave under pressure, SAGGED; 100. Many a path up a mountain, ZIG ZAG.

Five-letter — AINTI, AKRON, ALARM, ASTRA, BOOED, BORAX, BULGY, CRÈME, DANSK, DARTS, DEMUR, EENSY, ESTAN, EZINE, INTRO, ISAAK, KIDAT, LITER, LORIS, MLIII, MRBIG, NEALE, OOMPH, PAINED, PLAZA, PLIES, PRAMS, SAGES, SENOR, SHEBA (89A. Title dog in an Inge play), SICEM, STAKE, SYNOD, VELMA.

Short stuff — ARFS, ATWT, BIKE, BLAS, BOD, CAPE, DRYS, EBB, EGON, EKE, EMIR, EMO and ENO, ERAT, GROG, HAST, HRH, HSN, IFAT, IGA and INA, KENT, IRS, KSU, LARA, LAZ, LET, LOEB, LYES, MALI, MOAB, NEAR, NECK, NED, NOOK, OCH, OLES, ORIG, OTTS, PACE, REA and RIA and RIC, RIOT, SES, SETA, SGTS, SOD, SOWS, STUF, TAJ, TKT, ULM, URL, UPI, USAF, VAC, VAIN, VIET, WEDS, YAH.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Like villains; 6. Middleton who sang with Louis Armstrong; 11. They might carry babies in nappies; 19. Cell phone feature; 25. Headless Horseman’s wear; 26. The Wildcats, for short; 28. Real cutup; 35. Danielle Steel novel about a European princess; 36. Lisa with the #1 hit “Stay (I missed You)”; 38. Barks; 39. “Gee,” in Glasgow; 46. “Ladies and gentlemen …,” e.g.; 50. Biblical kingdom; 52. Big name in dinnerware; 53. “Conversations with God” author ___ Donald Walsch; 56. British American Tobacco brand; 62. Gamble; 63. Not an imit.; 65. Makes one; 68. Reuters competitor; 67. Words a house burglar doesn’t want to hear; 71. Highest point on the Ohio & Erie Canal; 73. “___ moment”; 74. Thunderbirds’ org.; 76. Like peacocks; 77. “___ a Woman?” (Sojourner Truth speech delivered in 1851 in 71-Across); 85. Isthmus; 86. Wine order; 87. Protuberant; 88. ___ precedent; 94. Cover some ground; 95. Cards once traded for Gehrigs, say; 98. Part of Q.E.D.; 99. ___-Boy (brand of furniture); 112. Some World Cup cheers; 115. Flair of pro wrestling; 116. Matey’s libation; 123. Online mag; 125. Religious council; 126. Around the Clock is a version of this; 127. Solomons. — DOWN: 1. Antiseptic agent; 2. Zip; 4. “Cabaret” lyricist; 5. Cleaner, for short; 8. Newswoman Logan; 9. “Sex and the City” character also known as John; 12. Small inlet; 13. “Per ardua ad ___” (Royal Air Force motto); 14. 900 years before Queen Elizabeth was crowned; 15. Mister abroad; 16. Tempo; 17. Own, in the past; 18. Double ___ (Oreo variety); 21. Some police personnel: Abbr.; 24. About; 30. Web address; 32. Cozy spot; 34. Cable inits. For sales pitches; 43. Atlantic City hot spot, with “the”; 44. Musician Brian; 45. Court cry; 47. Purchase at a booth: Abbr.; 51. Hog; 54. Elementary figure: Abbr.; 55. Corrosive cleaning agents; 59. Object; 60. Be a ___ heart; 61. Chris with the top 10 hit “Wicked Game”; 68. Where the Senegal River begins; 69. “___ all possible”; 72. White wine cocktails; 79. Squeeze (out); 80. Nancy Drew’s beau; 82. Locale of an 1805 Napoleon victory; 83. Supermarket with a red oval logo; 87. Lesage book “Gil ___”; 90. Gymgoer’s pride; 93. Derisive call; 96. “Time ___” (1990s sci-fi series); 101. Foments; 102. Wields; 103. Teeny-tiny; 104. “Dónde ___ los Ladrones?” (1998 platinum album by Shakirs); 105. Square; 107. Temperance proponents; 108. ___ Cong; 109. ___ de cacao; 110. Petty and Singer; 111. Von Furstenberg of fashion; 114. Kuwaiti dignitary; 118. Alternative rock genre; 119. Parisian possessive; 121. Actor Stephen.

