08.07.10 — It's Better Than Life

A Prison Scene by Francisco de Goya, c. 1810-1814

-----------------

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Puzzle by Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz

This nightmare Saturday stunt crossword (a minimum of black squares) features eight fifteen-letter entries:

CULTURE VULTURES (15A. Some literati)
CREASE RESISTANT (17A. Unlikely to be pressed)
THE ROSETTA STONE (44A. Aid in understanding some old pictures)
HEARSAY EVIDENCE (46A. Court no-no)
SURROGATE MOTHER (2D. One making a special delivery?)
PLEASE TAKE A SEAT (3D. Host’s invitation)
TRANSMIGRATIONS (12D. Souls’ post-death passages)
TEN-YEAR SENTENCE (13D. It’s better than life)

Other — ACCUSAL (1D. Charge), AGE MATES (24A. Contemporaries), ART SALE (47A. It may offer a variety of oils), ASPIRES (1A. Seeks), EREMITES (6D. Many ascetics), ESTAMPA (14D. Imprint: Sp.), GAROTTE (8 Throttle: Var.), IT’S A LULU (41A. “This one’s incredible!”), L A TIMES (2A. Longtime “Column One” printer, briefly), MADEIRA (28A. Port alternative), ONE REEL (34D. Length of some shorts), PARINGS (30A. Some kitchen waste), OUT-EATEN (11D. Shown up at a restaurant?), POLLUTE (30D. Dirty), SERAPES (7D. Ranchero dressing?), STOSSEL (48A. Former “20/20” co-anchor John), TABITHA (31D. “Bewitched” spinoff), WALLEYE (32D. Pikeperch).

Mid-size — BARKS, BITMAP, CALLS, CAUSAL, GUSTO, HAMEL, HIPTO, KASEM, KIDIS, LALLY, Novelist Mario Vargas LLOSA, MISDO, MARTES (37D. Tuesday in Tijuana), MIXES, MANLY, MASTS, MATTE, TAXES (29. Proverbial certainty), TEKEL (31A. Bit of biblical “writing on the wall”), VESTS, WIRIER, WONK (32A. Eggheaded experts).

Short stuff — ALIS, AMES, ARRS, BOA, ENYA, ITAL, MANN, REO, RTS, RUS, SOS, TVS, URAL, WAIT (43D. Emergency room concern).

-----------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 18. The Sakmara feeds it; 19. Clipper supporters; 20. Singer with the 4x platinum album “Watermark”; 21. Help-wanted indication; 22. Knowing what’s what about; 23. Big name in Top 40 countdowns; 26. GIF or JPEG alternative; 27. Longtime “Column One” printer, briefly; 33. Old autodom’s Model M or Model T-6; 35. Columnist and graphic novelist Jonathan; 36. They’re often screened; 37. Jazz flutist Herbie; 38. Uncomfortably tight wrapper?; 39. ___ column (concrete-filled steel cylinder); 40. Lacking luster; 43. More lean and muscular. DOWN: 4. Leaning, in a way: Abbr.; 5. Bulg. relative; 8. Vivacity; 9. Noted ring family; 10. Football linemen: Abbr.; 16. Occasional bullet stoppers; 22. Five-time “Hill Street Blues” Emmy nominee; 23. “But the ___ not my son” (“Billie Jean” lyric); 25. Is sociable, in a way; 26. Potential burglary deterrents; 28. Oozing testosterone; 36. Leading to something; 40. Muff; 42. Musical settings: Abbr.; 45. Some surfers’ needs.

08.06.10 — The Forgotten

“Los Olividados” 1950, directed by Luis Buñuel — a film about a group of destitute children and their misfortunes in the slums of Mexico City.

