The New York Times Crossword in Gothic

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Puzzle by Kacey Walker and David Quarfoot

Edited by Will Shortz

SCRABBLE(7A. Game with its own dictionary); ANAGRAMS(63A. What the three possible answers to each of 26-, 36- and 44-Across are, leading to 27 possible solutions to this puzzle), along with the following, constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword:

WORRIED / ROWDIER / WORDIER(26A: Play in 7-Across with the rack DEIORRW)
RESIDED / DESIRED / DERIDES (36A: Play in 7-Across with the rack DDEEIRS)
GARDENS / DANGERS / GANDERS (44A: Play in 7-Across with the rack ADEGNRS)

The corresponding downs:

RAIL or WAIL (26A. Complain loudly), REED or WEED (28D. Plant that’s not cultivated), RRS or RDS (23D. Transportation lines: Abbr.), BUD or BUR (21D. Plant protrusion)

DOES or ROES(36D. Some deer), SUN or RUN (38D. Morning ___), AID or AIR (29D. ___ station), SKID or SKIS (25D. What one might attach to a vehicle after a snowstorm)

DEE or GEE (44D. Tip of Greenland?), NOTARY or ROTARY (46D. Something a lawyer might once have called on?), AGE or ADE (42D. Suffix with block), BEAR or BEAN (33D. Black ____)

Other — CHRISTIE(56A. Governor who said “I don’t think there’s anybody in America who would necessarily think my personality is best suited to being number two”), EDSEL (14D. Car that famously debuted on “E Day”), HOORAYED (16A. Showed one’s support in a way), NOBLE (20A. Like the rightmost elements), “SEE IT?” (52A. Clear now?”), SHALE (7D. Something settled long ago?), SIRI (31A. One with all the answers?).

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Succubus, Young-june Choi, South Korea

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Friday, December 5, 2014

Puzzle by Tim Croce / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. “Perish the thought!”, GOD I HOPE NOT; 12. Many a delivery participant, DAD; 15. It has a “Complete My Album” service, ITUNE STORE; 16. It’ll slow down traffic, ICE; 17. He played Maxwell Smart in 2008, STEVE CARELL; 18. Energy, VIM; 19. Idée origin, TETE; 20. The end of Samson?, ITE; 21. “Absolutely”, YES I DO; 23. Ingredients in bowstring waxes, ROSINS; 25. Marks, as a box, XES IN; 26. One-sixth of diciotto, TRE; 27. What may drop in disbelief, JAW; 30. Certain union member, WIFE; 31. Show signs of life, STIR; 33. Kind of acid used in fireproofing, BORIC; 35. “Encore!”, BIS; 36. Made a comeback, say, TURNED THE TABLES; 39. Greenwich-to-New Haven dir., ENE; 40. They might come with trains, GOWNS; 41. Old show horse, MR ED; 42. Athletic conf. for Umass, A-TEN; 44. Title bird in a Rimsky-Korsakov opera, COQ; 45. One may be smoked out, BEE; 46. “If I Were a Carpenter” singer, DARIN; 48. Province: Canada :: OBLAST : Russia; 51. Part of a large kingdom, ANIMAL; 53. Umami source, briefly, MSG; 54. 16-season N.H.L.’er THEO Fleury; 56. Start to sense?, NON; 57. Totally break up, DIE LAUGHING; 60. One smoked, informally, CIG; 61. Renowned long jumper, EVEL KNIEVEL; 62. Causes of street rumbles?, ELS; 63. National coming-out day?, RELEASE DATE.

