09.30.12 — Car Talk

 

 

1923 Ford Model T in the 1955 film “The Night of the Hunter” with Lillian Gish

 

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Sunday, September 30, 2012

 

CAR TALK, Puzzle by Elayne Cantor and Victor Fleming

Edited by Will Shortz

 

Automobile terms with clues that change their meaning constitutes the interrelated group of this Sunday crossword:

 
CRUISE CONTROL (23A. What Katie Holmes lost in divorce court?)
REAR BUMPER (28A. Commuter on a crowded bus, e.g.?)
HEAD LIGHT (55. Epiphany?)
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (69A. What “Send” triggers?)
CRANK CASE (80A. Legal proceeding over a meth bust?)
TURN SIGNAL (110A. Smell of sour milk?)
HOOD ORNAMENTS (118A. Bling-bling?)
 

 

 

Shelley Winters as the widow Harper dumped in the river

in her Model-T Ford in The Night of the Hunter

Other — ADRIANO, ALERTED, ASININE, BACK PAY, BIGGEST, CENSORS, DEMAREST, EPISTLE, ERRATIC, IN SPIRIT, LACTOSE, NIGHTIES, ON SCREEN, PILINGS, REUPPED, TSETSES (96D. Ones reliant on the local blood supply).

 

Six-letter — ADESTE, ADWARE, AGORAS, A LISTS, ATTIRE, BARACK, BELONG, BIDENS, CARPET, ELVIRA, E-NOTES, ENURED, GIZMOS, GOOGLE (124A. Company with a 2004 I.P.O.), HOMAGE, INTACT, MEDICI, NAUSEA, OGRESS, ONAGER, OSIERS, POT PIE, RAYONS, SECRET, SELENA, SENSES, SPRING, TEHEES, THE GAP, YO DUDE.

 

Five — ANEMO, BAG IT, CLIPS, CRAGS, DELIS, DENSE, EDGAR, EVITA, GAYER, GOTTA, HEATH, HEROD, IONIC, KEELS, KNACK, LAMES, MODEL (31D. Word before A or T), NINER, OLLAS, PELEG, PENNS, SALAD, SAMOA, STEAD, TAMER, TEVYE, TRIBE, YAHOO (106D. Company with a 1996 I.P.O.).

 

Short stuff — ACE, AIDE, ALD, ASI and ASIA, ATAN, BERM, CAGE, CARL, CHIA, COO, CREE, CTS, DEV, DOES, ECK, ECRU, EDEL, EDGE, EIRE, ELEE, EMTS, ENT, EON, ERE, GAR, GRRS, HONE, IBAR, INA, INRE, IST, KIP, LEOS, LIE, MEN, MOE, MSG, MUDD, NAES, NAPE, NET, OAR, OBIT, OBOL, POS, RNS, SEEN, SION, SUR, TAG and TAZ, THOM, TOT, WEIR.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. First name in the White House; 7. Old Navy’s owner; 13. Dandy; 16. Like one battery terminal: Abbr.; 19. Start of a seasonal song; 20. Tribute; 21. Source of some intolerance; 25. Unsteady; 26. Money of Laos; 27. Shoots in the foot; 30. Huck Finn’s father; 31 Knicks venue, for short; 32. Throw in the towel; 33. “Sing of the old ___ and the ancient ways”: Yeats; 34. Prefix with -meter; 36. Some modern memos; 40. 1946 Best Supporting Actor nominee William; 43. Bro’s greeting; 45. Beam of support; 46. Leon who won a Pulitzer for his biography of Henry James; 47. Actor Patel of “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”; 48. Dealy-bobs; 51. Digit in military lingo; 59. Some August newborns; 62. Slaw, e.g.; 64. Strep treater, for short; 65. Preschooler; 86. “Dreaming of You” singer; 68. Sholem Aleichem protagonist; 74. Family; 76. Giggles; 76. Noise in a nest; 77. They tend IVs; 78. Judea’s ___ the Great; 79. Home for a 123-Across; 83. Hero makers; 85. Programming behind computer pop-ups; 88. “___ second”; 89. 1950s coup site; 92. Gen. Robt. ___; 93. Thickly cover; 97. With one’s heart, if nothing else; 101. Vice-presidential family; 103. TV excerpts; 104. Spot for a farm laborer’s sunburn; 105. More lighthearted; 107. Theologian Johann; 109. Potentially slanderous remark; 113. English king ___ the Peaceful; 116. Suffix with balloon or cartoon; 117. Harebrained; 122. Bleepers; 123. Wild equine of 79-Across; 125. Word before sale or after sales; 126. ABC, e.g., in Variety-speak; 127. Feared folklore figure; 128. Picks up. — DOWN: 1. Wrongful discharge award; 2. One-named Brazilian soccer star; 3. Extended one’s stint; 4. “___ said …”; 5. Price abbr.; 6. Bases for boats; 7. ___ McAn shoes; 8. Practice, as skills; 9. 911 V.I.P.’s; 10. Elongated swimmer; 11. Ancient assembly sites; 12. Genesis man who lived 239 years; 13. Tipped off; 14. Dual-___; 15. Shade akin to almond; 16. Round entrée; 17. Weavers’ willows; 18. Diary tidbit; 22. Circus employee; 24. Lock up; 29. Iago, to Othello; 32. Side of a road; 35. California’s Harvey ___ College; 37. Some sleepwear; 38. Life after death?; 39. Looney Tunes toon, informally; 41. Restroom sign; 42. Preferred groups; 44. “The Lady’s Got Potential” musical; 49. Unglazed ceramic jars; 50. Comprehended; 52. Scottish turndowns; 53. Mozart’s Donna ___; 54. Synthetic fabrics; 55. ___ bar; 56. Accustomed (to); 57. Coat and tie, e.g.; 58. “We ___ Get Out of This Place”; 60. Viewed remotely?; 61. About 90% of its land is owned communally; 63. Like dunderheads; 66. Lieu; 67. Odist’s “before”; 70. One-sixth of a drachma; 71. Borgia enemy; 72. ___ Pet; 73. Greek architectural style; 80. Northern Plains people; 81. Facility; 82. Lenny’s friend on “The Simpsons”; 84. Spanish direction; 86. Dam that aids in fish-catching; 87. Local council member: Abbr.; 90. Number-one; 91. ___ all-time high; 94. Pier group?; 96. Pauline work; 97. Whole; 98. Dramamine user’s fear; 99. Oasis, often; 100. ___ Landing (part of Philadelphia); 101. Fit in; 102. One of the Lennons; 108. Rock-climbing challenges; 111. Capital of the Swiss canton of Valais; 112. About; 113. Nose out; 114. Effectuates; 115. Toy warnings?; 119. Itd fits in a lock; 120. Skiing gold medalist Tommy; 121. Almost forever.