-----------------

Friday, August 6, 2010 — A-Bomb Day

Puzzle by Patrick Berry, edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Prepares for the trophy room, say, STUFFS; 7. “That greeny flower” in a William Carlos Williams poem, ASPHODEL; 15. Husband of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, HENRIK; 16. Italian cooking style, MILANESE; 17. Maker of Emporio White perfume, ARMANI; 18. Dr. Eric Foreman’s portrayer on “House”, OMAR EPPS; 19. Con artist’s crime, FRAUD; 20. Carol king, WENCESLAS; 21. Cheap roofing material, TIN; 22. Wartime bridge builder, SEABEE; 24. Prevailing character, TONE; 25. Sargasso Sea spawner, EEL; 26. Undomesticated, FERAL; 27. Justicialist Party founder, PERON; 28. Arid area agriculture, DRY FARMS; 30. A belligerent arguer may grab them, LAPELS; 31. “Los Olvidados” director Buñuel, LUIS; 32. El Misti’s location, PERU; 33. Limited release, PAROLE; 36. Walks aimlessly, TRAIPSES; 40. Crack, ADEPT; 41. Tibiae, SHINS; 42. Delighted expression, AAH; 43. Pushes (off), SETS; 44. Ambulance chaser’s prize, CLIENT; 46. The Fighting Tigers, for short, LSU; 46. Item first marketed under the name Snurfer, SNOWBOARD; 48. She won three Grammys for her 1989 album Nick of Time”, RAITT; 50. What phorid flies are imported to prey on FIRE ANTS; 51. Green stuff, DO RE MI; 52. Accurate, ON TARGET; 53. Got ahead of, OUTRAN; 54. Not worry, REST EASY; 55. Oktoberfest souvenirs, STEINS.

Down — 1. Given a raw deal, slangily, SHAFTED; 3. Popular rat-baiting dog in Victorian England, TERRIER; 3. Weak and craven, UNMMANLY; 4. FRAU Blücher (forbidding “Young Frankenstein” character) ; 5. Is critical, FINDS FAULT; 6. Word with pole or jump, SKI; 7. They reproduce via mitosis, AMOEBAS; 8. SIMNEL cake (marzipan-covered dessert); 9. Follow the leader?, PLACE; 10. A leveret is a young one, HARE; 11. Bruce Springsteen ballad, ONE STEP UP; 12. Censure, DEPLORE; 13. Catalán relative ESPAÑOL; 14. Moderates, LESSENS; 20. Goes up a degree or two, WARMS; 23. Like freakish coincidences, EERIE; 27. Pete Dexter novel whose title character is an unrepentant murderer, PARIS TROUT; 29. It sometime covers first-time performers, FLOP SWEAT; 30. Singer Rimes, LEANN; 32. Dug for gossip, PRIED; 33. Appear to be, to most eyes, PASS FOR; 34. Base found in DNA and RNA; ADENINE; 35. “So’s your old man!” and others, RETORTS; 36. Seeking relief from a pitcher?, THIRSTY; 37. Composer who tutored Mozart’s son, SALIERI; 38. Roll film inventor, EASTMAN; 39. They’re home 24/7, SHUT-INS; 41. Schoolhouse needs of yore, SLATES; 44. Kind of line, CONGA; 47. Display, BARE; 49. Michelangelo work, ARTE; 51. Salon selections, DOS.

-----------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

08.05.10 — The Midwest and the Mississippi

"Mississippi River Meander Belt: Cape Giradeau, MO–Donaldsonville, LA," from Geological Investigation of the Alluvial Valley of the Lower Mississippi River, by Harold N. Fisk, 1944

------------------

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Puzzle by Gary J. Whitehead, edited by Will Shortz

The MIDWEST (66A. What the circled parts of this puzzle comprise) is one of the four geographic regions used by the U. S. Census Bureau in its reporting. It consists of twelve north-central states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.  In the circles of the puzzle are the postal abbreviations of those states in a geographically correct layout with MISSISSIPPI (18D. It runs through the middle of the 66-Across) flowing down the center of this Thursday clever stunt crossword.

The circled abbreviations of the states more or less commands the eclectic nature of the crossword’s entries, none of which abbreviations are contained in the two longest, A CHRISTMAS STORY (17A. 1983 Jean Shepherd film memoir) and TRANSITION POINT (62A. Segue). Out in left field is ONTARIO (15A. Its official bird is the great northern loon).

Other across — 1. Denounce, CONDEMN; 8. Painters Frank and Joseph, STELLAS 16. Nasty fall, WIPE-OUT; 37. Kind of code, BINARY; 39. Noxious, MIASMAL; 42. Temper, as metal, ANNEAL; 65. Halo, AUREOLE; 67. Knobby, GNARLED; 68. At great length, ON AND ON.

