07.19.13 — Quo Vadis?

Remains of the Appian Way in Rome, near Quarto Miglio

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Friday, July 19, 2013

Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Winning smile, e.g., ASSET; 6. International cricket event, TEST MATCH; 15. Too-familiar, STALE; 16. Road built during the Samnite Wars, APPIAN WAY; 17. Press conference segment, Q AND A; 18. Game ender, possibly, RAIN STORM; 19. Working for, UNDER; 20. Republican who won Bentsen’s vacated Senate seat, HUTCHISON; 21. Band with a person’s name, ID BRACELET; 23. 1970 Kinks album title starter, LOLA; 24. Afternoon reception, TEA; 25. Orange growers, TREES; 26. Joe who was retired in 1997, CAMEL; 27. Folk medicine plant, HERB; 29. Music genre prefix, ALT; 30. Clears the mind, with “up”, SOBERS; 31. Chow, EATS; 33. Chase off, SHOO; 34. “Things Fall Apart” novelist, ACHEBE; 37. Escort, as to the door, SEE; 38. What the name “Rhoda” means, ROSE; 42. Trying minors, BRATS; 43. What repellent might prevent, BITES; 45. New Deal program, for short, WPA; 46. Heady feeling, RUSH; 47. She and Clark Gable were known as “the team that generates steam”, LANA TURNER; 49. Surrounded with foliage, EMBOWERED; 51. Impressive, as accommodations, REGAL; 62. Player of Sal in “The Godfather”, ABE VIGODA; 53. Call to mind, EVOKE; 54. “Don’t decide right away”, SLEEP ON IT; 55. Parties with mai tais, maybe, LUAUS; 56. Titan’s home, TENNESSEE; 57. Shrill cries, YELPS.

Down — British P.M. when W.W. I began, ASQUITH; 2. One who’s unseated?, STANDEE; 3. Land line?, SANDBAR; 4. Tribal bigwig, ELDER; 5. Claw, TEAR AT; 6. Five-time N.C.A.A. basketball champs from the A.C.C., TAR HEELS; 7. Uniform ornament, EPAULET; 8. Thwarts for pett reasons, SPITES; 9. Add color to, TINCT; 10. 1968 novel set in Korea, MASH; 11. Opposed to the union, say, ANTI-LABOR; 12. Couple, TWOSOME; 13. Performer on the road?, CAROLER; 14. Note books used in church?, HYMNALS; 23. Stevedore’s burden, CRATE; 26. Gentle murmur, COO; 28. “Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman” speaker, BEETHOVEN; 30. Undercover item?, SHEET; 32. Exercise target, ABS; 33. Begin planning the nuptials, SET A DATE; 34. Way to talk while conversing, ABREAST; 35. Fall apart, CRUMBLE; 36. Fallen star, HAS BEEN; 37. How Congress might adjourn, SINE DIE; 39. Major error in soccer, OWN GOAL; 40. “Louder!”, SPEAK UP; 41. Seal classification, EARLESS; 42. Magna Carta’s drafters, BARONS; 44. Without doubt, SURELY; 47. Largely hollow bricks, LEGOS; 48. Flo Ziegfeld offering, REVUE; 50. Erase, WIPE.

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07.18.13 — Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Marilyn Monroe performing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"

in the 1953 film of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Puzzle by Todd Gross and David Steinberg 

Edited by Will Shortz

MARILYN MONROE (20A. 23-Across singer), DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND (23A. Classic song from a movie celebrating its 60th anniversary on 7/18/13 [starting from the second square]) constitutes the main feature of this rich Thursday crossword.

Other — AUTOGRAPHS (28D. Features of some prized memorabilia), BLENDED (9D. Like some Scotch), KIKI DEE (54D. Elton John duettist on the #1 “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”), LINDEN (21D. Shade tree with deep-red winter buds), NEAT FREAKS (26D. Obsessive organizers).

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The French are glad to die for love.
They delight in fighting duels.
But I prefer a man who lives
And gives expensive jewels.

A kiss on the hand
May be quite continental,
But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

A kiss may be grand
But it won't pay the rental
On your humble flat
Or help you at the automat.

