01.31.10 -- Encyclopedia of Pasta -- the Acrostic


Making pasta; illustration from the 15th century edition of Tacuinum Sanitatis, a Latin translation of the Arabic work Taqwīm al-sihha by Ibn Butlan.

-----------------

Sunday, January 31, 2010

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

Today’s excellent acrostic features a quotation from Oretta Zanini De Vita’s Encyclopedia of Pasta -- the University of California Press calls it the first book to provide a complete history of pasta in Italy, telling its long story via the extravagant variety of shapes it takes and the even greater abundance of names by which it is known. Read HERE.

The quotation: NONE OTHER THAN LEONARDO DA VINCI HAD ATTEMPTED TO INDUSTRIALIZE PASTA MAKING HE PREFERRED TO BE THOUGHT OF AS A COOK RATHER THAN A PAINTER OR A MILITARY ENGINEER EARLY IN HIS CAREER HE MANAGED A RESTAURANT PART-TIME

The author’s name and the title of the work: DE VITA ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PASTA

The defined words:

A. Role in “Shrek” with no lines, DRAGON;
B. Alternative to a parenthesis (2 wds.), EM DASH;
C. Classic using the “Hitchcock zoom”, VERTIGO;
D. Thorn in one’s side, IRRITANT;
E. Prime regarded widely with distrust, THIRTEEN;
F. By way of Spain, Arabic for “the castle”, ALCAZAR;
G. One whose nature is inscrutable, ENIGMA;
H. On whom an account depends, NARRATOR;
I. Dark passage in a Christmas story, CHIMNEY;
J. “Wuthering Heights” setting, YORKSHIRE;
K. Bar server with a big lip, CARAFE;
L. Temperate annual or tropical weed, LANTANA;
M. Reducing the fare? (3 wds.), ON A DIET;
N. Female of a sizable fowl, PEAHEN;
O. Congressional provision for approved funds, EARMARK;
P. Conductor in one direction, DIODE;
Q. Traveling from place to place, ITINERANT;
R. Potential relief or bane for a drone, AUTOMATION;
S. “Animal House” character who asks, “You guys up for a toga party?”, OTTER;
T. Occupying the cleanup slot, FOURTH;
U. Mythical Titan; moon of Saturn; tyrant flycatcher, PHOEBE;
V. Interrupter of the State of the Union address, APPLAUSE;
W. “Little strings”, SPAGHETTI;
X. Put through a combine harvester, THRESHED;
Y. Offering some resistance to being bitten (2 wds.), AL DENTE.

The full paragraph of the quotation: Economic specialization and technical progress are solidly joined. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, the appearance of new juridical bodies accompanied the first mechanical discoveries. The Brazilian sugar refineries made the word engenho (ingegno) fashionable to describe every device inspired by science. Gramola (kneading machine) and torchio are cited in a poem by Francesco Lemene in 1654. But Messisbugo had already mentioned an ingiegno per li maccheroni in the first half of the sixteenth century. Even earlier, none other than Leonardo da Vinci had attempted to industrialize pasta making, an aspect of his genius not as well known as it should be. The Atlantic Codex (foglio 31 R) contains the design of a gigantic machine for making lasagne, which could be reduced into “edible string,” more like noodles than spaghetti. Unfortunately, the enormous wall of pasta, subjected to pressure to attain the desired thinness, broke before it could be cut. Faced with failure, Leonard, who preferred to be thought of as a cook rather than a painter or even a military engineer (early in his career, while he was still at the workshop of Verrocchio, he managed a restaurant part-time, stubbornly did not give up. Encyclopedia of Pasta, Google Books 


Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at


If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.

01.31.10 -- Keep An I On It!


Metropolis, 1927

-----------------

Sunday, January 31, 2010

KEEP AN EYE ON IT!, Puzzle by Tony Orbach and Andrea Carla Michaels, edited by Will Shortz

Ol’ Blue Eyes, SINATRA leads off this crossword full of eyes and I’s. We’ve NEZ (73A. It’s just below les yeux), a POUCH (53A. Something under a tired eye, maybe), a TECH (86A. Private eye), 110A. Eye TEST, OP ART (58D. Eye-twisting display), STYES (60D. Sights on sore eyes?), a DOPER (67D. One who may have red eyes), a PIC (117D. It may have redeye) and NORAH Jones who sang “Sunrise / Looks like morning in your eyes”.

