NYT Wednesday 4/29/09 - Aprrill Carroll

Barry C. Silk has been featured six times so far this year and I normally associate him with the tougher end-of-week puzzles. This one seemed about right for a Wednesday: knowing that a word ladder was involved didn't help as much as I hoped - the puzzle was almost done by the time I got 38-across and so realized what the two ends of the ladder were.

Lewis Carroll had a huge influence on English language wordplay and came up with the word ladder form. I had fun unpicking a couple of other connections he has with the puzzle (see Theme below). When introducing doublets in March 1879, Carroll gave readers three challenges (drag the mouse over the line below to see the official solution):

1. Drive PIG into STY
PIG,WIG,WAG,WAY,SAY,STY
2. Raise FOUR to FIVE
FOUR,FOUL,FOOL,FOOT,FORT,FORE,FIRE,FIVE
3. Make WHEAT into BREAD
WHEAT,CHEAT,CHEAM,CREAM,BREAM,BREAD

Solving time: 18 mins (no cheating)
Clue of the puzz: 68a ones {Change components, often}

Theme

How to get from nine to five (38a standard workday) in 9 easy steps:

1a nine {Start of a 38-Across}
15a tine {Small part of a spork}
18a tone {Musical quality}
22a tore {Made tracks}
35a sore {Teed off}
44a sort {Put into piles}
56a fort {Locale in a western}
64a fore {It may precede a stroke}
67a fire {Ax}
71a five {End of a 38-Across}

A spork (sometimes called a "runcible spoon", a Lewis Carroll coinage) is a combined spoon and a fork. Lewis Carroll also gave us the term "portmanteau word" for such hybrids of two existing words. And he invented the word ladder form exemplified in the puzzle, which he called "doublets".

I was a little surprised that 64-across suggests fore precedes a stroke - maybe by the pessimistic golfer?

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Barry C. Silk / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 38 (16.9%) black squares
Answers	76 (average length 4.92)
Theme squares	55 (29.4%)
Scrabble points	278 (average 1.49)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

5a O-Lan {"The Good Earth" heroine}. The Good Earth (published in 1931) is the first novel in a trilogy by Pearl S. Buck about family life in a Chinese village. O-Lan is the slave girl who marries the hero of the book. There was a movie adaptation in 1937.



65a Dino {Rat Pack nickname}. I had to confirm the details here: Dino was Dean Martin's nickname - interestingly, he was born Dino ... Dino Paul Crocetti. You'd better know the lyrics of this song, as fazool and the like are often referenced in crossword clues.



9d pest {Orkin victim}. I first thought this must be another Mork & Mindy reference, but Mork is Orkan. No Orkin is a pest-control company, presumably a rival to Ehrlich, which we use.

36d Eds {Wynn and Harris}. These two Eds are American actors of different generations: Ed Wynn (1886-1966) started in radio and later had a successful movie career; Ed Harris is a movie actor who played John Glenn in The Right Stuff.



49d Illini {"Fighting" athletes}. Not a reference to the Fightin' Tigers, whose myriad crossword references put them at the top of The Crucy League. The Fighting Illini have a cool name, but don't come up very often; the name Illini derives from an alternative name for the Illinois Confederation of Native American tribes.

Noteworthy

27a Ira {Good name for an investment adviser?}. Difficult to know whether to list this as Ira or IRA - the clue seems to allude to both Individual Retirement Accounts and the forename.

29a sessile {Permanently attached, in zoology}. I word whose meaning hadn't sunk in very well: sessile (from the Latin word for "seated") in zoology means fixed to a particular spot, like a barnacle.

32a Napster {Early MP3-sharing Web site}. Considering its influence, it is amazing that the Napster file sharing service operated just over two years: from June 1999 to July 2001. It was shut down to comply with a court injunction and now exists only as a pay service, a subsidiary of Best Buy. The Napster name came from founder Shawn Fanning's hairstyle-based nickname.

8d Neeson {"Kinsey" star, 2004}. Last Friday's Barry C. Silk puzzle also referenced Alfred Kinsey in defining zoology. Although Kinsey (1894–1956) was a professor of entomology and zoology, he's much better known for his pioneering research into human sexuality.



The Rest

9a passé {So last year}; 14a on or {___ about}; 16a empty {Recyclable item}; 17a lama {Prayer wheel user}; 19a smite {Strike down}; 20a ETAs {Cockpit announcements, briefly}; 21a onus {Millstone}; 23a sinew {Strength}; 25a log {Cord unit}; 37a latest {Up-to-date}; 43a period {"... and that's final!"}; 45a isthmus {Canal site, maybe}; 47a peevish {Showing irritation}; 52a nth {Last in a series}; 53a PCB {Toxic pollutant, for short}; 55a dolce {Sweet, in Italy}; 59a orbs {Many Christmas ornaments}; 62a ilex {Holly}; 63a cluer {Crossword maker or editor, at times}; 66a oeste {Dirección sailed by Columbus}; 68a ones {Change components, often}; 69a Swede {Dag Hammarskjöld, for one}; 70a SLRs {Some cameras, for short}.

1d no less {At minimum}; 2d in a tie {How baseball games rarely end}; 3d no-man's {Kind of land}; 4d erases {Undoes}; 5d Otto {Camp Swampy dog}; 6d lion {Symbol of courage}; 7d annul {Undo}; 10d ammo {Survivalist's stockpile}; 11d spirited {Full of energy}; 12d St Teresa {"The Way of Perfection" writer}; 13d eye {Word after red or dead}; 24d wisdom {Solomon's asset}; 26d galore {In profusion}; 28d arty {Pseudo-cultured}; 30d load up {Stockpile}; 31d err {Muff one}; 33d parted {Like some men's hair}; 34d stk. {Nasdaq buy: Abbr.}; 38d spin {Quick drive}; 39d test-flew {Tried out at an Air Force base}; 40d art house {Theater for niche audiences}; 41d NIH {Medical research org.}; 42d wop {Doo-___}; 46d scoffs {Shows scorn}; 48d void of {Lacking}; 50d Scene V {Part of an act, perhaps}; 51d hexose {Simple sugar}; 54d broil {Range setting}; 57d retd. {On Soc. Sec., say}; 58d tree {Trap, in a way}; 60d brrr {Winter exclamation}; 61d sees {Goes with}; 63d Cos. {Orgs. with "Inc." in their names}.