Men grow cold
As girls grow old,
And we all lose our charms in the end.

But square-cut or pear-shaped,
These rocks don't loose their shape.
Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Tiffany's!
Cartier!
Black Starr!
Frost Gorm!
Talk to me Harry Winston.
Tell me all about it!

There may come a time
When a lass needs a lawyer,
But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

There may come a time
When a hard-boiled employer
Thinks you're awful nice,
But get that ice or else no dice.

He's your guy
When stocks are high,
But beware when they start to descend.

It's then that those louses
Go back to their spouses
Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

I've heard of affairs
That are strictly platonic,
But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

And I think affairs
That you must keep liaisonic
Are better bets
If little pets get big baguettes.

Time rolls on,
And youth is gone,
And you can't straighten up when you bend.

But stiff back
Or stiff knees,
You stand straight at Tiffany's.

Diamonds!
Diamonds!
I don't mean rhinestones!
But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

[From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/diamonds-are-a-girls-best-friend-lyrics-marilyn-monroe.html]

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07.17.13 — Achoo!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Puzzle by Robyn Weintraub / Edited by Will Shortz

A variation on a familiar quote, e.g., ROSES ARE RED / VIOLETS ARE BLUE / POLLEN IS BAD FOR / MY ALLERGIES / ACHOO (a flower lover‘s poetic lament), constitutes the main feature of this perfectly delightful Wednesday crossword.

Other — BUDAPEST (5D. Capital on the Danube), DNA TESTS (40D. They’re ordered in many courtroom dramas), EMBALMED (39D. Preserved like Lenin), OPERETTA (6D. “The Pirates of Penzance,” e.g.).

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07.16.13 — Pros and Cons

 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

 

Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

Three word pairs sharing an identical clue with the answers containing the opposing prefixes of PRO and CON constitutes the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword:

PROFESS (17A. Claim openly)
CONFESS (18A. Claim openly)
PROTRACTOR (30A. One might be seen around a construction site)
CONTRACTOR (42A. One might be seen around a construction site)
PROTEST (56A. Fight back against)
CONTEST (59A. Fight back against)

Other — BARITONE (39D. Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra), CORPSE (33D. Body of work by Agatha Christie?), LOOFAHS and SHOWER (15A. Scrubbers used in a 9-Down; 9D. Locker room feature), OBERLIN (38A. Ohio college that was the first in the U.S. to award degrees to women), OH STOP IT (6D. “You’re flattering me too much!”), OLYMPIAN (34A. Quadrennial athlete), VARIETY (37A. “The spice of life”).

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07.15.13 — Into the Sunset

 

Monday, July 15, 2013

 

Puzzle by Jeff Chen and Angela Olson Halsted

Edited by Will Shortz

RAID, READ, RIDE, ROAD and RUDE found in RAID THE FRIDGE (20A. Get a midnight snack, say), READ INTO (28A. Find a subtext of), RIDE OFF (37A. Leave by horseback, as into the sunset), ROAD BIKE (46A. Tour de France conveyance) and RUDE AWAKENING (53A. Unpleasant shock) constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword.

 

Other — CHAGRIN (10D. Embarrassment), FEED BAG (4D. Item strapped over a horse’s head), FLAME WAR (39D. Nasty online argument), FRET OVER (5D. Worry about), HOLE IN ONE (11D. Ace on the links), NOLAN RYAN (33D. All-time career record-holder for strikeouts).

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07.14.13 — On Writing Well — the Acrostic

 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

 

Acrostic by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This crafty Sunday acrostic draws a quotation from On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

 

Zinsser writes simply and clearly about simplicity and clutter. Full of excellent examples of crisp non-fiction, On Writing Well is a straightforward guide to improving your writing, one that’s quick to point out common flaws and prescribe simple cures. It’s Writing 101, and its increased popularity would instantly make the Internet a better place. ~ Josh Jackson

 

The quotation: BEWARE OF ALL THE SLIPPERY NEW FAD WORDS: PARADIGM AND PARAMETER, PRIORITIZE AND POTENTIALIZE. THEY ARE ALL WEEDS THAT WILL SMOTHER WHAT YOU WRITE. DON’T DIALOGUE WITH SOMEONE YOU CAN TALK TO. DON’T INTERFACE WITH ANYBODY.

