The New York Times Crossword in Gothic

05.25.07 -- Friday on Friday

Jack Webb as Sgt. Friday -- LAPD Badge

Friday, May 25, 2007

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Puzzle by Mike Nothnagel, edited by Will Shortz

JACK WEBB (1A Actor with an L.A.P.D. auditorium named after him)

Viewers of the old TV program, Dragnet, remember Sgt. Joe Friday repeatedly telling the witnesses he'd question about a crime, "Just the facts, Ma'am." He had no time to get mixed up in the emotional aspects, he just wanted names, numbers, and details.

This Friday’s crossword puzzle has no time to get mixed up either -- names, numbers, and details:

(Scene, LAPD holding cell, suspect: the notorious Crossword Puzzle Butcher)

IMONADIET (14A Words that often follow sweet offers) -- see, cold, not hot.

HIRELINGS (17A Flunkies) -- more at mercenary. A flunky cringes.

"Just the facts, Ma'am."

ANKLET (19A It can have its charms) Vague clue, low blow.

SAAB (20A “Born from jets” sloganeer”) A Saab story.

FISCALQUARTER (33A Subject of a financial report) Good, cold, nice and cold.

MODEM (37A Kind of port) Not your mother’s Manischewitz

MYLAI (49A Hamlet in 1969 headlines)

"Just the facts, Ma'am."

NINELIVES (55A Feline gift) Also a cat food not on the shelf.

JIHADS (1D Crusades) Why is the puzzle so hostile?

AMINUS (2D It’s less than perfect) The way we were going, I thought Nothnagel was looking for “animus“.

WALES (5D Its flag has a large red dragon) Oooo…quotation from movie “Red Dragon”

Hannibal Lecter: "Tell me, Will. Did you enjoy it? Your first murder? Of course you did. And why shouldn't it feel good? It does to God. Why only last week in Texas, he dropped a church roof on the heads of 34 of his worshippers, just as they were groveling for him. He wouldn't begrudge you for one Journalist."

Well, now that BEGSTHEQUESTION (8D Commits a logical fallacy) petitio principia

"Just the facts, Ma'am."

GRADEAS (13D Good eggs) and RATEDR (44D Like “The Godfather”) or "Goodfellas"?

GORE (29D 2006 Oscar winner for his first film) -- could be clued to fit a crime.

DIESES (45D Double daggers in printing) -- you were thinking Edward Scissorhands? Google it, you’ll get this message -- Did you mean: diseases?

"Just the facts, Ma'am."

SEMI (35D Interstate sight) Now that could be a really, really lot of different things!

MACAQUE (37D Monkey with cheek pouches)-- it’s like I have a twin!

“…the facts!”

Oll Korrect, OK! I confess, I confess -- a Lulu is a CORKER, KNELLS sounds ominously, MARKUP is an edit, the “Shoe” waitress was ROZ, well, not fully, just INASENSE, when she CALLS, secretaries often hold them, I put mine on a pedestal to IDEALIZE, I’m trying to keep it simple or MERE, SUEME, yeah, a snide challenge, you have a way of turning TOONESIDE, you can’t UNZIP, open, in a way my yap, I’ll POUT, look down, if you’re looking for AXEMEN or guitarists, slangily, I’m just one not mingling much, a LONER!

Am I making any sense, any sense at all!!!

"Just the facts, Ma'am."

Dah... da, dum dum!

(Commercial)

For today's cartoon go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

The New York Times Crossword Puzzle solution above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery subscription.

05.24.07 -- Letter Box

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Click here for LARGE PRINT.

Puzzle by Patrick Merrell, edited by Will Shortz

Stretching the fifteen squares across this crossword puzzle's grid are DDDMONSTERMOVIE (17A "Creature From the Black Lagoon," e.g.),

HHHHCLUBMEETING (41A Gathering of budding agriculturists),

and KKKKKKKKKKRACES (62A Some running competitions)

-- long-hand for 3D monster movie, 4H club meeting and 10K races.-- the three main entries in a crossword puzzle construction seemingly obsessed with duplication of letters for the sake of itself.

That's perfectly "oll korrect," uh, I mean, O.K., because this sort of letters-for-letters-sake indulgence is a harmless alphabetical amusement -- the etymological equivalent of archaeology (think hieroglyphics). Undoubtedly, some well-meaning soul will blandly brand it a "theme" -- yes, there are those quotation marks again!

