03.31.13 — Special Features

 

Easter Egg photo by Antara 

 

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Sunday, March 31, 2013 — Easter

 

SPECIAL FEATURES, Puzzle by Caleb Madison
Edited by Will Shortz

EASTER EGG (115A. Hidden DVD feature … which can be found literally, in the answers to the italicized clues) along with nine movie titles, each possessing an additional letter to result in a humorous movie-title pun, constitutes the interrelated group of this clever Sunday crossword.

STAR(E) WARS (23A. *Movie about … an intense blinking contest?)
NE(A)TWORK (28A. * … a housecleaner?)
(S)NOW VOYAGER (30A. * … a sled racer?)
S(T)INGIN’ IN THE RAIN (44A. * … a bee during a downpour?)
BAT(E)MAN FOREVER (56A. * … actor Jason’s fan club?)
D(R)AWN OF THE DEAD (80A. * … Jerry Garcia’s band’s portraits?)
TE(E)N COMMANDMENTS (88A. * … a parent’s edicts?)
RE(G)AL GENIUS (100A. * … a king’s brilliance?)
(G)RAIN MAN (108A. * … a harvester?)

Other — CAROL KANE (15D. Two-time Emmy-winning actress for “Taxi“), CEREBRO (72A. Device Professor X wears over his head in “X-Men”), CHEWBACCA (78D. Solo companion), CUT CORNERS (72D. Wasn‘t exacting), DEATH METAL (13D. Music genre of Possessed and Deicide), LADIES NIGHT (68D. Weekly bar promotion, maybe), LOST WEEKEND (4D. 1945 Best Picture winner, with “The“).

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Puzzle available on the internet at
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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. One-on-ones; 6. Justice Dept. branch; 9. Gyllenhaal of “Brokeback Mountain”; 13. 1983 film debut of Bill Maher; 18. Documentarian Morris; 19. It’s found in la mer; 20. Cerberus guards its gates, in myth; 21. Wipe out; 22. Lower; 25. It comes from the heart; 26. Steaming beverage; 27. Atoms in some light bulbs; 32. Children’s author Silverstein; 33. “Yikes!”; 34. “You betcha”; 37. Year “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” came out; 38. China’s Chiang ___-shek; 41. Part of a pound; 51. Up; 53. Part of E.M.S.: Abbr.; 54. Wall St. Journal listings; 55. Handles; 59. Least volatile, perhaps; 60. Some patches; 61. Expert despite little training; 63. Brainy person, and proud of it; 64. One might have a ball; 66. Public health agcy.; 67. Senate vote; 68. Verdant; 74. Pop singer Bedingfield; 78. Low-maintenance potted plant; 84. ___ water; 85. Air; 86. It’s west of the International Date Line; 87. High clouds; 92. ___ Zone; 93. “Gag me!”; 94. Certain extraction; 95. One-named R&B singer; 96. Pitches; 98. Stripped; 112. Get hot; 113. Kind of bean; 114. Who wrote “Wherever Law ends, Tyranny begins”; 117. City south of Brigham City; 118. Peptic ___; 119. Nonstop; 120. Lucy of “Kill Bill”; 121. Object; 122. Wherewithal; 123. Part of N.B.; 124. Back-to-school mo.; 125. Laurel and Lee. — DOWN: 1. Starts of some games; 2. ___ Outfitters, clothing retailer; 3. Mythological figure often depicted holding a kithara; 5. Album holder; 6. Evaluate; 7. Prefix with fluoride; 8. Recurring Stephen King antagonist Randall ___; 9. Vice parts; 10. ___ Lovelace, computer pioneer; 11. “The Way You Look Tonight” composer; 12. De bene ___ (legal phrase); 14. Hollywood’s Russell; 16. Observatory subj.; 17. Bill; 20. English king who was a son of William the Conqueror; 24. Smelt ___; 29. Noted American writer in Yiddish; 31. Signs off on; 35. Computer used to predict the 1952 presidential election; 36. Chemical dropper; 37. The 57-Down, e.g.; 39. Supports; 40. M.I.T. part: Abbr.; 41. Airplane area; 42. Sentient; 43. Big snapper?; 45. More wound up; 46. World banking org.; 47. Prefix with noir; 48. [I’m not happy about this …]; 49. Like some stockings and baseball games; 50. Gridiron figure; 52. Music related to punk rock; 57. Aconcagua setting; 58. Fund; 59. Just what the doctor ordered?; 62. Vituperate; 65. Darken; 66. Nook; 69. ___ manual; 70. Exactly; 71. Allowed to enter; 73. Pond fish; 75. Sam Spade, e.g., for short; 76. Ile de la ___; 77. Once again; 79. Slew; 81. Subject of the Pentagon Papers, informally; 82. Sugar suffix; 83. Word at the end of many French films; 85. Fr. Title; 89. City SSE of 117-Across; 90. Son-of-a-gun; 91. Yield to weariness; 97. Stations; 99. Poet Conrad; 101. Mess up; 102. Ones who wrote in the Ogham alphabet; 103. New Mexico State athlete; 104. Helping hand, paradoxically; 105. World powerhouse in cricket; 106. Knoxville sch.; 107. Fake-book material; 108. Down; 109. Part of a play; 110. Many ages; 111. iPod___; 112. Home of Typhon, in myth; 116. ___ for life.

