05.10.12 — Jump

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Puzzle by Jules P. Markey / Edited by Will Shortz

JUMP (69A. Word that can precede each set of circled letters, forming a literal hint for entering certain answers in the puzzle).  Across answers in circles SUIT, SEAT, ROPE, BALL, BAIL and SHIP are intended to include aforesaid JUMP. In the case of the down answers, the circled letters are to be “jumped”, e.g., ignored. If this were jump rope, most solvers would be flat on their face on the sidewalk. It all adds up to a very clumsy Thursday crossword.

Across “jumps” in order: SUITEMATE (17A. One sharing an apartment), LET’S EAT (21A. “Chow down!”), EUROPEANS (33A. Poles, e.g.), CAT BALLOU (43A. Film for which Lee Marvin won Best Actor), BAILEY’S (53A. Big Irish cream brand) and COURTSHIP (61A. Engagement precursor).

Down “jumps” in order, sort of: ZIST, ISUH, GEIE, SETA, UNSSEALELD, ITEEN, SIRAI (12D. Phone voice?), PLETD, WRPA, MOOTORLIST, ESKIPMOS, KAMPALEA, RETARREAT,, OLLA, SBAMPRAS, IBMAC, BAAMA, AIFAR, RSAJ, AHPU, DIEM and EPXP.

Skip it!

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Veers quickly; 5. Be aware of; 9. Breakfast cereal with a propeller-headed alien on the front of the box; 14. “Mmm-hmm”; 15. Part of a foot; 16. Before; 19. Rhône feeder; 20. Daddy Warbucks’s henchman; 23. Eastern dance-drama; 26. City near Vance Air Force Base; 27. Facilities housing large planes?; 31. Title in S. America; 35. Online financial services company; 39. Tower, of a sort; 40. Actress Parsons; 42. One of the Muses; 45. Pre-C.I.A. org.; 47. Captain’s log detail; 48. Flanged structural element; 51. Tommy Dorsey hit with Frank Sinatra vocals; 53. Big Irish cream brand; 55. Event after a bowl game win; 60. Coppola subject; 61. Engagement precursor; 64. Hoard; 65. T.A.E. part; 66. Highest point; 67. “D’Oyly ___ Opera Company; 68. Droids, etc. — DOWN: 1. Bad mark in school?; 2. Approximation ending; 3. “Wow!”; 4. Main; 5. City near Entebbe airport; 6. Sight-seeing grp.?; 7. Calendar mo.; 8. Marine snail; 9. Give out; 10. Opened; 11. Coast-to-coast route, informally; 13. Stated one’s case; 18. Ones on top of the world?; 22. German treat; 24. Mont ___; 25. Mil. Branch; 27. Saharan; 28. Violinist Leopold; 29. F.D.R. initiative; 30. Driver; 32. Spa, for one; 34. Sorrento seven; 36. Suffix with plug; 37. Frequently; 38. ___ Galerie, art museum on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue; 41. Five-time U.S. Open winner; 44. Set as a price; 46. Farm pen; 48. Desktop brand; 49. Rival of Ole Miss; 50. Light years off; 52. Record abbr.; 54. Allay; 58. Eastern rule; 57. “The Simpsons” character; 58. Blue, say: Abbr.; 59. The 2” in x^2: Abbr.; 62. Erstwhile; 63. Institution founded by Thos. Jefferson.

05.09.12 — Rephrased Phrases

Woman and Grazing Cow, 1858, Jean-François Millet

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Puzzle by Eshan Mitra / Edited by Will Shortz

Standard phrases morphed into second-word sound-alike phrases, e.g., SET THE PAYS (17A. What company bosses do for employees?), AMAZING GRAZE (23A. Best meal of a cow‘s life?), IN THE RIGHT PLAYS (37A. Having a successful theater career?), MILITARY BAYS (45A. Guantánamo and others) and POKER PHASE (57A. The second round of betting, for one?) constitute the interrelated group of this pleasant Wednesday crossword.

Other — GO TO / JAIL (33A. With 56-Across, a Monopoly order), INHUMAN (5D. Barbaric), MAMMAL (26A. Fox or ox), PREY UPON (39D. Hunt for, as game) and SENSES (44A. Has a hunch).

Five-letter — AMAHL, AMASS, ASAHI, ASIAN-American, BREWS, GLENS, GOMEZ, IMAGE, ISLES, JAFAR, LAIRD, MAJOR, MITER, NEEDS, NIGHT, ONION, OOZED, OPERA, PARED, RABBI, RETRO, SPACE, TOPAZ, YUKON.

