10.31.11 — Vampire

Vampyren, "The Vampire", by Edvard Munch, 1894

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Monday, October 31, 2011 — Halloween

Puzzle by Jeff Chen / Edited by Will Shortz

This wicked little Monday crossword gives a nod to Halloween with VAMPIRE (38A. Creature who might disagree with the saying at the ends of 17-, 22-, 48- and 56-Across) resulting in “ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY”, within ALL AT ONCE (17A. Simultaneously), FLEA-BITTEN (22A. Like many itchy mutts), THINK TWICE (48A. Be deliberative) and CAMERA SHY (56A. Not wanting to be shot?).

Other — COWHAND (42D. Ranch worker), E. T. PHONE HOME (24D. Classic 1982 movie line spoken with an outstretched finger), MUHAMMAD ALI (11D. “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am” speaker), PLACATE (4D. Throw a bone to).

Mid-size — AHORA, AMISH, ARMOR, BEARD, CARATS, CARNEY, CIVIC, CRIMES, CURSE, DRESS, ERNIE and ERNST, ETHER, ETHICS, EVADE, FORUM, I’M HIP, ITALO, KREME, LOUPE, LUIGI, MAORI, “NO MAN is an island …”, NORA, OPIUM, OSIRIS, OUTTA, REARM, REMIT, REPLY, ROMPER, SNEERS, ST PAUL, TACET, TORAH.

Short stuff — ABE and ACE, AIL, ALIT, ARAB, ASAP, AVA, AYE, BEES, CAVA, CATS, CCL, CLAM, DITZ, DIV, EMMY, HAT, LONE Ranger, META, “O Sole MIO“, NCAA, RIPE, RPM, SAL, SCI, STAR, TUBA, UGH, VAIL, VCR, YAZ.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. “Now!,” in a memo; 5. Prefix with morphosis; 9. Knight’s protection; 14. Colorado skiing mecca; 15. Man from Oman, e.g.; 16. Jeweler’s magnifying tool; 19. Beatnik’s “Gotcha”; 20. “Damn!,” e.g.; 21. Minnesota’s capital; 26. Oscar : film :: ___ : TV; 27. “Get ___ here!” (“Scram!”); 28. Get guns again; 30. Yellow, as a banana; 31. Art of “The Honeymooners”; 34. Star pitcher; 37. Like reaction to fried ants; 39. Opposite of mult.; 41. Perjury and piracy, for two; 42. Vena ___ (passage to the heart); 43. Author Ephron and others; 45. No liquid or gaseous;46. Honey makers; 52. Moral standards; 54. Bar mitzvah scroll; 55. “Now!,” in Nicaragua; 60. Send, as payment; 61. Paradigm of happiness; 62. Final Four org.; 63. Gown. — DOWN: 1. Actress Gardner; 2. “I’ve got a mule, and her name is ___”; 3. Be under the weather; 5. Indigenous New Zealanders; 6. Young’s partner in accounting; 7. “Be silent,” musically; 8. Honest ___ (presidential moniker); 9. Came down to earth; 10. TV’s “___ Room”; 12. Drug from poppies; 13. Answer; 18. Oom-pah-pah instrument; 21. Derisive looks; 22. Discussion site; 23. One of the Mario Brothers; 25. Bert’s pal on “Sesame Street”; 29. Affirmative vote; 31. Gem units; 32. Like the witness in “Witness”; 33. Meas. of engine speed; 35. Honda model with a palindromic name; 36. Circumvent; 38. Passé TV hookup; 44. Egyptian god of the underworld; 45. Proxima Centauri, for one; 46. Feature of Dumbledore or Merlin; 47. Old-time anesthetic; 49. Author Calvino; 51. Krispy ___ doughnuts; 53. Meowers; 56.250 in old Rome; 57. Chem., for one; 58. Fedora or fez; 59. Big name in Bosox history.

10.30.11 — Now Playing

Fabian Theater Paterson NJ

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Sunday, October 30, 2011

HOLLYWOOD FROM RIGHT TO LEFT,

Puzzle by Andrea Carla Michaels & Patrick Blindauer

Edited by Will Shortz

Replacing the letter R with the letter L in seven movie titles (Anger Management, Scary Movie, The Right Stuff, Pirates of the Caribbean, Fantastic Four, Taxi Driver and Wedding Crashers) constitutes the interrelated group of this entertaining Sunday crossword:

• ANGEL MANAGEMENT (23. One of St. Peter’s heavenly duties?)
• SCALY MOVIE (42”Snakes on a Plane,” e.g.?)
• THE LIGHT STUFF (52. What a lazy mover prefers to carry?)
• PILATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (67. Workout class on a pleasure cruise?)
• FANTASTIC FOUL (88. Unbelievable court infraction?)
• TAXI DRIVEL (96. Cabby’s nonstop patter?)
• WEDDING CLASHERS (119. Guests at a Hatfield/McCoy marriage ceremony?)