However, I is what we’re asked on which to keep an eye. An interrelated group of nine across entries are familiar phrases given an extra letter I (and question-marked clues) to create a new wacky phrase.

  • THE WIZARD OF IDI (23. Sorcerer behind Amin’s rise to power?), from the comic;
  • TAXI EVASION (33. Dodging midtown traffic?), that‘s how Capone was caught;
  • YOU CAN CALL ME ALI (41. 1964 Cassius Clay announcement?), formerly a song by Paul Simon;
  • COMMON SENSEI (57. Average karate instructor?), I‘m thinking Thomas Paine;
  • OPEN WIDE AND SAY AHI (66. “Yummy! Here comes your tuna sashimi!”?), not for me;
  • JEDI CLAMPETT (78. Lightsaber-wielding hillbilly of TV?), never saw the series;
  • MARTINI AND LEWIS (91. Invitation to cocktails with pianist Ramsey?), Dean and Jerry;
  • LANAI TURNER (100. Rotisserie on a Hawaiian porch?), the sweater girl;
  • ARE WE THERE YETI (118. Cranky question on the Himalayan trail?), yes.

Remaining across -- 8. Forlorn, BEREFT; 14. Chatty Cathy, GAS BAG; 20. Overdress, maybe, SMOTHER; 21. “Yours” alternative, AS EVER; 22. “Bam!” chef, EMERIL; 25. Brand X, NO NAME; 28. Sage, SOLON; 27. “Top Gun” planes, MIGS; 28. Sore, TENDER; 30. “Come STA?” (“How are you?,” in Italy); 31. Military wear, KHAKI; 35. TAIPEI 101, world’s tallest building, 2004-07, now it’s BURJ KHALIFA at over a half-mile high; 38. Suicide squeeze result, for short, RBI; 40. LA LA Means I Love You” (1968 Delfonics hit); 46. Aspiring atty.’s hurdle, LSAT; 50. Put in, ADDED; 51. Kind of tour, for short, uso; 52. Coach ARA Parseghian; 54. Suffix on era names, ZOIC; 55. Calls of port?, AYS; 61. The Jackson 5 had five, AFROS; 63. “The Black Cat” writer, POE; 64. Long-distance call letters, ATT; 85. “48 HRS”; 71. ANN Taylor of apparel; 74. “Catch-22” bomber pilot, ORR; 76. Boston-to-Washington speedster, ACELA; 80. CD predecessors, LPS; 81. Place to watch Truffaut, e.g., CINE; 85. Get up, ARISE; 87. Conditions, IFS; 89. “Cheers”, SKOAL; 90. ROTO-Rooter; 95 Film character known for her buns, LEIA; 98. SYD Hoff who wrote and illustrated “Danny and the Dinosaur”; 99. Like medieval Europe, FEUDAL; 108. Solzehnitsyn topic, GULAG; 108. Equal: Prefix, ISO; 108. Judge of Israel, in Judges, GIDEON; 111. It might hold the solution, FLASK; 116. Graceful women, SYLPHS; 121. Pigtails, e.g., PLAITS; 122. Out for someone on the inside, PAROLE; 123. 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics host, AUSTRIA; 124. Don Quixote’s squire, SANCHO; 125. Ran off, SHOOED; 126. Showy streakers, METEORS.

