09.10.13 — Word Source

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Puzzle by Zhouqin Burnikel / Edited by Will Shortz

CHINESE (71A. Language that’s the source of the words answered by this puzzle’s starred clues), KUMQUAT (1A. * Relative of an orange), TYPHOON (8A. *Tropical storm), SILK  (23A. *Lingerie material), KOWTOW (37A. *Act deferentially), KETCHUP (40A. *French fries topper), GUNG HO (43A. *Like an eager beaver), CHOW (52A. *Food, slangily) and GINSENG (70A. *Root used in some energy drinks) constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other — ALADDIN (68A. Genie’s master), ARTICHOKE (21D. Plant with a heart), BOREDOM, CHATTER, COLUMNS, HORATIO (45A. Friend of Hamlet), HYUNDAI, MARCONI (64A. Radio pioneer), STEAMED (20a. Plenty ticked off), UTERI (2D. Organs men don‘t have).

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09.09.13 — Play Ball!

Dover High School, Dover, Delaware, 1893 Football Team

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Monday, September 9, 2013

Puzzle by Gary Cee / Edited by Will Shortz

For better or for worse, football is back with all of its 21st-century gladiator armor and stretch tights, concussions and broken bones, yellow flags and half-time shows, hot-dogging and tailgate parties.  It follows on the heels of summer’s end and takes us into the cold deep of winter with its zig-zag dashing and brutal bashings.  In the event the solver fails to take notice, this timely first-week-of-the-NFL Monday puzzle gives us the progression of a touchdown, HIKE, PASS, CATCH, RUN and SCORE:

SALARY HIKE (19A. Wage increase)
PRESS PASS (24A. Journalist’s credential)
GOOD CATCH (36A. “Observant of you to notice the error!”)
RABBIT RUN (50A. 1960 John Updike novel)
MUSIC SCORE (57A. It may be composed to accompany a movie)

Following the odd-shaped pigskin-covered ball’s travels from one end of the field to the other and back, ad nauseum, may not be everyone’s cup of beer, so let's hit the remote amid the rough-and-tumble and surf the grid for a few more answers of this otherwise friendly crossword:

Other — Work of ART; ALAI and AMAH, DADA and NADA, DIETERS (13D. Ones who‘ve got something to lose?); ELAPSED (40D. Ran out, as time); “… happily EVER after”; HELLUVA (39D. Terrific, in slang); Theater critic Walter KERR; KARL Marx; Golda MEIR; OLIVIER (11D. Best Actor for “Hamlet,“ 1948); ROULADE (43D. Dish of meat wrapped around a filling); STEAMED (38D. One way to serve clams or rice); Ernest TUBB of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

That’ll do — play ball!

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09.08.13 — Bumper Cars

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Puzzle by Pete Muller and Sue Keefer / Edited by Will Shortz

Seven sets of three car models of various parent automobiles arranged “bumper to bumper” forming descriptions of their clue phrases (or vice versa, whatever) is the main feature of this smooth Sunday crossword:

PARK AVENUE COUGAR QUEST (23A. Search for a cradle-robbing woman in New York City), parent automobiles, Buick/Mercury/Nissan
CAVALIER CAPRI DIPLOMAT (37A. High-handed ambassador stationed off the Italian coast?), Chevrolet/Ford, Mercury and Lincoln/Dodge or Opel
BOBCAT RABBIT ACCORD (55A. Peace treaty between a predator and its prey?), Mercury/Volkswagen/Honda
INTREPID RAM CHALLENGER (67A. Tom Brady, in the 2002 Super Bowl?), Dodge/Dodge/Dodge
STORM TROOPER SONATA (78A. Musical piece for a “Star Wars” battle scene?),  Geo (Isuzu), Isuzu, Hyundai
CELEBRITY GOLF DEFENDER (98A. Advocate for pro-am tournaments?), Chevrolet/Volkswagen/Land Rover
MIDGET OUTBACK EXPLORER (116A. Diminutive Aborigine?), King/Subaru/Ford

King Midget was a  micro car produced between 1946 and 1970 by the Midget Motors Corporation. Although the company started out by offering a kit to build the car, they soon added completely-assembled cars and later only offered completed cars. ~ Wikipedia

Other — AL HIRT (47A. Musician with the gold-selling album “Sugar Lips”), OBSCENE (90D. Very blue), PALAU (29A. Country composed of 200+ islands), REEBOK (60D. Shoe brand named after an animal), Pussy RIOT (Russian Girl group), S DAK (128A. Home of Wind Cave Natl. Park), SHANKS (98A. Mistakes made by some bad drivers), “Mazel TOV!“, TESSERA (96D. Small mosaic tile), YAKIMA (4D. City near Mount Rainier).

