02.28.14 — Spelunking

Cueva de las Manos in Santa Cruz, Argentina 

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Friday, February 28, 2014

Puzzle by Martin Ashwood-Smith / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Modern-day locale of Nineveh, IRAQ; 5. People down under?, CAVERS; 11. Exceeds the speed limit?, ODS; 14. Exceed the speed limit, maybe, RACE; 15. Company with an Energy Boost line, ADIDAS; 16. Minim, JOT; 17. Terse admission, I DID; 18. It’ll keep a roof over your head, LIVING WAGE; 20. Fall, in a way, SIN; 21. Like a good lookout, ALERT; 22. Bouillabaisse seasoning, THYME; 23. They soar at the opera, HIGH NOTES; 25. When to do a pressing job, ASAP; 26. Mitochondrion-made material, briefly, ATP; 27. Back, to a shellback, AFT; 28. Investments since 1975, TRADITIONAL IRAS; 38. What a tropical tourist definitely doesn’t want to bring home, MALARIA PARASITE; 39. It helps you let go, EMOTIONAL OUTLET; 40. Many of them play at the Olympics, NATIONAL ANTHEMS; 41. Some Windows systems, NTS; 42. Shakespeare sonnet mentioning Philomel’s mournful hymns, CII; 43. Title for Liszt, ABBE; 46. Gigantic, TEXAS SIZE; 52. Text, with Numbers, TORAH; 54. Patent, OVERT; 55. Carlito’s way, VIA; 56. Street view, STOREFRONT; 58. First name in popular shorts, WALT; 59. Bond bit, ION; 60. Coors Field player, ROCKIE; 61. Alost never, ONCE; 62. Really dirty, XXX; 63. Try again, REHEAR; 64. Salk Institute architect Louis KAHN.

Lascaux  

Down — 1. From Galway, say, IRISH; 2. Cuts into a pizza, often, RADII; 3. Sailing through, ACING; 4. Last thing seen by a proof reader?, QED; 5. Some Wall Street contracts, CALL OPTIONS; 6. Go on A DIET; 7. Exist abroad?, VIVRE; 8. Applies polish to?, EDITS; 9. Flew, RAN; 10. Squad cmdr., S SGT; 11. R&B group with the 1972 hit “Back Stabbers,” with “the”, O’JAYS; 12. Proselytizers push it, DOGMA; 13. Pickle, e.g., STEEP; 19. Finder’s query, WHAT IS THIS; 21. Like some helmets and shields, ANTI-RIOT; 24. Couldn’t hit pitches, HAD A TIN EAR; 27. Singer who’s a Backstreet Boy’s brother, AARON CARTER; 28. Sir James Galway, e.g., FLAUTIST; 29. Dodgers’ foes, T-MEN; 30. Hindu hero, RAMA; 31. Legions, A LOT; 32. Suffix with Edward, I ANA; 33. It’s around 6 on the Mohs scale, OPAL; 34. “The Lion King” lion, NALA; 35. Get to, RILE; 38. “Let me AT ‘EM!”; 37. Philatelic goals, SETS; 43. When the first dogwatch ends, AT SIX; 44. It’s not a cheap shot, BOTOX; 45. Bombers’ locale, BRONX; 46. Spelunker’s aid, TORCH; 47. Conjure, EVOKE; 48. City with major avenues named Cincinnati and Columbus, XENIA; 49. First name among socialites, IVANA; 50. It means nothing, ZILCH; 51. All gone, EATEN; 53. Mann’s man, HERR; 57. Ill-wisher, FOE; 58. Thai pan, WOK.

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02.27.14 — Bar Sign

McSorley’s Cats, 1929, John French Sloan

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Puzzle by Stanley Newman / Edited by Will Shortz

DON’T TALK ABOUT / YOURSELF WE / WILL DO THAT / AFTER YOU LEAVE (15A. Sign at a neighborhood bar) is the main feature of this Thursday crossword.

Other — CAT (5D. Subject of many a viral video), DIURNAL (11D. Active when the sun shines), DYED and YELLOW (20D. Like some blonds; 22D. Blond), ENAMEL (6D. Hardest substance in the human body), REDO and REDRAFT (31D and 38D. Second version), TANNERY (44D. Suede source).

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02.26.14 — IST That So ...

Cello in Sephia by Blissedsoul 

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Puzzle by Ruth B. Margolin / Edited by Will Shortz

Adding IST to familiar phrases resulting in unfamiliar phrases constitutes the interrelated group of this pleasant Wednesday crossword:

CUBIST REPORTERS (17A. Journalists covering abstract art?)
POMPOUS ASSIST (26A. Help from a jerk?)
STARKIST NAKED (44A. Canned tuna without mayo?)
SLEEPER CELLISTS (58A. Narcoleptics with string instruments?)