 

09.29.12 — Strange Bird

 

Die Zwitscher-Maschine (Twittering Machine) 1922 Paul Klee

 

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

 

Puzzle by Joe DiPietro / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Lead, STAR; 5. Intestines, e.g., TRACT; 10. Dealers in books and records, CPAS; 14. “TONE it down!”; 15. Jenna Bush HAGER, former first daughter; 16. Workers’ place, HIVE; 17. Crush, e.g., ORANGE SODA; 19. “The Gondoliers” nurse, INEZ; 20. Stiff, POTENT; 21. Like George Bush’s promised nation, GENTLER; 23. Summer mountain feature, SNOW CAP; 25. “That’s enough!”, QUIT IT; 27. Bill producers, ATMS; 28. Kind of woman KEPT; 31. Explorer ROALD Amundsen; 32. Spirograph, e.g., TOY; 33. Lovers of all things Barbie, say, GIRLIE GIRLS; 35. Filter target, JUNK E-MAIL; 36. Odd one, STRANGE BIRD; 39. Noted rock site: Abbr., GIB; 42. Buck for a tune?, OWENS; 43. Cause of a car rental surcharge, DENT; 44. He was traded between Chicago teams in 1992, SOSA; 45. Add as a bonus, TOSS IN; 47. Some blight, GHETTOS; 49. Thick vegetable soup, POTTAGE; 52. It’s a wrap, SERAPE; 53. Like some plugs, MALE; 54. Needs from, REQUIRES OF; 56. Tear, RIVE; 57. Litter, e.g., YOUNG; 58. Go off-shore, maybe, WADE; 59. Autobus alternative, TREN; 60. Like some elephants, ASIAN; 61. CNBC subj., NYSE.

 

Down — 1. Visits, STOPS AT; 2. City originally known s the Town of York, TORONTO; 3. An arm and a leg and then some, ANATOMY; 4. Keeps it coming, maybe, RENEWS; 5. What leftovers may be for, THE TAKING; 6. Univ. aides, RAS; 7. In a swivet, AGOG; 8. Grant, CEDE; 9. Anxiolytic, e.g., for short, TRANQ; 10. Sichuan cooking ingredient, CHILI OIL; 11. It may help you get a grip, PINE TAR; 12. Earl AVERILL in the Baseball Hall of Fame; 13. “SEZ me!”; 18. Health products co., GNC; 22. Distended, TURGID; 24. Livened (up); PERKED; 26. Cardinal pts.?, TDS; 29. Object of some hazing, PLEBE; 30. It’s everything it’s said, TIMING; 33. Hit’s the gas, GUNS IT; 34. Taurus, for one, EARTH SIGN; 35. Dutch Golden Age painter, JAN STEEN; 36. One who’s usually gone, SOT; 37. Kings and queens, say, TWO PAIR; 38. Work out, RESOLVE; 39. Was given the right to vote, GOT A SAY; 40. Wood lice and pill bugs, ISOPODS; 41. Starting figure on a utility bill, BASE FEE; 44. Scattered, STREWN; 46. NARY A one (nobody); 48. Market add-on, EER; 50. Storms and others, GEOS; 51. What can open laterally; EQUI; 53. Star of the motivational video “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool”, MR T; 55. “Por UNA Cabeza” (tango standard).