Short stuff — ANEW, APOP, ASNO, AVOW, AWE, BEDS, BITE, BOT, CANS, ETAL and ETAT, GRIT, HAZE, HOE, HUB, IRA, “IT’S party time!”, IZE, JOGS, KOS, MAGI, MAIN, MITE, NOEL, OATS, OGRO, OSLO and OSOS, OVA, PAC-Man, PGA, REDS, REZA, ROSA, SLY, TASK, TYRE, URDU, USED, UTAH.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Townsman in “Fiddler on the Roof”; 5. Agenda item; 10. Does laps, maybe; 14. Quarter Pounder topper; 15. City founded by King Harald III; 16. Per; 19. What comes as a relief?: Abbr.; 20. Wonder; 21. Hexagonal state; 22. Trimmed; 29. Flatow of NPR; 31. Star followers; 40. Christmas; 41. Virginie, par exemple; 42. Like the décor in ‘50s-themed diners; 43. Suffix with personal; 44. Has a hunch; 51. Build up; 52. Hindi relative; 53. Center of a Trivial Pursuit board; 60. Common enemy in Dungeons & Dragons; 61. Declare; 62. Went like molasses; 63. Great American Ball Park team; 64. Pink-slips; 65. Requires. — DOWN: 1. Parks in Alabama; 2. Once more; 3. Fisher’s wish; 4. Autonomous computer program; 6. Birthstone for most Scorpios; 7 Japanese beer brand; 8. Tricky; 9. Stats in Street Fighter; 10. “Aladdin” villain; 11. Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus,” for one; 12. Mr. Addams of “The Addams Family”; 13. Garden tool; 18. Citation abbreviation; 22. Green org.?; 23. Menotti title character; 24. Comment to one who’s retiring, informally; 25. Sandpaper surface; 26. Alternative name for 1^st Street, often; 27. ___ other (uniquely); 28. Itty-bitty biter; 31. Kind of saw; 32. ___ Khan; 33. Steams often run through them; 34. Cereal staple; 35. Phoenician port; 36. Bears, in Bolivia; 38. Iran’s ___ Shah Pahlavi; 44. Baghdad’s ___ City; 45. Big-time; 46. JPEG, e.g.; 47. Scottish landowner; 48. Kauai and others; 49. Home to nearly 600 miles of the Alaska Highway; 50. Makes, as beer; 53. Smog; 54. Not mint; 55. Some are kings and queens; 58. Czech surname suffix; 59. Garden tool.

05.08.12 — Shavings Account

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Puzzle by Lynn Lempel / Edited by Will Shortz

In this Tuesday crossword, an H is added (or the "s" sound exchanged for a "sh" sound, who knowsh?) within the standard phrases of best seller, pick-up sticks, all day sucker and Marryin’ Sam, thereupon question-mark clued as BEST SHELLER (17A. Winner of a pea-preparing contest?), PICK-UP SHTICKS (28A. Lotharios lines in a singles bar?), ALL-DAY SHUCKER (48A. One preparing corn for long hours?), MARRYIN’ SHAM (62A. Phony wedding?).

Other — ACCUSES, ACT LIKE, ALIASES, ATONES, CHIVALROUS (30D. Gallant), DURANTE (39A. Early TV star with a biography titled “Schnozzola”), HEROIC (10D. Valiant), LITMUS, SCREAM (31D. Edvard Much depiction), TAKES STOCK (11D. Assesses one’s options carefully), WILLIAM.

Five-letter — AMASS, ASPEN, AT BAY, BRACE, BRINE, EGRET, HOARY, IGLOO, MACYS, OMENS, OOHED, PUREE, SEIZE, SHUSH (6A. “Quiet!”), STALE, UNCAP, WEILL.

Short stuff — ABBA, AMEN, ANT, ARM, AXEL, AWL, BASE, CHIP, COOL, DWI, ELLE, ESC, “ET TU, Brute?”, FUDD, HASP, HULL, HYPE, IFS, ILO, IOWA, KIA, LAZE, LILT, LOS and LOU, MAKE, NSA, OAS, OHM, ORAL, PODS, RCA, SAVE, SEE, SERE, SPEW, TAYE, TBA, TREX, UCLA, URL, USDA, USSR, YES.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Cornered; 11. Program abbr.; 14. Prop up; 15. Canned pumpkin, e.g.; 16. Spot for a band; 19. Maker of the Soul and Optima; 20. Figure skating jump; 21. Shoemaker’s tool; 22. Portents; 24. Hypotheticals; 26. Names on fake Ids, perhaps; 33. Waxed enthusiastic, say; 38. Cause of some weaving, for short; 42. Western alliance, for short; 43. Build up a nest egg; 45. Desertlike; 46. Store featured in “Miracle on 34^th Street”; 51. Prince who married Kate Middleton; 53. F1 neighbor on a PC; 54. Bird with prized plumes; 55. Measure of electrical resistance; 57. Campus near Beverly Hills, briefly; 61. U.N. agency for workers; 66. Gehrig on the diamond; 67. Take the lid off; 68. Commandeer; 69. The “L” in 57-Across; 70. Past its sell-by date; 71. Tree with a namesake ski destination. — DOWN: 1. Group whose music is heard in “Mamma Mia!”; 2. Fearsome dino; 3. First, second, third or home; 6. Gush; 7. Ship’s framework; 8. Virtual address; 9. Meet with; 12. Pickling solution; 13. Accumulate; 18. Barn door fastener; 23. Fabricate; 25. Elmer with a big gun; 26. Makes up (for); 27. Light, rhythmic cadence; 28. Seed containers; 29. Early stop in a presidential race; 32. White with age; 36. “Rent” actor Diggs; 37. Old NATO target; 40. Fed. Agency entrusted with food safety; 41. Outback sprinters; 44. Magazine whose name sounds like a letter of the alphabet; 47. Charges in court; 49. It turns red in acid; 50. Spheric opener?; 51. Kurt who wrote the music for “The Threepenny Opera”; 52. Domed home; 55. Like the Sabin polio vaccine; 56. Extravagant publicity; 58. Part of a poker player’s pile; 59. Take it easy; 60. Last part of Handel’s “Messiah”; 63. One often on the march; 64. “His Master’s Voice” company; 65. Cryptologists’ org.