Down — 1. Drift, GIST; 2. Furry oyster cracker, OTTER; 3. By dint of, DUE TO; 4. Get a share of, say, INVEST IN; 5. Chuckle bit, HEE; 6. Of songbirds, OSCINE; 7. They have 125 questions and last 130 mins., PSATS; 8. French soliloquy starter?, ETRE; 9. Arche de NOE (boat in la Bible); 10. General-aviation alternative to Le Bourget, ORLY; 11. Early text messager, TELEX; 12. Like any number by itself, DIVISIBLE; 13. Soured, ACIDIFIED; 14. Succubus, e.g., DEMONESS; 22. Secure, with “up”, SEW; 24. Like “come” and “go”: Abbr., IRREG; 27. 2002 Denzel Washington thriller, JOHN Q; 28. Frequent foe of Wonder Women, ARES; 29. What “many a man hath more hair than,” in Shakespeare, WIT; 31. Browning selection?, SUN TAN OIL; 32. Aids for dating, TREE RINGS; 33. Riboflavin, familiarly, B-TWO; 34. Transport over dry land?, CAMEL; 36. Social event in ”No, No, Nanette”, TEA DANCE; 37. Rx writer, DOC; 38. Showed signs of life, BREATHED; 43. Ancient game much studied in game theory, NIM; 45. Options for target practice, BB GUNS; 47. Early touter of air bags, NADER; 48. Home to baseball’s Orix Buffaloes, OSAKA;49. Sanskrit for “the auspicious one”, SHIVA; 50. Canon element, TENET; 52. Unexploded, LIVE; 53. “MLLE Modiste” (Victor Herbert operetta); 55. Eyeball, in a way, OGLE; 58. Gulper EEL; 59. Bestow, to Burns, GIE.

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FUA Krew mural (detail) at the B-Boy BBQ

in Rochester, N.Y., photo by Juliana Muniz

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Puzzle by Josh Knapp / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Site of a 1789 rebellion, HMS BOUNTY; 10. Nickname for a lanky guy, SLIM; 14. Classic brewing ingredient, EYE OF NEWT; 15. It can wrap things up, TWINE; 16. Nursery bagful, PLANT FOOD; 17. Gap competitor, H AND M; 18. Chided, with “off”, TOLD; 19. “No Exit” has one, ACT; 20. Cloth with tears in it?, HANKIE; 21. Enterprise adversary, AVIS; 22. Dimwitted title character of a 2001 comedy, ZOOLANDER; 24. Burrow, say, DEN; 25. Deodorant brand, MENNEN; 26. Middle marker?, IDES; 28. Boon, GODSEND; 29. Four-time Pro Bowler Michael VICK; 30. It might give you a buzz, ALARM; 33. Score in Italy, VENTI; 34. Meh, SO-SO; 35. Gives one’s approval, BLESSES; 40. Law enforcers, slangily, POPO; 41. Puma, for one, BIG CAT; 42. Dig, JAB; 45. Bygone Asian dynast, KIM JONG-IL; 47. “The Bicycle Thief” setting, ROME; 48. Giant article of clothing?, JERSEY; 49. Like soon-to-be-frescoed plaster, WET; 50. Contend, AVER; 51. Number one number two, ADAMS; 52. Songlike, CANTABILE; 54. Ends of some board meetings?, MATES; 55. Some end-of-the-year dramas, informally, OSCAR BAIT; 56. Bygone bomber whose name is a call in bingo, B-TEN; 57. First Fox show to finish in Nielsen’s top 20 for a season, THE X-FILES.

Down — 1. The “Harry Potter” books, e.g., HEPTAD; 2. “Darling”, MY LOVE; 3. Give no escape, SEAL IN; 4. Investment category, BONDS; 5. “Jesters do OFT prove prophets”: “King Lear”; 6. Serene, UNFAZED; 8. Some righties, for short?, NEOCONS; 8. Like most semaphore flags, TWO-TONE; 9. Abbr. among stock listings, YTD; 10. Elegant pool maneuvers, SWAN DIVES; 11. Job-hunter’s aid, LINKEDIN; 12. Glancing, INDIRECT; 13. Twitter trending topic, maybe, MEME; 15. Other THAN; 20. Assistance, HAND; 23. Author LEN Deighton; 25. What everyone has at birth, MOM; 27. One of a sporting pair, SKI; 28. Union attendants, GROOM'S MEN; 30. Death on the Nile creator?, ASP; 31. Considered, LOOKED AT; 32. What Eliza didn’t do for ‘enry ‘iggins?, ASPIRATE; 33. One calling the shots?, VET; 35. Certain street dancer, in slang, B-BOY; 36. Director Justin LIN of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise; 37. Mixture brushed onto pastry dough before baking, EGGWASH; 38. “The poetry of reality,” per Richard Dawkins, SCIENCE; 39. Gandhi marched to the sea to protest one, SALT TAX; 42. Full of high spirits, JOVIAL; 43. 2001 French film that was nominated for five Academy Awards, AMELIE; 44. Green BERETS; 46. The new girl on TV’s “New Girl”, JESS; 47. Wedding party, sometimes, RABBI; 48. Hinge holder, JAMB; 52. Something that may be rolled out for company, COT; 53. Newfoundland cry,ARF.