08.28.10 — Cutting Edge

Three hand-drawn illustrations from a flag book, about "Occam's Razor," a philosophical maxim that

argues for simplicity over complexity, credited to William of Occam, the 14th century philosopher.

Crop circles: It's more reasonable to conclude that humans, rather than aliens, made crop circles, largely because the alien theory is too complicated and makes too many unproved assumptions.

If You Hear Hoofbeats, Think Horses, Not Zebras: A phrase used by doctors to explain how to diagnose multiple symptoms... go with the obvious. If a patient has five symptoms, it's one malady, not five.

Solar System: Copernicus used Occam's thinking to explain that the Sun -- not the Earth -- was the center of the solar system, which made heavenly observations more easy to explain and eliminated many convoluted 17th century theories.

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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Puzzle by Xan Vongsathorn, edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. MISO soup; 5. One O’CAT (kid’s game); 9. Floor support?, YEAS; 13. Former Israeli P.M. EHUD Olmert; 14. Beast on Botswana’s coat of arms, ZEBRA; 16. Running gear component, AXLE; 17. One might perform behind bars, GO-GO DANCER; 19. The wind unwinds it, KITE; 20. They let people off, SPARERS; 21. Gentleman’s partner?, SCHOLAR; 23. Really smell like, REEK OF; 25. Hangs, HOVERS; 26. Cutting edge of science?, OCCAM’S RAZOR, that of William of Ockam; 29. Grabs and runs, say, LOOTS; 30. Words before “You’re on!”, WANNA BET; 35. Out of town, GONE; 35. Avoids, DUCKS; 38. Style of Duchamp’s “Fountain”, DADA; 39. Light limiter, APERTURE; 41. It’s often remotely controlled, TV SET; 42. Bits, SMITHEREENS; 45. Literary character who’s “always good-tempered” and “not very clever”, MR TOAD; 49. They’re good at breaking things, TAMERS; 50. Twitter, CHIRRUP; 52. Danger for small watercraft, LEE TIDE; 55. Drop without warning, JILT; 56. Kind of line symbolizing a cultural boundary, MASON-DIXON; 58. Able to see through, ON TO; 59. Arab, maybe, STEED; 60. Historic town on the Vire, ST LO; 61. Rigging handler, briefly, BOS’N; 62. Fresh lines?, SASS; 63. They can be piercing, EYES.

Down — 1. Drive units, briefly, MEGS; 2. Chain with many links, IHOP; 3. Alternative to a cup, SUGAR CONE; 4. Product associated with the annual Rotten Sneakers Contest, ODOR EATER; 5. Range near Wal-Mart’s headquarters, OZARKS; 6. Pixelate, say CENSOR; 7 Epitome of simplicity, ABC; 8. Cube root of veintisiete, TRES; 9. Comedian YAKOV Smirnoff; 10. What some traitors end up in, EXILE; 11. Stopping point for a train?, ALTAR; 12. Ball-bearing types?, SEERS; 15. Ancient Athenian magistrates, ARCHONS; 18. Thinks, DEEMS; 22. Feature of Africa … and some of its denizens, HORN; 24. Angel player of the 1970s, FAWCETT; 26. Bond girl Kurylenko, OLGA; 27. Shut (up), COOP; 28. Drummer ZAK Starkey; 31. Throw out pitches?, ADVERTISE; 32. Number system used by the Babylonians, BASE SIXTY, that’s just sexagesimal; 33. An old couple fell in it, EDEN; 34. Some lasting art, in slang, TATS; 36. Yo-yos, DUM DUMS; 37. It’s between Bern and Graubünden, URI; 40. Bolshevik foe, TSAR; 41. Unable to escape, in a way, TREED; 43. Features in many Fra Angelico paintings, HALOES; 44. Fixes, EMENDS; 45. Not the most stimulating work, MCJOB; 46. Record label named after an animal, RHINO; 47. Has a list, TILTS; 48. “The Ruffian on the Stair” playwright, ORTON; 51. Three-time grid champs of the 2000s, PATS; 54. 1980 TV spinoff, ENOS; 57. Source of rays, SEA.

