The New York Times Crossword in Gothic

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).

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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

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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…“

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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

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

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07.31.10 — The View From Tuzigoot

The View from Tuzigoot

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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Puzzle by Barry C. Silk, edited by Will Shortz

A dozen eight-letter entries are the main group of this sere Saturday crossword — AMARILLO (36D. City mentioned in “Route 66”), ANAEROBE (15A. Septic tank resident), I MEANT IT (60A. “My comment was serious”), ONE SUGAR (13D. Coffee specification), SOLSTICE (63A. Occurrence after the fall), 17A. “PANDERER To Power” (Frederick J. Sheehan’s expose of Alan Greenspan), PARAFFIN (35D. Coating of cheese), PIZZA BOX (1D. It may measure 16” x 16” x 2”), POSTPONE (14D. Shelve), TRASH CAN (65A. Pitching target), TUZIGOOT (37D. National monument near Flagstaff), WIND CAVE (12D. National park in South Dakota).

Seven-letter — CIA-GATE (26D. The Plame affair, informally), DR SEUSS (54A. One of his aliases was Theo. LeSieg), EPEEIST (42D. Jabber in a mask), ETAGERE (38A. Holder of ornaments), LABELED (24D. Pigeonholed), PATENTS (35A. Preventers of many thefts), SO SORRY (20A. “My bad!”), XEROSIS (8D. Possible result of a vitamin A deficiency).

Six — ALBINO (16A. Accidentally uninked embossed stamp), BASEST (32A. Least dignified), DARRIN (9D. Catcher Fletcher of the 1990s Expos), DOO WOP (9A. It was sung in Rocky Balboa’s neighborhood), EROICA (47D. Musical work whose name means “valiant”), ESSAYS (33D. Some nonfiction), FLOWER (58A. Bed riser?), GET SET (45A. Ready), ILOILO (62A. Philippine port), IN A PET (2D. Miffed), NOT NEW (64A. Used), 44D. “Good MORROW” (quaint greeting), PAPERS (1D. Researchers’ output), RAINES (18A. 1987 All-Star Game M.V.P. Tim), RANTED (21D. Didn’t just opine), SEDONA (41A. New Age mecca in the Southwest), SEPTIC (46D. Infected), STRAPS (27A. 26-Across attachments), TOP TEN (48D. Billboard’s best), ZANIER (3D. Comparatively clownish).

Five — 40A. “And Absalom rode upon A MULE”: Samuel 18:9; JAVAN (34A. Like the rarest rhino); OBESE (7D. Extremely upscale?), RUMOR 51D. One may circulate quickly).

Short stuff — ARES, ARID, BORO, C-CUP (26A. Measure of support?), DELE, DST, EERO, EPI, ESAI, FIG, IAGO (31A. Literary character whose first word is “Sblood“), INN, JANE and PANE, MAP, NTH, OBI, OLAY, OYER, POP, RAZE (43A. Word whose antonym is its own homophone), REEL, SASS and SST, SELA, TOG, WIN and ZED (4D. London Zoo opening?).

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 19. Center opening?; 22. Forward-moving occasion?: Abbr.; 23. Suffer the effects of a haymaker; 25. Tony’s portrayer on “NYPD Blue”; 30. Traditional gathering place in old Europe; 44. Legend locale; 49. Like arroyo areas; 50. Legal hearing; 52. Interior designer Aarnio; 53. Whit; 57. Frequent sound at a wine tasting. DOWN: 5. His chariot was drawn by fire-emitting horses; 6. ___ Park (B’klyn neighborhood); 10. Big name in anti-aging products; 11. One getting waisted in Tokyo?; 28. Window shopper’s selection; 29. Retired runway model; 34. Doe being defended; 39. Deck (out); 54. Word often written in red; 55. Ward with awards; 56. Reason to scold a kid; 59. Have the est time, say; 61. Last in a series.

07.30.10 — Bein' Green

California Academy of Sciences Building

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Friday, July 30, 2010

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der, edited by Will Shortz

Seven 15-letter entries are the main feature of this Friday crossword:

AUTO ACCESSORIES (17A. Cup holders and such)

ENTER INTO DETAIL (55A. Elaborate)

GREEN ARCHITECTS (8D. Ones concerned with sustainable design)

LOSE ONE’S BALANCE (56A. Tip over, say)

MACHINE READABLE (16A. Like bar codes)

STOCKING STUFFER (1A. Christmas trifle)

VINTAGE CLOTHING (52A. It was put on decades ago)

