06.09.12 — Is That All?

Olav den Helliges død, Peter Nicolai Arbo, 1859

Romantised painting illustrating the king's death in the Battle of Stiklestad.

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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Puzzle by David Quarfoot / Edited by Will Shortz

Eh…

Across — 1. Al Jazeera locale, DOHA QATAR; 10. Shot, PHOTO; 15. 2012 election issue, OBAMACARE; 16. Set A TRAP; 17. Flip, GO BANANAS; 18. Boss’s directive, SEE ME; 19. Mens REA; 20. Soup flavorer, DILL; 21. Source of some inside info?, CT SCAN; 22. Trouble in the night, APNEA; 24. Snarky reply after a lecture, IS THAT ALL; 26. W.W. II battle town, CAEN; 27. Bird named for its call, NENE; 28. Foreign leader, REY; 29. Slip, ERROR; 31. Relishes, EATS UP; 34. Leader given the posthumous title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, ST OLAV; 36. Trinity member, THE SON; 40. Jones’s “Men in Black” role, AGENT K; 44. Calculus, e.g., STONE; 45. Undercover wear?, PJS; 48. Close up, SEAL; 49. Mates, CREW; 50. Collegiate honor society of Bloomberg and Iacocca, TAU BETA PI; 53. Annie who voiced Bo Peep in “Toy Story”, POTTS; 54. Sticking points?, BRIARS; 55. Cross reference?, INRI; 57. Executed, DID; 58. Word with control or sight, OUTTA; 59. Access provider, LOG-IN NAME; 61. Some are bitter, ALOES; 62. Avalanche gear; 63. Clipped, TERSE; 64. #1 on VH1’s “40 Hottest Hotties of the ‘90s”, MARKY MARK.

Down — 1. Popular events for gamblers, DOG RACES; 2. The Duck in “peter and the Wolf”, OBOE PART; 32. It rates over 100,000 on the Scoville scale, HABANERO; 4. Health advocacy abbr., AMA; 5. Grilling option, Q AND A; 6. Berry variety, ACAI; 7. Nudist’s lack, TAN LINE; 8. Shrinking body, ARAL SEA; 9. Brief word, RES; 10. Noodles, PASTA; 11. ‘50s trial, H TEST; 12. Rock carrier, ORE CAR; 13. Dish containing masa, TAMALE; 14. How one might speak, OPENLY; 21. Where to pin a medal, CHEST; 23. First name in aviation, ENOLA; 25. Major downer?, TNT; 30. Taunt, rag; 32. Pause fillers, UHS; 33. PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres; 35. Wedding wear, VESTS; 37. Spreadsheet command, SORT DATA; 38. Hockey shot involving two players, ONE TIMER; 39. Story locale?, NEWSDESK; 41. School grp., NEA; 42. Food whose name comes from the Tupi language of South America, TAPIOCA; 43. “M*A*S*H” character from Toledo, Ohio, KLINGER; 45. Military craft, PT BOAT; 46. “Pain Is Love” rapper, JA RULE; 47. Beau, SUITOR; 51. Big name in motels, BATES; 52. Clean, in a way, ERASE; 53. What may represent “I” in American Sign Language, PINKY; 56. Game played across the world, RISK; 59. Calculus abbr., LIM; 60. Setting in “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” informally, NAM.

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06.08.12 — The Friday Crossword

Philippine Eagle

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Friday, June 8, 2012

Puzzle by Martin Ashwood-Smith / Edited by Will Shortz

Seven 15-letter answers constitute the main feature of this Friday crossword:

TO LITTLE PURPOSE (31A. Almost in vain)
TRACTION ENGINES (36A. Road locomotives)
AIR CONDITIONERS (37A. Runners often seen in windows)
BINOCULAR VISION (3D. Aid in judging distances)
ACADEMY CIRCLES (4D. School rings?)
PHILIPPINE EAGLE (10D. Southeast Asian soarer)
RAISES ONE’S GLASS (11D. Toasts)

Lene Lovich

Other — DINAH SHORE (17A. “Chantez-Chantez” singer, 1957), ERIC THE RED (14A. Icelandic saga subject), LORD NELSON (57A. Tafalgar Square figure), The Five SATINS, SLUICE GATE (54A. Water flow regulator), TUNING (30D. Function of some forks).

Five-letter — ANITA, ANODE, ATE IN, EDNAS, ELIAN, EMIRS, HALAL, HENIE (29D. “Iceland” star, 1942), LARGO, LIENS, MIATA, SLITS, T-TOPS.