Other — AVIATE (5A. Do the Wright thing?), CALYPSO (41D. Harry Belafonte genre), CREDIT RISK (11D. One unable to get a loan, say), EURASIA (10D. “1984” superstate), GAS and SNAIL (51A. Shell carries it; 42D. It carries a shell), GUEVARA (24D. Compadre of Castro), MAIN STREET (28D. Where to find the only stoplight in a small town, typically), NASSAU (15A. South American cruise stop, for short), REPLICA (33A. Model plane, e.g.), VOILE (38A. Sheer curtain fabric).

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02.25.14 — Crossword E's

The letter E, an influential vowel and one of the most frequently used letters in the English language, died yesterday. It was 2,800 years old. ~  Joshua David Stein, Wired 

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Puzzle by Mathew E. Paronto and Jeff Chen

Edited by Will Shortz

CROSSWORDESE (55A. What this puzzle’s capitalized clues are, both by definition and pun), e.g., “crossword E’s”, along with FENCING BLADE (20A. EPEE), NEEDLE CASE (28A. ETUI), SEA BIRD (39A. ERNE) and ARAB LEADER (47A. EMIR), constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other — AMNESIA (46D. Overused plot device in soaps), ART FILM (4D. Highbrow theater screening), BANANA SPLIT (10D. Fountain treat with cherries on top), BUSSES (48D. Hearty kisses), CLOWN AROUND (25D. Be a goof), ORACLE (5D. Seer), UNCIVIL (23A. Discourteous).

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02.24.14 — Little Women

Monday, February 24, 2014

Puzzle by Adam G. Perl / Edited by Will Shortz

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT (39A. Author who created the characters named by the starts of 17-, 24-, 40- and 61-Across) and JO, MEG, BETH and AMY found in JOKES AROUND (17A. Isn’t serious), MEGABYTE (24A. Computer memory unit), BETHESDA (49A. Maryland home of the Walter Reed medical center) and AMYL NITRITE (61A. Chemical compound in “poppers”) constitutes the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Other — AMALGAMATED (26D. United, as corporations or labor unions), ARSENAL (27A. Weapons depot), BYE BYE LOVE (11D. 1957 Everly Brothers hit with the repeated lyric “Hello loneliness”), NESTING SITE (5D. Place to lay an egg), SCALENE (47A. Having sides of different lengths, as a triangle), SOUND TRACK (29D. Film score).

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02.23.14 — The Spinning Skater— the Acrostic

Figure Skater Carol Lynne by Light Painting Photographer Gjon Mili 

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Sunday February 23 2014

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s winning acrostic draws a humorous albeit a rather fragmented quotation from Gliding for Gold: The Physics of Winter Sports by Mark Denny.

After discussing the physical properties of ice and snow and describing the physics behind sliding friction and aerodynamic drag, Denny applies these concepts to such sports as bobsledding, snowboarding, and curling. He explains why clap skates would only hinder hockey players, how a curling rock curls, the forces that control luge speed, and how steering differs from skiing to snowboarding. With characteristic accuracy and a touch of wit, Denny provides fans, competitors, and coaches with handy, applicable insights into the games they love. The separate section of technical notes offers an original and mathematically rigorous exploration of the key aspects of winter sports physics. ~ amazon.com 

The quotation:  {A] SPINNING SKATER CAN INCREASE HER ANGULAR SPEED … .  YOU MAY REPRODUCE THIS … ON YOUR OFFICE … CHAIR. … [G]ET SPINNING WITH YOUR LEGS EXTENDED, … THEN DRAW YOU LEGS IN .. .  THIS … WILL CAUSE YOUR … COLLEAGUES TO STARE AND YOU TO SPIN FASTER.

