09.21.09 -- Magazine Readers

Monday, September 21, 2009

Puzzle by Mark Feldman, edited by Will Shortz

MAGAZINE READERS (39A.What 17-, 20-, 56- and 60-Across are?), TIME KEEPER (17A. Official with a stopwatch), SELF PROMOTER (20A. Bragging sort), PEOPLE PERSON (56A. One good at forming connections with others) and MONEY LOVER (60A. Miser, e.g.) are the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

Mid-size entries include AL CAPONE (40D. Gangster a k a Scarface), A TEMPO (31A. Resuming the previous speed, in music), CARESS (43A. Stroke gently), DROOPS (27A. Sags), ELASTICS (18D. Stretchables), ESTATE (47A. Subject of a will), GOES EASY (29D. Takes it slow), LIES TO (4D. Doesn’t level with), TIN ORE (48D. Cassiterite) and UNFORMED (10D. Not yet in a recognizable shape).

Five-letter entries dominate the puzzle -- ADAMS (22D. John or John Quincy); APORT (52D. Toward the left side of a ship); AT ALL (1A. Even a tiny bit); AVERT (8D. Prevent, as disaster); CLEFT (6D. Split); DREAM (66A. Bedtime story?); EATEN (12D. All gone, as dinner); ESSEX (38D. County on the Thames); IRATE (37D. Angry, and then some); IRONS (26A. Alternatives to woods); 7D. Florentine painter Fra Filippo LIPPI; 14A. Tia MARIA (coffee liqueur); NORGE (24D. Oslo’s country, to natives); REHAB (36D. Program for kicking a habit); ROGET (51D. Thesaurus compiler); SEERS (69A. Crystal ball users); SEE TO (11D. Take care of); SENSE (53D. Taste or touch); SPEWS (49D. Gushes); STARS (13D. Constellation elements); STRAW (49A. Stable bedding); 50D. TERRA firma; TREAT (54D. Halloween goody); URIAH (23D. Dickens’s Heep).

Short stuff -- AIR, AMT, ARM, ASS, ASTA (52A. “The Thin Man“ pooch“), AUNT, CLAN, COS, EAR, EMUS (57D. Down Under birds), ENA, ERGO, ERIE, FETA, GAM, HAS, IBEX, LAKE, LIVE, MER, NEAT, NERO, OLDS, OWL (46D. “Whoo … whoo …” caller), PAZ, PRE, RMS, SATE, SHEL, STET, TAI, URSA, USES, VEE, WREN.

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Remaining clues -- Across: 6. Family group; 10. Employs; 15. Opposite of taped; 16. Having everything arranged just so; 22. Uncle’s partner; 25. Going ___ (bickering); 29. Pinup’s leg; 30. Broadcast; 35. See 5-Down; 42. Writer/illustrator Silverstein; 44. Owns; 45. Firms: Abbr.; 55. Wild goat; 59. “And so …”; 64. Sir Christopher the architect; 65. ___ Minor (constellation); 67. Fill; 68. “Leave in,” to a proofer. Down: 1. Quantity: Abbr.; 2. ___ chi chuan; 3. Where the humerus and ulna are; 5. With 35-Across, view from Cleveland; 21. Actress Farrow; 28. La ___, Bolivia; 32. Disney deer; 33. Mal de ___; 34. Lead-in to nuptial; 41. Nincompoop; 58. Former G.M. make; 61. Sign flashed by Churchill; 62. Something that may be pricked; 63. Apt. divisions.

09.20.09 -- NYSE

New York Stock Exchange, 1979, Santi Visalli

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

CLOSING BELL, Puzzle by Michael Ashley, edited by Will Shortz

NYSE (43D. Closing bell place: Abbr.), along with seven entries of common phrases transformed by ending in DING are the interrelated group of this Sunday crossword -- RAISIN BRAN DING (23A. Goal of Sun-Maid’s marketing); GREENS FEE DING (39A. Salad bar activity?); OF MICE AND MEN DING (52A. Book on how to repair rodent damage?); LONG TIME NO SEE DING (69A. Reason that nothing’s growing on the farm?); AINT WE GOT FUN DING (88A. Question from a campaign committee?); GENTLE BEN DING (98A. Exercise for beginning yoga students?); DRAWING PEN DING (120A. Tardy illustrator’s assurance?). Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

Other entries of length include AMORTIZES (61A. Pays down incrementally); BRITANNIA (80A. Subject for 48-Across); COLANDERS (112A. Porous kitchen utensils); FELDSPAR (91D. Mineral that crystallizes from magma); HACIENDA (37D. Home south of the border); START ANEW (29A. Go back to square one); SUBPOENA (6D. Form of 4-Down); TRIBUNAL (62D. Court of justice).

Seven-letter -- ENGARDE (15D. Cry before waving the hand); GENTEEL (14D. Well-bred); KLINGER (94D. “M*A*S*H” corporal); ORTRANTO (93D. Town on the SE tip of Italy that’s the title setting for a Horace Walpole novel).

Six -- AGE OLD (13A. Venerable); AVENGE (119A. Repay) and AVERSE (13D. Against, with “to”); CANTER (8D. Easy gallop); ELDERS (99D. Council members); ENGINE (26A. You might give this a gun); ERRORS (128A. Position player’s stat); HUEVOS (86A. Dish served ranchero-style); INNEED (63D. Destitute); INTOIT (53D. Really engrossed); IRANIS (59A. Dwellers on the Strait of Hormuz); NARITA (101D. Tokyo’s airport); OSIERS (32A. Willow twigs); STARED (106A. Was gaping); TEETER (124A. Be on the brink); VENDOR (22A. Carnival sight).

