03.02.08 -- Hieroglyphics and Acrostics

Luxor, Hatshepsut temple, paintings
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Sunday, March 2, 2008

ACROSTIC -- Puzzle by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

I am so reminded by today's acrostic of the deciphering of the hieroglyphics and what a fascinating adventure that must have been -- today's acrostic puzzle is a smaller adventure and yet one of a similar nature, piquing one's curiousity and rewarding time spent.


"The first Europeans to see the ruins of Luxor and Karnak were Napoleon's soldiers. They threw down their weapons, broke into spontaneous applause, and saluted.” is a quotation from “Madam, Have You Ever Really Been Happy?: An Intimate Journey” by Meg Noble Peterson, 2005. Today's acrostic quotation from is from Rosemary Mahoney’s “Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff”, 2007.


Quote: WHEN NAPOLEONS SOLDIERS WHO HAD NEVER SEEN A PHOTOGRAPH ROUNDED A BEND AND CAUGHT SIGHT OF THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK FOR THE FIRST TIME THEY WERE SO MOVED BY THE MARVELOUS SIGHT THAT THEY BURST INTO SPONTANEOUS APPLAUSE.

Author name and title of the work: ROSEMARY MAHONEY DOWN THE NILE



The defined words: A. ROWBOAT, Craft operated alone in Egypt by this quote’s author; B. OBELISK, Cleopatra’s Needle, for one; C. SHADOOF, Egyptian pole-and-bucket device for raising water; D. EVENKEEL, State of balance, nautically (2 wds.); E. MEMPHIS, First capital of ancient Egypt; F. ASTERN, Toward the back of a felucca; G. RUSTPROOF, Good thing for a hull to be; H. YOHOHO, Sound of piratical revelry (hyph.); I. MAPPED, Did a navigator’s job; J. AUGUSTUS, Defeater of Antony and Cleopatra; K. HAUNTED, Like the Flying Dutchman, per legend; L. OVERBOARD, To extremes; no longer on deck; M. NORTH, From Aswan to Luxor; N. EPITHET, “The Boy King” for Tutankhamen; O. YACHTSMEN, Guys who really need to learn the ropes; P. DANTE, Whom Charon ferried across the Acheron; Q. OFFSHORE, Away from the beach; R. WATERLOG, Make too soggy to sail; S. NEWS, Work that may require an anchor; T. TRAIL, A wake, for instance; U. HATSHEPSUT, Queen of Egypt whose husband was Thurmose II; V. EIGHT, Number of rowers in a varsity shell; W. NAVY Pea jacket’s typical color; X. INDEPTH, How experts in bathymetry study things? (2 wds.); Y. LENGTHS, Units of distance in a regatta; Z. ENNEAD, Group of nine, as an Egyptian pantheon.

For an excerpt from Down the Nile, go HERE. It looks to be quite a good read! In any event, this acrostic itself makes for a wonderful visit to Egypt!



I'm heading off now to Brooklyn to spy on the ACPT -- will be back later today.

03.02.08 -- Leap Year Forward Thinking










Street Alphabet -- Ben Terrett








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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Click here for LARGE PRINT.










FORWARD THINKING








Puzzle by Patrick Blindauer and Tony Orbach, edited by Will Shortz









Jumping ahead this Leap Year, today’s puzzle is titled “Forward Thinking” -- replacing one letter of the alphabet with the one following in each of the thirteen across entries, utilizing the entire alphabet in order, as follows:









A/B -- KOOLBID (1. Offer for an R.J. Reynolds brand?), Kool Aid;









C/D -- DADDYSHACK (29. Papa pad?), Caddy Shack;









E/F -- GOODFATS (38. Canola and sunflower oil?), good eats;









G/H --STARHAZER (41. Best fraternity pledge tormentor?), star gazer;









I/J -- JVDRIPS (52. Not the most exciting school athletes?), IV drips;









K/L --LEGPARTY (56. Social gathering with the Rockettes?), keg party;









M/N --NIXEDDRINKS (68. Got sober?), mixed drinks;









O/P -- SPYBEANS (83. C.I.A. noggins?), soy beans;









Q/R -- POPRUIZ (85. Hit boxer John with a haymaker?), pop quiz;









S/T -- SWISSMIST (93. Fog in Zurich?), Swiss Miss;









U/V -- MILKDVDS (96. How-to-films for a dairy farm?), Milk Duds;









W/X -- LOXPROFILE (104. Side view of salmon?), low profile; and









Y/Z -- COPYBOZ (128. Transcribe some Dickens?), copy boy.






