NYT Tuesday 4/28/09 - As You Like It

The compiler managed to get close to half of the letters in this grid involved in the theme (closer still if you count on a par as thematic). This is quite an achievement, even though the set of thematic answers is more open-ended than usual. It was good to see that there were no fill-in-the-blank clues outside of the thematic ones.

Despite being able to guess most of the similes without any help from cross-checking, there were enough "New to Me" answers that I ended up with a fairly slow time for a Tuesday New York Times puzzle.

A quick update on the Wired puzzles: I've solved Digidoku (fun, not too difficult) and Pick Nine (easy). Thanks for the Memories is a beautiful idea, but I'm not sure it will be that much fun to solve, so I've skipped it for the mo.

Solving time: 12 mins (no cheating)
Clue of the puzz: 26d saws {Fellers in the woods?}

Theme

51a similes. The answer immediately beneath - 55a on a par {Like, with "with"} - could also be regarded as thematic.

10a deaf {___ as a post}
20a straight {___ as an arrow}
24a neat {___ as a pin}
25a cunning {___ as a fox}
26a strong {___ as an ox}
37a wise {___ as an owl}
41a sick {___ as a dog}
56a slippery {___ as an eel}
66a sober {___ as a judge}
67a dead {___ as a doornail}
68a hard {___ as a diamond}
6d tight {___ as a drum}
25d clean {___ as a whistle}
27d thin {___ as a rail}
29d clear {___ as a bell}
34d high {___ as a kite}
51d solid {___ as a rock}
54d blind {___ as a bat}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Matt Ginsberg / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 36 (16.0%) black squares
Answers	78 (average length 4.85)
Theme squares	88 (46.6%)
Scrabble points	290 (average 1.53)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

19a Lori {Actress Singer of "Footloose"}. Lori Singer played the role of Ariel Moore opposite Kevin Bacon in Footloose. The compiler could have been a little more cryptic by deleting "Actress" ... but perhaps not for a Tuesday puzzle.



31a Seale {Newton's Black Panther Party co-founder}. If, like me, you didn't know this, you had to be on your toes with 5-down to get the first letter right. Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party with Huey P. Newton in 1966. It was a militant organization for the promotion of black rights, which had little influence after the 1970s.

54a Bana {Eric who played 2003's Hulk}. Likewise, you were in trouble if you didn't know this and had to guess 40-down. Eric Bana is an Australian actor who began his career as a comedian. In Hulk, he plays the eponymous superhero.



57d Erbe {Kathryn of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"}. Kathryn Erbe plays Det. Alexandra Eames in the series.



Noteworthy

6a tomb {Grant's is in New York}. Probably a gimme to Americans, but I had to consider Park and Club as possible answers before Grant's Tomb rang vague bells with me.

29a Clyde {Outlaw Barrow}. Another clue where I turned out to know the answer (if not the surname used in the clue) through the movie Bonnie and Clyde. For future reference, her full name was Bonnie Parker.



4d Romano {Italian cheese}. I once made the mistake of buying Romano (literally "from Rome") instead of Parmesan cheese. They look similar and both tend to be grated, but Magdalen will accept no substitutes.

5d sapiens {Latin for 37-Across}. The Latin for "wise"? Not as difficult as it looks, once you remember what species you belong to.

12d Aaron {Baseball All-Star every year from 1955 to 1975}. Hey, I remembered Hank Aaron - some of this baseball lore is sticking.

26d saws {Fellers in the woods?}. I was wondering if this would be a reference to the Ax Men themselves, rather than their tools. I cut down 20 or so trees a year, so have an interest in this stuff, but Magdalen has surprised me by watching some episodes on her own - the producers have a very nice line in animated accidents, there being insufficient gore in what they actually get to film?



40d Kenai {Alaskan peninsula where Seward is located}. And I must have had a keen ear the day we came through it, as I remembered the name. I also remember the town of Moose Pass, where there is no gas station - the name Moose Pass Gas somehow didn't appeal, according to our bus driver. The Kenai Peninsula was essential knowledge if you were sadly ignorant of Eric Bana.

The Rest

1a icers {They put the frosting on the cake}; 14a Samoa {Pacific archipelago nation}; 15a Inga {"Young Frankenstein" role}; 16a UCAL {Golden State sch.}; 17a primp {Fix the hair just so, say}; 18a gird {Bind with a band}; 22a gallon {Jug capacity}; 30a aha! {"Bingo!"}; 33a ashes {Barbecue remnants}; 39a speak {Command to a dog}; 42a snack {Some chips, maybe}; 44a saner {Less loony}; 46a GHI {4 on a telephone}; 47a loser {Bottom dog}; 49a nachos {Some chips}; 60a lugs {Chowderheads}; 61a Asti {Sparkling wine locale}; 63a atria {Indoor trees may grow in them}; 64a is me {Words after "woe"}; 65a peen {One end of a hammer}; 69a trend {The way things are going}.

1d ISPs {AOL and others}; 2d cart {Auto denter in a supermarket parking lot}; 3d emir {Leader in a robe}; 7d on it {Doing the job}; 8d mgr. {Apartment bldg. V.I.P.}; 9d bad guy {The Joker in Batman movies, e.g.}; 10d dullness {Tedium}; 11d E. coli {Gastroenteritis cause, maybe}; 13d fling {Impulsive indulgence}; 21d gages {Light green plums}; 23d and a {Lawrence Welk's "one"/"two" connector}; 28d rasa {Literally, "scraped"}; 32d apses {Cathedral recesses}; 35d echo {Repetitive reply}; 36d skis {Nordic runners}; 38d eclipsed {Overshadowed}; 43d kola {Nut for caffeine?}; 45d ran past {Told to in order to get an opinion}; 48d seraph {Angelic figure}; 50d captor {Prisoner's opposite}; 52d in use {Busy}; 53d magma {Volcanic buildup}; 56d -ster {Suffix with pun}; 58d rien {It means nothing to Sarkozy}; 59d yard {Area within a picket fence, say}; 62d sea {Pirate's realm}.

