09.30.13 — Covert OPS

Monday, September 30, 2013

Puzzle by Ian Livengood / Edited by Will Shortz

COVERT OPS (58A. Spy activities … or a hint to the answers to the six starred clues) binds the interrelated group of this entirely pleasant Monday crossword:

STOP SHORT (17A. *Suddenly slam on the brakes)
POP SCENE (26A. *Top 40 music world)
COP SHOW (36A. *”NYPD Blue” or “Miami Vice”)
DROP SHOT (49A. *Tricky tennis stroke)
CHOP SHOP (3D. *Stolen car destination, maybe)
TOP STORY (38D. *Opening segment in a newscast)

Other — AT HEART (28A. Fundamentally), CAB STAND (36D. Where to get a taxi), COHIBA (43A. Deluxe Cuban cigar brand), HOIST UP (42D. Raise, as with a crane),  ISHTAR (5D. Beatty/Hoffman bomb of 1987), MEAT STEW (9D. Goulash, e.g.), OCTOPUS (46A. Eight-armed sea creature), SAMSON (41A. Strongman of the Bible), TYPESET (4D. Prepare for printing).

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09.29.13 — Overheard in New England

Boston boys throwing tea into the harbour.

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Puzzle by Norm Guggenbiller / Edited by Will Shortz

The AR sound gets modified to a Bostonian AH in six phrases of this Sunday crossword:

• SPOCKS WILL FLY (24A. A “Star Trek” officer and a physician are going to board a plane?)
• CODE COUNTERS (36A. Atlantic fishery auditors?)
• POT ON GOOD TERMS (59A. Work agreeably in a greenhouse?)
• GOBBLED MESSAGE (76A. “Happy Birthday” on a cake, e.g.?)
• HOT SURGEONS (95A. Sexy operators?)
• HOPPERS BAZAAR (112A. Where frogs shop?)

Gerolama Orsini, Pier Luigi's wife.

Other — Model Carol ALT; APPELLATE (31A. Kind of court); Folk rocker ANI DiFranco; BUG ZAPPER (78D. Sight at many a barbecue); CLUTTERS (94D. Hoarders’ problems); COILED (36D. Tortile); Fashion designer Marc ECKO; Astronomer EDMOND Halley; German Dadaist Hannah HOCH; LAHR (104A. Lion portrayer); MAN EATERS (101A. Femmes fatales); MEESE (94A. Reagan attorney general); MR ZIP (101D. Postal symbol, once); ODOM (61D. 1960s-‘70s pitcher Blue Moon); OFF-CENTER (17D. Unbalanced); ORSINI (37D. Italian princely family name); OTIS & Carla (1960s duo); OVID (77D. “Metamorphoses” poet); “WKRP in Cincinnati” news director Les NESSMAN; Bacteriologist Julius PETRI; RUNS A TAB (46D. Drinks now, pays later); Baseball’s SAL Bando; STEALS IN (52D. Enters furtively); SUSPENSE (7D. Hitchcock genre); TIGE (86A. Buster Brown’s dog, in old comics).

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09.28.13 — Big Things

Vault, The New No. 2, Flickriver 

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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Puzzle by Joe Krozel / Edited by Will Shortz

Cold clues and lukewarm answers mark this unfriendly Saturday crossword.

Across — 1. Clemson Tigers logo, PAW PRINT; 9. Mistreating, MEAN TO; 15. Not left hanging, say, REELED IN; 16. Draws, INFERS; 17. Mimosas and such, ORNAMENTAL TREES; 19. Toddler seats?, POTTIES; 20. LEI Day (May 1); DEI gratia; 22. Become completely absorbed, OBSESS; 23. Florida’s BISCAYNE National Park; 25. Rhone feeder, SAÔNE; 26. It can be found beneath the lower crust, PIE TIN; 27. “Look AT US” (Vince Gill hit); 28. Sauce often served with oysters, MIGNONETTE; 32. See 43-Across, LIT; 33. Beginning of time?, BIG BANG; 34. Mao’s designated successor, HUA; 35. Snoop Dogg, to Cameron Diaz [fun fact!], SCHOOLMATE; 37. Kind of check: Abbr., CERT; 38. Coeur D’ALENE; 39. Capitale européenne, BERNE; 40. Angry Birds or Tetris, e.g., TIME SINK; 43. With 32-Across, study of Hesse and Mann, informally, GERMAN; 44. W.W. II battle site, for short, IWO; 45. One might be a couple of years old, TOT; 46. 2013 women’s singles champ at Wimbledon, BARTOLI; 47. Shows level headedness, LISTENS TO REASON; 50. Mobile advertising medium?, T-SHIRT; 51. Hardly like the pick of the litter, RUNTIEST; 52. “Oh man, that’s bad”, SHEESH; 53. Words after “say” or before “bad”, IT ISN’T SO.