Down — 4. Moved like a minnow, DARTED; 8. What lawn mowers make, SWATHS; 11. “Open up!“, LET ME IN; 23. Inactive, DORMANT; 25. Dentist, at times, DRILLER; 43. “Rich Man, Poor Man” Emmy winner, ED ASNER; 47. In Bartlett’s, e.g., QUOTED; 49. Cast off, DISOWN, 57. L‘UOMO Vogue, Italian fashion magazine.

Five-letter — ATEUP, CAPRI, EDINA, EMILE, HAYDN (46A. “The Palindrome“ Symphony composer), HYENA, IPANA, MICAH, MISDO, MISSY, MOPUP, “Another OP’NIN‘, Another Show“ (“Kiss Me Kate“ song), ORION, RICOH, SAITH, SHADE, SONNY, TISHA.

Short stuff — AIL, ANA, ARUN, ASS, ATTN, AURI, BAL, CAN, COAL, EDY, EPS, Verdi’s “ERI tu“, HIED, INSO, IPO, KARA, LEST, LOOM, MIX and MMIX, NOTA, NTHS, ONCE, ORI, PDA, PIE, QIX, RANI, RON, SAKS, SHIA, SILL, SOL, STAG, and the crossword’s other river, STYX (14D. Milton called it “The flood of deadly hate“) — no thanks, I’ll take the Mississippi!

------------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 19. Out of concern that; 20. Doth speak; 21. Year of the swine flu epidemic; 22. Last name in ice cream; 24. Summer refuge; 26. Botch; 29. Pompous sort; 30. Canon competitor; 34. Wall St. happening; 35. Hindu noble; 38. Preserve; 41. Slapstick prop; 44. Place for a pot; 45. Silver of the silver screen; 47. Popular 1980s arcade game based on simple geometry; 48. Minnesota city where part of “Fargo” was filmed; 50. Really enjoyed; 52. “Either you ___ …”; 53. Bergdorf competitor; 56. Finish cleaning, say; 58. Branch of Islam. DOWN: 1. Kentucky resource; 2. First word of “The Raven”; 3. Unspecified degrees; 6. Young girl; 7. “___ chance!”; 9. ___ B’Av, Jewish day of fasting; 10. Some records, for short; 12. Hang over; 13. Hearing: Prefix; 26. Prophet who prophesied that the Savior would come from Bethlehem; 27. Classic toothpaste brand; 28. One of the Corleones; 29. Literary olio; 31. Italian tourist destination; 32. Whom Artemis loved and unwittingly killed; 33. Coyote relative; 36. Not be well; 37. French court event; 40. This and that; 53.One way to go to a party; 54. Make ___ for it; 55. ___ Zor-El, Supergirl’s birth name; 59. Got a move on; 60. “___ doing …”; 61. Memo heading; 63. G; 64. iPhone, e.g., briefly.

08.04.10 — Stone!

Perseus and Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini, 1554

In Greek mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon. She had hair of snakes and turned all who looked at her to stone. Perseus beheaded Medusa with the aid of a reflection in the polished bronze surface of his shield to avoid her deadly gaze.

-----------------

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski, edited by Will Shortz

TURN TO STONE (61A. Petrify … or what five alternating words in 17-, 23-, 29-, 43- and 50-Across can do?), MENTAL NOTES (17A. Unwritten reminders), SETON HALL (23A. The Pirates of the N.C.A.A.), THE ONSET (29A. Robert Frost poem about a snowfall), STENO PAD (43A. It may have wire binding) and FALL TONES (50A. Oranges, reds and golds) are the interrelated group of this rock-solid Wednesday crossword.

Other — ATE UP A STORM (14A. Gorged, gorged and gorged some more, informally), EAT (42D. Break a fast), TEA (62D. Reason for a service break at Wimbledon?), and PEPPERONI (33D. Alternative to mushroom or sausage), along with IN A TRANCE (34D. Spellbound), LENT AN EAR (3D. Was a sounding board) and STEAMSHIP (2D. The Titanic, for one).