Other — ABDICATE (66D Step down, in a way), ENDICOTT (32D. College in Beverly, Mass.), EVENTUAL (4D. Occurring someday), FLETCHER (90D. Arrow maker), HYSTERIA (125A. Classic Freudian diagnosis), IL TROVATORE (17D. Opera whose second act is called “The Gypsy”), LENNOX LEWIS (69D. World heavyweight champion who was once an Olympic boxing gold medalist), PEN NAMES (15D. Mark Twain and George Sand, e.g.), PUNCH LINE (49D. Thing that may break people up), SAME HERE (1A. “Right back at cha!“), SNEERS AT (128A. Looks down on), TRAVELED (20A. Took one step too many, maybe), TV DINNER (86D. Easy eats).

Mid-size — ADMITS, AGATES and AGENTS, ALIOTO, ARETOO, ARIOSI, ARMREST, EASTON, ERODES, FIENNES (108A. “Shakespeare in Love“ star), HAIRDO (65A. Bob, for one), HINGIS, HARMING, IGUANA, IMELDA, IONIZES, JACLYN, LIED TO, MASTER, MEDUSA (21A. She was beheaded by Perseus), MASONS, OPAQUE, QUEBEC, PAY CUT, PIE DISH (78A. Makeshift Frisbee), REAPED, SALADA, SALOME, SENORAS, TIN-LIKE (60A. Cheap and flimsy, as material).

Five-letter — AMATI, BLASÉ, DORM, EDWIN (118A. Dickens‘s Drood), EGYPT, ELLIE, ELM ST, NITTI, ORION, PAILS, SEIZE, SHAUN, STYES, TASER, WORSE.

Short stuff — ABET, ACHS, ALEX, AMA, ARIA, ARNO, CAN and CAW, CGI, CHAP, “COSI Fan Tutte“, DOTY, EATS, EDNA, EMAJ, ENDS, ERA, EYRE, FEST, FIEF, FISC, FLOE, GATO, GLEE, “How’s it GOIN‘?”, HAHA, HEL (5D. Daughter of Loki), HERS, HWYS, IDEA, JIBS, JOLT, KIA, “You put the LIME in the coconut …”, LITA, LOIS, MAGI, MOOR, MSG, MTS, NACL, NEAP, NOS, OER, OMG, ONT, OVI, PEERS, PIPE (50D. Subject of a Magritte painting), POLI sci, PSAT, RAP, RECT, RIB, SAX, SEIS and SETS, SSTS, STAG, STE, SUMS, SWAM, TADA, TES, TÊTE, TWO, UNO, USN, VIAL, VOLE, Egg foo YUNG.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 2. Unclear; 15. Sandcastle engineering equipment; 22. “Dallas” Miss; 25. “The Untouchables” villain; 27. Ship part; 28. Roast slightly; 29. Mujeres con esposos; 31. Place for un béret; 33. Conquer; 36. Kitty, in Segovia; 37. Singer Cassidy; 40. One side of a quad, maybe; 46. Brand of tea; 48. Term on a tide table; 51. Doc workers’ org.?; 56. Projections on some globes: Abbr.; 57. Your, in Tours; 58. Blues instrument; 59. Harsh cry; 62. Big bump; 63. Poet Mark; 74. William Morris workers; 75. Cousin of an ampule; 76. Things rings lack; 81. Film special effects, briefly; 82. Rangers’ venue, for short; 86. Ax; 86. Number of X’s in this puzzle’s answer; 91. Game with 108 cards; 92. Mouselike animal; 94. Fictional Jane; 95. Biblical dancer; 100. Key with four sharps: Abbr.; 102. Curt; 103. “Family Guy” wife; 104. Melodic passages; 105. Provide a gun for, maybe; 111. Anthem contraction; 112. Crystal on the dinner table?; 114. Bloke; 123. Appropriate; 124. Playground retort; 126. Stinger; 127. Stonewallers? — DOWN: 1. Single partygoer; 2. Classical Italian typeface; 3. Christmas party; 6. Horror film locale: Abbr.; 7. Garnered; 8. “The Simpsons” teacher Krabappel; 9. Letters of surprise, in text messages; 10. Classmates, e.g.; 11. Lets in; 12. City that was the site of three battles in the Seven Years’ War; 13. Org. with a sub division; 14. Has a beef?; 16. 1960s-’70s San Francisco mayor; 18. Singer Ford; 19. Cinco follower; 24. Limb perch; 30. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” locale; 34. Fine fiddle; 35. Rat-a-tat; 37. Orly birds, once; 38. “You’re so funny,” sarcastically; 39. “Family Ties” son; 41. It’s west of 12-Down: Abbr.; 44. Marcos of the Philippines; 45. “Morning Train” singer, 1981; 47. Ancient May birthstones; 52. Rtes.; 54. Polar hazard; 55. Money-related: Abbr.; 61. Automaker since 1974; 62. Triangular sails; 63. “Shoot!”; 65. 1997 winner of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; 86. Step down, in a way; 67. Union concession; 68. Creature whose tail makes up half its body’s length; 70. Egg: Prefix; 71. Feudal estate; 72. “Et voilà!”; 73. Geom. figure; 79. Peeper problems; 80. Doing injury to; 82. Othello, for one; 83. Basic arithmetic; 84. Lottery winner’s feeling; 86. Easy eats; 87. Poorer; 89. Word with level or devil; 93. Mendes of “Hitch”; 97. Charge, in a way; 98. Chips away at; 99. Given false facts; 101. Co-star of Kate and Farrah, in 1970s TV; 105. Belted one; 107. Ho-hum; 108. Celebration; 109. Theory; 110. Did laps; 113. Cries in Cologne; 115. One of a pair of towel markings; 116. 17-Down piece; 117. Challenge for jr; 120. Ballpark fig.; 121. Turndowns; 122. Jeanne d’Arc, for one: Abbr.