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09.28.12 — Sensory Overload

 

 A Clockwork Orange 1971

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Puzzle by Ed Sessa / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Menlo Park middle name, ALVA; 5. Musical with the song “Bui Doi”, MISS SAIGON; 15. Receives, as a visitor, SEES; 16. What cosmologists wonder, ARE WE ALONE; 17. Word for quitters, CAN’T; 18. Got through, PENETRATED; 19. Heat, ESTRUS; 21. Gorge, SATE; 22. Aqui, across the Pyrénées, ICI; Dovetail part, TENON; 24. Be feeble-minded, DOTE; 25. Like some mus. Notes, STAC; 26. Judge in 1990s news, ITO; 27. Neverland resident, FAIRY; 29. Maker of a special-delivery flight, STORK; 30. What shows its ribs?, CORDUROY; 32. Things that are shot or fought, ROUNDS; 33. One way to resign, IN PROTEST; 35. St. ALBANS (English boys’ school founded in 1948); 38. Stadium ear piercer, VUVUZELA; 42. Chicken’s yellow part?, BELLY; 43. Swing a thurible around, CENSE; 44. Texas hoopster, MAV; 45. Phishing lure?, SCAM; 46. Arabian parent, SIRE; 47. Eclipse alternative, MIATA; 49. Like chestnuts, OLD; 50. It may follow a cut, DEAL; 51. Milk curdler, RENNET; 52. Classic Robert Burns poem, with “A”, RED RED ROSE; 55. Certain something, AURA; 56. Be disengaging?, BREAK A DATE; 57. Grow tiresome, WEAR; 58. People person, SCREEN IDOL; 59. Some brackets, ELLS.

Down — 1. Mahatma Gandhi, for one, ASCETIC; 2. Provide for tenancy, LEASE TO; 3. Atlantic follower, in Monopoly, VENTNOR; 4. Turf leader?, ASTRO; 5. Hikers’ helpers, MAPS; 6. Madness, IRE; 7. Potential downside of the information age, SENSORY OVERLOAD; 8. Hyperhidrotic, SWEATY; 9. Otto goes after it, SETTE; 10. Swiss banks may be affiliated with it, AARE; 11. Pier grp., ILA; 12. Began brawling, GOT IT ON; 13. Draw for an inside straight, say, ONE CARD; 14. Old fast-food chain whose mascot’s head was an orange, NEDICK’S; 20. Bombing at a comedy club, UNFUNNY; 24. DIOR Homme (perfume brand); 25. Blackhawk carmaker, STUTZ, or maybe THIS; 28. MoMA’s “Two Heads” and “Birds in an Aquarium”, ARPS; 29. “Yeah, I did it .. Oh well!”, SO SUE ME; 31. Director for murder?, DIAL M; 32. Quick spins?, REVS; 34. Whistler’s production, TUNE; 35. Rivets, ABSORBS; 36. Tank named after a French W.W. II general, LECLERC; 37. Inflatable lining, BLADDER; 39. Daley’s successor as may or Chicago, EMANUEL; 40. Pass out on the field?, LATERAL; 41. Some self-images, AVATARS; 43. John who wrote the textbook “How Does a Poem Mean?”, CIARDI; 46. Many a cab, SEDAN; 48. Knocked out, IN AWE; 50. Fool on the ice, DEKE; 51. Cousin of a jig, REEL; 53. Singer Carly, RAE Jepsen; 54. Pou STO (basis of operations).

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09.27.12 — ON/OFF

 

 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

 

Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

ON/OFF SWITCH (56A. Toggle … or a hint to 18-, 29- and 45-Across?), FROFFT ONICE (18A. Sports team management group), GO ON OFF A TANGENT (29A. Digress) and ON-YEAR ELECTIOFF (45A. What a mayor wins usually) constitute the interrelated group of this thorny Thursday crossword.

 

Other — AL FATAH, BASS SOLO, CAT YEARS, DARE I SAY, ELUSIVE, GLACIER, MR FREEZE (38D. “Batman“ villain in a cryogenic suit), ON PAROLE, PENANCE, SCOTSMAN (37D. Arthur Conan Doyle, e.g.).

 

Mid-size — A L EAST, ALLAH, AMORAL, “You missed A SPOT”, CANCER, CHORAL, CHROMA, COATED, FRITO, IN A WAY, LEONID meteor shower, MACRON (12D. Diacritical mark), Orion NEBULA, NOONAN, NORSE, OCTOPI, OHIOAN, ORIOLE, OUTIES, PAMELA, SNAP AT, SORT OF, SPASMS, TEBOW, YO-YO MA (47D. Classical musician whose career has had its ups and downs?).

 

Short stuff — ARY, AZO, COO, Lana DEL Rey, EERO, EGAL, ERSE, ETRE, FEW, FLA, GPS, HMO, INFO, IOS, ISLA, JOB, JUG-eared, LEO, LOS, MEW and NEW, NOEL, OH SO, “ … boy OR A girl?”, RON Swanson, SAFE, TOY, UFC, UNA, VIES, WOW (61A. “That‘s crazy!”).