Five -- ASIAN, ATBAT, AUDIO, BEADS, CBSTV, DARED, DORAG, EGGED, EMITS, ENDAT, ENVOI, GAVIN, HENCE, IBOOK, INANE, LENYA, MAIDS, MAZES, NOLTE, OOZED, ORSER, PERES, SACHA (129A. Baron Cohen who created 25-Down), SCRUM, SMALL, URGED.

Four -- AFRO, ALIG (25D. Alter ego of Borat and Bruno), ARNE, ATON, BRIG, CATE, DARN, DESK, DOOM, DREW and DRAY, EARL, EDIT, GALS, GOAD, GOIN, GRIN, GRAD, HUGO, IDIO, INEZ and INGE, LEER, LOLL, LONE, LORD, NADA and NODE, NEAL, OAHU, ODIN, ONLY, ORES, OVER, PELT, RDAS, RENE, RIGS, RILE, ROUE and RUBE, SAKS, SEEN, SEGA, SHOE, SLIM, SRTA, SUMO, TINS, TINA and TONI, USER, VOGT, WADS, WISP, WRIT (4D. Formal order).

Three -- ABC, ACE, AMI, ANA, AUF, BEE (100D. One using a comb), BUD, DIM, ERA, ESL, GAS, ION, NED and NET, RUN, SDI, VOA, WAH.

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Remaining clues -- Across: 1. Low-I.Q.; 4. Slender amount; 8. Letterman airer; 19. Gasteyer of stage and screen; 20. He’s less than a gentleman; 21. Broadcast element; 27. Conclude by; 28. Shower with force; 31. Office holder, of sorts; 35. Word with interface or option; 36. Part of a brake; 45. Hot air; 48. Composer Thomas; 50. Beat poet Cassady; 51. Actress Lotte; 58. Immigrant’s course, for short; 60. Overseas news source, in brief; 64. Murphy’s “48 HRS.” co-star; 65. Seeped; 68. “Drat!”; 75. Peculiar: Prefix; 76. Rugby play; 77. Units of sweat; 85. Athos, to Aramis; 87. Take a power; 92. Old Apple laptop; 95. Push; 96. Company founded in 1940 as Standard Games; 97. Bottom line; 103. Hang around; 105. Push too hard, maybe; 108. Aloha Tower site; 117. Throws together; 118. Eight-time Canadian skating champion; 125. Up time; 126. Broadway columnist Wilson; 127. Whiz; 130. Cart for heavy loads; 131. Lead character on “Pushing Daisies”. Down: 1. Took a chance; 2. For the birds; 3. Ones who’ll straighten you up?; 5. Cloud chamber particle; 7. P.M. preceded and succeeded by Shamir; 9. Chum; 10. Reagan cause: Abbr.; 11. Pantry array; 12. Science fiction author A. E. van ___; 16. Ruler of the Aesir; 17. Isolated; 18. Had no play in crazy eights; 24. Retailer beginning in 1867; 30. Start of a German goodbye; 33. Haitian president Preval; 34. In the public eye; 38. Gemstone sources; 40. Zilch; 41. Spare; 42. Deadly 1966 hurricane; 44. Hoedown participants; 46. Enter; 46. Early Michael Jackson style; 47. Petty; 49. End of a ballade; 54. Something often thought of as impending; 55. Lab challenges; 58. Branching point; 57. Diploma holder; 66. S.A.S.E., e.g.; 67. Informal headwear; 70. Actress Lollobrigida; 71. Novelist Morrison; 72. Sport of a rakish; 73. Sends out; 74. San Francisco mayor Newsom; 78. Ready, in the kitchen; 79. U.S. Army E-6; 80. Naval lockup; 81. Bumpkin; 82. ___ secret; 83. Pulitzer playwright of 1953; 84. Heaps; 86. Science fiction prize; 89. Lots of moolah; 90. Switch lines, say?; 102. Meaning of the emoticon :-D; 104. Whom a thane attended; 107. Pushed, with “on”; 109. Broad style of cuisine; 110. From this time; 111. Pushed; 112. Actress Blanchett; 113. Much-repeated word in air traffic control; 114. Creepy look; 115. Vitamin bottle info, for short; 116. Mex. Miss; 118. Right turn ___; 121. Symbol of simplicity; 122. When doubled, a musical effect; 123 Prohibition, e.g.

09.19.09 -- Bound Legs With Clubs

Caveman Stuck in Tar, Alex Fleisig

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Saturday, September 19, 2009

Puns and Anagrams, Puzzle by Mel Taub, edited by Will Short

HALF-CENTURY PUZZLEMAKERS' WEEK -- All the daily crosswords this week, Monday through Saturday, are by puzzlemakers who have been contributing to The Times for more than 50 years. Mel Taub had his first Times crossword published on October 24, 1954. His Puns and Anagrams puzzles (of which this is an example) have appeared in the Sunday Magazine since 1955.

ROLLER BEARING (14A. Mien of a crapshooter will reduce friction) and TRIP INSURANCE (40A. Fall guy’s protection when traveling) are the two 13-letter entries in a crossword which BLUDGEONS (15D. Bound legs with clubs) the usual Saturday with puns and anagrams.

