12.31.13 — Anagrammatical Endings


The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon, Edward Burne-Jones, 1881-1898

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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Puzzle by Tracy Gray / Edited by Will Shortz


Anagramming LARGE, ALGER, GLARE, LAGER and REGAL constitutes the main feature of this Tuesday crossword:

LIVING LARGE (17A. Being extravagant and self-indulgent)
HORATIO ALGER (24A. “Ragged Dick” author)
ROCKET’S RED GLARE (37A. Illumination in “The Star-Spangled Banner”)
PREMIUM LAGER (47A. All-malt beer)
CHIVAS REGAL (58A. Scotch whisky brand)


Other — AVALON (46A. King Arthur’s resting place), BHT (11A. Food preservative for short), CANOODLE (5D. Be lovey-dovey), GIVE A RIP (39D. Be concerned, slangily), IBIZA (43A, One of Spain’s Balearics), JUNCO (22A. North American finch), LEE and LEVEE, XANADU (27A. Site of Kubla Khan’s “pleasure dome”).


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12.30.13 — Say Cheese


Monday, December 30, 2013

Puzzle by David Steinberg / Edited by Will Shortz


PANT, PENT, PINT, PONT and PUNT found at the beginnings of PANT SUITED (18A. In some common women’s office attire), PENT-UP ANGER (24A. What may lead to an emotional explosion), PINT MEASURE (36A. Half-quart container), PONT L’ÉVÊQUE (51A. Creamy French cheese) and PUNT RETURN (59A. Gridiron runback) constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Other — OUT THERE (11D. Highly unconventional), OTTO (23A. Good name for a garage mechanic?), POP TUNE (40D. Candidate for the Top 40), POWER NAP (36D. Afternoon office pick-me-up), RUBATO (48D. Fluctuation of musical tempo), SQUISH (47D. Step on, as a bug), TRUNK (53D. Front of an elephant or back of a car).


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12.29.13 — Gloomy Gus — the Acrostic



Violent clash: Football matches were more like American Football matches - but without the padding. Games in Tudor times would involve dozens of players and last for hours.

It's known as the beautiful game, but in Tudor times football should perhaps have been called the dangerous game.  Modern Premier League stars may dive and feign injuries, but in the 16th century more people died playing it than sword-fighting, a historian has discovered. Seven footballers were killed after clashes in English villages between 1500 and 1575, new research has revealed. ~ Rob Cooper, Mail Online 

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Sunday, December 29, 2013

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


This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from Whatever Happened to Gloomy Gus of the Chicago Bears? by Robert Coover.

On Memorial Day 1937, at a union protest in Chicago, Gloomy Gus, an all-American gridiron hero, took his last catch and dash to the great touchline in the sky. How he came to be there and what his life represents is the subject of this story. Gus is the fulfillment of the American Dream. He was a very successful student at school. He is prodigious in bed with women. He is a talented actor, able to truly move the audience. But Gus is also an enigma. What is the mystery at the heart of his life? The story is narrated by Meyer, who knew Gus in his final days. Meyer is a Jew and a committed Communist. He works as a WPA sponsored sculptor, and he lives in his studio, which is in an old warehouse. The warehouse is rumored to have once been used as a liquor depot by Bugs Morgan's gang. The warehouse is in the Old Town district, and though Meyer has abandoned his Jewish heritage, he is surrounded by Jewish people. This is also the story of Meyer, who searches for the meanings in life so he can express them in his art. Raymond Mathiesen ~ amazon.com



The quotation:  FOOTBALL IS NOT ABOUT VIOLENCE.  IT’S ABOUT BALANCE.  THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE IS A FULCRUM, NOT A FRONTIER.  THE STRUGGLE IS NOT FOR PROPERTY.  ITS FOR FREEDOM.  OF COURSE, I ADMIT MOST FOOTBALLERS ARE PROBABLY IGNORANT OF ALL THIS.