Short stuff — ACH, ADES, AHS, ALUM, A TOE and A TON, ATTA, CEOS, CLOD and CLOT, CNN, DIDI, DISC, EEN, ERIN, ESSO and ESTO, EURE, GREG, HALL, ICED, INNS, IRON, ISLA, LENE Lovich, LORI, LSAT, NAIL, NEHI, PETE, PRES, REBA and RED A, RHEE, SANS, SERT, TAPS, TERM, THEO, VIPS.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. “I’m a Survivor” sitcom; 5. “West Side Story” girlfriend; 10. Cabinet maker?: Abbr.; 16. Long way to talk?; 18. It’s 180o from X; 19. Cell division?; 20. Places to put up; 21. It’s taken by some coll. Seniors; 22. Business brass; 24. Some encumbrances; 25. Class Notes subject, informally 27. “___ Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein” (Bach cantata); 30. Memorial Day performance; 38. Big names; 39. Poetic period; 40. Idaho motto opener; 41. Big guns in the Mideast; 43. Norman with a legendary swing; 45. Flying ___; 46. Put away; 50. Kosher’s Islamic equivalent; 53. Digital protection; 56. Dip ___ in; 58. Lacking; 59. Took home courses?; 60. Salinger girl. — DOWN: 1. Hester Prynne’s stigma; 2. Journalist Burnett of 55-Down; 5. Some patient responses; 6. Beverage once sold “in all popular flavors”; 7. Press; 8. Coastal plunger; 9. Some pitcherfuls; 12. First name in 2000 headlines; 13. Venting aids; 15. Director Angelopoulos who won the 1988 Palme d’Or; 23. The Five ___, 1950s million-selling doo-wop group; 24. Slow passage; 25. “___ baby!”; 26. Singer learning a script; 28. Bonehead; 32. 1970s Thunderbird options; 33. Rose family member; 34. Waldorf-Astoria muralist; 35. Tiger Express station brand; 41. ___ Edibles (food shop on “The Facts of Life”); 42. Spyder rival; 44. South Korea’s first president; 46. Luzon, e.g.; 47. Cardiological concern; 48. River at Chartres; 49. Conn of “Grease”; 53. Its diameter is measured in picometers; 52. Singer Lovich; 55. Home of “Your Bottom Line”.

06.07.12 — I Before E

Recycling the Intestellar Medium in Cygnus

This radio astronomy image, from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CGPS), reveals a region of our own Milky Way Galaxy that is being energized and recycled by the creation and destruction of massive stars. The glowing filament-like clouds of dust and gas, extending between stars, compose the interstellar medium. Bright compact nodules of this gas cradle newborn stars and extended shells mark the sites where stars have died.

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Puzzle by Joe Krozel / Edited by Will Shortz

I BEFORE / E EXCEPT / AFTER C (13A. With 14- and 64-Across, familiar rule not always followed), along with several scattered examples within the crossword, including two four-square circled sets containing the letters I and E, constitutes the main feature of this odd Thursday crossword.

Other across — 7. Add liberally to, HEAP ON; 15. 5-Down and others, GOLF TOURNAMENT; 17. Da’s opposite, NYET; 18. Bygone record label, ARISTA; 19. Melodramatic sound, SOB; 20. Adobes and abodes, HOMES; 22. Touchdown stat, ETA; 24. Twins sharing a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, OLSENS; 27. Push to the right, say, INDENT; 30. Part of an extended family, NIECE; 31. Chem. Assay, ANAL; 32. China problem, CHIP; 35. Cap, CEILING; 37. It’s good for your health, HYGIENE; 39. Automaker Ferrari, ENZO; 40. QB calls, HUTS; 42. WEIRD Tales, magazine where many H.P. Lovecraft stories first appeared; 43. Ban on strip mining, e.g., ECO-LAW; 45. Western and foreign, to moviegoers, GENRES; 46. Chess piece: Abbr., KNT; 47. “I DON’T want to talk about it”; 49. Be behind, OWE; 52. Relaxes, LETS UP; 54. Fordham athletes, RAMS; 58. Studier of distant emissions, RADIO ASTRONOMER; 61. Major, BIG NAME; 62. Ones giving cash for quarters, ROOMERS; 63. Some Rijksmuseum holdings, STEENS.

Down — 1. “It’s A BOY!”; 2. Take out, DELE; 3. Not paid for, as factory work, OFF THE CLOCK; 4. One to build on, LOT; 5. Some charitable sporting events, PRO-AMS; 6. Part of un jour, HEURE; 7. How some argue, HEATEDLY; 8. One who’s split, EX-MATE; 9. Pal, ACE; 10. Authors, PENS; 11. Vision: Prefix, OPTO; 12. Investigator of many accidents, for short, NTSB; 13. Engine part: Abbr., IGN; 14. Northern extremes?, ENS; 16. Mr. Mojo RISIN (anagrammatic nickname for Jim Morrison); 21. “That’s ONE I hadn’t heard”; 23. Subject of a six-volume history by Edward Gibbon, ANCIENT ROME; 24. “Going ONCE …”; 25. Property claim, LIEN; 26. Lay claim to, SEIZE; 28. Informal turndowns, NAHS; 29. Its for more than one, THEIR; 31. It flows in un rio, AGUA; 33. Brief start, IN RE; 34. Ones hoofing it, PEDS; 36. Stars and others, NHL TEAMS; 38. Rocker Stefani, GWEN; 41. Plot feature, TWIST; 44. Temporarily out, say, ON LOAN; 45. Disappear, GO POOF; 48. Sorghum variety, DURRA; 49. Stars, e.g., ORBS; 50. Checkout line complaint, WAIT; 51. Kind of piece in a jigsaw puzzle, AMER; 56. Bobcat or Cougar, for short, MERC; 57. Class that’s soon to leave: Abbr., SRS; 59. Suffix with opal, INE; 60. Sarcasm clarifier, NOT.