Remaining across: 1. Impudence of a Br. fool, BRASS; 6 At least it’s a real bargain, STEAL; 11. Author in a stupor, PROUST; 12. Job for a Rhine surgeon, HERNIA; 16. Oath from a renegade, EGAD; 17. What lies in the Seine, ILES; 18. TEE party (golfers’ bash); 19. Kind of dry, SUN; 20. Turned pea in 19-Across, SPUN; 21. Group of Irish islands in quarantine, ARAN; 22. Dead set against being keyed up, SEDATED; 24. Divided A.P. pictures, APART; 25. U.N. rap added rapidly, RANUP; 30. Except having Republication passage from a book, EXCERPT; 34. Retro style, EDOM; 35. One who attends school hops, SOPH; 36. Swiss tourist center URI; 37. Why isn’t one done?, NO D; 38. Pedro’s hand in Oman, MANO; 39. PIER pressure (cause of a jetty collapse); 43. Where does N.C. rank among U.S. states in Christmas tree production?, SECOND; 44. Reined in nymph, NEREID; 45. Shabby followers of a bee, SEEDY; 46. Pairs accumulated in 500 days, DYADS.

Down: 1. With which Seamus will rub ego, BROGUE; 2. Companion of Arnold, ROLAND; 3. Word with which to laud the new year, AULD; 4. The direction to Hussein’s heart, SSE; 5. Having chevrons with red tips, STRIPED; 6. Charlie’s luster, SHEEN; 7. Affairs that might sate the British, TEAS; 8. Kind of ant, ERR; 9. She danced in Tirana, ANITRA; 10. I learn of some measurements, LINEAR; 11. With 13-Down, push a fellow in public relations, PRESS; 13. See 11-Down, AGENT; 20. Sign outside a post office, STOP; 21. Vault may finally collapse, APSE; 23. Graduate from Calumet, ALUM; 24. ARCH enemy (one who may blow up bridges); 26. Ireland’s currency unit since 2001, EXPOUND; 27. What stern landlords expect, RENTS; 28. Holds so dear, ADORES; 29. Expression coined by a crapshooter, NO DICE; 31. Plowed under, I gather, RUINED; 32. Summary? Cripes!, PRECIS; 33. Like one who’s tried too hard, TIRED; 35. S Y, SANDY; 38. Intellect in 1500, MIND; 39. One who may get a rap at a law office, PARA; 41. Writer whose work describes him to a T, POE; 42. Carlos, for example, in future years, REY.

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09.18.09 -- A Puzzle with IN

Charles Laughton as Inspector Javert in the 1935 film of Les Miserables

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Friday, September 18, 2009

Puzzle by Charles E. Gersch, edited by Will Shortz

HALF-CENTURY PUZZLEMAKERS' WEEK -- All the daily crosswords this week, Monday through Saturday, are by puzzlemakers who have been contributing to The Times for more than 50 years. Charles Gersch, of New York City, had his first crossword published on February 21, 1944, when he was 13, in the New York Herald Tribune. He made his Times debut in 1951.

Three 15-letter entries beginning with IN are the main feature of this Friday crossword -- INSURANCE POLICY (16A. Something that may cover a house), INTENTIONAL WALK (35A. Pitcher’s ploy) and INSPECTOR JAVERT (55A. Literary character played in film by Charles Laughton, Anthony Perkins and Geoffrey Rush).

Other entries of length include CHASTISES (1A. Whips); ESCAPES TO (59A. Reaches, as a sanctuary); FANTASTIC (22D. “Way to go, man!”); HAPPY TALK (14A. “South Pacific” song that asks “If you don’t have a dream, / How you gonna have a dream come true?”); ICE WATER (36D. Restaurant freebie); POLE VAULT (17D. Try to clear the bar); REENACTOR (61A. One seriously into Civil War history, maybe); SKELETON (9D. Natural history museum exhibit).

Mid-size -- ADVERSE (41A. Not so good); FIDELIO (22A. Opera that includes the “Prisoners’ Chorus”); HASTEN (30A. Make tracks); ONEWAY (23D. Ticket request); OUTWAIT (44A. Stay longer than); PIERCE (43D. Pass through); SANKIN (7D. Registered); STEREO (24D. Disc holder); TEENAGE (26A. Adolescent); UGARTE (40A. “Casablanca” role).

Five-letter -- 45D. Have ANOSE for (be perceptive to); 3D. Lhasa APSOS; ASTOR (48D. Place name in Manhattan); CHILE (1D. 1962 World Cup host); CREST (46D. Colgate rival); DIANE (52A. Chambers in a bar); ELCID (8D. Conqueror of Valencia in 1094); FEVER (58A. Bad thing to run); HANES (2D. Hosiery brand); KILOS (19A. British “pounds”); LEONE (18A. West African currency); 47D. PORTO-Novo (capital of Benin); RADIO (15A. Slice of a media ad budget); 15D. “Cracklin’ ROSIE” (Neil Diamond hit); RUDER (42D. Not so delicate); TAROS (53A. Some Polynesian plants).

Short stuff -- ACT, ALAR, ANOD, AVEC, CPA, EDIT, ELAL, ELKE, ESPN, ESS, FIFE, FOR, GALT, GOT and GOV, HIYA, ITA, JAN, LGA, ONES, PEN, PLAY, RICH, RSVP, SPUN, STAN, STUV, TAPA, TEN, THO, TYRE, VAL, VERY, YOYO, “YOUR turn”.

