NYT Tuesday 7/21/09 - Armstrong Tactics

This is an abbreviated form of my usual blog, as I'm currently on vacation in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We were on the road most of the day, but had a chance to view the falls from the American side; I've been reading about them since childhood, so it was wonderful to come and see them firsthand.

We were lucky with the weather and saw the clouds of mist rising from the plunging water from several miles away. When we finally saw them close up, I was struck as much by the total width of the falls as their height (about 173 feet). We have now settled into a B&B on the Canadian side of the falls and will do the Maid of the Mist boat tour tomorrow.

Henry was there to help me solve this New York Times crossword and with his assistance, I was able to finish a Tuesday puzzle in record time. The anniversary of the first moon walk has been much anticipated in the media, so we guessed the theme immediately on seeing 20-Across. The remaining theme answers were very obvious and the non-thematic clues seemed straightforward, even for a Tuesday.

Solving time: 7 mins (with Henry, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 9d stamps {They may come in sheets}

Theme

Answers celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first moon walk on July 21, 1969.

20a MEN WALK ON MOON {New York Times headline of 7/21/69}
28a Neil Armstrong {Subject of a photo beneath 20-Across}
45a WE CAME IN PEACE, 55a FOR ALL MANKIND {Message left by 28-Across for future explorers}

The New York Times's store site shows what their front page of 7/21/69 looked like.

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Donna S. Levin / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 36 (16.0%) black squares
Answers	72 (average length 5.25)
Theme squares	52 (27.5%)
Scrabble points	296 (average 1.57)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Other Clues

1a Irish {Almost half of U.S. immigrants in 1840}; 6a toms {Male tabbies}; 10a Earp {O.K. Corral figure}; 14a Marlo {Actress Thomas}; 15a a rat {Smell ___ (be suspicious)}; 16a Xbox {Console used with the game Halo}; 17a aroar {Like stadiums after touchdowns}; 18a legal pads {Places to put briefs}; 22a SRO {Letters that please angels}; 23a tub {Clumsy boat}; 24a up a {Hoagy Carmichael lyric "___ lazy river ..."}; 25a D.O.A. {1988 Dennis Quaid/Meg Ryan movie}; 32a dolce {La ___ vita}; 33a Henie {Old-time Norwegian skating sensation}; 34a Kiri {Soprano ___ Te Kanawa}; 37a skids {Loses traction}; 40a LSTs {D-Day vessels}; 41a icons {Desktop symbols}; 43a Gotti {The Dapper Don}; 49a irk {Peeve}; 50a alg. {Geom. prerequisite}; 51a Ali {"Aladdin" hero}; 52a Mao {Little Red Book writer}; 59a a fortiori {Even more certain: Lat.}; 61a tilde {Diacritical squiggle}; 62a berg {Sight in the Arctic Ocean}; 63a noon {When morning ends}; 64a Eliot {"Silas Marner" author}; 65a eddy {Whirling water}; 66a esne {Anglo-Saxon laborer}; 67a doors {Opportunities, metaphorically}.

1d imams {Mosque leaders}; 2d rarer {Less common}; 3d iron-on {Like some patches}; 4d slaw {Cabbage dish}; 5d Horatio {Whom Hamlet calls "A man that Fortune's buffets and rewards / Hast ta'en with equal thanks"}; 6d talk back {Sass, with "to"}; 7d Oreo {McFlurry flavor}; 8d magnum {Large wine bottle}; 9d stamps {They may come in sheets}; 10d Expo {___ 67 (onetime Montreal event)}; 11d abandons {Forsakes}; 12d rod {Reel's partner}; 13d PXs {Stores for G.I.'s}; 19d loath {Reluctant}; 21d lulls {Respites}; 26d on it {Handling the matter}; 27d ages {Matures}; 29d Edina {Minneapolis suburb}; 30d reign {Have the throne}; 31d relic {Archaeologist's find}; 34d kiwi {Fuzzy fruit}; 35d icer {Cupcake finisher}; 36d Rockford {1970s James Garner TV title role}; 38d dopamine {Pleasure-associated neurotransmitter}; 39d stela {Inscribed pillar}; 42d smart {Natty}; 44d tainted {Not pure}; 46d Elaine {Julia's "Seinfeld" role}; 47d igloos {Inuit homes}; 48d Emilio {Estevez of the Brat Pack}; 53d and/or {Choice words}; 54d Odets {"Waiting for Lefty" playwright}; 56d orgy {Bacchanalian revelry}; 57d L. Ron {"Dianetics" author ___ Hubbard}; 58d kilo {D.E.A. seizure, maybe}; 59d Abe {The Rail Splitter}; 60d Fed {G-man}.

NYT Monday 7/20/09 - Beating About The Bushwa

This is an abbreviated form of my usual blog, as I'm currently in vacation mode. Although Henry and Magdalen were available to help with this Monday New York Times crossword, our theory is that solving it together would probably take a lot longer, as the scribe got bombarded with answers thick and fast.

One clue we were all nonplussed by was 54a my eye! {"Oh, bushwa!"} as none of us had encountered "bushwa" before. So I was surprised to find it was actually in my American dictionary, as a euphemism equivalent to B.S.. It may be that the word is only in regional use: an authority on US slang says bushwa derives from "a cowboy corruption of the French bois-de-vache ('dried cow dung').

This wouldn't have mattered too much, except that it crossed with 46d Hoya {Georgetown athlete}. Magdalen knew that the Hoyas are the Georgetown University athletes, but the Brits in the party weren't so lucky. Some people say the nickname derives from a Greek & Latin tag "Hoya Saxa", literally "What Rocks!", though others say this is just bushwa and no one really knows how Hoya came about.

Talking of bushwa, Henry (who knows nearly everything) points out that modern historians are skeptical of Marco Polo's claims and might dispute 65a Asia {Marco Polo crossed it}. How odd is it that the explorer claimed to cross China but didn't describe the Great Wall?

Solving time: 6 mins (solo, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 45d gymnast {One who mounts and dismounts a horse}

Theme

Phrases beginning with parts of a plant, hinted at by 57a plant managers {Factory supervisors ... or a hint to the starts of 20-, 36- and 42-Across}.