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Atlas and the Hesperides, John Singer Sargent, 1925

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

Puzzle by Jeff Chen / Edited by Will Shortz

ATLAS(102D. Mythological figure hinted at by the answers to the eight starred clues as well as this puzzle's design), eight asterisked clues, and a center section meant to represent the world (isolated from the rest of the puzzle) constitutes the main feature of this cumbersome Sunday crossword:

SUPPORTING ACTOR (23A. *One who’s not leading)
BRACE YOURSELF (29A. *”I have some bad news …”)
HEAVY-DUTY (69A. *Very durable)
UPPER BACK PAIN (100A. *What a massage may relieve)
SHOULDER THE LOAD (114A. *Not shirk a difficult task)
PILLAR OF STRENGTH (16D. *Comfort provider during difficult times)
MR OLYMPIA (45A. *Arnold Schwarzenegger, once)
WEIGHT OF THE WORLD (37D. *Crushing burden)

Other — ACAI BERRY (19A. “Superfood“ used in smoothies), Warrant ADLER, Pasquale AMATO, BRASI (80D. “The Godfather” enforcer who “sleeps with the fishes”), BEER STEIN (43D. Something handled in a bar), DEEP WEB (78A. Content that’s hard for a search engine to access), EKBERG (96D. “La Dolce Vita” actress), ERIN MORAN (48D. She played Joanie on “Joanie Loves Chacki”), FREEBIE (42A. Bread at a restaurant, typically), HONALEE (52D. Puff the Magic Dragon’s land), PO BOX NO (58A. Middle line of many an address), OPERON (97D. Coordinated gene cluster), RED LETTER (38D. Having special significance), ROBOT-SUMO (119A. Engineers competition set in a ring).

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Monday,December 8, 2014

Puzzle by Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

Edited by Will Shortz

A vowel progression, SAY, SEE, SCI, SO, SIOUX (phonically A, E, I, O, U) is the main feature of this friendly Monday crossword:

SAY HEY KID(17A. Nickname for Willie Mays)
SEE NO EVIL (25A. Catchphrase for a monkey with its eyes covered)
SCI- FI CONVENTION (38A. Where Darth Vader might meet Captain Kirk)
SO FAR AWAY (52A. Carole King hit from “Tapestry”)
SIOUX CITY (64A Iowa port on the Missouri River)

Other — GET OVER IT (10D. “You have to move on!”), NON-TOXIC (42D. Harmless, as paint), OR A and ON A, POSSES (61A. Groups chasing outlaws), TIME FLIES (32D. What happens when you‘re having fun?), WHERE AM I (4D. Dazed inquiry).

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Gum Shoe… by Kyluvlee, deviant art

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Tuesday,December 9, 2014

Puzzle by Paul Hunsberger / Edited by Will Shortz

SHOE(67A. Item depicted by this puzzle’s circled letters), along with SOLE, ARCH, SOLE, TOE, TONGUE and LACES in circled letters outlining a shoe (with a wad of GUM stuck to the bottom of the shoe), constitutes the interrelated group of this humorous Tuesday crossword.

Other — BLANCHE (51A. One of the “Golden Girls” girls), COLLEGE MEN (30D. Fraternity members, e.g.), DEVALUED (41D. Like weak currencies), D LEAGUE (7D. N.B.A. farm system, informally), DOODLER (40A. Quick sketch artist?), EERS and EERO, EGG CELL and OVA (25A. Fallopian tube traveler; 60D. Egg: Prefix), EVEREST (37A. Subject of the 1997 best seller “Into Thin Air”), HERNIA (20A. Medical rupture), IN THE EVENT (3D. Supposing [that]), O HENRY (48D. William Sydney Porter’s pen name) RESALE and RESOLE (34D. “Gently used” transaction), 56A. Fix, as a cobbler might), STREAMER (4D. Bit of party décor).

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Using the shoes...