Down: 1. Jet-setter’s jets, once, SSTS; 2. Blogger’s preface, IMHO; 3. “The Seven Joys of Mary,” e.g., NOEL; 4. Part of Lawrence Welk’s intro, A TWO; 5. Popular laptop, THINK PAD; 8. Tract for a tribe, briefly, REZ; 7. “The Passion of Christ” language, ARAMAIC; 8. Donna Summer #1 hit, BAD GIRLS; 9. Those muchachos, ESOS; 10. Call, as a game, REF; 11. “On This Night of a Thousand Stars” musical, EVITA; 12. UPS rival, FED EX; 13. Certain Caribbean, for short, TRINI; 14. Home of the Palace of Nations, GENEVA; 15. Like the stranger in Camus’s “The Stranger”, AMORAL; 16. D.C. V.I.P., SEN; 17. Luca BRASI, “The Godfather” character; 18. “We AIM TO please”; 19. Collect slowly, GLEAN; 24. 7’4” former N.B.A. star RIK Smits; 29. DELI meat; 32. Farm layer, HEN; 33. Comic TIM Conway; 34. Art exhibition hall, SALON; 35. List heading, TO DO; 36. Autobahn auto, AUDI; 37. Global warming panel concern, ICE CAP; 39. Faction, BLOC; 41. 1960s-’80s Red Sox nickname, YAZ; 42. Too, in Toulon, AUSSI; 43. Former Irish P.M. EAMON de Valera; 44. Having heat?, ARMED; 45. Thai neighbor, LAO; 47. Offering at some bars, SUSHI; 48. Taiwanese computer maker, ACER; 49. “Get THIS!”; 53. Corolla part, PETAL; 55. Synthetic fiber, ARNEL; 56. “Holy cow!”, YOWZA; 59. Civil rights org., NAACP; 62. One running a hot business?, FENCE; 68. Bit of gossip, ON DIT; 68. At attention, ERECT; 69. Chip dip, SALSA; 70. Got in illicitly, HACKED; 71. Almost closed, AJAR; 72. Lancelot portrayer, 1967, NERO; 77. Capri, e.g., ISOLA; 78. N.Y.C. bus insignia, MTA; 79. Baby, TINY; 82. “The Bridges of Madison County” setting, IOWA; 93. Get exactly right, NAIL; 84. Loop loopers, ELS; 89. Had ants in one’s pants, FIDGETED; 89. High-scoring baseball game, SLUG-FEST; 91. MAUD Adams of “Octopussy; 92. Land that’s largely desert: Abbr., ISR; 93. Lions or Bears, NFL TEAM; 94. Narc’s org., DEA; 96. Pizza slice, usually, EIGHTH; 97. “Yes, indeed”, IT IS SO; 100. Features of Castilian speech, LISPS; 101. Refuges, ASYLA; 102. “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” family name, NOLAN; 103. Brings in, REAPS; 105. January, in Jalisco, ENERO; 107. Seat, slangily, USH; 110. Marketing leader?, TELE; 112. Suffix with electo-, LYTE; 113. Sleek, for short, AERO; 114. Ado, STIR; 115. Big Korean exports, KIAS; 119. Try to win, WOO; 120, Morgue, for one, RUE.



Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.

01.30.10 -- Crotalus Horridus



-----------------

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Puzzle by Mark Diehl, edited by Will Shortz

Every day verbiage cloaked with ambiguous clues renders this grab-bag Saturday crossword a self-described ENIGMA (52A. Head-scratcher). The clue of Get ready for chow could be anything, but it’s STRAP ON A FEEDBAG.  Make a person feel good -- well, doesn't that leave a wide range of possibilities -- today it’s WARM ONE’S HEART, no less intersected by a COLD ONE (28D. Pub pull). Absents oneself? GETS LOST. Nowhere near an agreement? FAR APART. Blame-diffusing words? WE ALL DO IT. “Who DOESN’T?”


We're AIRBORNE (33A. Not grounded) for an AERIAL ASSAULT (33A. Shock-and-awe strategy), ATONAL (16A. Lacking a signature, say), making BLOOPERS (51A. Overthrows, e.g.) and ALA CARTE (53A. Not together). There’s ONSET (42D. First sign) and the slightly longer ONIONSET (15A. Small planted bulb). Navy relative is ANIL and ARMY is a Major employer. Preserve … or get rid of? CAN. Relatively hard to pin down? DODGIER.