 

The author’s name and the title of the work: ZINSSER, ON WRITING WELL

The defined words:

A. Animal life adrift in the main, ZOOPLANKTON
B. Displaying a bias in a literal way, ITALICIZED
C. 2005 portrayer of Kong’s darling (2 wds.), NAOMI WATTS
D. Reaction to a Poe tale, SHUDDER
E. Good to go from port to port, SEAWORTHY
F. Plea, petition, solicitation, ENTREATY
G. Where a line may terminate, RAILHEAD
H. Disagreeable, repellent (hyph.), OFF-PUTTING
I. Slang for a righty, NORTHPAW
J. Motto of an expansionist (2 wds.), "WESTWORD HO!”
K. Literally, “little wheel”, ROULETTE
L. Shown in an incriminating light, IMPLICATED
M. Speculation based on mystical insight into the divine nature, THEOSOPHY
N. Seriously hurting or struggling (4 wds.), IN A BAD WAY
O. Popular tank acquisition (2 wds.), NEON TETRA
P. When the warm-up is over (2 wds.), GAME TIME
Q. Having a global effect, WORLDWIDE
R. Makeup for Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, EYELINER
S. Cutter, polisher or engraver of precious stones, LAPIDARY
T. Source of noise pollution in suburbia (2 wds.), LEAF BLOWER

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07.14.13 — Show Me the Money

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Show Me The Money, Puzzle by Daniel A. Finan / Edited by Will Shortz

In this rich Sunday crossword, the answer/clue DOLLAR$ AND ¢ENTS (65A: Money ... or a hint to how six crossings in this puzzle are to be represented, superimposing one letter over another) indicates that answers have dollar signs or cents signs in them, to be read "S" or "C" across and "I" down — crossing letters form the symbols for dollar ($) and cents (¢) with each ¢ signifying the letter I and the letter C crossing in a single square and with each $ being an I and an S — the answers that include the $ or ¢ are money-related:

• GOING LONG and CASH ON HAND (23A. Investing in a growth company; 3D. Some liquid assets)
• PENNY STOCKS and PRICE POINT (25A. High-risk investments; 16D. Spot on a demand curve)
• FISCAL / CLIFF (62D. With 58-Down, financial topic of 2012-13)
• TICKER TAPES and BOTTOM LINE (110A. Quotation sources, once; 70D. Key business figure)
• SUNK COSTS and BOND RATING (112A. Unrecoverable investment expenses; 73D. AA or AAA)

Other — AMNESIACS (4D. Ones unlikely to write memoirs?), CO-PAY (9D. Patient‘s liability), FOSTER’S 61D. Australian beer brand), JACKASS (34D. Fool), MAGPIE (13A. Heckle or Jeckle of cartoons), MARIMBAS (106A. Instruments played with mallets) MINI ME (11D. Small role in “Austin Powers“ movies), NYMPHO / MANIACS (88D. Crazies; 94D. Lead-in to 88-Down), POWER TIE 108A. Bit of corporate attire), “SAYS ME” (71A. Bully‘s coercive comeback), SACRAMENT (43D. Baptism, e.g.), STARDOM (87A. Fame), ZZ TOP (28D. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees from Texas).

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Money

It's a crime

Share it fairly

But don't take a slice of my pie

Money

So they say

Is the root of all evil today

But if you ask for a raise

It's no surprise that they're giving none away

~ Pink Floyd from the Dark Side of the Moon

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07.13.13 — The Saturday Crossword