10.29.11 — Tangible Points

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Puzzle by Barry C. Silk / Edited by Will Shortz

Across: 1. Coffee shop, often, WIFI HOT SPOT; 12. “Sid the Science Kid” network, PBS; 15. Stops being infantile, ACTS ONE’S AGE; 16. Pianist Stein, IRA; 17. Producer of shooting stars, ROMAN CANDLE; 18. Ado Annie, e.g., GAL; 19. Pentagon-to-Lincoln Memorial dir., NNE; 20. Aid in relieving xerostomia, GUM; 21. Breaks up, ENDS IT; 23. Bullish declaration, I CAN; 25. What has some people miss the mark?, EURO; 28. Pungent dressing, AIOLI; 29. Barely visible art collection?, NUDES; 31. Polynesian port, when doubled, PAGO; 33. Game player’s concern, RULE; 34. Stopped being infantile, GREW UP; 36. Part of Buchanan High faculty, MR KOTTER; 38. Certain preserved strips, BEEF JERKY; 40. Shape preserver, of a sort, SHOE TREE; 43. Not so stuffy, AIRIER; 47. Banks with many spreads, TYRA; 48. Pack of lifesavers?, EMTS; 50. With 1-Down, good thing to have for a tornado, EARLY; 51. Does some piece work, EDITS; 53. “Mottke the Thief” novelist, 1935, ASCH; 55. Music critic’s concern, TONE; 56. Scored very quickly?, PRESTO; 58. It holds the line, ROD; 60. British big shot, NOB; 61. Love, HON; 62. Its title character is Manrico, IL TROVATORE; 66. Contact info spec., EXT; 67. March locale, PARADE ROUTE; 68. Clinton was its first gov., NYS; 69. Attachable bulletin, E-NEWSLETTER.

Down: 1. See 50-Across, WARNING; 2. “Ditto”, I CONCUR; 3. Base in Anne Arundel County: Abbr., FT MEADE; 4. Metaphor middle, IS A; 5. “Wayne’s World 2” actor James HONG; 6. How orchestra members enter, ON CUE; 7. Band, TEAM UP; 8. Subj. of the Privacy Act of 197, SSN; 9. Holder of notes, PAD; 10. Look like a sleaze, OGLE; 11. Mrs. Mulder on “The X-Files”, TEENA; 12. Gorges, PIGS OUT; 13. It has many tangible points, BRAILLE; 14. Having more four-letter words, SALTIER; 22. Fink, DIRTY RAT; 24. Pop trio with the 1964 hit “Bread and Butter,” with “the”, NEWBEATS; 26. Aircraft propellers without moving parts, RAM JETS; 27. Damsel distresser, OGRE; 30. Cake makeup for a feeder, SUET; 32. Southern side, OKRA; 35. Old man of Orléans, PERE; 37. Ado Annie, e.g., OKIE; 39. Damage-assessing grp., FEMA; 40. King with revolting subjects, STEPHEN; 41. Like citric acid and lactic acid, HYDROXY; 42. Points, ORIENTS; 44. Resolve, IRON OUT; 45. Land above the Rio Bravo, EL NORTE; 46. Cousin of kvass, RYE BEER; 49. Splits for cooking, as fish, SCRODS; 52. Mushroom supporter, STIPE; 54. Shack, HOVEL; 57. Wang Lung’s wife, in literature, OLAN; 59. Playground provocation, DARE; 63. Italian TV channel, TRE; 64. Some kind of nerve?, RAW; 65. Rattle holder, TOT.

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10.28.11 — Social Darwinism

A painting of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla,

Jalisco Governmental Palace,

Guadalajara by Hidalgo de José Clemente Orozco

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Puzzle by Tim Croce / Edited by Will Shortz

Uh oh!, time to check in with the The Club:

Interesting looking grid, isn’t it? ~ Deb Amblin, New York Times employee.