05.07.12 — Mysterious Monday

Monday, May 7, 2012

Puzzle by Guy Tabachnick / Edited by Will Shortz

Ethereality ushers in the week with this Monday crossword:

• GHOSTFACE KILLAH (20A. Rapper who came to prominence as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan)
• ARLEN SPECTER (25A. Former Republican-turned-Democratic senator from Pennsylvania)
• SHADOW-BOXING (43A. Form of sparring)
• DISTILLED SPIRIT (53A. Whiskey or vodka)

Other — CODEINE (41D. Opiate often used in cough syrup), DIALIECTS (10D. Language offshoots), KISSERS (38A. Mouths, slangily), ONE CENT (7D. Words below the Lincoln Memorial), RED STATE (36D. It leans to the right), RUG RATS (35A. Little ‘uns).

Mid-size — ARONI, ATRIA, AT SEA, BALLER, BARTER, CACHE, DELIA, EARTHA, ELIDE, ETUDE, FILET, GRILLE, HINDI, HOOK-UP, ICIER, IDEAS, IVIES, NAPPED, ODESSA, ONION, ONSETS, OTHER, PLANS, SCOOB (1A. Shaggy‘s nickname for his canine friend), SENSEI (23A. Karate teacher), SNEAD, SWIGS, TRAIL, “A Fish Called WANDA“, WE LOST.

Short stuff — AGHA, ALTS, ANNO, BRA, BROS, CIV, DOPE and DOTE, DREW, EAVE, EIRE, ENS and ENT, ETTA, IKEA, IOTA, KIX, OKLA, OLIO, “Come to PAPA“, PEAT moss, PESO, Winnie-the-POOH, RASP, ROLL, RUTH, SENT, SLAV, TREE and TREY, WASH, YEP.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 10. Did cartoons, e.g.; 16. Letter before kappa; 17. Less friendly; 18. Mexican money; 19. Hgts.; 24. Pianist’s practice piece; 30. Blouse undergarment; 33. Suffix with absorb; 34. Skylit rooms; 40. Neither this nor that; 41. 104, in old Rome; 42. “You betcha!”; 48. Golf legend Sam; 49. Kitt who sang “Santa Baby”; 57. Tulsa’s home: Abbr.; 58. Potpourri; 59. Intends (to); 61. Dispatched; 62. Skip over, as a vowel; 63. Roof overhang; 64. Focus for an arborist; 65. Screenwriter Ephron. — DOWN: 1. Drinks from a flask, say; 2. Storage for fast Web page retrieval; 3. “America’s Finest News Source,” with “The”; 4. Ukranian port whose staircase is a setting for “The Battleship Potemkin”; 5. Trade; 8. Beginnings; 9. Begin a tryst; 11. Go round and round; 12. Blues singer James; 13. Laundry; 21. ___-O-Fish (McDonald’s sandwich); 22. Outputs of brainstorming; 26. Nav. Rank; 27. Deuce topper; 28. What Dubliners call their homeland; 29l Speak with laryngitis, say; 30. Homies; 31. Hitter of 714 home runs; 32. Ottoman official; 37. Rice-___; 38. “Kid-tested, mother-approved” cereal; 39. Brown, Dartmouth, etc.; 41. Opiate often used in cough syrup; 44. Lament of the defeated; 45. One playing hoops; 46. Snoozed; 47. Cover on the front of a car; 50. One might be made of bread crumbs; 51. Language of India; 52. Confused; 53. Extraordinary, in slang; 54. European-based furniture giant; 55. Bulgarian or Czech; 56. Focus lovingly (on).

05.06.12 — Uncle Tungsten — the Acrostic

Sunday, May 6, 2012

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic gem draws a quotation from Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks.

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood is a memoir by Oliver Sacks about his childhood published in 2001. The book is named for Sacks's Uncle Dave, owner of a business named Tungstalite, which made incandescent lightbulbs with a tungsten filament, whom Oliver nicknamed Uncle Tungsten. Uncle Tungsten was fascinated with tungsten and believed it was the metal of the future. The book also talks about many other things that happened to Sacks, such as the many whippings at Braefield school, the burning down of the Crystal Palace, his interest in amateur chemistry, and his short-lived obsession with coloring his own black-and-white photographs using dangerous chemicals. It is also an extremely readable primer in the history and science of chemistry. ~ Wikipedia

The quotation: MY MOTHER TOLD ME THAT DIAMOND WAS A SPECIAL FORM OF CARBON, LIKE THE COAL WE USED IN EVERY ROOM IN WINTER. I WAS PUZZLED…. HOW COULD BLACK, FLAKY, OPAQUE COAL BE THE SAME AS THE HARD, TRANSPARENT GEMSTONE IN HER RING?