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Part of a metaphorical ladder; 4. Any of the Galapagos; 8. Color classification quality; 14. Italian article; 15. “Angels From the Realms of Glory,” e.g.; 16. Like psychopaths, say; 17. Cellphone feature, for short; 22. Suffix with diet; 24. Language for a 37-Down; 25. Some navels; 28. California’s ___ Padres National Forest; 32. Word appearing more than 20 times on Iran’s flag; 33. Like some music; 36. Muscle cramps, e.g.; 40. Covered;44. Capital on the Gulf of Guinea; 49. Engage in some pillow talk; 51. French word with a circumflex; 52. Play (with); 53. What portable Apple products run; 54. It can be found in runes; 60. Kitten call; 62. Classic 1740 romance subtitled “Virtue Rewarded”; 63. Contests; 64. Kind of dye; 65. To some extent; 66. Architect Saarinen; 67. Shiny, say. — DOWN: 2. Out, in a way; 3. Certain jazz club improvisation; 4. Dope; 5. To some extent; 6. 48-Down follower; 7. Movement founded by Yasser Arafat; 8. Age calculation at a vet clinic; 9. Medical grp.; 10. ___ Swanson, “Parks and Recreation” boss; 11. 13-Down athlete; 13. See 11-Down; 19. Popular corn chip, informally; 21. Expiation; 24. Even in Paris?; 26. Mixed martial arts org.; 27. Lose one’s patience with, maybe; 30. Many a Browns fan; 31. Epitome of slowness; 35. “This may be controversial, but…”; 39. Cry at home, maybe; 41. America’s favorite active pro athlete,” per a 2012 ESPN poll; 42. Slippery; 43. Singer Lana ___ Rey; 45. Exotic aquarium specimens; 46. Speechwriter who coined the phrase “Read my lips: no new taxes”; 47. Classical musician whose career has had its ups and downs?; 48. 6-Down preceder; 55. Very; 57. Small number; 58. Fourth-largest state in population: Abbr.; 59. N.H.L. impossibility.


 

09.26.12 — FOOTBALL

 

 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

 

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins / Edited by Will Shortz

F O O T B A L L in circled letters (forming a football-shape if connected with an outline), XXX (30D. Pigskin stitching) in the center of the imaged football, THE KICK IS UP / AND IT IS GOOD (23A. With 44-Across, common broadcasting phrase related to this puzzle’s outer circle letters), ANNOUNCER (3D. One saying 23-/44-Across), FIELD / GOALS (35A. With 37-Across, events described by 23-/44-Across) and HASHMARKS (32D. They appear at one-yard intervals) constitutes the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword.

 

Other — CLARINET (8D. Pete Fountain played it), CORSET, EATS DIRT, ENCINO, GLADIATOR (9D. Lions‘ foes), OIL PAINTER (26D. Manet or Monet), PAWNED, SOLIDS.

 

Five letter — ADENO (21A. Glandular prefix), “Would you like to see A MENU?“, APNEA, APPLY, DRAMA, EPICS, “And that’s FINAL!”, FIVER, GOT A B, GUSTS, LIMES, MAFIA, MEALS, NO END, NO LIE, OASES, ONSET, PEELS, PLATA, PORNO, RISES, SLASH, SLIMY, SOAKS, STOAS, SYSOP, TERSE, URKEL.

 

Short stuff — AIL, ALE, ASST, ASU, CLOT, DOLT, EFT and EXT, GOAD, Mardi GRAS, ICON, IST, “Is IT I Lord?”, LEAN, MOP, NASA, NIA, OH NO, ONER, PANE, PAX, PERU, PFC, PSI, RAD, SAL Mineo, TBS, TEND, THAI, TUG, WVA, XED, YEAR.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Some are square; 6. G.I. rank; 13. It might keep you up at night; 14 Feel bad; 15. Vile; 17. Morgantown’s locale: Abbr.; 18. Some mirages; 19. John Lennon, e.g.; 210. Dandy; 21. Glandular prefix; 22. Sun Devil Stadium’s sch.; 25. To a huge extent; 27. Curiosity’s launcher; 28. Los Angeles district; 30. Deleted; 31. Bangkok native; 35. With 37-Across, evens described by 23-/44-Across; 36. Abbr. after a phone no.; 37. See 35-Across; 38. Rain delay sight; 39. Peace, to Pliny; 40. Middle manager?; 41. Jr. in an office; 43. One of two on a short date?; 44. See 23-Across; 48. Custodian’s tool; 51. Flick not shown on network TV; 52. Lunkhead; 53. Greenhouse square; 54. Silver, in the Serra Madres; 55. “Lord, is ___?”: Matthew 26:22; 56. Adhering to Strunk and White’s advice “Omit needless words”; 57. Mojito garnishes; 58. X-ray unit; 59. “Family Matters” role; 60. Alumni grouping; 61. “Very funny” cable channel; 62. Short blasts. — DOWN: 1. Omerta organization; 2. Works inspired by Calliope, e.g.; 3. One saying 23-/44-Across; 4. Request to a butcher; 5. Mineo of film; 6. In hock; 7. Shortish race, for short; 9. Lions’ foes; 10. Knolls; 12. Online honcho; 15. Rips off, in a way; 20. “Here we go again!”; 23. Work, as a bar; 24. Probably not Mr. Right; 28. Pond denizen; 29. Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”; 30. Pigskin stitching; 32. They appear at one-yard intervals; 33. The “A” in IPA; 34. Verb after “das”; 36. Grovels; 37. Prod; 39. Tire spe3c abbr.; 40. Circulation blocker; 42. Greek walkways; 43. Pool side; 44. Put on; 45. “I swear!”; 46. Miller product; 47. Scored in the 80s; 49. Beginning; 50. Bares fruit?; 53. Country mentioned in Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me”; 56. Yank.