03.30.31 — Young Girl

Old Woman with a Rosary, 1895, Paul Cézanne

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Puzzle by Gareth Bain / Edited by Will Shortz

 

THE AGING PROCESS (37A. Gerontologist’s study) slashes across this meandering Saturday crossword bisected by YOUNG GIRL (21D. 1968 #2 hit with the lyric “My love for you is way out of line”).

Other — EARTHIER (9D. Saltier), I HATE MEN (38D. “Kiss Me, Kate” song), OH PLEASE (39D. “Gimme a break!”), ON SAFARI (43A. Watching the big game, say), PROM KING (5D. Alpha senior?), UTILIZED (27A. Put to work).

Seven-letter — CLAM BAR, ETERNAL (46A. Like Rome, it‘s said), EYEWASH, IN STORE, KENOSHA (24A. Wisconsin port), ORIGAMI, PEDALED, PIERROT (15A. Stock pantomime character),  PROVERB, RESORTS, SADDENS, SAMOVAR (16A. Decorative server), SCRIPTS, TEAM USA (8A. Red, white and blue group).

Mid-size — AMORAL (10D. Neither good nor evil), CINCO, DEBRA, ETATS, FEMALE (44D. XX), HASTE, INCAS (28D. Inti worshipers), MAKE ME, MARSH (50D. Reed section?), MIATA, NACRE, OAKLEY, RESOW, SNARE, SPIEL (1D. Door-to-door delivery), STEIN and STERN, STEPS, TORIES (6D. One side in the Revolutionary war), TREADS.

Short stuff — ARBS, AREA, DEM, DOSE, ECO, EELS, EGAD, ERST, ETA, HAGS (41A. Some fairy story villains), IDS, IRT, KIDD (53D. Privateer who captained the Blessed William), LAKE, LILT, LOW and MOW, NERO, MIRY, MIS, MOPS, MOVE, OPS, SARD, SNEE, ST LO (32D. Town in ‘44 headlines), THIN, TSP, UVEA, ZEES.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. In-box material for some agents; 17. Ahead; 18. Wise words; 19. Prefix with car; 20. Boglike; 22. Puts one’s foot down; 23. A cyclone is a big one; 26. Bad start?; 32. Writer of the lines “Pigeons on the grass alas. / Pigeons on the grass alas”; 35. “The Mikado” weapon; 36. Emperor who built the Domus Aurea; 40. You might hear a children’s song in one; 42. Dispatch; 45. Army missions; 48. Blue, in a way: Abbr.; 51. Defiant response; 55. Skating spot, maybe; 56. Symbol of elasticity, in economics; 57. Paper work; 59. Server of food that may be steamed, fried or raw; 61. Went in tandem?; 62. Many are found on beaches; 63. Gets down; 64. Nonsense. — DOWN: 2. Important part of mayo; 3. Plant more crops in; 4. N.Y.C. line; 7. Serious; 8. Common 31-Down: Abbr.; 11. Dance element; 12. Iris’s location; 13. Orangish gem; 14. Wall St. manipulators; 25. Dance elements; 26. Mustang competitor; 29. End of a dictionary; 30. At one time in the past?; 31. Prescribed amount; 33. Gracile; 34. Ones unable to swim straight?; 35. Bag; 45. Annie once played by Ethel Merman; 47. Iridescent material; 48. Messing around on TV?; 49. Members of les Nations Unies; 51. Items in buckets; 52. Forte; 54. Quaint shout; 58. They may be checked at an airport; 60. Part of a barn.
 