Other across: 1. Allergy source, CAT HAIRS; 9. “Steve Canyon” cartoonist, CANIFF; 17. Diamondback, for one, PIT VIPER; 18. Church room, VESTRY; 19. Group whose 1972 debut album “Can’t Buy a Thrill” went platinum, STEELY DAN; 21. Plenty, A HEAP; 22. Robin Hood, the EARL of Huntington; 23. Indian barter item, PELT; 25. No. usually figured to two decimals, GPA; 26 Toyota pickup named for a U.S. city, TACOMA; 29. Giocondo and Angelico, FRAS; 34. Sources of some Zimbabwean exports, DIAMOND FIELDS; 35. Alternative to Beauvais, ORLY; 37. Substantial hit: Abbr., DBL; 38. Hardly balmy, SANE; 43. Co-winner of the first Albert Einstein Award, 1951, GÖDEL; 49. Like Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”, IRONIC; 54. Certs ingredient, RETSYN.


"Macbeth and Banquo meeting the witches on the heath" by Théodore Chassériau, 1855.

Down: 1. Small stand, COPSE; 2. One of the Pointer Sisters, ANITA; 3. Strength of a solution, TITER; 4. Neighborhood eyesore, HOVEL; 6. Game with a spotter, I SPY; 7. English horn, e.g., REED; 9. Ohio pro, for short, CAV; 10. Worried, ATEAT; 11. Little something, NOSH; 12. Limits of some sums, INTEGRALS; 14. Go by quickly, FLY PAST; 20. Macduff, to Macbeth, NEMESIS; 24. California peak, LASSEN; 26. The witches in “Macbeth”, e.g., TRIO; 27. Cross of mysteries, AMANDA; 29. Long row, FEUD; 32. Pull up, HALT; 38. Vile, SLIMY; 39. PAPAL States; 40. Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair: A Novel Without A HERO”; 41. What a loser may be out of, SORTS; 44. Many Caltech grads: Abbr., ENGS; 46. M.’s counterpart, MLLE; 47. Judging point at a dog show, COAT; 48 Comfy wear, MOCS.



Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.

01.29.10 -- Strong Stuff!


The Blinding of Samson, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn 1636

-----------------

Ask for this great Deliverer now, and find him
Eyeless in Gaza, at the mill with slaves…
John Milton, Samson Agonistes

Friday, January 29, 2010

Puzzle by Doug Peterson, edited by Will Shortz

Strong stuff! This is a tough solve for this end-of-the-grim-month-of-January TGIF crossword. The count-down to the rush hour:

Nine-letter -- AT ONE TIME (57A Not currently), ELIOT NESS (62A. Noted Volstead Act enforcer), IDA LUPINO (15A. “The Hitch-Hiker” director, 1953), NIETZSCHE (31A. “Übermensch” originator), OPEN SHOPS (12D. Results of some labor laws), PINE TREES (17A. Resin sources), SMASH INTO (20A. Ram), RUSTLED UP (53A. Managed to obtain), TYLENOL PM (60A. What might come as a relief at night?), ZINFANDEL (1A. Red choice).

Eight -- KAMIKAZE (23D. Vodka cocktail), KEY LIMES (23A. Dessert fruit), LOS ALTOS (9D. City near San Jose), SIR NO SIR (21D. Loud drill bit?), VALIDATE (36D. Confirm), ZANZIBAR (47A. It merged with Tanganyika in 1964).

Seven -- DEWIEST (11D. Most childishly pure), FLECKED (4D. Like a strawberry roan’s coat), GET REAL (44A. “Are you nuts?!“), LIVES ON (35A. Endures), MEGATON (43D. 4.184 petajoules), ORATION (40D. Keynote, e.g.), TRASH TV (26D. Many reality shows).

Six -- ASTHMA (10D. Breathtaking condition?), DIESEL (7D. Motor ship driver), ENLIST (45D. Win the support of), FANDOM (29A. Star followers), NAPOLI (46D. Campania’s capital, in Campania), SAMSON (42A. Hero described as “Eyeless in Gaza”).

Five -- ADOPT (10A. Decide to use), ASCII (56A. It has 95 printable characters), BUTYL (48D. Tear-resistant synthetic rubber), ENEMY (8D. Hostile), HOHOS (59A. Tubular snacks), IDIOM (2D. Hit the ceiling, say), LIMPS (51D. Has a hitch), NANAS (3D. Spoilers, often), POACH (19A. Appropriate game), POEMS (52D. Metric system output?), RATIO (55A. One thing on top of another?), SCENT (61A. Tracking aid), SEPOY (16A. Old Indian infantryman), TWERP (18A. Weenie), UTILE (50D. Worth keeping), ZIPPO (1D. Diddly).