Treen mortar and pestle, Daryl McMahon 

Down — 1. Ring accompaniers, PROPOSALS; 2. Like stunt pilots’ stunts, AEROBATIC; 3. Headed toward bankruptcy, WENT SOUTH; 4. Printer rollers, PLATENS; 5. Release a claim to, legally, REMISE; 6. What the French think?, IDEES; 7. Marxist Andrés and writer Anais, NINS; 8. Boom source, TNT; 9. Centennial, e.g., MILESTONE; 10. Good at drawing?, ENTICING; 11. Continental abbr., AFR; 12. Attention-seeking, say, NEEDY; 13. Woodenware, TREEN; 14. Davis of Hollywood, OSSIE; 18. Put off, ALIENATE; 23. Occupy opponent, BIG BANK; 24. Suffix with hex-, ANE; 26. Eyeshades?, PIGMENTS; 28. Like a customer who may get special notice, MILLIONTH; 29. Plastic that can be made permanently rigid, THERMOSET; 30. See red?, TURN A LOSS; 31. Corroded, EATEN INTO; 33. Braggadocios, BOASTERS; 36. Inauguration recitation, maybe, ODE; 37. Confirmed, CERTAIN; 39. Ones above military heads, BERETS; 40. Lists, TILTS; 41. “Would that it were!”, I WISH; Former Israeli president Katsav, MOSHE; 43. Adorned, per menus, GARNI; 46. Something with round parts?, BOUT; 48. Draw, TIE; 49. Part of 8-Down, TRI.

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09.27.13 — Change One Letter

Lady Godiva by John Collier, c. 1897

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Friday, September 27, 2013

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Begin, GERMINATE; 10. Donizetti heroine, LUCIA; 15. Catches up to, OVERTAKES; 15. Magnetron component, ANODE; 17. Relative of a spouse, DOMESTIC PARTNER; 19. “Just playin’”, I KID; 20. Things often dropped in Harvard Yard?, ARS; 21. Bigname in winter vehicles, SKI-DOO; 22. Fixer, perhaps, VET; 23. In the way of, À LA; 24. Phony blazers, GAS LOGS; 25. Birthplace of the Franciscan order, ASSISI; 27. “Before My Birth” collagist, 1914, ARP; 28. FRO-yo (cold treat, briefly); 29. With 36- and 39-Across, go from 1- to 61-Across, CHANGE; 31. 10-year-old Best Supporting Actress, O’NEAL; 33. Robert W. Service’s “The Cremation of Sam MCGEE”; 36. See 29-Across, ONE; 37. Robert W. Service output, POEMS; 38. Soothing flora, ALOES; 39. See 29-Across, LETTER; 41. Bumped into, MET; 42. Bumped into, SAW; 43. Razor target, maybe, ARMPIT; 47. Pack into a thick mass, MAT DOWN; 50. Ottoman bigwig, AGA; 51. Tan in a library, AMY; 52. Anatomical ring, AREOLA; 53. Direction de Paris à Nancy, EST; 54. Vegan gelatin substitute, AGAR; 55. Stopgap supervisor’s duty, MIND THE STORE; 58. INIGO Montoya, swordsman in “The Princess Bride”; 59. Prefixes featured on some maps, AREA CODES; 59. AGNES Baden-Powell of the Girl Guides; 51. End, TERMINATE.

