01.31.15 — Words

 Sonny Bunny
 a lilac-point peke-faced Himalayan / Colorpoint Persian 

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Saturday, January 31, 2015

Puzzle by Tim Croce / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ARUGULA (2D. Plant called “rocket“ outside the U.S.), BODY TYPE (36D. General figure), CARL’S JR (1A. thick burger seller), CAT CHOW (54A. Himalayan food, maybe), EM SPACE (64A. It’s measured in points), GUY LINER (33A. Part of a goth dude‘s look), HEARTHS (8A. Some gathering spots), HOOK ME UP (8D. “I’d like some of that, bro”), HOT ITEM (39D. It’s in high demand), HUMOR ME (13D. “Try it … that’s all I ask”), ME LIKEY (20A. “I can go for this!”), MIA / CARA (54D. With 53-Across, Italian sugar), NORSK (45A. Like Grieg, to Grieg), NUT CAKE (17A. Alternative to a babka), OH BOO-HOO (38A. “Puh-leeze, save the tears”), OMER (55D. Post-Passover period), ONE MILE (38D. 80 chains or 8,000 links), ORDER UP (16A. Officially request), SPELLER (14D. Person breaking his word?), TRISTAN (12D His servant is Kunwenal, in opera), YES BOSS (24D. Minon’s reply).

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Bernice Gordon, Who Toyed With Words, Dies at 101

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01.30.15 — Line in the Sand

Friday, January 30, 2015

Puzzle by David Phillips / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ALLEMANDE (41A. Baroque dance form), CARTOONED (22A. Worked for Mad, maybe), CASBAH (7A. Foreign fortress), Singer CEELO Green, DR SCHOLL’S (6D. Sole supporter?), DRUM SOLOS (32D. Hard-hitting musical performances?), EPEEIST (16A. Person making pointed attacks?), ETHAN Hawke of “Boyhood“, Anna FARIS of the “Scary Movie“ films, “GILMORE Girls”, HOTWIRE (13A. Take for the road?), NEFERTITI and PHARAOHS (31D. Queen of the Nile; 21A. Line in the sand?), PANTERA (51D. Heavy-meal band with the #1 album “Far Beyond Driven”), SCHOOL‘S OUT (19A. 1972 Alice Cooper hit with the lyric "we got no class"), TINE (25D. What’s the point of an eating utensil?), WII SPORTS (5D. Popular video game for wannabe athletes).

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01.29.15 — Man in the Middle

The Peking Man

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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Puzzle by John Farmer / Edited by Will Shortz

CUT OUT THE / MIDDLE MAN (17A. When 58-Across, buy or sell direct … or what to do in this puzzle three times?), along with RAIN[MAN] (20A. Best Picture between “The Last Emperor” and “Driving Miss Daisy”), THE ICE[MAN] COMETH (34A. With 37-Across, drama set in New York’s Last Chance Saloon) and [MAN]AGUA (53A. Central American Capital) constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword.

Other — ROMAN and PEKING MAN (18A. Upright type; 23A. Archaeological discovery of the 1920s whose fossils have been missing since 1941), HIT MAN and MAÑANA (32A. Offer?; 40A. Procrastinator’s time), MAN FRIDAY and MANDY (49A. Faithful servant; 55A. “Homeland” actor Patinkin).

Of interest — ALABAMA (44A. Where Forrest Gump attended college), E-MAIL LIST (62A. Aid for a club secretary nowadays), GHERKIN (8D. Vlasic classic), LUNATIC (15D. Nut), MADAMES (40D. Butterfly and others), MODEL A (54A. Vintage Ford), SACK LUNCH (14A. It might contain a sandwich and an apple), S CLASS (47D. Mercedes-Benz luxury line), SHANTY (48D. Makeshift dwelling).

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01.28.15 — YOU

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Puzzle by Gary Cee / Edited by Will Shortz

Four song titles with a shared "YOU" in the title constitutes the main feature of this pleasant but complicated Wednesday crossword:

I’VE GOT / YOU / UNDER MY SKIN (1A, 38A and 46A: 1966 4 Seasons hit)
ALL / YOU / NEED IS LOVE (10A, 38A and 50A: 1967 Beatles hit)
JUST THE WAY / YOU / ARE (21A, 38A and 65A: 1977 Billy Joel hit)
I WANT TO TAKE / YOU / HIGHER (26A, 38A AND 67A: 1970 Sly & the Family Stone hit)

Other — CONSOLING (36D. Giving a pat on the back, say), GRAPE-NUTS (4D. Post breakfast cereal), HAIR COMB (35A. Producer of many parts), IMPEACH (43D. Bring formal charges against), IMPOSTER (59A. Phony), KON-TIKI (9D. 1950 best seller subtitled “Across the Pacific by Raft”), LEAR and TEAR, THE JETS (6D. New York team that plays its home games in New Jersey), WOWED (27D. Knocked the socks off).