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06.06.12 — EDIS by SIDE

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Puzzle by Gary Cee / Edited by Will Shortz

FLIP / SIDE (1A. With 65-Across, part of a record … or what each of this puzzle’s five long Across answers has?), ENCHANTED ISLAND, LYME DISEASE, THEATRE DISTRICT, PICTURE DISC and JEDI STAR FIGHTER (e.g., answers containing the letters S, I, D and E flipped within those five answers, [EDIS] ) constitutes the interrelated group of this languid Wednesday crossword.

Other — AMIDST, DELAWARE (52A. State with just three counties), EXTRAS, FILLMORE (20A. Last Whig president), Obi-Wan KENOBI, MALE SEX, RELINE, ROSWELL (46A. City with a U.F.O. museum), TOE TAG (39D. Morgue ID), USEFUL.

Five-letter — ABORT, BRAUN, END IT, EVANS, EXCEL, INDEX, KEIRA, NONCE, OBELI, OOMPA-Loompa, OUNCE, RAJAH, SABLE, SODAS, SORTS, VALUE, WRIST.

Short stuff — ALAS, ALI and ANI, AMPS, ARA, AROD, AS IS, ATRI, AVON, DRAB, ENCL, ERLE, ETAS, FIEF, HIST, IBO, ICEE, INCL, IONO, LONI, LSTS, MAUI, MIMI, MR ED, Rapa NUI, OREL, PCPS, PETS, POHL, RAIL, RED and REED, Jet-SET, SODS, SOLE, STAC, TBS, “VENI, vidi, vici“, “WHO’S calling?”, YOHO (26A. Disney tune subtitled “A Pirate’s Life for Me”).

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 5. Actress Knightley; 14. Prefix with sphere; 15. Get all A’s; 16. Big name in paperback publishing; 17. Puerto Rico, affectionately, with “the”; 21. Mixologist’s unit; 22. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Hank; 23. What the Mars symbol symbolizes; 25. Malady named after a Connecticut town?; 30. Does a pre-laundry chore; 31. Rapa ___ (locale of many monoliths); 32. Stereo parts; 36. London’s West End, e.g.; 40. Repairs, as a golf green; 41. What makes Shrek shriek??; 42. ___-Loompa (chocolate factory dwarf) 43.. Record collector’s curio; 51. Stop, as a launch; 57. Lucasfilm aircraft; 50. “Ah, ‘twas not to be”; 61. Big name in coffeemakers; 62. Righty Hershiser; 63. Arts and Sciences dept.; 64. Sumptuous fur; 65. See 1-Across. — DOWN: 1. Feudal estate; 2. Actress Anderson; 3. With: Abbr.; 4. Science fiction writer Frederik; 6. Over 300,000 of these appear in “Gandhi”; 7. Frozen beverage brand; 8. Like a matador’s cape; 9. Successor of Muhammad, to Shiites; 10. Appraiser’s figure; 11. Maiden name of Harry Potter’s mother; 12. Present occasion; 13. Rear of many a book; 18. In the heart of; 19. Only; 23. Wailuku is its county seat; 24. Sale tag condition; 25. W.W. II naval vessels: Abbr.; 27. TV star who homered off Koufax in a 1963 episode; 28. Airport postings, for short; 29. Bring a relationship to a close; 32. Yankees’ #13, to fans; 33. “La Boheme” role; 34. Psychedelic drugs, for short; 35. Quick and detached, in mus.; 37. Train travel; 38. Abbr. on the bottom of a business letter; 43. Animals with collars, often; 44. Of service; 45. Winterize, as a coat; 46. Indian ruler; 47. Printing daggers; 48. Cokes and such; 49. Pulse-0taking spot; 54. Longfellow bell town; 55. Clarinetist’s need; 56. Writer ___ Stanley Gardner; 58. Conan O’Brien’s network; 59. Celestial altar.

06.05.12 — U for I

Engraving by Gustave Doré for an 1876 edition of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge. Labeled "The Albatross," it depicts 17 sailors on the deck of a wooden ship facing an albatross. Icicles hang from the rigging.