Mid-size — ARE TOO (9D. Playground retort), AUDIO and AUTOS, BUS MAP (5A. Urban commuter’s aid), CHRONO (21D. Time: Prefix), EASY A’S (66A. Undemanding courses), EENSY, FRIZZ, I WILL, KORUNA (46D. Czech currency), L-DOPA, MOTETS (8D. Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” and others), NUDIST (44D. One with no tan lines), OATER, OLE OLE (30D. Enthusiastic flamenco cry), PARTON (15D. Dolly who sang “9 to 5”), REGAL, SAMOA, SATORI (19A. Zen enlightenment), SNARES (47D. Some drums), SPREE, STOLE, TIARAS (58A. Pageant crowns), TOPIC, WEDGY.

Short stuff — AWE, BALI, CADS, COLA, DIAL, DOER, GTOS, IAMS, I DO, ISLA, LET (20A. Wimbledon do-over), MAST, MIG, NENA, NUT, OAKS, OSU, “My OWN Private Idaho,” 1991 film, PMS and PTS, RAE, RIEN, RUDE, SEEN and SNEE, SIR, SOUR, SSN, STDS, TOE, TONS, USN, WSW, YES, ZIP and ZOA.

“The television, that insidious beast, that Medusa which freezes a billion people to stone every night, staring fixedly, that Siren which called and sang and promised so much and gave, after all, so little.” — Ray Bradbury

-----------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Part of un archipielago; 11. “My dear ___”; 16. Blow away; 18. “Top Gun” target; 21. RC, e.g.; 22. Sail support; 25. ID entered on every I.R.S. form; 28. Lip-puckering; 32. Anything to talk about; 36. Clock face; 37. Shaped like pizza slices; 40. “99 Luftballons” band, 1984; 41. Shopaholic’s indulgence; 45. Trees loved by squirrels; 48. Sch. In Columbus; 49. Halves of qts.; 54. Busy bee; 56. Impolite; 57. Comic Charlotte; 60. Swearing-in phrase; 63. Number after many a state postal abbr.; 65. Taxonomy suffix; 67. Nothing, in Nantes. DOWN: 1. Big name in pet food; 4. Road runners; 5. Neighbor of Java; 6. Dept. of Defense branch; 7. Embezzled, e.g.; 10. Residents of 10 Downing St.; 11. Part of the U.S. south of the Equator; 12. Volunteer’s cry; 13. Fit for the throne; 23. Dagger in “The Mikado”; 24. Fanatic; 25. Norms: Abbr.; 27. Egypt-to-Niger dir.; 31. N.F.L. stats; 35. Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am types; 38. 1960s band with a car-related name, with “the”; 39. “Sounds good!”; 50. Humid day hair problem; 51. It’s mastered in a studio; 52. Rx for Parkinson’s; 53. Minuscule, informally; 55. Western, in slang; 58. Oceans; 59. Viewed; 61. Stiff ballet shoe part.

08.03.10 — Swing!

The Swing, 1767, Jean-Honoré Fragonard

-----------------

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Puzzle by Paula Gamache, edited by Will Shortz

THINGS THAT SWING (56A. Category for 17-, 31-, 35- and 43-Across), BASEBALL BATTERS (17A. They’re up), STOCK PRICES (31A. Some Wall Street Journal charts), UNDECIDED VOTERS (35A. They’re waiting to be persuaded) and SALOON DOORS (43A. Western entrances) are the interrelated entries of this vibrant Tuesday crossword.

Other — ACCRUAL (21A. Kind of basis in accounting), ALYSSUM (50A. “Sweet” bloomer), MOONPIE (51A. Chocolate-coated marshmallow sandwich), NAIVETE (25A. Gullibility), REWRITTEN (64A. Not in its original form, as an article), TENNESSEE (14A. Orange Monopoly avenue).

Six-letter — DEBUNK (8D. Attack, as false science), DMITRI (46D. Composer Shostakovich), HOT AIR (9D. Gas), INSECT (3D. Raid target), LIONEL (48D. Cousin of Lancelot), OSAGES (44D. Some Oklahomans), PT BOAT (1D. Small craft with launching tubes), REIGNS (49D. 1910-36 for George V, and 1936-52 for George VI), SÉANCE (2D. Occasion when everyone holds hands, maybe), SPRITE (47D. Preternatural creature).