03.29.13 — World Domination

 

Illustration for The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination:

Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius by John Joseph Adams  

 

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Friday, March 29, 2013

 

Puzzle by Josh Knapp / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Verbal shrug, MEH; 4. Beat, THROB; 9. Greets the good guy, maybe, CLAPS; 14. Point-headed sort?, AXE; 15. Whom Turkey’s Weeping Rock is said to represent, NIOBE; 16. Cliff hanger?, AERIE; 17. One of two in a plane, DIMENSION; 19. Autodom’s ZR1, for one, VETTE; 20. Writer Moore or Moorehead, ALAN; 21. Where people drop off on the line?, SLEEPER CAR; 23. Killer bees, e.g., MENACE; 25. Brother, FRIAR; 26. Cackling loon with a white coat, MAD SCIENTIST; 31. Steam up, ANGER; 34. Dungeons & Dragons weapon, MACE; 35. With 40-Across, “Inside THE” (postgame show); 36. Goal for many a 26- or 43-Across, WORLD DOMINATION; 40. See 35-Across, NBA; 41. Its products often have Allen wrenches included, IKEA; 42. Dueling count, PACES; 43. Mighty heavy, SUPERVILLAIN; 47. “My Name is Earl” co-star Suplee, ETHAN; 48. One working on steps, DANCER; 52. Means of dropping a line, FISHING ROD; 56. Victimizer of Cassio, IAGO; 57. “I Know Who Killed Me” star, 2007, LOHAN; 58. Offensive play in 35-/40-Across, GIVE AND GO; 60. “That’s A NO NO!” (“Don’t!”); 61. Flip, UPEND; 62. Secured, GOT; 63. Track lineup, GATES; 64. The out crowd?, NERDS; 65. “Annie” characters, ENS.

 

Down — 1. MADAM President; 2. Many a booted ruler, EXILE; 3. One who might do the heavy lifting, HE-MAN; 4. “Larry’s Country Diner” channel, TNN; 5. Greeted the bad guy, maybe, HISSED; 6. Churn, ROIL; 7. Strauss wrote a concerto in D for it, OBOE; 8. Doing good, BENEFICIAL; 9. Spineless response to pressure, CAVE IN; 10. Examine as a wolf would, LEER AT; 11. One preparing an oil pan?, ART CRITIC; 12. PITA bread; 13. Forward-thinking type, SEER; 18. Protective cover, ENAMEL; 22. Act the coxcomb, PREEN; 24. Real character, CARD; 27. Strong proof, SMOKING GUN; 28. R. J. Reynolds brand, CAMEL; 29. What’s under an arch, SHOE; 30. Fox ratings, TENS; 31. Stiff bristles, AWNS; 32. NOBU Matsuhisa, celebrity chef and restaurateur; 33. Small cannon balls, GRAPESHOT; 37. Ottoman relative, DIVAN; 38. Capital of Fiji, APIA; 39. Wine colorer, TANNIN; 44. Second-simplest hydrocarbon, ETHANE; 45. They may be found in preserves, informally, RHINOS; 46. Part of the total, ADDEND; 49. Mooch, CADGE; 50. Impel, EGG ON; 51. Natural life support system, ROOTS; 52. Tire, FLAG; 53. Isle near Mull, IONA; 54. Strong-smelling, say, RIPE; 55. Supervising, OVER; 59. Pop-ups, e.g., ADS.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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03.28.13 — Thirteen Colonies

 

 

The twenty fourth of July was always a gala day in the early history of Mt. Pleasant, Utah. The 13 original states were represented by 13 lovely ladies all dressed white carrying a torch to signify our beginning as a nation.

  ~ Mt Pleasant Pioneer Relic Home and Blacksmith Shop.

