03.31.15 — Gymnastics

zimbio.com 

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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Puzzle by Gary Cee / Edited by Will Shortz

VERBAL GYMNASTICS (38A. Fancy, evasive language ... or a hint to the ends of 18-, 26-, 54- and 65-Across), along with second-half words of gymnastics equipment, e.g., RINGS, BEAM, HORSE and BARS, constitutes the main feature of this healthy Tuesday crossword

ONION RINGS (18A. Deep-fried side dish)
LASER BEAM (26A. Metaphor for straightness)
HIGH HORSE (54A. Snootiness)
COFFEE BARS (65A. Java joints)

Other — ASSUAGE (37D. Soften, as fears), EIRE and ERIE (22A. U2’s homeland; 69A. U.S. city that’s an anagram of 22-Across), LARYNGITIS (30D. Woe for a singer), MANHOOD (21A. Virility), NOW WHAT (19D. “You again?!“), PSALMS (14D. Source of the line “The Lord is my keeper”), STYNE (71A. Broadway composer Jule), TORTELLINI (12D. Stuffed, rolled pasta), TRIPE (67A. Claptrap).

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03.30.15 — Birds of a Feather

Canadian Goose, John James Audubon 

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Monday, March 30, 2015

Puzzle by Bruce Haight / Edited by Will Shortz

GOOSE (18A. Flier in a V formation), thirteen bird-like assemblages of black squares in a sort of V formation, along with BIRDS OF A FEATHER (13A. Ones that are alike), FLOCK TOGETHER (30A. Gather as a group) and CLEAR FOR TAKE-OFF (49A. Give the go-ahead from the control tower) constitutes the main feature of this Monday crossword.

Other — BY HOOK OR BY CROOK (7D. In any manner necessary), JURY OF YOUR PEERS (1D. Right guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment), PEEK and PEER AT (20D. Sneak a look; 39D. Eye closely), WRAPPING PAPER (4D. It might show wreaths and candy canes at Christmas).

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03.29.15 — CA

Lauren Bacall 

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Sunday, March 29, 2015

“California, Here I Come”  — Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld

The abbreviation for the state of California (CA) affixed to seven common phrases to form uncommon phrases with justifying clues constitutes the main feature of this mundane Sunday crossword:

STREAMING INCA (23A: Ancient Peruvian using Netflix?) 
CAST ELSEWHERE (33A: "No fishing here!"?)
DEEP SPACE CANINE (51A: Dog whose rocket went off course?) 
YOU MAKE ME WANNA CASH OUT (65A: Comment to an annoying blackjack dealer?)
REALLY BIG CASHEW (82A: Part of a jumbo trail mix?) (for you youngsters out there, that … is an Ed Sullivan pun … here, this should make it clear:)
BACALL HANDLER (97A: Agent for Bogart's partner?) (for you non-sports fans, this is primarily a basketball term, used of whoever's, uh, handling the ball)
THE LIFE OF PICA (111A: "12-Point Type: A History"?)

Other — BARRETTE (3D. It holds a lock in place), CORNIER (78A. Less deserving of a laugh, say), CRASH DIET (16D. Cause of a great loss?), EUCHARIST (75D. Catholic rite), NYALAS (59D. Spiral-horned antelopes), PERSONA (32D. Projected image), PRESSURE (13D. Force divided by area, in physics), RED HEADS (82D. Thomas Jefferson and Calvin Coolidge, e.g.), RHINO (101D. Something you might get a charge out of), SWEARER (69D. One calling foul?), TASTE BUD (1D. It may be on the tip of your tongue).

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03.28.15 — Pulverizer

The Death Star is a fictional spacecraft and galactic superweapon appearing in the Star Wars science-fiction franchise created by George Lucas. It is capable of destroying an entire planet with its powerful superlaser. ~ Wikipedia

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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Puzzle by David Steinberg / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — BEDLAM (1D. Rowdydow), BIKINI WAX (1A. Hair-raising experience for a beachgoer?), CARTIER (32A. “Jeweler of kings, king of jewelers,“ per Edwad VII), DEATH STAR (17A. Planet pulverizer of sci-fi), Harum-SCARUM, ICE AGE (2D. Big chill?), JAILBAIT (12D. Under-age temptation), LAXATIVES (57A. They’re taken to go), LEMON ZEST (62A. Option for giving food a bite), NOTEPAD (38A. It has rules for writers), O MAGAZINE (60A. Periodical whose first shared cover featured Michelle Obama), SNAP CHAT (34D. Disappearing communication system?), TORSO (61A. Six-pack container?), YEAR ZERO (14D. Beginning of time).