Roaming farther than any animal on earth, albatrosses are magnificent masters of the air, inspiring awe in all who are privileged to see them. But these beautiful seabirds are also the most threatened family of birds in the world. Most albatross species are declining—rapidly. More than 100,000 albatrosses drown each year in fishing gear set by long-liners and trawl netters on the open ocean. ~ National Geographic

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Puzzle by Sharon Delorme / Edited by Will Shortz

Substituting the letter U for the letter I in the first word of common phrases to form an uncommon one constitutes the interrelated group of this tractable Tuesday crossword:

DULL PICKLES (17A. Boring predicaments?)
DUTCH DIGGERS (28A. Tulip planters, perhaps?)
MUSTER ROGERS (43A. Bring Ebert and Moore together?)
RUNG MASTERS (59A. Expert ladder climbers?)

Other — ABOUT TIME (31D. “Finally!“), ALBATROSS (12D. Burden, figuratively), ANALYST (20A. Market researcher), BUMBLE BEE (11D. Big collector of pollen), DEAREST (13D. Sweetie pie), E-MAILED (40D. Sent with a click), GUEST SPOT (32D. Celebrity’s talk show appearance, say), STUCK UP (55A. Nose-in-the-air), THREW ON (25D. Donned hastily).

Mid-size — “So AS NOT to offend …”; AT TEN, AZERA, DISBAR, ENGRAM (45D. Memory trace), ERNES, GASMAN, IN-LAW, IRANI, IT’S A GO, MOURN, NOLTE, PRUNE, RISING, SEDAN, SKEIN, SPICE, TICTAC, TIMOR, TRIBE, TURBO, UPSET.

Short stuff — ADES, ”I got A GAL in Kalamazoo”, ANAT, BAD, BOT, CELL, CTRS, DAT and DET, EMO, EOE, ERR and GRR, ESPY, ETTA, ICE, IDES, IRK, ISN’T, LIP, MAL and MAR, MBA, NATO, NEU and NEW (23A. Wet behind the ears), ODIN, ONE-D, OUZO, RAW (41A. Wet behind the ears), RARA avis, RIC, SOG, STU, TEA Party, ULE and ULT, USTA.

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Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks
Had I from old and young !
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.

~  Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Add zip to, with “up”; 6. Island north of Australia; 11. Deserving detention, say; 14. Maritime raptors; 15. Farsi speaker; 16. Suffix with glob; 19. C.F.O.’s deg., perhaps; 21. Keep from practicing; 23. Wet behind the ears; 24. Defense acronym; 27. Nick of “Warrior”; 33. Wrestling’s Flair; 34. Sci-fi sidekick, maybe; 40. Classified ad inits.; 42. Sources of vitamin C; 48. When brunch may be served; 49. Art school subj.; 50. Poker champ Ungar; 53. “We’re on!”; 58. Blistex target; 62. Subgenre of punk; 63. Hyundai model; 64. One of Israel’s 12; 65. Police dept. rank; 66. Wear black, say. — DOWN: 1. It’s bigger than a coupe; 2. Kind of danish; 3. Cause of many a family feud; 4. Unit in a block; 5. Catch sight of; 6. “Get a bang out of life!” mint; 7. Perturb; 8. Prefix with content; 9. Linear, for short; 10. On the upturn; 18. Word of denial; 22. Get completely wet, in dialect; 26. Valhalla V.I.P.; 28. Brooklynese pronoun; 29. Final: Abbr.; 30. Bump off; 36. Goof up; 38. Scratch up; 39. Passports, e.g., in brief; 40. Sent wit a click; 46. Certain meter reader; 47. “At Last” singer James; 50. Yarn purchase; 51. Engine type; 52. Like some stomachs and elections; 54. Liqueur similar to Sambuca; 56. Racket org.; 57. N.F.L. snappers: Abbr.; 60. Opposite of old, in Germany; 61. [I’m mad!].

06.04.12 — Gods and Planets

Global view of Mars as seen by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1980

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Monday, June 4, 2012

Puzzle by John R. O’Brien / Edited by Will Shortz

Roman gods and planets double up in this fine Monday crossword: VENUS DE MILO (17A. A classic beauty who is not all there), SATURN ROCKET (27A. Booster of the Apollo space program), MERCURY COMET (48A. 1960s-’70s Ford Company model) and MARS CANDIES (65A. Milky Way bars and others).

Other — AGATES (69A. Some marbles), AMOEBA, CLINIC, DENIES, HUMANE, OXIDE, PRAGUE (5A. Czech capital), RAVAGE, UNLOCK, WAUSAU (4D. Wisconsin city).

Five letter —ABATE, ACMES, BASIC, CAPRI, CHOIR, EIGHT, El GRECO, ID EST, MARIA, NADIR, NEPAL, PAGAN (11D. Polytheistic), OSCAR the Grouch, OTARU (31D. Japanese port), RELIC, SITAR, TRINI.