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08.27.10 — She Sings

The Parting of Wotan, ca.1895, Ferdinand Leeke

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Puzzle by Corey Rubin, edited by Will Shortz

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL THE FAT LADY SINGS (14 and 17 Across, encouragement for a trailing team) and LET’S MAKE IT A TRUE DAILY DOUBLE, ALEX (57 and 60 Across, risky “Jeopardy!” declaration) are the featured entries in this end-of-week Friday crossword.

Other — AT SIGNS (36A. Parts of e-mail addresses), BOLSTERS (6D. Gives a shot in the arm), DIATRIBE (38D. Venomous venting), DRY HEAT (38A. Baking need), EVACUEE (7D. Hurricane survivor, maybe), INFUSE WITH (4D. Give the flavor of), IN HOSPITAL (27D. Like many laid-up Brits), WROTE UP (40D. Put to paper).

Six-letter — B AND B’S (35A. A.A.A. listings), ESTEES (24A. Actress Chandler and others), MAI TAI (39A. Tiki bar order), PINKOS (43D. Types a little to the left), PRAWNS (43A. Wharf fare?), SEDANS (8D. Lots are in lots).

Five — ATHOL, AT SEA, BEEBE (9A Deep-sea exploration pioneer), CLUES (49D. Things pieced together), EARLE, ELIOT, NOVAE, OASES, RIOTS, STAHL, TONUS (18A. Normal muscle tension), TUNED (22A. Ignored, with “out”), VIALS and “I swear I USE NO art at all“: “Hamlet“.

Short stuff — ABES, ALDA, AMOI, ASIA, ATTN, BIG D, BREW, BUS, DADA, DRAY, ELSA (13D. The bride in Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus”), ENID, ENTR‘ acte, ETNA, GALE, IAMS, I SAW (31A. Caesarean section?), ISLE, LEAD, LEST, LOSE, MAUI, MEAT, MITT, MYA, OARS, ODEA, OPEC, ORE, OTIS, RYNE, SCAN, SEXT, SPEC, SSTS, STAT, TBAR, TLC, TONI, WIE.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Lanai’s county; 5. Five-spots; 19. Search; 20. It originated at Zurich’s Cabaret Voltaire in the 1910s; 21. Get blitzed; 26. Occasions to use pepper?; 40. Golfer who turned pro at age 15; 41. Things locked into place; 42. Newswoman Lesley; 45. 1948 Literature Nobelist; 47. Vienna-based grp. With no European members; 50. Opposite of yours, in Tours; 55. Apothecary’s stock; 61. Out with the junk, say; 62. It’s risky to build a house on this; 63. In case. DOWN: 1. A baker might have a hand in it; 2. Massachusetts city called Tool Town; 5. Court fig.; 9. Something to take a pass on; 10. Often-referenced but never-seen wife on “Scrubs”; 11. Site of Vulcan’s smithy; 12. Stars’ city, informally; 15. Relief providers; 16. Slugger Sandberg; 23. Transporter of heavy loads; 25. Lydman of the N.H.L.; 27. L8. Concert halls; 29. Apparatus for pull-ups?; 30. They had Machmeters, briefly; 31. Pedigree alternative; 32. Recap figure; 33. Java setting; 35. Java, e.g.; 37. One might make waves; 44. Bright spots in the sky; 46. With 34-Across, slag furnace input; 48. 1960s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Wheeler; 50. 1986 Oscars co-host with Fonda and Williams; 51. Nut part; 52. Its products go up and down; 53. 1-Across, for one; 56. Send explicit come-ons by cell phone; 58. R&B singer with the hit “It’s All About Me”; 59. R&B group with the hit “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg”.