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09.08.13 — Animal Wise — the Acrostic

Noah's Ark (1846), a painting by the American folk painter Edward Hicks

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Sunday, September 8, 2013

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s challenging but rewarding acrostic draws a quotation from Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell.

Animal Wise takes us on a dazzling odyssey into the inner world of animals from ants to wolves, and among the pioneering researchers who are leading the way into once-forbidden territory: the animal mind. With thirty years of experience covering the sciences, Morell uses her formidable gifts as a story-teller to transport us to field sites and laboratories around the world, introducing us to animal-cognition scientists and their surprisingly intelligent and sensitive subjects.  She explores how this rapidly evolving, controversial field has only recently overturned old notions about why animals behave as they do.  She probes the moral and ethical dilemmas  of recognizing that even “lesser animals”  have cognitive abilities such as  memory, feelings, personality, and self-awareness–traits that many in the twentieth century felt were unique  to human beings. ~ Book description, Amazon.com

The quotation:  HARDLY A WEEK GOES BY THAT DOESN’T SEE A … NEW DISCOVERY ABOUT ANIMAL MINDS:  “WHALES HAVE … REGIONAL DIALECTS,” “FISH USE TOOLS,” "SQUIRRELS ADOPT ORPHANS,” “HONEYBEES MAKE PLANS,” “SHEEP DON’T FORGET A FACE,” “RATS FEEL EACH OTHER’S PAIN …”

The author’s name and the title of the work:  VIRGINIA MORELL, ANIMAL WISE

The defined words:

A. Rapacious, predatory type, VULTURE
B. Quality of a sloth, IDLENESS
C. Manage not to stagnate in a changing world, READAPT
D. What you can find in a skein, GEESE
E. Characterized by torpor, INACTIVE
F. Refuge for every couple (2 wds.), NOAH’S ARK
G. Prepped for work, as a draft horse (2 wds.), IN HARNESS
H. Series taught by Snuffleupagus or Big Bird, ALPHABET
I. Rhesus monkey or Barbary ape, MACAQUE
J. Tale in which men are turned into swine, ODYSSEY
K. Phylum of invertebrates whose cilia resemble wheels, ROTIFERA
L. Peacock or butterfly markings EYESPOTS
M. Independent operator (2 wds.), LONE WOLF
N. Aesopian portion (2 wds.), LION’S SHARE
O. Honeydew-yielding “cattle” (2 wds.), ANT COWS
P. Olden term for a pasture tender, NEATHERD
Q. In the middle of nowhere, ISOLATED
R. Old-fashioned or conservative sort, MOSSBACK
S. Unhinged hunter of a Physeter macrocephalus, AHAB 
T. Pastime that makes kids jumpy, LEAPFROG
U. Completely, without reservation (2 wds.), WHOLE HOG
V. Overpopulated with undesirables, INFESTED
W. Molt, SHED
X. “The opposite of spiritual meanness,” per Barbara Kingsolver, EMPATHY

The full paragraph of the quotation:  Hardly a week goes by that doesn’t see a study announcing a new discovery about animal minds:  “Whales Have Accents and Regional Dialects,” “Fish Use Tools,” “Squirrels Adopt Orphans,” “Honeybees Make Plans,” “Sheep Don’t Forget a Face,” “Rats Feel Each Other’s Pain,” “Elephants See Themselves in Mirrors,” “Crows Able to Invent Tools,” and (for me, as a dog lover, a favorite) “Dog Has Vocabulary of 1,022 Words.” ~ Introduction, Animal Wise by Virginia Morell

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09.07.13 — برج خليفة‎,

Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة‎, "Khalifa tower"), known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829.8 m (2,722 ft).