A frozen giant squid in Melbourne Aquarium

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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Puzzle by Byron Walden / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Back order?, REMAND; 7. Main means of defense?, SQUID INK; 15. First city bombed in W.W. II’s Baedeker Blitz, EXETER; 16. Opted to duck, PUNTED ON; 17. 1954 Audie Murphy western, DESTRY; 18. Prom amenity, LIMO RIDE; 19. It comes with lots of extras, CROWD SCENE; 21. “Every hero becomes a BORE at last”: Emerson; 22. W’s is 74, AT NO; 23. Not hunched over, ERECT; 24. Biased writing?: Abr., ITAL; 25. Pounded side, POI; 26. Scrooge’s portrayer in “The Muppet Christmas Carol”, CAINE; 27. Soul, ANIMA; 28. Pens, ENCLOSES; 30. Jaguar, for one, BIG CAT; 31. Classic brand in men’s apparel, IZOD; 32. Occur; FALL; 33. Occur, HAPPEN; 36. Christ the REDEEMER (Rio de Janeiro landmark); 40. Grace, ADORN; 41. Small, round and shiny, BEADY; 42. Letters on some overseas packages, APO; 43. Person taking drugs, MULE; 44. Dark green?, LUCRE; 45. Automotive plural selected in a 2011 promotion, PRII; 46. Court position, PLEA; 47. They’re off on casual Fridays, DRESS SUITS; 49. TANDOORI chicken; 51. Indignant denial, I AM NOT; 52. Frozen treat with Alexander the Grape as one of its flavors, OTTER POP; 53. 2010 U.S. open winner McDowell, GRAEME; 54. Setting of the Levant, NEAR EAST; 55. Tito’s successor as head of the Non-Aligned Movement, NASSER.

Down — 1. Superman accessory, RED CAPE; 2. Apply to, EXERT ON; 3. Of pions and kaons, MESONIC; 4. When clocks are set back for the end of daylight saving time, AT TWO; 5. Pi Day celebrant, perhaps, NERD; 6. Late October to March, in West Africa, DRY SEASON; 7. Malaria enlarges them, SPLEENS; 8. It might be in a jam, QUINCE; 9. Not satisfied, UNMET; 10. ITO Midori on ice; 11. “White Christmas” singer, informally, DER BINGLE; 12. Beyond silly, IDIOTIC; 13. Obama descriptor, NO DRAMA; 14. Show reverence to, in a way, KNEEL AT; 20. Called out, CRIED; 26. Deceive, COZEN; 27. “Revelations, choreographer, AILEY; 29. Expert in facial recognition?, LIP READER; 30. Recall reason, BAD DESIGN; 32. They may be stocked, FEARS; 33. Jazz legend who turned the Benny Goodman Trio into the Benny Goodman Quartet, HAMPTON; 34. Worship, ADULATE; 35. Cornmeal mush, POLENTA; 36. It often comes with a “Thank You”, RECEIPT; 37. Devil dogs, MARINES; 38. Height, EPITOME; 39. Whoop it up, ROISTER; 41. Unpaid mine workers, BURROS; 44. One of two components of the drug Sinemet, L-DOPA; 45. Some athletic shoes, PUMAS; 48. Manhattan’s SARA D. Roosevelt Park; 50. A heavy metal band may have it, ORE.

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07.12.13 — The Last Word

Jeff Parker / Florida Today, courtesy CagleCartoons.com

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Friday, July12, 2013

Puzzle by Matt Ginsberg / Edited by Will Shortz

DRIVERS, along with KEY PURE ICE UNDER OWED (Keep your eyes on the road) provides a bit of a jolt to this otherwise free-wheeling Friday crossword.