08.26.10 — X O, etc.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Puzzle by Henry Hook, edited by Will Shortz

Where to see X’s and O’s is the clue for three 16-letter entries of this Thursday crossword, FOOTBALL DIAGRAMS, END OF A LOVE LETTER and HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.

Other — ALLEYWAY (37D. Shortcut in a chase scene, maybe), ALTER EGO (4D. Doppelgänger) , FORENSICS (21A. “CSI” field), the absurdly obscure 1936 POINCIANA (51A. Bing Crosby hit in which “your branches speak to me of love”) , PROVOSTS (27A. College bigwigs), RESULTED (42A. Followed), SEA LEVEL (9D. It’s affected by global warming), TERTIARY (38D. Period of the Cenozoic Era).

Mid-size — ABNER, ACROSS (10D. Not this way), ACUITY, A-LINES, “There’s many A SLIP ‘twixt …”; BUDGE, CURES, EBOLA (14A. Virus named for a river), FAULTY (36D. Imperfect), GOT ONE, IBERT (25A. “Angélique” composer), rarely heard, INNER, JOKES, LISPS, LOOK AT, PADRE, PHONE, RAVED, SAILED, SHAKEN, SLITS and SPLIT, STATS, STEMS, TITLE, TRICK, UNCUT (45D. Whole), YULES.

Short stuff — ABOO, ADDS, AHAB, ALES, ANNE, ASIF, ASKS, ARIA, ASST, BEAD, CHAI, CINQ, CONE, DOOR, ELMS, FIST, IAMA, ITS, JADA, JEFF, JETS, LEG, LINT, NECK (54D. Spoon), ODIE, OSU, POLL, REST, SEL, SHAK, SNUG, SRS, TALC, TRI, ULNA, YAKS.

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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. Actress ___ Pinkett Smith; 5. Sports page fill; 10. Derisive response t “She thinks she’s going to be homecoming queen”; 16. Texas’ South ___ Island; 17. Spicy tea; 22. See; 23. Balance; 24. Meadowlands squad; 31. Comfy-cozy; 32. Like 007’s martinis; 33. “___ time”; 39. Journey segment; 40. Flaring garb; 41. Shade providers; 44. Medical breakthroughs; 46. Draft choices; 47. Fluffy stuff; 48. Sharpness; 58. Rice on a shelf; 60. Halloween option; 61. You might sweat it out; 62. Year-end celebrations; 63. Tibetan herd. DOWN: 1. One of the acting Bridges; 2. Peek follower; 3. “Let’s Make a Deal” choice; 5. Alley oops?; 6. Soothing sprinkle; 7. Tosses in; 8. Numerical prefix; 11. Big section of Bartlett’s: Abbr.; 12. “___ Strange Loop,” 2007 Douglas Hofstadter book; 13. Symbol of revolutionary power; 15. Capp lad; 19. Staffer: Abbr.; 20. Fisherman’s jubilant cry; 24. Routine material; 25. Central; 26. Move slightly; 27. Ring; 28. Carried on; 29. Sir or madam; 30. Florist’s waste; 31. Season on the Seine?; 32. Squinter’s eyes; 34. Ones with rings: Abbr.; 36. Imperfect; 43. Breezed (through); 44. V as in Versailles; 47. Talks like Daffy; 48. Captain with a “regal overbearing dignity of some mighty woe”; 49. Traffic marker; 50. Arm part; 51. Survey; 52. Jon Arbuckle’s pooch; 53. Met melody; 55. Probes; 57. Nebraska rival, for short.