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Remaining clues -- Across: 10. Truly; 20. Poetic conjunction; 21. Count concluder?; 33. E-mail address ender; 34. Its maiden flight carried its country’s president home; 39. See 43-Across; 43. With 39-Across, pretend; 46. Column producer, for short; 49. Gift tag word; 60. “Friday Night Fights” presenter. Down: 4. Like cotton candy; 5. Ancient city whose name means “rock”; 6. “Isn’t ___ Shame?” (1934 hit song); 10. ___-d’Oise (French department); 11. Mark up, perhaps; 12. Sumptuous; 13. Unstable type; 25. See 50-Down; 27. Bygone spray; 28. Ayn Rand hero; 29. Actress Sommer; 30. “How de do”; 31. Give ___ to (O.K.); 32. Alphabet quartet; 33. Tricked; 37. Letters on some luggage to N.Y.C.; 49. “The Spirit of ‘76” instrument; 50. Change for a 25-Down, maybe; 51. Accept or decline; 53. Spanish morsel; 54. French preposition; 56. Script; 57. One of the Bradys on “The Brady Bunch”.

09.17.09 -- Topsy-Turvy

Viaducts Break Ranks, 1937, Paul Klee

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Puzzle by Arthur Schulman, edited by Will Shortz

HALF-CENTURY PUZZLEMAKERS' WEEK -- All the daily crosswords this week, Monday through Saturday, are by puzzlemakers who have been contributing to The Times for more than 50 years. Arthur Schulman, a retired psychology professor at the University of Virginia, had his Sunday Times debut on September 14, 1954. The puzzle below should be easy for solvers who remember their old-fashioned crossword vocabulary.

Reversing clue and entry comprises the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword. Bygone familiar short-fill entries such as AIS, OCAS, MOAS, ERI, ARA and ERS, desperate little crossword fill that appears over and over again, function as clues -- THREE-TOED SLOTHS (37A. Ais), WOODSORRELS (3D. Ocas), FLIGHTLESS BIRDS (7D. Moas), ASSAM SILKWORM (9D. Eri); CONSTELLATION (18D. Ara) and BITTER VETCH (27D. Ers). These odd little interjections have all been highlighted by my spellcheck, most likely mistaking them for sounds of gastronomic disturbance undocumented by HAL.

PRISMATIC (58A. Refractive) and PROSCENIA (17A. Stage arches) are the other entries of length, followed by a few six-letter entries -- AMELIA (5D. Renato’s wife in Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Mascera”), CONVEX (48A. Rounded out?), OCASEY (45D. Abbey Theater playwright) and ORSINI (23A. Noble family name in medieval Italy shared by two popes).

Five-letter -- AQABA (9A. Jordan’s only seaport); 26D. Take for ARIDE; ARRET (33A. Stop, in Montréal); ATTAR (33D. Fragrance); BLINI (35A. They’re often served with caviar); 35D. BOSSA nova; BRAHE (28D. Danish astronomer who followed Copernicus); ERROR (2D. Slip); EVIAN (49D. Perrier rival); KAUAI (55A. Westernmost of the major Hawaiian islands); KLEES (42A. “Fish Magic” and “Viaducts Break Ranks”); LISSE (41A. Tulip-growing center of Holland); SAPHO (1D. Massenet opera based on a Daudet novel) and SAYSO (19A. Unsupported assurance); SEUSS (29D. Children’s doctor?); SUNUP (16A. Daybreak); RHEIN (34D. River through Köln); TIEON (63A. Attach, as a ribbon); TIERS (38D. Ziggurat features); WRENS (22D. Small songbirds); XACTO (50D. Blade maker).

Short stuff (all relatives of AIS, OCAS, MOAS, ERI, ARA and ERS) -- AIL and ALI, AMFM, ANY, AMO and APO, ARAB and AROD, BBS, BIGS, BUS, EDGE, EVA, HARM, HOD, IAGO, IBAR, IRE, ISEE and ISSY, ITS, KIT, LESS, MCAT, MEA, MILE and MINE, OHNO, OLEG and OLAN, OSSA, OWAR, PEI, QUAY, RNS, SDS, SEWS, TAU, TEE, TRES, ULE...

…and WAY (22A. Very, informally), er... Topsy-Turvy!

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Remaining clues -- Across: 1. Finishes, with “up”; 5. Like most radios; 14. #13 in the Bronx, informally; 15. Fair distance; 20. Mason’s trough; 21. Designer Cassini; 22. Very, informally; 25. Mischief; 27. Shot; 30. Mountain near Pelion; 31. Considerably, in Cannes; 32. U.K. neighbor; 36. 19th of 24; 40. Place-kicker’s aid; 43. Suffer; 44. More limited; 45. Man ___; 46. They hook up IVs; 47. 9-Across native; 51. “___ time”; 52. Construction piece; 54. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” girl; 61. S.C. Johnson shaving gel; 62. Future dr.’s exam; 64. ___-les-Moulineaux (Paris suburb); 65. “Horrors!” Down: 4. 1960s activist org.; 6. Tram locale; 8. ___ culpa; 10. Landing place; 11. At all; 12. Clear, as tables; 13. Abbr. on a letter to a soldier; 24. “Mm-hmm”; 39. Slave in Buck’s House of Hwang; 51. Literary character who says “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy”; 53. Major leagues, slangily with “the”; 55. Modelist’s purchase; 56. World champion of 1964-67, 1974-78 and 1978-79; 57. Diminutive suffix; 58. J.F.K. Library architect; 59. “Yo te ___”.

09.16.09 -- SEESAW

"See Saw Margery Daw", ca 1920 by Jennie Harbour

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Wednesday, September 16, 2009 -- Mexican Independence Day

Puzzle by Maura B. Jacobson, edited by Will Shortz

HALF-CENTURY PUZZLEMAKERS' WEEK: All the daily crosswords this week, Monday through Saturday, are by puzzlemakers who have been contributing to The Times for more than 50 years. Maura Jacobson, of Hartsdale, N.Y., published her first crossword in the Sunday Times on March 6, 1955. Her popular weekly series of puzzles for New York magazine began in 1978.