 

09.25.12 — NESSIE

 

 

Lochness Monster, Surgeon's Photograph

 

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

 

Puzzle by Ian Livengood / Edited by Will Shortz

The N in NESSIE rears its head above this crossword in a stray square numbered as 0 in the upper right of the puzzle while the rest of NESSIE resides in shaded or circled squares below, accompanied by SURGEON’S PHOTO (20A. Supposed evidence of the 38-Across), LOCH NESS MONSTER (38A. Subject of this puzzle) and CRYPTOZOOLOGY (51A. Field of study that includes the 38-Across). It should be noted that the numbering differs from the electronic and the newsprint editions from 1 through 12, leaving 0 in the newsprint as the square for the N in NESSIE.

 

FAKE or REAL (66 or 67-Across: What some consider the 38-Across to be) completes the interrelated group of this strange Tuesday crossword.

 

Other — BAR GRAPH, INTUIT, I THOUGHT SO (11D. “My suspicions were right!”), NARCOS, PESETA, POCKET COMB (28D. Grooming item for one on the go), Upton SINCLAIR, Ian THORPE, TORE AT (25D. Tried to claw open).

 

Five-letter — AGLOW, ASCOT, CAIRO, C-NOTE, DOWSE, ERGOT, ETATS, ISSUE, NITTY-gritty, OCEAN, SCOUT, SEMIS, SEX ED, SIGNS, SILAS, SPENT, TERSE and TESTY.

 

Short stuff — AIDA, ALOE, ARK, ASAP, AXIS, BABS (1D. Streisand, familiarly), BEER, BLOB and BLOC, BMW, CHAR, COO, DOC, DOHS, “EAT your heart out!“, E’ER (12D. Poetic contraction), ETRE, GOYA (56D. Prado artist), HRE, IDYL, IHOP, “Your guess IS AS good …”, LEE, In LIEU of, MEMO, NE’ER (0-Down. Poetic contraction), ODER, OLDE, OLGA, PEN, PERP, Year of the RAT, SEAN Paul, SPAS, TGIF, TIS, TOT, VIBE, WEBS, YELL, YES, ZONK.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Formless lump; 3. “Chop-chop!”; 9. Vague sense; 13. Opera set in Egypt; 14. H.S. Health course; 16. To be, to Bernadette; 17. Fraternity party purchase; 18. City where 13-Across debuted; 19. Blacken, in cooking; 22. Year o f the __ (what 2008-09 was); 24. Game piece on a Stratego board; 28. Green figure, briefly; 29. 1999 Frank McCourt memoir; 32. Fungus that affects cereal; 34. 24-hour place to hit the links?; 35. Pre-euro money; 37. Medieval Eur. Domain; 41. Biblical sanctuary; 42. Feel in one’s bones; 44. Utterly tired; 46. You called?”; 47. 100 smackers; 48. French states; 50. Marty’s scientist pal in “Back to the Future”; 58. Voting alliance; 60. All lit up; 61. Lotion additive; 62. In-tray item; 63. DEER XING and others; 64. Quaint literary work; 65. Some Halloween décor. — DOWN: 3. Baltic Sea feeder; 4. Chart in many a PowerPoint presentation; 5. Cousin of a neckerchief; 6. Reggae artist ___ Paul; 7. Pivotal line; 8. Crook, to a cop; 9. Missile heading; 11. Item offering support; 15. Homer Simpson outbursts; 22. The Atlantic, e.g.; 25. Tried to claw open; 26. Miserly Marner; 27. 2000 and 2004 swimming medalist Ian; 29. Peckish; 30. Debate topic; 31. Haulers on the highway; 33. Hardly wandering; 35. Confident solver’s tool; 36. Rug rat; 40. Upton who wrote “Oil”; 45. Bust figures; 47. Whisper sweet nothings; 49. Five-star hotel offerings; 50. Search for water, in a way; 53. “Whew! What a long week!”; 53. Korbut on a balance beam; 54. Fall dead asleep, with “out”; 55. Adjective for a shoppe; 56. Prado artist; 57. Hoot and holler; 568. Maker o the 7 Series; 59. Spike behind a camera.