Lots of cool long answers in this one, plus a few clunkers. ~ Amy Reynaldo, Diary of a Crossword Fiend, New York Times advance solver.

I just like the way this grid looks—like some kind of angry monster from a "Space Invaders"-era video game. ~ Michael Sharp, Rex Parker Does The New York Times Crossword Puzzle, New York Times test solver.

The fact of the matter is that this clunky Friday crossword has some extremely alienating clues, some of them so far-fetched that it’s ludicrous.  I don’t give a tinker's damn what a grid looks like, just make some sense with the blinkin’ clues for the love of heaven! That’s all that I have to say (well, not really, I‘m being nice! and  I don’t work for The New York Times, nor am I a test solver!), just a day-to-day...  day-to-day!

Across: 1. Theory related to eugenics, SOCIAL DARWINISM; 16. What good competitors may give one, A RUN FOR THE MONEY; 17. Part of Many confessions, FORGIVE ME FATHER; 18. Old Testament book before Neh., EZR; 19. Some services, TEA SETS; 20. Composer of “1/1,” “1/2,” “2/1” and 2/2”, ENO; 21. Some HDTVs, RCAS; 23. Noodle, BEAN; 24. Guidebook listings for the budget-conscious, ONE-STAR HOTELS; 32. Gossips, TALE BEARERS; 33. Winter cry in New York, GO RANGERS, this is the most ridiculous clue of all this crossword‘s clues!, “winter cry in New York!”, give me a …; 34. Riddle, BRAIN TEASER; 36. Like some cross-dressers, TRANSGENDERED; 38. Stoker who wrote “Dracula”, BRAM; 39. “Hooked on Classics” company, K-TEL; 41. “That’s the spot”, AAH; 42. Pacific, perhaps, ANTI-GUN; 49. Here, in Juarez, ACA; 50. Fictional maker of earthquake pills and elephant bullets, ACME CORPORATION; 53. Feature of the ideal path, LEAST RESISTANCE; 54. Some I.T. experts, SYSTEMS ANALYSTS.

Down: 1. More prudent, say, SAFER; 2. “The People and Its Leaders” muralist, OROZCO; 3. Tangy pie fruit, currant; 4. Amsterdam-based financial giant, ING; 5. Pitch A FIT; 6. It means nothing, LOVE; 7. De Matteo of “The Sopranos”, DREA; 8. Note passers?, ATMS; 9. Korean War leader, RHEE; 10. Filling yarn, WEFT; 11. “Look at me, I’M AS helpless …” (first words of “Misty”); 12. What may come before so much, NOT; 13. How Ginger Rogers danced, IN HEELS; 14. Taken for, SEEN AS; 15. “Discobolus” sculptor, MYRON; 22. New York’s SEAGRAM Building, designed by Mies van der Rohe; 23. Crazy way to go?, BERSERK; 25. Jerry in the Basketball Hall of Fame, SLOAN; 26. Polo and others, TERIS; 27. Go out with A BANG; 28. Some Parisian income, RENTE; 29. Walter HAGEN, two-time winner of golf’s U.S. Open; 30. Echo, e.g., OREAD; 31. Short, TERSE; 34. Some rodeo bulls, BRAHMAS; 3. Doesn’t lay off, RETAINS; 36. Actress Ullman, TRACEY; 37. Boil down, DECOCT; 38. Some idols, BAALS; 40. Heat divisions, LANES; 42. Part of a Molière work, ACTE; 43. Abram of “This Old House”, NORM; 44. Oh so, TRES; 45. Res IPSA loquitur; 46. ”How’s it GOIN?”; 47. URSA Minor; 48. Like some monuments: Abbr., NATL; 51. Wilfred Owen poem “Dulce et Decorum EST”; 52. Scotland’s longest river, TAY.

Now, now there!, we're o.k.!—humor them!, The Club has a raging need—a mad quest for cruciverbal "superiority"—why indeed, who of us can hold a candle to their panting and snorting, their maddening speed, their cold and cruel critique coupled with charming and enlightening personal experiences (Example:  "Thank goodness I spent a summer in Uzbekistan!") that assists in their desperate prattling about the solution of the most recent crossword puzzle of The New York Times—cool it, relax, calm down, really ... it‘s only a crossword puzzle!

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Novitska / Crossword from Jan Kuba on Vimeo.

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10.27.11 — Haunted

Brown Lady of Raynham Hall ghost photograph,

Captain Hubert C. Provand. First published in Countrylife magazine, 1926

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Puzzle by Kurt Mueller / Edited by Will Shortz

HAUNTED (38A. Having spirit?), along with four squares containing the word “GHOST” constitutes the interrelated group of this perspicacious Thursday crossword.