The author’s name and the title of the work: OLIVER SACKS, UNCLE TUNGSTEN

The defined words:

A. Flirt with smooth moves, OPERATOR

B. Alter states, in a way, LIQUEFY

C. Had quite an effect on, as a dentist?, IMPACTED

D. Master in an orchestra pit, VIRTUOSO

E. Catalytic proteins, ENZYMES

F. Study of the deformation and flow of matter, RHEOLOGY

G. Sitcom that introduced the holiday Festivus, SEINFELD

H. Middle Ages fortress of Granada, ALHAMBRA

I. Tool for a tree surgeon (2 wds.), CHAIN SAW

J. Power unit for generators and heaters, KILOWATT

K. Fun made by a comedy troupe, SPOOF

L. Reproach with severity, UPBRAID

M. Early figure in species preservation, NOAH

N. Quack, CHARLATAN

O. Richard who directed “Help!” and “Superman II”, LESTER

P. Dutch export in a red coat, EDAM

Q. Small-sied links grouping, TWOSOME

R. Of an astronomical shadow, UMBRAL

S. Guy de Maupassant story featuring a vain wife, with “The”, NECKLACE

T. Like a bone in a doghouse, GNAWED

U. Not easily played for a fool, SHREWD

V. Aretha Franklin hit sung in “The Blues Brothers”, "THINK"

W. Put out, like Eliot’s “patient… upon a table”, ETHERIZED

X. Unenlightening reply to a journalist (2 wds.), NO COMMENT

　
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The full paragraph of the quotation: I would sometimes beg my mother to take out her engagement ring and show me the diamond in it. It flashed like nothing I had ever seen, almost as if it gave out more light than it took in. She would show me how easily it scratched glass, and then tell me to put it to my lips. It was strangely, startlingly cold; metals felt cool to the touch, but the diamond was icy. That was because it conducted heat so well, she said-better than any metal-so it drew the body heat away from one's lips when they touched it. This was a feeling I was never to forget. Another time, she showed me how if one touched a diamond to a cube of ice, it would draw heat from one's hand into the ice and cut straight through it as if it were butter. My mother told me that diamond was a special form of carbon, like the coal we used in every room in winter. I was puzzled by this—how could black, flaky, opaque coal be the same as the hard, transparent gemstone in her ring?

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05.06.12 — A / V

 

African Violet, 2004, Robin Street-Morris

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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Puzzle by Alex Vratsanos / Edited by Will Shortz

Two-word phrases with initials A and V constitute the interrelated group of this Sunday crossword: AUXILIARY VERB, ACTIVE VOLCANOES, AT VARIANCE, ARTICLE VII, ALESSANDRO VOLTA, AFRICAN VIOLET, ALOE VERAS and AQUA VITAE.

Other — APRICOTS, AT PEACE, AVATARS, CALLOUS, DATA SET, EVIL EYE, FORMOSA, FORGAVE, IN RETURN, LOCUSTS, NEUTERS, OBLIQUE, OCTOBER, SAUSAGE, SEASONS, SENSORY, TROTTER.

Six-letter — ALT TAB, ANDEAN, ANTLERS, ANYONE, ARISTA, ARMIES, AT MOST, CAESAR, ENSILE, ERASER, ESTATE, FALCON, FERRET, MOORED, NETTED, ONE CAR, ON EDGE, ORDERS, PHOEBE, SALARY, SCOTCH, SLOGAN, TEATRO.

Five-letter — ADELE, ADORE, AESOP, AIMEE, AVAST, COALS, CREPE, DENTI, DOTED, ELAND, E-MAIL, ESTER, FENCE, FLOPS, HERON, IDIOM, INTRO, JEERS, JONES, LENTO, LOTTO, MILLE, NURMI, ODORS, ONEIL, ORATE, PEELE, RELIT, SNARL, SOLED, SOUSE, STRAD, TARTS, TEPEE, TONYS, TOXIN, WAFTS.

Short stuff — ADEE, AFAR, ALIS, AMT, ASST, BAH, BRAC, BRED, CDEF, CGI, COS, CREE, EARP, EDIE, EIN, EMTS, ENE, ERGO, EROS, ETAL and ETAS, HEN, ICON, INE and ISE, ISIS, ISLA, LENA, LEV, LIMN, LIPS, LOPE, MANE, MEDO, MIA, NEBR, OGRE, ONEA, ORI, OTO, PBA, PCP, PER, PUT, REAM, SAIL, SLIT, SNAG, SRAS, SVEN, TACO, TEL, TREE, TRUE, VEE, WAH.