Five — AEROS (33D. Houston skaters), AMOUR (33A. Topic for Madame de Pompadour and Louis XV), 42A. DOES A 180 (about-faces), CREDO (32D. Words to live by), FIEND (4A. One who’s devilishly devoted?), HATCH (9A. Opening in the Navy?), IOWAN (66A. Herbert Hoover, by birth), OPIUM (16A. Yves Saint Laurent fragrance), OUNCE (63A. Proverbial prevention portion), PESOS (65A. Argentine money), VISTA (26D. Windows XP successor).

Short stuff — ANAP, APT, ATOI and ATIT, AWW, CUR, DALY, DOOM, ECCE, ELS and ESL, ESTS, FEB, HMS, HUE, INS, ISA, LOUD, LUNA Park (Coney Island destination), NCO, NEAL and NELL, NEAR and TEAR, NTWT, NUTS, ONEA, OSSO, PSI, REAR, SCAT, SIN, SLR, TET, TIE, THEO, TOP, TRA, TROI, URSA Minor, USMC, VERO Beach, Fla.

-----------------

“I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball... The harder you grip the bat, the more you can swing it through the ball, and the farther the ball will go. I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.” — Babe Ruth

Click on image to enlarge.
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.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Pressure meas.; 19. Ready to serve; 30. Asian holiday; 34. “Begone!”); 41. Beta dog’s view; 47. Shooter’s choice, briefly; 53. Working hard; 55. “Star Trek: T.N.G.” counselor Deanna; 57. Ernie on a green. DOWN: 4. Short mo.; 5. “This ___ test”; 6. Subj. for some foreigners; 7. 1994 Jodie Foster title role; 10. Well-put; 11. Dead heat; 12. Dog that should be on a leash; 13. ___ Beagle; 15. Practically touching; 18. Take ___ (snooze); 22. “Semper Fi” grp.; 23. Yours, to Yves; 24. Turned up; 27. “___ homo”; 28. Symbol of wistfulness; 29. Forecasting figs.; 35. ___ Minor; 36. NPR host Conan; 37. Tony-winning Tyne; 38. Awful end; 40. Italian bone; 45. “Phooey!”; 52. Abbr. on a food package; 54. Dutch film director van Gogh; 56. Shirt or blouse; 57. Photoshop adjustment; 58. Connected crowd; 59. Sgt., e.g.; 60. “So cute!”; 61. Refrain syllable; 62. Idolatry, for one.

08.02.10 — Monday Light

Monday, August 2, 2010

Puzzle by Diane Baker van Hoff, edited by Will Shortz

THE SPEED OF MUSIC (17A. Tempo?), THE SOUND OF MONEY (37A. Ka-ching?) and THE COLOR OF LIGHT (55A. Spectrum?) are the interrelated group of this well-woven mix-and-match Monday-light crossword. Or might it be The Speed of Money, The Sound of Light and/or The Color of Music?, all requiring longer and less clever clues — so on Monday, it best be ASAP!

Intertwining continues with the BLENDS (31D. Mixes) of ABED, STOOD and REST heading the crossword, clued as Sleeping, say, got up and sleep; TIE THE KNOT and WED share a clue (Marry); GENE and STRANDS (52D. DNA element; 45A. DNA units); ELDERS and OLDEN (24D. Tribal advisers, typically; 7D. Ancient), ALL RISE and TRY (27A. Cry when a judge enters a courtroom; 59D. Hear, as a case); AHOY and ALOHAS (51D. Greeting to a matey; 23D. Hawaiian greetings); ANNUL and CROSSED OUT (61A. Cancel; 29D. Put X‘s over); SLIP and INEPT (12D. Err; 21D. Bumbling).

Other — BARNS, BASTE, CANINE (30D. Tooth next to a premolar), CANTER (20A. Gait faster than a trot), LACES, MARTHA (22D. Mrs. George Washington), MORTAL (39D. Human), OVINE, PACINO (18D. “Scarface” star Al), RADIAL (53A. Like the arms of a starfish), RODIN (33A. “The Kiss“ sculptor), ROUND, SAGAS, 32D. “Thou SAYEST” (Jesus’ response to Pilate), STENOS (5D. Shorthand takers), TILDE, TRIFLE (46D. Play with).