 

09.24.12 — Cirrus Aviaticus

 

Cirrus aviaticus — Engine exhaust condensation trails (contrails) photograph by Joe Thomissen

 

Contrails or vapor trails are long thin artificial clouds that sometimes form behind aircraft. Their formation is most often triggered by the water vapour in the exhaust of aircraft engines, but can also be triggered by the changes in air pressure in wingtip vortices or in the air over the entire wing surface. Like all clouds, contrails are made of water, in the form of a suspension of billions of liquid droplets or ice crystals. Depending on the temperature and humidity at the altitude the contrail forms, they may be visible for only a few seconds or minutes, Persistent contrails are thought to have a significant effect on global climate. ~ Wikipedia

 

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Monday, September 24, 2012

 

Puzzle by John Dunn / Edited by Will Shortz

VAPOR TRAILS (59A. What airplanes leave in the sky … or what 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across have?), along with STEAM, FOG, CLOUD and GAS trailing at the end of four entries, constitutes the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

PICK UP STEAM (17A. Gather momentum)
THE VELVET FOG (23A. Mel Tormé‘s nickname)
GET OFF OF MY CLOUD (37A Rolling Stones hit whose title follows the words ‘Hey you”
STEP ON THE GAS (48A. “Hurry up!”)

Other — ADAGES, AGATHA Christie, ARENAS, ARGYLE, CASINO, HORNET, END OF STORY (11D. “Nothing more to say”), LOTUS-EATER (28D. Daydreamer encountered by Odysseus), NAUGHT, OSPREY, POLITY, RAMROD.

Five-letter — A-BEAM, ESTEE, GRUEL, H-BOMB, ID TAG, “I REST my case!”, PESTO, SHEAF, SHELL, TAPIR, TEMPO, TIARA.

 

Short stuff — ALEE, AMT, ANON, APE, ARA and ARE, ARIA, Jean AUEL, CAPS, DST, EAU de cologne, EER, EPI, ESPY, EVAC, FIDO, FOR Your Eyes Only”, FRAN Tarkenton, HEAT, IFS, INK, IOTA, ITE, LOG, MDSE, NED Beatty, ONE-A, OPT, ORES, PAGE, PEA, PRIM, SAT, SECT, SERB, SHEA, SODA, SSTS, SUV, TAM and YAM, TINO Martinez, TOE, VARY, VPS, “WAS it something I said?”, WING.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Vegas attraction; 7. Catch a glimpse of; 11. Prefix with dermal; 14. Stadiums; 15. Old home for Mr. Met; 16. Actor Beatty; 19. “Spring ahead” hours: Abbr.; 20. Parked on a bench; 21. Meager fare for Oliver Twist;22. Greek “I”; 26. System of government; 29. Ventnor and Baltic in Monopoly: Abbr.; 30. Soon, to a poet; 31. Pageant headwear; 34. Scottish headwear; 43. They may need refining; 44. Root beer or ginger ale; 46. Diamond-shaped pattern; 53. Radiator output; 54. Perpendicular to the keel; 66. Tennis’s Novak Djokovic, by birth; 67. Old saws. — DOWN: 1. Baseball headwear; 2. Operatic selection; 3. Religious faction; 4. Toner, e.g.; 5. Nothing; 6. Fish hawk; 7. Cosmetics maker Lauder; 8. Taco exterior; 9. Pod item; 10. Thanksgiving vegetable; 12. Sauce with crushed garlic and basil; 13. Item on a dog collar or suitcase; 18. Chevrolet Equinox, e.g.; 22. Suffix with meteor; 23. Ex-Yankee All-Star Martinez; 24. Fluctuate; 25. Emergency exodus operation, briefly; 26. One of 15,490 in the first edition of the O.E.D.; 27. Most eligible to be drafted; 31. Stubbed digit; 32. Conditions; 33. Quantity: Abbr.; 35. “the Clan of the Cave Bear” author Jean; 36. Retailer’s inventory: Abbr.; 38. Pal of Rex or Rover; 39. Tarkenton of three Super Bowls; 40. Lincoln ___ (building toy); 45. Choose to participate, with “in”; 46. Christie who wrote “Ten Little Indians”; 47. Muzzle-loading tool; 48. Bundle of wheat; 49. Speed kept by a metronome; 50. Rhinoceros relative; 51. Test ban subject, briefly; 52. Suffix with ballad; 55. Flier’s flapper; 56. Sheltered, at sea; 57. Retired fliers; 59. No. 2s; 60. “___ you serious?“, 61. Coach Parseghian.

 

09.23.12 — Tutankhamen — the Acrostic

 

Mask of Tutankhamun's mummy,

the popular icon for ancient Egypt at The Egyptian Museum.

 

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Sunday, September 23, 2012

 

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

 

This Sunday’s challenging acrostic draws a quotation from Tutankhamen, The Search for an Egyptian King by Joyce Tyldesley.

 

The discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 was perhaps the world’s most important archaeological find. The only near-intact royal tomb to be preserved in the Valley of the Kings, it has supplied an astonishing wealth of artifacts, spurred a global fascination with ancient Egypt, and inspired folklore that continues to evolve today. Despite the tomb’s prominence, however, precious little has been revealed about Tutankhamen himself. In Tutankhamen, acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley unshrouds the enigmatic king. She explores his life and legacy as never before, and offers a compelling new window onto the world in which he lived. ~ Amazon.com

 

The quotation: THE EGYPTIANS OMITTED VOWELS FROM THEIR HIEROGLYPHIC TEXTS; LIKE MODERN EMAILERS AND… (TXTRS), THEY SAW NO NEED TO WASTE TIME… AND SPACE…WRITING SOUNDS AND SOMETIMES EVEN WORDS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE. LOL.