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Clues— ACROSS: 1. Something you willingly part with?; 7. Air Force college athlete; 13. Calm; 20. Tied up; 21. Nervous; 22. Fixes; 23. Have say; 24. Have, say; 25. Record collection?; 26. Protector of the dead, in Egyptian myth; 27. As a result; 28. Seek (out); 30. Easy run; 31. Slowly; 33. It runs down the neck; 35. Title role for Kilmer and Costner; 37. In accordance with; 38. They’re likely to blow; 44. Keglers’ org.; 47. A state symbol; 48. No laughing matter, e.g.; 49. Savanna grazer; 53. Insensitive; 55. Turkeys; 56. At a glance; 58. “Friends” friend; 59. Ridicules; 60. Reciprocally; 61. Bismarck-to-Grand Forks dir.; 62. Some acting awards; 63. Decidedly eligible in a way; 64. Invoice abbr.; 65. Not seeing eye to eye; 68. End of the main part of the Constitution; 71. Flashed hand signal; 72. Canadian Indian; 73. Bit of a jam; 74. “Either you do it ___ will”; 75. Often-dried fruit; 78. Get-rich-quick scheme?; 79. Nix; 82. Annual quartet; 83. ___ Bornes (classic card game); 84. Certain link; 85. 10 kilogauss; 86. Sister ___, 1920s-’30s evangelist; 87. Noted ring family; 88. Foreign one; 89. Electrical pioneer; 94. Crib cry; 97. Mex. Women; 98. Bit of a jam; 99. Valuable violin; 103. “Zip-___-Doo-Dah”; 105. Two-finger keyboard shortcut in Windows; 109. Itinerary info; 111. “Love ___”; 112. Old country name from the Portuguese for “beautiful”; 114. Common houseplant with colorful blooms; 117. Competitor at a hippodrome; 118. Speaker of the line “He thinks too much: such men are dangerous”; 119. Store, as corn; 120. Kind of organ or overload; 121. Some of them are marching; 122. Got in the end. — DOWN: 1. In-box contents; 2 Pickle; 3. Bolulin, e.g.; 4. Record label for the Kinks and Pink; 5. Abbr. to the left of a number; 6. Falco of “The Sopranos”; 7. Pardoned; 8. Tom, Dick or Harry; 9. Part of the Pentateuch: Abbr.; 10. Alphabet quartet; 11. No Mr. Nice Guy; 12. Wyo. Neighbor; 13. Like Quito and La Paz; 14. Place to see una ópera; 15. Wager;16. Bibliographical abbr.; 17. Greek with a storied life; 18. Brunch serving; 19. Word often preceded by poly-; 24. Multitudes; 29. Bawl out; 32. Kind of surprise; 34. Shiver-inducing stare; 36. Shakespeare contemporary; 39. Steadfast; 40. Locker rooms often have them; 41. Romeo’s “two blushing pilgrims”; 42. Bldg. directory listings; 43 Microchannel; 44. Narc’s find; 45. Dickensian cry; 46. Some succulents; 50. Brandy, for one; 51. 1920s Olympic track gold medalist Paavo ___; 52. Tooth: Prefix; 54. Yakutsk’s river; 55. Parry; 56. Newsman Roger; 57. Bric-a-___; 59. Intense hankering; 60. Setup, of a sort; 62. Bakery display; 63. Tub-thump; 65. Sailor’s cry; 66. Portable home; 67. Desktop feature; 68. They come out of the head; 69. One of Egypt’s plagues; 70. Arrow shooter; 73. Like a shoe; 76. Cancún, por ejemplo; 77. Barbecue blocks; 78. Portray; 79. Go easily (through); 80. Hi-tech special effects; 81. French ___; 83. Actress Farrow; 84. “Just for the taste of it or “Just do it”; 86. ___ U.S. atty.; 87. Embodiments; 90. Golf pencil’s lack; 91. It might go up via an escalator; 92. Like some garages; 93. No more than; 94. Drifts; 95. Not just esteem; 96. “Great blue” creature; 100. On again; 101. Singer with the multiplatinum albums “19” and “21”; 102. Was sweet (on); 104. CPR pros; 100. Crunchy Munchie; 107. Beginning to cry?; 108. Born’s partner; 110. Cinematographer Nykvist; 113. Oklahoma Indian; 115. Sussex suffix; 116. Like Haydn’s Symphony No. 12 or 29.

05.05.12 — The Saturday Bloodbath

Crossword Fish Painting by Shelley Trask

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Saturday, May 5, 2012 — Cinco de Mayo

Puzzle by Ned White / Edited by Will Shortz

Initials, abbreviations, obscurity, slang, pop-culture trivia, vague references, twisted clues with fourth and fifth definitions, a veritable bloodbath of etymological nonsense — what more could a solver ask of a Saturday crossword?

Across — 1. Fault line?, I GOOFED; 8. Rope holding down a bowsprit, BOBSTAY; 15. Great part for Duvall?, SANTINI; 16. 1945 Tommy Dorsey hit, OPUS ONE; 17. Medium frequencies include them, AM BANDS; 18. Journalists James and James Jr., RESTONS; 19. Nigerian language, IBO; 20. Ingredient in gourmet potato chips, SEA SALT; 22. CRI de guerre; 23. Scary sucker, for short, DRAC; 25. Bastes, DRUBS; 26. Look down, POUT; 27. Shot stuff, SERUM; 29. LP insert?, MNO; 30. Pungent fish topper, AIOLI; 31. Longtime ace, OLD PAL; 33. Goes gray, GRIZZLES; 35. Part of some fruit drink names, CRAN; 37. Film with the protagonist “Z”; ANTZ; 38. Any of three title characters in a long-running Cartoon Network series, AQUATEEN; 42. See 46-Across, BEAVER; 46. With 42-Across, old ad mascot who sang “It’s dandy, for your teeth”, BUCKY; 47. Worked 9up), HET; 49. Source of the word “robot”, CZECH; 50. Salad, often, SIDE; 51. MIX IT up (brawl); 53. Big name in jewelry retail, ZALE; 54. Mouths, to Marius, ORA; 55. Spartan, AUSTERE; 57. Ad trailer?, LIB; 58. Reaches the age of, LIVES TO; 60. It forms much of Lombardy’s southern border, RIVER PO; 62. One, UNIFIED; 63. Central feature of St. Peter’s Square, OBELISK; 64. Taco alternative, TOSTADA; 65. “Coppelia” composer, DELIBES.