TWO FOR THE SEESAW (64A. 1962 Robert Mitchum/Shirley MacLaine film … or the outcome of 17- and 40-Across?); TWENTY-ONE SWINGS (17A. Playground situation #1) and TWENTY-THREE KIDS (40A. Playground situation #2) comprise the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword. See SEESAW.

Other entries of length include DAY BY DAY (5D. How diaries are written); ENTRUSTS (42D. Gives over for safekeeping); IN THE U S A (21A. Where Springsteen was born); SINATRAS (55A. Ol’ Blue Eyes’ family).

Six-letter -- A TEAMS (46A. First-string athletic groups); IN A TUB (20A. Place for three men of verse); ON TIME (30A. As per schedule); TOMATO (41D. Marinara sauce ingredient); UNWISE (60A. Rash, perhaps); WHENCE (19D. From what place).

Five -- AGORA (14A. Athenian marketplace); 27D. Coeur d’ALENE, Idaho; AORTA (23D. Circulation line); ARENA (8D. Boxing venue); ASTRO (15D. The Jetsons’ dog); COCOA (39A. Drink you stir); DWEEB (54D. Hardly Mr. Cool); EASEL (34D. Aid in show-and-tell); ICILY (32D. How you might respond to an offensive remark); INTRA (25D. Part of IUD); LATEX (52D. Glove material); MAHER (29D. Bill who said of his TV monologues “It’s all been satirized for your protection”); MODES (33D. Styles); SORRY (47D. “Apologies!”); RINGO (43A. Fab Four member); TANTE (4D. Oncle’s spouse); TO WIT (26D. Namely); TROOP (38D. Scout unit); YEAST (67A. You can get a rise out of it).

Short stuff -- AEON, AFAR, ALIT, AMEN, AMIE, ANTI, AOL, ARAT, ARE, BOAR, DELA, EDOM, EGGS, EGO, ELEE, ENYA, ESA, ETRE, EWER, HONE, IDEA, INGA, ISTO, ITA, IWIN, LAWN, LIMA, LONI, MEGA, MENU, NADA and NASA, NOLI, NOME, ONER, PROD, ROTH, SARA, SHAM, STLO, TOKE, TUNE, XMAS, YSL.

See Saw Margery Daw, / Jacky shall have a new master; / Jacky shall earn but a penny a day, / Because he can't work any faster.

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Remaining clues -- Across: 1. Dismounted; 5. Designer Oscar ___ Renta; 9. Last word in the Bible; 13. Zippo; 16. Big, big, big: Prefix; 22. “Orinoco Flow” singer, 1989; 24. “Right you ___!”; 25. Give ___ go; 28. Land of Esau’s descendants; 44. Long, long time; 45. “Waiting for the Robert ___”; 48. “Portnoy’s Complaint” author; 50. High-fashion inits.; 51. Internet access co.; 53. Goad; 66. Vegetable on a vine; 68. French 101 verb; 69. There’s nothing like it; 70. December ad word; 71. Wild hog. Down: 1. Voting no; 2. Croquet locale; 3. Mental flash; 6. Self-image; 7. Anderson of “WKRP in Cincinnati”; 9. Femme friend; 10. Restaurant reading; 11. Coop finds; 12. Rocketeer’s org.; 18. Whistler’s whistle; 31. Hit, of a sort; 36. Swenson of “Benson”; 49. Sharpen; 55. Battle town of 1944; 56. “Heads ___, tails …”; 57. Gold rush locale of 1898-99; 58. Some distance away; 59. Fake; 61. Words in a ratio; 62. Poet Teasdale; 63. Washstand vessel; 65. That, to Juanita.

09.15.09 -- Things With Wings

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Puzzle by Fran and Lou Sabin, edited by Will Shortz

HALF-CENTURY PUZZLEMAKERS' WEEK -- All the daily crosswords this week, Monday through Saturday, are by puzzlemakers who have been contributing to The Times for more than 50 years. Lou Sabin, of Milltown, N.J., sold his first puzzle to The Times in 1950. He now constructs crosswords with his wife, Fran. Altogether Lou has had more than 150 puzzles in the paper.

THINGS WITH WINGS (38A. What the answers to all the asterisked clues are), MOTH (1A. *One attracted to a flame), DOUBLE EAGLE (17A. *Bygone $20 gold coin), AIR FORCE ONE (58A. *President’s ride); GNAT (69A. *Pest you might slap), RAF INSIGNIA (12D. *Mark on a Brit. Military pilot’s uniform) and NIGHTINGALE (24D. *Nocturnal songster) comprise the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other entries of length include ENLISTED MEN (25D. Grunts), ORIOLES NEST (11D. Spherical home in a tree), and two of eight-letters, RELAUNCH (9D. Second start) and SHIPSIDE (40D. Pier, during loading or unloading).

Six-letters -- ADROIT (21A. Skillful); ANDRES (31A. Guitarist Segovia); AORTAS (52A. Lifelines?); FEARED (68A. Dreaded); IDEATE (65A. Brainstorm); ITALIC (45A. Leaning type); MINDED (30A. Baby-sat, say); OGDENS (53A. Poet Nash and others); PAIRED (47D. Like DNA strands); PLANES (15A. Smoothing tools); PROSIT (47A. “To your health!”); SNEEZE (23A. Cause for a blessing); SPEWED (5D. Shot out, as lava); SUBARU (5A. Maker of the Outback).