Short stuff — ADD, AONE, ART, ASS, “BAH! Humbug!”, BERT, BYES, CBS, COH, CON, DEF, DISC, ELSE, EST, EVE (3D. She raised Cain), “GEE whiz!”, HARK, HEX, KARL, LAB, LIPS, LOS, MAE, MIEN, NALA, NOVA, ODOR, OLLA, PEER, RAVI, RISK, RODS, RONA, SEXY (65A. Alluring), SIT, SOSO, STAB, TACT, URIS, WOLF.

-----------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 14. Sitarist Shankar; 15. Squiggle over an “n”; 16. ___ podrida (spicy stew); 22. Fannie ___; 25. Marc who sang “Walking in Memphis”; 29. Swindle; 30. “60 Minutes” network; 34. Bush adviser Rove; 36. Simba’s love in “The Lion King”; 40. “Listen!”; 41. Fishing poles; 42. Sheeplike; 43. Idiot; 44. Perch; 47. ___ Alamos, N.M.; 48. “Sesame Street” character with a unibrow; 49. Inexact fig.; 50. Long, drawn-out stories; 60. Top-notch; 62. Look out a window, say; 63. What top seeds often get at the starts of tournaments; 64. Moisten while cooking; 65 Alluring. DOWN: 1. Linkletter who hosted TV’s “House Party”; 4. Kind of brake; 8. Skunk’s defense; 9. Dict. Offering; 10. Quarterfinals of semifinals; 11. Something ___ (a lulu); 13. Saying “I’m not sure that dress looks perfect on you,” e.g.; 19. Bearing; 22. Mrs. George Washington; 26. Gobble (down); 28. Hazard; 35. Total (up); 36. Bright star; 38. Leon who wrote “Exodus”; 44. Mediocre; 47. Spikes, as a drink; 48. Buildings with lofts; 50. Knife; 53. Author Jaffe; 54. They’re kissable; 56. “Chocolate” dog; 58. Put a spell on.

08.01.10 — Play Bargaining

Sunday, August 1, 2010

PLAY BARGAINING, Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley, edited by Will Shortz

In this fine, but standard Sunday crossword, we, Sharpie, Lee, be, spree, valley, she, free, tree and G of common phrases, a long E sound changes into a long A sound to spell out uncommon phrases — WEIGH THREE KINGS (21A. Put a few monarchs on the scale?), SHAR-PEI PEN (29A. Wrinkly dog holder?), GENERAL LEI (105A. Floral garland for whoever?), TO BAY OR NOT TO BAY (114A. Indecisive wolf’s question?), SHOPPING SPRAY (15D. Mist from a mall?), VALET GIRL (27D. Miss who parks cars?), CHEZ DEVIL (33D. In hell?), FANCY FRAY (58D. Brawl at a ball?), THE GIVING TRAY (56D. Generous carhop’s prop?), JAY STRING (62D. Leno’s necklace?).

Other across — 1. Grinder toppings, ONIONS; 7, Supreme Court justice nominated by Reagan, SCALIA; 13. Real-life actor Joe who is a character in Broadway’s “Jersey Boys”, PESCI; 18. Bunny’s covering?, SKI-SUIT; 19. Bent nails, TALONS; 20. Furniture retailer ETHAN Allen; 33. Espresso topping, CREMA; 39.8. Obama whose Secret Service code name is “Rosebud”, SASHA; 40. Snobbery, ELITISM; 42. Location for a fall, TRAP DOOR; 45. Bank claims, LIENS; 48. Helped with the laundry, IRONED; 51. Cords behind a computer, often, TANGLE; 54. Word with a German request, BITTE; 7. Blew by a drummer, maybe, FIFED; 59. Played the tourist, SIGHT-SAW; 62. Smoking character, JOE CAMEL; 68. Gel, HARDEN; 69. Golfer’s wear, VISORS; 74. Amsterdam air hub, SCHIPHOL; 77. Company that merged with Sony in 2001, ERICSSON; 80. Brunonian rival, YALIE; 81. Compromise of 1877 president, HAYES; 82. 1996 Grammy winner for the album “The Road to Ensenada”, LOVETT; 85. Alternate road, DETOUR; 89. Poll answer choice, AGREE; 91. Famed Fokker flier, RED BARON; 95. Toward the middle, CENTRIC; 98. “Why is this happening to me?!”, AARGH; 103. With honor, NOBLY; 112. Duel overseer in “Hamlet”, OSRIC; 120. John Mason NEALE, English priest who wrote “Good King Wenceslaus”; 121. Accustoms, INURES; 122. Hair-texturizing tool, CRIMPER; 123. Heretofore, AS YET; 125. Observation, ESPIAL.