Hanging up three balloons does not really constitute a "theme" (not again!); however, several other entries join in the attempt: III (34A Sundial hour), TEEM (45A Brim), SST (57A Old J.F.K. sight), SKEET (73A Target sport), POOHBAH (22D Bigwig), TUTEE (37D One in a class by himself), and the odd-looking KAA (63A "The Jungle Book" python).
The three fifteen-letter acrosses necessitate a lot of fill top and bottom of the puzzle: KID, END, BAD, IKE, APT, REV, LAI, EKE, KLM, KAA, KFC, KTS, CUE, ETE, SET which are joined elsewhere in the construction by TEK, OSE, ABE, ISE, CSI, CSA, RAT, UNI, SON and the aforementioned III. Hey, those are just the three-letter entries!

Oll korrect (e.g., O.K.), four-letter fill: AIMS, ESME, ETAT, EBBS, ANIL, SACK, SKYS, AHEM, POWS, ASHE -- not until we get to PIKESPEAK (15A Site of an annual auto hill climb) and LAFAYETTE (69A City of Indiana or Louisiana) can we look back at the runner-ups, those little-monster five and six letter words of head, heart, hands, and health (oops, that's the 4 H's), does this puzzle speak, and oddly it does so -- KEBAB (1A Food that's stuck on a plate) (Never experienced kebab sticking to a plate), BENICE (50A "Please refrain from personal attacks") (is that the only way to be nice?), MACYS (Big parade organizer) (now them's balloons!), all SORTS (60A Separates).
Middle right of the puzzle grouped running down are BIKINIS, BIONICS and SINGLET (that's an image!) -- boy, those five and six letter entries have character! BROKAW (5D "The Greatest Generation") is from my home state, OBIES (44A Cousins of Drama Desk Awards) -- one hangs on my wall; MOHAWK (30A Attention-getting haircut) -- something I don't have enough hair for (watch your dangling prepositions); AHEM (52A "Excuse me") NOTME (25D Cry of innocence); CSA (58A Gray side: Abbr.) and I mean ACUTE (70A Severe)!
With that, I'll 40A Call ITAN evening...
O.K., give it "****"!

For today's cartoon go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

05-23-07 -- Smoke Screen

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

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Puzzle by Bruce Venzke and Stella Daily, edited by Will Shortz

ITRIEDTOBUY (21A Start of a quip from a hunter), ACAMOUFLAGESUIT (27A Quip, part 2), BUTICOULDNTFIND (46A Quip, part 3), ONEANYWHERE (54A End of the quip), read "I tried to buy a camouflage suit, but I couldn't find one anywhere", conceals an ashen Wednesday puzzle filled with quaint disguises. It seems burned out from sending up a smoke screen to hide it's own existence.

Hunting through this construction, one can find some fragments of clothing available, a SHOE (42A Pump, e.g.), ASCOTS (10D Fancy neckwear), a LAPEL (28D Boutonniere's place), a FOB (36D Watch spot) (a pocket for a watch or a chain or short ribbon to keep the watch in the pocket); however, it seems everything else that it WORE (57D Sported) is still in the DRIERS (51 Hotel bathroom amenities).

NOMEAT (50D Vegetarian's stipulation) and BANANA (1D Yogurt flavor); ATOMIC (2D Like some energy) and TMI (59A Pa. nuclear plant site); BONDAGE (9D Slave's state) and HOLYCOW (43D "Geez Louise!"); TREX (23D Fearsome dino) and AMY (29D "Little Women" sister); TUE (4D Calendar column: Abbr.) and WEDS (68A Forms a union) -- nothing about this puzzle really feels comfortable. Perhaps it's the clues, or HINTS (69A Solving helpers) that makes this puzzle hard to CAREFOR (53A Be fond of).

Any unattributable quote in a crossword puzzle sticks in my CRAW (19A Part of a bird's gullet) because by the time the quote is completed it is of no help in solution of the rest of the puzzle -- it's done! If someone actually said "I tried to buy a camouflage suit, but I couldn't find one anywhere", well that might be interesting. I GNAR (44D Make a snarling sound) -- Grrrrrrr!

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Visit Linda G at Madness...Crossword and Otherwise!

For today's cartoon go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Do today's New York Sun Puzzle (free on-line HERE) and then read GREEN GENIUS

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

05.22.07 -- DO RE MI

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

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Puzzle by Roger Wolff, edited by Will Shortz

DEERAFEMALEDEER (17a Doe, in song), DROPOFGOLDENSUN (36A Ray, in song), NAMEICALLMYSELF (55A Me, in song) with EDELWEISS (11D Alpine flower), GERMANY (35D 1990 Reunification site), and DOREMI (43A Money, slangily) leave little doubt about this puzzle's main thrust.