• PALE AS A [GHOST] and [GHOST] TOWN (1-Down, Visibly scared out of one’s wits; 8-Down, Result of a boom and bust, maybe)
• GIVE UP THE [GHOST] and MARLEY’S [GHOST] (13D, Cash in one’s chips; 47A, Fictional character who says “I wear the chain I forged in life”)
• [GHOST]WRITERS and [GHOST] OF A CHANCE ((27A, Helps for autobiographers; 27D, Tiny possibility)
• HOLY [GHOST] and [GHOST]BUSTERS (51D, Trinity member; 69A, 1984 film whose soundtrack had a #1 hit with the same title)

Other — ADAPTED TO (16A. Got comfortable with), BEANIE BABY (11D. Toy collectible of the late ’90s), EATING OUT (14A. Alternative to a home meal), INFATURATES (12D. Enamors), LHASA APSO (61A. Tibetan terrier), ROGER EBERT (29D. “Life Itself: A Memoir” autobiographer, 2011), TSUNAMI (25D. Something of earth-shaking concern?), WOODY ALLEN (28D. Who wrote “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens”), YES INDEED (67A. “Most certainly!”).

Mid-size — ADELA, ADEUX, AT BAT, CERTS, CYRANO, E-TRADE, ENTER, FREE UP, IN BIG, Italy’s LIPARI Islands, NLERS, OLAF V, PARED, RADDLE (32D. Make by interlacing), UTAHAN, “WHEN I Fall in Love”.

Short stuff — AGE, AHI, ALB, APER, ASU, ATAD, ATF and ATH, AUT, BEE, EAU, EERY, ENT, FOG, HAEC, HEB, I WON, LAC, LOD and SOD, NAE, NHL, OAF, OOO (33A. Spooky sound), PADS, RAUL, RED A (24D. The scarlet letter), REUP, RTE, RUR, SIS, In SITU, TNT, UFO, USDA, USES, USSR, WAN, XTRA, YET.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 9. “You’re ___ trouble!”; 15. “___ Fall in Love” (1961 hit by the Lettermen); 17. 1957-91 king of Norway; 18. Food-stamping org.; 19. Opposite of flushed; 21. Dundee denial; 22. Classic 1921 play set partly in a factory; 25. Atlanta-based cable channel; 26. In ___ (undisturbed); 31. Make available; 34. For two; 36. Up; 37. Befuddle; 40. Olympic entrant: Abbr.; 41. “A Passage to India” woman; 43. Cut back; 44. Contest in which the rules must be followed to the letter?; 45. 1990 title role for Gérard Depardieu; 49. Caesar’s “these”; 50. Tuna type; 52. On the other hand; 53. Ritual garment; 54. X-File subj.; 55. One of the Castros; 59. Cubbies, e.g.; 66. Altoids alternative; 68. Stage direction. — DOWN: 1. Brake parts; 2. Slightly; 4. Certain M.D.; 5. Senesce; 6. Lay turf on; 7. Self: Prefix; 9. Lucky lottery player’s cry; 10. Senator’s org.; 14. Glace, after thawing; 20. Fed. Bureau; 23. Jazz fan, probably; 26. Part of a band’s performance; 27. Tiny possibility; 30. Start another tour; 35. Additional, in ads; 39. Mysterious: Var.; 42. Fond du ___, Wis.; 46. Buffoon; 48. Major discount brokerage; 54. Cold war inits.; 56. Copycat; 57. Plays for a fool; 58. City near Ben-Gurion Airport; 60. Artery: Abbr.; 62. New Test. Book; 63. The Sun Devils, for short; 64. Auntie, to Dad; 65. Word with black, red or white.

10.26.11 — Change

Loose Change 2 by jswieringa published on flickr

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Puzzle by Milo Beckman / Edited by Will Shortz

INCORRECT CHANGE (38A. Cashier’s error, as suggested by 17-, 22-, 47- and 58-Across?), STOPPED ON A PENNY (17A. Exhibited perfect braking), CAPTAIN’S DIMES (22A. Nicest room on a ship, probably), PUMPERQUARTER (47A. Certain loaf) and PINCHING NICKELS (58A. Being frugal) constitute the interrelated group of this wily Wednesday crossword.

Other — ACCLAIMED (63A. Strongly praised), DRESS RACK (15A. Boutique fixture), GANG SIGNS (11D. Handy IDs in the hood?), HAHA and HOOHA (40D. “Yeah, right”; 32A. Foofaraw), OCCUPANCY (34D. Number of people in a room).

Five-letter — ADD IN, AGAPE, A LOOP, AMANA, “ARE WE there yet?”, ASSOC, AT SEA, AW GEE, DARTS, DROSS, EATER (37D. Faster’s opposite), ELLIE, GOTTA, OMAHA, ONSET and RESET, Q AND A, ROGET, SOLOS, SPAMS, TAHOE (23D. 1,000-foot-deep lake that straddles a state line), TIERS UNCLE, VERSE.