The author’s name an the title of the work:  ROBERT COOVER, GLOOMY GUS

The defined words:

A. Mechanical action film title character, ROBOCOP
B. 1936 musical involving jazz ballet (3 wds.), ON YOUR TOES
C. Dark and heavy type, BOLDFACE
D. College group of 538, ELECTORS
E. Common problem area for drummers and quarterbacks (2 wds.), ROTATOR CUFF  
F. Site of a stored showdown in 1881, TOMBSTONE
G Aid for Itzhak Perlman (2 wds.), CHIN REST
H. Best à la Br’er Rabbit, OUTSMART
I. Star arrangement a.k.a. the Three Kings (2 wds.), ORION’S BELT
J. Big Apple neighborhood, with “the”, VILLAGE
K. View from Checkpoint Charlie (2 wds.), EAST BERLIN
L. Pursue, try to catch (2 wds.), RUN AFTER
M. Policy of treating the whole world as one’s sphere of political influence, GLOBALISM
N. Seducer in Nicholas Rowe’s “Fair Penitent” (1703), LOTHARIO
O. Violation costing five yards, OFFSIDE
P. One who knows Puccini from Ponchielli, say (2 wds.), OPERA BUFF
Q. Where wrestling, horse racing and archery are the “three many games”, MONGOLIA
R. Michigan city that shares its name with a modern Greek war hero, YPSILANTI
S. Round up; harvest (2 wds.), GATHER IN
T. Sport whose object is to pass into an end zone, ULTIMATE
U. Feature of the Heisman Trophy figure’s pose (hyph.), STIFF-ARM


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12.29.13 — Take A Break


Sunday, December 29, 2013

“Take A Break,” Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

A pool-table shaped grid with six squares containing the word POCKET in the appropriate locations, along with a rack-shaped arrangement of POOL BALLS in circled squares, VERBAL CUE, SIDEWALK CHALK, WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE, DRESS RACK and HEARTFELT constitute the interrelated group of this winning Sunday crossword:


  • [POCKET]BOOK (1A. One at a woman’s side?) with [POCKET] VETO (1D. Presidential power first used by James Madison)
  • PICK[POCKET]  (11A. Person who might bump into you on a subway) with [POCKET] SIZE (15D. Miniature)
  • [POCKET] WATCH (62A. Item on a chain) with [POCKET] PASSER (62D. Well-protected no running quarterback)
  • OUT OF [POCKET] (68A. Like some expenses) with [POCKET] CHANGE (71D. Silver, say)[POCKET] ACES (123A. Best hand in Texas hold ‘em) with HOT [POCKET] (106D. Microwaveable snack item)
  • DEEP [POCKET] (125A. Having a ton of money to draw on) with AIR [POCKET]  (114D, Cause of a sudden drop in altitude)


VERBAL CUE (23A. Spoken instruction in animal training)
SIDEWALK CHALK (35A. Bit of hopscotch equipment)
WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE (51A. Philadelphia/New Jersey connector)
DRESS RACK (77A. It’s often divided into sections 0, 2, 4, 6, etc.)
HEARTFELT (107A. Sincere)

POOL BALLS contained within PIG PENS (87A. Symbols of dirtiness), STOOLIE (91A. Rat) and BALLS (95A. Big dos).

Other —BARBELLS (67D. Pressing needs?), ILLUMINATI (30D. Secret society in Dan Brown’s “Angels & Demons”), LET IT BE (73D. Next-to-last #1 Beatles hit), SCIENTISTS (28D. Half of the Nobel Prize winners, typically), T S ELIOT (29A. He said the most important thing to poets to do is to write as little as possible).

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12.28.13 — The Saturday Crossword