NYT Monday 4/27/09 - The Same Middle Name

This Monday New York Times crossword seems to be a variant of one of my favorite jokes: what do Dora the Explorer, Joe the Plumber and Rosie the Riveter have in common? Answer: the same middle name!

It was a surprise to see the byline Joe Krozel on a Monday puzzle, as all three of his puzzles so far this year have been of the super-fiendish Saturday variety. But there wasn't a mistake in the scheduling: this Monday puzzle was among the easiest I have solved - miraculously, there was only one answer (Kasem) I didn't know.

Solving time: 6 mins (no cheating)

Theme

Characters, real and imaginary, known by their trades:

24a Dora the Explorer {Animated TV character whose best friend is Boots}. Dora debuted in 1999 and has the monkey Boots as her best friend. She is a Latina and helps children to learn Spanish - sounds like I could benefit from watching from her tuition!



35a Joe the Plumber {2008 campaign personality}. It was hard to escape Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher aka Joe the Plumber in the recent election campaign. Turns out his name isn't Joe, he isn't a plumber and he owes taxes.



50a Rosie the Riveter {Norman Rockwell painting subject of W.W. II}. Although Rosie the Riveter became an iconic figure that transcended any one individual, she was originally based on the real riveter Rose Will Monroe, who worked at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in Ypsilanti, MI.

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Joe Krozel / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 38 (16.9%) black squares
Answers	76 (average length 4.92)
Theme squares	43 (23.0%)
Scrabble points	320 (average 1.71)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

32a Kasem {Casey of "American Top 40"}. Casey Kasem has hosted the radio chart countdown show American Top 40 for much of its existence, but isn't currently at the helm. Seems to be equivalent to the weekly Chart Show on BBC Radio 1.



Noteworthy

10a E for {Get an ___ effort}. I charitably had the answer A for to start with. It seems an "E for Effort" is used by teachers with a sense of irony (which I sensed from mine was a qualification for the job).

22a Be Mine {Valentine candy message}. This was definitely one of the messages on the Love Hearts I liked as a kid. But at the age I enjoyed Love Hearts, I wasn't about to give them away to anybody ... "candy, be mine ... mmm"!

55a tin hat {Helmet from W.W. I or W.W. II}. Magdalen claims to have had difficulty with this one. It's a misnomer, because tin hats are made out of steel - a hat made out of tin wouldn't be much protection for lead coming your way, now would it?

The Rest

1a mask {Part of a Halloween costume}; 5a humus {Rich soil component}; 14a unto {"Do ___ others as ..."}; 15a unapt {Not appropriate}; 16a trio {Duo plus one}; 17a scar {Mark left from an injury}; 18a say 'no' {Refuse a request}; 19a held {Detained}; 20a thresh {Separate grains from wheat, e.g.}; 28a -ory {Suffix with access}; 29a pup {Young dog or seal}; 30a Tse {China's Mao ___-tung}; 31a Iwo {___ Jima}; 34a Aden {Main port of Yemen}; 40a hung {Like paintings and some juries}; 41a hence {As a result}; 42a ade {Fruity cooler}; 43a sac {Animal pouch}; 46a ETD {Plane takeoff guess: Abbr.}; 47a à la {Chicken ___ king}; 54a lock in {Fix permanently, as an interest rate}; 56a is in {"Beauty ___ the eye ..."}; 58a Intel {Semiconductor giant}; 60a dope {Idiot}; 61a deci- {Tenth: Prefix}; 62a nurse {Hospital attendant}; 63a emir {Kuwaiti leader}; 64a exec {Business V.I.P.}; 65a speed {Velocity}; 66a deny {Say "No, I didn't"}.

1d must-do {High-priority item}; 2d anchor {Katie Couric, for one}; 3d starry {Like the night sky}; 4d Korea {Seoul's home}; 5d hush-hush {Top-secret}; 6d una {Italian article}; 7d maybe {Answer that's between yes and no}; 8d up next {Coming immediately after, as on TV}; 9d stomps {Leaves in a huff, with "out"}; 10d ethno- {Prefix with -centric}; 11d free ride {Something for nothing, as what a hitchhiker seeks}; 12d oil {OPEC product}; 13d rod {Fishing pole}; 21d St. Pat {March 17 honoree, for short}; 23d ile {___ de France}; 25d épée {Sword of sport}; 26d ewer {Fancy pitcher}; 27d Ron {Politico ___ Paul}; 32d keg {Beer blast centerpiece}; 33d mph {Measure of a car's 65-Across: Abbr.}; 34d Abe {Lincoln, informally}; 35d judo {Cousin of karate}; 36d one slice {Minimum pizza order}; 37d leer {Lusty look}; 38d untitled {Like the Beatles' White Album}; 39d MCDVI {The year 1406}; 40d har {Part of a guffaw}; 43d sec. {1/60 of a min.}; 44d Atkins {Diet doctor}; 45d chin up! {"Don't let it get you down!"}; 47d at home {Comfortable (with)}; 48d leap in {Go right at it, as work}; 49d artery {Vein's counterpart}; 51d ionic {Kind of column, in architecture}; 52d entre {___ nous (between us)}; 53d ended {Kaput}; 56d -ide {Suffix with chlor-}; 57d sex {It sells in advertising, they say}; 59d ESE {180 degrees from WNW}.

NPR Sunday 4/26/09 -- Two Currently Equals Zero

After a very easy puzzle, given that they got over 2,500 entries for Consumer Reports, we have a slightly tougher one. I think it's slightly tougher because neither Ross nor I have managed to get it yet... Your mileage might vary.