Short stuff — ACNE, ADZE, AFAR and APAR, AFT, AGAS, AMS, CAGE, CEO, ECO, EGAD, ESA and ESP, EROS, EXIT, Over the HILL, ICI, IDEA, “There is no I IN team“, ILE, IMAC, KEN, LSU, LUCE, MICA, NITA (66A. Actress Naldi of the silents), NMI, OAF and OAS, ONUS, OTO, POP, RAYE, REAP, “SHE loves me …”, SKYE, SUFI (46D. Muslim mystic), VERA, XIS.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Hanging open; 6. Cousin of an ax; 10. Near Eastern V.I.P.’s; 14. Doesn’t have a second to lose?; 19. Native Nebraskan; 20. Followers of nus; 21. “For me? You shouldn’t have …”; 27. Toward the back; 287. E.T.A.’s for red-eyes; 29. Here, to Henri; 35. Aloe additive?; 37. “Heavens to Betsy!”; 41. Henry who made a Fortune?; 42. Baby taking a bow?; 43. Befuddled; 44. Baton Rouge sch.; 45. Peace grp. Since 1948; 54. Frigidaire competitor; 56. Bumbler; 57. Reunion, e.g.; 63. Strongly praised; 64. Goose bumps-0producing, maybe; 65. Funnywoman Martha; 67. Kickoff. — DOWN: 1. N.A.A.C.P. part: Abbr.; 2. Must, slangily; 3. Something to be thrown for; 4. Top 40 fare; 5. Medium capacity?; 6. Contribute to the mix; 7. Impurity; 8. Eastern state?; 9. That, in Tijuana; 12. Unwanted spots; 13. Kind of terrier; 16. Slows down traffic, say?; 18. Sign by stairs, often; 24. Many miles away; 25. Game with a maximum score of 180; 26. Apple offering; 30. Zoo keeper?; 31. Noodle product?; 33. Burden; 34. Number of people in a room; 35. Numbered thing in the Bible; 36. Friendly introduction?; 39. Bring in; 45. Gerald Ford’s birthplace; 48. Theodore Roosevelt, to Eleanor; 49. Man of many words?; 50. Press conference component, briefly; 51. Arena sections; 52. Carl’s wife in “Up”; 53. Bowling alley button; 54. On ___ with (equal to); 55. Sheet mineral; 60. Name placeholder in govt. records; 61. Many a Fortune profilee, for short; 62. “Jeopardy!” whiz Jennings.

10.25.11 — Where Art THOU?

O Brother Where Art Thou, 2000

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Puzzle by C. W. Stewart / Edited by Will Shortz

WHERE ART THOU (57A. Question that follows “O Brother” in film … and a hint to this puzzle’s theme, along with MIDNIGHT HOUR (20A. Time in the title of a 1965 Wilson Pickett hit), MATT HOUSTON (28A. TV oilman-turned-private eye), APARTMENT HOUSES (39A. Multiple-dwelling buildings) and BASSET HOUND (46A. Droopy-eared dog) constitute the interrelated group of this fine Tuesday crossword.

Other — BLUE and CAPRI (64A. Color at 61-Across; 61A. Grotto isle of Italy), HERBAL (48D. Like some teas), HOO HAH and HUSH (8D. Commotion; 5A. “Pipe down!“), IN FUTURO (9D. Yet to happen, at law), TEE-SHIRT (40D. Vacation souvenir wear), along with a half-dozen partials, NOLO contendere, Doo-woppers SHA Na Na, SHE-wolf, “LEST we forget …”, HONG Kong, Douglas FIR, SOUS-chef (kitchen’s number two) and Split PEA.

Five-letter — ANTSY, APIAN, DONUT, FARGO, HOSEA, INAPT, INFER, IONIC, MAMBO, MANSE, MINCE, NEIGH, OUSTS, OUTDO, PANDA (3D. Bamboo-munching critter), ROAST, SCAMS and SCATS, SLANT, STASH, SWEAR, THROE, TONTO, U-TURN.