Down — 1. Parent’s peremptory “reason”, I SAID SO; 2. Common barn roof, GAMBREL; 3. Passenger’s status, ON BOARD; 4. Taxonomy suffix, OTA; 5. Drum and bass parts, FINS; 6. Through, ENDED; 7. Get heat from?, DISARM; 8. Part of French Polynesia, BORA BORA; 9. Some German models, OPELS; 10. Boom follower, maybe, BUST; 11. Boom maker, once, SST; 12. Gnarly, TOO COOL; 13. Author of “The Stranger Beside Me,” 1980, ANN RULE; 14. Beatles tune that begins “If you wear red tonight”, YES IT IS; 21. Like arias, SUN; 24. Sugar, CUPCAKE; 26. Dash, PIZZAZZ; 28. Oscar winner after “On the Waterfront”, MARTY; 30. Onetime Lake Texcoco dweller, AZTEC; 32. Papuan port, LAE; 34. Having five sharps, IN B; 36. Drink that had a Wild Red variety, NEHI SODA; 38. Drink that has a Ruby Red variety, ABSOLUT; 39. Philippine province on Luzon, QUIRINO; 40. The Aggies of the Big West Conf., UC DAVIS; 41. “What NEXT?”; 43. Steak or chop choice, VEAL RIB; 44. Cover-up witnessed by millions?, ECLIPSE; 45. Relatives of dik-diks, RHEBOKS; 48. Car bar, TIE ROD; 51. So as not to be overheard, say, MUTED; 52. Alabama or Missouri, TRIBE; 55. ASIA-Pacific; 56. First name in long jumping, EVEL; 59. Small creature that undergoes metamorphosis, EFT; 61. Clinton or Bush, once, ELI.

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05.04.12 — Jaws of Life

The Cozy Jaws of Life by Argyle Plaids

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Puzzle by Barry C. Silk / Edited by Will Shortz

A dozen ten-letter answers are featured in this cozy Friday crossword:

JAWS OF LIFE (5A. Emergency extractor)
EARLY RISER (16. No night owl)
WHIRLYBIRD (18A. Eggbeater)
RUBBER SOUL (50A. Follower of “Help”)
ODER NEISSE Line (international boundary) (54A.)
WINE TASTER (56A. One concerned with bouquets)
SIXERS GAME (1D. Wells Fargo Center event, informally)
MAKE-UP EXAM (2D. 38-Down’s second chance)
ETERNITIES (3D. They never end)
STAN MUSIAL (28D. Cardinal for 22 years)
EAST ORANGE (29D. Newark suburb)
PROSPECTUS (30D. Security account?)

Other — DEALER (42D. Crack investigator’s target?), DRY MOP (42A. Collector of dust bunnies), FRY PANS (10D. Browning equipment), JEWELS (5D. The Pink Panther and others), MAELSTROM (37A. Very turbulent situation), MEASURE (44A. Word before and after “for”), RUN WILD (22A. Go crazy), SPIELS (26A. They’re prepared to sell snake oil), STUDENT (38D. Person making a mark), TEXAS STAR (32A. Ferris wheel in Dallas that is the tallest in North America).

Five-letter — AAHED, AEGIS, BEGOT, BREAD, CANTS, GET IT, LIBEL (11D. Smearing in ink?), MAXIM, MOUSE, PENNA (21A. Only one of the 13 Colonies not touching the Atl. Ocean), SABRE, SPAYS, TERRY, WEILL (23D. “Mack the Knife“ composer).

Short stuff — ALES, A TO Z, BARN, BROW, CRAB, “EBEN Holden“, EER, EMS, ERAS, ERDA (14A. Mother of the Valkyries), FERN, “Must’ve been something I ATE”, “The fix IS IN”, MEAL, MEET, MOAB, MOST, Olive OYL, El PASO, RAGU, REA, RUDI, SAC, SEP, SIS, SLR, SMEW (1A. Goldeneye relative), SUZY, TINT, TORT, TRA, WES Montgomery, WRIT, XKES (17A. Jags of the 1960s and ‘70s).

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.


Remaining clues — ACROSS: 19. Election extension?; 20. Wrestling event; 24. Board provision; 27. Stock keeper; 28. Third qtr. Closer; 31. See; 34. Angle in botany; 35. Support; 39. Slopes; 40. Lifesaving squad: Abbr.; 41. Wrong; 43. ESPN anchor Kolber; 45. Moolah; 48. Ancient neighbor of Judah; 49. Bladder; 53. Feature of some lenses; 55. Alfredo sauce brand; 57. Buzz producers. — DOWN: 6. Showed delight, in a way; 7. Certiorari, e.g.; 8. Olympus OM-1, e.g.; 13. Shedder of spores; 20. Three-time All-Star pitcher Pappas; 24. Annual “Hot 100” publisher; 25. They’re historically significant; 27. Generated; 32. Robe material; 33. Fixes at an animal hospital; 35. Complete; 39. Grouch; 43. Buffalo pro; 44. Quiet type; 45. It’s often knitted; 46. Designer Gernreich; 47. “___ Holden” (Irving Bacheller novel); 48. Very; 51. “Still Crazy” star, 1998; 52. Family nickname; 53. Singsong syllable.

05.03.12 — Mispelled

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Puzzle by Neville Fogarty / Edited by Will Shortz

Genealogy, perseverance, questionnaire, misspelled, millennium and occasion are misspelled in this devious Thursday crossword, e.g., MISPELLED (60A. Like the six longest answers in this puzzle), GENEOLOGY, PERSEVERENCE, QUESTIONAIRE, MILLENIUM and OCCASSION.

