10.31.13 — Mirrors

Bela Lugosi, Dracula, 1931

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 — Halloween 

Puzzle by David Kwong / Edited by Will Shortz

MIRRORS (23D. Things worth looking into?), along with WOLFMAN / NAMFLOW (1A. Universal Studios role of 1941; 8A. 1-Across, in 23-Down), MONSTER / RETSNOM (17A. Universal Studios role of 1931; 18A. 17-Across, in 23-Down), PHANTOM / MOTNAHP (59A. Universal Studios role of 1925; 61A. 59-Across, in 23-Down) and DRACULA / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (64A. Universal Studios role of 1931; 65A. 64-Across, in 23-Down) constitute the interrelated group of this spooky Halloween crossword.

Other — ACTOR (27D. Phoenix or Washington), EUGENE (44D. Pacific Northwest city), FT SMITH (4D. Second-largest city in Ark.), MITTENS (10D. Nickname for a 2012 presidential candidate), SHIATSU (42D. Acupressure technique).

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10.30.13 — Halloween Dinner

Panna Cotta (brain style) with Pomegranite Sauce ~ Susan Yang

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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

Five answers clued as “Part of a Halloween dinner?” constitute the interrelated group of this brainy day-before-Halloween Wednesday crossword  — SWEDISH FISH, JELLY BEANS, CANDY CORN, HOT TAMALES and TOOTSIE ROLL

Other edible and/or food-related items in the puzzle include CREME (34D. Thick, sweet liqueur), EGG salad, PESTOS (8D. Basic-based sauces), REESES Peanut Butter Cups, RISSOLE (40D. Savory deep-fried pastry), RYE BREAD  (6D. Deli loaf), a STEAMER (24A. Soft-shell clam) and TAHINIS (13D. Pastes used in Middle Eastern cuisine), along with CARLS JR (1D. Fast-food chain with a smiling star in its logo) and SAL (21D. Pizzeria owner in “Do the Right Thing“).

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10.29.13 — Dream House

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Puzzle by Robert Cirillo / Edited by Will Shortz

HOUSE (37A. Word that can follow both halves of 18-, 20, 32-, 40-, 54- and 57-Across), FIRE POWER (18A. Military muscle), WHITE SMOKE (20A. Sign of change at the Vatican), BIRD BATH (32A. Functional lawn adornment), CLEAN OUT (40A. Take every last cent of), GREEN LIGHT (54A. “Go” signal) and FULL COURT (57A. Using all of a gym, as in basketball) constitute the interrelated group of this well-constructed Tuesday crossword.

Other — ASPERSE (5D. Bad-mouth), DREAM ON (27D. “Yeah, like you have a chance!“), ISOLATE (43D. Quarantine), PRETTY / AWFUL (45D. With 46-Down, quite bad).

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10.28.13 — Woof!

The Spoiled Child, Rococo era painting, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, c. 1765

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Monday, October 28, 2013

Puzzle by Ed Sessa / Edited by Will Shortz

WHERE OH WHERE HAS / MY LITTLE DOG GONE (17A. With 62-Across, question in a children’s song), along with SPOT, REX, ROVER and MAX found in IN SPOT (30A. *It’s a happening place), OEDIPUS REX (34A. *Sophocles tragedy), RANGE ROVER (43A. *British luxury S.U.V.) and MAD MAX (45A. *Star-making title role for Mel Gibson) constitute the interrelated group of this masterful Monday crossword.

Other — AREA MAPS (4D. Localized charts), PLENA (40A. Full political assemblies), PRESAGES (40D. Forewarns), ROCOCO (15A. Elaborate architectural style), TRYSTS (69A. Secret get-togethers).

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10.27.13 — A Trip Across a Desert

Lophophora williamsii is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline.  The Spanish common name, also used in English, is peyote from the Nahuatl word peyōtl, which means "glisten" or "glistening". Native North Americans are likely to have used peyote for at least 5,500 years. ~ Wikipedia

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Sunday, October 27, 2013

Who’s Left, Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley

Edited by Will Shortz

Ten names, GRACE, JAMES, ALEX, PETER, MARIA, SARAH, CLAIRE, EVAN,  KYLE and STELLA, reading from right to left in circled letters, constitutes the interrelated group of this fairly friendly standard-but-with-an-afterthought Sunday crossword.