Five -- AGITA (13D. Antsy feeling); 43A. “Can’t you take A HINT?”; BAAED (7D. Bleated); GOFAR (51D. Succeed); KODAK (49D. Old “You press the button, we do the rest” sloganeer); PSATS (37D. High-school jrs. take them); RAITT (28D. Singer Bonnie); SMOTE (23D. Whacked, old-style); TRICE (34A. Nanosecond) and TWICE (34D. More than 14-Across).

Short stuff -- ALE, ANG, AWE and AWEE, DAM, DEW, DRU, EDEN, EGG, ENTS and ETS, GAL, GENA, GWEN, HEB, IFI, IGOR, KEN, KNEW, LAZE, MOD, NAIF, NEA, NOTE, OGLE, ONCE, ONIT and ONO, ORA, OWN, PEG, RAG, REA, RIN, ROTC, RUR, SIP, TCU, ULEE and ULNA, USED (10D. Secondhand).

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Remaining clues -- Across: 11. ___ pro nobis; 14. A single time; 16. Scott Joplin composition; 19. “___ Could Turn Back Time” (1989 Cher hit); 20. ___ bit (slightly); 27. Joanne of “Red River”; 29. Wrist-elbow connector; 33. Eye; 36. Just enough to wet one’s whistle; 42. U. F. O. fliers; 44. Actress Rowlands; 49. Was friends with; 50. One of Captain Ahab’s legs; 55. “I’m ___!”; 57. Hydroelectric facility; 64. Pub order; 66. Rocker Stefani; 67. Guy doll. Down: 1. Stylish, ‘60s-style; 2. Singer who funded New York’s Strawberry Fields memorial; 3. Fort Worth sch.; 4. Book after Philemon: Abbr.; 6. Peter Fonda title role; 8. Lee who directed “Taking Woodstock”; 18. Lie in a hammock all afternoon, e.g.; 22. Karel Capek play; 26. First place?; 32. Morning moisture; 35. ___ Tin Tin; 39. Guy’s date; 41. Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant; 46. Shock’s partner; 48. Campus mil. Group; 54. Innocent; 56. Do, re or mi; 59. Stephen of “The Crying Game”; 60. Yolk holder; 61. Not rent; 62. Teachers’ org.; 63. M.D. specialty.

Half-Century Puzzlemakers Week

The New York Times, Monday, September 14, 2009

HALF-CENTURY PUZZLEMAKERS’ WEEK

Note: All the daily crosswords this week, Monday through Saturday, are by puzzle makers who have been contributing to The Times for more than 50 years. Bernice Gordon, 95, of Philadelphia, had her first Sunday crossword published on January 23, 1955. Her first weekday puzzle appeared three years earlier. She is the oldest known puzzle maker in the newspaper’s history.

09.14.09 -- Watch Your S!

ASPISH (24-Down, Venomous, as a snake)

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Monday, September 14, 2009

Puzzle by Bernice Gordon, edited by Will Shortz

OLIVERSTONE (17A. Film director’s sound?), MARGARETSANGER (26A. Birth control advocate’s fury?), GEORGESHEARING (43A. Jazz pianist’s court appearance?) and TOMSMOTHERS (57A. Comedian’s parents?) are the interrelated group of this Monday crossword, e.g., well-known names shifting an S from the last name to the first, to become a possessive. Hmmm…how about NICKSWISHER (Well for a baseball player?).

Mid-size entries include ASPISH (24D. Venomous, as a snake), CREMONA (10D. Onetime center of Italian violin manufacture), DIVERGES (4D. Branches off), ESPIED (29D. Caught sight of), ETERNAL (5D. Everlasting), IMISSYOU (51A. Words of longing), MAESTRO (42D. Eminent conductor), STTERESA (20A. Nun from Avila), SURESHOT (39D. It’s guaranteed to hit the mark) and TREATED (41D. Dealt with, as an injury).

Five-letter -- ABODE (1A. Home); ACTOR (15A. Cage or Penn); 27D. “Get ALONG Little Dogies”; DATES (64A. 7/4/1776 and 12/7/1941, e.g.); DEBIT (14A. Subtraction from a bank account); ECOLI (31D. Bacteria in a breakout); EFILE (61A. Submit one’s tax return via computer); ELIEL (33A. Architect Saarinen); LOGIC (6A. If A > B and B > C, then A > C, e.g.); MULAN (42A. 1998 Disney film set in China); 65A. This, that and the OTHER; PANDA (48A. Bamboo-eating animal); RINSE (28D. Get the soap out); ROANS (62A. Horses with speckled coats); ROMAN (32D. Not italic); SEPIA (34A. Old photo tin); SPAIN (38A. Barcelona’s home); TAILS (41A. Coin toss call); TEALS (30D. Dabbling ducks).

Short stuff -- ADOS, ANN, ASIA, AVON, BELT, COD, DENG and DENY, DONS, ENG and ENS, EYE, EZIO, GTO, ION, ISLE, LASS, LEAD and LEAR, LIV, LSD, MEDE, MIT, MMES, NAVY, OBIT, OCTA, OFA, OLD, ORNE, PAY, PULP, REAR, RNA, SAGA, SOME, SYNC, USA and USSR, VAIN, YEAH, ZEE.

Watch your S!

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This crossword is the first of a series called Half-Century Puzzlemakers’ Week -- read Wordplay for details -- HERE.