Other — BIZET and “Jeau d’ ENFANTS” (42-Across keyboard work), CAELIAN (38D. One of the seven hills of Rome), ELEISON (14D. “Have mercy,“ in a Mass), FBI FILE (13D. Dangerous thing to leak), HARD CLAMS (32A. Quahogs), HAVE A COW (37A. Wig out), LAZY SLOB (33D. Epithet for an annoying roommate), NECROSED (7D. Dead, as tissue), OCTAVES (3D. Musical series), ORGANIC (39D. Free of hormones, say), PESTERER (29A. Nag), PIANINO (35D. Undersize keyboard), RESTART (15D. Result of jumping the gun), SHRIVEL (34D. Decrease in vitality), SMASH-UP (1D. Bad traffic accident), TAURINE (2D. Bullish), WRANGLE (40D. Have words).

Mid-size — ARETES (19A. Glaciation products), BUTENE, CHOSE, COLOR, COME TO, CUTESY (49A. “Aww-inspiring), DREARY, DUG IN, HINNY (41A. Rare equine hybrid), HIVED, LOTSA, MEHTA, OMEGA, POTENT, RESAT, SESTET, SPEARS (34A. Potential game stoppers), TASER (10D. Real stunner), THANE.

Short stuff — ARR, CARO, DUTY, ELAN, ERRS, “FAR out!”, FIT, IN A heap, INCA (6D. User of a record-keeping device called a quipu), KIA, LISA, ONER (23A. Knockout), PAVE, SRAS, TEE and TEL, UDOS, UNE, YODA (50D. Sage exiled on the planet Dagobah).

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 18. Femmes mariees, across the Pyrenees: Abbr.; 20. Tailor’s concern; 21. Joined the swarm; 24. Actress Edelstein of TV’s “House”; 25. “UNE Femme Mariee” (Jean-Luc Godard film); 26. Reconvened anew; 28. Walnut, e.g.; 43. Flight ticket abbr.; 44. ___ McCawley, Ben Affleck’s role in “Pearl Harbor”; 45. Airport patrons often avoid it; 46. Series finale; 51. Bounce. DOWN: 4. Drew a lot, say; 5. Amanti maker; 9. Quatrain’s longer relative; 11. Japanese salad plants; 22. Overcast; 24. Mucho; 27. Goes off; 28. Total; 30. Ross, Lennox or Angus, in Shakespoeare; 31. Smooth over; 42. C4H8; 45. Started on a course; 47. Masur’s New York Philharmonic predecessor; 49. Italian sweet?; 53. Sports supporter; 54. Abbr. that might appear above “e-mail”.

07.29.10 — School

The Young Cicero Reading — a 1464 fresco the Wallace Collection

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins, edited by Will Shortz

MIDDLE SCHOOL (3D. With 44-Down, educational stage … or a hint to the contents of 18-, 22-, 47- and 53-Across) and schools found in middle of SAND RAKES (18A. Golf groundskeepers’ tools), MILE HIGH STADIUM (22A. Broncos home, once), CENTER ICE CIRCLE (47A. Place for an N.H.L. logo) and STAY ALERT (53A. “Keep your eyes open!”), e.g., DRAKE, LEHIGH, RICE and YALE, comprise the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword.

Other — ALONZO, ATEAMS, CISTERNS (21A. Reservoirs), DOMINICA (51A. Roseau is its capital), DONNIE, HARRAH, NOMINEES (36D. Some contenders), QUANDARY (35D. Bind), RAW / BAR (6A. With 55-Down where to get oysters), REMADE, RESIGN, TEPEES, WENT SOUR (8D. Fell apart, as a deal), VECTOR (43D. Airplane heading), YUKS IT UP (11D. Has some laughs).

Five — ADMIT, ADOZE, AIRED, ALULA, APRIL, AWASH, BOONE, CIRCE (49D. Sorceress on the island of Aeaea), CLYDE, DETOX, ENDOR (17A. Enchanted world in “Return of the Jedi”), HOYAS, I LOSE, HOYAS, OLAND, RELOS, RIO DE Oro, TAPES, TOILE, TOQUE, TOYED.

Short stuff — ABUT, ALE, ANDS, AOL, CINQ, ECO, EWE, HIDE, IHOP, INN, JUGS, JAX and LAX and LUX, Mauna LOA and LOL, LOCA, MISS, NOR, OBOE, OOH, PDQ, PUT, RPM, SAC and SAS and SAT, SEE and SER and TER, TALC, TAXI, TIL, TRI, URGE, VOX (43A. It came out of Cicero’s mouth).