The Sound Of Music Do-Re-Mi (Maria And The Children) Lyrics

"Doe, a deer, a female deer

Ray, a drop of golden sun

Me, a name I call myself

Far, a long, long way to run

Sew, a needle pulling thread

La, a note to follow Sew

Tea, a drink with jam and bread

That will bring us back to Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti

Do . . . So Do Re . . . La Fa Mi . . . Mi

Do Fa . . . Re So . . . So Do La . . . La Fa Ti . . . La So Fa

Mi Re Ti

Do - oh - oh

Ti Do -- So Do"

Cheerful? -- Think again!

This little Tuesday monster has a sinister underside -- ROTTENIDEA (15A Idea that stinks), AWASH (5A Covered with water), BRINE (22A Pickle juice), TRIPE (46A Nonsense), ONETWO (54A Boxing Combo), SMEE (60A "Peter Pan" pirate) OMANI (62A Muscat-eer?) sharing it's "i" with OMNI (54D Prefix with potent), THIS (46D "Don't breathe a word of ____"), LURE (38D Bait), DISARM (43D Drop one's weapon), ROBOCOP (23D 1987 sci-fi film set in near-future Detroit), POLICEMAN (32D One dressed in blue), PRONE (31D Lying facedown), KIDD (10D William the pirate), EATUP (25D Eagerly devour), STALIN (8D Red star?), PIT (37D Cockfight area), HADES (1D Pluto's alias) and WOE (6D Misery) -- all lurking in the shadows of joy!

This puzzle is rich with etymological imagery and rife with memories of the past and future, calling to mind the U.S. Open, Ivan Lendl, Pittsburgh, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (left over from yesterday's puzzle?), General Motors, Moline,_Illinois, Peter Pan, Reese Witherspoon, Helen of Troy, William Kidd, Humphrey Bogart, Pinky Lee and Peggy Lee, the Gin Blossoms, Elena Verdugo, Rocco Mediate, Muhammed Ali, Len Deighton, Ted Turner, Joseph Stalin and the Devil Himself.

To read more about this terrific Tuesday terror, check out the following:

Madness...Crossword and Otherwise

Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle

Diary of a Crossword Fiend
Do today's New York Sun Puzzle (free on-line HERE) and then read GREEN GENIUS -- for cartoon, go HERE.

For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

The completed grid above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

05.21.07 -- Monday Markets

ALAS (6D "____, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio") -- Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, 1653Rembrandt (Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn) (Dutch, 1606–1669) -- used as an illustration for “A Mirror for Mankind: The Pose of Hamlet with the Skull of Yorick” by Jeffery Alan Triggs

Click here for LARGE PRINT

Monday, May 21 2007

Puzzle by Allan E. Parrish, edited by Will Shortz

MARKETS (26D What the last words of 17- and 61-Across and 10- and 25-Down are kinds of) team up with HUGOBLACK (17A Supreme Court justice known for a literalist interpretation of the Bill of Rights), SUMMERSTOCK (10D Some theater productions), SPANISHFLEA (25D 1966 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass hit) and MINCEMEAT (61A Pie filling) to comprise "black markets", "stock markets", "flea markets" and "meat markets".

This is a friendly Monday puzzle with familiar crossword entries and a few unusual odds and ends. The familiar TUNA, PLAZA, ERLE, EXES, SEMI, OCEAN, ZEAL, ALAI, ASHEN, EKES, ALAS (6D "____, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio") and more are present. The less familiar CALE (66A Auto racer Yarborough), TCBY (68A Popular frozen dessert chain), TOLDYA (5D "What'd I say?!"), AMAJ (33D Key related to F# minor: Abbr.) and that old war-horse EDKOCH (51A Former mayor who wrote "Mayor") give a little thought, but it's IMUS (30A Don formerly of morning radio) that gives pause -- no comment!

For those of us who like contrast and/or symmetry, whatever -- SUMMERSTOCK is upstage right from ALEG [43a "Break ____!" ("Good luck!")], TADA (5A Cry made with a flourish) sits above OLES (15A Cheers for toreros); EXES (56D Alimony receivers, e.g.) crosses EXILE (60A Napoleon on St. Helena, e.g.,) above which sits SETFREE (55A Emancipate) -- there's a little something for us all!