08.25.10 — B +

Capital Letter B, James Tissot 

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Puzzle by Clive Probert, edited by Will Shortz

The online edition of this Wednesday crossword is prefaced with the note “This crossword is unusual in a certain way. Can you identify how? (answer in Notepad)”. Seeing the letter B pop up all over the place, I didn’t bother, but in the interest of reportage did so after solving — the note read “In this crossword, every answer and every clue contains at least one letter B.”  Aha!, it’s both answer and clue!  B as in brilliant!

Across — 1. Ali BABA of “The Arabian Nights”; 5. French bench, BANC; 9. Strikebreaker, SCAB; 13. Big blast maker, for short, A-BOMB; 15. “Able was I ere I saw ELBA”; 16. Letters on beach lotion, PABA; 17. Southern cousin of bouillabaisse, GUMBO; 18. Basics, ABCS; 19. Lb. or oz., e.g., ABBR; 20. Locale of Britain’s first Christian martyr, ST ALBANS; 22. Subsidiary route, BYROAD; 24. Flowers back, EBBS; 25. Helps in a bank heist, say, ABETS; 26. Bodega setting, BARRIO; 29. Not be able to stomach, ABHOR; 31. Former New York may Beame, ABE; 32. Uneven, as fabric, NUBBY; 34. The Beatles’ “Eleanor RIGBY”; 38. His NIBS (the boss); 40. Its beat may accompany a fife, TABOR; 42. Cowboy’s tie, BOLO; 43. Baseball’s Rusty STAUB; 45. Old stringed instrument with a narrow body, REBEC; 47. Buddy, BUB; 48. Bovine nickname, BOSSY; 50. Cribs hold them, BABIES; 52. Scrubber, BRUSH; 54. Neuwirth of Broadway, BEBE; 55. BEARER of bad news; 58. Research group associated with many Nobel Prizes in Physics, BELL LABS; 60. Kebab meat, LAMB; 61. Above, in Berline, UBER; 63. Bendable body part, ELBOW; 64. ALBA Longa, where Romulus and Remus were born; 65. Opposite of badly: Fr., BIEN; 66. Raymond’s wife on “Everybody Loves Raymond”, DEBRA; 67. “BE ON your best behavior”; 68. Juice brand, SOBE; 69. “Born from jets” sloganeer, SAAB.

Down — Pocketbooks, BAGS; 2. Border on, ABUT; 3. Capital of the former Belgian Congo, BOMA; 4. One walking comfortably, AMBLER; 5. Baked BEANS; 6. Priests’ robes, ALBS; 7. Brian Williams’s network, NBC; 8. Citadel, in Arabic, CASBAH; 9. Barbecue item, SPARE RIB; 10. Actor Sebastian CABOT; 11. P.L.O. bigwig Mahmoud, ABBAS; 12. Shakespeare or Browning, BARD; 14. Ribbon holder, maybe, BOBBIN; 21. Bring ABOUT (cause); 23. YBOR City (Tampa neighborhood); 26. Prohibitions, BANS; 27. Before long, after “in”, A BIT; 28. Sitcom with the character B.J., REBA; 29. Setting for Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose”, ABBEY; 30. Part of an invitation to an imbiber, BYOB; 33. Beer places, BARS; 35. Expanse south of Ulan Bator, GOBI; 36. Bawdy, BLUE; 37. Rowdies, in British slang, YOBS, a yob is a boy backwards; 39. Beyond the city limits, SUBURBAN; 41. Disobedient sort, REBEL; 44. Big name in speakers, BOSE; 46. Sent a message before fax machines, say, CABLED; 49. Bougainvilles and others, SHRUBS; 51. Ball girls, BELLES; 52. Memphis street with many jazz clubs, BEALE; 53. “First Blood” protagonist, RAMBO; 54. Capital SSW of Basel, BERNE; 55. Babble, BLAB; 56. English broadcaster, with “the” BEEB; 57. “SOS” band, ABBA; 58. When doubled, a Polynesian island, BORA; 59. Shipboard mop, SWAB; 62. Life, briefly, BIO.

Check out the cartoon in Wordplay!

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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.