Short stuff — ANNA, ARCS, ARM, ASKS, ATTN, AUKS, AWN, COAL, CSI, DOT, EGG, ELSE, HEN, ISM, NEAR, NETS, NOLO, OHIO, ONE, REST, RHO and ROO, ROUT, SHAY, SILT, SIPS, TAE and TAU, TOE, UH OH, URNS, WRAP.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Nurses at the bar; 9. Derive logically; 14. Bad child’s stocking filler; 15. Indiana/Kentucky border river; 16. Sound from a stable; 17. Kendrick of “Up in the Air”; 19. North Dakota city; 23. Skedaddles; 24. Trial fig.; 33. Doll’s cry; 37. Aussie bounder; 38. Friars Club event; 43. Chop finely; 44. Light bgulb inventor’s inits.; 45. Light carriage; 50. Small bill; 52. Perform better than; 65. Java servers; 66. Say #%@!’; 67. Calls upon; 68. 200 baseball score, say; 69. Ill-suited; 71. Keeps after taxes. — DOWN: 1. Con jobs; 2. Greek column style; 4. Way of looking at things; 6. “We’re in trouble!”; 7. Delta deposit; 10. In the vicinity; 12. Cadbury confection; 13. Letter before sigma; 21. Suffix in poli sci; 22. Ear-related prefix; 25. Squirrel away; 26. Minor prophet of the Old Testament; 27. Prone to fidgeting; 29. Prepare for combat; 30. Tip of a boot; 31. Scout’s rider of early TV; 33. Cuban musical form; 34. Bee-related; 35. Parson’s home; 36. Circle segments; 41. Letter after sigma; 42. Old biddy; 47. Everyday article; 49. Part of a pointillist painting; 53. Driver’s one-eighty; 54. Severe pang; 55. Glazed or powdered item; 56. Gives the boot; 57. Cylindrical sandwich; 58. Threat-ending word; 59. Razor-billed birds; 60. Take five; 61. CBS drama with DNA testing; 62. Bristle on barley.

10.24.11 — Get Togethers

Authorities wearing hazmat suits sift through piles of trash

at the Abilene Environmental Landfill, Colorado City, Colorado

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Monday, October 24, 2011

Puzzle by Lynn Lempel / Edited by Will Shortz

IN THE DUMPS (17A. Where sad trash collectors get together?), DOWN THE ROAD (28A. Where future motorists get together?), OVER THE HILL (49A. Where elderly picnickers get together?) and UP THE CREEK (63A. Where stranded canoeists get together?) constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Other — AIRBASES (35D. Sites for military flights), LET IT LIE (3D. “Just forget about this“), PLEASE DO (40D. “Go right ahead“), SIN TAXES (2D. Extra costs of smoking and drinking), TEA BALL, TRIAL RUN (10D. Preliminary test), UTILIZE, YOGI BEAR (39D. Boo Boo‘s buddy in Jellystone Park).

Mid-size — ASPEN, BALMY, BARRIO, BLANC (47D. Mel with “1,000 voices“), CARLA, DARNS, EATING, ELOPE, ERODE, ETHER, FACIAL, ILIAD, MAP OUT, ME TOO, NEIGH, OCTAD, O’TOOLE, PASSED, PATROL, STANZA, VECTOR (50D. Course taken by a plane or missile).

Short stuff — ALF, ALUM, AROD, ASEA, ATAD, AXL, BIT, DELL, DIED and DIET, EDU, EON, EPEE, ERGS, GEL, GRAB, HTTP, IAN, IDI, IRAS, ISLE, KYD (65D. Elizabethan dramatist Thomas), LADY, LIMO, LONE, LOP, MOO, NABS, NHL, NYPD, OHS, OLE, OTIS, PAPA, PEI, Pro RATA, SHOE, SID, TBSP, THE, TIER, TRI, UMA, WEB and WEE, YDS.

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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: 1. Elba or Capri; 5. Pleasant, weatherwise; 10. Measure of sugar: Abbr.; 14. Reduction of sugar intake, e.g.; 15. Trojan War epic; 16. Pro ___ (proportionately); 19. Savings options for the golden yrs.; 20. Stadium area; 21. Cow sound; 22. Mends, as socks; 23. The “P” of PT boat; 25. Put to good effect; 27. Rock’s ___ Rose; 31. Architect I. M. ___; 32. Fencer’s sword; 33. End of a student’s e-mail address; 34. Living off the land?; 36. Smidgen; 38. Org. for a Big Apple cop; 42. Sir ___ McKellen; 45. Snap up; 48. Rousing cry at a ring; 53. Hair spiffer-upper; 54. Holey brewing gadget; 55. Spa treatment that might include two cucumber slices; 57. Group of eight; 58. Cries of surprise; 61. Arrests; 62. Soul singer Redding; 66. Lacking company; 67. “I feel the same”; 68. Gentleman’s partner; 69. Basic work units;70. Colorado skiing town; 71. Yankee super slugger, to fans. — DOWN: 1. Coup leader ___ Amin; 4. Once-popular anesthetic; 5. Offer on eBay; 6. Grad; 7. Chauffeur-driven auto; 9. Plan, as an itinerary; 9. Fabric amts.; 11. Hispanic neighborhood; 12. One of four for “The Star-Spangled Banner”; 13. Got a D or better; 18. Wash away, as soil; 22. Conked out; 23. Elderly Smurf; 24. Cut (off); 26. French tea; 29. Spider’s creation; 30. Whinny; 37. Prefix with athlete; 41. Texas computer giant started in a dorm room; 43. Not much; 44. Stanley Cup org.; 46. Furry extraterrestrial in a 1980s sitcom; 49. Actor Peter of “Becket”; 51. Dining; 52. Gets hitched in haste; 56. French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife; 59. URL starter; 60. Pump or loafer; 63. “Kill Bill” co-star Thurman; 64. Seemingly forever.