Short stuff — AAA, ACER, AIR, AMMO, ANNE, ARC, ASS, ASTI, BASS, CAEN, CEE, Stick in one’s CRAW, CXVI, “Carpe DIEM“, EAR, EGO and EEO, EZRA, GAIT, GIZA, GPS, HERA (62D. Wife of Zeus), ICY, INGE, IRAN, IRIS, LAO and LAX, LENT, LOEB, MAD, OTO, PCB, PHD, REED, RIOT, RNS, RUE, SAAR and SARI, SETH, SING, SYL, TIA and VIA, TSAR, TYPE, XENA.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 11. Banned organic compound, for short; 14. TV’s warrior princess; 15. Compassionate; 16. Kind of baseball or battery; 19. Satellite-based navigation aid in brief; 20. That is, in Latin; 21. Plains tribe; 22. Wrap worn in India; 23. Broadcast; 25. Mini-hospital; 33. Frigid; 34. Younger brother of Cain and Abel; 35. Lowest point; 39. Country on the south side of Mount Everest; 42. Chinese philosopher ___-Tzu; 43. Lopez with the 1963 hit “If I Had a Hammer”; 44. Spanish artist El ___; 45 Colored part of the eye; 47. Lead-in to maniac or surfing; 52. Microscopic blob; 55. West Coast travel hub, informally; 56. “Largemouth” fish; 57. By way of; 60. Number in an octet; 64. Many a line on a flight route map; 68. With 53-Down, a coffee-flavored liqueur; 70. Book before Nehemiah; 71. Floppy rabbit feature; 72. Refuses to acknowledge; 73. River across the French/German border. — DOWN: 1. 116, in ancient Rome; 2. Clarinet or sax; 3. Actress Hathaway; 5. What an M.A. might go on to earn; 6. Regret; 7. Bullets, informally; 8. Walk or trot; 9. Open with a key; 10. Fairness-in-hiring inits.; 12. Blue Grotto’s island; 13. Fundamental; 18. Use a swizzle stick; 22. Indian instrument; 24. E.R. workers; 26. Period after Shrove Tuesday; 27. Be in a 32-Down, e.g.; 28. Taiwan-based computer giant; 29. Genre; 30. Archaeologist’s find; 32. Group in church robes; 37. Playwright William; 38. Hilarious one; 40. High points; 41. Richard___ Clarence Darrow defendant; 46. Word part: Abbr.; 49. Wreak havoc on; 50. Battle of Normandy city; 51. Rust and lime; 52. Diminish; 53. See 68-Across; 58. Modern Persia; 59. Italian wine city; 61. Egyptian pyramid city; 63. Old Russian despot; 65. “What, me worry?” magazine; 66. So-so grade; 67. Donkey.

06.03.12 — Emotionally Weird — the Acrostic

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson.

On a peat and heather island off the west coast of Scotland, Effie and her mother Nora take refuge in the large mouldering house of their ancestors and tell each other stories. Nora, at first, recounts nothing that Effie really wants to hear, like who her father was - variously Jimmy, Jack, or Ernie.

Effie tells of her life at college in Dundee, the land of cakes and William Wallace, where she lives in a lethargic relationship with Bob, a student who never goes to lectures, seldom gets out of bed, and to whom the Klingons are as real as the French and the Germans (more real than the Luxemburgers). But strange things are happening. Why is Effie being followed? Is someone killing the old people? And where is the mysterious yellow dog? ~ Kate Atkinson Official Website

The quotation: I HAVE … HAIR THAT USUALLY EXISTS ONLY IN THE IMAGINATION OF ARTISTS AND CAN BE DISTURBING TO SEE ON THE HEAD OF A REAL WOMAN … IT IS THE COLOR OF NUCLEAR SUNSETS… BUT ON ME THE CORKSCREWING CURLS ARE CLOWNISH AND …CARROTY.

The author’s name and the title of the work: ATKINSON, EMOTIONALLY WEIRD

The defined words:

A. Broadcast of bad actors, e.g., ANAGRAM
B. Resembling what grows out of the scalp, TRICHOID
C. Difficult to solve or straighten, KNOTTY
D. What can be meant by “, INCHES
E. “Hold your horses there, pal” (3 wds.), NOT SO FAST
F. Impediment to a smooth kiss?, STUBBLE
G. Where Stephen Hawking studied physics, OXFORD
H. Island city with a Junkanoo festival, NASSAU
I. Celebrated thinker with an unruly do, EINSTEIN
J. Quite a lot to express, MOUTHFUL
K. Lacking any reservations, OUTRIGHT
L. Hard-to-comb growth, THATCH
M. “As INNOCENT as a new-laid egg” (W.S. Gilbert)
N. Rock rich in hydrocarbons (2 wds.), OIL SHALE
O. Land found by the Pevensies, NARNIA
P. Author of “Saving Fish From Drowning” (2 wds.), AMY TAN
Q. Home of the Kansas Jayhawks, LAWRENCE
R. World-weary private eye of Ross Macdonald (2 wds.), LEW ARCHER
S. Palinesque affirmative (2 wds), YOU BETCHA
T. Arachne, for one, WEAVER
U. Natural problem for some banks, EROSION
V. Less than cogent reasoning, ILLOGIC
W. Spanner of nine time zones, RUSSIA
X. Not happy — at being shorn?, DISTRESSED