 

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

 

Puzzle by Randolph Ross / Edited by Will Shortz

THIRTEEN COLONIES (7D. Old group whose members are all represented in this puzzle) and thirteen squares containing the abbreviations of states that accompany ZIP CODES (38D. Numbers needed for letters) of the original thirteen colonies, e.g., SC, VA, NH, NY, DE, MA, NC, PA, MD, RI, CT, NJ and GA, along with AMERICAN CITIZENS (35A. Fourth of July celebrants) constitute the interrelated group of this brilliant Thursday crossword.

 

Other — Frank CALIENDO, DARK STAR (19A. 1974 John Carpenter sci-fi film), FORK OVER (4D. Pay), NATIONAL (49A. Washington player), RESORT (29A. Vacation destination), Michael STEELE (42A. Priebus‘s predecessor as Republican Party chairman), TOREADOR (23A. Escamillo of “Carmen,” e.g.), UPTON Sinclair.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Beginning with; 5. Criticize harshly; 10. Aging equipment?; 13. Waikiki warbler; 14. It’s often the last choice; 15. Full of salt; 16. Table; 17. Sets off; 18. Didn’t just mislead someone; 21. Baudelaire ou Rimbaud; 22. Inarticulate comebacks; 26. Ht spot; 30. Smooth, in a way; 31. Come and go; 32. Sneaker brand; 39. Bridge; 40. Backstage; 41. ___-European; 43. Author Sinclair; 44. Impressionist Frank; 47. Tolkien baddie; 48. Have ___ (live it up); 54. Year “Othello” was first performed; 55. Cheerleader’s asset; 57. Flats; 58. Novelist Ferber; 59. Playground retort; 60. Relish; 61. Maiden name preceder; 62. Fills the tank, with “up”; 63. ___-culotte. — DOWN: 1. Extra; 2. Soft seat; 3. “__ Majesty’s Secret Service; 5. Company that makes Turf Builder; 6. Cutting-edge product?; 8. Like a cool cat; 9. Hectic places in hosps.; 10. Not the same; 11. Connect with; 12. Tom who followed Johnny Carson on NBC; 15. Swell; 20. Yonder yacht; 21. “Jar of Hearts” singer Christina; 24. Relating to songbirds; 25. Blowout victory; 25. Places for sweaters; 27. N.F.C. South city; 28. It takes the cake; 29. Not for tweens, say; 32. Locked (up); 33. Reverse; 34. Trowel user; 36. Sponsor of an annual science competition; 37. ___ brothers (Hollywood duo); 42. Best-selling thriller author Daniel ___; 43. Geller with claims of paranormal powers; 44. ___ Yards; 45. Start of “The Alphabet song”; 46. Cleo of jazz; 47. Several Holy Roman emperors; 50. Heed the alarm; 51. Masked assassin; 52. Do something about; 53. Wise alternative; 55. It’s a long story; 56. 7 on an old phone.
 

03.27.13 — Vicissitudes

 

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

 

Puzzle by David J. Kahn / Edited by Will Shortz

UPS AND DOWNS (25D. Vicissitudes of life, as for the inventor named in the circled squares?), plus four sets of circled squares spelling OTIS, two up and two down, constitutes the main feature of this Wednesday crossword.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Where some commuters drink; 7. Chuckle sound; 10. Trash site; 14. Pique; 15. Better than normal; 17. ___ system; 18. Light; 19. Where 36-Down is; 20. Silly; 22. “That’s enough!”; 24. Hospital fluids; 28. “The Price is Right” announcer Johnny; 30. Tater ___; 32. Squabble; 33. Like many arenas; 35. What you may call it?; 37. Auto additive with a red oval logo; 38. Swabbie; 39. Ringe separator; 41. Brunched, say; 42. “Wheel of Fortune” request; 43. Resorts; 44. Small piano; 46. Herbicide target; 48. It’s in the air; 50. Tennis’s Agassi; 51. Size up; 53. Engaged in some histrionics; 55. Made believe 57. Santa ___, Calif.; 60. Hidden water menace; 63. Swab target; 65. Island near Tahiti; 66. Surgeon’s aid; 67. “That’ll be the day!”; 68. Felipe or Fernando; 69. Not as long-winded. — DOWN: 1. Ole Miss rival; 2. Warlike deity; 3. Cookers for chickens and franks; 4. One who puts on a show, maybe; 5. “___ see it …”; 6. Summary; 7. Ignores others’ advice; 8. Irving Bacheller’s “___ Holden”; 9. Stocks in great demand; 10 Puts off; 11. Longtime news inits.; 12. Damage; 13. Start of school?; 16. Provider of directions?; 21. Perch; 23. They’re unique; 26. Concern; 27. Sunshine State vacation spot; 28. Pontiac’s tribe; 29. Jungle vines; 31. Craggy hill; 34. Pank customer, at times; 36. Land abutting Tibet; 40. Latest sensation; 45. By mistake; 47. Best … or worst; 49. Actress Charlotte;52. Balkan resident; 54. That is; 56. Possible reason for an R rating; 58. Meat seasoning; 59. Lumberjack, e.g.; 60. Where: Lat.; 61. San Francisco hill name; 62. Rap’s Dr. ___; 64. Imitate.
 