The answers containing the names:

THREE CAR GARAGE (23A. McMansion’s storage)
LÈSE-MAJESTÉ (37A. Attack on sacred custom)
PIXELATED (39A. Dotty?)
CONCRETE PUMP (50A. Piece of road construction equipment)
FAIR AMOUNT (67A. Lot)
HARASSMENT (69A. Badgering)
AERIAL COMBAT (80A. What the Red Baron engaged in)
ON AVERAGE (91A. Generally speaking)
WIDELY KNOWN (96A. Famous)
BALLET SLIPPERS (113A. They may keep you on your toes)

Other — British novelist Anthony BURGESS, COHERER (2D. Primitive radio receiver), CONGERS and EELS (88D. Some 99-Down), COULTER (20A. Author of “If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans”), IMMORTAL (31D. Any Mount Olympus dweller), ISAO AOKI (65D. Golfer nicknamed “Tower”),  MIAOWS (73D. Cat calls), P C BOARD (1A. Etched computer component), PEYOTE (34D. Provider of a trip across a desert?), SPACE JAM (105A. Jordan feature), SMEE and SPEE, SWANEE (56D. River of song), SWARD (56A. Grassy expanse), WRING DRY (28A. Remove the last drop from).

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10.26.13 — Acetic Acid

Acetic acid crystals…

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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Puzzle by Barry C. Silk / Edited by Will Shortz

In a word, unrewarding.

Across — 1. Domino’s bottom?, PIZZA CRUST; 11. Sing, BLAB; 15. Olympic Tower financier, ARI ONASSIS; 16. Roman marketplaces, FORA; 17. Lines to be cracked, CIPHER TEXT; 18. Something to hold down, FORT; 19. Asian silk center, ASSAM; 20. Giving no performances, DARK; 22. Aid in getting it together?, KIT; 23. Off-limits, NO-GO; 26. Al Fundy’s garage, e.g., MANCAVE; 28. Spot with a talking bear maybe: Abbr., PSA; 3. XII, perhaps, NOON; 33. Hallstrom, e.g., PELTER; 34. Sarah Palin called herself an average one, HOCKEY MOM; 37. How fresh paint glistens, WETLY; 38. “The Tourist” novelist OLEN Steinhauer; 39. Best final result, A-PLUS; 41. Literary character who says “I’ll chase him round Good Hope”, AHAB; 42. Kind of horoscope, NATAL; 44. Kids’ party game, HOT POTATO; 46. Bell heather and tree heath, ERICAS; 48. Topic in a world religious course, SECT; 49. Follower of Gore?, TEX; 50. Like some laptop keyboards, BACKLIT; 52. Minable material,, DATA; 54. Part of un glomo, ORA; 55. “I’ll send for you ANON”: Othello; 57. Record held for decades?, OLDIE; 61. Swimmer featured in the 2013 film “Blackfish”, ORCA; 63. Important stud farm visitors, BROOD MARES; 66. Ape’s lack, TAIL; 67. Pre-Raphaelite ideal, ITALIAN ART; 68. Bad side of literature?, HYDE; 69. Sings, NAMES NAMES.

Down — Spotted South American mammal, PACA; 2. The white surrounds it, IRIS; 3. 99+ things to Alaska?, ZIPS; 4. 2008 title role for Adam Sandler, ZOHAN; 5. Buttercup family member, ANEMONE; 6. See 8-Down, CAR; 7. Letter string, RST; 8. With 6-Down, old wheels, USED; 9. When hands are extended straight up and down, SIX AM; 10. It my be over a foot, T-STRAP; 11. Closest bud, briefly, BFF; 12. Head-turning cry, LOOK AT THAT; 13. Make a fashionable entrance?, ARRIVE LATE; 14. Its contents provide juice, BATTERY BOX; 21. Apprehended, KNEW; 24. Big name in Hispanic food, GOYA; 26. Juice, OOMPH; 27. Sports stud, CLEAT; 28. DC transformation location, PHONE BOOTH; 29. Collection of green panels, SOLAR ARRAY; 30. CH3COOH, ACETIC ACID; 32. Some pleas, briefly, NOLOS; 36. Flair, KNACK; 34. Like some colors and cornets, MUTED; 44. Grp. Concerned with feeding the kitty, SPCA; 45. Karaoke stand-in?, LA LA; 45. Raiser of dogs?, OTTOMAN; 47. Penalty box, to sports fans, SIN BIN; 51. Trattoria dessert, TORTA; 53. “32 Flavors” singer ALANA Davis, 1998; 56. “Barney Miller” Emmy winner NOAM Pitlik; 58. America’s basic monetary unit, DRAM; 59. French suffix with jardin, IERE; 50. Proposal figs., ESTS; 62. Draught ALE; 64. Jubilant cry, OLE; 65. Trash, DIS.