10.23.11 — Alea Iacta Est

A collage of the six New York Times Crosswords

 by Patrick Berry edited by Will Shortz

appearing the week of October 17 to 22, 2011.

Alea iacta est (Latin: "The die has been cast") is a Latin phrase attributed by Suetonius (as iacta alea est ['jakta 'aːlea est]) to Julius Caesar on January 10, 49 BC as he led his army across the River Rubicon in Northern Italy. With this step, he entered Italy at the head of his army in defiance and began his long civil war against Pompey and the Optimates.

Caesar Crossing the Rubicon,
from “Figures de L’Historie de la Republique Romaine”

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Monday through Saturday, October 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 2011

Puzzles by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

All the puzzles of the above-mentioned week, from Monday to Saturday, were created by one person, Patrick Berry. The solver was asked to have the solutions handy on Saturday because that puzzle concealed a meta-challenge involving the solution grids of all six. The solver was further urged to e-mail the answer to the meta-challenge to  crossword@nytimes.com. Twenty-five correct solvers, chosen at random, whose entries were received by 6 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, Oct. 23, would receive copies of “Will Shortz Picks His Favorite Puzzles: 101 of the Top Crosswords From The New York Times.

The final crossword of the six puzzles appeared on Saturday, October 22^nd and contained the answer/clue at 23-Across, “Find contest’s meta-answer by reading THE FIRST LETTERS of these clues“, e.g., “THE CORNERS OF THIS WEEK’S GRIDS READ IN ORDER SPELL A FAMOUS LEADER AND HIS CROSSING WORDS”.

Further, at 42-Across, “Solvers must FILL EVERY CIRCLE in the grids to determine the grids’ proper order” (in this instance, a “circle” is the letter “O”, placed in the six puzzles as pips on dice). Each corner is read through the order of the six crosswords, upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right producing JULIUS CAESAR, THE DIE IS CAST.

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Click on image to enlarge

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES Crossword Puzzles and Games.

10.23.11 — Monster — the Acrostic

Illustration by Theodor von Holst from the frontispiece

of the 1831 edition of Frankenstein;

or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

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Sunday, October 23, 2011

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, a novel about a failed artificial life experiment that produced a monster.

Much like Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is a story we all think we know, but really don't. Very few films have consciously attempted to follow the novel too closely (which shouldn't detract from the excellent James Whale/Boris Karloff film, or its masterpiece-sequel, "The Bride of Frankenstein). Thus, everything popular culture "knows" about "Frankenstein" does not originate from literature, but from films. This is a shame, in a way, because the novel itself is, if not the progenitor, an early vessel of so many archetypes found science fiction and horror. ~ Ian Fowler, Penguin Classics

The quotation: HIS HAIR WAS OF A LUSTROUS BLACK…; HIS TEETH OF A PEARLY WHITENESS; BUT THESE LUXURIANCES ONLY FORMED A MORE HORRID CONTRAST WITH HIS WATERY EYES… THE DUN WHITE SOCKETS…, HIS SHRIVELED COMPLEXION, AND STRAIGHT BLACK LIPS.

The author’s name and the title of the work: MARY SHELLEY, FRANKENSTEIN

The defined words:

A. Chart-topping song of October 1962 (2 wds.), MONSTER MASH
B. Fourth-wall breaker, ASIDE
C. Scream, RIOT
D. Home of Mammoth Hot Springs, YELLOWSTONE
E. Constantly scolding, SHREWISH
F. Mad scientist’s stereotypical lab assistant, HUNCHBACK
G. With precious little left in the tank, EXHAUSTED
H. Like Prokofiev’s French Horn, LUPINE
I. Comics villain since 1940 (2 wds.), LEX LUTHOR
J. Emergency exit (2 wds.), ESCAPE HATCH
K. Time often embellished in retrospect, YESTERYEAR
L. Dueling weapon in “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, FIDDLE
M. Nonsense, RUBBISH
N. Setting for loopy demonstrations (2 wds.), AIR SHOW
O. Billy known for a hard kind of bop?, NIGHTSTICK
P. 1931 portrayer of a made man, KARLOFF
Q. Catchers of some waves, EARDRUMS
R. Breathing holes, NOSTRILS
S. Picture-taking session, SHOOT
T. Reversible or reciprocal (hyph.), TWO-WAY
U. Sort of person who should know right from wrong, ETHICIST
V. Classic film line shouted twice by Gene Wilder in 1974 (2 wds) IT’S ALIVE
W. Potential pickup site, NAPE

The full paragraph of the quotation: How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! -- Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. ~ Chapter 5, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.