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Take it; 9. Big East team; 14. Decorative fabric; 15. Milk source; 16. “Be-Bop-___”; 20. Added conditions; 26. “What did I tell you?”; 27. Stopover; 28. “Nice!”; 29. Prefix with -nominal; 30. [Snap snap]; 31. Unilever soap brand; 32. Rural musical instruments; 33. Chef’s hat; 36. Here/there separator; 37. “The Basement ___” (1975 Dylan album); 38. Rest on; 39. Internet giant; 40. Flying Tiger Line hub, for short; 42. Tach measure; 44. Rested; 52. Blue-roofed chain; 55. Battle of Blue Licks fighter, 1782; 58. Showed; 57. “Baudolino”: novelist; 58. Napping; 59. River through Glasgow; 60. To be, in Baja; 61. Moves, briefly. DOWN: 1. Starting groups; 2. ___ Wash, N.B.A. executive; 4. “The pot’s all yours”; 5. Dutch painter Gerard ___ Borch; 6. Bow out; 7. Inundated; 9. Casino chain founder William F. ___; 10. Chan portrayer in film; 12. Bath suds?; 13. Carrier that had a pioneering transpolar route; 19. Get clean; 21. Quitting time in Quebec, maybe; 23. Cow cover; 24. Press; 25. Whiff; 30. Worded; 31. Titter in a tweet; 32. N.F.L. team with teal jerseys, for short; 33. Rash treatment; 34. High-pitched wind; 37. Shout made with a raised arm; 39. Fourth of 12; 40. “Mi Vida ___,” gritting 1994 drama set in L.A.; 42. Like “King Kong” and “Psycho”; 45. Hoopster Mourning; 46. Plain homes?; 48. Flirted (with); 53. Kind of fly, for short; 54. Up to, quickly.

07.28.10 — ‘Ow to Solve a Crossword

Audrey Hepburn as Liza Doolitte and Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins in the 1964 film of My Fair Lady, the musical version of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Puzzle by Howard Baker, edited by Will Shortz

MR ‘IGGINS AND MISS DOOLITTLE ATTEMPT TO SOLVE A CROSSWORD (17A. With 27-, 49- and 63-Across, the story behind 5-, 36-, 39- and 70-Across), ‘OSIER (5A. Professor says “Stocking stocker,” pupil suggests …), ‘EATS (36A. Professor says “Qualifying races,” pupil suggests …), ‘EWER (39A. Professor says “Ax wielder,” pupil suggests …) and ‘ALTER (70A. Professor says “Equine restraint,” pupil suggests …) are the interrelated group of this ‘umorous Wednesday crossword.

Other — ANSWER (13D. Respond to a knock), CARRION (43A. Buzzard’s fare), DAHLIA (48D. Mexico’s national flower), DIATOM (52A. Simple bit of plankton), EDISON (46D. “Speaking machine” developer), EPILOG (11D. Feature of TV’s “The Fugitive”), INCOME (25A. 1040 entry), NICOLE (47D. Paris’s “The Simple Life” co-star), PEEWEE (51D. Tiny), SESAME (12D. Halvah ingredient), SIGNAL (4D. Prepare to turn), TRIES OUT (3D. Goes for a spot on the team), WEE LASS (34A. Bonny young girl), WET SPOTS (40D. Signs of leaks).

Five-letter — AROSE, ARTIS, ASNER, ATWAR, BALSA, DYNES, EAGER, ELIOT, ENDOR, GAUDY, LETIT, MEARA, PEPSI (60A. “Twice as much for a nickel” sloganeer, once), RANDI, ROOMY, SCENE, SEETH, TERRA.

Short stuff — CASE, DUE, ECOL, ESAS, ESE, EST, ESAU, ETTE, GERI, Mata HARI, HOME, “ICH liebe dich“, IDES, ILSA, LAW, NEAL, MESA, MOM, MOPS, OBI, OHMS, OLIO, OPEN, OPTS, “… OR A mouse?“, PARC, REO and ROES, SANG, SARA and SRTA, SCOT, SYR, TROT, URU, VOL.

Poor Professor Higgins! On he plods Against all odds;

Oh, poor Professor Higgins! Nine p.m. Ten p.m.

On through midnight every night.

One a.m. Two a.m. Three...! Quit, Professor Higgins!

Quit, Professor Higgins! Hear our plea

Or payday we Will quit, Professor Higgins!

Ay not I, O not Ow, Pounding pounding in our brain.

Ay not I, O not Ow, Don't say 'Rine,' say 'Rain'...