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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Puzzle by Julian Lim / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. World’s tallest building, BURJ KHALIFA; 12. Instagram post, PIC; 15. One way to cruise along, ON AUTOPILOT; 16. 7 a.m. staple, briefly, GMA; 17. They come out of many mouths, WISDOM TEETH; 18. Protection from pirates: Abbr., TMS; 19. Sets forth thoroughly, EXPOSITS; 20. Trite, OLD HAT; 22. Guitar maker LEO Fender; 23. She’s beautiful, per a popular song, AMERICA; 24. So-called “weekend pill”, CIALIS; 28. Like some liquor stores, STATE RUN; 29. Like 30-Down, ASIAN; 30. Room at the top, maybe, SUITE; 31. Spa treatment, for short, TLC; 32. Unsurprising outcome, NORM; 33. Radios, e.g., SENDS; 34. “Sweet!”, YEAH; 35. Starz alternative, TMC; 36. Belfast is on its shore, MAINE; 37. Mind, SEE TO; 38. Site of the Sibelius Monument, HELSINKI; 40. Castle’s place, initially, CORNER; 41. Took u some of ATE INTO; 42. Big time, EON; 43. Trepanning targets, CRANIA; 44. Some partial appointments, CRONYISM; 49. Blood, KIN; 50. Big time, MAJOR LEAGUE; 52. It may be cracked or packed, ICE; 53. “C’est la vie”, AND SO IT GOES; 54. Co. purchased by Wizards of the Coast, TSR; 55. Hail Marys, e.g., LAST RESORTS.

Down — 1. Champion between Holyfield reigns, BOWE; 2. It has “batch” and “patch” commands, UNIX; 3. Not be smooth-talking?, RASP; 4. Activity with holding and throwing, JUDO; 5. Singer of the 1987 #1 country hit “Do Ya”, K T OSLIN; 6. Buds, HOMIES; 7. “I shall not find myself so APT TO die”: Antony; 8. Fictional accounts, LIES; 9. Text attachment?, ILE; 10. Bygone yellow-roofed kiosks, FOTOMATS; 11. Forward, back or center, ATHLETE; 12. Like every Bond film since 1989, PG THIRTEEN; 13. Virginal, IMMACULATE; 14. Moor, CAST ANCHOR; 21. Karate trainee in 2010’s “The Karate Kid”, DRE; 23. Agatha Christie’s “There Is A TIDE …”; 24. Is unable to cut the mustard, CAN’T HACK IT; 25. Form of strength training, ISOMETRICS; 26. It’ll help you breathe easier, AIR CLEANER; 27. Fast flight, LAM; 28. One in a religious majority, SUNNI; 30. Brand on a face, SEIKO; 33. Largest river of southern California, SANTA ANA; 34. Norah Jones’s “Tell YER Mama”; 36. Not amounting to much, MINIMAL; 37. “Holy” group in 17th-century literature, SONNETS; 39. Something to beg pardon for, SIN; 40. Ill-paid laborer, COOLIE; 42. Something to beg pardon for, ERROR; 44. Not be gratuitous, COST; 45. YAGO Sant’Gria (wine choice); 46. Servant in the “Discworld” novels, IGOR; 47. Kind of pudding, SUET; 48. Whole bunch, MESS; 51. Both Barack and Michelle Obama have them: Abbr., JDS.

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09.06.13 — The Friday Crossword

Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill, 1628, Pieter Claeszoon 

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Friday, September 6, 2013

Puzzle by Brad Wilber and Doug Peterson

Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Old Hollywood low-budget studios, collectively, POVERTY ROW; 11. “Oh, God!” actress, GARR; 15. Wine bottle contents in Hitchcock’s “Notorious”, URANIUM ORE; 16. Only event in which Venezuela medaled at the 2012 Olympics, EPEE; 17. Dessert often with cream cheese icing, CARROT CAKE; 18. Ironwoman org.?, LPGA; 19. Singer born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, ENYA; 20. Map inits. Created in the wake of the Suez Crisis, UAR; 21. Now-rare connection method, PENTEL; 23. Blather, GAS; 25. Big name in markers, PENTEL; 26. Nitroglycerin, for one, ESTER; 29. Director’s alternative to a dolly, STEADICAM; 32. It was dissolved in 1991, WARSAW PACT; 34. Time in TV ads, NITE; 35. Fused, ONE; 36. Fortify, BOLSTER; 38. Domingo, e.g., DIA; 39. Onetime TV music vendor, K-TEL; 41. Kind of community, RETIREMENT; 43. Avocado relative, SAGE GREEN; 45. Ross Sea sights, BERGS; 48. Interrupts, CUTS IN; 47. Strike out, FAN; 48. Excoriates, BLASTS; 49. “Revolution 9” collaborator, ONO; 51. It may slip in the back, DISK; 56. L.B.J. biographer Robert CARO; 56. One-third of a triangle, maybe, OTHER WOMAN; 59. Hindi relative, URDU; 60. The goddess Kali appeared on its first cover, MS MAGAZINE; 61. Bygone, PAST; 62. New Jersey childhood home of Whitney Houston and Queen Latifah, EAST ORANGE.