20a root of all evil {What the love of money is, they say}
36a stem the tide {Stop a prevailing trend}
42a leaf through {Quickly turn the pages of}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Pancho Harrison / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 38 (16.9%) black squares
Answers	76 (average length 4.92)
Theme squares	48 (25.7%)
Scrabble points	294 (average 1.57)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Other Clues

1a Tom's {"Uncle ___ Cabin"}; 5a warts {Witches' faces have them}; 10a deja {___ vu}; 14a in it {"Put a sock ___!"}; 15a Eliot {Writer T. S. or George}; 16a exam {Midterm, e.g.}; 17a Etna {Sicilian spewer}; 18a Blair {Former British P.M. Tony}; 19a spry {Surprisingly lively for one's age}; 23a prune {Lop off, as branches}; 24a sta. {RR depot}; 25a orc {"The Lord of the Rings" enemy}; 28a see ya {"So long!"}; 31a closer {Ninth-inning pitcher}; 33a rat {Squealer}; 38a Atra {Gillette razor}; 40a a no {"I'll take that as ___"}; 41a TV ad {30-second spot, e.g.}; 47a eso {That: Sp.}; 48a Pancho {Mexican revolutionary ___ Villa}; 49a try on {Check the fit of, as a dress}; 51a HMS {"___ Pinafore"}; 52a ERs {Hospital trauma ctrs.}; 54a my eye! {"Oh, bushwa!"}; 62a shoe {Old woman's home in a nursery rhyme}; 64a Erica {"Fear of Flying" writer Jong}; 65a Asia {Marco Polo crossed it}; 66a ease {Simplicity}; 67a terms {Contract conditions}; 68a teed {Sore, with "off"}; 69a trek {Arduous journey}; 70a sweet {Like Georgia Brown of song}; 71a Esso {"Put a tiger in your tank" brand}.

1d tier {It may hang out in a sports stadium}; 2d on top {First in the rankings}; 3d minor {17-year-old, legally}; 4d status {Condition of affairs}; 5d webfeet {Duck features}; 6d alla {___ breve (2/2 time in music)}; 7d rial {Iranian money}; 8d toils {Works long and hard}; 9d stretch {Seventh-inning ritual}; 10d Desi {Arnaz of "I Love Lucy"}; 11d explosive {Nitroglycerin or dynamite}; 12d jar {Cookie holder}; 13d Amy {"The Joy Luck Club" writer Tan}; 21d ones {George Washingtons}; 22d vale {Low-lying area}; 26d red as {___ a beet}; 27d credo {Belief}; 29d year {Vintage designation}; 30d am not {"I ___ amused!"}; 32d Ott {Hall-of-Famer Mel}; 33d Ralph {Alice's mate on "The Honeymooners"}; 34d A team {First string}; 35d transpose {Make lemons into melons, e.g.?}; 37d tour {Go from gig to gig}; 39d AFC {Steelers' grp.}; 43d the A {Ellington's "Take ___ Train"}; 44d hornets {Big stingers}; 45d gymnast {One who mounts and dismounts a horse}; 46d Hoya {Georgetown athlete}; 50d negate {Nullify}; 53d strew {Spread, as seed}; 55d yeses {Go-aheads}; 56d Eries {Great Lakes Indians}; 58d leek {Cousin of an onion}; 59d mire {Bog}; 60d acme {Summit}; 61d sado- {Lead-in to masochism}; 62d set {Filming site}; 63d har {Part of 33-Down's laugh}.

NPR Puzzle - 07/19/09 Reset the Rest

When Will Shortz announced the on-air challenge today -- words with R, S, T in them in some order and with any number of vowels -- I immediately thought of RESET. But Will never used that one, and my brain just wouldn't leave it alone. The rest of the puzzle was a blur.

I'm just a bit sleep-deprived; we had Games Day here yesterday, and that was fun but a lot of work. (I don't mind the cooking, but tidying & cleaning bathrooms was a chore.) Games Day is a monthly event, held at the home of a willing victim participant, with high-end games like Puerto Rico, Settlers of Cataan, Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, etc. Yesterday's new-to-us game was Dominion, which can be configured in countless ways, so it can be played over and over. For me, once was enough, but then I was in the kitchen cooking, so that was okay.

Anyway, here's the puzzle for this week:

Think of a word starting with G and ending in R. Remove the G and R, and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell a synonym of the original word. What words are these?

Ross came up with the answer the old-fashioned way even as Henry and I tried to work it out from a list of 150 words that start with G and end with R. Which is anecdotal support for the notion that using lists and reference works is cheating and therefore punished by Lexicon, the all-powerful deity of word puzzles. (Lexicon is in the pantheon of deities that actually control our lives; my favorite is Asphalta, the occasionally vindictive goddess of whether you can find a parking space. I try to overpay parking meters from time to time to keep Asphalta happy with me.) As just punishment for my cheating, Lexicon will ensure that I just can't think of -- what's that word? -- oh, it's on the tip of my tongue -- starts with . . . etc. for the next week. Lexicon is mean that way!

Okay, here's the value-added puzzle for this week. Will's used R, S, and T. I'll substitute B for the R. Words using one B, one S, one T in any order and with any number of vowels. So, if the clue is Red vegetables (5), the answer is BEETS.

Band instruments (5)

Prohibitions (6)

Baby's footware (7)

Subsides (6)

Adjoins (5)

Pierce (4)

Aids (5)

Sew with temporary stitches (5)

Dull-witted (6)

Attractive (poetic) (9)

Member of the orchestra (6)

Old French shoe (5)

Raise (5)

Fights (5)

Containers (4)

Hit against (4)

Infatuate (5)

Morsels (5)

NYT Sunday 7/19/09 - You Are Everything

This is an abbreviated form of my usual blog, as I'm in vacation mode, preparing for a road trip to Niagara Falls and beyond. Magdalen and I are being joined by Henry (Magdalen's first husband, also English) for the trip - none of us has yet seen the sight raved about by Mahler ("At last, fortissimo!") and Dickens (“Niagara was at once stamped upon my heart an Image of Beauty”).

So we joined forces again for this puzzle and, given there were three of us, took a remarkably long time over it. To judge by the number of erasings, we had particular trouble in the SW corner where we found alternative answers like shine at 97-Across and escrowed for 78-down. I try to avoid the need for erasures, as we can't agree on the best tool for the job: I like wooden pencils with an eraser on the end, but these often leave a smudgy mess; Magdalen likes propelling pencils, but I find the leads break too easily. It looks like we're going to need his and hers pencils, with a copious supply of each.

My favorite clue was 70d Nana {Darling family pet}, which refers to Peter Pan, in which Nana is a Newfoundland dog employed as a nanny to Wendy Darling and her brothers.

Solving time: 34 mins (with Magdalen and Henry, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 70d Nana {Darling family pet}

Theme

"You are in there": phrases with ur inserted, making a pun:

24a bury all accounts {Corrupt financier's command?} - by all accounts
30a furry cook {Mama Bear at the stove?} - fry cook
54a cur rations {Alpo or Purina One?} - C-rations
72a ursine wave {Greeting from Smokey the Bear?} - sine wave
92a oh my gourd! {Pumpkin grower's cry of surprise?} - oh my God!
101a hourly matrimony {Scheduled activity at a Vegas chapel?} - holy matrimony
3d canary in the Murine {Songbird at an eye drops factory?} - canary in the mine
34d town without purity {Sodom or Gomorrah?} - Town Without Pity

Town Without Pity is the name of a 1961 movie starring Kirk Douglas, and its title song performed by Gene Pitney.



Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Lynn Lempel / Will Shortz
Grid	21x21 with 70 (15.9%) black squares
Answers	140 (average length 5.30)
Theme squares	102 (27.5%)
Scrabble points	596 (average 1.61)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Other Clues

1a deck {Where to spot a king or queen}; 5a USDA {___-approved}; 9a gibe {Ridicule}; 13a essay {Part of a college application}; 18a Ivana {Socialite with a self-named perfume}; 20a stem cells {Versatile body builders}; 22a coupe {Two-door}; 23a manor {Lord's home}; 26a carts {Grocery store lineup}; 28a pelts {Trading post buys}; 29a saint {Frequent figure in Renaissance art}; 32a dept. {Part of 5-Across: Abbr.}; 33a http {U.R.L. start}; 37a ray {Starfish feature}; 38a Orr {"Catch-22" bomber pilot}; 39a acme {Crowning point}; 42a eyesore {View ruiner}; 44a at issue {Disputed}; 47a iguanas {Pets with dewlaps}; 49a rewed {Like Larry King, repeatedly}; 50a mentors {Coaches}; 51a parlor {Word with beauty or pizza}; 52a inaner {Dumber than dumb}; 53a estrus {Heat}; 56a WBO {Sanctioning assn. for pugilists}; 57a hep {Like many a 21-Down}; 58a pot {Percussion instrument in Off Broadway's "Stomp"}; 59a ideals {Topic in transcendentalism}; 60a tios {Members of la familia}; 61a vee {Familiar flight pattern}; 62a del {Painter Andrea ___ Sarto}; 63a key {Critical}; 64a DDT {Toxic spray}; 65a it a {Give ___ shot}; 66a limp {Droopy}; 67a valued {In high esteem}; 69a Ens. {U.S.S. Enterprise title: Abbr.}; 70a nth {Certain power}; 71a ICU {Post-O.R. location}; 74a wahoos {Happy shouts}; 77a merits {Good points}; 79a dipole {Pair of opposite electric charges}; 80a Deneuve {Best Actress nominee for "Indochine"}; 81a Prine {Singer John with the album "Bruised Orange"}; 82a reveler {Bacchus, notably}; 83a in a stew {Agitated}; 84a Ionesco {"The Bald Soprano" dramatist}; 86a arfs {Schnauzer sounds}; 87a Ted {Poet Hughes}; 88a pre- {Cursor attachment?}; 89a dyes {Some food additives}; 90a calc {Integral subj.}; 95a can do! {"No problem!"}; 97a booze {Something made in the still of the night?}; 100a supra {Above: Lat.}; 106a trite {Like "Have a nice day!"}; 108a Aesop {Greek moralizer}; 109a ambulance {What drives you to get better?}; 110a sates {Fills to the gills}; 111a grows {Waxes}; 112a PSAT {Exam with 125 questions: Abbr.}; 113a Neet {Bygone depilatory}; 114a Hyde {Douglas ___, first president of Ireland}.

1d dim {Unfavorable}; 2d evacuates {Clears}; 4d Knorr {Popular brand of bouillon}; 5d USB {Kind of port for a PC}; 6d stupor {Daze}; 7d Derek {___ Walcott, 1992 Literature Nobelist}; 8d amyl {___ nitrite}; 9d gels {Gets set}; 10d ill {Unfavorable}; 11d blasé {Indifferent}; 12d escapes {Hatches, say}; 13d econ. {Capital subj.}; 14d South Sea {From Polynesia and environs}; 15d Sun {Globe : Boston :: ___ : Baltimore}; 16d apt {Inclined}; 17d yes {Happy shout}; 19d arty {Bohemian}; 21d cat {Cool sort}; 25d City {Part of 85-Down}; 27d scours {Searches high and low}; 30d frame {Curator's selection}; 31d ores {Some have a silver lining}; 32d denote {Mean}; 35d tree boa {Snake with "lightning bolts" on its back}; 36d Pedros {Baseball's Martinez and others}; 39d agar {Culture medium}; 40d curried wolf {Triumphant spicy meal for the Three Little Pigs?}; 41d malady {Affliction}; 43d erns {Relatives of kites}; 45d Streep {Movie star with the most Oscar nominations (15)}; 46d soup {Starter, perhaps}; 47d I Put {"___ a Spell on You" (classic 1956 Screamin' Jay Hawkins song)}; 48d Ariadne {King Minos' daughter who aided Theseus}; 52d inst. {Sch. or hosp.}; 54d collide {Disagree strongly}; 55d Olds {Pioneer automaker}; 58d peas {Fried rice ingredients}; 60d tithes {Some church income}; 61d viceroy {Christopher Columbus, in the Indies}; 62d DVRs {TiVo's, e.g.}; 63d keeper {Big-enough catch}; 66d limpid {Clear}; 68d UNIVAC {First commercially successful computer}; 69d ever {Sometime}; 72d Utes {Early Coloradans}; 73d ales {Draft picks}; 74d Wendy's {"Quality Is Our Recipe" franchise}; 75d overrated {Not as good as claimed}; 76d sewed {Worked on a shift, maybe}; 78d in escrow {Held for later disbursement, as funds}; 80d Diem {Ngo Dinh ___, South Vietnam's first president}; 82d road map {Plan of action}; 85d CCNY {School inits. in Harlem since 1907}; 87d thence {From that point on}; 91d loams {Earthy mixtures}; 92d ozone {Radiation reducer}; 93d guts {Kishkes}; 94d Oprah {Big name in daytime TV}; 96d Alps {Liechtenstein's locale}; 97d brut {Very dry}; 98d oil {Biggest export of 99-Down}; 99d Oman {See 98-Down}; 101d hag {Witch}; 102d o'er {"Give ___ the play": "Hamlet"}; 103d USO {Show presenter, for short}; 104d TBA {"More later," on a sched.}; 105d yet {Still}; 107d -ese {Legal conclusion?}.

NYT Saturday 7/18/09 - The Gang of Three

Three of us ganged up on this Saturday New York Times crossword: Magdalen's first husband Henry is visiting prior to a road trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto (the last part being in doubt because of a strike resulting in closed tourist attractions and garbage going uncollected).

With Henry and me shouting out answers as quickly as we could, Magdalen sometimes had a hard time writing them in fast enough ... and was kept busy erasing red herrings like evens out at 29-Down and tiered at 12-Across.

My duties as host for a house party today delayed a full write-up till Saturday evening. I think realistically I now need to go back into holiday mode and make abbreviated posts until we return from our trip. Normal service will be resumed in a few days.