Other — ARCANE, CROSSE, EQUALS, ERICSON, HERDED, LASSES, MEET ME, PALERMO, RUSSIA (45D. More than one-ninth of the earth‘s land), SÉANCE, SLIPPER, SPACERS, SPOUSES.

Mid-size — ASTIR, BUDGE, CASAS, ELCAR and ECLAT, EXECS, HIREE, IRANI, KIMONO (30A. Article with an ushiromigoro), KNOLL, LELAND, LIMON, MEET ME, MERCI, ONE-UP, SAENS, SAM I AM, SHEER, SMASH, TURNS, USES UP.

Short stuff — ALBA, Da capo ARIA, A TAN, BIG, DIN, ELLE, EMU, ERMA, GAY, IKE, IMS and ISM, JAGS, JUNO, LEIA, MANO, MCS, MME, MSU, NANO, NBA and NSA, NEED, NYU, OSE, PCBS, RAE and REBA, SAY, SDAK, SIX, SMEE, TEAK, USSR (66A. Red letters?), UTEP, VCRS.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. 2007 Ellen Page film; 5. Some coolant fluids, for short; 9. Runaway success; 14. Work on ___ (sunbathe); 16. One leaving a personnel director’s office, maybe; 17. Study of trees?; 19. Dana of “MacGyver”; 20. Better halves; 21. Henry who founded Cadillac; 22. Tenacity; 25. Doctrine; 28. French comment that may elicit the reply “de rien”; 29. Passport for foreign travel, e.g.; 33. Dinar spender; 35. Suits; 36. Mic holders; 37. Move at all; 41. They’re on haciendas; 43. Persistent Seuss character; 44. “Forever ___” (1996 humor book); 47. Rise; 49. Where Spike Lee earned his M.F.A.; 50. Survey staple; 54. Depletes; 55. Orthodontic add-ons; 59. Moving about; 62. Spanish citrus fruit; 63. Role in “Hook”; 65. Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland; 65. Composer Camille Saint-___; 66. Red letters?; 67. Furniture wood. — DOWN: 1. Pricey cars, informally; 2. Sch. With the mascot Paydirt Pete; 3. Prefix with technology; 4. Extra life, in a video game; 5. City gained by Rome during the First Punic War; 6. La ___, Wis.; 7. Highly successful; 8. Perhaps; 9. Unqualified; 10. Long time; 11. Esoteric; 12. Event for a rapper?; 13. Drove together; 18. Sugar suffix; 21. Speaker of the line “Help me, Obie-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope”; 23. Explorer born around A.D. 970; 24. TV accessories; 25. Five-star W.W. II hero, informally; 26. Large roll; 27. Fr. Title; 31. Event; 32. Org. associated with U.S. Cyber Command; 34. Shooters’ grp.?; 36. Word before and after “a”; 38. Bedlam let loose; 39. John who wrote “The Beggar’s Opera”; 40. Prey for a dingo; 42. LP problem; 43. Prop in “Cinderella”; 44. Is, in math; 45. More than one-ninth of the earth’s land; 46. “Let’s get together”; 48. Highland girls; 51. Goes bad; 52. Charlotte of “The Facts of Life”; 53. Fanfare; 58. International magazine founded in France in 1945; 57. Single-mom sitcom of the 2000s; 58. Its state sport is rodeo: Abbr.; 60. The Spartans, briefly; 61. Pre-texting texts, for short.

05.02.12 — Cross

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Puzzle by Paula Gamache / Edited by Will Shortz

CROSS (38A. Out of sorts … or what completes the answers to the nine starred clues), WORDS (14A. *Features accompanying the comics, often), COURT (16A. *Like some tennis volleys), BREED (62A. *Labradoodle, e.g.), BONES (64A. *Symbol on some flags), ROADS (2D. *Intersection), DRESS (12D. *Appear as Tootsie, e.g.), BOW (34D. *Weapon for William Tell), HAIRS (48D. *Scope lines) and FIRES (52D. *Bygone Chryslers), forming five crosses in the crossword, constitutes the interrelated group of this solemn Wednesday crossword.

Other — AUSTERITY (11D. Cause for budget cutting), BEAR CLAW (41A.. Sweet breakfast pastry), BUYS TIME (34A. Stalls), CRUSADE (42D. Campaign), EASY STREET (22D. Life of Riley), ESPOSITO (24A. Iceman Phil or Tony), FREE GIFT (49A. Ad come-on, redundantly), GAZETTEER (17A. Atlas go-with), IMITATORS (60A. Makers of knockoffs), SEA HORSES (32D. Upright swimmers), SCULPTS (9D. Forms), THIRD CLASS (18D. Low-quality).

In this famous portrait of Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, Beethoven can be seen working on the Missa Solemnis in D Major.

Mid-size — AP TEST, ARMOR, John Jacob ASTOR, AW GEE, BUENO, CHORUS, COMBO, ERASE, ERROR, Hall-of-FAMER, GATOR, HANSEL, HORAS, IDEATE, ILONA, Beethoven’s MISSA Solemnis, MR PINK and MR ZIP, ODE TO Psyche, OSSIE, RESEND, SCADS, S-SHAPE, STRUT, TASSE, “THEY’RE he-e-ere!”, TOTIE, UNSER.

