08.31.14 — Heard at the Movies

The Godfather, 1972

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Sunday, August 31, 2014

“Heard At The Movies”, Puzzle by Joel Fagliano
Edited by Will Shortz

Six film titles are rendered phonetically in this tedious Sunday crossword, clued by BEST PICTURE WINNER, 109A. What you get when you say 23-, 31-, 47-, 64-, 79- or 97-Across out loud — twisted stuff:

CHALLAH BOWED HEAVE, 23A. Jewish bread / Played, as a violin / Throw (1950)

HONDA WATT AFFRONT, 31A. Toyota rival / Measure of power / Insult (1954)

DWELL FIERCE SUSS LAVE, 47A. Reside / Savage / Puzzle (out) / Wash (2013)

THUG ODD FODDER, 64A. Hooligan / Strange / Silo contents (1972)

WARDEN HAIRY PEEPHOLE, 79A. Wildlife protector / Difficult / Hotel door feature (1980)

HOW TOUGH HAVE RIGA (97A. “In what way?” / Like overcooked steak / Possess / European capital on a gulf (1985)

Other — APPIAN WAY (78D. Road starting at the Porta Capena), DRUG LAWS (47D. Narcs enforce them), HAMPER (86A. Load bearer?), INTERNEES (114A. P.O.W.s, e.g.), MECCAS (1D. Shopping malls on Black Friday, e.g.), MISS USA (1A. Halle Berry was once runner-up for this), RENE CLAIR (20A. French filmmaker who led the Cinéma Pur), RUBENS (88D. “Daniel in the Lions Den” artist), SALAAM (40A. Peace in the Middle East); SARDINE (115A. Rush-hour subway rider, facetiously), SHELLS (6D. Beach homes?), MR SLATE (29D. Fred Flintstone’s boss), WATER RAT (48D. Marsh rodent), WUSSY (72A. Like a milquetoast).

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08.30.14 — The Saturday Crossword

The Raising of Lazarus, Rembrandt, 

late 1620s or 1630-32, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Puzzle by David Steinberg / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. LOMBARD Street, London’s onetime equivalent to New York’s Wall Street; 8. Lurid nightspot, GO-GO BAR; 15. Synthetic purplish colorant, AZO BLUE; 16. Took too many courses?, OVERATE; 17. Vicks product, ZZZQUIL; 18. Rap type, GANGSTA; 19. Assn. with a “100 Years … 100 Movies” list, AFI; 20. Bygone Acura, INTEGRA; 22. Non-Roman Caesar, SID; 23. Have a dependency, RELY; 25. “Would you look at that!”, GOLLY; 26. Musical title character who “made us feel alive again”, MAME; 27. What the Sup. Court interprets, U S LAW; 29. “IKE in ‘56” (old campaign button); 30. Plantation machine, BALER; 31. Hid, STASHED; 33. Sybill Trelawney, in the Harry Potter books, SEERESS; 35. Gorp, e.g., MIX; 36. Like some projects for short, DIY; 37. Mesh with, FIT INTO; 41. Piece of trash?, JUNK ART; 45. Slightly ahead, UP ONE; 46.”NAE man can tether time or tide”: Burns; 48. Tim Tebow, in college football, GATOR; 49. “Sweet” girl of song, JANE; 50. Ones with issues?, PAPAS; 52. Person holding many positions, YOGI; 53. Ox-tail?, IDE; 54. Trattoria specification, AL DENTE; 56. Key holder?, MAP; 57. Mercury’s winged sandals, TALARIA; 59. Outlook alternative, AOL MAIL; 61. Parasite, SPONGER; 62. Cash in a country bar, ROSANNE; 63. Parallel bars?, UPC CODE; 64. Onetime “Lifts and separates” sloganeer, PLAYTEX.