Solving time: 15 mins (with Magdalen and Henry, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 27d ego trips {Star treks?}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Joe Krozel / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 35 (15.6%) black squares
Answers	58 (average length 6.55)
Theme squares	0 (0.0%)
Scrabble points	271 (average 1.43)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

6a Scalia {Jurist who wrote "A Matter of Interpretation," 1997}. Solving the puzzle with a couple of lawyers made it unlikely I would get this answer first. I gather Antonin Scalia is an associate justice of the US Supreme Court and is considered a core member of the conservative wing of the court, having been appointed in Reagan's time. In A Matter of Interpretation, he expresses his views on how statutes and the Constitution should be interpreted; the book also contains responses to his analysis by various legal scholars.

18a Caesar {Writer of "Commentarii de Bello Gallico"}. I didn't recognize the title, but Henry seemed to: Commentaries on the Gallic War is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars. This is apparently the book in which he penned the famous words:

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres
Gaul as a whole is divided into three parts
From De Bello Gallico

43a Herman {Bandleader with the #1 hit "Blues in the Night"}. Someone none of us were familiar with: Blues in the Night was written by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 movie that would eventually be titled after that notable musical number. Woody Herman released his version in 1942.



45a El Toro {Baseballer Fernando Valenzuela's nickname}. I felt guilty not knowing this, as I suspected El Toro had been in a previous puzzle this year. I shouldn't have done, as searching this blog for his real name and nickname comes up with nothing. El Toro is a former left-handed pitcher who played for six different teams during his Major League Baseball career. The outstanding start to his career at the Los Angeles Dodgers led to "Fernandomania" and his colorful nickname.

37d Barnet {Charlie of swing}. Charlie Barnet (1913–1991) was a jazz saxophonist and bandleader. Here's his composition "Skyliner" that was a big hit in 1944.



Noteworthy

1a duffs {Rears}. It seems that duff as slang for the buttocks is not US-specific, though I don't recall it used much in Britain compared to the alternatives. I've always wondered whether Duff beer in The Simpsons derived its name from duff meaning "buttocks" or duff meaning "no good" - perhaps both?

13d Søren {Theologian Kierkegaard}. Interesting that by convention, it's OK to cross Ø with O, even though for Danes like Søren Kierkegaard, they constitute different letters (ie Ø is not considered an accented O).

27d ego trips {Star treks?}. We all thought this clue funny (ha-ha), even though "treks" indicates the trips part of the answer literally and not in the sense the idiom is used. Somehow this hybrid of a clue still seems fair and is a delightful "penny-dropper".

The Rest

12a in rows {Like theater seating}; 14a spouting {Delivering a tirade}; 16a stereo {Coming from both sides}; 17a prostate {Kind of gland}; 19a lets in on {Makes privy to}; 20a up late {Watching Letterman or Conan, say}; 21a inhalant {Medical inspiration?}; 22a spoken {Not merely thought}; 23a Nastase {The Bucharest Buffoon of the court}; 24a sever {Partition}; 25a get a {___ clue}; 26a denser {Grasping things more slowly}; 28a Ayesha {Muhammad's favorite wife}; 33a gall {Boldness to a fault}; 35a chaps {Western wear}; 37a bar code {It's machine-readable}; 41a Thorpe {Breaker of the 400-meter freestyle world record at the 2000 Olympics}; 42a have at it {"Dig in!"}; 44a erasures {Indications that things have changed?}; 46a enticing {Like a pleasant aroma}; 47a moaner {Crybaby}; 48a lead up to {Precede}; 49a engine {It turns over before it runs}; 50a stress {Job woe}; 51a sects {They branch off}.

1d discuss {Get into}; 2d untapped {Potential}; 3d free love {1960s catchphrase}; 4d forsaken {Like a foundling}; 5d sweaters {They're often packed away for the summer}; 6d soothsay {Prophesy}; 7d cuss at {Verbally run down}; 8d Attila {King who infamously demanded half of Rome's Western Empire as a dowry}; 9d lianas {Rain forest flora}; 10d intone {Cantillate}; 11d agent {One may act for an actor}; 14d spline {Long, thin strip}; 15d prenatal {Before coming out?}; 25d gradient {Inclination}; 29d echelons {Levels}; 30d shortage {Supply-and-demand problem}; 31d harmonic {Consonant}; 32d apparent {Ostensible}; 34d let's go {"On your feet!"}; 36d Señores {Serape sporters}; 38d avatar {Embodiment}; 39d reside {Stay}; 40d caucus {Party get-together}; 41d theme {Writer's development}; 42d heels {They're tough to run in}.

NYT Friday 7/17/09 - Not Napping

I'd spent most of Friday cleaning house for a weekend party and was feeling beat by the end of the day. So I was very pleased to get this Friday New York Times crossword done in under half an hour: this may not be a record, but it's certainly been a long time since I broke 30 minutes on what's the hardest day for me (for some reason Saturday puzzles turn out slightly easier on average).

There seemed to be a lot more clues than usual that I could solve immediately: normally I scratch around looking for ways to break in, searching out -ed, -s or -ing endings to get a toehold. This time, I got Palin, laser, tea kettle, even Pete (Rose) right away. That was enough to give me a strong start. Only the NW corner proved slightly tougher: the first few downs seemed impenetrable, so I had to deduce the long answers from just the endings - never an easy thing to do.

Solving time: 29 mins (solo, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 58a I need a nap {Comment from the beat}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Doug Peterson and Barry C. Silk / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 30 (13.3%) black squares
Answers	70 (average length 5.57)
Theme squares	0 (0.0%)
Scrabble points	316 (average 1.62)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

41a Steele {Michael of the G.O.P.}, 10d Palin {Woman on a 2008 ticket}. I'd learned that the Grand Old Party is the Republican Party, but hadn't come across Michael Steele before. In January this year, he became the chairman of the Republican National Committee, which leads the party at the national level and runs the Republican National Convention (where Sarah Palin accepted her ill-fated nomination as a vice-presidential candidate in 2008).

47a a Boat {"If I Had ___" (Lyle Lovett song)}. I kept thinking of a hammer, but no amount of peening would fix it in place. Lyle Lovett is the country singer and actor who was briefly married to Julia Roberts. "If I Had a Boat" was a 1988 single that later featured in the movie The Interpreter (2005).



53a boho {Eschewer of convention, in slang}. I thought BoHo was a Manhattan neighborhood, to go with SoHo and NoHo. Wrong again! That confusion gave me doubts over boho as being an short form of bohemian, but I needn't have worried.

3d Imre {Hungarian writer Madách}. The clue that disproves Béla Theory. Perhaps we need a Bela-Imre Theory in light of Imre Nagy and the like's occasional appearance? Imre Madách (1823-1864) is most famous for The Tragedy of Man (1861), a dramatic poem of monumental proportions, along the lines of Goethe's Faust. Apparently, it's mandatory reading for secondary school students in Hungary, so I hope it's riveting stuff.

8d Kentucky Colonel {Honorary title bestowed on Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali and Mae West}. I gather Kentucky Colonels have been around since 1813, originally performing military roles. Now the honor is a purely ceremonial one: only existing colonels can nominate a new candidate, who must get the approval of the governor of Kentucky. Funny that Generals Omar Bradley and Norman Schwarzkopf were prepared to lose rank to accept!