Here's the puzzle:

5 = 4
7 = 5
8 = 1
26 = 9
12 = ?

Now, the answer would be 6 and we'd all sleep well at night, if only 8 = 5 (or was left out of the list!). (If you can't see what we're getting at, let that be an extra puzzle to gnaw on.) But 8 = 1, which really complicates things. I'll continue to mull this over -- no hints, please! -- and will report on my progress on Thursday.

NYT Sunday 4/26/09 - Bumper-to-bumper

Magdalen and I solved this Sunday New York Times crossword en route to The Woman in Black at the Cider Mill Playhouse. In London, I'd been past the Fortune Theatre (where this show had a long run) many times, but not dared step in to see this ghost story adaptation. I really enjoyed the Cider Mill's production, though it seemed to leave some of the Americans in the audience cold (and not in the intended way) - for once I could pick up on all the references (to train stations, British actors etc) that no-one else did.

The puzzle by 2009 ACPT finalist Trip Payne was a lot of fun to solve - answers involved in the rebus theme seemed to be bumper-to-bumper in the grid, which kept us on our toes when solving.

Solving time: 45 mins (no cheating, collaborative effort)
Clue of the puzz: 109a stripper {One who's barely working?}

Theme

A "rebus" theme in which the hesitations er and um occupy a single cell.

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Trip Payne / Will Shortz
Grid	21x21 with 77 (17.5%) black squares
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

1a SLC {2002 Winter Olympics host: Abbr.}. I correctly guessed Salt Lake City right away, but hadn't met this TLA before. Here's the short program from Men's figure skating gold medal winner Alexei Yagudin:



105d Eris {Largest known dwarf planet}. I assumed this must be a reference to the asteroid Eros, which is annoyingly only one letter out. No, Eris is the ninth-largest body orbiting the sun, bigger even than Pluto, which has been demoted to a dwarf planet. In Greek mythology, Eris is the goddess of strife (Discordia in Latin).

Noteworthy

7a Abrams {J. J. ___, co-creator of "Lost" and director of 2009's "Star Trek"}. The timing of this clue is perhaps no coincidence: J. J. Abrams is the guest editor of this month's Wired magazine, a "mystery issue" featuring puzzles by such luminaries as Will Shortz and Martin Gardner. We've barely begun to explore the challenges and will report back on our progress if/when we make any!

33a old man {Santiago, to Hemingway}. Santiago is the "old man" of The Old Man and the Sea, a novella that made a vivid impression on me when I studied it at school at the age of 13 or 14. This title has the interesting property (to word-lovers) of having all the words the same length. The book was made into a movie starring Spencer Tracy.



109a stripper {One who's barely working?}. I have to confess to seeing through this one immediately - nonetheless a beautifully worded and fun clue.

9d Rys {Guitarist Cooder and others}. I don't know much about Ry Cooder's genre of American folk music, but his soundtrack to Paris, Texas was really memorable and so well suited to the movie's atmosphere.



70d vici {End of a famous claim}. The claim being Julius Caesar's much referenced Veni, vidi, vici. Philip Morris cheekily adopts it as their motto.

104d tre {III, today}. A neat clue - it took us a while to see the connection between the Latin III and the Italian tre.

The Rest

4a MRI {It scans for problems}; 13a coopt {Take for one's own}; 18a too soon {Prematurely}; 20a Emmylou {Country singer Harris}; 21a angle {Two lines may make one}; 22a Angela's {"___ Ashes"}; 23a newspaper column {Op-ed piece, e.g.}; 25a serial numbers {Worries for ransom recipients}; 27a Eritrean {Resident of Asmara}; 28a HST {The 33rd pres.}; 29a moose {State animal of Maine}; 31a Vinci {Leonardo's home}; 37a sternums {Parts of some cages}; 39a memo {It may go around the office}; 43a per year {Annually}; 44a podracer {Anakin Skywalker flew one in "Star Wars Episode I"}; 46a Mumbai {Home of the National Stock Exchange of India}; 47a Big Easy {French Quarter's home, with "the"}; 48a umbra {Shadow}; 49a has a ball {Really enjoys oneself}; 51a atolls {Coral Sea features}; 52a hijack {Greeting you shouldn't say at an airport}; 54a rallyes {Driving events that use checkpoints}; 55a Sisler {Baseball Hall-of-Famer George}; 56a maces {Flanged weapons}; 57a noisier {More obstreperous}; 59a serum {Blood bank supply}; 60a not it {Tag line?}; 61a hides {Trappers' trophies}; 62a dev. {Partner of research: Abbr.}; 65a deaden {Blunt}; 67a Sufis {Dervishes, e.g.}; 68a Plummer {Actress Amanda}; 70a volumizer {Salon product for flat hair}; 73a geranium {Possible item in a window box}; 75a cue bid {Bridge tactic}; 76a intoning {Reading without emotion}; 78a Alan {Lyricist Bergman}; 79a hot date {Reason to get all gussied up}; 80a carne {___ picada (burrito filler)}; 81a hissing {Ominous jungle sound}; 83a aligns {Makes true}; 84a inst. {Amer. Film ___ (annual awards grp.)}; 85a bum steer {Lousy tip}; 86a craned {Rubbernecked}; 87a sooty {Like Santa's boots}; 88a it's up {"___ to you"}; 91a dam {Reservoir's edge}; 94a aviator {Professional who may wear goggles}; 98a bumper-to-bumper {Crowded, in a way}; 102a consumer interest {Individual debtors pay it}; 107a lose big {Be routed}; 108a clasp {Hold tight}; 110a easterner {North Carolinian, e.g.}; 111a tents {Pitched quarters}; 112a thesis {Writing that needs defending}; 113a eta {Seventh-brightest star in a constellation}; 114a ergs {Units in physics}.