Down — 1. “The Raising of LAZARUS” (Rembrandt painting); 2. Annual heavy metal tour; OZZFEST; 3. Big name in browsers, MOZILLA; 4. Popular chip flavor, BBQ; 5. Parisian possessive, ALUI; 6. Kicking oneself for, RUING; 7. Trapezius neighbor, DELTOID; 8. Welders’ wear, GOGGLES; 9. Egg maker, OVARY; 10. GENA Rowlands of “A Woman Under the Influence”; 11. Assn., ORG; 12. Beverage with a triangular logo, BASS ALE; 13. Occasionally, AT TIMES; 14. Kindles, e.g., READERS; 21. Pride : lion :: gang : ELK; 24. YASMINE Bleeth of Baywatch”; 26. Avon Competitor, MARY KAY; 28. “Do I have to!,” for one, WHINE; 30. Extraterrestrial, e.g., BEING; 32 Abbr. on a business card, EXT; 34. URL ender, EDU; 37. Japanese electronics giant, FUJITSU; 38. Download from Apple, IPAD APP; 39. “Funky Cold Medina” rapper, TONE LOC; 40. Not entirely of one’s own volition, say, ON A DARE; 41. “Cloud Shepherd” sculptor, JEAN ARP; 42. Ferocious Flea fighter, in cartoons, ATOM ANT; 43. Producer of a hair-raising experience?, ROGAINE; 44. Certain movie house, TRIPLEX; 47. Aldous Huxley’s “APE and Essence”; 50. Worked with, PLIED; 51. Common comedian’s prop, STOOL; 54. Best Picture before “12 Years a Slave”, ARGO; 55. Wife of Albert Einstein, ELSA; 58. Party concerned with civil rights, briefly, ANC; 60. “If I MAY …”.

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08.29.14 — The Friday Crossword

Maria Callas

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Puzzle by Ned White / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Poll Internet users on, perhaps, CROWD-SOURCE; 12. Inn stock, ALE; 15.  Code often used for take-home tests, HONOR SYSTEM; 16. W. Coast airport one might think has poor security?, LAX; 17. Summed up, IN A NUTSHELL; 18. Middle-earth baddie, ORC; 19. Short order?, REG; 20. Kiwi’s companion, MATE; 21. Longtime N.F.L. coach whose name is French for “the handsome”, LEBEAU; 23. Ordinary person, PLEB 25. Soprano RERI Grist; 27. Neighbor of St. Kitts, NEVIS; 28. Symbol of sentimentality, SYRUP; 30. Anti-Mafia measure, briefly, RICO; 32. Eliot title surname, BEDE; 33. Budgetary concern, CAP; 35. “Miss Julie” composer, 1965, NED ROREM; 37. Ray often seen over a range, RACHAEL; 41. As surplus, TO SPARE; 42. He played John Glenn in 1983 and John McCain in 2012, ED HARRIS; 44. Bo Jackson was one in ‘89, MVP; 45. Mideast’s Gulf of ADEN; 46. Department store chain founder, MACY; 48. Like un bébé, PETIT; 52. Costa RICAN; 54. Whaler’s direction?, THAR; 56. Angela Lansbury, e.g., DAME; 57. Group sharing a culture, ETHNOS; 59. Year Bush was re-elected, MMIV; 61. Kroger alternative, IGA; 62. Mark, as a survey square, X IN; 63. Singer known as “La Divina”, MARIA CALLAS; 66. Natural rock climber, IVY; 67. Words following an understatement, AND THEN SOME; 68. Leaves on a trolley, say, TEA; 69. “Don’t sorry …”, REST ASSURED.