24d Cold Harbor {Site of Robert E. Lee's last victory}. The best I can hope for with clues like these is that I'll recognize the answer as a place, or know it as a trade name. That happened here, though I'm not sure where I've heard the answer before: the Battle of Cold Harbor was one of the bloodiest in American history, involving a futile assault on fortified Confederate positions. Over 10,000 Union troops were killed in the course of twelve days.

45d Sinead {"Hoffman" co-star Cusack}. I managed to guess Sinéad Cusack without knowing anything about the movie. In Hoffman, she starred with Peter Sellers - I've seen most of Sellers's comedies, but this performance was unusual in being a "straight" role (and one he purportedly hated as being too close to his own character).



5d SMU {Big D campus}. I recognized Big D as Dallas, but had to get SMU (Southern Methodist University) purely from crossings.

50d leeks {Amaryllis family members}. I'm not sure what's going on here as Wikipedia claims that leeks are in the family Alliaceae. The article alludes to some disagreement over the classification, so it could be that the clue is correct according to some references.

52d Tito {Outfielder Francona}. Tito Francona is a former professional baseball player and the father of Terry Francona, outfielder and current manager of the Boston Red Sox. Since the latter is also nicknamed "Tito", I'm guessing the clue could apply equally to both players.

Noteworthy

39a adj. {Rich or famous: Abbr.}. Although the clue conjures up other associations, all you really needed to know is that "rich" and "famous" are both adjectives.

58a I need a nap {Comment from the beat}. I love this clue, because - try as I might - I kept thinking of policemen on the beat. The classic comment from the beat in the UK might be something like Dixon of Dock Green's catchphrase "evening all". I wasn't sure if America had beat cops, or if they all used patrol cars. Anyway, when I finally got the real sense of "beat", I was totally satisfied the answer was correct.

6d Halle {Berry with juicy parts?}. Do you think this is referring to Halle Berry's roles or her body parts? She's certainly luscious enough that there's room for ambiguity here.



28d REW {Opposite of FF}. This first suggested fortissimo, but that would be a lower case ff. It's been so long since I used a tape recorder of any kind that I'd temporarily forgotten REW (rewind) and FF (fast forward).

55d halo {Solar or lunar phenomenon}. I thought of wind to start with, but should have realized there's no lunar wind. Halos (aka nimbi, icebows or glorioles) are produced by ice crystals, creating arcs and spots in the sky.

The Rest

1a fair shake {Reasonable treatment}; 10a peens {Striking ends}; 15a alma mater {63-Across?}; 16a Ariel {Moon of Uranus}; 17a corpulent {Having a lot to lose?}; 18a laser {CD player part}; 19a tees {Supply for driving}; 20a late risers {Most night owls}; 22a Jesu {Pietà figure, literarily}; 23a on end {Turned up}; 24a come {With 54-Down, approach with a line}; 27a ecru {Tawny}; 29a shop {Factory}; 31a louver {Kind of door or window}; 33a kegs {Draft sources}; 35a owe {Have yet to settle}; 36a slippery when wet {Highway caution}; 40a spec {Particular}; 42a that {Word accompanying finger-pointing}; 44a Otos {People of the Platte, once}; 46a burl {Lump in cloth}; 49a lily {Symbol of innocence and purity}; 51a Brownstone {Lucy and Ricky Ricardo's residence, e.g.}; 57a aback {One way to be taken}; 60a Loral {Big maker of communications satellites}; 61a tea-kettle {One singing in the kitchen}; 62a Dr Dre {Artist with the 1999 6x platinum album "2001"}; 63a old school {Opposite of avant-garde}.

1d fact {It's not fancy}; 2d aloe {Tropical flower}; 4d raps {62-Across offerings}; 7d at ease {Chilling, so to speak}; 9d Erte {"Manhattan Mary V" artist}; 11d erases {Takes back one's words?}; 12d Eisenhower {He said "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"}; 13d ne'er-do-well {Bum}; 14d SLRs {Pentax Spotmatic and Nikon F2, for short}; 21d roughs {Sketches (out)}; 22d jeeps {Some Cherokees}; 25d ouija-board {Means of getting some answers}; 26d MVP {Shooting star, briefly?}; 30d Pete {Rose with a hit record}; 31d LSAT {180 is its max. score}; 32d repots {Does a nursery job}; 34d set by {Put aside}; 37d ret. {Emeritus: Abbr.}; 38d neu {Modern, to Beethoven}; 43d tow car {Crash site sight}; 48d ankle {___-high}; 51d bald {Completely smooth}; 53d bath {Some like it hot}; 54d onto {See 24-Across}; 56d Opel {2009 G.M. spinoff}; 59d Dec. {Part of the fourth qtr.}.

NPR Puzzle -- 7/12/09 Prelude to KISS?

Last week's puzzle:

Using the same system as the Kevin Kline/Vanna White puzzles from a couple weeks ago -- i.e., using only the straight letters, no curves -- name a genre of music in two five-letter words, each word consisting of exactly 15 straight lines and no curves.

The answer is HEAVY METAL (counting the lines is an exercise left to the reader).

I put heavy metal music in the "never say never" category. I would have said, once upon a time, that I would never ever like heavy metal music. But then I would also have said that about country, and now look: I love The Dixie Chicks, and Allison Krauss & the Union Station, and cry when I hear Martina McBride's Independence Day. So I won't say I will never ever like heavy metal, because then the deity that decides you need to be taught a lesson will make me like some heavy metal and I really don't want the hearing loss.

On to the value added puzzles. This week, they were all words made from letters whose capitals have loops (or closed spaces), specifically ABDOPQR. I gave you the clue and number of letters, from which you had to figure out the word, words, or name constructed only from those letters. Here are the answers.

Yogi Bear's sidekick (6)
BOO BOO

Type of cookies (4)
DROP

On a train (6)
ABOARD

Exotic vacation destination (8; two words)
BORA BORA

Conductor Claudio (6)
ABBADO

Minstrel (4)
BARD

Thingamajig (6)
DOODAD

Overseas (6)
ABROAD

Rude person (4)
BOOR

Character on M*A*S*H (5)
RADAR

Former first lady's first name (7)
BARBARA

Dismiss, var. (6)
POO POO

Passion (5)
ARDOR

Clutch (5)
BROOD

Okay, okay -- the last two (and maybe Drop Cookies, if you don't bake) were hard. Well, first of all, for all I know Ross is the only one who solves these value-added puzzles (oh, and maybe xwd_fiend), and I have to stick something in to keep him thinking. Second, it's not like anyone comments on this. If you have an opinion, go ahead and vote! I'll do more hard ones, more easy ones -- I'm biddable!