03.26.13 — Wow!

 

The Adoration of the Golden Calf, 1633-4, Nicolas Poussin 

 

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

 

Puzzle by Samuel A. Donaldson and Doug Peterson

Edited by Will Shortz

 

Five exclamations given literal/loose clues constitute the interrelated group of this amusing Tuesday crossword:

MAN ALIVE (17A. “Wow, he survived!”)
GEE WHIZ (26A. “Wow, you’re a regular expert at turning left!”)
LEAPIN’ LIZARDS (38A. “Wow, those reptiles have mad hops!”)
HOLY COW (52A. “Wow, look at that bovine idol”)
BY GEORGE (64A. “Wow, I’m standing next to Mr. Clooney himself!”)

Other — CAVING IN, EAGLE EYE (39D. Asset of a good proofreader), IRON HAND, I READ YOU, LEMON LAW, LODGINGS, ROAD KILL (67A. Animal that‘s been run over), THE LORAX (14A. Title Seuss character who speaks for trees).

 

Mid-size — AGHAST (31A. Horrified), ATARIS, ATM FEE, CHARTS, DEALT, DENADA, DESILU, DISSES, ETHAN Allen, FRAME, GLENDA Jackson, GLARE, GURGLE, HINGE, HELPS, IN A SEC, INTROS, NOT ANY, OPTIC, PAYTON, PRANK, ROXIE, Remington STEELE, STRODE, SWEATY, YENTA.

 

Short stuff — AC/DC, AGED, AHA, ANG and ANO, ARI, AWE, Happy as a CLAM, DOH and DOT, EBRO, ENT, ESAU, ETD, EXES, GAT, GPS, I SEE, IRKS, ISPS, LOKI, NEE, OLES, OMG, OUT, PGA, SAGS, STN, TAXI, TEED, TUT, USE, ZACH Galifianakis, ZOE Saldana.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. “Back in Black” band; 5. Biggest diamond?; 8. Arnaz and Ball’s production company; 16. Prefaces; 18. Walked with purpose; 19. Bowling unit; 20. AOL and Comcast; 22. “Hulk” director Lee; 23. Airline guess, for short; 24. Depot: Abbr.; 29. Jacob’s twin; 33. Yucatán year; 34. Renée Zellweger’s role in “Chicago”; 36. Door swinger; 42. Handed out cards; 43. April 1 gag; 44. Texter’s expression of surprise; 45. Shortly; 48. Succumbs to gravity; 54. Triumphant shout; 56. Half of a disapproving rebuke; 57. Previously named; 58. Ticked (off); 60. Long, disapproving look; 62. Jackson with two Best Actress Oscars; 66. Bears legend Walter; 68. Like palms on a first date, perhaps; 69. Not safe, in baseball; 70. “Understood”. — DOWN: 1. Cost of getting some quick cash; 2. Maps; 3. Response to “Gracias”; 5. Jackie’s second husband; 6. Relenting after a standoff; 7. Old flames; 8. Insults, informally; 9. Sinus doc; 10. Scarecrow stuffing; 11. Strong control; 12. Accommodations for travelers; 13. Employ; 15. Bullfight cries; 21. Ryder Cup org.; 25. Move from gate to runway; 27. Patriot Allen; 28. Actress Saldana of “Avatar”; 30. Russia’s ___ Mountains; 32. Lends a hand; 35. Vision-related; 37. Peeves; 38. Car buyer’s protection; 39. Asset of a good proofreader; 40. “Understood”; 41. Comic actor Galifianakis; 42. Homer Simpson’s exclamation; 46. Zero; 47. Dazzle; 49. Classic video game consoles; 50. Sound of draining water; 51. “Remington ___”; 53. Gossipy sort; 55. Like some wines and cheeses; 59. Iberian Peninsula river; 61. Thor’s archenemy in comics; 62. Satellite-based navigation aid, for short; 63. One of three in an ellipsis; 65. Gangster’s gun.
 

