07.31.15 — The Friday Crossword

M. C. Escher, Drawing Hands, 1948

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Friday, July 31, 2015

Puzzle by James Mulhern and Ashton Anderson

Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ATOM ANT (3D. Slight ’60s superhero); AUTO-TUNE (15A. Musical tool on Time’s list of “50 Worst Inventions”); BAIT CAR (20A. Help in catching an auto thief); CANKLES (51A. Lower leg woe, slangily); DAS BOOT (1D. Oversize Oktoberfest vessel named after a classic film); DRAG SHOW (1A. It often features diva impersonators); ESCHER (60A. Drawer of paradoxes); GET WEIRD (61A. Turn awkward as a relationship); HULA SKIRT (6D. Hipster’s dance wear?); KETEL ONE (35D. Vodka with an “Oranje” variety); KERPLOP (13D. Sound head before ripples are seen); RUN AMOK (2D. Go nuts); SEXY BEAST (32D. Hunk); SLY DOG (54A. Cunning sort); SNOBALLS (17A. Sister brand of Twinkies); TALK BIG (39D. Crow); TOODLES (37D. “Cheerio!”).

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07.30.15 — Little Women

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley / Edited by Will Shortz

Louisa May ALCOTT (45D. Creator of the characters added in 17-, 28-, 44- and 57-Across) and the March sisters of “Little Women”, MEG, AMY, BETH and JO, constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword:

TOUGH NUTMEG (17A: Hardy brown spice?)
BIGAMY BUSINESS (28A: Company that will get you a second spouse?)
MACBETH ‘N CHEESE(44A: Extremely tacky production of a Shakespeare play?)
TRAVEL BANJO (57A: Country instrument played by a migrant?)

Other —  GUESS NOT (38D. “Looks like I was wrong”); JAM-UPS (7D. Printing problems); LANATE (37D. Woolly); MACRON (44D. Long vowel indicator); Baby MAMA; PABST (48D. “The way beer was meant to be); PLUG UGLY (3D. Downright homely); SPEX (40D. Glasses, informally); USABLE (18D. Worth keeping).

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07.29.15 — Double-Double

Basketball Team, 1911, interest

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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Puzzle by David J. Lieb / Edited by Will Shortz

DOUBLE-DOUBLE (65A. Statistical achievement in basketball … or what the answer to each starred clue is), along with those answers, constitutes the main feature of this Wednesday crossword:

STANDARD TIME (18A: *It's divided into four zones in the contiguous U.S. states), e.g., DOUBLE STANDARD and DOUBLE OVER
TAKEOVER (27A: *Coup d'état, e.g.), DOUBLE TAKE and DOUBLE OVER. 
CROSSTALK (33A: *Incidental chatter), DOUBLE CROSS and DOUBLE-TALK 
PLAYBILLS (47A: *Handouts to theatergoers), DOUBLE PLAY and DOUBLE BILLS 
BACKDATE (53A: *Make retroactive), DOUBLE BACK and DOUBLE DATE.

Other — COAT ROOMS (3D. Where forgotten umbrellas may accumulate); DRAGONS (46D. Chinese New Year decorations); GOLDEN BOY (38D. Person who can do no wrong); NEGEV (12D. More than half of Israel); NOOGIE (15A. Knuckle to the head); SPOOKY 34D. Like a haunted house); ZEBRA (7A. Parent of a zorse or a zonkey).

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07.28.15 — AEIOU

1453 A.E.I.O.U., Wahlspruch Kaiser Friedrichs III. 

an der Grazer Burg 

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Puzzle by Caleb Emmons / Edited by Will Shortz

In this Tuesday crossword, the across rows contain a group of one vowel each, e.g., A, E, I, O and U, and they descend in AEIOU order, repeated three times.

Of interest — FRESHETS (50A. Sudden floods); KLUTZ (63A. Unlikely juggler); PHILIP III (54A. King who led Spain into the Thirty Years’ War); POLTROON (20A. Utter coward); TIGHT-KNIT (18A. Close, as a community); THE CREEPS (32A. Shudder-inducing feeling).

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07.27.05 — Palindromes

Monday, July 27, 2015

Puzzle by D. Scott Nichols and Zhouqin Burnikel

Edited by Will Shortz

PALINDROMES (60A. What the ends of the answers to all the starred clues are), along with SELES, ONO, TENET and HANNAH, constitutes the main feature of this Monday crossword:

MONICA SELES (17A. *Youngest French Open champion)
YOKO ONO (39A. *”Double Fantasy” singer)
GEORGE TENET (11D. *C.I.A.’s second-longest-serving director)
DARYL HANNAH (24D. *”Splash” star)

Other — ALIMONY (4D. Payment to an ex); Desi ARNAZ of “I Love Lucy”; AVEENO (18D. Big name in skin care); BALSA (42A. Wood for model airplanes); ERROL Flynn who played Robin Hood; GRANOLA (45D. Crunchy breakfast bowlful); HIPPO (46A. Zoo heavyweight, informally); Pepé LE PEW, amorous cartoon skunk; NAME (32A. Peter, Paul or Mary); NIMROD (21A. Doofus);  Nick NOLTE of “48 Hrs.”