NYT Thursday 7/16/09 - A Little Sum Thing

This Thursday New York Times crossword was a bit of a breeze for me: I came across the anagrams at the heart of the puzzle many years ago (I forget where) and even considered, more recently, whether they'd make the basis of a good US crossword (I decided not).

So when I got nonplused (yes, that is an acceptable alternative to nonplussed, which Blogger likes better), I knew a rebus was involved and twelve+one seemed to leap out at me, followed in short order by all the other thematics.

The only corner that really held me up at all was the NE, where I had 10-Across as rtns., then rets. when that didn't work; also -itis rather than -osis. And I opted for seedier at 28-Across. I managed to dig myself out of all these holes quickly enough and turned in a time just one minute longer than that for yesterday's crossword.

Solving time: 15 mins (solo, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 1a at play {Recreating}

Theme

ELEVEN and TWO = TWELVE and ONE

This is true literally as well as mathematically, since the two sides of the equation are anagrams of each other. The thematic answers relate to this:

17a eleven + two {35-Across of 57-Across that equals 12-Down}
35a anagram {See 17- and 57-Across}
57a twelve + one {35-Across of 17-Across that equals 12-Down}
12d thirteen {Either 17- or 57-Across}
33d it adds up {Possible title for this puzzle}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Elizabeth C. Gorski / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 34 (15.1%) black squares
Answers	72 (average length 5.31)
Theme squares	43 (22.5%)
Scrabble points	295 (average 1.54)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

7a Uni {Commercial prefix with vision}. I gather this refers to a television network, specifically the Spanish-language network with the largest Latin American audience.

29a Merle {French novelist Robert ___, upon whose work the 1973 thriller "The Day of the Dolphin" is based}. Robert Merle (1908-2004) wrote A Sentient Animal in 1967, a Cold War satire partly inspired by John Lilly's studies of dolphins. In the movie version, a marine biologist discovers dolphins are going to be used to blow up the President's yacht.



15d B+ average {3.3 in a transcript, maybe}. I was hoping Magdalen would explain this to me and now she's off on a road trip and I can't ask. I deduce this has to do with Grade Point Averages which in the US go from 0.0 to 4.0. You get a B+ in the range 3.3 to 3.49 corresponding to the 87% to 89% range. I never experienced anything quite like this in my education, and it will be hard to pick up what must be horribly familiar to Americans.

30d LGA {N.Y.C. airport}. Not knowing Merle at 29-Across, I just had to trust that the required airport was La Guardia and that it abbreviated in a sane manner. Newark (EWR - a less sane abbr.) is the only N.Y.C. airport I've been to - the others are too far east to be easily accessible.

32d Béla {Gymnastics coach Károlyi}. Confirmation of the "Béla theory" (all Hungarians in crosswords are called Béla). Béla Károlyi is the coach responsible for training the likes of Kerri Strug and Nadia Comaneci, so he seems to do a pretty good job. Béla defected with his wife to the United States in 1981 and is now based in Texas.



44d Costas {Bob at the Olympics}. I thought this would be an athlete, but no, Bob Costas is a sportscaster. He's frontlined many of the Olympics broadcasts for NBC, so is particularly associated with that. Here he is in a discussion of the state of sports journalism.



Noteworthy

1a at play {Recreating}. Nicely misleading: somehow it's easier to think of recreation meaning "play" than recreating meaning "at play".

14a dirigibles {Ships whose rudders don't touch water}. When dirigibles were invented, much of the terminology was borrowed from that used for ships, hence the cluing opportunity exploited here. Dirigible literally means "directable".

26a To Have {Start of a Hemingway title}. Hemingway wrote To Have and Have Not in the mid 1930s in the Bahamas. It's about the captain of a fishing boat who runs contraband between Cuba and Florida. Three film versions have been made, the first is the most famous, but moves the setting from Key West to Martinique under the Vichy regime - perhaps not surprising since it was made in the middle of World War II.



32a Bic {Signature piece?}. Misleading, but not very pleasing because "piece" seems a little too general a term in the context of a pen.

2d Tilsit {Swiss cheese}. Tilsit is a light yellow semi-hard cheese. It was first made in a Russian town called Tilsit (modern name Sovetsk) by Prussian-Swiss settlers. The recipe was reimported to Switzerland, where most of this type of cheese is now manufactured.

3d presto {Cry just before a rabbit appears?}. Had to put in a lot of work on crossings to get this one - magical cluing.

9d Isolde {Singer of the Wagner aria "Liebestod"}. Something about the wording made me do a double-take. {Singer of the "Liebestod"} was all I needed and I find it hard to think of the sublime music at the end of Tristan as being in the same category as eg La donna è mobile. I'm sure that's just my problem. Who shall we have to sing it? - Waltraud Meier should be good.



52d spelt {Like L-O-N-D-O-N}. I didn't realize until moving to the US that I spelt funny.

The Rest

10a pcts. {Election night figs.}; 16a rahs {Sounds heard in a bowl}; 18a -osis {Medical suffix}; 19a esses {Bobsled challenges}; 20a art lover {Aesthete}; 22a Pitt {The Big East's Panthers, for short}; 23a ova {They travel through tubes}; 24a drifts {Winter driving hazards}; 28a needier {Less affluent}; 31a Elea {Philosopher Zeno of ___}; 38a Ens. {Nav. rank}; 39a étui {Container for folding scissors}; 41a gavel {Something a chair may hold}; 42a lattice {Pie crust pattern}; 45a O-rings {Rubber gaskets}; 49a adreno- {Endocrinological prefix}; 50a Quo {Status follower}; 51a orcs {Tolkien villains}; 53a Damascus {Destination of Saul when he had his conversion, in the Bible}; 55a snoop {Reader of someone else's diary, say}; 56a Asti {Sparkling wine source}; 59a Suez {Mideast's Gulf of ___}; 60a at eye level {Neither high nor low}; 61a apse {Half-dome construction}; 62a SSN {Govt. ID}; 63a eldest {First arrival}.

1d a deep {"Take ___ breath"}; 4d liveth {Dwells in the past?}; 5d ages {So, so long}; 6d yin {Feminine side}; 7d ultra {Extraordinary}; 8d newt {Red-spotted ___}; 10d provide {Be a breadwinner}; 11d case file {Detective's work record}; 13d SSS {Snake's warning}; 21d ore {Lead from a mountain?}; 23d oven {Brickmaking need}; 25d Sras. {Women of Andalucía: Abbr.}; 27d AMA {Drs.' org.}; 28d nervously {With clammy hands, say}; 34d cut rates {Deep discounts}; 36d Aero {Britain's Royal ___ Club, for plane enthusiasts}; 37d MLI {1051, on a monument}; 40d itemize {Complete the I.R.S.'s Schedule A}; 43d in a {___ fog}; 46d nonplused {Puzzled}; 47d groove {Dig, with "on"}; 48d scones {Servings at teas}; 50d queen {Doyenne}; 54d cwts. {100-lb. units}; 55d sell {Bear's warning}; 56d as a {Simile center}; 58d vee {Flashed sign}.