Across — 1. “Not much at all for me, please”, JUST A DROP; 10. Bare, STARK; 15. Director Michelangelo ANTONIONI; 16. Big name in movie theaters, REGAL; 17. What gets the shaft?, CRANKCASE; 18. Struck, as by God, SMOTE; 19. *Basketball area, KEY; 20. Unlike Iago, HONEST; 22. *100%, PURE; 23. Not run, maybe, PASS; 25. Co. that introduced Dungeons & Dragons, TSR; 26. Cane material, RATTAN; 28. Abhorrent, ODIOUS; 30. Symbol of modesty, VEIL; 32. *Water color, ICE; 33. British critic Kenneth TYNAN who created “Oh! Calcutta!”; 34. Women, old-fashionedly, GENTLE SEX; 36. Bit of flimflam, RUSE; 38. Third place candidate in the 1920 presidential election who ran his campaign from jail, DEBS; 39. Skiing mecca, SWISS ALPS; 43. *Submerged, UNDER; 47. Outwits, HAS; 48. Alternative indicator, ELSE; 49. Ageless, in an earlier age, ETERNE; 50. Portmanteau food brand, OREIDA; 52. Microscopic messenger, RNA; 54. Sets (on), SICS; 55. *Had charges, OWED; 56. Pizarro contemporary, DE SOTO; 59. Cousin of a cistern, VAT; 60. Messed (with), TOYED; 62. Many British mathematicians, MODELLERS; 64. Came (from), AROSE; 65. So that one might, IN ORDER TO; 66. Wood fasteners T-NUTS; 67. Revolutionary invention for restaurants?, LAZY SUSAN.

Down — 1. Something good to hit, JACKPOT; 2. Asleep, say, UNREADY; 3. What an agoraphobe does, STAYS IN; 4. Big load, TON; 5. Symbol of life, ANKH; 6. Daisies and the like, botanically, DICOTS; 7. Stable colors, ROANS; 8. Even or close to even, in a tennis set, ON SERVE; 9. Circlegraph shapes, PIES; 10. ‘14s in ‘14, e.g., SRS; 11. Lead on, TEMPT; 12. Relatives of guinea pigs, AGOUTIS; 13. Grind, RAT RACE; 14. Product that might be used with a blessing, KLEENEX; 21. Like “Have a nice day,” for example, TRITE; 24. Takes off, SOARS; 27. Nearly, ALL BUT; 29. Left over, UNUSED; 31. ENDS of the earth; 34. Gets set, GELS; 35. Feudal thralls, ESNES; 37. Table leaves?, SALAD; 39. Target, in a way, SHOOT AT; 40. Like Europe in 1945, WAR WORN; 41. Cry in hide-and-seek, I SEE YOU; 42. Image, PERSONA; 44. Those who should follow the advice in the sounded-out answers to the five starred clues, DRIVERS; 45. Wikipedia precursor, ENCARTA; 46. Uses for support, RESTS ON; 49. Grill, e.g., EATERY; 51. Words of explanation, ID EST; 53. Cramming aid, NO-DOZ; 57. EMIL Zátopek, four-time Olympic track gold medalist; 58. Delta 88, e..g., informally, OLDS; 61. Paris’s Avenue DES Champs-Élysées; 63. Money of Romania, LEU.

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07.11.13 — Balls

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Puzzle by Henry Hook / Edited by Will Shortz

PAWN SHOP SIGNS (20A. Many traditionally have three balls),WALK TO FIRST BASE (35A. What four balls may let you do) and NEWTON’S CRADLE (52A Gizmo often with five balls that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy) constitute the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword.

Other — ALEXANDER (32D. Gin concoction), BISMARCK (39D. State capital whose site was visited by Lewis and Clark), DEAN RUSK (4D. 1960s secretary of state), DESPAIR (15D. Lose hope), EPISCOPAL (10D. Pepsi-Cola mix?), FESTOON (37D. Decorate), POLECAT (24A. Skunk), SEAPORT (47A. Fleet Week locale), YOWZAH (44D. “Holy moly!”).

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07.10.13 — Really?!

Komodo dragon by Eozspike 

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Puzzle by Ed Sessa / Edited by Will Shortz

“Really?!” is the clue for three fifteen-letter answers in this lively Wednesday crossword:  THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT, EVERY WORD IS TRUE and WELL I’LL BE DAMNED.

Other — BEAT THE RAP (4D. Escape conviction), CABBY and CRABBY (54D. Hack; 8D. Like a grouch), LIZARD (36D. Komodo dragon, for one), MAMBA (1D. Venomous African snake), NOT BY A MILE (33D. “Wa-a-ay off!”), YANNI (38D. “Live at the Acropolis” musician), ZORBA (31D. Anthony Quinn title role).

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This is a video of Yanni and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performing live the song "Nostalgia" at the Acropolis (Athens, Greece) on September 25, 1993.

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