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01.27.15 — Roh

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Puzzle by James Tuttle / Edited by Will Shortz

The sound of “roh” spelled differently at the end of five entries constitutes the main feature of this Tuesday crossword:

KILIMANJARO (17A. Africa’s highest peak)
DENIS DIDEROT (24A. Noted French encyclopedist)
SUCH SWEET SORROW (38A. Parting, to Juliet)
CENSUS BUREAU (48A. Group you can rely on when it counts)
JAMES MONROE (60A. President who lved at Oak Hill)

Other — AVIATE (14A. Lead zeppelins?), BLONDE (10D. Mae West or Cheryl Tiegs), DUMB (7A. Half-baked), EDEN (20A. Starting point?), ELIOT (49D. Poet who wrote “This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper”), EMER and EWER, MAIN DISH (4D. Entrée), Playwright Eugene O’NEILL, PUNJAB (46D. Indian state whose name means “five rivers”), RETURNED (41D. Like a bad check).

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01.26.15 — Fresh

Monday, January 26, 2015

Puzzle by Ian Livengood / Edited by Will Shortz

FRESH START (56A. New beginning … or what 16-, 23-, 31-, 38- and 46-Across each have?), e.g., FRESH, FLIP, SMART, PERT, BOLD and FORWARD, constitutes the main feature of this friendly Monday crossword:

FLIP WILSON (16A. 1970s comedian whom Time magazine dubbed “TV‘s First Black superstar“)
SMART COOKIE (23A. Clever person)
PERT PLUS (31A. Shampoo in a green bottle)
BOLD TEXT (38A. Type meant to stand out)
FORWARD PASS (45A. Counterpart to a lateral)

Other — AGREE (13A. What subjects and verbs should do), BOSCH (41D. “The Garden of Earthly Delights“ artist), “Rebel Without a CAUSE”, ERIE CANAL (3D. Albany-to-Buffalo waterway), FISTS (45D. What boxing gloves cover), KLINK (10D. “Hogan’s Heroes” colonel), LEMON TART (32D. Tangy teatime offering, PADDY WAGON (27D. Police van), SENIOR PROM (9D. Tuxedo rental occasion).

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01.25.15 — Lives in Ruins — the Acrostic

Hand of the Grauballe Man Bog Body, 
Mosegaard Museum, Denmark, Malene Bruger 

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Sunday, January 25, 2015

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s fine acrostic draws a quotation from “Lives in Ruins: Archeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble” by Marilyn Johnson.

This compulsively readable book is robust in scope and mission. It passionately wants you to know and feel the lives and work of archaeologists. it takes you from the peat bogs of Ireland to the Pine Barrens of NJ to Machu Picchu in Peru. It is all 100% fascinating and written so addictively that you cannot stop. Johnson has gone all in for the people who unearth our collective history and she has the writing skill to make it all fun and profound.

One of the things I like the most about this book is that Johnson explores the impact of authors like Jean Auel, juxtaposing the popular writer with expert but lesser known field archaeologists. I also felt intimately schooled on a profession that pays poorly, has terrible working conditions yet is fiercely competitive. It feels like a ministry but also like a triathlon. ~ amazon.com 

The quotation:  ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORK WITH HUMBLE STUFF… .  THEY ARE EXPERT IN THE WAY THINGS FALL APART AND ACUTE OBSERVERS OF CONTEXT; THE PLACEMENT AND SURROUNDINGS OF AN OBJECT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUNK AND INTELLECTUAL GOLD.

The author’s name and the title of the work:  MARILYN JOHNSON, ‘LIVES IN RUINS”

The defined words:

A. Feature of a sinuous river, MEANDER
B. From side to side; crosswise, ATHWART
C. Changes for the better, n theory, REFORMS
D. Study very carefully, INSPECT
E. Shape of a crescent moon, LUNETTE
F. Late December (hyph.), YEAR-END
G. Stone ax or adz, e.g., NEOLITH
H. “Happy Days” closing credits background prop, JUKEBOX
L. Best in a duel or at the box office, OUTDRAW
J. Subdued at a rodeo, maybe, HOGTIED
K. Just coming into being, NASCENT
L. Amorphous shape, as a camouflage marking, SPLOTCH
M. Weird, eccentric; unaccented part of a musical measure, OFFBEAT
N. Common cause of decay, NEGLECT
O. Another name for tetanus, LOCKJAW
P. Crane of literature, ICHABOD
Q. Position with a sweeping view, VANTAGE
R. Bar from membership, EXCLUDE
S. Looking out for No. 1, SELFISH
T. Name of the mummy n “The Mummy”, IMHOTEP
U. Boutique-lined street in Boston’s Back Bay, NEWBURY
V. Gentleman thief of British films, RAFFLES
W. Bring to light; dig up, UNEARTH
X. Alter form, in grammar, INFLECT
Y. Rocky peak sticking out of a glacier, NUNATAK
Z. “Madame X” painter, SARGENT