NYT Wednesday 7/15/09 - Take-out Box

This Wednesday New York Times crossword seemed harder than usual for midweek. I stalled on quite a few references I was excusably ignorant of (Blanda, Morse, Kuhn, East Lyme and fungo), but I also made the stupid choice of Nym for "Friend of Falstaff" (much less likely than Hal) and should really have remembered that cos(2 pi) is 1!

The other notable thing about this crossword is the cute cluing: lots of misleading definitions, often signaled by a question mark at the end, and innovative ideas such as eg in the clue to 11a mum.

Solving time: 14 mins (solo, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 11d mental note {Internal memo?}

Theme

Things liable to be "taken out", in various ways, indicated by 38a it may be taken out {Statement about 17-, 24-, 49- and 59-Across}.

17a frustration {Feeling of nonfulfillment}
24a mortgage {Frequent home acquisition}
49a fast food {Burgers and fries, often}
59a library book {Item that may have a date stamp}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Joon Pahk / Will Shortz
Grid	15x15 with 34 (15.1%) black squares
Answers	76 (average length 5.03)
Theme squares	53 (27.7%)
Scrabble points	326 (average 1.71)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

42a Blanda {Hall-of-Fame QB/kicker George}. I wonder if George Blanda realizes he's being honored in today's puzzle. George is a former quarterback and placekicker with the distinction of having played more seasons than any other player: 26 in all. He's nicknamed "The Fossil" for reasons that aren't clear to me.

58a Nia {"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" actress Vardalos}. I'm now used to Nia Peeples but forgot about Nia Vardalos. Peeples made all the early running in the crossword stakes, but Vardalos came up fast along the inside. At this point they seem to be neck-and-neck. The only other runner is Nia Long, but she's been left far behind.



13d Morse {Robert who won a Tony for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"}. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a Frank Loesser musical which won seven Tony awards and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. One of the Tonys went to Robert Morse for his portrayal of the window cleaner with ambitions to climb the business ladder. There was a movie version in 1967.



36d Kuhn {Former baseball commissioner Bowie}. This clue and answer may be old hat to Americans, but I like to do my research in the hope of remembering something for the next time. Bowie Kuhn (1926–2007) was the lawyer who served as legal counsel for baseball owners for nearly 20 years before becoming the fifth commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1984.

49d fungo {Bat used for fielding practice}. This caused me a lot of grief in the SW corner. I gather coaches wield a fungo bat to direct balls accurately towards fielders. It's lighter and longer than a conventional baseball bat. The word sounds like a modern trade name, but I gather the use of fungo goes back to the nineteenth century and has unknown origins.

57d a Key {"The House Without ___" (first Charlie Chan mystery)}. An answer like this isn't particularly desirable, so it's good to find a nice use of it as part of a title. The House Without a Key is set in Hawaii in the 1920s and is the first of six Charlie Chan novels written by Earl Derr Biggers.

Noteworthy

6a local {Not express}. This puzzle is full of beautiful misleading clues: I was taken in by this one for a long time, which betrays how long it is since I was a commuter.

11a mum {"The word"}. The quotation marks suggest something unusual is going on: in this case, a reference to the phrase "mum's the word". The idiom seems to come from "to keep mum", in which mum onomatopoeically suggests someone trying to speak with closed lips.

23a hex {Case of bad spelling?}. Another great clue: to hex someone is to cast a spell on them.

43a The, 45d X-Files {"Trust No One" series}. I was addicted to The X-Files in the 1990s and loved the interplay of the rational Scully with the more intuitive Mulder on the show. Maybe it's time to watch the two movies (1998 and 2008) for old times sake.



46a Mrs {"___ Dalloway"}. A gimme for me, as I'm familiar with the Virginia Woolf novel and saw Eileen Atkins's movie adaptation, as well as The Hours, which reworks the book's themes.



65a one {Cosine of 2 pi}. A nasty mean clue, but cute in retrospect. Like tripping up on a banana skin - if you survive unhurt, maybe you can see the funny side of it.

11d mental note {Internal memo?}. Very neat - I think the pick of this puzzle's bountiful crop.

39d Anita {"Clear Light of Day" author Desai}. I knew of Anita Desai, though Clear Light of Day was not a title I recognized. It's her most autobiographical book, being set in Delhi where Anita was educated.

The Rest

1a banjo {It may be hand-picked}; 14a ocean {Deep blue}; 15a ochre {Earthy tone}; 16a Eno {Brian who produced or co-produced seven U2 albums}; 19a NPR {"Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" network}; 20a fetched {Went for, at an auction}; 21a agates {Playing marbles}; 26a act as {Fill in for}; 29a Sur {Big ___}; 30a Hal {Friend of Falstaff}; 31a Moe {Szyslak of Springfield}; 32a let's go {"Come on, pack your stuff ...!"}; 35a inks {Signs}; 41a ESPN {"Baseball Tonight" network}; 44a tix {Fandango offerings, slangily}; 47a stent {Arterial implant}; 52a str. {Orch. section}; 53a unfair {Aggrieved person's cry, maybe}; 54a Melinda {Bill & ___ Gates Foundation}; 62a got {Comprehended}; 63a ebony {Like 36 piano keys}; 64a maize {Original Thanksgiving fare}; 66a Sinai {Where Moses received the Law}; 67a El Rey {Kingly title in Spanish}.

1d boff {Big Broadway hit}; 2d acre {It might be a lot}; 3d neut. {Neither masc. nor fem.}; 4d Jascha {Violinist Heifetz}; 5d on the sly {Surreptitiously}; 6d load {Whites or darks, say}; 7d Oct. {Mo. of Indigenous Peoples Day}; 8d chi {Christogram part}; 9d aroar {Bellowing}; 10d length {Extent}; 12d unpeg {Let off the hook?}; 18d rex {Kingly title in Latin}; 22d again {Another time}; 24d mustard {Colonel suspected of murder}; 25d organs {Hearts, e.g.}; 26d amie {French girlfriend}; 27d cots {Barracks lineup}; 28d tempts fate {Maybe takes one risk too many}; 29d St. Elmo {Sailor's patron}; 33d ebb {Recede}; 34d OK'd {Rubber-stamped}; 37d stet {"Leave it in" mark}; 40d East Lyme {Town near New London, Conn.}; 48d tribal {Like "Survivor" councils}; 50d anion {Chloride or carbonate}; 51d oribi {Graceful African antelope}; 52d ser. {Homily: Abbr.}; 54d may I {Polite request for permission}; 55d noir {Hard-boiled, in a way}; 56d doze {Nod off}; 60d bon {___ mot}; 61d RNA {Uracil-containing macromolecule}.