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07.26.15 — No Escape

Simulated view of a black hole in front of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The ratio between the black hole Schwarzschild radius and the observer distance to it is 1:9. Of note is the gravitational lensing effect known as an Einstein ring, which produces a set of two fairly bright and large but highly distorted images of the Cloud as compared to its actual angular size. ~ Wikipedia 

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

“No Escape” — Puzzle by Ellen Leuschner and Jeff Chen

Edited by Will Shortz

A central group of nine black squares representing ‘HOLE” with the adjacent entries of LOOP, MOUSE, POT, PIE, HIDEY, BORE, PORT, BLACK, RAT, PIN, IN THE and NAIL,  along with CENTER OF GRAVITY (112A. Tightrope walker’s concern), DISAPPEARING ACT (14D. Avoidance maneuver), FATAL ATTRACTION (42D. 1987 Michael Douglas/Glenn Close blockbuster), and HEART OF DARKNESS (21A. Novella that served as the basis for “Apocalypse Now“), constitutes the main feature of this attractive Sunday crossword.

Other — AARP (93A. 50 or more people?); BAALISM and GROUPIE (47A AND 43A. Idol worshiper?); CHERUBIM (10D. Pair of figures in Raphael‘s “Sistine Madonna“); COIN PURSES (13D. Change places); COPAY (1A. Drug charge?); EASY FIX (90D. Simple solution); EPISODE I (29A. “The Phantom Menace“ in the “Star Wars“ series); HATE MAIL (74A. Some written rants); KRAKENS (89D. Mythical monsters); LAPDOGS (51D. Toy poodles, e.g.); LEANN RIMES (70D. Singer with the 1997 3x platinum single “How Do I Live“); MEAT PIE (49D. Savory dish with a crust); OHMAGE (16A. Conductor’s resistance); STYX (121A. River with a “dreadful shore,” in Shakespeare).

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07.25.15 — Rosebud

Orson Welles, “Citizen Kane”

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Saturday, July 25, 2015

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — AROINT (16A. “Begone,” to Shakespeare); BIBELOT (33A. Trinket); BOUNCE HOUSE (45A. It’s blown up at a carnival); BOX SCORE (33D. Some sports figures); COURT VISION (19a. Hoopster’s playmaking ability); EGOMANIA (15A. Citizen Kane’s affliction); FOOT BATHS (27D. Dog washers?); NEPAL (43D. Traditional birthplace of Buddhism); ON SALE NOW (13D. Available for purchase); ORANGINA (51A. Beverage in a pear-shaped bottle, ironically); POWER NAP (49A. Stopgap for an energy shortage); SNEEZE (52A. Something you close your eyes for); TIME BOMB (1A. One waiting to go off); TON ROWS (35A. Modern composer’s constructions); VIOLA SOLO (12D. Feature of Berlioz’s symphony “Harold en Italie”); WET ONE (31A. Sloppy kiss); WIN THE WAR (31D. Ultimately prevail).

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07.24.15 — Briefly Featured

Rita Hayworth, “Gilda” 1946

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Friday, July 24, 2015

Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ALLAH (34A. Deity with 99 names); ANTI-NOVEL (52A. Literary term popularized by Sartre); FALSE TEETH (12D. Wood choppers of old); GHOST TOWN (32D. Nobody’s home); GILDA (23A. Rita Hayworth film briefly featured n “The Shawshank Redemption“); HIT OR MISS (19A. Wildly uneven); ILLITERATE (13D. “X” signer); I’M SO SORRY (4D. “My deepest condolences”); INSIDE MAN (1A. Helper in a heist); LOBSTER and PINE NUT (37D. Bisque bit; 38D. Biscotto bit); NEW MEXICO (15A. U.S. state with the oldest capital city); ONE AND ONLY (24D. Perfect match); SKELETONS (46A. Dancers in danse macabre imagery); SWEET-N-LOW (56A. Product in pink packets); TEAR-GASSED (25D. Put down, in a way, as a group of rioters).

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07.23.15 — Mouthful

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Puzzle b Timothy Polin / Edited by Will Shortz

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS (39A. Mouthful from a 1964 song), with each syllable in a square, MAGNIFICENT (19A. What 39-Across means) and MARY POPPINS (62A. Musical featuring 39-Across), constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword. 