This is a great little back-to-work Monday special!

Have a good week!

For today's cartoon(s) go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Read today's Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle

Do today's New York Sun Puzzle (free on-line HERE) and then read GREEN GENIUS. ...for cartoon see HERE.

Illustrations: Black market, Hiroshima; stock market, New York City;

flea market, New Orleans, Louisiana; meat market in Poplar Bluff, Iowa.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

05.20.07 -- HEADLINES

JOESCHMOEBEATEN

WITHSHARPOBJECT

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Click here for LARGE PRINT

Puzzle by Seth A. Abel, edited by Will Shortz

"Blogs Answer, Question Crossword Puzzles", a page one headline article published Friday in The New York Sun refers to the "everyday schmoe who just does the puzzle" -- feel insulted? Check HERE for definition of "SCHMOE". Go HERE for Friday's New York Sun article on Crossword Bloggers.

Apropos, The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle is titled "MORE HEADLINES THAT MAKE YOU GO "HUH?"

COURTTOTRYBEATINGVICTIM (25A Ambiguous headline about a man charged with killing his attacker?)

MARCHPLANNEDFORAUGUST (39A Ambiguous headline about a protest?)

TEACHERSTRIKESIDLEKIDS (63A Ambiguous headline about school closings?)

FEDSDISCOVERCRACKINLA (81A Ambiguous headline about a California drug bust?)

CITYSHOMELESSCUTINHALF (101A Ambiguous headline about a vagrancy statistic?)

LAWYERSGIVEPOORADVICE (120A Ambiguous headline about attorneys' pro bono work?)

MANGETSYEARINVIOLINCASE (142A Ambiguous headline about a stolen Stradivarius?)

Ambiguity in the world of academia is an anathema to pedagogues who prefer to keep their sphere severe and sharp. This construction will have none of that. Quotations without source running the length of the puzzle cannot be a pleasing solve for anyone, especially when the resulting answers are weak in double-entendre, this puzzle's "HEADLINES" "theme".

Working one's way through this puzzle with absolutely no clue as to the seven full-length across entries except for the repeated words "ambiguous" and "headline about", the only immediate clues are the answers achieved from the down entries -- going one by one, laboriously deciphering these fairly innocuous clues and testing their entry is tedious and unrewarding. A full-across "HEADLINE" may not come to light until ninety-something-per-cent fill of the entry has been achieved. By that time, one has little patience for tepid humor.

Some of the downs -- ADAMN (118D Rhett Butler's last words). NACL (17D Shaker formula) -- it appears that when a constructor cannot get out of a jam, just Google the "entry" and something will come up -- desperate fill! YOGA (137D Home stretches?) -- only at home? MLIII (99D 11th-century year) -- well, this could be anything! That old standard EDITH (74D Head of costume design) -- no longer includes a question mark?

I worked this puzzle with "downs", one by one with little across for over half of the solve, piecing together scattered patchwork from the bottom up, achieving the 'HEADLINES" in reverse order. This is the worst kind of "quotation" puzzle -- one who's quote is entirely fictional and meekly humorous.

An excellent way for a sharp expert or a "schmoe" to waste away a rainy Sunday!

For more of today's cartoons go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Speaking of HEADLINES, GREEN GENIUS has posted the following links of interest -- go to the GREEN GENIUS site for details:

Could George W. Bush write a crossword puzzle?

George W. Bush to Replace Will Shortz as NYT Crossword Puzzle Editor

Blogs Answer, Question Crossword Puzzles

Crossword puzzles prove technology can't replace human touch

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

Comments for this post can be made HERE.

05.19.07 -- ELECTRIC ECLECTIC

34D CERES (Biggest part of a certain belt)

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Puzzle by Byron Walden, edited by Will Shortz

To STATETHEOBVIOUS (8D Say something to which people reply "Duh!") any crossword FIEND (56A Devotee) who says that the information contained in this puzzle was just floating around in their head waiting patiently to be USEABLE (39D Fit) is OUTOFTUNE (63A Flat, for example), NERDY (49A Like Eddie Murphy's Norbit), or to be kind, a SYMBOLIST (1A Person who says one thing and means another) because this construction is a YUKFEST (2D It's one funny thing after another) of a WHYME (11D Question from the picked-upon) to FLEEFROM (36D Escape) before it's QUARTERTO (15A With 16-Across, title time in a 1961 #1 hit by Gary U. S. Bonds) THREE (16A See 15-Across) or III (30A 16-Across, in another way) and you wind up with ARIAS (23D Soprano's repertoire) from an ALLFEMALE (35A Like the Supremes and the Go-Go's) group, SWABS (10A Crime lab items) of RONREAGAN (60A Noted Joffrey Ballet dancer of the 1980s) and SQUIRTS of (1D WD-40 applications) BEANDIP (13D Spicy serving in a bowl)!