NYT Tuesday 7/14/09 - Le jour de gloire est arrivé

Viva la France! I don't normally remember Bastille Day, so the theme came as a surprise. For once, all the long answers were among the very first to go in: A Tale of Two Cities showed what we were dealing with and the other thematics seemed obvious. Incidentally, the grid is unusual in being 16 letters wide, which clearly suits the theme much better.

Probably to compensate for the easier than usual long answers, much of the remaining cluing seemed harder for this early in the week. I struggled with the SW corner in particular, where the 109 reference was lost on me - now I'll always remember it.

It's funny to read the history and be reminded that the French Revolution occurred after the American one. It's a reminder of just how much the Founding Fathers were sticking their necks out (quite literally) by declaring independence in 1776. Their doings are in my mind at the moment as I'm enjoying listening to a recording of 1776 the Musical.

Solving time: 8 mins (solo, no solving aids)
Clue of the puzz: 52d even {Tied up}

Theme

A Bastille Day theme for July 14:

18a A Tale of Two Cities {Dickens novel with the 56-Across as its backdrop}
27a let them eat cake {Declaration attributed to Marie Antoinette just before the 56-Across}
43a La Marseillaise {Song of the 56-Across}
56a French Revolution {Event that began in 1789}

Solution


Grid art by Sympathy [about the grid colors]

Crucimetrics

Compilers	Donna S. Levin / Will Shortz
Grid	15x16 with 40 (16.7%) black squares
Answers	79 (average length 5.06)
Theme squares	60 (30.0%)
Scrabble points	323 (average 1.62)
Letters used	ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

New To Me

21a req. {Not an elective: Abbr.}. I nearly came to grief over this one as the terminology is unfamiliar. I gather from Magdalen that an elective is an optional course in a curriculum, in contrast to a required (course). The clue implies that "required" is a noun in this sense, although I haven't found it as such in dictionaries (but that's nothing new).

37a Abie's {"___ Irish Rose"}. Abie's Irish Rose was a hit comedy in the 1920s, having the longest run in a Broadway theater at the time. It's about an Irish girl who marries a Jewish man, to the objection of both families. The play inspired an NBC radio program and two movie adaptations.

40a Reza {___ Pahlevi, last shah of Iran}. I can never be sure how Elisa/Eliza is going to be spelled, so not knowing Reza Pahlevi either gave me some concerns. I leaned towards the Z spellings because I knew a Reza back in England, and that worked out well for me.

48a PT boat {109, famously}. I now worry whenever I see "famously" in a clue, as the chances are I'll have never heard of what it qualifies. This was certainly true of Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109, which was the vessel John F. Kennedy commanded in World War II. PT-109 was run down by an enemy destroyer during a night attack. JFK's actions in saving the surviving crew after the boat's sinking made him a war hero, helping his later political career.

7d Arte {Johnson of "Laugh-In"}. I know I saw this show in the UK ages ago, because I still remember being nonplussed by Henry Gibson reading poems as "Henrik Ibsen". I guess some comedy doesn't travel well and I imagine most Americans are bemused by Monty Python for example. Arte Johnson did a number of characters, including Tyrone F. Horneigh (pronounced "hor-NIGH").



39d Stardust {Hoagy Carmichael classic}. Stardust was written in 1927 as a jazz instrumental, but it wasn't until lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish that the song really took off. Here's the Bing Crosby version released in 1931.



Noteworthy

6a Garp {John Irving title character}. A title like The World According to Garp does rather stick in the mind, although I don't think I've yet read that novel. It was made into a movie starring Robin Williams in 1982.



17a Halle {Oscar winner Berry}. I know of Halle Berry, but couldn't recall the role she got the Oscar for. It was for playing Leticia Musgrove in Monster's Ball, and Halle remains the only woman of African American descent to have won the Best Actress award.



33a walrus {Oyster eater in a Lewis Carroll verse}. The Walrus and the Carpenter is recited by Tweedledee in Through the Looking-Glass. This is the poem that has the well-known lines:

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings."

48d PFCs {Gomer Pyle and platoonmates, by rank: Abbr.}. Gomer Pyle I now recognize as the TV character who started out on The Andy Griffith Show and then got his own show Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.. Private First Class was a guess for me, but I thought any higher rank unlikely!



49d Trop {Classic Vegas hotel, with "the"}. This was another guess, but I thought The Trop was a reasonable shortening of The Tropicana.

52d even {Tied up}. Nicely misleading: the more crossing letters I added, the more this answer looked like even, but still I couldn't see how. Eventually I got it that the clue refers to tied (up) games.

The Rest

1a crime {Partner of punishment}; 10a chaff {Leftovers from threshing}; 15a harem {Dwelling section whose name comes from the Arabic for "forbidden place"}; 16a oral {Kind of exam}; 22a rare {Like hen's teeth}; 23a arêtes {Features of the Sierras}; 24a site {Venue}; 25a Dora {Nickelodeon explorer}; 34a Elks {Fraternal group}; 35a lire {Stale Italian bread?}; 38a espy {Catch sight of}; 39a Silas {Miserly Marner}; 41a wash {Launder}; 42a at cost {Without profit}; 46a pats {Butter slices}; 47a Agra {Indian tourist mecca}; 52a egad {"Yikes!"}; 53a fro {To's opposite}; 60a coach {Play caller}; 61a Oreo {"Milk's favorite cookie," in commercials}; 62a salve {Unguent}; 63a spree {Binge}; 64a Tenn {Volunteer State: Abbr.}; 65a trees {Grove constituents}.

1d char {Scorch}; 2d rate {Assign stars to, say}; 3d Iraq {With 33-Down, topic in the 2008 presidential campaign}; 4d Mel {___ B or ___ C of the Spice Girls}; 5d emeritus {Retired}; 6d go free {Get out of jail}; 8d raw {Unprocessed}; 9d PLO {Negotiating partner of Isr.}; 10d Chirac {Sarkozy's presidential predecessor}; 11d hate {Loathe}; 12d alit {Landed}; 13d flee {Leave, as out of fear}; 14d fess {Admit, with "up"}; 19d oaths {Solemn promises}; 20d carts {Vehicles on the links}; 24d stream {Dam site}; 25d Delphi {Oracle site}; 26d oaky {Like some chardonnays}; 27d label {Arista or Motown}; 28d Eliza {"My Fair Lady" role}; 29d messes {Tinkers (with)}; 30d Alicia {Singer Keys}; 31d kilos {Drug units}; 32d erase {Wipe out}; 33d war {See 3-Down}; 36d -est {Superlative suffix}; 38d East {Big ___ Conference}; 41d wrath {Anger}; 42d algal {Like some pond life}; 44d Apache {Geronimo, e.g.}; 45d lagoon {Middle of an atoll}; 50d bear {Winnie-the-Pooh, for one}; 51d once {On a single occasion}; 53d file {Manicurist's tool}; 54d rove {Wander}; 55d ones {Change for a five}; 57d rot {Spoil}; 58d ere {"Able was I ___ I saw Elba"}; 59d tar {La Brea goo}.