Other— ANADEM (6D. Floral garland); APOLITI[CAL] (4D. Nonvoting, say); BEARDS (53A. What shadows become as they lengthen); FERMIS (22D. Miniscule distance units); INSTRUMENT (29A. Woodwind or wind gauge); LUNA (8D. 1960s-'70s Soviet space program); NAIL GUNS (57A. Sharp shooters?); [PER]SIAN RUG (40D. Grand Bazaar purchase); THE TUXE]DO] (12D. Jackie Chan action film featuring a high-tech jacket); TUNERS (3D. Workers with pitchforks?).

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07.22.15 — Chopped Liver

Chopped Liver, Sammy’s Roumanian, New York City

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins / Edited by Will Shortz

CHOPPED LIVER (58A. What’s found on some canapés [and hiding in the answers to 20-, 31-, 38- and 49-Across?]), along with those answers:

SUPER VILLAIN (20A. Lex Luthor, notably)
SAVILE ROW (31A. High-end tailoring area in London)
NAVEL RING (38A. Belly dancer’s decoration)
DEVIL RAYS (49A. Tropicana Field team renamed in 2008)

Other — EXAMPLES (39D. For-instances); INHUMAN (2D. Barbaric); LIVEN UP (47D. Add zip to); ROD LAVER (8D. Tennis star ranked #1 in the world, 1964-70); ROSSINI (1D. “The Barber of Seville” composer); SEAPORT (3D. San Diego, but not Santa Fe); SHRILL (9D. Like the sound of a siren); YEAR ONE (48D. Beginning of time, figuratively); ZIG and ZAG.

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07.21.15 — It's in the Bag

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Puzzle by David Phillips / Edited by Will Shortz

IT’S IN THE BAG, (56A."We have this won" ... or what could be said about each of the first words of the answers to the starred clues), along with those words, BOOK, TEA, ICE and SAND, constitutes the main feature of this innocuous Tuesday crossword:

BOOK ‘EM DANNO (16A. *Hawaii Five-O” catchphrase)

TEA PARTIER (22A. * Sarah Palin or Glen Beck, e.g.)

ICE ROAD TRUCKERS (35A. *History channel show frequently set in Canada or Alaska)

SAND CASTLE (45A. *Structure built from the ground up?)

Other — ACAI BERRY (29D. Brazilian fruit export); AMERICAN (14D. Swiss sub?); DECOUPAGE (30D. Paper cutouts as a decorative art); GEOFFREY (20A. Rush experienced during a movie?); JAMES KIRK (1D. TV movie lead character whose middle name is Tiberius); OJO (9A. Eye of the tigre?); OSTRICHES (9D. Big egg producers); RIND (37D. Thick skin); TESSA (62A. Nickname for Theresa).

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07.20.15 — Morning

Monday, July 20, 2015

Puzzle by John Westwig / Edited by Will Shortz

MORNING PERSON (37A. Early riser … or what each of 17-, 24-, 50- and 61-Across is?) and the initials AM of four proper names constitutes the main feature of this Monday crossword:

AKIO MORITA (17A. Sony co-founder)
ANDY MURRAY (24A. 2013 Wimbledon champion)
AL MICHAELS (50A. Longtime “Monday Night Football” sportscaster)
ALI MACGRAW (61A. “Love Story” actress)

Other — DE SADE (48D. The Crimes of Love” author); ED HARRIS (10D. “Apollo 13” co-star); ELIZA  (52D. Doolittle of fiction); GEEK (55A. Overindulge in a brainy subject, with “out”); RATTY (8D. In bad condition); Jackie ROBINSON who broke baseball’s color barrier; WAKE UP (2D. “Rise and shine!”).

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07.19.15 — The Short Form

Gandalf’s Rune

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Sunday, July 19, 2015

"The Short Form" — Puzzle by Tom McCoy 
Edited by Will Shortz

In this Sunday crossword, seven abbreviated words are used as full words to give familiar phrases a make-over:

• FIRST PERSON SING (23A. “Belt it out, Adam!”?), Singular
• DON’T GIVE AN IN (38A. “I forbid you from providing special access”?), Inch
• POP DENSITY (42A. Your father’s blockheadedness?), Population
• TURN OF THE CENT (66A. Coin flip with a penny?), Century
• APT COMPLEX (92A. Emotional problem that is surprisingly fitting?), Apartment
• CUT QUITE A FIG (94A. Prepared some amazing Mediterranean fruit?), Figure
• LOOK OUT FOR NO ONE (112A. Do a bad job as a watchman?), Number

Other — ALL IS LOST (79D. “We’re done for”); AMUR (21A. Border river between China and Russia); BITTERER (5D. More resentful); CRUST (68D. Piece of pie); ELFIN and RUNE (102D. Like some characters in “The Hobbit”; 107D. Character seen in “The Hobbit“); HANG IN THERE (16D. “Keep up the fight”); HARRUMPHS (3D. Openly expresses disapproval); I’M OUTTA HERE (65D. “Later!“); LE MENU (64D. Old frozen dinner brand); PAULIE (87A. Title parrot in a 1998 film); SAHIB (1A. Polite Indian form of address)