Short stuff -- ABLE, AUTH, ELAL, FROG, GULP, HEY, HON, KAY, LOL, NAN, NEO, NINE, NPR, OLEO, OMSK, PIN, PORT, RAHS, RBI, RENT, TORE, TRIO, TYPO (14D. Four for for, for one), USOC, VENN (28D. A diagram bears his name).



Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.
Remaining clues: ACROSS: 22. Dostoyevsky’s exile city; 24. It’s grounded on the Sabbath; 32. Precious; 33. Streaked; 34. Nat stat; 38. Spare part?; 39. Pat makeup; 41. Sir ___, foster brother of King Arthur; 46. Right fielder, on a scorecard; 49. Get down quickly. DOWN: 5. Bibliography abbr.; 6. “Science Friday” carrier; 13. Computer connection; 25. Electronic gag reflex?; 27. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, e.g.; 29. Parts of it may be revealed in biology class; 30. Fit; 32. “Watch it!”; 37. Chicken tikka go-with; 53. Words of support; 54. Org. with a SportsMan of the Year award; 55. Digs cash?; 58. Conservative front.

01.28.10 -- Think Pink!


John James Audubon (American, b. Haiti, 1785-1851). Robert Havell (American, 1793-1878), Engraver after John James Audubon. American Flamingo, 1838. From The Birds of America (plate CCCCXXX1). Hand-colored etching and aquatint on Whatman paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

------------------

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Puzzle by Raymond C. Young, edited by Will Shortz

PINK THINGS (54A. What 17-Across and 10- and 24-Down all conceal), FLAMING OIL (17A. Scalding castle weapon), QUE SERA SERA (10D. Resigned response to tragedy) and INCARNATION (24D. A pharaoh vis-à-vis Horus, in Egyptian myth) are the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword.

Other -- FRANCIS II (3D. The last Holy Roman emperor), INITIALED (8D. Approved, in a way), SWEETENER (32D. It may help close the deal), TALENTED (9D. Having star potential), TELECASTS (31A. Airs), THREEPIO (36D. “Star Wars” droid, informally), THIRD-HAND (38A. Not direct at all, as gossip), TWADDLING (31D. Talking silly).

Mid-size -- ANCIENT (23A. Person of olden times), ELECTS (50A. Chooses), HOT SHOT (40D. Real somebody), INDEXED (25A. Like stocks and reference books), MUTATED (46A. Not normal, as a gene), 21A. En POINTE (on tiptoe), SNIPERS (5D. Some marksmen), T-SHAPED (43A. Like a crucifix).

Five-letter -- DISCS, DUSTY, EDGAR (47D. Mitchell of Apollo 14), HARDG (45D. Head of government?), HEEDS, ITSME, LEGIT, MCKEE, NERDY, ONEAT, ORLON and ORRIN, SEGNI, SOFAS and SOFIA, TATER, TEENY, TERRY, THAIS, TWEED, UNSEX, ZOOID.

Short stuff -- AGRI, AIM, ASIA, ATON, DAT, DEC and DEP, EDU, ENGR, ESSO, ETNA, INE, HEAT, INDO, INGE and INRE, ION, ISH, LAIT, NONE, OGRE, PORE, PUTT, QUIZ, SEMI, SIGN and SEGNI, SWAY, SYS, TAD, UNTO.




Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.
Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 1. Lounging sites in lounges; 6. Chocolat au ___; 10. Pump, in a way; 14. Hatch at a hearing; 15. The Mountain of Fire, to 23-Acrosses; 16. “Come ___ these yellow sands, / And then take hands”: Ariel in “The Tempest”; 19. Gas brand that’s also an Italian pronoun; 20. Former Saturn; 22. Prefinal game; 27. About; 28. Four-bagger; 29. Spinal parts; 35. It’s not Occidental; 36. Coarse-woven cloth; 37. Influence; 40. Follows; 41. Square, maybe; 42. Source of many a bead; 49. A gun, slangily; 52. Follower of harvard or yale; 53. ___-food industry; 56. ___-Aryan; 57. “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” playwright; 58. ___ a time; 59. Foreshadowing; 60. Villain; 61. Bathhouse wear. DOWN: . Queen of Spain’s Juan Carlos I; 2. Acrylic fiber; 4. Marksman’s skill; 6. Kosher; 7. Lots; 11. Emasculate, say; 12. Response to “Who’s there?”; 13. Animal-like; 18. What the “poor dog” had in “Old Mother Hubbard”; 26. Advent mo.; 28. Size two, say; 29. “What’s up wit ___?”; 30. Suffix with freak; 33. Wee bit; 34. M.O.; 39. Passbook abbr.; 42. Not go for a drive?; 43. 1894 opera set in Egypt; 44. 59-Acrosses, in Italian; 46. Lonette of “The Cotton Club” and “Malcolm X”; 48. Common nickname for a cowpoke; 51. Hwy. planner; 55. Suffix with mescal.



01.27.10 -- Jumbled States




-----------------

Wednesday, January27, 2010

Puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld, edited by Will Shortz

Four states each accompanied by an anagram of the state resulting in a phrase are the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword -- TEXAS TAXES (17A. What helps pay the governor’s salary in Austin?), DIAL FOR FLORIDA (26A. Try to telephone some snowbirds?), KNOW RYE NEW YORK (42A. Be familiar with a city near White Plains?) and MAINE ANIME (54A. Some film work Down East?).

BABYSITTER (11D. Occasional role for a 30-Down, maybe) and AUNT (30D. Family member) and DRINK (29D. Have trouble passing the bar?), along with 40D. “Are you AWAKE?”, BE STILL (5D. “Hush!“) and IT’S TOO LATE (27D. “You had your chance”) conjure a deranged scenario. Other conversation includes 24A. “It’s a GIFT”, 36A. “Put IT IN writing”, EAT and ET TU (20A. Mother’s urging at the dinner table, 57A. Rebuke from Caesar), ABSENT (40A. Whimsical roll-call response), GLAD TO (6D. “My pleasure!”) and OLE (8D. Corrida cheer).

Mid-size -- A MINOR, AUTOS, B AND B (1A. Intimate inn, familiarly), DOREN, E-ZINES, HAS PULL (9D. Knows people, say), HOTELS, IRENE (14A. Cara of “Fame” fame), PONY UP and WRAP UP (22A. Pay, 43D. Finish), N Y TIMES (39D. Daily since 1851, briefly), ORATE, ROBOT, RUN-IN, SALAMI, TIFFS and TREKS.

Short stuff -- ABAB, ACLU, AFRO, ALE, AMOK, ANO, ANTI, ARAM, AREA, ARTE and ATEE, BEEP, BITE, DNA, ELLE, GAEA (24D. Earth goddess), GROH, HIKE and HUNK, HILT (49D. Sword handle), IBLE, ISON, JAM and JIBE, MACE, METS, NET and NEXT, NOR, ROXY, SETS, STEW, TIDY, TRAP, TRU, URLS and URSA, WEEP, ZAHN…





Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.
Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 6. Actor David of “Rhoda”; 10. Common rhyme scheme; 16. Mug spray?; 19. Suffix with convert; 21. Like some sums; 25. Hudson and LaSalle, once; 31. Monopoly purchases; 32. Modern addresses, for short; 33. Broadway play about Capote; 34. Major in astronomy?; 35. Calendario span; 37. Back of a soccer goal; 38. Con; 45. Be grandiloquent; 46. Journalist Paula; 47. Deli offering; 49. Explore Yosemite, perhaps; 50. Pickle; 53. It may be sprung; 58. Vogue competitor; 59. Unthinking servant; 60. Have a bawl; 61. Hollywood constructions; 62. Journeys. DOWN: 1. Fall for something; 2 Figure in geometry; 3. On deck; 4. Kind of sample; 10. Key of Beethoven’s “Für Elise”; 12. Rights grp.; 13. Audible warning on the road; 18. Spats; 23. Platte River people; 25. Retro hairstyle; 26. Quiz show scandal figure Charles Van ___; 28. Unpleasant encounter; 31. Playgirl calendar type; 35. Perfectly, after “to”; 36. Airs; 38. Composer Khachaturian; 44. Online reads; 47. Worry (over); 48. “Laugh-In” comedian Johnson; 50. Agree; 51. Wild; 52. Team Gil Hodges both played for and managed; 55. Bass, for one; 56. Neither’s partner.