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03.27.15 — LDS

The temple of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

 in downtown Salt Lake City is seen illuminated in late January. 
(CNS photo/Jim Urquhart, Reuters)

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Friday, March 27, 2015

Puzzle by David Kwong / Edited by Will Shortz

UTAH STATE (31A. University suggested by this puzzle’s black squares) and eight black squares evoking the shape of the state of Utah, along with TABERNACLE CHOIR (19A. Temple Square group founded in 1847) and LATTER-DAY SAINTS (47A. Young followers) constitutes the interrelated group of this Friday crossword.

Other —  A LA MORT (16A. Quite ill, in Lille), BEATS ME (1D. “I dunno”), BIG MAC (1A. Sandwich introduced in 1968), CONESTOGA (20D. Prairie transport), DEME (49D. Greek township), Agatha Christie’s “Peril at END HOUSE,” ION BEAM (53A. Ray gun ray), ISOTONE (34D. One of a group of atoms having the same number of neutrons but a different number of protons), PEACH PIT (9D. Part not used when making a cobbler), SHANKAR (36D. Big name in Indian music), STINK AT (52A. Do poorly), STOOLIE (51A. Police reporter?), TASSELED (32D. Having some strings attached?), TWEEDLE (55A. Entice with music), USED TO BE (31D. Was).

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03.26.15 — Rinse Cycle

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Puzzle by Byron Walden / Edited by Will Shortz

Mixing up the word "RINSE” (across and down) constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword:

SLYTHERINS (19A. Draco Malfoy’s housemates in the Harry Potter books)

NOSE RINGS (27A. Some punk accessories)

INTENSE RIVALS (36A. Red Sox and Yankees, e.g.)

SPIN SERVE (43A. Tricky way to put a ball in play)

RINSE CYCLE (57A. Part of washing … or what’s exhibited by the circled letters from top to bottom).

Other — ABU DHABI (7A. Mideast capital), ANYHOO (5D. “Moving right along …“), Swimmer Matt BONDI who won eight Olympic gold medals; BOTOX (13D. Shot in the crease?), GIMPS (47D. Hobbling gaits), ISRAELIS (39D. Haaretz readers), LAYLA (2D. 1971 rock classic inspired by a 12th-century Persian poem), MALE NUDE (60A. “David” or “The Thinker”), PHONE SEX (63A. Activity on a hotline?), SANTA HAT (65A. Yuletide topper), TOILETTE (18A. Personal grooming), YMCA (59D. Where “you can hang out with all the boys,” in song).

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03.25.15 — Descending

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 

1912, Marcel Duchamp

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Puzzle by Jacob Stulberg / Edited by Will Shortz

NUDE DESCENDING A STAIRCASE NO. 2 in shaded letters descending from upper left to lower right, along with ARMORY SHOW (12D. Event at which the work spelled out by the shaded letters was first exhibited) and AVANT GARDE (28D. Like the work spelled out by the shaded letters),  constitutes the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword 

Other — AIRPLANE (61A. Film whose sequel is subtitled the Sequel”), AMEN and LATIN (10D. Many prayers end with it; 9D. Many prayers are said in it), BESMIRCHED (31D. Sullied), DELAWARE / BAY (7a. With 31-Across, Cape May’s locale), EDDAS (14D. Norse literary works), ENAMORED (16A. Smitten), KNEE-DEEP (67A. Completely engaged [in]), RADIATOR (65A. Hot spot), RED NO 2 (66A. Food additive banned in 1976), SEA-SCENTED (5D. Like candles that might remind one of the beach), TONGONS (38A. Members of an island kingdom), TWERP (53D. Little nothing).

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03.24.15 — Night

The Starry Night, 1889, Vincent van Gogh 

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Puzzle by Robyn Weintraub / Edited by Will Shortz

NIGHT (71A. Word that can precede either part of 17-, 25-, 38-, 54- and 63-Across) is the tie for the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword:

SCHOOL CLUB (17A. Debate team or Model United Nations), Night school, nightclub
LIFELINE (24A. Aid on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire), Nightlife, nightline
TIME TABLE (38A. Commuter’s reference guide), Night time, night table
SKYLIGHT (54A. Atrium feature), Night sky, night light
STICK SHIFT (3A. It’s not an automatic feature), Night stick, night shift\

Other — AVARICE (11D. Greed), FARO (22A. Card game with a bank), LEGALIZED (10D. Like gambling in Nevada), MODE (41A. 6, in the set [3,5,5,6,6,6,7]), OAK TREE (42D. Acorn, eventually), PARAPET (49A. Shooter’s position in a fort), SLUICED (32A. Drenched with a sudden flow), STEAL AWAY (34D. Leave surreptitiously).