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07.18.15 — The Saturday Crossword

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Puzzle by Joe Krozel / Edited by Will Shortz

This Saturday crossword asks the solver to ponder O’CLOCK (24A. End of time) and ONE THIRTY (24D. Setting depicted by this puzzle’s grid( in relation to the grid).  Why?  Who knows…

Of interest — ABOU Hassan (20A. “Arabian Nights” figure); AIRBALL (8D. Court embarrassment); ALADDIN (27A. Animated film made into a Tony-nominated Broadway musical); ANATOLIANS (18A. Asian Turks); DIABLO (11D. Dios’s archenemy); ECONOMIC DECLINE (2D. Possible result of loss of trade); I CAN RELATE (22D. “Same thing happened to me”);  OLD BATS (16A. Biddies); PASSING INTEREST (4D. Attention holder for a time); RAMONA (5D. Title heroine of an 1884 Helen Hunt Jackson novel); SALAMANCA (21A. Spanish city that’s home to the country’s oldest university); SHETLAND ISLANDS (3D. Northernmost part of Great Britain); SPARES (33D. What “///” may represent).THE MAGI (39A. Star followers).

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07.17.15 — The Friday Crossword

Minerva victorious over Ignorance 

Ignorance is at Athena's feet (bottom right). 

Painted by Bartholomeus Spranger (c. 1591) 

Künsthistorische Museum, Wien

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Friday, July 17, 2015

Puzzle by Paolo Pasco / Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ANITRA (10D. “Peer Gynt” enchantress); ATHENE  (55A. Goddess of wisdom, to Homer); BECAUSE  I CAN (16D. “Reason” that doesn’t explain anything); BEL (30D. Measure of volume); BIGAMIST (16A. Person having one too many?); BIG IDEAS (3D. TED talk topics); CHAP (8D. Get cracking?); KAHUNAS (14A. Island bigwigs); KICKSTARTER (14D. Money source since 2009); MAD ABOUT YOU (29A. 1990s sitcom set in New York); MAGELLAN (50A. Man who named the Pacific Ocean); MINOR THREAT (19D. Third-party candidate, typically); NAS (27A. “Life Is Good” rapper, 2012); SOMERSAULTS (32A. Flips); STREAKER (33D. Buff runner?); TIME COP (18A. 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme film); WALTER MITTY (34A. Daydreaming type). 

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07.16.15 — WAX

Sugar and lemon wax 

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Puzzle by Paul Gamache / Edited by Will Shortz

WAX (59D. Spa treatment hinted at by the ends of 17-, 27-, 44- and 55-Across), along with HAIR / TODAY / GONE / TOMORROW, constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword:

LET DOWN YOUR HAIR (17A. Entreaty to Rapunzel)
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY (27A. Magazine whose website has a “Find a Therapist” feature) 
THE THRILL IS GONE (44A. 1970 B. B. King hit)
I’LL DO IT TOMORROW (55A. Procrastinator’s promise)

Other —ALIMONY (42D. Splitting headache?); Kirk ALYN, first actor to play Superman on screen, 1948; Myers-BRIGGS personality test; B VITAMIN (38D. Part of a complex); CARLITO Brigante (1993 Pacino role); CRAZIES (25A. Loons); DEW DROP (5D. Water source for many insects); EDEN (52D. Setting for a panel of Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights”); ELL (41D. July third?); NOES and YESSES (43A. Opposite of 32 Down; 32D. Acceptances); OUCH (18D. Punch line?); TIARAS (36A. Girl bands?); TWO GIGS (8D. Modest flash drive capacity, informally); ZERO-STAR (9D. Worst possible, as a review).  

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07.15.15 — Top Row

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Puzzle by Bruce Haight / Edited by Will Shortz

TOP / ROW and TYPEWRITER (10A. With 66-Across, place on a keyboard to find all the letters in 16-, 28-, 45- and 60-Across), REPERTOIRE (16A. Everything you can perform), PROPRIETOR (28A. Business owner) and PERPETUITY (46A. Time without end), constitute the main feature of this Wednesday crossword

:Other — ATTA (56D. Slangy lead-in to “way”); CAMERA CREW and SAILOR (27D. Ones working with an anchor; 20a. One working with an anchor); DID UP (25D. Prepared fancily); DO I DARE (55A. “Is it worth the gamble?“); EAT DIRT (45D. Humble oneself); EMOTE (26D. Ham it up); EXCESS (56a. One shouldn’t drink to this); OPEN MIC (4D. Occasion for amateurs to do stand-up); TELLS TALES (10D. Serves up whoppers).

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