1d stash {Sock away}; 2d loners {They aren't gregarious}; 3d cogito ergo sum {Statement of philosophy}; 4d moll {Gang hanger-on}; 5d roan {Horse color}; 6d in summary {"To recap ..."}; 7d a mess {Make ___ of things}; 8d BMW {Rolls-Royce's parent company}; 10d alp {High point}; 11d moa {Bird once hunted by the Maori}; 12d supernumeraries {Extras}; 13d cacti {Much Arizona flora}; 14d on or {___ about}; 15d ogle {Eyeball}; 16d pluma {Feather, to Fernando}; 17d Tenn. {State trisected by a river of the same name: Abbr.}; 19d sea {Inland ___}; 20d enero {Madrid month}; 24d Erics {Hollywood's Roberts and others}; 26d bon {___ voyage}; 30d Esdras {Either of two books of the Apocrypha}; 31d Vera {Miles of film}; 32d inch {Unit indicated by "}; 34d Lyell {19th-century geologist Charles}; 35d dealer {Casino employee}; 36d mass {Aggregate}; 38d Trac {___ II razor}; 39d mumbler {Poor orator, perhaps}; 40d eBay {Its first sale was a broken laser pointer}; 41d male {Buck or boar}; 42d oils {"The Blue Boy" and others}; 43d pitier {Compassionate sort}; 44d pumicing {Using a certain abrasive on}; 45d objet {___ trouvé}; 46d Mali {Its capital is Bamako}; 47d bass {Paul Robeson, e.g.}; 50d sass {Cheek}; 52d hate {Detestation}; 53d knifing {Stabber's attack}; 56d Modern Humorist {Comedy webzine founded in 2000}; 58d odium {Detestation}; 60d Nazi {Extra in "The Producers"}; 61d Hunan {Spicy cuisine}; 62d Dumb and Dumberer {2003 sequel to a popular 1994 comedy}; 63d emits {Issues}; 64d Verde {Mesa ___}; 65d Dumont {Groucho Marx foil Margaret}; 66d eine {A in German class?}; 67d Salieri {Teacher of Schubert}; 68d put-in {Contribute}; 69d ledge {Narrow shelf}; 71d Onan {Second son of Judah}; 72d ltrs. {What P.O.'s handle}; 74d erase {Get out of the line?}; 75d cola {Dark quaff}; 77d gist {Heart}; 79d Harper Lee {Alabama-born novelist}; 82d sty {Shoat holder}; 85d booer {Rude audience member}; 86d cup {Demitasse, e.g.}; 87d stumps {What lumberjacks leave}; 89d tbsps. {Recipe amts.}; 90d Sumter {Historic South Carolina fort}; 92d aping {Taking off on}; 93d mergers {Wall Street newsmakers}; 94d acct. {It may require a password: Abbr.}; 95d vole {Relative of a lemming}; 96d in an {___ awkward position}; 97d asst. {___ mgr.}; 99d to a T {Exactly as required}; 100d ossa {Greek peak}; 101d bet {Run a risk}; 103d nth {Kind of power}; 106d epi- {Prefix with glottis}.

NYT Saturday 4/25/09 - It's Tough at the Top

This Saturday New York Times crossword was another typically nightmarish end-of-the-week offering. It began promisingly enough and I completed the bottom two-thirds in a reasonable amount of time.

Unfortunately, I never really broke into the NW and NE corners and finally gave up after 45 minutes or so to consult my Egeria. As often happens, Magdalen had a few critical answers that totally stumped me: Andres and FDR at the top left; and Kanin at the top right. Together we bashed out the rest of the fill by the hour.

Solving time: 60 mins (no cheating, collaborative effort)
Clue of the puzz: 17a oddsmaker {One might create a spread}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Brad Wilber / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 29 (12.9%) black squares
Answers	70 (average length 5.60)
Theme squares	0 (0.0%)
Scrabble points	322 (average 1.64)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

1a drains off {Runs through a petcock, e.g.}. Here it was essential to know what a petcock is, and I didn't. Magdalen thought they were the taps on burettes, which given my Chemistry background, I should have known. But it seems petcocks are more often the valves for controlling the gasoline supply in engines.

15a Ron Howard {Best Director of 2001}. Ron Howard won for A Beautiful Mind that year. Until solving American crosswords, I wasn't aware Ron had started as a child actor - Opie from The Andy Griffith Show being a cruciverbal stock character.



55a NHL {Stars play in it: Abbr.}. A reference to the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League ... or are there other NHL teams with stars in their name (not that it really matters)?

3d Andrés {1993 N.L. batting champ Galarraga}. This was a gimme for Magdalen, but I had no hope of getting it. Andrés Galarraga is a Venezuelan former first baseman, nicknamed The Big Cat (El Gran Gato) for his litheness despite his formidable size.

7d Oakie {"The Great Dictator" Oscar nominee}. You'd have thought this would refer to Chaplin in some way; no, the answer's supporting actor Jack Oakie, who played the Mussolini-like character in The Great Dictator.



9d FDR {Most famous resident of Warm Spr., Ga.}. Another clue that's probably a no-brainer for Americans, but not me. The Little White House in Warm Springs was FDR's personal retreat. He originally came there to seek treatment for his polio-related symptoms.




13d Abie Baby {"Hair" song with birthday wishes to a president}. Abie Baby is a modernized version of the Gettysburg Address in the famous rock musical. Warning: the following clip includes explicit lyrics.



14d sandals {Wear for Peppermint Patty}. Magdalen had the brilliant idea of tin foil, but the reference is to the Peanuts character, not the mint and chocolate confection. Peppermint Patty is almost always portrayed wearing sandals, even when sculpted.

Noteworthy

10a tubas {They have big bells}. I knew this answer in theory, but the clue is highly deceptive. The term for the flared end of a brass instrument is the "bell" and tubas have the biggest of them all. Since tuba is a Latin word, compilers can give us an even harder time by using the Latin plural tubae. The sousaphone is a tuba adapted for use in marching bands.

17a oddsmaker {One might create a spread}. I could only think of caterers and got this answer very late - it was hard to make the right connection, despite the ascendancy of spread betting recently.