Down — 1. One known for riding out of gear?, GODIVA; 2. Brings out, EVOKES; 3. Sends in, REMITS; 4. Hell “talk ‘til his voice is hoarse”, MR ED; 5. The Who’s “IT’S Hard”; 6. NATALIA Romanova, alter ego of Marvel’s Black Widow; 7. Landmark anime film of 1988, AKIRA; 8. Many pulp heroes, in slang, TECS; 9. Picking up skill?, ESP; 10. Cheerful early risers, LARKS; 11. Preposition on a business-hours sign, UNTIL; 12. Unit charge, CONDO FEE; 13. “&” or “@,” but not “and” or “at”, IDEOGRAM; 14. Restricted flight items, AEROSOLS; 18. By yesterday, so to speak, ASAP; 23. Indication of some oxidation, ASHES; 24. Hug or kiss, maybe, GREET; 26. Drink brand symbolized by a polar bear, ICEE; 27. 39th vice president, AGNEW; 30. “The Dark Knight Rises” director, 2012, NOLAN; 31. Grammy category, OPERA; 32. What’s typical, NORM; 33. “Lordy!” in Lodi, MAMMA MIA; 34. Snow job?, CLEARING; 35. Been chosen, as for office, GOTTEN IN; 40. One-two in the ring?, TAG TEAM; 42. Pavlova portrayed one over 4,000 times, SWAN; 44. Storied place of worship, PAGODA; 45. Eastern lodging, IMARET; 46. “2 Fast 2 Furious” co-star TYRESE Gibson; 48. Grand Caravan maker, DODGE; 49.Jumbles, OLIOS; 50. One of Jacob’s sons, ASHER; 53. Ser, across the Pyrenees, ETRE; 54. Loads, A TON; 56. Piece of the street, GAT; 57. SCI-fi.

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09.26.13 — Instrument

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Puzzle by Tom Pepper and Victor Barocas

Edited by Will Shortz

CLOCK (41A. Instrument that hints at the missing parts of certain answers in this puzzle), along with twelve answers on the perimeter constitutes the interrelated group of this clever Thursday crossword:

1. HALF (10A. 50%)
2. FACE (13D. Acid-burned Bat-villain)
3. RING (38D. Like some circuses)
4. PART (63D. Like barbershop harmony)
5. SPOT (72A. Fin)
6. SIDED (71A. Like a die)
7. SEAS (70A. Sailors’ domain)
8. DAYS (58D. Length of a Beatles “week”)
9. WEST (26D. Popular women’s shoe seller)
10. BEST (1D. Annual Car and Driver list)
11. BALL (1A. It has a red stripe in pool)
12. DOZEN (5A. A gross)

Other — BOLO TIES (40D. Western party wear), DEATH STAR (58A. Darth Vader locale), EGG / YOLK (32A. With 29-Down, “golden treasure” in a Bilbo Baggins riddle), ENTER / INTO (18D. With 23-Across, sign, as a contract), GO TO SLEEP (36D. Drift off), HIGHER ED (10D. Colleges and universities, informally), I AM A CAMERA (65A. Play that was the basis for “Cabaret”), for the film, HERE, LEANING ON (3D. Using for support), SCOTIA (53A. Part of the British Isles, poetically), SHIPSHAPE (21A. Neat), SIAMESE CAT (17A. Blue-eyed pet).

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09.25.13 — LINES

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Puzzle by Victor Fleming and Bonnie L. Gentry

Edited by Will Shortz

LINE (58D. Word that can follow each part of the answers to the six starred clues), along with the six answers constitutes the interrelated group  of this Wednesday crossword:

HOT WATER (17A. *Deep trouble, informally)
HARD TIME (65A. *Felon’s sentence, maybe)
BOTTOM LAND (3D. *Low-lying acreage)
AIR SUPPLY (9D. *Deep-sea diver’s concern)
BUS SERVICE (30D. *Campus transportation, maybe)
DATE BREAD (34D. *Fruity loaf)

Other — ANAGRAM (38A. Hated to death, say?), BRONCO (2D. It’s more useful when It’s busted), DOSSIERS (70A. F.B.I. files), EBB TIDES (1A. Coastal backflows), EREBUS (7D. God of darkness), LITTERS (58A. Kittens come in them), RUPTURE (24A. Burst, as a pipe), SECRET (11D. Under wraps), TABOOED (54A. Made illicit).

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09.22.13 — Light of Heart II

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16th October 1834

J. M. W. Turner, exhibited 1835 -- Turner witnessed the burning of  Parliament from a boat on the River Thames.

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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Letterboxes, Puzzle by Mike Selinker / Edited by Will Shortz

A note accompanies this crossword:  In this special prize crossword, the completed solution conceals a familiar three word phrase related to the puzzle’s theme. 70 Across provides a hint on how to find it.

The New York Times requested that crossword blogs do not publish the solution until after the competition deadline, 6:00 pm Eastern on Tuesday, September 24.

READ THIS GRID IN BRAILLE (70A. How to get a message out of the boxes), along with FEEL THE LOVE in Braille constitutes the main feature of this bright Sunday crossword.  The solver is to imagine the letter O within the eleven boxes.