-The Rain In Spain lyrics by My Fair Lady

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Declines, with “out of”; 10. Badlands formation; 15. Model glider material; 16. Still unfilled; 20. Public commotion; 21. Like much Vegas stage wear; 22. Postgraduate field; 23. Ramirez of “Spamalot”; 33. Neighbor of Arg.; 38. MGM motto ender; 45. Suffix wit Brooklyn; 54. Some reddish deer; 56. Has in view, archaically; 66. Hodgepodge; 67. Like limousines; 68. Un-P.C. suffix, to many; 69. “Hud” Oscar winner; 71. Those, in Toledo. DOWN: 1. Resistance units; 2. Parisian picnic spot; 5. Kobe sash; 6. Turned state’s evidence; 7. “Play it, Sam” speaker; 8. Genesis twin; 9. “Amazing” magician; 10. Soccer or hockey follower; 18. Ex-Spice Girl Halliwell; 19. Force units; 24. Fighting it out; 26. Docket item; 27. Directly; 29. Earth, in sci-fi; 30. “___ ride” (“Don’t change a thing”); 31. Poet whose work inspired “Cats”; 35. Ed of “The Bronx Zoo”; 37. Kilt wearer; 41. Jocular suffix with “best”; 42. Flying Cloud automaker; 44. Came about; 50. Beatlesque dos; 53. Anne of “Archie Bunker’s Place”; 57. Life sci. course; 58. Gait slower than a canter; 59. Pentagonal plate; 61. Madrid Mlle.; 62. Fateful day in the Roman senate; 64. Solid geometry abbr.; 65. Onetime U.A.R. member.

07.27.10 — Everything

Big Bang, drmikie

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Puzzle by Mike Torch, edited by Will Shortz

The whole ENCHILADA, The whole SHEBANG, The whole SHOOTING MATCH, The whole SCHMEAR and The whole NINE YARDS comprises the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” — Albert Einstein

Six-letter — ANTONY (44A. Lover in a Shakespeare title); ANYWAY (41D. Nonetheless); CLOSER (9D. Ninth-inning hurler, often); CYCLES (3D. Presoak, wash and rinse); I DUNNO (18D. “Beats me!”); NESTLE (45D. Get cozy); ODESSA (50D. “The Battleship Potemkin” port); ORATOR (34A. William Jennings Bryan, for one); PONIES (2D. Track bettors play them); RED DOT (49D. Mark of a rifle’s laser sight); SHEAVE (1D. Bundle, as wheat); SNAP TO (35A. Regain consciousness suddenly), SPORES (48D. Future ferns); SWIPED (53A. Ran through, as a credit card); TALONS (43A. Raptor’s grippers); VEEDUB (23A. Autodom’s Beetle is one, slangily), what?

Five — AAHED, AILED, ANODE, BARTS, CLUES (9A. This puzzle has 78), ETNAS, GETAT, INANE, LENTO (16A. Slowly, on a score), ODIST (19A. Pindar, notably), OPALS, PRELL, RENTS, SNAPE, SODOM (35D. Biblical sin city), SPEWS, WELTS (21A. Mementos of a caning).

Short stuff — ALP, ATIC, BOAT and “DAS Boot”, DYAD, EOS (64D. Aurora‘s counterpart), ERN, ESS and ETS, ESTA, GPS, GRE, “ Hell HATH no fury …”, HOYA, IHOP, LED, LODE, MOCS, NEOS and NOSE and NOSH, OGLE, OIL, OSLO, RISE, SECY, SETS, SHAW, SNIT and SPIT, SOT (13D. Sighter of pink elephants), SPCA, SRO, SYNC, TEA Party movement, THO, TRIO, UNI, WIRE, YAP (48D. Talk, talk, talk).

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“I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” — Steven Wright

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Pet welfare org.; 5. Nobel Peace Prize city; 14. Georgetown athlete; 15. Stack-serving chain, for short; 16. Slowly, on a score; 20. Had a bug; 30. Double curve; 31. Nail-biting margin of victory; 35. Regain consciousness suddenly; 37. React to a crowing rooster, say; 42. Twosome; 47. Cabinet position: Abbr.; 489. B’way success sign; 55. Expels forcefully; 58. Battery terminal; 59. Subtly suggest; 65. Shampoo brand; 66. Rock music’s Rush, for one; 67. Revivalists, informally; 68. Potter’s potions professor; 69. What the sun does at dusk; 70. This, in Toledo. DOWN; 4. Sounded content; 5. Salad bar bowlful; 6. Clarinetist Artie; 7. Prospector’s strike; 8. Gems from Australia; 10. Took charge; 11. Prefix with -form; 12. U.F.O. crew; 22. Even if, briefly; 24. Vehicle on a trailer, perhaps; 26. St. ___ (Caribbean hot spot); 27. Suffix with problem; 28. Munch on chips, say; 29. College sr.’s test; 32. Rotisserie rod; 33. Lab burners of old; 36. Gawk at; 38. Align; 40. Around-the-house footwear, for short; 52. Most Monopoly income; 54. Totally absurd; 56. Electrician’s hookup; 57. Foul mood; 59. Modern navigation tool, for short; 60. Directional suffix; 62. Tour de France peak.