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10.25.13 — The Friday Crossword

Piero della Francesca, self-portrait, detail from The Resurrection

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Friday, October 25, 2013

Puzzle by Martin Ashwood-Smith / Edited by Will Shortz

Nine full-length answers constitute the main feature of this sluggish Friday crossword:

MADE MINCEMEAT OF (1A. Wiped the floor with)
ECONOMIC WARFARE (16A. Use of blockades, say)
LOS ANGELES TIMES (17A. Western daily)
SPECIAL INTEREST (18A. Lobby)
MORSE CODE SIGNAL (34A. One may be tapped out)
COMMERCIAL RADIO (48A. Certain advertising medium)
FREE TRANSLATION (55A. It’s not word-for-word)
CHANSON DE GESTE (56A. Old French epics)
SETS ON A PEDESTAL (57A. Idolizes)

Other — CIMARRON (35D. 1931 Best Picture), ENACTORS (4D. Passing people), GAS RATES 36D. Utility bill details), LAKMÉ (39A. Title priestess of opera), MASTIFFS (10D. Guarders with droopy ears and pendulous lips), MONIED MEN (5D. What Hamilton called the wealthy), ODE and ODIST, Painter PIERO della Francesca, SILVER (32D. Second-greatest period in the history of something).

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10.24.13 — Boomerang

Bolero dancer by Lautrec

Marcelle Lender in Chilperic, 1895

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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins / Edited by Will Shortz

BOOMERANG EFFECT (36. Unwelcome reversal … or a title for this puzzle?), TWO-WAY TEERTS (5D. With 6-Down, mutual relationship), NEGATIVE KCABDEEF (9D. With 10-Down, critical comments), ELEVATOR ROTAREPO (37D. With 38-Down, one who may give you a life) and RETURN TEKCIT (46D. With 47-Down, means of getting home, maybe) constitute the interrelated group of this tricky Thursday crossword.

Other — BOLEROS (62A. Some slow dances), EGALITE (18A. One third of a French revolutionary’s cry), INK POTS (8A. Spots for dipping, once), ISOTOPE (60A. Uranium 235, e.g.), PIE HOLE (28A. Trap), SABINE (21A. Like the women in a famous Rubens painting), TANGOED (17A. Danced to Julio Sosa music, say).

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10.23.13 — Games

Twister and Checkers with a Flying Cow

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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Puzzle by Robyn Weintraub / Edited by Will Shortz

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES (62A. Doubleheader … or what 17-, 29- and 48-Across are?), TWISTER CHECKERS (17A. Tornado monitors?), CLUE MONOPOLY (29A. What the only detective on a case has?) and SORRY OTHELLO (48A. What a remorseful Iago might have said?) constitute the interrelated group of this witty Wednesday crossword.

Other — “It AIN’T over till …“, CHIPMUNKS (3D. High-pitched group with a 1958 #1 hit, with “the”), GEORGE (43A. New British royal of 2013), GOOD COP (46D. Half a police interrogation team, maybe), NEIL SIMON (35D. “Lost in Yonkers” playwright), SARDINE (6D. Rush-hour subway rider) ...

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10.22.13 — Middle Earth

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Puzzle by Kevan Choset / Edited by Will Shortz

MIDDLE EARTH (59A. “The Lord of the Rings” setting … or a feature of 17-, 24-, 38- and 49-Across?), CLEAR THE AIR (17A. Overcome an unpleasant misunderstanding), LINEAR THINKING (24A. Left-brain activity), I HEART HUCKABEES (38A. 2004 film featuring Dustin Hoffman), and ACUTE ARTHRITIS (49A. Reason to see a rheumatologist) constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other — DOOHICKEY (11D. Thingamajig), HERMES (47D. Mercury counterpart), PEANUT OIL (33D. What pad Thai is often cooked in), SHIRR (34D. Bake, as eggs), SITAR (54A. Instrument played by George Harrison), THRACIANS (32A. Allies of the Trojans in the “Iliad”).