The four longest answers begin with HANDLE, PRESS, TOUCH and CONTACT appearing to be related to the Braille activity:  HANDLE WITH CARE (23A. Words on a fragile package), PRESS SECRETARY (31A. Mouthpiece for the head?), TOUCH TONE PHONE (107A. Rotary alternative) and CONTACT POISONS (118A. DDT and others).

Other — AETHER (51A. Material beyond the terrestrial plane, in medieval science), AVATAR (59D. Film set on Pandora), CONNECT / THE DOTS (1D. With 97-Down classic puzzle type), DEMONIAC (44D. Frenzied as if possessed), Cartoonist GAHAN Wilson, HARARE (14D. African capital), ISOGONS (48D. Shapes like squares), ORBISON (76A. “Only the Lonely” singer), OPORTO (16A. Italian wine city), SHLEMIEL (20D. Oaf), STACIE and STASI (40A. Strawberry blond sister of Barbie; 45d. East German secret police), SWEDES (117A. Anders Celsius and Greta Garbo, for two), THEM! (9A. Classic sci-fi film billed as “a horror horde of crawl-and-crush giants”), TURNER (101D. English landscapist famous for “The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons“).

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09.24.13 — E. T.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Puzzle by Kevin Christian / Edited by Will Shortz

Two individually circled letters, E. and T., tie together the following in this very friendly Tuesday crossword:

OUTER / SPACE (13A. With 59-Across where [circled letters] came from)
REESES / PIECES (14D. With 41-Down, composition of a trail followed by [circled letters])
DREW BARRYMORE (20A. Child actress who appeared with [circled letters])
SPIELBERG (25A. Creator of [circled letters])
PHONE HOME (45A. What [circled letters] wanted to do)
FLYING BICYCLE (49A. Means  of escape for [circled letters])
Best Original SCORE (award for the film with [circled letters])
GHOST (35D. Costume for [circled letters] on Halloween)

Other — ATE DINNER and TO GO (3D. Had an evening meal; 15A. Like a drive-thru order), DOOR BELL (8D. Avon commercial sound), EAR DOCTOR (32D. One using an otoscope), “Little Latin LUPE Lu” (1966 hit); MOBILE BAY (33D. Locale of an 1864 Civil War blockade), SHINGLES (37D. They’re “hung out” by professionals), STABILITY (5D. What a gyroscope may provide).

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09.23.13 — ROLL

Monday, September 23, 2013

Puzzle by Susan Gelfand / Edited by Will Shortz

IT’S TIME TO ROLL (34A. “Let’s go!” … or a hint for the ends of 20-, 28-, 41- and 52-Across), SLICE AND DICE (20A. Food preparation cutting technique), THE THREE R’S (28A. School basics), GOO-GOO EYES (41A. Look of infatuation) and COSTUME BALLS (52A. Fancy dress affairs) constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Other — IMAM and IMARET (44A. Muslim leader; 44D. Turkish inn), MALAWI (45D. African land whose name consists of three state postal abbreviations), MEN’S ROOMS (18A. Places where only guys go), SORCERERS (8D. Wizards), STOOD OVER (32D. Watched protectively), VICE VERSA (55A. In the opposite direction).

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For the equinox…

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09.22.13 — Rameau's Niece — the Acrostic

Sunday, September 22, 2013

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

This Sunday’s difficult but ultimately delightful acrostic draws a quotation from Rameau’s Niece by Cathleen Schine.

Although she considers herself happily married to a gregarious Englishman who teaches at Columbia University and is an inveterate quoter of poetry, Margaret Nathan, author of a best-selling scholarly biography, finds that her equilibrium is thrown when she chances upon Rameau's Niece , the manuscript of an 18th-century French erotic novel. Haunted by the sensual images that passages from Rameau's Niece have triggered, Margaret finds herself sexually attracted to a woman friend, a gay male friend, her dentist, and several other acquaintances, and she begins to question the viability of her marriage. ~ Library Journal

The quotation:  EDWARD HAD NO DIFFICULTIES AT DINNER PARTIES.  IF HE HAD BEEN SEATED BESIDE A ROCK, HE WOULD HAVE QUICKLY BEGUN AN ANIMATED DISCUSSION OF ITS LAYERS OF GRANITE … OR LIME, ITS LIFE UNDERGROUND, ITS JOURNEYS AND ASPIRATIONS …