The full paragraph of the quotation: I am a young woman composed of blood and flesh, sugar and spice, all things nice and the recycled molecules of the dead. I have thin bones that snap and shatter too easily for my liking. I have Nora's narrow insteps and broad toes, her love of sentimental music, her hatred of Brussels sprouts. I have my mother's temperamental hair - hair that usually exists only in the imagination of artists and can be disturbing to see on the head of a real woman. On Nora it is the colour of nuclear sunsets and of overspiced gingerbread, but on me, unfortunately, the same corkscrewing curls are more clownish and inclined to be carroty.

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06.03.12 — Myth-Labeled

Detail from The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy

by Domenico Tiepolo, 1773

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

MYTH-LABELED, Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Eight myths are clued by “label warnings” in this perfectly pleasant Sunday crossword:

SWORD OF DAMOCLES (23A. WARNING: Suspension system prone to failure)
TROJAN HORSE (29A. WARNING: May contain Greeks)
CUPID’S ARROW (50A. WARNING: Possible heart-related side effects)
GORDIAN KNOT (75A. WARNING: Cutting tool required)
PANDORA’S BOX (96A. WARNING: Do not open)
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH (103A. WARNING: Effects on children unknown)
FORBIDDEN FRUIT (4D. WARNING: May cause damnation if swallowed)
APPLE OF DISCORD (54D. WARNING: Improper use could lead to jealousy, treachery and/or war)

Other — ALAN ARKIN (42D. Oscar winner for “Little Miss Sunshine”), ANASTASIA (8D. 1956 Ingrid Berman/Yul Brynner film), CONFUTES (59A. Proves false), ESSENTIAL (44D. Required), HOMOPHONE (41D. Cache for cash, say), LEASE OUT (68A. Rent), MASHIES (14D. Approach clubs), METLIFE (82A. Company whose ads have “Peanuts” characters) , PRE-COOKED (46D. Like Spam), PSYCHED (38A. Raring to go), REDONDO Beach (California surfing mecca), SKEWERING (72D. Really ridiculing), UNNATURAL (47D. Grotesque).

Six-letter — AGE-OLD, ALLOTS, CHASSE, DEEJAY, FIBULA (84D. Part of a calf), INSOLE, LAP CAT, MEDIAL, MERLOT, NICENE, OILMEN, PARRED, SHRUGS, SNIPER, SPEEDO, TOYOTA.

Five — ACORN, ADDLE, ADD TO, AGNES, ALCOA, ALGAE, ALICE, ASTIN, CHADS, CITES, CLOSE, COKIE, EAT IT (95D. Grammy-winning Weird Al Yankovic song), ELWES, ENNIO Morricone, ENTER, ERNIE, ESSEN, EXTRA, FENCE, GATOR, HEIDI and HINDI, HEIST, JOSIE, JUKED, LEAFS, LEAST, LEEDS, LOPES, LYNDE, MARLO Thomas, MAUVE, MEMOS, NO HOW, OPENS, PASTA, REARS and SEARS, REFER, RINGS, SLOOP, SOOTY, SOUND, SPASM, STEAD, SUITE, UNARM, VERSE.

Short stuff — ADS, AFAR, AHA, AIL and ALL, ARNO, BESS, CHEF, CHI, COAT, CROC and CROP, DAY, DEN, ECON, ENDS, FEAT, FUND, HERB, HOWL, IKEA, INGA, LASH, LAV, LEO, LOS, NEON, OARS, OBEY, OKRA, OMAN, OVID, OWE, PAS de deux, POST, PUP, RAW, REA, RILE and ROLE, RIM, ROSE, ROT, SAD, SCUD, SIR, SOSA, SYMS, TATE, THEO, UNIT, URGE, YEA.

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Beware the Greeks bearing gifts…

…and then burning them!