The full paragraph of the quotation:  The archaeologists in this book work with humble stuff, from stone tools and broken pots to dirt.  They are expert n the way things fall apart and acute observers of context; the placement and surroundings of an object can make the difference between junk and intellectual gold.  To the archaeologist, treasure is something that was buried that has been brought to light, a pebble of information around which the narrative of history now needs to bend.  I think of the archaeologist I saw on a loop of video, a young woman up to her hips in a muddy tunnel that would soon be a subway station in New York City, her eyes sparkling under a construction hat:  “We found a coin with a date on it!” ~ Google Goodreads 

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01.25.15 — Twist Ending

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival 

Northeast China

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Sunday, January 25, 2015

“Twist Ending" — Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld

Edited by Will Shortz

Eight common phrases with the last two letters transposed to form a new phrase, clued somewhat appropriately, constitutes the main feature of this amiable Sunday crossword:

I CANNOT TELL A LEI (23A. “Those wreaths all look the same to me!”?)
YOU’VE GOT MALI (39A. Start of an oral listing of African nations, perhaps?)
RAISING THE BRA (53A. Showing less cleavage?)
A QUARTER TO TOW (84A. Cheap roadside assistance?)
ILLEGAL A-LINE (99A. Knockoff dress labeled “Armani” say?)
ANNIE GET YOUR GNU (116A. Caution to an orphan girl out to leave her wildebeest behind?)
SCAREDY CAST (3D. Group of actors who all have stage fright?)
OBTUSE ANGEL (70D. Lovely but stupid person?)

Other — AISLE SEAT (59A. Many a critic’s preference), ANGIE (43D. She’s asked “When will those clouds all disappear?“ in a 1973 #1 hit), DOODLED (124A. Did some edgy writing?), DOTARD (36A. Senile sort), DUDE RANCH (17D. Western vacation spot), ED MEESE (121A. “With Reagan” memoirist), HOT ITEM (56D. Product that’s hard to keep in stock), ICE PALACE (18D. Winter carnival attraction), I REMEMBER (78A. “There was the time …”), MAPLE TREE (82D. “Whirlybird” source), PASS GO (74D. Reach the Mediterranean, say?), Silents star THEDA Bara, TRIREME (16D. Ancient galley), WENT SOLO (4D. Emulated Diana Ross [1970] and Justin Timberlake [2002]).

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01.24.15 — The Saturday Crossword

Alhambra
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Saturday, January 24, 2015

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ALHAMBRA (18A. Ancient Moorish palace in Granada), BLUSH (1D. Red state?), DETECTIVE WORK (33A. Something done on a case-by-case basis?), ÉCLAIR (53A. Food item whose name means, literally, “lightning”), GAIUS (3D. Given name of Augustus and Caligula), HOME MATCH (6D. What you can never win gong away), HOYA and HOYT, KIDS THESE DAYS (34A. “Sheesh! What‘s the world coming to?!”), LET’S DO T (15A. “Sounds like a plan!“), LEAN-TO (14A. Slanted coverage?), LIVE (39D. Like the rolling Stones album "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!"), LOST ONE’S SHIRT (29a. Flamed out at a casino, say), NOBLE FIRS (11D. Popular Christmas trees), SWAN’S NECK (31D. Graceful architectural curve), STUDIO SET (5D. Sitcom stage, e.g.), UNICUM (17A. Hungarian liqueur sold in green bottles), VELURE (51A. Cushiony fabric).

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01.23.15 — The Friday Crossword

Geocaching, photo by amaleela 

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Friday, January 23, 2015

Puzzle by Ed Sessa / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ANAPESTS (37D. Kin of iambs), FACE PALM (49A. Alternative to a head slap), FALDO (49D. One of only three winners of consecutive Masters), ESKIMO DOG (1A. Inuit companion), FAIR ISLE (40D. Shetland sweater style), GEOCACHING (9D. Coordinated activity?), GERITOL (47A. Tonic for “tired blood”), I’M A LOSER (3D. Beatles song with the line “My tears are falling like rain from the sky”), KALAMAZOO (17A. Starting point of a train trip to Timbuktu, in song), KILOHERTZ (3D. Measure of a radio band), MIMERS (5D. Quiet parrots), NOISE LEVEL (28D. Something to watch in a library), RED ELM (48D. Crate and barrel wood), RIN-TIN-TIN (33D. Shepherd of old movies), SAGAMORE Hill, historic home of Theodore Roosevelt, ZIMBABWE (10D. Country with the most official languages [16]),

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01.22.15 — The Fifth

A true-color image of Jupiter taken by the Cassini spacecraft. The Galilean moon Europa casts a shadow on the planet's cloud tops ~ NASA