The author’s name and the title of the work:  CATHLEEN SCHINE, RAMEAU’S NIECE

The defined words:

A. Insouciant, nonchalant, CAREFREE
B. Martial at with disarming moves, AIKIDO
C. Conversational forum groupings, THREADS
D. Samuel Butler’s mock-heroic knight, HUDIBRAS
E. Transparent, crystal clear, LIMPID
F. Delaware Bay or Long Island Sound, e.g., ESTUARY
G. Happen as a result; come after, ENSUE
H. Improvising musically; indulging in mental play, NOODLING
I. Attraction for devotees, SHRINE
J. Yellow card, in soccer, CAUTION
K. Prevent, forestall (2 wds.), HEAD OFF
L. Behavior of one hell-bound, INIQUITY
M. Display of mild interest, NIBBLE
N. Ghost in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit”, ELVIRA
O. Given celebrity treatment, in a way, ROASTED
P. Shoe brand that traces back to Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, ADIDAS
Q. 2003 Oscar vehicle for Charlize Theron, MONSTER
R. Make a great display of enthusiasm, EFFUSE
S. One who renounces a belief or cause, APOSTATE
T. Not fair, UNJUST
U. Wham-O’s first product, which inspired its name, SLINGSHOT
V. Home to the University of Delaware, NEWARK
W. Succinctly stated (3 wds.), IN A WORD
X. Given proper instruction, EDIFIED
Y. Aegean island group, CYCLADES
Z. Occasion to say “That’s all she wrote”, ENDING

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The full paragraph of the quotation:  Edward had no difficulties at dinner parties.  If he had been seated beside a rock, he would have quickly begun an animated discussion of its layers of granite or sandstone or lime, its life underground, its ocean journeys and aspirations for the future.  Intoxicated by this encounter, he would regale Margaret with tales of the rock’s history, which he would tell with such enthusiasm and such grace that she would laugh and hope that some day she too might sit beside a stone at dinner.  And the stone?  It would sigh and bask in its newly realized glory, its importance and beauty, necessity and dignity — I pave roads and build towers, I form mountains, I rest on the throats of gracious ladies! ~ Cathleen Schine, Rameau’s Niece

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09.22.13 — Light of Heart

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16th October 1834, J. M. W. Turner, exhibited 1835 — Turner witnessed the burning of  Parliament from a boat on the River Thames.

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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Letterboxes, Puzzle by Mike Selinker / Edited by Will Shortz

A note accompanies this bright Sunday crossword:

In this special prize crossword, the completed solution conceals a familiar three- word phrase related to the puzzle’s theme. 70- Across provides a hint on how to find it.

When you have the answer, e mail it to crossword@nytimes.com. Twenty five correct solvers, chosen at random, whose entries are received by 6 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Sept. 24, will receive copies of The New York Times Crossword Puzzles 2014 Day to Day Calendar, courtesy of Andrews McMeel.

The New York Times requested that crossword blogs do not publish the solution until after the competition deadline, 6:00 pm Eastern on Tuesday, September 24.

Update, Tuesday, September 24, 2013:

READ THIS GRID IN BRAILLE (70A. How to get a message out of the boxes), along with FEEL THE LOVE in Braille constitutes the main feature.  The solver is to imagine the letter O within the eleven boxes (visible only in print-outs).

The four longest answers begin with HANDLE, PRESS, TOUCH and CONTACT appearing to be related to the Braille activity:  HANDLE WITH CARE (23A. Words on a fragile package), PRESS SECRETARY (31A. Mouthpiece for the head?), TOUCH TONE PHONE (107A. Rotary alternative) and CONTACT POISONS (118A. DDT and others).

Other — AETHER (51A. Material beyond the terrestrial plane, in medieval science), AVATAR (59D. Film set on Pandora), CONNECT / THE DOTS (1D. With 97-Down classic puzzle type), DEMONIAC (44D. Frenzied as if possessed), Cartoonist GAHAN Wilson, HARARE (14D. African capital), ISOGONS (48D. Shapes like squares), ORBISON (76A. “Only the Lonely” singer), OPORTO (16A. Italian wine city), SHLEMIEL (20D. Oaf), STACIE and STASI (40A. Strawberry blond sister of Barbie; 45d. East German secret police), SWEDES (117A. Anders Celsius and Greta Garbo, for two), THEM! (9A. Classic sci-fi film billed as “a horror horde of crawl-and-crush giants”), TURNER (101D. English landscapist famous for “The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons“).

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