Down — 1. In-flight calls?, CHIRPS; 2. Doc Savage portrayer, RON ELY; 3. Cousin of a donkey, ONAGER; 4. Secured, WON; 5. One expected to get beaten, DRUM; 6. Cool red giant, S-STAR; 7. The world, to a go-getter?, OYSTER; 8. Mark the start of, USHER IN; 9. Travel option: Abbr., RTE; 10. Word with wall or tower, CELL; 11. Football Hall-of-Famer Tunnell, EMLEN; 12. Juice source for a trendy drink, ALOE VERA; 13. Bo Jackson was one in ‘89, L A RAIDER; 14. Response to an insult, EXCUSE ME; 22. Played like Bird or Trane, BEBOPPED; 24. Notable lifelong bachelor in U.S. history, BUCHANAN; 26. Player of Fin Tutuola on TV, ICE T; 29. Host of 1950s TV’s “Bank on the Stars”, PAAR; 31. Longtime Laker Lamar, ODOM; 34. Salon job, PERM; 36. Answer, quickly, RSVP; 37. Means of furtive escape, REAR EXIT; 38. 12-Down, often, ADDITIVE; 39. Neighbor of Georgia, CHECHNYA; 40. “South Pacific” girl, LIAT; 43. Political theorist Carl SCHMITT; 47. Steinway competitor, YAMAHA; 49. Suitable job?, TAILOR; 50. “Count me in”, I’M GAME; 51. Like big hair, often, TEASED; 53. ESPN analyst NOMAR Garciaparra; 55. Sieves, in a way, RICES; 58. Not unhinged, SANE; 60. Relocation transportation, VANS; 64. Travel options: Abbr., RDS; 65. Fighting Tigers’ sch., LSU.

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08.28.14 — Down Ward

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Puzzle by Ned White / Edited by Will Shortz

DOWN / WARD (21D. With 40-Down, how rain falls … or a literal description of the answers to the four themed clues), PATIENT AREA (3D. 21-/40-Down to a doctor), BEAVER’S DAD (10D. 21-/40-Down on 1950s-’60s TV), ACTRESS SELA (24D. 21-/40-Down in Hollywood) and PRISON WING (28D. 21-/40-Down to a penologist) constitute the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword.

Other — AD PAGES (1A. Much of Brides magazine), BRA SALE (63A. Event at Vctoria’s Secret or Nordstrom), DE ORO (2D. Golden, in Guadalajara), DIARIST (36A. Adolf Hitler, e.g., according to a 1983 hoax), GES and GIS, MAESTRO (Toscanini, for one), MODEL A’S (60A. 1920s-‘30s Ford output), MODERNE (38A. Depression Era architectural movement), NO TASTE (17A. Kitschy quality), OLD NAVY (20A. Retailer owned by Gap), OUTER ARM (23A. Part of a spiral galaxy farthest from the center), STYRENE (16D. Disposable cup material), TAN LINE (54A. Something not seen on a nudist, maybe), TWADDLE (50A. Rot).

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08.27.14 — ER...

Zeke, Disney’s “The Big Bad Wolf”

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Puzzle by Gareth Bain and David Poole

Edited by Will Shortz

Five sound-change puns of common phrases, exchanging “A” for “ER”, constitutes the main feature of this Wednesday crossword:

CONGER LINES (17A. Libretto for “Eel Trovatore”?)
FRANK ZAPPER (24A. Microwave for hot dogs?)
CHARLIE THE TUNER (37A. Actor Sheen after starting a new career n piano maintenance?)
SALES QUOTER (50A. One who knows the earnings report by heart?)
TUBER PLAYER (60A. Actor in a Mr. Potato Head costume?)

Other — AERATE (66A. Make bubbly), ALTAR (45A. Union station?), FOAM PEANUT (11D. Bit of packaging detritus), LENNIE (69A. George’s friend in “Of Mice and Men”), NEW MOON (27A. Sequel to “Twilight”), ROADEO (14A. Truckers’ contest), SPARTAN (48A. Lacking the traditional comforts), TORERO (6D. Fighgter in a ring), WHAT A LAUGH (29D. “That is SO stupid!”), ZEKE (26D. First name of the wolf in Disney‘s “The Big Bad Wolf“).

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08.26.14 — MPs

AWOL, puregraffiti.com

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Puzzle by Victor Fleming / Edited by Will Shortz

MPS (56D. AWOL chasers … or a hint to the answers to the six italicized clues), plus the six answers, constitutes the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword:

MARCO POLO (18A. Traveler on the Silk Road)
MILK PUNCH (23A. Eggnog relative)
MISS PIGGY (49A. Lover of Kermit)
MENLO PARK (56A. Edison lab site)
MAKE PEACE (5D. Sign a treaty, say)
MOOT POINT (37D. It’s not worth arguing)

Other — ANNULLED (39D. Legally voided), HOPED FOR (10D. Desired), I FORGET (40A. “Hmm, can’t remember”), ONE ACRE (38A. 70 yards square, approximately), SINNER (46D. One making a confession), SULTRY (21D. Torrid).