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Remaining clues -- Across: 11. ‘60s hallucinogen; 16. Teardrop’s starting point; 19. Massachusetts’ Cape ___; 23. Genetic letters; 24. Bard of ___; 35. How some mail-order packages arrive, for short; 37. Puts on; 39. Amount between all and none; 40. U.S.N. officer; 46. X-ray vision blocker; 47. Letter after wye; 56. 55-Down’s cold war foe; 60. Ullmann from Norway; 63. Wages. Down: 1. Foofaraws; 2. Alternative to suspenders; 3. News item listing surviving kin; 6. Lad’s mate; 7. Eight: Prefix; 8. Classic muscle car; 9. Charged particle; 11. Edward who wrote humorous verse; 12. Working well together, after “in”; 13. Say no to; 18. Derriere; 22. Where London is: Abbr.; 25. Conceited; 26. Ancient Persian; 36. China’s ___ Xiaoping; 38. Chronicle; 44. Antiquated; 45. Basso Pinza; 48. Solid parts of orange juice; 49. It’s east of Europe; 50. Armada; 51. Capri, for one; 52. Sras. : Mexico :: ___ : France; 53. Opposite of nah; 54. French department; 55. 56-Across’s cold war foe; 58. Three ___ kind; 59. Sch. Near Harvard.

09.13.09 -- A Piece of My Mind -- the Acrostic

Death of Marat, Vladimir Clavijo-Telepnev

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

A Piece of My Mind by Edmund Wilson provides this Sunday’s acrostic quotation. The clues for the defined words and the defined words themselves seemed particularly difficult to decipher. Additionally, in reference to the quotation, even with a dozen words in place, the text would not read. Love the quote, but the puzzle's a killer!

The quotation: I HAVE HAD A GOOD MANY MORE UPLIFTING THOUGHTS CREATIVE AND EXPANSIVE VISIONS WHILE SOAKING IN COMFORTABLE BATHS OR DRYING MYSELF AFTER BRACING SHOWERS IN WELL-EQUIPPED BATHROOMS THAN I HAVE EVER HAD IN ANY CATHEDRAL

The author’s name and the title of the work: EDMUND WILSON A PIECE OF MY MIND

The defined words: A Went through some changes, EVOLVED; B. Nutty white confection, DIVINITY; C. The gent for whom a lady looks (2 wds.), MR RIGHT; D. Not likely to split sides, UNFUNNY; E. Veil over a Muslim woman’s face, NIQAB; F. Clash involving two or more aces, DOGFIGHT; G. Thing pulled in opposite directions, WISHBONE; H. Mother of King Arthur, IGRAINE; I. See what people say, LIPREAD; J. Completely unlocked?, SHORN; K. Getting Muzak instead of a person, say (2 wds.), ON HOLD; L. Having a lot of indentations, NOTCHED; M. Force to feel chagrin, ABASH; N. Any king in the Valley of the Kings, PHARAOH; B. Arrangement for picking up yards (2 wds.), I FORMATION; P. What some call an aardvark (2 wds.), EARTH PIG; O. Tool; light breeze ruffling the water’s surface (hyph), CATS-PAW; R. Steer clear of, ESCHEW; S. Incidentally get news from, OVERHEAR; T. Campaign issue in 1996 and 2000 (2 wds.), FLAT TAX; U. Huge, enormous, MASSIVE; V. Poet who wrote “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, YEATS; W. Components of one’s sanity?, MARBLES; X. Conference titled for Heders helix (2 wds.), IVY LEAGUE; Y. Familiar form of something that’s proper, NICKNAME; Z. Cyclades island where Apollo and Artemis were born, DELOS.

The full paragraph of the quotation: A certain kind of European overrates the comparative importance, in the present age of the world, of a good deal of his cultural tradition, and often of his own real interest in it. For myself, as an American, I have not the least doubt that I have derived a good deal more benefit of the civilizing as well as of the inspirational kind from the admirable American bathroom than I have from the cathedrals of Europe. I do not, of course, deny the impressiveness or the many varied beauties of these monuments, nor their usefulness to the people in their time; I have enjoyed their delightful coolness and their shade from the glare of the sun on broiling days in France and Italy--though in cold weather they are likely to be unbearable. But I have had a good many more uplifting thoughts creative and expansive visions--while soaking in comfortable baths or drying myself after bracing shows--in well-equipped American bathrooms than I have ever had in any cathedral. Here the body purges itself, and along with the body, the spirit. Here the mind becomes free to ruminate, to plan ambitious projects. The cathedrals, with their distant domes their long aisles and their high groinings, do add stature to human strivings; their chapels do give privacy for prayer. But the bathroom, too, shelters the spirit, it tranquillizes and reassures, in surroundings of a celestial whiteness, where the pipes and the faucets gleam and the mirror makes another liquid surface, which will render you, shaved, rubbed and brushed, a nobler and more winning appearance. Here, too, you may sing, recite, refresh yourself with brief readings, just as you do in church; and the fact that you do it without a priest and not as a member of a congregation is, from my point of view, an advantage. It encourages self-dependence and prepares one to face the world, fortified firm on one’s feet, serene and with a mind like a diamond.

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09.13.09 -- Bingo!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

LET’S PLAY BINGO, Puzzle by Todd Gross, edited by Will Shortz

Twelve entries corresponding to a bingo card in the center of the puzzle are the interrelated group of this Sunday crossword, all of which are clued as Mark your card!

Across -- 1. B SEVEN; 25. G FORTY-NINE; 60. I SIXTEEN; 73. B FIFTEEN; 111. I SEVENTEEN; 124. N FORTY.

The down entries -- 1. B TWELVE; 16. O SIXTY-ONE; 23. G FIFTY-THREE; 53. O SEVENTY-TWO; 75. I NINETEEN; 92. I TWENTY. Not being a bingo player, I’ll just reference Wikipedia on the subject of BINGO. Now, my only question is do we win!?!