 
The author’s name and the title of the work: TYLDESLEY, TUTANKHAMEN
 
The defined words:
 
A. Ideal amount for some gamblers (hyph.), TWENTY-ONE
B. Body colored by windblown Gobi Desert sand (2 wds.), YELLOW SEA
C. What Daedalus made for Minos, LABYRINTH
D. Mentally or manually agile, DEXTEROUS
E. Birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, EDINBURGH
F. Guys who like outdoorsy games, SPORTSMEN
G. Union driven by passion (2 wds.), LOVE MATCH
H. Harvard dropout who invented the Polaroid camera (2 wds.), EDWIN LAND
I. Chant of sailors hauling together (hyph.), YO-HEAVE-HO
J. Fitted out like a brigantine (hyph.), TWO-MASTED
K. Machine favored by Faulkner and Fitzgerald, UNDERWOOD
L. Wire fasteners wrapped in plastic or paper (2 wds.), TWIST TIES
M. Forceful, in-your-face, ASSERTIVE
N. Fan-shaped region including Alexandria and Zagazig (2 wds.), NILE DELTA
O. Low-growing weed with jointed stems, KNOTGRASS
P. What might get shot around the house (2 wds.), HOME MOVIE
Q. Pithy sayings that may be moralistic, APOTHEGMS
R. Copies greatly reduced in size, MICRODOTS
S. High, steep, not easy to cover, EXPENSIVE
T. Subject of a bust attributed to the sculptor Thutmose, NEFERTITI
 
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The full paragraph of the quotation and the following paragraph: The Egyptians omitted vowels from their hieroglyphic texts: like modern emailers and texters (txtrs), they saw no need to waste time, energy and space writing sounds – and sometimes even words – that would have been obvious to everyone. Lol.

 

Tutankhamun from the back of his gold throne
 

Unfortunately, ancient Egyptian is now a long-dead language, and the missing sounds are far from obvious to modern readers. Egyptologists therefore have to guess which vowel goes where. Generally, we insert ‘e’ as the vowel of choice, but this may not be the vowel that the Egyptians used, and we might not insert it in the correct place. As a result, all but the shortest Egyptian words have several variant English spellings, all equally acceptable. Throughout this book I use the spelling Tutankhamen, and I refer to Tutankhamen’s god as Amen. In so doing, I follow the precedent set by Howard Carter. I have taken the liberty of extending this preferred spelling to all quotes within the text. Others prefer the spelling Tutankhamun (and Amun) or Tut-ankhamon (Amon); more exotic variants – Touatânkhamanou, Tut.ankh.Amen, Tutenchamun, etc. – will be found in the older literature. All refer to the same man. ~ Tutankhamen, Joyce Tyldesley

 

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

09.23.12 — A Lesson in Elision

 

George Bernard Shaw, Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and

Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" by Al Hirschfeld 

 

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Sunday, September 23, 2012

 

BREATH-TAKING, Puzzle by Matt Ginsberg / Edited by Will Shortz

 

Whether from “Pygmalion” or "My Fair Lady”, ELIZA / DOOLITTLE (28A. With 78-Down, character commemorated in the answers to this puzzle’s starred clues), along with ten common phrases being redefined to account for the Cockney elision of the H sound constitutes the interrelated group of this agreeable Sunday crossword:

 

• AIRLINE TRAVEL (24A. *Male pattern baldness?), e.g., hairline travel
• NIGHT OWLS (32A. *Baying?), night howls
• STATE OF THE ART (51A. *Cardiologist’s concern?), state of the heart
• ARM TO THE TEETH (67A. *Caries?), harm to the teeth
• SEVEN-YEAR ITCH (83A. *Marriage in 2004, divorce in 2011?), seven-year hitch
• OLD SCHOOL (102A. *Conduct classes?), hold school
• FOREST OF ARDEN (113A. *Petrified wood?), forest of harden
• LONG ISLAND SOUND (3D. *Endless bagpipe tune?), long highland sound
• ALTAR BOYS (14D. *Stable hands?), halter boys
• EYEBROW TWEEZERS (48D. *Gold-plated forceps?), high-brow tweezers

 

Other — ALIENEE (22A. Heir, usually), AYE AYES (54A. Bridge responses), BADDEST, BON SOIR, CHIRRUP, ENOUNCE, ESCARPS, MADE SURE, MENTION, POETESS, RAILS AT, TRAITORS (75A. Occupants of the lowest circle of Dante‘s hell), WOLFISH, Comedian YAKOV Smirnoff and ODESSAN ((40D 87-Down, e.g., by birth)

 

Saint Benedict.  Detail from a fresco by Fra Angelico
 

Six-letter — ADDLED, DEALER, DEAR ME, GENOME (26A. Content of a 2003 decryption), HERMIT (7A. St. Benedict, e.g.), JUNEAU, MIASMA, REMITS, RUNWAY, SALADS, SOAPER, WATUSI (99A. Twist spinoff), U S NEWS, VALDEZ.