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08.25.14 — Oops!

Monday, August 25, 2014

Puzzle by Greg Johnson / Edited by Will Shortz

MY BAD (37A. “Oops!”), along with BLUNDER, BOBBLE, BUMBLE and STUMBLE found in the first half of four answers, constitutes the interrelated group of this Monday crossword:

BLUNDERBUSS (20A. Muzzle-loading firearm)
BOBBLEHEADS (51A. Promotional ballpark giveaways)
BUMBLEBEES (11D. Big pollinators)
STUMBLEBUM (29D. Second-rate prizefighter)

Throw in for good measure SORRY (6D. “Oops!”), KLUTZ (49D. One who might cry “Oops!) and UH-OH (42D. “I’m in trouble now!”).

Other — APLOMB (46A. Self-confidence), CAMERAMAN (39A. TV news employee), GAME TABLE (32A. Rec room feature), MAMBO (37D. Sensual ballroom dance), MEANT TO (4D. Had it in mind), PRESTO (45D. Magician‘s cry), RAMBLED (41D. Talked pointlessly), TENSE (30A. All wound up), TETLEY (25A. Lipton alternative), TRAYS (43D. Surgical instrument holders), UPEND (42A. Topple).

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08.24.14 — Second Shift

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Anagrams of ten common phrases accomplished by simply exchanging the second and third letters of the first word to achieve ten uncommon phrases constitutes the main feature of this Sunday crossword:

BLOT-ACTION RIFLE (23A. Paintball gun?)
LEI DETECTOR (28A. Device that can tell if someone’s recently vacationed n Hawaii?)
SLIVER MINE (33a. Narrow shaft in a mountain?)
BRA OF CHOCOLATE 44A. Tem from the Victoria’s Sweetness catalog?)
DIARY MAID (57A. Anne Frank, e.g.?)
ERA OF CORN (73A. “Hee Haw” heyday, say?)
SATINLESS STEEL (89A. Novelist Danielle without her glossy dress?)
CLOD CEREAL (95A. Honey Bunches of Oafs, e.g.?)
CALM CHOWDER (101A. Soup after it’s been taken off the burner?)
CROONER’S INQUEST (113A. What might determine if the moon hitting your eye like a big pizza pie is truly amore?)

Other — ADIEU (11D. Last thing bid?), CONWAY (43A. Big name in trucking), FLIES (46D. Garbage collection?), LECHERY and LICHEN (6D. “Lolita” subject; 76A. Rock growth), LOVE-IN (34D. Peaceful protest of the 1960s), ROADEOS (20A. Truck-driving competitions), RUSHDIE (58D. “Joseph Anton: A Memoir” autobiographer), SCIENCE (92D. “It’s true whether or not you believe in it,“ per Neil deGrasse Tyson), SMALL CAR (70A. One in a tight space, perhaps), VWS (36D. Bugs that weigh tons).

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08.24.14 — Empathy — the Acrostic

Sunday, August 24, 2014

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from “The Empathy Exams” by Leslie Jamison.

Beginning with her experience as a medical actor who was paid to act out symptoms for medical students to diagnose, Leslie Jamison’s visceral and revealing essays ask essential questions about our basic understanding of others. … She draws from her own experiences of illness and bodily injury to engage in an exploration that extends far beyond her life, spanning wide-ranging territory—from poverty tourism to phantom diseases, street violence to reality television, illness to incarceration—in its search for a kind of sight shaped by humility and grace. ~  amazon.com 

The quotation:  EMPATHY ISN’T JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO US—A METEOR SHOWER OF SYNAPSES FIRING ACROSS THE BRAIN—IT’S ALSO A CHOICE WE MAKE: TO PAY ATTENTION, TO EXTEND OURSELVES.  IT’S MADE OF EXERTION, THAT DOWDIER COUSIN OF IMPULSE.