Saturday, December 28, 2013

Puzzle by Frederick J. Healy / Edited by Will Shortz


Across — 1. Gut-busting side, JUMBO FRIES; 11. Port. Title, SRTA; 15. Alternative to 1-Across, ONION RINGS; 16. Some GPS suggestions, informally, UIES; 17. Shooting star?, GUNSLINGER; 18. College figs., GPAS; 19. It means little in the Lowlands, SMA; 20. Trimming gizmo, EDGER; 21. Like floppy disks, e.g., PASSE; 22. Vino de PAGO (Spanish wine designation); Red shade, GARNET; 24. Santa Ana wind source, MOJAVE; 27. It may be up against the wall, STUCCO; 29. Bring out, EDUCE; 30. 1975 hit song about “tramps like us”, BORN TO RUN; 33. Like Athena, WISE; 34. Sharon’s predecessor, BARAK; 35. Fig. for I, O or U, but not A or E, AT NO; 36. It may be said while wearing a toga, LET’S PARTY; 38. Manual series, STEPS; 39. Phoenix suburb larger than the Midwest city it’s named for, PEORIA; 40. Break through, PIERCE; 41. Princess of ballet, ODETTE; 43. Like red bell peppers, MILD; 44. Orders, FIATS; 45. Key ring?, ATOLL; 47. Scoutmaster, often, DAD; 50. The moment that, ONCE; 51. It’s not drawn due to gravity, SMILEY FACE; 53. Co-star in the U.S. premiere of “Waiting for Godot,” 1956, LAHR; 54. Pride and joy, SENTIMENTS; 55. Abstainers, DRYS; 56. Question from a bully, ANYONE ELSE.

Down — 1. Slight pushes, JOGS; 2. One at the U.S. Mint?, UNUM; 3. Jonathan’s wife in “Dracula”, MINA; 4. A. L. East team, on sports tickers, BOS; 5. Like many pregnant women, ON LEAVE; 6. Where to get a cold comfort?, FRIDGE; 7. #1 spoken-word hit of 1964, RINGO; 8. “My Son is a Splendid Driver” novelist, 1971, INGE; 9. Castle of EGER (Hungarian tourist draw); 10. Old map abbr., SSR; 11. Like some pills and lies, SUGAR COATED; 12. Dilly, RIP SNORTER; 13. Bait, TEASE; 14. Listing on I.R.S. Form 8949, ASSET; 21. Summit success, PACT; 22. Front runners, PACE SETTERS; 23. Engine buildup, GUNK; 24. Sound like a baby, MEWL; 25. Cartoon pooch, ODIE; 26. Hunky-dory, JUST PEACHY; 27. Rather informal?, SORTA; 28. Printer part, TRAY; 30. Port on the Adriatic, BARI; 31. Like Bill Maher, notably, UN PC; 32 Supporter of shades, NOSE; 34. Unembellished, BARE; 37. Stock to put stock in, POTS; 38. Verbal alternative to a head slap, SILLY ME; 40. Go for a car-cramming record, say, PILE IN; 41 Anciently, OF OLD; 42. Tunisian money, DINAR; 43. MOLTO presto; 46. Devotional period?, AMEN; 46. Insignificant, TINY; 47. Twain’s “celebrated jumping frog”, DAN'L; 48. Talent show lineup, ACTS; 49. “DESE Bones G’wine Rise Again” (spiritual); 51. Important card source: Abbr., SSA; 52. Deterrent to lateness or cancellation, FEE.


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12.27.13 — Good Catch!


Harrison High School's Michael Hodorowski makes a diving catch to save a run at Lassiter High School during game 1 for Class AAAAA baseball championship on Saturday, May 29, 2010 (Georgia). JOHNNY CRAWFORD / JCRAWFORD@AJC.COM

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Friday, December 27, 2013

Puzzle by Ian Livengood and J.A.S.A. Crossword Class
Edited by Will Shortz


Across — 1. Compliment after a dive, GOOD CATCH; 10. Word with cellar or door, STORM; 15. 2012 billion-dollar Facebook acquisition, INSTAGRAM; 16. Dermatologist’s case, TINEA; 17. Things employed to show the passage of time à la “Citizen Kane”, NEWSREELS; 18. Some saucers, SLEDS; 19. Mixed USE; 20. ‘50s-’60s sitcom nickname, BEAV; 21. Cant, LIST; 22. Identifies, PEGS; 24. Small jerk, TIC; 26. Accord, SYNCH; 27. Brown refreshers, COLAS; 30. Caustic soda, chemically, NAOH; 32. TAE kwon do; 33. Gridiron datum: Abbr., INT; 34. So-called “potted physician”, ALOE VERA; 36. Oscar-nominated film featuring a dentist-turned bounty hunter, DJANGO UNCHAINED; 40. Home of Sky Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, AUCKLAND; 41. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” girl, EVA; 42. Morse bit, DIT; 43. Contrarian’s abbreviation, OTOH; 44. Island where Artemis was born, DELOS; 47. Phishing lures, SCAMS; 49. Disperse, SOW; 51. Double STUF Oreo; 55. Lead-in to type, TELE; 54. Two-master, BRIG; 57. Sushi fish, TAI; 58. Leader of Uganda’s independence movement, OBOTE; 60. Subject of a landmark 2012 Supreme Court decision, OBAMACARE; 62. Dice, BONES; 63. Final say, VETO POWER; 64. Apply, EXERT; 65. Like Albert Einstein, ethnically, ASHKENAZI.