A masterful brainwash -- mine's fried! Duh!

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Read Linda G on this "work of art" at Madness...Crossword and Otherwise

For today's cartoon, go to

The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

05.18.07 -- ET CETERA

Battle of Antietam

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Friday, May 18, 2007

Puzzle by David Quarfoot, edited by Will Shortz

Rex Parker is a great fan of David Quarfoot's puzzles, so for his sharp analysis read Rex Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle, Friday, May 18, 2007.

That'll be it from here!

ET CETERA:

For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.

Go HERE for today's New York Sun article on Crossword Bloggers.

Friday's excellent NY Sun puzzle -- solution & commentary at GREEN GENIUS or solve it yourself (free) at The NY Sun Crossword Puzzle (M-F)

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

05.17.07 -- SET

Above illustrations: Set represented in the tomb of Thutmose III (KV34); Set (serpent god), a character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe and Conan the Barbarian stories. Maya Hieroglyphics Copan Museum, Copan, Honduras

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Click here for LARGE PRINT.

Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld, edited by Will Shortz

The word SET set into a single square is the "theme" of this pleasant-enough crossword puzzle. If you want to call squeezing a single word into a space a "rebus puzzle", do so, (for further on "rebus puzzle" see 04.26.07 "Gouging, Glyphs, Graphs and Glitches), but in this case it seems there is no real set "rebus" or "glyph" image for SET, such as SET in mathematics, or elsewhere (well, actually, there is a SET in Egyptian hieroglyphics). So, SET will be written [SET] in the following paragraphs.

SIAME[SET]WINS (17A Ones with a family connection?) with [SET]OUT (18D Begin);

LO[SET]RACKOF (10D Fail to keep tabs on) with [SET]SIN (19A Takes root);

CUR[SET]HEDAY (36D Be very, very sorry) with FAL[SET]TO (46A Much higher than normal);

HOR[SET]RADERS (64A Shrewd bargainers) with [SET]TO (65D Scrap)...

and in the center of the grid...

BA[SET]EN (30D Decimal) which is (and here "SET" as a math term suits both entries) crossed with PE[SET]AS (41A Former European money)...

are "clued" by BOXEDSET (55A Special CD release...or a hint to this puzzle's theme).

Of course, when the “theme” words occupy as much a criss-cross area of the grid as do these, the remainder of the puzzle is a question of the constructor filling in the remaining space with the usual sustenance of words and abbreviations. Making their obligatory appearance in the line-up are (to be fair, in no particular order) LAPP, OSLO, DIVA, PITA, SOUP, STAB, SLAT, ECRU, PACE, TONED, PAW, ELLEN, DEICE, OREM, HARP, NERD, AVID and OVID (they work together), NINA, XING, OPAL, EDGY, BANE, ROAR, HARP, SYN, TRIP, REPS, ESTE, TASTE, ROAR, IBID, PAW, ASST, POND, ONIT, TASTE and TYPO (that’s the one!).

However, these regulars are all cloaked with fresh clues which make them no easier to crack than the less frequently seen HETERO (20A Straight), DEPORTED (21A Thrown out), AMERCE (59A Punish by fining), NIPAT (68A Lightly pinch), THEROSE (5D 1980 Bette Midler hit), AUSPICES (9D Patronage), CACKLE (31A Not just laugh), KEPIS (32D French military hats) and POORSHOT (41D Hardly a marksman) (remind you of anyone?).

Cool clues include 23A It’s not forked out; 46A Much higher than normal; 48A Studious sort, and proud of it (now that’s subjective!), 50A Single, for one: Abbr.;66A One of a noted nautical trio; 69A On tenterhooks; and 1A No-loss, no-gain situation.

All in all a this is a skillful, devious and witty crossword puzzle which should produce some seriously clenched pens!

That's all, folks!

For further commentary read Linda G at Madness, Crossword and Otherwise and guest blogger Evad at Diary of a Crossword Fiend. They will elaborate and fill you in on the fill!

Go here for The New York Sun Crossword Puzzle of May 17, 2007 and link to GREEN GENIUS commentary!

For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.