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10.21.13 — Runaway

Jean-Pierre Léaud, The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) 1959, directed by François Truffaut 

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Puzzle by Gary Cee / Edited by Will Shortz

RUNAWAY JURY (17A. John Cusack thriller based on a Grisham novel), BREAK-OUT STAR (28A. Newly famous celebrity), ESCAPE CLAUSE (47A. Stipulation that frees one of liability) and TAKE-OFF RAMP (62A. Part of a ski jump just before going airborne) constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Other — DECLARE and DESPISE, FATHOM (49A. Nautical unit of measure), FUMET (66A. Strong, seasoned stock, in cookery), GEE (19A. “Golly!“), POGO STICK (11D. Toy that hops), TOUCH UPON (34D. Mention in passing), VARIOUS.

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10.20.13 — Dissolution — the Acrostic

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s fine acrostic draws an philosophically interesting quotation from How to Live or A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell.



Ms. Bakewell’s new book, “How to Live” (Other Press), is a biography, but in the form of a delightful conversation across the centuries. The subtitle — “Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer” — serves as an organizing principle. ~ The New York Times 

The quotation:  THE OBSERVER IS AS UNRELIABLE AS THE OBSERVED … TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD IS LIKE GRASPING A CLOUD OF GAS, OR A LIQUID, USING HANDS THAT ARE THEMSELVES MADE OF GAS OR WATER, SO THAT THEY DISSOLVE AS YOU CLOSE THEM.

The author’s name and the title of the work:  SARAH BAKEWELL, HOW TO LIVE

The defined words:

A. Beginning you may go back to (2 wds.), SQUARE ONE
B. Literally, “seeing for oneself”, AUTOPSY
C. Swedish turnip by another name, RUTABAGA
D. Written pledge that a thing is true, AFFIDAVIT
E. Walter White’s alter ego on “Breaking Bad”, HEISENBERG
F. Supplies for mall Santas, BEARDS
G. Keeping you coming back for more, ADDICTIVE
H. Disciplined way of getting your kicks?, KARATE
I. Hold spellbound, ENTHRALL
J. Counterclockwise, WIDDERSHINS
K. Hartford or New Haven historic district (2 wds.), ELM STREET
L. Scotland Yard inspector in Holmes tales, LE STRADE
M. Annual host team in the N.F.L.’s Thanksgiving Classic, LIONS
N. Nonstop freight trains, conspicuously talented people, HOTSHOTS
O. Knocked unconscious (2 wds.), OUT COLD
P. Aid in preventing leaks, WASHER
Q. Stem-to-stern, head-to-toe, THOROUGH
R. Protectors of dogs from cold and wet, OVERSHOES
S. Unseen for ages (hyph.), LONG-LOST
T. Bold, unblushing, IMMODEST
U. Without pinning things down, VAGUELY
V. Specialty of Michel de Montaigne, who is the biographic subject of this puzzle’s subject, ESSAYS

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Here’s some dude liquid dancing…

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10.20.13 — Country Road

Lincoln Highway, Nevada

The Lincoln Highway was America's first national memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, predating the 1922 dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. by nine years. As the first automobile road across America, the Lincoln Highway brought great prosperity to the hundreds of cities, towns and villages along the way. The Lincoln Highway became affectionately known as "The Main Street Across America." ~ Wikipedia

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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Country Road, Crossword by Elizabeth C. Gorski

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s wonderfully smooth crossword marks the 100th anniversary of the LINCOLN / HIGHWAY (122A. With 124-Across, dedicated in October 1913, project represented by the 13 pairs or circled letters), along with circled letter pairs (postal abbreviations) for the states that the Lincoln Highway passes through — CA, NV, UT, WY, NE, IA, IL, IN, OH, WV, PA, NJ, NY. — along with MAIN STREET ACROSS AMERICA  (25A. Nickname for the 122-/124-Across), THE FIRST MAJOR MEMORIAL TO / THE SIXTEENTH U S PRESIDENT (40A. With 105-Across, historical significance of the 122-/124-Across) and TSAOC TO TSAOC MORF SLEVART (148A. Follows the east-west route of the 122-/124-Across?), e.g., TRAVELS FROM COAST TO COAST.

Lincoln Highway Bridge over Wapsipinicon River. Photo Hank Zaletel.

Other — ATM CARD (23A. It‘s often swiped by a shopaholic), CASTANETS (87A. They really click), HITCH and HUTCH, IN DRAG (136A. Wearing clothes fit for a queen?), Funny JANEANE Garofalo, LAPEL (121D. Big flap in 1970s fashion?) , ORANGE TREES (152A. Tropicana grove), RED LION (45D. Figure on the Scottish coat of arms), STAMPED (15A. Like some feet and envelopes).

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