 

Five — ADORN, AMBLE, ASLAN, A SLEW (11D. Heaps), “There is A TIDE in the affairs of men …”, ATONE, BLUSH, CABLE, DERBY, DINED, EGRET (27D. Snowy Floridian?), ENVOI (17D. Poetic ending), I PASS (57A. Bridge response), JULEP, I PASS, IT’S SO, Mario Vargas LLOSA, LSATS, MESAS, MORSE, NISAN, NISEI, OBESE and OBIES, Bel PAESE cheese, PEAKS, RILES, SATIE (39D. French composer of “Vexations”), SCION (6D. Heir, often), SEE IT, SHILL, SNOOK and SPOOF, SOEUR, ST PAT, STRAW, SYNOD, TAINA, TATAR, T-BONE, TELLS, “God helps THOSE …“, TORTS, TRAIN, WAFER.

 

Short stuff — ABA, ADD, Work without A NET, Rat-A-TAT, A TON (107A. Heaps), BEAN, CASE, DECI, DIR, DON, EDU, EER, ELEC, ELI, ELKE Sommer, Brian ENO, ERSE, ET AL, ETON, ETRE, FIRM, FUSE, HAI, HATH, HISS and HOSS, HYER, IDS, ILYA Ehrenburg, IMUS, IN ON a secret, IN RE, MBA, MOAS, NED Flanders, NYAH, ONE A, ONO, RET and REW, ROIL, SHE, SIM card, SLUE, SPA, SST, SUR, WEB, VIPS.

 

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Lascivious; 8. They have flat tops; 13. Most excellent, in modern slang; 20. Set forth; 21. Kind of wine; 23. French farewell; 29. Muddy; 30. Japanese consent; 36. Transfers, as funds; 38. Title words before “Easy” for Linda Ronstadt and “Hard” for John Lennon; 41. Coach; 42. Walk in the park, say; 44. Menu heading; 46. French 101 verb; 47. Thumbing of the nose; 48. E-mail address ending; 56. Sen. Daniel Inouye, for one; 59. Hit on the noggin; 60. Saw to it; 63. The Lion, not the Witch or the Wardrobe; 65. Discovery medium; 66. Fingers; 71. VCR button; 72. Pretty up; 74. Tony’s relatives; 77. Zig or zag; 78. Had haddock, say; 80. Dispenser item; 81. Citation; 90. Mix (in); 91. Inventor after whom a Yale residential college is named; 93. Soviet author Ehrenburg; 94. View from a control tower; 95. Sweet drink; 96. They have pointed tops; 106. “What ___ thou art, act well thy part”; 107. Heaps; 110. Pitcher of coffee?; 118. Any of the Brontë sisters; 121. Necessitates; 122. Prime cut; 123. Steep slopes; 124 Application enclosures, often; 125. Ecclesiastical council; 126. Vituperates. — DOWN: 1. It’s a trap; 2. Singer whose name sounds like a cry; 4. Item in a box in the basement; 8. Kellogg offering, briefly; 9. Clint : the Good :: ___ : the Ugly; 10. South of Mexico; 12. Con man’s plant; 13. “We Shall Overcome” singer; 15. Broadway bigwig: Abbr.; 16. “This isn’t going well at all!“; 18. Catch on; 19. Squeals; 25. Passover month; 30. Audible reproof; 33. Owns, in the Bible; 34. It an be blanced and biased simultaneously; 35. Fit to serve; 37. Actress Sommer; 43. Extinct emu-like birds; 45. Frère;s sibling; 47. Parade figure, informally; 49. Man of the house?; 50. Onetime Time competitor, briefly; 52. Tighten (up); 53. Works (up); 60. Corrupting atmosphere; 61. Like many a ditz; 62. Prime Minister David Cameron’s alma mater; 64. 1965 title role for Ursula Andress; 65. Birdsong; 68. Supersized; 69. Language from which “clan” comes; 70. Dweller along the Volga; 73. Abbr. after many an officer’s name; 76. 2001-02 Nickelodeon sitcom; 79. Dictator’s first words?; 82. “Morning” person; 84. Bigwigs; 85. A.C. or D.C.; 86. When repeated, a child’s taunt; 88. Job for the Hardy Boys; 89. Actress Martha who played Sinatra’s love interest in “Some Came Running”; 92. “S.N.L.” specialty; 95. Gold prospector Joe with a state capital named after him; 97. “Days,” for one; 99. Nabisco offering; 100. Agreeing (with); 101. They may produce suits; 103. Early hurdles for 55-Down members: Abbr.; 104. Annual May event; 105. 2010 Nobelist Mario Vargas ___: 109. “Bonanza” role; 111. Prefix with bel; 112. Name dropper’s notation?; 115. Slip on; 116. Musician Brian; 119. Steamboat Springs, Colo., for one; 120. European streaker, once, in brief.