20a Enid {City founded during the Cherokee Strip land run}. A reminder that Enid, OK is one of the most used four-letter words in crosswords, occurring about 8 times a year in the NYT. About half the time it's some variant on this clue and half the time "Geraint's wife". Here's the text from the accompanying sign:

CHEROKEE STRIP
Opened by Run, Sept. 16, 1893. On line here, 15,000 waited for carbine signal fired by cavalryman at High Noon, Lt. C. A. Hedekin, commanding Troop A., U.S. Cav. Race from land started from post on knoll half mile west, by wagon, buggy, bicycle, horse and train. In 60 by 90 mile area, every acre occupied by nightfall. The first settlers reached Enid from here.

38a The Last Metro {1980 Truffaut film that won 10 César awards}. Truffaut is one of my fav directors, and getting this answer early really helped break into the bottom half of the grid. I think of it more by the French title, so confidently put Dernier Métro in to start with. The Last Metro concerns a Jewish theater director who must be kept hidden during the Nazi occupation of Paris.



6d swank {Tony}. Nothing to do with Hilary - you need to think about slang terms for fashionable/stylish (although Hilary is undoubtedly that too). A mean clue, the epitome of what Magdalen's family dubbed a CBA ("could be anything") clue.

12d Bundt pan {Thing with a sweet ring to it?}. Magdalen actually has a Bundt pan, which made it easy to justify the answer when we finally worked it out (it was one of the last we got). The term comes from the German word for a gathering and is pronounced "bunt"; Bundt pans have a hole in the middle and are used to make ring-shaped cakes.

The Rest

16a Aruba {Setting of Queen Beatrix Airport}; 18a Kanin {Garson ___, writer and director of Broadway's "Born Yesterday"}; 19a per {Apportionment word}; 21a melded {United}; 22a I beg {"___ of you ..."}; 24a keen on {Fond of}; 26a TBA {Itinerary abbr.}; 27a Tyson {Food giant based in Springdale, Ark.}; 29a biz {Trade, informally}; 30a opal {It has a play of colors}; 31a washboard abs {Desirable trunk feature}; 35a Scipio {He crushed Hannibal at Zama}; 37a brainy {Bright}; 40a hold {Not give way}; 41a lea {Herd locale}; 42a Euler {Introducer of the math symbol "e"}; 46a Eri {European conductor ___ Klas}; 47a eelers {Unagi restaurant suppliers}; 50a sate {Be enough for}; 51a pebbly {Like avocado skins}; 53a wits {Quotable types}; 56a Isaac {Shorthand inventor Pitman}; 57a Henry VIII {Act of Supremacy institutor}; 59a Tutsi {Rwandan people}; 60a assonance {Relative of alliteration}; 61a speed {Track asset}; 62a step class {Health club offering for aerobic workouts}.

1d drop it {Discussion ender}; 2d rode by {Passed, as in a parade}; 4d IHS {Christian trigram}; 5d Nome {City east of Saint Lawrence Island}; 8d Fred Ebb {"New York, New York" lyricist}; 10d taken {Like some seats}; 11d Ural {Orenburg is on it}; 21d Mozart {"The Impresario" composer}; 23d go wild {Lose it}; 25d Niobe {Queen for whom an element is named}; 28d Napa {Vacation spot for some oenophiles}; 30d odious {Repellent}; 32d Sisley {Alfred ___, "Footbridge at Argenteuil" artist}; 33d hotel {Shuttle destination}; 34d rare {Of particular interest to a completist}; 35d shores up {Bolsters}; 36d celibate {Like many clerics}; 38d the pits {Something dreadful}; 39d Mae West {Who said "I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure"}; 43d La Niña {Cause of a dry spell in the Midwest}; 44d ethics {Business school course}; 45d relies {Hinges}; 47d El Cid {Battle of Cabra victor, 1079}; 48d rinse {Shampoo shelfmate}; 49d strop {It's often seen next to a chair}; 52d base {Private residence?}; 54d sync {Coordination, briefly}; 57d has {Boasts}; 58d Val {___-de-Marne, France}.

NYT Friday 4/24/09 - The Power of Two (Take Two)

Magdalen and I have been traveling and have concluded that it's more companionable to solve the New York Times crosswords together in that situation. We started with this Friday crossword and immediately noticed a huge difference: such puzzles usually take me an hour or more on my own; solo, Magdalen typically gives up after solving a few isolated clues and rarely manages to put a corner together.

Yet with our combined brains, we completed this seemingly tough puzzle in around 20 minutes. Helping me out, Magdalen seemed much more engaged in the process and she was instrumental in getting the NW corner done at the start. The knowledge we bring is complementary - Magdalen is particularly good on pop culture references and I know a lot of obscure vocabulary and can usually see through cryptic-like deception in definitions.

Why not always solve crosswords together? I have a dilemma, because I reckon I learn more by solving on my own and not being spoon-fed answers I need to memorize. Struggling to get to an answer seems to encourage the learning process for me. It seems like we can reach a reasonable compromise by jointly solving all cryptic puzzles, the Sunday NYT puzzles and any puzzle when we're traveling. I'll also call on her if I get really stuck on any late-week crossword.

Solving time: 22 mins (no cheating, collaborative effort)
Clue of the puzz: 6d DST {Reason to do a 2 a.m. shift}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Barry C. Silk / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 27 (12.0%) black squares
Answers	72 (average length 5.50)
Theme squares	0 (0.0%)
Scrabble points	344 (average 1.74)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

19a Uinta {Kings Peak's range}. The Uinta Mountains are a subrange of the Rockies in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado; Kings Peak is the highest point at 13,528 ft.

24a Witt {1984 perfect game pitcher Mike}. Mike Witt played for the California Angels and scored the 11th perfect game in baseball history against the Texas Rangers.

25a Ric {Rapper ___-A-Che}. Detroit rapper Ric-A-Che (aka Rick Dennis) released the single Coo-Coo Chee/Lil Bro in 2004, followed by his full-length debut album, Lack of Communication. He's obscure enough not to have a Wikipedia article at this time.