The author’s name and the title of the work:  MARK DENNY, GLIDING FOR GOLD

Head of Odysseus from a Roman period Hellenistic marble group representing Odysseus blinding Polyphemus, found at the villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga

The defined words:

A. Knack for being successful in any venture (2 wds.), MIDAS TOUCH
B. Jump off the forward edge, AXEL
C. Coach, trainer and bodyguard, for example, RETINUE
D. Area adjoining a rink where marks are awaited (hyph.), KISS-AND-CRY
E. River through Smolensk and Kiev, DNEIPER
F. On cloud nine, in seventh heaven, EUPHORIC
G. Unit used to measure the force of gravity, NEWTON
H. Side effect of vertigo, NAUSEA
L. Fledgling, squirt, moppet, YOUNGSTER
J. A puck might ricochet off it (2 wds.), GOAL POST
K. "Chill out!” (2 wds.), LIGHTEN UP
L. Sluggishness, resistance to change, INERTIA
M. Lacking a definite plan or regularity, DESULTORY
N. Follies involving blades (2 wds.), ICE SHOW
O. Fine distinction, NUANCE
P. Act of whirling or rotating, GYRATION
Q. Unattached, not held back by ties (hyph.), FANCY-FREE
R. Player in an arena who never scores, ORGANIST
S. Use a Zamboni on, say, RESURFACE
T. Focus of certain protests before the Sochi Olympics (2 wds.), GAY RIGHTS
U. Figure of interest to some powerful Olympians, ODYSSEUS
V. One engaged in a vault, LEAPER
W. Like a normal bobsled run … or worse?, DOWNHILL

Skaters, a scene at Duddington Loch, Charles Lees

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The full paragraph of the quotation:  Angular momentum is the tendency of a rotating body to keep rotating  A spinning body has a high angular momentum if it is hard to stoop it from spinning.  High angular momentum may derive from spinning the body very fast or from spinning a very heavy body.  We are all familiar with the concept of angular momentum conservation, in practice if not in theory.  We know that a spinning skater can increase her angular speed    the rate at which she turns   by drawing in her arms and legs.  You may reproduce this behavior in a modest way by spinning on your office pedestal chair.  First, get spinning with your legs extended, and then draw you legs in toward the chair axis.  This action will cause your office colleagues to stare and you to spin faster.  Extend you legs again and you slow down.  If your boss complains, just say that you are learning some physics.

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02.23.14 — Puzzle by a Namesake

Victor Fleming

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

“Reel-life Anniversary” — Puzzle by a Namesake of 119-Across 

Edited by Will Shortz

VICTOR FLEMING (119A. Director of the eight starred films in this puzzle, who was born on 2/23/1889), 125 years ago to the day, is the “honoree” and also the “namesake”, e.g., the constructor, of this extraordinary Sunday crossword, along with the titles of eight films by the director:

THE WIZARD OF OZ (24A. *1939 Judy Garland film)
BOMBSHELL (37A. *1933 Jean Harlow film)
A GUY NAMED JOE (54A. *1943 Spencer Tracy/Irene Dunne film)
GONE WITH THE WIND (68A. *1939 Vivien Leigh/Clark Gable film)
TORTILLA FLAT (89A. *1942 Spencer Tracy/Hedy Lamarr film)
JOAN OF ARC (103A. *1948 Ingrid Bergman film)
RED DUST (5D. *1932 Clark Gable/Jean Harlow film)
LORD JIM (98D. *1925 Percy Marmont film)

Other — ALITO and ROBERTS (1A and 10A. Bush judicial appointee). ENACT and L A LAW (47A. Pass; 46D. 1980s-’90s series based on the fictional firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak), LOOSE ENDS (16D. Things that should be tied up by the curtain?), SCOTTIES and SHEEPDOG (57D. Wiry-coated terriers; 10D. What Babe wants to be in “Babe“), SOLIPSIST (60A. Self-absorbed sort), STUDENT ID (83D. Means of access to a cafeteria, maybe).

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02.22.14 — High Spirits

Guido Reni's Archangel Michael Trampling Satan, 1636.

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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Puzzle by Evan Bornholm / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Ones who think things are good as gold?, ALCHEMISTS; 11. Like metals used by 1-Across, BASE; 15. Feared sight on the Spanish Main, PIRATE SHIP; 16. Obama’s favorite character on “The Wire”, OMAR; 17. Like some parents, STAY-AT-HOME; 18. Big long-distance carrier?, SEMI; 19. Coastal fish consumers, ERNS; 20. Much may follow it, HOW; 21. Composer of the opera “Rusalka”, DVORAK; 23. Deal with, SEE TO; 25. People might pass for them, for short, TDS; 27. High line in the Middle East, EMIRS; 28. Small cell, AAA; 30. Brand of body washes, OLAY; 32. Grp. With the Office of Iraq Analysis, CIA; 33. Art that uses curse words?, BLACK MAGIC; 37. Volt-ampere, WATT; 38. Takes the plunge, RISKS IT; 39. Peak transmission setting of old?, MT SINAI; 41. Declines, with “out”, OPTS; 42. Fall apart, COME UNDONE; 44. Score abbr., ARR; 46. First name of Woodstock’s last performer, JIMI; 46. Split second?, PEE; 47. Golden, in Granada, DE ORO; 49. Hit with skits, for short, SNL; 51. Get off the drive, say, ERASE; 55. No-gooder, BAD EGG; 57. 2012 baseball All-Star Kinsler, IAN; 59. Some plans for the future, briefly, IRAS; 60. Rackets, ADOS; 61. High spirits?, ARCHANGELS; 64. Land capturer, in literature, NEMO; 65. “Bummer”, WHAT A SHAME; 68. Tied, DREW; 67. Whip wielder, DOMINATRIX.