Remaining across: 1. Items in an ed.’s in-box, MSS; 10. Covered, in a way, PAID; 14. Briefly, after “in”, A WORD; 19. 1960s-’70s Ford muscle car, TORINO; 20. On one’s OWN; 21. Companion of Artemis whom Zeus changed into a spring, AURA; 22. It comes after a “long time”, NO SEE; 22. The Pequod, e.g., WHALER; 24. Giggle syllable, HEE; 27. Slacken (off), EASE; 28. Sign off on, AGREE TO; 31. Emperor who married his stepsister, NERO; 32. Child of the 70’s, in brief, XER; 33. Third year in 31-Across’s reign, LVI; 34. Like any channel between 30 and 300 Mhz, VHF; 35. Plumbing or heating, TRADE; 37. Endangered Everglades mammal, MANATEE; 39. Starbucks size bigger than grande, VENTI; 41. Diagram used for brainstorming, IDEA MAP; 43. Other wide, ENEMY; 44. Manfred EIGEN, 1967 Chemistry Nobelist; 45. Classic Disney film that includes “The Nutcracker Suite”, FANTASIA; 47. Gravy holder, BOAT; 50. Hulu, e.g., NET TV; 52. Enter, COME INTO; 56. Pair, DYAD; 59. The Equality State: Abbr., WYO; 61. See 54-Down, DEPOSITS; 63. Parking lot mishap, DENT; 64. Lose luster, TARNISH; 65. State with the least populous capital, VERMONT; 70. Raison d’ETRE; 72. Thrown off course, DETAILED; 77. Genetic stuff, RNA; 78. Tailors, SEWS; 79. What “prn” on a prescription means, AS NEEDED; 80. Muscular Charles ATLAS; 82. Any trump, SUIT; 83. Worry words, OH ME OH MY; 89. The “it” in the 1990s slogan “Gotta have it”, PEPSI; 93. Writer Zora NEALE Hurston; 97. Opposite of charge, RETREAT; 98. Exposed sandbar, maybe, ISLET; 99. Prodded, NEEDLED; 101. Pigs, SLOBS; 102. Golfer Michelle WIE; 104. Org. headquartered in Detroit, UAW; 105. Cover girl Carol ALT; 106. Placed, LAID; 108. Vaughn’s co-star in “The Break-Up,” 2006, ANISTON; 110. “This round’s ON ME”; 114. Deuce, e.g., TIE; 115. Paris couturier Pierre CARDIN; 117. Occasional 1960s protest, LIE-IN; 118. Prefix with directional, OMNI; 119. What an aurilave cleans, EAR; 120. Affirm, with “to”, ATTEST; 121. Elates, SENDS; 122. Horse of a different color?, ROAN; 123. Genetic stuff, DNA.

Down: 2. “Me too”, SO HAVE I; 3. Writing’s opposite, ERASING; 4. Depraved, VILE; 5. Chemical suffix, ENE; 6. Singer Jones, NORAH; 7. Jay who once hosted “Last Comic Standing”, MOHR; 8. Better, as an offer, SWEETEN; 9. Mock, SNEER AT; 10. Places of worship, PAGODAS; 11. “AUF Wiedersehen”; 12. Monopoly token, IRON; 13. Statement of self-confidence, DARE ME; 14. “Who wants to go next?”, ANYONE; 15. With 49-Down, order at a Chinese restaurant, WON; 17. “Walk Away RENEE” (1966 hit by the Left Banke); 18. Combine that makes combines, DEERE; 26. Second-most common Vietnamese family name, after Nguyen, TRAN; 30. Novelist Janowitz, TAMA; 34. Hollywood crosser, VINE; 36. Prefix with center, EPI; 38. Circuit, AMBIT; 40. Bone attachment, TENDON; 42. World Economic Forum host city, DAVOS; 46. Base’s opposite, ACID; 48. Put away, ATE; 49. See 15-Down, TON; 51. Sick, TWISTED; 54. With 61-Across, prospectors’ targets, MINERAL; 55. The 13th item in a baker’s dozen, EXTRA; 56. Banned insecticide, DDT; 57. Vote for, YEA; 58. Mo. When the Civil War started, APR; 62. Number of wonders of el mundo antiguo, SIETE; 66. Department store department, MISSES; 67. Roar for a toreador, OLE; 68. Untested, NEW; 69. Football stat., TDS; 71. Within: Prefix, ENDO; 72. Soap opera, e.g., DRAMA; 73. Undergrad degs., BAS; 74. The A.C.C.’s Seminoles, FSU; 76. Celebrated in style, FETED; 81. “… blackbirds baked in A PIE”; 84. Baseball stat. HRS; 85. Skin colorer, MELANIN; 86. School near Windsor Castel, ETON; 87. Went around, ORBITED; 88. German mercenary, HESSIAN; 90. Spoils, PLUNDER; 91. Sailor’s vision obstructer, SEA MIST; 94. Popular 1940s radio show “ALLENS Alley”; 95. Get ready to fall, maybe, LEAN; 96. Star employee, EDITOR; 98. Does perfectly, NAILS; 100. ELSIE Janis, star of Broadway’s “Puzzles of 1925”; 103. Like some pyramids, INCAN; 107. Try it out, DEMO; 109. Trillion: Prefix, TERA; 110. “OR TO put it another way …”; 112. YouTube clip, for short, VID; 113. Bambi’s aunt, ENA; 116. Agcy. Regulating guns, ATF.

Also, read Wordplay...

Signing off with a song ... BINGO!

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