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03.23.15 — Madly

The Madhouse, 1812-1819, Francisco Goya 

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Monday, March 23, 2015

Puzzle by Michael Dewey / Edited by Will Shortz

MANIA, MADNESS, FEVER, CRAZE and FRENZY found at the ends of the following answers constitutes the interrelated group of this Monday crossword:

KLEPTOMANIA (17A. Compulsion to steal)

MARCH MADNESS (23A. What a bracketologist is caught up in)

CAT SCRATCH FEVER (37A. 1977 hard-rock hit by Ted Nugent)

FASHION CRAZE (48A. Miniskirts or oversize sunglasses, once)

MEDIA FRENZY (59A. What a major scandal results in)

Other — ART HISTORY (28D. Subject that includes Goya and Gauguin), BICKER OVER (11D. Squabble about), CZAR and IVAN (56D. Old Russian autocrat; 44A. “Terrible” Russian autocrat), FLAIL (26A. Swings wildly), French W.W. I general Ferdinand FOCH, GO GRAY (46A. Age, and not try to hide it), KAYAK and OARS (64A. Boat with a double-bladed paddle; 18D. Rowboat rowers), MADLY (6A. One way to be in love), NUDIE (50D. Movie whose genre is taking off?), OZARKS (47D. Missouri mountains).

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03.22.15 — Upsides

Sunday, March 22, 2015

"Upsides," Puzzle by Jeremy Newton / Edited by Will Shortz

Six sets of words, each achieving four broken across answers by playing off a single down word, clued by the separate CLIMBING / THE WALLS (38A. With 91-Across, super-antsy ... or like 24 Across answers in this puzzle?), constitutes the interrelated group of this overly complicated Sunday crossword:

WARTS (1D. Targets of some cryosurgery)
SAX (30A. Jazz band instrument)
ST LEO II (26A. Pope during the rule of Emperor Constantine IV)
STRONG DRINKS (22A. They can knock out lightweights)
STRAINED (18A. Like some muscles and baby food)
STRAW BALE (1A. Seat at a hoedown)

DEBUT (17D. It’s a first)
YOUTUBED (35A. Watched some online videos)
DAUBED (29A. Slapped on, as paint)
SHARE ONE’S BED (24A. Sleep [with])
BRAISED (21A. Like the veal in osso buco)
TV DAD (13A. Cliff Huxtable or Ward Cleaver)

TETON (52D. “Grand” mountain)
NOTE TO SELF (52A. “I must remember this for later …”)
NOT EVEN A LITTLE (61A. Opposite of totally)
NO TAX (65A. Nice thing about purchases in Delaware and Oregon)
NORTH (70A. Part of two state names)
NY SENATE (75A. Grp. that meets in Albany)

LIVER (60D. Source of bile)
LESSER EVIL (78A. It’s not so bad)
TASMANIIAN DEVIL (73A. Down Under marsupial)
ANVIL (69A. One getting hammered)
AVAIL (64A. Prove useful)
COLD MEAL (57A. Dinner that was prepared hours ago, say)

FACED (97D. Encountered)
DEPOT (117A. Stopping point)
DENUDES (113A. Strips bare)
DECISION TREE (109A. Chart for weighing options)
DECALS (103A. Model add-ons)
DECAF TEA (97A. Cupful before sleep, maybe)

DIARY (102D. Book before bedtime, maybe)
PANTY RAID (120A. Old-fashioned fraternity activity)
UNAFRAID (116A. Brave)
DIGESTIVE AID (111A. Food processor?)
LEGAL ID (107A. Driver’s license, but not a credit card, e.g.)
RED (101A. It’s at one end of a rainbow)

Other — DIE DOWN (15D. Subside), DRESS UP (84D. Get all decked out), HAS A SMOKE (10D. Lights up), LAP DOG (93D. Peke or Pom), MAMMAL (67A. Moose or mouse), NFL TEAM (48D. Eagles or Ravens), ODES (83A. Feats of Keats), PEACH PIE (99A, Popular dessert in Georgia), SCRAPHEAP (77D. Lot of junk), TMNT (45A. 2007 film featuring Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo), YO MAMA (35D. Kind of joke).

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03.22.15 — How to Be a Victorian — the Acrostic

 Straight front Brembo corset. Photo by Morúa, 

Leicestershire County Council Museum Services, Symington Collection 

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from “How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life” by Ruth Goodman.

Ruth Goodman believes in getting her hands dirty. Drawing on her own adventures living in re-created Victorian conditions, Goodman serves a sour bustling and fanciful guide to nineteenth-century life. Proceeding from day break to bedtime, this charming, illustrative work celebrates the ordinary lives of the most perennially fascinating era of British history. From waking up to the rapping of a “knocker-upper man” on the window pane to lacing into a corset after a round of calisthenics, from slipping opium to the little ones to finally retiring to the bedroom for the ideal combination of “love, consideration, control and pleasure,” the weird, wonderful, and somewhat gruesome intricacies of Victorian life are vividly rendered here. How to Be a Victorian is an enchanting manual for the insatiably curious. ~ Google books 

The quotation:  A LIGHTLY BONED… CORSET… IS… VERY EASY… TO WEAR, MORE COMFORTABLE, IN MY OPINION, THAN… UNDERWIRED BRAS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. … IT IS HARD TO ACHIEVE MORE COMPRESSION THAN IS PRODUCED BY THE SHAPEWEAR CURRENTLY ON SALE… .