52a UC Irvine {The Anteaters of the Big West Conf.}. Colleges sometimes choose seemingly unfortunate team mascots. Another of my favorites is Swarthmore, whose sports teams are nicknamed the Earthworms (an anagram of Swarthmore).

3d guanacos {Residents of dry, open country in South America}. The compiler really got me with this one: I knew the answer was a word, but I solved the whole puzzle without realizing a guanaco is a woolly animal, not a human.

12d Baltic {Like Old Prussian}. Had to look this one up too - it refers to languages not states. Old Prussian is an extinct language in the Baltic group. It was spoken by the people of what became East Prussia (now divided between Poland and Russia).

14d Emmett {Daniel Decatur ___, minstrel who wrote "Dixie"}. Daniel Decatur Emmett (1815-1904) composed Dixie for blackface minstrel shows of the 1850s. It became the de facto anthem of the Confederacy in the American Civil War. It tells of a freed slave pining for the plantation of his birth - hence its performance now is a subject of some controversy.



Noteworthy

38a jetty {Reducer of pier pressure?}. This definition caused a bit of head-scratching: is the point that the stones of the jetty reduce tidal pressure on the wooden structure of a pier? Or that a stone jetty further out to sea protects inshore piers? We're still not clear on this one.

47a novae {Phenomena associated with some dwarfs}. I soon realized this referred to astronomical novae, but had to look up why they should be associated with dwarf stars. Novae (different from supernovae) occur when a white dwarf accumulates hydrogen from a stellar companion, to the point where it undergoes a cataclysmic explosion.

48a mania {Way up state?}. A really misleading definition - a manic person is alarmingly "up".

6d DST {Reason to do a 2 a.m. shift}. Another great clue. The shift is moving the clock forward or back an hour when starting and ending Daylight Savings Time - this being done at the convenient time of two in the morning.

11d ale {Yard sale?}. Can you buy a yard of ale in the USA? I've never been tempted to try one, as drinking from the unwieldy glass seems akin to being waterboarded. The record shortest time for drinking a 2-pint yard is 5 seconds!

The Rest

1a tagged {Now out ... or "it"}; 7a Zimbabwe {Its flag features an image of a stone-carved bird}; 15a squats {Weightlifting set}; 16a one-alarm {Like a relatively minor fire}; 17a quaint {Like olde shoppes}; 18a on the lam {Running}; 20a olios {Jambalayas}; 21a tie {Inconclusive result}; 22a alas {"Regrettably ..."}; 23a Econo- {___-Car}; 26a Gregg {Texas county named for a Civil War general, with its seat in Longview}; 27a yacht {Millionaire's plaything}; 28a Enola Gay {Carrier of very destructive cargo}; 30a wok {Cooking vessel}; 31a session {One may be held in court}; 32a big ears {Pair of elephants?}; 36a alt. {Aviator's concern: Abbr.}; 37a Susan Dey {"L.A. Law" Golden Globe winner}; 41a https {U.R.L. opener indicating an additional layer of encryption}; 42a rpm {45, e.g.: Abbr.}; 43a ores {Mineralogist's sample set}; 44a warty {Toadlike}; 45a leap {Vault}; 46a yon {"Nightly she sings on ___ pomegranate-tree": Juliet}; 49a find a way {Succeed somehow}; 51a tenant {Studio occupant, say}; 53a wealth {What wisdom outweighs, according to Sophocles}; 54a last-year {Not too long ago}; 55a prissy {Too punctilious}.

1d T-squares {Drafting aids}; 2d aquiline {Hooked, as a nose}; 4d gaits {Ways to go}; 5d Etna {European smoker}; 7d zoology {Alfred Kinsey's field}; 8d inning {It has top and bottom parts}; 9d me too {"Join the club"}; 10d bahs {Cross words}; 13d wraith {Spirit}; 20d ocean {Big drink}; 23d ergot {Plant problem}; 24d waken {Reanimate}; 26d gaily {In a 38-Down way}; 27d yogas {Gym classes}; 29d LSATs {Hurdles for future D.A.'s}; 30d wispy {Not solid}; 32d Butte {Home of the World Museum of Mining}; 33d adrenals {They're located above the kidneys}; 34d repaints {Does some home maintenance}; 35d sympathy {What some cards express}; 37d strayer {Lost soul}; 38d joyful {Transported}; 39d Eroica {It was first publicly performed in Vienna in 1805}; 40d tennis {Racketeer's pastime?}; 41d Havana {Plaza de la Revolución locale}; 44d wowie! {"Unbelievable!"}; 45d Lanai {___ City, Hawaii}; 47d navy {Sub group}; 48d Meer {Physics Nobelist Simon van der ___}; 50d Dr. T {Richard Gere title role of 2000}; 51d twp {Local govt. unit}.

Report on Consumer Reports

That's the answer to this week's NPR puzzle, of course. You can easily imagine that for last Sunday's NPR on-air puzzle, Will Shortz sat down with a list of currently published magazines to see which had sensible anagrams. When he got to Consumer Reports, he would have come up with multiple possibilities, including Composer Returns, Recounts Rompers, and Corn Tumor Sprees. More Corruptness must have struck him as intriguing, particularly in light of the scruples Consumer Reports takes to avoid even the appearance of impropriety -- they don't accept advertising, they won't "sell" their recommendations, and they pay retail for the products they rate. Less Corruptness would be more accurate -- and arguably No Corruptness is right on the money.

I come from a CR family -- no car was purchased, no TV contemplated, no washing machine considered without a set of CR ratings in hand. I don't subscribe to the paper magazine, though -- just to the online version. I could make some grandiose claim about how much money it's saved me, but I just know it's nice to have some guidance when making significant purchases. I usually don't access it until I need to buy something. It's still got a certain delicious pull, though -- the most recent issue has ratings on things we don't normally buy, like steel-cut oats and smooth peanut butters . . . but if they're best-rated - ? It's hard to resist!

NYT Thursday 4/23/09 - What Can Brown Do For You?