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Pages (through); 6. Moon shots?; 11. Lead-inks to many YouTube videos; 14. Sunset color; 19. Maker of Reynolds Wrap; 20. Film composer Morricone; 21. A fire sign; 22. Saint Clare of Assisi’s sister; 26. Company owns Lands’ End; 27. Tea flavoring; 28. Gershwin title character; 31. High-precision rifle user; 33. Its first car was the Model AA; 35. Well-connected industrialists?; 36. Generally preferred work shift; 37. John; 40. They get punched out; 43. “The Ballad of ___,” 1967 comedy/western: 45. Part of L.A.P.D.; 46. Litter member; 49. Function; 54. 1966 Florentine flooder; 55. Musandam Peninsula nation; 56. Big-box store; 57. Single-masted boat; 58. Uncorks; 59. Proves false; 61. Crime film centerpiece; 62. Very tame tom; 63. Avoided bogey; 64. Picket line?; 65. Bordeaux grape; 66. Silent says “So what?”; 67. Furniture purchase; 70. Newswoman Roberts; 71. Source of the word “bandanna”; 72. Saloon singer Sylvia; 73. Pods often pickled; 74. Foot, e.g.; 77. Tour de force; 78. Entertainment center location; 79. Unrefined; 80. __ United (English football club); 81. Perplex; 86. Not be entirely independent; 87. Japanese kana character; 88. Big name in suits; 91. ___ Creed (statement of religious beliefs); 93. Gliding dance step; 98. Nettle; 100. Completely cover; 102. “The Addams Family” actor John; 108. Ending with farm or home; 107. Nothing but; 108. Olympic group?; 100. “Rubber Duckie” singer; 110. Thomas of stage and screen; 111. Mens ___; 112. Biofuel source; 113. Supplement. — DOWN: 1. Old naval punishment; 2. Actor Cary; 3. Symbol used to mark England’s National Trails; 5. Unfortunate; 6. Consult, with “to”; 7. Wraps up; 9. Wheel part; 10. Like used fire irons; 11. Earmarks; 12. Entertain a party, in a way; 13. 1998 home run race participant; 15. Antediluvian; 16. Strip of weapons; 17. Minister’s reading; 18. City that hosts the world’s biggest annual game fair; 24. Comply with; 25. Season yield; 30. At all, in dialect; 34. “Ars Amatoria” writer; 37. Canters leisurely; 39. Sound heard at equestrian events; 40. Critter with a lot of teeth; 41 Cache for cash, say; 42. Made a misleading move, in football; 44. Required; 48. Blog entry; 50. Names; 51. “It’s the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life!” speaker; 52. Headed heavenward; 53. Floorboard problem; 59. They’re sometimes seen in banks; 60. Compulsion; 61. Fictional friend of Peter the goatherd; 62. Smallest; 64. Charitable creation; 65. Notes; 66. Certain missile; 67. Officer’s title; 68. “Bewitched” regular Paul; 69. Home to many John Constable works, with “the”; 71. Complain loudly; 75. Gainesville athlete; 76. Attention-getting sign; 81. “I suspected as much!; 82. Near the center; 85. Future C.P.A.’s study; 87. Special creator?; 88. Muscle woe; 89. Food in many shapes; 90. Cross the doorsill; 92. Actor without lines; 93. About to happen; 94. Reliable; 97. In the distance; 99. “Young Frankenstein” role; 101. Kojak’s first name; 104. Afflict; 105. Biblical “indeed”.

06.02.12 — Roundabout Route

The photo includes music hall queen Lillian Russell and Diamond Jim Brady, the railroad car builder, but it is uncertain which they are. From the George S. Bolster Photographic Collection of the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs

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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Puzzle by Tim Croce / Edited by Will Shortz

Nine fifteen-letter across answers constitute the main feature of this meandering Saturday crossword:

• STRAINED PEACHES (1. Dessert for an infant)
• ROUNDABOUT ROUTE (16. A straight shot it’s not)
• IT’S NO COMPARISON (17. “Bi-i-ig difference!”)
• CONCEALED WEAPON (33. It may be pulled out while holding something up)
• TO A LESSER EXTENT (38. Not so significantly)
• IMMEDIATE DANGER (39. Cause for urgent action)
• DIAMOND JIM BRADY (53. Tycoon who was the first person in New York City to own a car)
• IT TAKES A VILLAGE (59. Best seller that begins “Children are not rugged individualists”)
• DEEPEST RECESSES (60. Lease accessible parts)

Other — ACTION, ALSACE, ANDREW, BOOMER, ENAMOR, EXAM TABLE (36D. Fixture in a doctor’s office), GENTRY, I DO INDEED (5D. “Absolutely!”), NO ONE’S, SWEET ON (22D. Liking a lot), UNPEGS.

Short stuff — “Guten ABEND“, ANN, ARRS, “AS I said …“, ATE, AWN, COILS, COW, DID, DOM, DST, EBON, EPI, ETAIL, ETO, GRRR, HAAS, HEW, HUS, IHN, ISL (20A. Certain chain unit: Abbr.), ITE, JAR, MIMIC, MOSSY, MTS (46A. Certain chain units: Abbr.); NACHO, NEO and NOE, PEN, PINES, POKE, PUP, RLS, RUSS, SAL, SEN, SOS, SRIS, UNG, TOTO, UNO, VIA, “VIVE l‘amour“, WED, WYES.