The author’s name and the title of the work;  JAMISON, THE EMPATHY EXAMS

The defined words:

A. Great fortune suddenly acquired, JACKPOT
B. Common denizen of a home aquarium, ANGELFISH

C. Tinkly melody producer (2 wds.), MUSIC BOX
D. Become stronger or more extreme, INTENSIFY
E. Women’s Olympic event since 1948, SHOTPUT
F. Anything else in a different way, OTHERWISE
G. Asset for a reporter or a shopper, NOTEPAD
H. Bug-catching operation (2 wds.), TEST RUN
I. Get some enjoyment out of life (2 wds.), HAVE FUN
J. Likely sort to investigate global warming, ECOLOGIST
K. Given a rough calculation, ESTIMATED
L. Composer of “Amahl and the Nigh Visitors”, MENOTTI
M. Lickety-split, with no dawdling, POSTHASTE
N. Total departure from one’s beliefs or party, APOSTASY
O. Browning’s facilitator?, TOASTER
P. Item often worn by a food service worker, HAIRNET
Q. Protagonist of “Catch-22”, YOSSARIAN
R. Comforter material, EIDERDOWN
S. What men have once and women twice (2 wds.), X CHROMOSOME
T. Herring family member, ALEWIFE
U. Wearer of the Red Serge, MOUNTIE
V. Those who help people get high?, SHERPAS

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08.23.14 — Hit or Miss

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Puzzle by Timothy Polin / Edited by Will Shortz

EACH CLUE IN / THE PUZZLE / IS MISSING / THE LETTER N (17A. First part of a hit for this crossword; 32A, 46A and 62A, [Hit part 2, Hit part 3 and Last part of the hit]) is the main feature of this Saturday stumper.

Other across — 1. Rage, AMBIT; 6. Hardly ice outside, FOUL; 10. Places for sprigs, BEDS; 14. A. Quiet parter?, PEACE; 15. Pie cutter’s tool, ADZE; 16. Umber at the opera, ARIA; 19. Relative of “Hey, ma”, PSST; 20. Arc’s target, maybe, XTC; 21. Plat pouch, SAC; 22. Easter floor mat, TATAMI; 24. Pog or Pogs, formerly, FAD; 26. Lives, PEPS; 20. Bad member to pick?, SITAR; 30. Fly of film?, ERROL; 34. Olympia with a watery realm, SEA GOD; 36. Perform peace, ATONE; 37. Fried with four legs, PET; 38. Covered with slug mud, SULLIED; 40. Sorters’ quarters, STY; 43. Dramatically scored sorceress, MEDEA; 44. Ager, TEMPER; 50. Cagey parts, e.g., ROLES; 51. Early, QUASI; 52. Part of a euro, AXON; 54. Tige, say, BIT; 55. Adds a little toe to, TINCTS; 57. Like a great bod, AAA; 59. Bled for a social affair, perhaps, TEA; 61. Dramatic cry from people who get subbed, ET TU; 66. Caker, for example, SORE; 67. Car whose logo is liked?, AUDI; 68. Ever lost to, OWNED; 69. Starts of some chorus lies, TRAS; 70. Eve, TRUE; 71. Chia growth area?, PADDY.