Other down — 1. Battle site of 1945, OKINAWA; 2. River on the Benin border, NIGER; 6. Secure, with “in”, STRAP; 7. Breastbone-related, STERNAL; 11. Hearth, INGLE; 12. Take as a given, ASSUME; 16. Leonard Bernstein called her “The Bible of opera”, CALLAS; 17. Enlighten, INFORM; 18. Brazilian mister, SENHOR; 21. “I WASN’T ready!”; 30. Military chaplain, PADRE; 35. Arterial implant, STENT; 39. “Attack!, SIC ‘EM; 41. Baking spuds, IDAHOS; 44. Served seconds, say, REFED; 49. Cuts up, in a way, DICES; 52. Punjabi capital, LAHORE; 53. Oil family of TV, EWINGS; 54. Oil unit, BARREL; 55. First player to hit an inside-the-park home run during an All-Star Game, 2007, ICHIRO; 64. Oily substance, LIPID; 68. Prynne of “The Scarlet Letter”, HESTER; 70. Absolute, SHEER; 75. Hardly a fan, HATER; 78. Bird and others, once, CELTS; 81. When doubled, “I like!”, HUBBA; 90. Game in which it’s easy to make a mess, EGG TOSS; 92. Change tags on, RELABEL; 93. Mop brand that “makes your life easier”, O-CEDAR; 94. Whooping, NOISY; 95. Dos Equis competitor, CORONA; 96. Clears, ERASES; 97. Louse, COOTIE; 104. Where hip-hop was born, with “the” BRONX; 106. F.D.R. veep John NANCE Garner; 107. Parkinson’s battler, L-DOPA.

Short stuff — ACHY, AGAL, ALI, ANNE, ARC and ARE, ATRA, AWRY, AYES, BUC, CAKY, CZAR, DADS, ECO and ETO, EDEN, EROO, EWES, EYE, HERR, ICET, ICON, IGOR, ILE and ILER, ISH, ITOO, LEB, LON, LUVS, NIH, NOW, ODER, OREO, ORS and ORGS, OUT, PEWS, PHI, PITY (43D. “The scavenger of misery“, per Shaw), PLO, RAT and RAFT, RANA, RHE, RIG, RON, SARA and SARG, SPAR, TELE, TIO and TIP, TMI (119. “I didn’t need to know that,” in modern lingo).

-----------------

UNDERSHAFT [with biting contempt] You lust for personal righteousness, for self-approval, for what you call a good conscience, for what Barbara calls salvation, for what I call patronizing people who are not so lucky as yourself.

CUSINS. I do not: all the poet in me recoils from being a good man. But there are things in me that I must reckon with: pity--

UNDERSHAFT. Pity! The scavenger of misery.

CUSINS. Well, love.

UNDERSHAFT. I know. You love the needy and the outcast: you love the oppressed races, the negro, the Indian ryot, the Pole, the Irishman. Do you love the Japanese? Do you love the Germans? Do you love the English?