01.26.10 -- KEEP





-----------------

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Puzzle by Paula Gamache, edited by Will Shortz

KEEP (57-Down. Hang on to … or a word that can precede either half of the answer to each starred clue), COUNT DOWN (17-Across. *Mark the transition from an old year to the new, maybe), PACE OFF (37A. *Measure with strides), OPEN HOUSE (60D. *New neighbors event), QUIET TIME (11D. *Period of contemplation) and BACKTRACK (33D. *Reverse a position) are the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword keeper.

Other -- DEBTORS (45D. Ones who owe), ESSENCE (42D. Heart and soul), HAN SOLO (4D. Millennium Falcon pilot in “Star Wars”), HESSIAN (20A. Mercenary in the American Revolution), NEATNIK (56A. Slob’s opposite), 10D. California’s SALINAS Valley, known as “America’s salad bowl”.


Six-letter -- DENTED (24A. Like a post-fender-bender fender), FARRAH (39D. Jill’s portrayer on “Charlie’s Angels”), LET‘S GO (49A. “Come on!”), MID-AIR (5D. Where trapese artists meet), SERBIA (51A. Neighbor of Macedonia and Montenegro), STOP IT (23A. “Enough already!”), TEENSY (48D. Itty-bitty), TIP-TOP (18D. First-rate).

Five -- AD HOC, ADELE, ADOLF (22D. Name widely avoided in Germany), AISLE, ALICE, ARISE, BOCCE, DONNE, ENGEL, ESQUE, EVADE, GATES, I DON’T (6D. Runaway bride‘s response?), INUIT, JOKES, OTOES, REACH, SADIE, SNERT, TABOO, TIDAL, TIERS, TRUST, VAUNT.

Short stuff -- A LOT, ARTY, ASKS, ATNO, ATRA, BACH, BOTH, DART, DICE, ETE, HOLA, HRS, IDEA, IRA, LARS, LOO, LTR, MEN, MINT, NEW, PAR, PBJ, RILE, SCAR, SIGN, SILL, STEP, TANS, TAO, TRE, UNC.





Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.
Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 1.This plus that; 5. Breath freshener; 9. In the style of: Suffix; 14. First razor with a pivoting head; 15. Child of invention?), 16. Boast of; 19. Restaurant owner in an Arlo Guthrie song; 21. ___ Hawkins Day; 27. Common paper size: Abbr.; 28. Concept in Confuciansim; 30. ___ extra cost; 31. Burping in public, e.g.; 34. Place for a hot pie to cool; 35. Billboard; 36. Roth ___; 40. Fellows; 41. Backgammon pair; 43 Pub projectile; 44. An Astaire; 46. Questions; 47. Stat for Babe Ruth: Abbr.; 48. Uno + due; 54. Get in touch with; 58. Factory; 62. Italian bowling game; 63. “___ and the Real Girl” (2007 film); 64. Irritate; 65. Some are practical; 66. Chichi; 67. Interval on a scale. DOWN: 1. “Brandenburg Concertos” composer; 2. Oklahoma Indians; 3. Object of Teddy Roosevelt’s “busting”; 7. Partner of improved; 8. What bronzers simulate; 9. Circumvent; 12. Dad’s bro; 13. Summer in Montreal; 25. Georgia of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”; 26. “Death Be Not Proud” poet; 28. Wedding cake layers; 29. Oodles and oodles; 31. ___ basin; 32. Pop up; 34. Permanent reminder; 38. Like single-purpose committees; 50. Entrances to exclusive communities; 51. “Hägar the Horrible” dog; 52. Arctic native; 53. Airplane seating request; 55. “Hi, José!”; 58. Common sandwich for a brown-bagger; 59. W.C.; 61. 3, 4 or 5, usually, for a golf hole.



01.25.10 -- Fore!