03.25.13 — Captains

 

 

Captains Cook, Kangaroo, Morgan, and Hook

 

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Monday, March 25, 2013

 

Puzzle by Adam Prince / Edited by Will Shortz

CAPTAIN (37A. Title that can precede the starts of 17, 23-, 49- and 59-Across), COOKBOOKS (17A. Recipe holders), KANGAROO COURT (23A. Irregular trial venue), MORGAN FREEMAN (49A. “The Shawshank Redemption” actor) and HOOK SHOTS (59A. Basketball scoring attempts that are difficult to block) constitute the interrelated group of this very friendly Monday crossword.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. “Saturday Night Live” segment; 5. On vacation; 9. Skirts for Scots; 14. Goals; 15. Valentine’s Day flower; 16. Pricey car from Honda; 19. Father, biblically; 20. Govt.-issued ID; 21. ___ a man with seven wives”; 22. Epoch when mammals arose; 26. Liquors for pirates; 27. Barber’s implement; 28. Required amount; 30. Autobahn auto; 32. “My word!”; 36. Kilmer of “Top Gun”; 40. Take advantage of; 41. Cartoon collectibles; 43. “South Park” boy; 44. Nebraska’s largest city; 46. Colombian cartel city; 48. Like-minded group of voters; 54. Rule; 55. Mythical birds; 56. Swab the decks, say; 58. Frederick who composed “My Fair Lady”; 61. Bert’s Sesame Street” pal; 62. ___ time (never); 63 Bar brews; 64. Egg containers; 65. Not now; 66. Many a true word is spoken in this. — DOWN: 1. Egg containers; 2. Stand around the mall?; 3. Craps player’s boast; 4. “Shame on you!”; 5. Good smells; 6. Romantic hopeful; 7. Invite for; 8. “Of course!”; 9. Big bang; 10. Rapper in the film “21 Jump Street”; 11. Olympian sledder; 12. Former senator Lott; 13. Fill totally; 18. Rival of the Whopper; 22. Food-spoiling bacteria; 24. Fanatic; 25. Atlantic or Pacific; 28. Home shopper’s channel; 29. Dubai’s land: Abbr.; 30. Decide to take part; 31. After-hours school org.; 33. Super Bowl bowlful; 34. Volcanic output; 35. Trafficker tracking org.; 38. Lion in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”; 39. At a minimum; 42. “Ugh, who cares?!”; 45. May honoree; 47. Doesn’t dissent; 48. Signal “Come here,” ay; 49. Demi or Roger; 50. Bakery fixtures; 51. Foam; 52. Longtime ABC exec Arledge; 53. Post-its, e.g.; 54. Secluded valley; 57. “Hey! Over here!”; 59. Bowler or sombrero; 60. Once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage.
 

03.24.13 — Rarity — the Acrostic

 

 

Victorian Butterfly Collection

 

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

 

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

 

This Sunday's challenging acrostic draws a quotation from At Large and At Small: Confessions of a Literary Hedonist by Anne Fadiman.

 

In "At Large and At Small", Anne Fadiman returns to one of her favorite genres, the familiar essay--a beloved and hallowed literary tradition recognized for both its intellectual breadth and its miniaturist focus on everyday experiences. With the combination of humor and erudition that has distinguished her as one of our finest essayists, Fadiman draws us into twelve of her personal obsessions: from her slightly sinister childhood enthusiasm for catching butterflies to her monumental crush on Charles Lamb, from her wistfulness for the days of letter-writing to the challenges and rewards of moving from the city to the country. ~ Book Description, Amazon.com

 

The quotation: THE FIRST CANTO OF “PALE FIRE” CONTAINS, WITHIN ITS… COMPASS, THE WORDS TORQUATED, STILLICIDE, SHAGBARK, VERMICULATED, PRETERIST, IRIDULE, AND LEMNISCATE. NABOKOV COLLECTED RARE WORDS, JUST AS HE COLLECTED RARE BUTTERFLIES.