Down — 1. Brownish purple, PUCE; 2. Port where Camus set “The Plague”, ORAN; 3. Fluctuate, VARY; 4. Brings to a boil, ENRAGES; 5. Rock in RIO (major music festival); 8. “Coppélia” attire, TUTUS; 7. Hit from the 1978 disco album “Cruisin’”, YMCA; 8. More than chuckle, ROAR; 9. Planet first mentioned on “Happy Days”, ORK; 10. It’s used to define a border, WEED EATER; 11. Colorful dessert, GELATIN; 12. Press production, APPLE CIDER; 13. Doing a government agency’s job, REGULATING; 14. Garner, REAP; 22. Not the party type?: Abbr., IND; 24. Part of 20-Across, ARAB; 25. Substance that citrus peels are rich in, PECTIN; 26. Endor natives, EWOKS; 27. Site of the last battle of the Cuban Revolution, SANTA CLARA; 28. Barriers used in urban renewal projects, TREE GUARDS; 29. Ire, SPLEEN; 30. Get a hint of, TASTE; 31. Party tray array, MEATS; 33. Vexing, WORRISOME; 37. Country name, REBA; 40. Releases, LETS OUT; 42. Baseball’s MENDOZA Line (.200 batting average); 44. Prime meridian std., GST; 47. Skip, FORGO; 40. Smallish lingerie, B CUP; 49. Electrical units, OHMS; 50. Ordered, NEAT; 52. “You can count on me”, I’M IN; 53. Provided backup, in a way, SANG; 54. Deep or high lead-in, KNEE; 57. Org. with Inspectors, TSA; 58. “A defeat for humanity,” per Pope John Paul II, WAR.

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09.05.13 — Either/Or

Spatter by Laura Fishman 

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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Puzzle by Damon Gulczynski / Edited by Will Shortz

Four two-letter squares for two answers across and down, cross-referenced to a third answer constitutes the interrelated group of this a-lot-for-so-little thankless Thursday crossword.

MORT = M or T — MAOISM or TAOISM; MOIL or TOIL (68A. Comedian Sahl … also what can fill the square at the crossing of 1-Across and 1-Down; 1A. Belief system founded in China; 1D. Work hard) 

CORP = C or P — SCATTERED or SPATTERED; CHI or PHI (24A. N.Y.S.E. listing … also what can fill the square at the crossing of 24-Across and 25-Down; 24A. Shot out diffusely; 25D. Fraternity letter)

PORT = P or T — SPUTTERED or STUTTERED; PANSY or TANSY (7A. Dessert wine … also what can fill the square at the crossing of 50-Across and 51-Down; 50A. Bumbled verbally; 51D. Flowering plant)

DORR = D or R — DICERS or RICERS; DUST or RICE (37D. 1841 rebellion leader … also what can fill the square at the crossing of 56-Across and 56-Down; 56A. Kitchen gadgets; 56D. Sign of neglect)

Other — AHNOLD (21A. “The Governator”), NIGHT OWL (29A. One putting off retirement as long as possible?), ODD OR EVEN (35D. Roulette choice), OSCAR NODS (3D. Showbiz nominations), STRATEGO (46A. Game with scouts and miners), TRANKS (69A. Downers, in brief), UNE VIE (63A. Maupassant’s first novel).

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09.04.13 — Dee Dee, et al

Dee Dee Ramone photographed by Ed Perlstein.

"Somebody put a curse on me

A silly little curse on me

Somebody put a curse on me

A little silly curse on me"

~ Dee Dee Ramone - Curse On Me Lyrics

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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

Phonetic initialism is the main feature of this fairly friendly Wednesday crossword:

R T JOHNSON (17A. “Laugh-In” comic), e.g., Arte
E N FLEMING (21A. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” author), Ian
K T COURIC (36A. Daytime host starting in 2012), Katie
D D RAMONE (46A. Punk rock icon), Dee Dee
K C AFFLECK (56A. One of two acting brothers), Casey
R E ONASSIS (66A. Noted groom of 10/20/1968), Ari

Other — AWARD and CONFER (29A & 8D. Bestow), LUDACRIS (22DF. Rapper with the #1 hit “Money Maker”), MANIACS (41A. Nuts), NADAL (65A. Rival for Federer), NEW MOON (10D. Sequel to “Twilight”), PARASAIL (24D. Fly over the water), TWO-FACE (45D. Batman villain who makes decisions by flipping a coin), VILE (63D. Word that becomes its own synonym if the last letter is moved to the front).