The author’s name and the title of the work:  RUTH GOODMAN, “HOW TO BE A VICTORIAN”

The defined words:

A. Like Stoker’s “Dracula” or Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, GOTHIC 
B. Giving cryptic clues about the future, ORACULAR
C. Influential 1859 work by John Stuart Mill (2 wds.), ON LIBERTY
D. Subject of certain codes, DRESS
E. Brilliant but lethargic brother of Sherlock Holmes, MYCROFT
F. A case of faulty ignition?, ARSON 
G. Remedy for grief, per Greek myth, NEPENTHE
H. Up-to-the-minute things?, HYPHENS
I. Anglo-Chinese strife of the 1800s (2 wds.), OPIUM WARS
J. “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1” artist, WHISTLER 
K. Where flies are typically found, TROUSERS
L. Hamper the progress of, OBSTRUCT
M. Supplier of archery gear, BOWYER
N. Like the era after the one evoked n this puzzle, EDWARDIAN
O. Eponymous physicist André-Marie, AMPERE
P. Cabinet with an inset washbowl, VANITY 
Q. Psychologically connect (with), IDENTIFY
R. Trickster in Native American folklore, COYOTE
S. Monopoly tokens with dimples, THIMBLES
T. Factor in the budget for a roofing company?, OVERHEAD
U. Parliamentary law affecting voting (2 wds.), REFORM ACT
V. Gilbert and Sullivan opera featuring the Queen of the Fairies, IOLANTHE
W. Drug that brings pain relief, ANODYNE
X. Subtle distinctions, NICETIES

The full paragraph of the quotation:  A lightly boned, corded corset like this is a very easy thing to wear, more comfortable, in my opinion, than the underwired bras of the twenty-first century. A corset moulds the body into an elegant shape, supporting the bust and smoothing out the lumps and bumps. It is warm to wear, and not too constricting. Even with enthusiastic tugging on the lacing, it is hard to achieve more compression than is produced by the shapewear currently on sale in today’s high-street shops. A corset is perhaps too hot to wear in the height of summer, and the busk length must be just right so that it does not dig in (contrary to popular expectation, longer is better: ending somewhere on the pubic bone seems to be most comfortable), but it provides a smooth, compact solidity to the torso that looks attractive through the outer clothing of the day, holding everything firmly in place and providing a fashionably high bust-line.

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03.21.15 — Jumpin' Jack Flash

Jumpin’ Jack Flash by Robert Crumb

Robert Crumb (b. 1943) is an American artist recognized for his distinctive style of drawing and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream. Crumb was a founder, and one of the most prominent figures, of the underground comix movement. One of his most recognized works is the "Keep on Truckin'" comic, a widely distributed fixture of pop culture in the 1970s. His works include Devil Girl, Fritz the Cat, and Mr. Natural. He currently lives in Southern France.

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Saturday, March 21, 2015

Puzzle by Frederick J. Healy / Edited by Will Shortz

Three sets of three grid-length answers constitutes the main feature of this Saturday crossword:

JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH (1A. 1968 hit with the line “I was raised by a toothless bearded hag”)
A HOOSIER HOLIDAY (16A. Theodore Dreiser travelogue)
NO CAUSE FOR ALARM (17A. “Don’t worry”)

ORANGE POPSICLES (32A. Alternatives to lemon ices)
TURN THE TABLES (37A. Went from being picked on to picking on, say)
ATTENTION PLEASE (38A. Announcement start)

ONE AFTER ANOTHER (55A. Seriatim)
GETS TO FIRST BASE (58A. Makes early progress)
IS THIS SEAT TAKEN (59A. Question on public transportation)

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JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH 
(Jagger/Richards)

Watch it!

I was born in a cross-fire hurricane 
And I howled at my ma in the driving rain, 
But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas! 
But it's all right.  I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash, 
It's a Gas!  Gas!  Gas!

I was raised by a toothless, bearded hag, 
I was schooled with a strap right across my back, 
But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas! 
But it's all right, I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash, 
It's a Gas!  Gas!  Gas!

I was drowned, I was washed up and left for dead. 
I fell down to my feet and I saw they bled. 
I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread. 
Yeah, yeah, yeah 
I was crowned with a spike right thru my head. 
But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas! 
But it's all right, I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash, 
It's a Gas!  Gas!  Gas!

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, its a gas 
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, its a gas 
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, its a gas 
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, its a gas

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