 

The author's name and the title of the work:  FADIMAN,  AT LARGE AND AT SMALL

The defined words:
 
A. Vocabulary, to a walking dictionary, FORTE
B. Nonnumerical key on a phone, ASTERISK
C. Refractory, as a child, DIFFICULT
D. Unstated, IMPLICIT
E. Neither terrific nor terrible, MEDIOCRE
F. “One with jointed feet”, ARTHROPOD
G. Like a typical workday (hyph.), NINE-TO-FIVE
H. Star of 19276’s “The Jazz Singer” (2 wds.), AL JOLSON
I. Monster hit with a Vincent Price Sprechgesang, THRILLER
J. Cookie-cutter suburb started in 1947, LEVITTOWN
K. Got enlarged by a gradual buildup, ACCRETED
L. Site of an unusual passage (2 wds.), RED SEA
M. Beer holder; angry cur, e.g., GROWLER
N. Disrupter of the 1989 World Series, EARTHQUAKE
O. Off in foreign climes, ABROAD
P. Unrivaled person or thing, NONESUCH
O. Lenticular object of Summer Games, DISCUS
R. Having no rational basis, ABSURD
S. Science of maneuvering military forces, TACTICS
T. Like a couple of babies, in “H.M.S. Pinafore”, SWITCHED
U. Tyrannosaur of the insect world, MANTIS
V. Out, ASLEEP
W. Diagnostic procedure (2 wds.), LAB TEST
X. “Wheel of Fortune” elements; prose and poetry, LETTERS
 
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The full paragraph of the quotation: (My four favorite words in this passage are “and their food plants.” Only a true entomologist, as opposed to a starry-eyed amateur, would include them in such a lyrical effusion and, what’s more, clearly believe they were lyrical themselves.) Many of the themes in Nabokov’s fiction—metamorphosis and flight, deception and mimicry, evasion and capture—are lepidopteron. And to my ear, his very language is too. The first canto of "Pale Fire" contains, within its four-and-a-half page compass, the words torquated, stillicide, shagbark, vermiculated, preterist, iridule, and lemniscates. Nabokov collected rare words, just as he collected rare butterflies, and when he netted one, especially in the exotic landscape of his second language, his satisfaction is as palpable as if he had finally captured the brown and white hairstreak that once eluded him when he was a boy. Nabokov’s style is not just poetic; it is taxonomic. He mentions with something close to hatred the village schoolmaster who, taking his charges for a nature walk, used to quash young Vladimir’s hunger for precision by saying, “Oh, just a small bird--no special name.” And what scorn Nabokov bears for us, his clueless audience, when he writes, “I had found last spring a dark aberration of Sievers’ Carmelite (just another gray moth to the reader). ~ ”At Large and At Small: Confessions of a Literary Hedonist” by Anne Fadiman
 

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On Discovering a Butterfly

 

By Vladimir Nabokov

 

I found it and I named it, being versed

in taxonomic Latin; thus became

godfather to an insect and its first

describer—and I want no other fame.

 

Wide open on its pin (though fast asleep),

and safe from creeping relatives and rust,

in the secluded stronghold where we keep

type specimens it will transcend its dust.

Dark pictures, thrones, the stones that pilgrims kiss,

poems that take a thousand years to die

but ape the immortality of this

red label on a little butterfly.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

 

03.24.13 — What Is Art?

 

 

Red Cow & First Chinese Horse

Cave Painting — Lascaux Cave

Photograph N. Aujoulat (2003) © MCC-CNP

 

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

 

YOU’LL KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT, Puzzle by Dan Schoenholz

Edited by Will Shortz

WHAT IS ART (67A. Classic question answered six times in this puzzle) and the six answers constitute the interrelated group of this somewhat enigmatic and vexatious Sunday crossword:

THE GREAT DEMOCRAT (24A. Answer to 67-Across, per John F. Kennedy)
BUT A VISION OF REALITY (32A. Answer to 67-Across, peer Yeats)
A REVOLT AGAINST FATE (49A. Answer to 67-Across, per Malraux)
SELFISH AND PEVERSE (88A. Answer to 67-Across, per Beethoven)
THE PROPER TASK OF LIFE (107A. Answer to 67-Across, per Nietzsche)
A JEALOUS MISTRESS (116A. Answer to 67-Across, per Emerson)

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or Right click and select “Open Link in New Window".