Down — 1. Add zip to, GIN UP; 2. “Hold on …”, ONE SEC; 3. Port on Lake Ontario, OSWEGO; 4. Result of drying out, maybe, DTS; 5. Pasta, e.g., informally, CARB; 6. “The African Queen” screenwriter, AGEE; 7. Attempt to cure, TREAT; 8. “Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat” duo, CALVIN AND HOBBES; 9. Bounty letters HMS; 10. E. F and G in D.C., STS; 11. Jennifer TILLY of “Bound”; 12. Quite a long shot, ONE IN TEN; 13. Cause for some blacklisting, RED SCARE; 14. Who’s who in publishing?, MASTHEAD; 23. Move furtively, SLINK; 25. Class graded on a curve?, CALC; 26. Gather at harvest, SHEAVE; 28. Whites, informally, ANGLOS; 29. Brown coat, STOAT; 31. Expressed some delight, OOHED; 35. Perfume holders, VIALS; 36. Some Lamaze assistants, DADS TO BE; 37. Drink with a straw, JUICE BOX; 38. Have no help, ACT ALONE; 39. Some, in Salamanca, UNOS; 46. Parliamentary home, OTTAWA; 46. Newsman Ray SUAREZ; 46. What stress may be good for, METER; 50. “Roasted in WRATH and fire”: Hamlet; 52. Guy FIERI with a cooking show; 55. Reassuring comment after a fall, I’M OK; 58. Wide breach, GAPE; 59. What means the most at the end?, EST; 50. Beginnings of life, OVA; 61. Bilk, CON.


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12.26.13 — Chaos


Magnum Chaos represented by Lorenzo Lotto, 
at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo.

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Puzzle by Tim Croce / Edited by Will Shortz


GENERAL DISARRAY (58A. Chaos … or a hint to the contents of 17-, 28-, 34- and 43-Across), NUCLEAR ENGINEER, GREEN ALGAE, POTENTIAL ENERGY and RIFLE RANGE constitute the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword:

NUCLEAR ENGINEER (17A. Many a Manhattan Project worker)
GREEN ALGAE (28A. Growth on wet rocks or the surface of stagnant water)
POTENTIAL ENERGY (34A. What a coiled spring or charged batter has, in physics)
RIFLE RANGE (43A. Targeted area?)


Other — AFTER ALL (7A. Anyway), EMIRATES (62A. Dubai-based airline), GOOGLE (19A. Search for, in a way), IDAHOS (1A. Some tubers), MESS TENT (64A. Private dining area?), NEVADAN (22D. Silver Stater), OSCILLATES (55A. Varies), RAN RAGGED (11D. Completely tuckered out), SEAFARERS (32D. Vikings, e.g.), TIA MARIA (16A. Jamaican rum liqueur).


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12.25.13 — Golden Rings




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Wednesday, December 25, 2013 — Christmas Day 

Puzzle by Jacob Stulberg / Edited by Will Shortz


FIVE GOLDEN RINGS (41A. One set of gifts in “The 12 Days of Christmas” … as suggested by the circled squares?), along with those “rings”, RULE, MEAN, SLUMBERS, HORN and GATE constitute the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword.


Book with "Dieu, la Loi, et le Roi" on one page and the golden rule on the other, by Bernard d'Agesci


Other — AFORESAID (10D. Raised above?), ANGEL (70A. Christmas Tree decoration), DUMB and NUMB (38A and 18A. Senseless), EMBERS (26D Poker targets?), ICARUS (48D. Hubristic flier of myth), KABUKI (9D. Japanese dance-drama), LACROSSE (59A. Sport not played officially in the Olympics since 1908), LAVAS (29D. Aa and pahoehoe), OSSETIA (47A. Rebellious region of the Caucasus), RECESSION (37D. Downturn),  STEELIER (20A. Stronger and harder), SYRIAC (50D. Ancient Mideast language), WEIRS (28D. Small dams).