Down — 1. Vaulted areas, APSES; 2. Tall order at a British pub, LITRE; 3. Big picker-upper?, CRANE; 4. Frequent Monet subjects, HAY STACKS; 5. Projection in the air, for short, ETA; 6. Kind of bust, METH; 7. “I SHOT a man in Reno” (“Folsom Prison Blues” lyric); 8. Well-trained boxer, maybe, SHOW DOG; 9. Punk rocker Armstrong with a 2012 Grammy, TIM; 10. Reached 100, say, SPED; 11. Near to one’s heart, BOSOM; 12. First drink ever ordered by James Bond, AMERICANO; 13. Do-gooder, SAMARITAN; 14 Composer called a “gymnopédiste”, ERIK SATIE; 22. Woe, in Yiddish, VEY; 24. Symbols of might, OAKS; 26. Scuzz, SLIME; 29. Facebook connections in Florence?, AMICI; 31. Start sputtering, say, ACT UP; 33. Aid in fast networking, BROADBAND; 34. One getting messages by word of mouth?, LIP READER; 35. Site of the 1992 Republican National Convention, ASTRODOME; 36. Very small (and very important) matter, ATOMS; 37. Like some missed field goals, WIDE RIGHT; 40. Weapon in “The Mikado”, SNEE; 43. Telejournalist’s item, MINICAM; 45. Part of many a training regimen, JOG; 48. Plant in subsequent seasons, RESOW; 50. “Swing Shift” Oscar nominee, LAHTI; 52. In the back, AREAR; 53. Game stew, SALMI; 54. Locale of London Stansted Airport, ESSEX; 56. “Good GAWD A’mighty!”; 58. Side in an Indian restaurant, NAAN; 62. Certain sorority chapter, RHO; 63. Tapping grp., NSA.

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02.21.14 — Machinations

Machinations by Scott Greene, 2004-5 

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Friday, February 21, 2014

Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Crafty clues are the main feature of this Friday crossword.

Across — 1. Freight hopper, TRAMP; 6. Much-hailed group, CABS; 10. Pretreater target, SPOT; 14. Slab strengthener, REBAR; 15. Days long gone, YORE; 16. End of an Asian capital’s name, PENH; 17. Queen’s Chapel designer INIGO Jones; 18. Stamp act?, CLOG DANCE; 20. Like some unhealthy relationships, OEDIPAL; 22. Not so normal, WEIRDER; 23. Be cognizant of, SEE; 24. Lamebrain, CLOD; 26. Certain letter attachment, RESUME; 27. Unpleasantly surprised, JOLTED; 29. LOS Altos, Calif.; 30. Provider of early projections, CAMERA OBSCURA; 34. Catchphrase that encourages extravagance, GO BIG OR GO HOME; 35. Sky hooks?, CRESCENT MOONS; 36. “HE’D fly through the air with the greatest of ease”; 37. DQ offerings, SHAKES; 38. Worker who handles your case?, REDCAP; 42. Originate, STEM; 43. With this, you’ll probably manage, MBA; 46. Squared away, IN ORDER; 48. Panhandler, of a sort?, IDAHOAN; 50. They run out of clothing, STREAKERS; 52. Stand, KIOSK; 53. Fill-in, TEMP; 54. It would “make other cars seem ordinary,” per ads, EDSEL; 56. Brewery apparatus, OAST; 57. Breaks down, SOBS; 58. Teammate of Robinson, REESE.

Louis Bouwmeester as Oedipus in a Dutch production of Oedipus the King c. 1896.