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09.03.13 — The Tuesday Crossword

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Puzzle by Dan Schoenholz / Edited by Will Shortz

Five homonymic clues, “Wii,” “Oui,” “We,” “‘Whee!’” and “Wee,” defining the answers of XBOX RIVAL, FRENCH FOR YES, PERSONAL PRONOUN, CRY OF DELIGHT and MINIATURE constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other — AGEIST (44D. Like the philosophy “Out with the old, in with the new”?), CAME ON TO (8D. Tried to seduce), HORN and TAPS (27D. Instrument used to play 25-Down; 25D. Military base tune), OLD FILES (37D. They’re often archived), SLIMES (5D. Attacks à la “Ghostbusters”).

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09.02.13 — āz

Steely Gaze by Olimader7 

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Monday, September 2, 2013

Puzzle by Jim Peredo / Edited by Will Shortz

Rhyming HAYES, PHASE, NAISE, GAZE, A’S and DAYS, e.g., āz, constitutes the interrelated group of this easygoing Labor Day Monday crossword:

ISAAC HAYES (17A. “Theme from Shaft” composer, 1971)
FINAL PHASE (25A. Part of a project just before the end)
MAYONNAISE (53A. Condiment that can remove crayon marks)
STEELY GAZE (66A. Intense look)
OAKLAND A’S (11D. Team in “Moneyball”)
HAPPY DAYS (33D. The Fonz’s sitcom)

Other — “What A PAIN in the 5-Down / NECK (5D. Locale for an Adam’s apple), BAYONET (7D. Rifle attachment), I’M DEAD, ISAIAH (4D. Old Testament prophet), MET and MEETS, Impressionist Claude MONET, PULSATE (41A. Throb), STATURE (39A. Degree of importance), UGH, WAITERS (46D. They’re good at taking orders).

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09.01.13 — Persons of Note

Benjamin Franklin close-up from 100-dollar bill

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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Persons of Note, Puzzle by John Farmer / Edited by Will Shortz

DON’T TAKE ANY OF / IT AT FACE VALUE (31D. With 33-Down, Skeptic’s advice … or a “noteworthy” hint to seven Across answers in this puzzle)

In January 2009, Aretha Franklin made international headlines for performing

"My Country 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony

with her church hat becoming a popular topic online.

With a large black-square dollar sign smack-dab in the middle of this rich crossword, the seven denominations of U. S. paper currency (one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred) notes each share a square with the name of the person appearing upon said currency:

• DENZEL [WASHINGTON] (1A. Star of four Spike Lee films) with [1] SEC (7D. “Be right there!”)
• LOU [GRANT] (14A. Longtime Ed Asner role) with [50] CENT (17D. Rapper who feuded with Ja Rule and Nas
• MATCHBOX [20] (39D. Pop/rock group with a 2002 hit co-written with Mick Jagger) with BO [JACKSON] (89A. Baseball All-Star who was also a football Pro Bowler
• HAIRCUT [100] (43D. 1980S British band) with ARETHA [FRANKLIN] (88A. Singer at Obama’s 2009 inauguration)
• HIGH [5] (95D. Celebratory gesture) with ELMO [LINCOLN] (119A. First film Tarzan)
• HANGS [10] (97D. Does a surfboard stunt) with LINDA [HAMILTON] (123A. “The Terminator” co-star)
• AGE [2] (113D. “Terrible” toddler time) with GEORGE [JEFFERSON] (124A. Neighbor of Archie Bunker)

Other — AA LARGE / EGG (115A. Certain 111-Across specification), AMESLAN (91D. Acronym for the hearing-impaired), 1918’s Battle of the ARGONNE Forest; ELASTICITY (5D. Stretchiness), HISTORY (35A. “Gossip well told,” per Elbert Hubbard), HIT IT FAT (53A. Strike turf before the ball, in golf), MEDIA BIAS (42D. Story coloring?), NOT LONG AGO (77D. Recently), OCTAGON (107A. It has 135-degree angles), ORIOLES (18A. Birds at a ballpark), PHENOMS (94A. Hot prospects, say), PLANETS (22A. Gustav Holst septet), SAMURAI (19A. 1954 film septet), TANAGER (36D. Colorful songbird), VELOCITY (82A. Radar reading), VIRTUOSO (45D. Paganini or Rachmaninoff).

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