The Other Acrosses:
8. Rules, for short; 12. 1970 Simon & Garfunkel hit; 19. Away from a teaching post; 20. Forster’s “AROOM With a View”; 22. Joining; 23. Cube holder; 24. IUD part; 25. Realm of Otto von Bismarck; 26. 1802 acquisition of 25-Across; 27. Settles on, in a way; 28. Top of a platter; 29. Papa pad?; 32. Composes; 34. Org. that oversees quadrennial games; 37. Sporty Mazda; 45. Jack who said “Just the facts, ma’am”; 47. Rugged coastline feature; 48. “My!”; 49. Casual attire; 59. “Like a Rock” singer Bob; 61. Cosmetician Lauder and others; 62. Get decked out; 63. Waste maker; 65. Puts up again, as bowling pins; 67. Squiggly letter; 70. Flutter; 73. Shows past the doorstep; 75. Student of Bartok; 76. The lion in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”; 78. Clap hands on; 81. Pan-fry; 87. “THOSE Calloways” (Disney film); 89. “Damien” subtitle; 90 Mount Rigi, e.g.; 91. Head set; 100. OPTIC nerve; 102. First song on “More of the Monkees”; 103. EENIE, meenie, miney, mo; 109. “Soon It’s GONNA Rain” (“The Fantasticks” song); 111. Reliquary; 112. Temple of Isis locale; 116. Facial growths; 118. Phrase of agreement; 119. Words heard after opening a gift, maybe; 121. Hazel, e.g.; 122. Ice Cube ne OSHEA Jackson; 123. It started around 1100 B.C.; 124. Do a mailroom task; 125. Professional org.










The Downs: 1. Colorful carp; 2. Enough, for some; 3. Plaudits, of a sort; 4. “Sure, I’m game”; 5. Exposed; 6. One of Donald’s exes; 7. Susan of “Looker” 8. Train storage area; 9. ERNEST Tubb, the Texas Troubadour; 10. Nabber’s cry; 11. Rather, informally; 12. Silver prizes; 13. Physicist Fermi; 14. CIUDAD Real, Spain; 15. The “se” in per se; 16. The King’s “princess”; 17. Common past suffix; 18. Eastern title; 21. Like some Sp. Nouns; 27. “The Sopranos” Emmy winner Falco; 30. No man’s land, in brief; 31. Vladimir Putin’s onetime org.; 33. Michael of R.E.M.; 34. Wagner heroine; 35. Extras; 36. Mooches; 39. It commonly follows a verb: Abbr.; 40. Disrespect; 42. Salespeople, informally; 43. Lukas of “Witness”; 44. Sheet music abbr.; 45. Locks on a dome; 46. Chef Lagasse; 50. Cornerstone abbr.; 51. Must; 53. Winners’ signs; 54. August hrs.; 55. Some football blockers: Abbr.; 57. “See THIS?”; 58. Plane part; 60. Signs a lease; 64. “Julius Caesar” setting; 66. Deejay’s bane; 68. Classic soft drink with orange, grape and peach flavors; 69. Shad delicacies; 70. “So-Called Chaos” singer Morissette; 71. Like Niels Bohr; 72. Kind of inspection; 73. Orch. Section; 74. Old French coin; 76. Means of defense: Abbr.; 77. Come across as; 78. Canned meat brand; 79. “And that’s NOLIE” (“Believe you me”); 80. Christina in the 2005 revival of “Sweet Charity”; 82. Speech stumbles; 84. Informal greetings; 86. Zoo feature, in England; 88. Finnic language; 92. Fashion inits.; 94. Ring bearer; 95. Here, on the Riviera; 97. Fife player; 98. Bread for tacos?; 99. Plywood layer; 100. OPHRAHS Book Club; 101. 7, 11 and 13; 105. Bologna bone; 106. Mandela’s native tongue; 107. Hijacked cruise ship Achille LAURO; 108. Bar at the bar; 110. “I’d hate to break up ASET”; 113. Having a taste of the grape; 114. Run up ATAB; 115. NASA cancellation; 116. Econ. Measure; 117. Your and my; 119. Snap; 120. Cyrano’s nose.





The Times published an electronic Leap Day puzzle by Fred Piscop, which I just noticed. It's full of LEAPs, and it's great fun!












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For today's cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.


























Click on image to enlarge.













Puzzle available on the internet at







THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games













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