 

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Map symbol; 5. Tolstoy and O’Neill heroines; 10. Original state of the universe, in myth; 15. When Macbeth dies; 19. Baja vacation spot, familiarly; 20. Vessel opener; 21. Islamic denomination; 22. Expose; 23. Lying, maybe; 27. Spam, e.g.; 29. New Look designer; 30. Pull (in); 31. Real estate abbr.; 37. One of over 100 on a table; 38. River of Phoenix; 39. Go back over; 42. Accomplished; 43 [Shocking!]; 46. Water-into-wine site; 48. “Star Wars” biped; 55. Indignant reply; 58. Oranges and lemons; 59. Cry with a fist pump; 80. 1994 film based on an “S.N.L.” skit; 61. Porto-___ (capital of Benin); 64. Terrestrial opening?; 66. What’s nothing but problems?; 70. Camera shop item, informally; 74. Certain feed; 77. Rustbucket; 78. Stiff drink, maybe; 80. Fiver; 83. KNO3, in Britain; 85. End an engagement?; 92. “___ Said” (Neil Diamond hit); 93. Pop singer Brickell; 94. Cutty ___ (clipper ship); 95. Kerfuffle; 98. Particular sort; 102. Some, in Sevilla; 104. Moved along, as an old train; 111. See 111-Down; 113. On ___ with; 114. Property encumbrance; 115. Courses; 121. Besmirches; 122. Iona College athlete; 123. Defame; 124. Whoopi’s role in “The Color Purple”; 125. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James; 126. Office nos.; 127. Pulls in; 128. What darners darn; 129. Like many highlighter colors. — DOWN: 1. Crossed a picket line; 2. Mediterranean salad with bulgur wheat, chopped tomatoes and parsley; 3. Gave a hand where one shouldn’t?; 4. Hillary, once; 5. Harsh; 6. Advanced degree?; 7. “___ say more?”; 8. Hospital procedure, for short; 9. Undiluted; 10. Davis’s domain: Abbr.; 11. Hardly a mansion; 12. Composer Previn; 13. Like most Bluetooth headsets; 14. As easy as pie, say; 15 As easy as ___; 16. Haul off; 17. Chairlift alternative; 18. Some November paraders, for short; 25. 1804 symphony that includes a funeral march; 26. “Get ___!”; 28. Notable mother of estranged brothers; 33. Barrel part; 34. Wane; 35. Barreled toward; 36. Not kosher; 40. ___ d’Ivoire; 41. Squeezes (out); 44. U.S.S.R. part: Abbr.; 45. Legislative assemblies; 47. NBC vis-à-vis “Meet the Press”; 49. Greek vowel; 50. Narrow inlet; 51. Fidelity; 52. Service call?; 53. Match part; 54. Dungeons & Dragons co.; 55. Director Wenders; 56. Greek vowel; 57. W.W. II transport: Abbr.; 62. Compete; 63. Traditional enemies of the Kiowa; 65. Like good water for snorkeling; 67. Beside; 68. Greek goddesses of the seasons; 69. Mimics; 71. Fancy tie; 72. Christiansen who founded Lego; 73. What a dispensary dispenses, for short; 75. Lead-in to -tard; 76. Slam; 78. Those not favored; 79. Hosp. areas; 80. “Yeah, right!”; 81. Bridges of note; 82. Nightmarish thoroughfare?; 84. Reach, with “at”; 86. Tellico Dam agcy.; 87. Pfizer competitor; 89. Menu heading; 90. Eat by candlelight, say; 91. Necklace makeup, maybe; 95. Roll; 96. Not challenge; 97. Certain Ukrainian; 99. Carillon sound; 100. Challenge; 101. Big shock; 103. Funny sort; 105. Sky light, for short?; 106. Wheat protein; 108. Two-time Olympic ice-skating medalist Brian; 109. Word on mail from Spain; 110. Angler’s line; 111. With 111-Across, do battle; 112. Prince in “Troilus and Cressida”; 117. Green and Gore; 118. “Golly gee!”; 119. Returns letters?; 120. German pronoun.