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.


Remaining clues — ACROSS: 18. Plea before going under; 19. Him, in Hamburg; 21. What’s next to nothing in Nogales?; 22. Paradise in literature; 24. Produced some pitches; 28. “Guten ___” (German greeting); 31. Beard growing out of an ear; 32. San Francisco’s ___ Valley; 40. Gothic leader?; 41. Push around; 42. Very conservative; 43. [Don’t touch my food!]; 45. One chained to a desk, say; 47. Prefix with central; 49. Going through; 50. Fell. — DOWN: 1. Eastern titles; 2. Entirely, after “in”; 3. Hodges who called baseball’s “shot heard ‘round the world”; 4. Fay’s “King Kong” role; 6. Taqueria tidbit; 7. Jet; 8. Title in an order; 9. Brand-new toy?; 10. Net sales; 11. Terminal list: Abbr.; 12. Many stored hoses; 13. Czech martyr Jan; 14. Gen. Bradley’s area: Abbr.; 15. Person going into a house?: Abbr.; 21. Man in a tree?; 22. Liking a lot; 23. Name shared by two U.S. presidents; 25. Lets off the hook?; 26. Unclaimed; 27. Upper crust; 28. Trouper’s skill; 29. New arrival of the 1950s?; 30. More than fascinate; 31. It shares a border with Switzerland; 35. Not single; 37. Periodic law figs.; 44. Change the borders of, say; 45. Some pitch producers; 46. Look a lot like; 48. Dawdle; 50. 2009 Wimbledon semifinalist Tommy; 51. Best by a bit; 52. Some branched pipes; 53. Served the purpose; 54. Urban trailer?; 55. Went from soup to nuts, say; 56. Syst. first implemented during W.W.I; 67. Faze; 58. Inits. of Ben Gunn’s creator.

06.01.12 — Elementary

Sherlock Holmes and Magnifying Glass by Nisheeth

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Friday, June 1, 2012

Puzzle by Joe Krozel / Edited by Will Shortz

Stark and simple, this friendly Friday crossword is quite low in clue/answer count, yet features an unusual amount of variety:

Across — 1. Children’s author Eleanor, ESTES; 6. Environment of many old PCs, MSDOS; 11. Opposite of ample, MEAGER; 13. Grapefruit taste-alike, POMELO; 14. Heated house for newborn chicks, BROODER; 16. Round number?, CALIBER; 17. Restless, in scores, AGITATO; 18. Go beyond seconds say, OVEREAT; 19. Confirmation declaration, YES IT IS; 20. Some people in costume, MASKERS; 21. “This doesn’t exactly require a Ph.D.”, IT’S ELEMENTARY; 23. What big banks underwent in 2009, STRESS TESTS; 24. A TO B (initial step); 25. They may be studied along with languages, LITERATURES; 33. What past performance may portend, FUTURE RESULTS; 35. Wild West symbol of authority, TIN STAR; 36. Practice at a track, RUN LAPS; 38. Went for something else, RECHOSE; 39. SeaWorld attraction, MANATEE; 40. Put people in their places?, USHERED; 41. Activity in “Ghostbusters”, SLIMING; 42. Firewood measures, STERES; 43. Attempt to recall the passed?, SÉANCE; 44. Stunned, in a way, TASED; 45. German composer with a palindromic name, REGER.

Down — 1. Enclose in a recess, EMBAY; 2. Eisenstein who directed “The Battleship Potemkin”, SERGEI; 32. Some Asian believers, TAOISTS; 4. Hardly the self-effacing sort, EGOTIST; 5. Not so frantic, SEDATER; 6. Really bothers, MOLESTS; 7. Give a smug look, SMIRK AT; 8. Big name in diamonds, DE BEERS; 9. Last name in Chicago lore, O’LEARY; 10. It’s unsettling to be out of them, SORTS; 12. Patch up, in a way, as a space shuttle, RETILE; 13. Quaint, dignified dance for couples, PAVANE; 15. Valentine verse starter, ROSES ARE RED; 16. Reach an agreement, COME TO TERMS; 22. Many a red dwarf, M STAR; 25. Things people “do” in the early afternoon, LUNCHES; 26. Mailbox checker’s excited cry, IT’S HERE; 27. Taught a lesson, maybe, TUTORED; 28. Goes back on one’s word?, ERASES; 29. Same old orders, USUALS; 30. Less congealed, RUNNIER; 31. Singer Morse with the 1952 hit “The Blacksmith Blues, ELLA MAE; 32. Giving expression to, STATING; 33. Piñata-hitting occasion, FIESTA; 34. Superlawyer Gerry who wrote “How to Argue and Win Every Time”, SPENCE; 35. “TRUST no one”; 37. “Old Time Rock & Roll” rocker, SEGER.

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.