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12.24.13 — Nelson Mandela


Mandela as Dissident, Liberator and Statesman: 
Nelson Mandela, the leading emancipator of South Africa
and its first black president

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Puzzle by David J. Kahn / Edited by Will Shortz


NELSON MANDELA (38A. Late political leader who wrote “Long Walk to Freedom”), PRESIDENT OF / SOUTH AFRICA (18A. With 60-Across, 1994-99 role for 36-Across), ROBBEN / ISLAND (8A. With 68-Across, prison where 36-Across spent 18 years), APARTHEID (48A. Bygone policy in 60-Across), F W DE KLERK (29A. Predecessor 36-Across and sharer with him of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize), TATA (46A. Father, in Xhosa, and a nickname for 36-Across) and ATTENDEE (3D. Barack or Michelle Obama, at the memorial service for 38-Across) constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday tribute crossword.

Other — ADAPTING (39D. Evolving), ALIENATE (41D. Estrange), FREE REIN (6D. Unlimited latitude),  ILOILO (16A. Philippine seaport with a reduplicative name), LIES OVER (40D. Covers), PERUSES 54A. Reads carefully), PONY CAR (24A. Class of automobile inspired by the Ford Mustang), WALLOW IN (2D. Be immersed by).


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12.23.13 — Take It to the Bank



Old Shawneetown, Illinois Bank at Night, National Register #72000459
Constructed in 1839-1841 to house the offices of the Bank of Illinois

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Monday, December 23, 2013

Edited by Will Shortz


TAKE IT TO THE BANK (39A. “Believe you me!” … or what you can do with the start of 18-, 24-, 53- or 63-Across?), SPERM WHALE (18A. Mammal with the largest brain of any animal), PIGGYBACKING (24A. Riding on someone else’s shoulders), RIVER PHOENIX (53A. Young Indiana Jones portrayer) and FOG MACHINE (63A. Dry-ice contraption for theatrical effect) constitutes the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Other — Newspaperman ADOLPH Ochs; AXIOMS (52D. Self-evident truths), BREASTS (51A. Chicken pieces that aren’t legs, thighs or wings), COQ au vin, EPOCHS (49D. Pleistocene and Eocene, for two), EYES and OJOS (44A. Peepers; 35A. 44-Across, en español), METHANE (28A. Marsh gas), Je ne sais QUOI, RIP Van Winkle, SCRIBE (8D. Professional writer), “Auld Lang SYNE”, THE HAT (50D. Something to pass at a fund-raiser), TOMCAT (9D. Philanderer, in slang).


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12.22.13 — Angel

Angel by Michelangelo

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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski / Edited by Will Shortz


A note accompanies this heavenly Sunday crossword:  When the puzzle is done draw a line connecting the 21 circled letters from A to U in alphabetical order.  The resulting shape will provide a clue to 6-, 8-, 14-, 53- and 70-Down.  The clues for the group of five entries all read [See blurb], e.g., SHOW BACKER, MICHELANGELO SCULPTURE, AEROSMITH SONG, GOLFER CABRERA and TREE TOPPER.

Other — DAVIS LOVE / III (27A. With 63-Down, 1997 P.G.A. champ who captained the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team), EXIT ROW (25A. Special seating area in an airplane), FUEL TANK (12D. Give it the gas), GENE POOL (68A. Reproductive stock),  GUSSETS (68D. Tailors' inserts), IF I FELL (28D. Beatles tune from "A Hard Day's Night"), JEAN ARP (84D. “Cloud Shepherd” artist), HUGUENOT (21A. Many an early French settler in America), NOEL NOEL (61A. Words that precede “Born is the King …”), OTOLOGY (65A. Ear-related study), OUTTAKES (92A. Unseen scenes), PHASER and RAY GUN (50D. Futuristic weapon; 107D. Futuristic weapon), RAJ and RAJA, RENVOI (15D. Expulsion, as of a foreign diplomat), STRAUSS (77A. “Don Quixote” composer), TOKENISM (82D. Symbolic effort in support of equal rights), UPRAISING (100A. Giving a boost.


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