Down — 1. Crow, APEX; 2. Vegas would love this type of world, MEAT FREE; 3. Casio game, BACCARAT; 4. Kat’s “I”, ICH; 5. Slag for sleuths, TECS; 6. Product made by Moe, FAUCET; 7. Kid of poetic work, ODE; 8. Arm from a Mideast lad, UZI; 9. Did a baker’s job, LENT; 10. Covert, maybe, BAPTIZE; 11. Margarie might be described thus, ERSATZ; 12. Grad’s opposite, DISMAL; 13. Gere of “Gulliver’s Travels”, SATIRE; 18. User’s circuit, LAP; 23. I pieces, ASUNDER; 25. You might board yours at the keel if you take a cruise, DOG; 27. Wig of the old Greek army, PHALANX; 28. Program that asks “Are we aloe?,” for short, SETI; 30. Metal worker’s claim?, ESP; 31. Abruptly becomes violet, LOSES IT; 33. Doe, e.g., POET; 35. Bombs without bags, DUDS; 39. Sci-fi character remembered for her large bus, LEIA; 40. Strad part that becomes frayed, SPLIT END; 41. Wet like a seesaw, TEETERED; 42. Spas that last 52 wks., YRS; 43. Bugled strokes, MISCUES; 45. Deadly gag, MOB; 46 Mesa prerequisite, IQ TEST; 47. Guy who may offer a girl a rig, SUITOR; 48. Mystical chat, MANTRA; 49. H. L. player, GOALIE; 53. Refusal from a boy lass, NAE; 56. “Ow!”, STAT; 58. O, ATOP; 60. Murray who’s highly raked, ANDY; 63. Be-HUR; 64. Ed of some school addresses, EDU; 65. Old rival of America, TWA

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08.22.14 — The Friday Crossword

Regulus, earthspacenews.com

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Friday, August 22, 2014

Puzzle by Sam Ezersky / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Something that goes from a pit to your stomach?, BBQ SANDWICH; 12. Snarky sound, HEH; 15. It has billons of barrels, SAUDI ARABIA; 16. Queen of Thebes, in myth, INO; 17. One may tell a conductor to slow down, TRAIN SIGNAL; 18. Sound of a slug, BAM; 19. Sashimi selection, AHI; 20. Buckled, GAVE; 21. Dos little words?, TE AMO; 23. Ester ROLLE of “Good Times”; 25. Large part of some herds, EWES; 28. Brand of bat pellets, D-CON; 29. Fix, SPAY; 30. Walt Disney Concert Hall designer, FRANK GEHRY; 32. Cop, STEAL; 34. Monarchial support, ROYALISM; 35. G squared?, MIL; 37. Spotmatic, e.g., briefly, SLR; 38. Unhelpful reply to “How did you do that?”, IT’S MAGIC; 43. Screen entertainers with many gigs?, IPADS; 47. “All the President’s Men” figure, DEEP THROAT; 49. Like many hipsters, ARTY; Actress CATE Blanchett; 52. Pie hole, TRAP; 53. Parts of kingdoms, PHYLA; 54. Juan’s sweetheart, AMIGA; 56. RAGA rock (some George Harrison music); 58. With 59-Across, race that’s not very competitive, FUN; 59. See 58-Across, RUN; 60. Pill holder, BLISTER PACK; 64. Occasion to do a late shift?: Abbr., DST; 65. Member of a “great” quintet, LAKE ONTARIO; 66. SAO Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro; 67. Mideast president who wrote “The Battle for Peace,”1981, EZER WEIZMAN.

Down — 1. Regulus A and Bellatrix, B-STARS; 2. Gets rounds around town?, BAR HOPS; 3. Show fear of QUAIL AT; 4. Govt. project who logo depicted a shield in space, SDI; 5. Danny AINGE of the Celtics; 6. Curiosity producer, NASA; 9. Counterpart of “abu”, IBN; 10. “Burn Notice” grp., CIA; 11. Freeze, HALT; 12. Literally, “fire bowl”, HIBACHI; 13. Doesn’t just attract, ENAMORS; 14. Cache for cash, say, HOMONYM; 22. 1963 Pulitzer winner Leon EDEL; 24. It’s KOH, chemically, LYE; 26. “The Killing” star Mireille ENOS; 27. Like some lobbies, SKY LIT; 30. Trip up?, FLIGHT; 31. T. S. GARP of literature; 33. Member of a Latin trio, AMAT; 36. Line to Jamaica n N.Y.C., LIRR; 38. Bar necessities, ID CARDS; 39. “Dream” group in Barcelona in 1992, TEAM USA; 40. Mounted below the surface of, SET INTO; 41. QuickTime or RealPlayer format option, MPEG; 42. Like boors vis-à-vis gentlemen, COARSER; 44. Masseur gratifier, AAH; 45. Raise crops on the Plains, maybe, DRY FARM; 46. So-called “Helen of the West Indies”, ST LUCIA; 48. Director of the 2012 comedy “This is 40”, APATOW; 50. Try to pull off, say, YANK ON; 53. Epic start, PART I; 55. Cutting it, ABLE; 57. Replicator, e.g., GENE; 61. LAZ-Boy; 62. Old White House nickname, IKE; 63. Guerra’s opposite, PAZ.