With this Thursday New York Times crossword, we're back to the classic "reverse" theme where the long answers all clue (hopefully in interestingly varied ways) a specific word. I was really slow to get the critical answer brown: I tried hard to break the SW corner first, but couldn't do it.

Even after getting Godfather of Soul and FedEx competitor, I wasn't completely convinced that brown was right; I don't associate it with UPS, as the "What Can Brown Do For You?" campaign didn't air in the UK and I wasn't aware of James Brown's appellation before. So my solving time is embarrassingly bad for this stage of the week.

Solving time: 35 mins (no cheating)
Clue of the puzz: 16a autos {They need their bearings}

Theme

71a brown {Shade that defines 17-, 27-, 49- and 65-Across} is a four-way definition to:

17a Godfather of Soul
27a FedEx competitor
49a Cleveland player
65a Ivy League school

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Steve Dobis / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 36 (16.0%) black squares
Answers	78 (average length 4.85)
Theme squares	65 (34.4%)
Scrabble points	321 (average 1.70)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

48a GRE {E.T.S. offering}. The Graduate Record Examination seems to come up about once a week so I'm trying hard to make it second nature. This reference to the Educational Testing Service is a new one on me - but hey! - GRE-ETS makes an easy mnemonic to help recall both.

69a On Me {Def Leppard hit "Pour Some Sugar ___"}. Pour Some Sugar on Me was a hugely successful song from the hard rock band's 1987 album Hysteria. It became their signature song.



ash {Word with mountain or fly}. I'm familiar with the mountain ash or rowan tree, but don't often come across fly ash - it refers to the fine particles of ash released when fossil fuels are burned in power stations. Fly ash is used in brickmaking and as a partial substitute for cement in concrete.



28d Errol {Documentarian Morris}. Errol Morris is the Oscar-winning director of films such as A Brief History of Time (about Stephen Hawking, who is an alumnus of University College, Oxford, where I studied Chemistry) and The Fog of War (about Robert McNamara).



51d Linc {"The Mod Squad" role}. The Mod Squad was a police drama that ran from 1968 to 1973. Clarence Williams III played the character of Linc (short for Lincoln) Hayes. There was a film adaptation in 1999 in which Linc was played by Omar Epps.



Noteworthy

16a autos {They need their bearings}. A neat misleading definition - although cars literally need bearings to work, the driver needs a good sense of direction too and a GPS helps with that. We just tried the latest craze of geocaching, where you use a handheld GPS system to find hidden "caches". We located two fairly easy-to-find caches at the Minisink Battleground and then a really well-hidden one at the eagle observation area at Minisink Ford.

22a Erse {European tongue}. I never expected the answer to be this obscure: Erse (etymologically a variant of Irish) is the name sometimes used by Lowland Scots for the Gaelic dialect of the Western Highlands. It is an obsolete term and I think derogatory.

37a Navaho {Language that contains no adjectives}. Navaho may be deficient in adjectives, but proved useful during World War II as a means of sending secret messages by means of code talkers, particularly in the Pacific Theater.

55d Gibb {1970s-'80s singer Andy}. Andy Gibb was the younger brother to the three Bee Gees. I wasn't a big fan of the Bee Gees, idiosyncratically preferring the Hee Bee Gee Bees, formed by three comedians who did awesome parodies of the prevailing pop groups of the 1980s. You have to hear this. No really, you have to hear this.



The Rest

1a lead {Starring role}; 5a path {Way to go}; 9a Omani {Certain sultan's subject}; 14a once {"There was a time ..."}; 15a OSHA {It's headed by a deputy asst. secy. of labor}; 16a autos {They need their bearings}; 20a escape {Romance fiction or horror films, e.g.}; 21a MDL {Midcentury year}; 23a cent {Small change}; 25a USS {Letters at sea}; 35a RRR {Basic education, familiarly}; 36a yea {House support?}; 38a aroma {Redolence}; 41a dye {Do colorful work}; 43a ten am {Coffee break time, maybe}; 44a no-name {Generic}; 46a a no {"I'll take that as ___"}; 53a sir {"Yes, ___!"}; 54a spin {Alternative to "roll the dice"}; 55a gigs {Band lineup}; 59a zap {Microwave}; 61a on call {Available}; 68a borer {Drill}; 70a OKed {Approved}; 72a NYPD {Title grp. in an ABC drama}; 73a ribs {Barbecue order}.

1d loge {High-priced ticket option}; 2d Enos {Great-great-great-grandfather of Methuselah}; 3d AC-DC {Electrical letters}; 4d deface {Scrawl graffiti on, e.g.}; 5d potency {Strength}; 6d 7d them {Not us}; 8d hard-up {Indigent}; 9d oaf {Klutz}; 10d muse {Inspiration}; 11d -ator {Decor finish?}; 12d nous {Us, abroad}; 13d isle {Bikini, e.g.}; 18d apex {Culminating point}; 19d Olsen {Merlin of football and TV}; 24d toed {Pointy-___}; 26d stat {Rebounds, e.g.}; 27d franc {Swiss capital}; 29d drone {Queen's attendant}; 30d Mayan {Like some pyramids}; 31d I've {"___ got you"}; 32d tangy {Having a bite}; 33d O'Hare {Almost 80 million people visit it yearly}; 34d Romer {Former Colorado governor Roy}; 39d Mav {Dallas hoopster, briefly}; 40d Ames {Where the Iowa Straw Poll is done}; 42d ends {Goals}; 45d Eliza {"My Fair Lady" lady}; 47d opposed {Fought against}; 50d Aragon {One of Isabella I's kingdoms}; 52d anchor {Mainstay}; 56d Ivor {Songwriter Novello}; 57d gyro {Urban sidewalk vendor's offering}; 58d slew {Boatload}; 60d puny {Pint-size}; 62d Aoki {Golfer Isao ___}; 63d Loeb {Financial writer Marshall}; 64d LLDs {Attorneys' degs.}; 66d ern {Coastal flier}; 67d emp. {Great Brit., e.g., in years past}.