Short stuff — ABE, Inter ALIA, ARK, AUS, CON, DUE, EDIT, ESE and EVE and EVER, HIE, HIYA, IBM, IT IS, MERS, MIR and MRI, OAR and ORE, RAS, REB, RST, SEI, Favorite SON, TSU, YEN.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.


Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Pieces of mail; 6. Watson’s creator; 9. Lots; 15. What a baby may be; 19. Legendary racing name; 20. Blue-pencil; 21. Grimm boy; 23. Nashville sch.; 26. H.S. excellence exam; 28. Mined matter; 30. Option after a transmission failure; 37. “Well, did you ___?!”; 40. Suffix with senior; 45. Jewish wedding rings?; 46. Radiologist’s tool, briefly; 47. Something to sing over and over; 54. Boat propeller; 55. Double curve; 63. Capital of Japan; 65. Davis of Hollywood; 66. Couples’ place?; 67. Rub off. — down: 1. “Gosh, you shouldn’t’ve”; 3. Bygone U.S. Postal Service mascot; 4. Keats’s “___ Psyche”; 5. Q-U string; 6. Dream up; 7. Good, to Guillermo; 8. Cousteau’s mileaux; 10. Reason not to do something; 13. Parade; 27. Fields of comedy; 29. Olympics competitor of NZL; 30. Union foe; 31 Garden evictee; 33. Fielding flaw; 35. Novy ___ (Russian literary magazine); 36. Guadalaja-to-Mexico City dir.; 39. Dorm figs.; 44. Rush; 46. Steve Buscemi’s role in “Reservoir Dogs”; 47. Two-for-one, e.g.; 50. Swamp thing; 51. Actress Massey; 53. Cup of Cannes; 56. Informal greeting; 59. Six, in Sicilia; 61. Former justice Fortas.

05.01.12 — Id Est

 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Puzzle by Zoe Wheeler and Aimee Lucido / Edited by Will Shortz

IE added to the first word of common phrases resulting in uncommon ones with justifying clues constitutes the interrelated group of this light-hearted Tuesday puzzle, i. e.:

• JUNKIE MAIL (17A. Package full of syringes?)
• QUICKIE STUDY (23A. Thesis topic for sex ed?)
• SHARPIE SHOOTERS (38A. Cameras taking pictures of permanent markers?)
• BEANIE SPROUT (46a. Pompom on a skullcap?)
• BOOKIE CASE (57A. Police investigation of a betting house?)

Other — CREATOR (43A. God, with “the”), CRIKEY, EUGENE, HAIKU, MIMIC, POLKA DOT (40A. Like some summer dresses, by design), REBUSES (26A. Picture puzzles), SCREAM AT (31A. Loudly berate).

Five-letter — AGENT, ARCED, ATEAT, BLOOP, EERIE, EXERT, FLASK, HINDU, LEGO, MICAH, NOOKS, NOTES, OLDER, OPERA, OSTEO, PARIS, PROBE, QUIRK, STILT, WEARY.   

Short stuff — ACAI, ARK, ARLO, “Do A SI do“, BAAL, BEST, BLT, CENT, COX, DATE, DUB, ECHO, ELLA, EONS, ERIE, EURO, IDEE, ILSA, INCA and INCH, IPUT, KRIS, Jiffy LUBE, Tuna MELT, MFAS, MOJO, NUT, OINK, OTT, OUR, PETS, RASP, REN, RING, Rice-A-RONI, SAL, SHAW, SST, TIRE, TREY, TSAR, USER.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Child prodigy of “Heroes”; 6. Painters’ degs.; 10. “Pygmalion” playwright; 14. “Falstaff” or “Fidelio”; 15. “Play it, Sam” speaker; 16. Bridgestone product; 19. Ancient Andean; 20. Great Giant; 21. Kardashian matriarch; 22. Less likely to be carded, say; 29. Acorn or pecan; 30. Berry for the health-conscious; 31. Loudly berate; 41. “___ Enchanted” (2004 film); 42. Stimpy’s TV pal; 51. Building blocks; 52. It changes hands at an altar; 53. Give a name; 56. Cookie celebrating its centennial in 2012; 60. Pig’s sound; 62. Students take them in class; 63. Dogs, cats and gerbils; 64. “South Park” writer Parker; 65. Put out, as energy. — DOWN: 1. It’s stolen in an Austin Powers movie; 2. “___ a Spell on You”; 3. Penny; 4 Noah’s vessel; 5. 17-0syllable poems; 6. Makes like; 7. Item “spirited” past security?; 9. “My gal” of song; 10. One of a pair for a clown; 11. Bangalore believer, maybe; 12. See 46-Down; 13. Tired; 18. ___ Lackawanna Railroad; 22. Bone: Prefix; 23. Peculiarity; 24. Go slowly (along); 25. Multinational currency; 26. Speak with a scratchy voice; 27. It comes back to you; 28. False deity; 31. Fast jet, for short; 32. Troubled terribly; 34. Singer Guthrie; 35. Romanov ruler; 37. “Midnight in ___” (2011 Woody Allen film); 38. Notion: Fr.; 39. Ages and ages; 43. “Holy smokes!”; 45. Oregon city; 46. Short baseball hit that’s 12-Down; 47. Spooky; 48. Go-between; 49. Cozy spots; 50. Look into; 53. Information on a check; 54. Consumer; 55. Outdo; 57. Sandwich usually served with may; 58. “___ Mutual Friend” (Dickens’s last finished novel); 59. Actress Courteney.