CUSINS. No. Every true Englishman detests the English. We are the wickedest nation on earth; and our success is a moral horror

— Major Barbara, Act III, George Bernard Shaw

-----------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 24. Sister of Charlotte and Emily; 25. All wrong; 26. Huggies rival; 28. Gaza Strip org.; 36. “I said - __!”; 37. Firecracker’s trajectory; 47., Location for the Fall; 50. Political appointee; 61. Hurting; 65. Relative in the barrio; 66. The golden ratio; 67. Line score letters; 71. N.B.A. All-Star Artest; 72. Tractor-trailer; 73. One with a pupil; 76. Puppeteer Tony; 82. Camper’s rental; 88. Robert of “The Sopranos”; 100. Its cap. Is Beirut; 101. Prefix with tour; 102. Mensa and others: Abbr.; 108. Kangaroo ___; 109. Character with a prominent back; 110. Gillette model; 111. Many P.T.A. members. DOWN: 3. -like equivalent; 4. Available for purchase; 5. Biomedical research agcy.; 8. Clumped; 9. “Prince ___” (“Aladdin” song); 10. Basketball coach Kruger; 13. Sunday seats; 14. W.W. II zone: Abbr.; 22. Things shepherds shepherd; 31. Suffix with stink; 32. Only thing between you and an open window?; 34. ___ close second (almost won); 46. Yearbook signers: Abbr.; 60. “Am ___ fat?”; 63. Mousse pie ingredient, maybe; 76. ___ Lee bakery; 79. Publisher of Shooting Illustrated, for short; 84. “___ in Calico” (jazz standard); 86. Prefix with copier; 87. River to the Baltic; 99. Austrian title; 109. Entertainer born Tracy Marrow; 110. Cries made in passing?; 113. Saint-Martin, e.g.; 115. Winning Super Bowl XXXVII gridder; 116. Exist; 117. Surgery sites, for short; 118. 20%, maybe.

08.01.10 — Mostly Harmless — the Acrostic

“The history of the Galaxy has got a little muddled, for a number of reasons…“

-----------------

Sunday, August 1, 2010

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

This Sunday's delightful acrostic gets an oh-so-true quotation from Mostly Harmless a novel by Douglas Adams, the fifth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.  The title derives from a joke early in the series, when Arthur Dent discovers that the entry for Earth in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy consists, in its entirety, of the word "Harmless." — A review states:  "an interesting hotchpotch of action (and cutting between various cliff-hanger scenes), philosophy, stand-up comic perspectives of the everyday, domestic sit-com, satirical SF, and Douglas' own pleasure in blithely hurling his characters through six impossible things before breakfast. The plot is surprisingly coherent although occasionally incidental..."
 — Amazon.com
 
The quotation:  THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A THING THAT MIGHT GO WRONG AND A THING THAT CANNOT POSSIBLY GO WRONG IS THAT WHEN A THING THAT CANNOT POSSIBLY GO WRONG GOES WRONG IT TURNS OUT TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO GET AT OR REPAIR.

The author's name and the title of the work:  DOUGLAS ADAMS MOSTLY HARMLESS

The defined words:

A. Epic with stanzas in the form a-b-a-b-a-b-c-c (2 wds.), DON JUAN
B. Potentially, a decking combo (hyph.), ONE-TWO
C. Early Stevie Wonder hit subtitled “Everything’s Alright”, UPTIGHT
D. Author with an abecedarian series, GRAFTON
E. Bitten apple, for example, LOGO
F. One asked to referee, ARBITER
G. Without any change in the original melody, STRAIGHT
H. Producer of honeydew, ANT COW
I. Pain inflicted by a pointer, perhaps (2 wds.), DOG BITE
J. Man who knew Who was on first, ABBOTT
K. Delicate or dainty, to a butcher, MIGNON
L. Mouse, SHINER
M. “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful” speaker (2 wds.), MAE WEST
N. Too blue for you to view, say, OBSCENE
O. Someone who minds, SITTER
P. Tom Sawyer’s sweetheart Becky, THATCHER
Q. Intended to thwart ballooning (hyph.), LOW-FAT
R. Swift savages, YAHOOS
S. Shorts made popular by Mary Quant (2 wds.), HOT PANTS
T. Impassiveness; indifference, APATHY
U. Without a moment’s dawdling (2 wds.), RIGHT NOW
V. When an aubade is played, MORNING
W. Able to move supply, LITHE
X. Creamy glassful that might include rum, EGGNOG
Y. Worried, fretting, STEWING
Z. Elastic storer of mechanical energy, SPRING

-----------------

Click on image to enlarge.

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.