Down — 1. Many folk bands, TRIOS; 2. Girl’s name that means “born again”, RENEE; 3. Stand, ABIDE; 4. Holiday travelers?, MAGI; 5. One with a thing for laughter?, PROP COMIC; 6. Spiral-shaped particle accelerators, CYCLOTRONS; 7. 1998 purchaser of Netscape, AOL; 8. Head piece?, BROW; 9. Bob in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, SEGER; 10. Bandies words, SPARS; 11. Swingers, PENDULUMS; 12. Another time, ONCE MORE; 13. 18th-century Hapsburg monarch Maria THERESA; 19. Las Vegas block?, DIE; 21. Put forward, ALLEGE; 25. Needs, DEARTHS; 27. Snarky comments, JABS; 28. Overbearing types, DOGMATISTS; 30. Buildings often segregated by floor, CO-ED DORMS; 31. Reserved, BOOKED; 32. Worker also known as a cordwainer, SHOEMAKER; 33. Scams, CONS; 34. Leaves from the Orient, GREEN TEA; 35. Big name in outdoor art, CHRISTO; 39. Made slow progress, CREPT; 40. Nabokov’s longest novel, ADA; 41. Furry toys, PEKES; 43 Canadian ranger, MOOSE; 44. Rounded items?, BASES; 45. Tarsus location, ANKLE; 47 Change, REDO; 49. Get behind something, HIDE; 51. Lightly tease, RIB.

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02.20.14 — Wood Row

Redwood forest lumberjacks in Northwest California 

by Swedish photographer A.W. Ericson, 

late 19th century (via Vintage Photo LJ)

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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Puzzle by Zhouqin Burnikel and Don Gagliardo

Edited by Will Shortz

WOODROW (37A. First name of a former president … or, read another way, what each of the circled lines is), e.g., four rows of “wood words” — CHIP, STOCK, PILE — CARVER, WORK, BIN — MAN, WIND, CUTTER — LAND, CRAFT, SHED — constitutes the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword.

“Wood row” clues — CHIP (1. One may follow a long drive), STOCK (5. CNBC topic), PILE (10. Tidy sum), CARVER (26. George Washington, for one), WORK (29. Do the trick), BIN (30. Trash collector), MAN (43. “Phew!”), WIND (44. Empty talk), CUTTER (45. Patrol boat), LAND (63. Reel in), CRAFT (64. Origami, e.g.), SHED (65. Drop, as pounds).

Other — CLAY COURT (8D. French Open feature), GOING OVER (34D. Reviewing), I DON’T BUY IT (11D. “You failed to convince me”), ORIGINALS (52A. Things often left at copy shops), POP DIVA (4D. Pink, e.g.), PREDATORY (20A. Rapacious), RUBINSTEIN (28D. Polish-born musician who was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom).

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02.19.14 — Sir Yes Sir

Culver military academy postcard, undated 

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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Puzzle by Michael Dewey / Edited by Will Shortz

SIR / YES / SIR (11D. With 39-Across and 58-Down, response to a military command), FORWARD MARCH (20A. Overly bold member of the “Little Women” family?), COMPANY HALT (29A. Result of bankruptcy?), PRESENT ARMS (44A. What blood donors do?) and READY AIM FIRE (51A. Motivational words for a boss at layoff time?) constitute the interrelated group of this orderly Wednesday crossword.

Other — DIPHTHONG (9D. “Oy” or “ow”), HIPPOS (34A. “Hungry hungry” game creatures), IMPIETY (43D. Ungodly display), KNEADS (42D. Works, as dough), PRESORTED (35D. Like much media mail), SARONG (15D. Tahitian garb), THERMOS (5D. Lunchbox accessory).

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02.18.14 — A to Z

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Puzzle by David Steinberg / Edited by Will Shortz

In this stutter-stepping Tuesday crossword, each of the thirteen answers to the starred (in print, italicized) clues starts with the letters of the first half of the alphabet from A to M while the last letter of those same words carries the second half of the alphabet in reverse from N to Z.  The words (all across):

A TO Z (1. Everything) 
B BOY (15. Rap devotee, slangily)
CHATTERBOX (18. One who goes on and on)
DO NOW (20A. “What should I ___?”)
EX GOV (31. Sarah Palin or Arnold Schwarzenegger, informally)
FONDU (38. Dish served with long-handled forks)
GARMENT DISTRICT (40. Part of Manhattan’s Midtown West)
HIKES (44. Football snaps)
ICIER (47. Less welcoming)
JOHN Q (60. 2002 Denzel Washington drama)
KARATE CHOP (64. Wood cutter?)
LENO (69. 2014 TV retiree)
MEAN (73. Standard deviation deviates from it)

Other — ESCORTED (42D. Accompanied), Former Rocket HAKEEM Olajuwon, PIANOS (52A. Yamaha products), ROXIE (13D. “Chicago” song), Yiddish author SHOLOM Aleichem, GOES SOFT (9D. Becomes less strict), ZYGOTE (4D. Fertilized egg).

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