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Thursday, January 22, 2015

Crossword by Timothy Polin / Edited by Will Shortz

FIFTH / COLUMNS (15D. With 45-Down, subversive groups … or what the answers in the shaded squares comprise?), along with five columns containing eight answers where the subject is the fifth of a series constitutes the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword:

JUPITER (1D. Planet) along with BORON (46D. Chemical element)
SOL (4D. Note on the musical scale) with DEUTERONOMY (25D. Book of the Bible) 
PIERCE BROSNAN (6D. James Bond portrayer)
ALAN SHEPARD (9D. Man who walked on the moon) with MAY (59D. Month)
AUGEAN STABLES (18D. Labor of Hercules)

Other — AD LIB (35D. Go off line?), AURORAE (38D. Nighttime phenomena), CARPI (19A. Neighbors of ulnae), GAG RULE (41D. Silencer), JOSS (1A. Kind of stick), PASSADO (7D. Fencing thrust), TILDE  (24A. (El Niño feature), TOP RATE (11D. Maximum tax).

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01.21.15 — T Formation

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Puzzle by Jim Hilger / Edited by Will Shortz

MR T (42A. “Rocky III” actor [and an apt answer in this puzzle]) and FORMATION (50A. Following the nine black squares in the center of the grid, a hint to five pairs of answers in this puzzle), along with a large “T” formed by black squares in the center of the crossword, constitutes the main feature of this Wednesday crossword.  The five pairs form the letter “T”:

WATER / TIGHT (5A. With 7-Down, incapable of leaking)
AFTER / TASTE (26A. With 28-Down, disagreeable quality of diet sodas)
OFTEN / TIMES (29A. With 30-Down, frequently)
TITLE / TRACK (52A. With 57-Down, song with the same name as its album)
DUTCH / TREAT (56A. With 57-Down, meal for which everyone pays his or her own way)

Other — ARAPAHOE (24D. Ally of the Cheyenne: Var.), BEECHES (46A. Trees with triangular nuts), EDILE (8D. Roman magistrate), FAQS (10A. Online info sources), FAR LEFT (10D. Socialists, on the political spectrum), IMPATIENT (36D. Fidgety), INUTILE (36A. Pointless), NOURI (37D. Michael of “Flashdance”), PAST TENSE (23A. History is recorded in it), SNIPPET (4D. Small excerpt), SOUL FOOD (25D. Chitlins, ham hocks, etc.), TAX RATE (71A. Something in brackets), TINSMITHS (35D. Some sheet metal workers), TOKE (3D. Joint action).

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01.20.15 — Comic Relief

Chris Rock

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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Puzzle by Susan Gelfand / Edited by Will Shortz

COMIC RELIEF (60A. What the starts of 18-, 24-, 37- and 52-Across can provide?), CAESAR SALAD (18A. Dish with croutons and Parmesan cheese), MURPHY BED (24A. Pull-down sleeper), CRYSTAL GEYSER (37A. Evian competitor) and ROCK OPERA (52A. “Tommy,” for one) constitute the interrelated group of this friendly Tuesday crossword.

Other — CAMEROON (37D. Neighbor of Nigeria), DONG (26D. Bell sound), DRIVEL (48D. Senseless talk), EXODUS (2D. Book of the Bible of an event described in it), HESSE (7D. “Siddhartha” writer), LEHAR (50A. “The Merry Widow” composer), MALAMUTE (11D. Sled dog), PAJAMA (1D. Word before top or party), PHIAL (23A. Lab bottle), RASHOMON (38D. Kurosawa classic), ROWENA (15A. Ivanhoe’s love).

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01.19.15 — Snow

Snow-capped alpine peak Mount Muztagh Ara 

reflected in the still waters of Lake Karakul 

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Monday, January 19, 2015 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

Puzzle by Jean O’Conor / Edited by Will Shortz

SNOW-CAPPED (31D. Like alpine peaks … or what each half of 3-, 7-, 9-, 37- and 44-Down can be?) is the clue for the main feature of this Monday crossword:

WHITEBOARD (3D. Surface for a dry-erase marker)
CRAB BALLS (7D. Shellfish hors d’oeuvres)
PLOWMAN (9D. Farmer with oxen)
BUNNY SUIT (37D. Easter costume)
BANK JOB (44D. Heist of a sort)

Other — ATTACHE (20A. Kind of case for a lawyer), BREWSKI (22A. Beer, slangy), EPISODE (26D. Word n every “Star Wars” title), MCATS (54A. Hurdles for future docs), OPEN PIT (60A. Kind of barbecue or mine), RANKLES (57A. Really bothers), SKUA (18A. Arctic seabird), TOPER (53D. Souse), TOUSLES (40A. Ruffles, as the hair),

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