Monday, January 25, 2010

Puzzle by Holden Baker, edited by Will Shortz

PAR FOR THE COURSE (41A. Exactly what’s expected), BOGEY (15A. [See grid]), EAGLE (69A. [See grid]) and four sets of circled letters, the upshot being what Pat Merrell writing for Wordplay, the official blog of The New York Times limns as --“The result is what looks to be a scorecard for a four-hole golf course. ONE over PAR (or BOGEY) and TWO over PAR are the scores on the front two. On the back two, it’s just the reverse — ONE under PAR and TWO under PAR (or EAGLE). Three strokes up, three down. … PAR FOR THE COURSE.” Well, I’ll take his word for it not knowing anything about golf except that everyone whispers and Tiger Woods is the poster boy. For everything else about golf, go HERE. Myself? Take me out to the BALLPARK (22A. Wrigley Field or Camden Yards)!

Other -- ABATTOIR (5D. Slaughterhouse), AEROMETER (45A. Device that measures gas properties), CODIFIED (42D. Systematized, as laws), EYELET (9D. Shoelace hole), FIESTA (60A. Cinco de Mayo party), LOOMED (48D. Appeared on the horizon), PARABOLA (55A. Geometric curve), PARENT (20A. The “P” in P.T.A.), TARSAL (46A. Ankle-related), TESTED (32A. Took for a trial run), TRASHIEST (37A. In the poorest of taste, as a novel).

Five-letter -- ALETA, ATALE, ATONE, CLEAR, DEERE, DROID (72. Creation that‘s almost human), ESSES, GORED (4D. Like an unfortunate torero), LENAS, MERCI, NACHO, OMANI, OSHEA, PARER, SEPTS, STPAT, TRALA, TERIS, TORTS.

Short stuff -- ADDS, AGOB, AIDA, ALEC, ANKA, ARGO, ASST, CLI, COLO, DATA, DUSK, EFOR, HIED, HOOP, HOSE, HTTP, HUNG (1A. Placed on a wall, as a picture), IOWA, LEE, LOC, MERCI, NEER, OLEO, ONER and ONES, PARD, POUR, RAFT, REEF, SAWS, SEE and SSE, SFCS, SHUE, SINS (53A. “Deadly” septet), SSTS, STP, TOFU, TOT and TROT, TWOD and TWOS, UKES, ULNA.

Fore! 




Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.
Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 5. “It is ___ told by an idiot …”: Macbeth; 10. Went in haste; 14. Butterlike spread; 16. High-protein food often found in vegetarian cuisine; 17. Lollapalooza; 18. Make up for, as sins; 19. Duos; 24. Facts and figures; 26. Envision; 27. “The racer’s edge”; 30. Boulder’s home: Abbr.; 40. Nozzle connector; 44. Sir ___ Guinness; 49. Classical opera redone by Elton John; 50. 180 degrees from NNW; 51. ___ cit. (in the place cited); 64. “Washingtons”; 65. “Thank you, Henri”; 67. Tex’s sidekick; 68. Luau instruments, for short; 70. Having length and width only, briefly; 71. Vessel in “Cast Away”; 73. Concorde fleet. DOWN: 1. Hula ___; 2. Radius’s neighbor; 3. ___-do-well; 6. Onesie wearer; 7. Lots; 8. Singer Horne and actress Olin; 10. Internet address opener; 11 Early state in presidential campaigns; 12. Get an ___ effort; 13. Dawn’s opposite; 21. Cheese-covered chip; 23. Stan of Marvel Comics; 25. Prince Valiant’s wife; 27. March 17 honoree, for short; 28. Syllables in a gay refrain; 29. Gadget for someone on K.P. duty; 31. Milo of “Ulysses”; 33. Elisabeth of “Leaving Las Vegas”; 34. Legal wrongs; 35. Mountain road features; 36. Plow manufacturer; 38. Certain NCOs; 39. Actresses Garr and Hatcher; 43. Resident on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula; 4. Tirana’s land: Abbr.; 52. Easy to understand; 54. Back-to-school mos.; 55. Preside over the tea ceremony; 56. Paul who wrote “My Way”; 57. Snorkeling site; 58. Kind of prof. or D.A.; 59. Ship in search of the Golden Fleece; 61. Old sayings; 62. Harness race gait; 63. Comments further; 66. 151, in old Rome.