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08.21.14 — PO Boxes

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Puzzle by Jules P. Markey / Edited by Will Shortz

POST OFFICE BOXES (39A. Mail conveniences … or a hint to eight squares in this puzzle) and eight squares (e.g., boxes) containing the letters PO constitutes the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword:

[PO]LE [PO]SITION (18A. First place) with C-S[PO]T (5D. Benjamin) and SO[PO]RFIC (8D. Sleep-inducing)
[PO]SON [PO]WDER (61A. Means of murder in some Agatha Christie novels) with DE[PO]SE (48D. Testify) and S[PO]KE (58D. Umbrella part)
[PO]WER [PO]LITICS (4D. Throwing one’s weight around, in international relations) with TEM[PO] (1A. Pace) and TEA[PO]T (23A. Cozy thing?)
[PO]PCORN [PO]PPER (27D. Feature of many a movie house) with E[PO]NYM (26A. See 16-Across) and S[PO]NGE (53A. Freeloader)

Other — EXTENSIVE (36D. Large-scale), ISOLDE (57A. Wagnerian heroine), LA LA LA (6D. [I‘m not listening … I can’t he-e-ear you!]), MAKE A FIST (3D. Prepare to give blood, perhaps), MESNE (47A. Intermediate, in law), SHIITE (32A. Ayatollah Khomeini, e.g.), YETI (42A. Cryptozoological beast).

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08.20.14 — Wheel

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Puzzle by Zhouqin Burnikel / Edited by Will Shortz

FREE (55D. Like the initial letters of the answers to the six starred clues, on “Wheel of Fortune”), e.g., R, S, T, L, N and E, constitutes the obscure main feature of this Wednesday crossword — especially for one who has never seen the mentioned television show:

R RATED MOVIE (17A. *Fare for those 17 and up)
S STAR (22A. *Astronomical red giant)
T ROWE PRICE (28A. *”Invest With Confidence” firm)
L FRANK BAUM (48A. *Best-selling novelist who wrote the children’s poetry volume “Father Goose”)
N SYNC (54A. *”It’s Gonna Be Me” group)
E STREET BAND (60A. *The Boss’s backup musicians)

Other — ASIAGO (12D. Cheese that’s often grated), CLASS ACT (39D. One to admire), GREW WEARY (5D. Tired), Hedy LAMARR of “Ecstasy”, RHAPSODY (3D. Liszt piece), TEA KETTLE (34D. Whistler in the kitchen).

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08.19.14 — OZ

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Puzzle by Sam Buchbinder / Edited by Will Shortz

OZ in circled letters, along with YELLOW BRICK ROAD (58A. Path taken by 37-Across to find the ends of 17-, 26- and 44-Across in [circled letters]), HEROINE and DOROTHY (23D and 37A. 23-Down of a classic L. Frank Baum novel), and the aforementioned "ends" of three across entries, e.g., BRAIN, COURAGE and HEART, constitute the interrelated group of this delightful Tuesday crossword upon the 75th anniversary of the release of the film:

ARTIFICIAL BRAIN (17A. IBM’s Watson, essentially)
GET UP THE COURAGE (26A. Embolden oneself)
NEAR TO ONE’S HEART (44A. Dear)

Other — AKIVA Goldsman, Mayim BIALIK, Mike ENZI, GROUP-ONS (16A. Deals buyable via a tap on an app), HECKLE (48D. Jeer), KLUTZY (65A. Ham-handed), LIFT UP and UPREAR (5D. Boost; 11D. Erect), SKI HAT (6D. Top of a mountain?), TESLA (28D. Electric car company).

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.