07.26.10 — CO2

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) , Global Warming photo by Lester Brown

"Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree,

And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud, I can't understand,

I get misty…"

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Monday, July 26, 2010

Puzzle by Janet Bender, edited by Will Shortz

CO twice as in CO2 or COCO in four entries, CONTRA COSTA, COMPUTER CODE, COURTENEY COX and COMMON COLDS, constitutes the interrelated group of this mild-mannered Monday crossword.

Other — BIG MAC, CENTRUM (2D. Vitamin brand promoted as “Complete from A to Zinc”), DECAMP, ERASER, ISSUES, OGLERS, ON RECORD, REDCOAT, RETIREE, SHINTO, SHORTCUT, ST CROIX, TRACTS, YAHOOS (45D. Brutes in “Gulliver’s Travels”).

Five-letter — ATOMS, AUDIT, AVIAN, DEERE, DOLLS, ENTER, EVOKE, MINED, “Play MISTY for Me“, POUND (37A. Hit with a hammer), SCION, SOIRS, STAGS, TABOO, TACIT, TEMPO, TESTY, UNLIT, USAGE.

Short stuff — AIR, ASK, AVA, BAJA, BRET, BTUS, COM, DAM, DART, ENOS, ESSO (31A. Old U.S. gas brand), ETAS and ETAT, ETS, GAWK, GOTO, IKE, ISEE, IVES, JEW, LED, LUAU, MAS, MBA, MENU, ODIN, ONE, OPEC (32D. Source of some of the oil for 31-Down), OUI, PAT, PADS, RDAS, REG (41A. Lowest-priced gas grade: Abbr.), SHOT, SMOG (54D. Pollution that may sting the eyes), SUE, TED, URDU, USA, ZIP and ZULU.

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Musical pace; 6. Tractor maker John; 11. Do (up), as a fly; 14. Bird-related; 15. Opposite of exit; 16. ___ Today (newspaper), 17. County ENE of San Francisco; 19. Was ahead; 20. ___ & Tina Turner Revue; 21. Greek H’’s; 22. Debate topics; Hall-of-Famer Williams; 25. End of many U.R.L.’s; 26. ___ Easton Ellis, author of “American Psycho”; 27. What a programmer writes; 32. They get an eyeful; 35. Take to court; 36. Nutritionists’ nos.; 38. “No ___!” (“Uncle!,” in Spanish); 39. Evenings in Paris; 40. Coup d’___; 42. Japanese religion; 43. Monica player on “Friends”; 46. Language in Lahore; 47. Broadcast; 48. China’s Three Gorges project; 51. Alternative to a Quarter Pounder; 54. Photographed; 55. “Yes, madame”; 56. Palindromic girl’s name; 57. Winter afflictions; 60. Observer of Yom Kippur; 61. Eating pork, to an observant 60-Across; 62. Dark, as a room; 63. Pose a question; 64. Does’ companions; 65. Irascible. DOWN: 1. Implied; 2. Draw forth; 3. Extracted ore; 4. Butter serving; 5. Publicly known; 6. Leave suddenly; 7. Grandson of Adam; 8. Org. that produces college entrance exams; 9. Pensioner; 10. Blackboard accessory; 11. Native of eastern South Africa; 12. “Oh, right!”; 13. Goalie protectors; 18. Elementary units; 23. Largest of the Virgin Islands; 26. A/C measures; 28. Custom; 29. Chief Norse god; 30. Missile that might be tipped with curare; 33. Attend; 34. Hawaiian feast; 38. It might start with “Starters”; 39. Clever travel suggestion; 41. British soldier in the American Revolution; 42. Offspring; 44. Political pamphlets; 48. Ken and Barbie; 49. Cheating bookkeeper’s fear; 51. Lower California, for short; 52. Burl who won an Oscar for “The Big Country”; 53. Get an eyeful; 58. Deg. From Wharton; 59. Last number in a countdown.