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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Puzzle by Tom McCoy / Edited by Will Shortz

In this witty Wednesday crossword, writers known by their first and middle initials and, of course, their last names, have their initials which match an element substituted with the element’s name:

THORIUM WHITE
(20A. “The Sword in the Stone” author, to a chemist?), T. H. White
CESIUM FORESTER
(34A. “The African Queen author, to a chemist?), C. S. Forester
PALLADIUM JAMES
(43A. “The Children of Men” author, to a chemist?), P. D. James
MERCURY WELLS
(58A. “The Island of Dr. Moreau” author, to a chemist?), H. G. Wells

Other — DEBRIEFED(6D. Followed up with after recon), DRAWERS (9D. BVDs, e.g.), DWARF (9A. Bonsai, e.g.), DYLAN (55D. About whom Obama said “There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music“), GENIE (52D. Something to be rubbed out), JAWLINE (47D. Important feature for a male model), LIQUEFY (44D. What gallium will do at about 86 degrees F), ROUND-EYED (36D. Full of innocent wonder), SHIH-TZU (5D. Chinese toy), TESLA (25D. Notable current researcher).

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Thursday, December 11, 2014

Puzzle by Joe DiPietro / Edited by Will Shortz

Four clever cross-referenced entries that ask the solver to supply the word THROUGH constitutes the main feature of this agreeable Thursday crossword:

CUTSthrough THE CLUTTER

(36A. Has an ad that really stands out; 3D. See 36-Across)

SLIP through ONE’S FINGERS

(29A. Elude a person’s grasp; 8D. See 29-Across)

PULLS through IN THE CLUTCH

(52A. Succeeds when it matters most; 25D. See 52-Across)

GOING through THE MOTIONS

(4A. Making a feeble effort; 30D. See 54-Across)

Other — BOX-TOPS (9D. Some proofs of purchase); CLUB SODA (59A. Gin fizz ingredient); DINGBAT (43D. Ditz); ED AMES (42A. One of a group of singing brothers); ESTER-C (61A. Brand name in immunity boosting); HARD G (37A. What Germany’s leader lacks?); HOE (35A. What could loosen up a lot?); ODE TO JOY (17A. Highlight of Beethoven’s Ninth); REUBEN (27A. Lunch order with sauerkraut); RIBOSE (46A. Biochemical sugar); RULES (22D. Like notepaper and kingdoms); SKY and SMUT (66A. It’s blue; 65A. It’s blue); THEBES(18D. Ancient site of the Luxor Temple); U NU (60D. Longtime Burmese P.M.).

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Macaulay Culkin, “Home Alone”, 1990

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Friday, December 12, 2014

Puzzle by Erin Bornholm / Edited by Will Shortz

Obscurity and cutesy clues dominate this unfriendly Friday crossword:

Across — 1. Person at the top of the order, ABBESS; 7. Excited, AMPED UP; 14. Fan’s output, COOL AIR; 16. Brand behind the mouthwash Plax, COLGATE; 17. Tex-Mex item, TOSTADA; 18. Robert Goulet, e.g., CROONER; 19. Annual event held in the Theresienwiese, OKTOBERFEST; 21. Certain tube filler, NEON; 22. Slangy goodbye, KEEP IT REAL; 27. Relative of a harrier, ERN; 28. All hits all the time?, FIGHT; 29. Reply on the radio, WILCO; 30. Person with important clerical duties, VICAR; 31. Tuber grown south of the border, JICAMA; 32. Tomfoolery, HIJINKS; 35. Ones trying to prevent stealing, BASEMEN; 36. Stud muffin, ADONIS; 37. Certain branches, SECTS; 38. The tropics and others, ZONES; 39. Uses maximally, MILKS; 43. Influential figure in upward mobility?, ELISHA OTIS; 45. YULE Ball (event at Hogwarts during the Trinidad Tournament); 46. Their best-selling (23x platinum) album had no title, LED ZEPPELIN; 48. Series of drug-related offenses?, THE WIRE; 52. Politico who wrote “The Truth (With Jokes)”; FRANKEN; 53. Skin cream ingredient, RETINOL; 54. Square snack, SALTINE; 55. Licensing requirement, maybe, EYE TEST; 56. Wee, TEENSY.

Other — 1. Start to play?, ACT ONE; 2. Talk show V.I.P., BOOKER; 3. Common ground?, BOSTON; 4. John in a studio, ELTON; 5. 9-5, e.g., SAAB; 6. Talk show V.I.P.’s, SIDEKICKS; 7. Put up with, ACCEPT; 8. Mohamed MORSI, Egyptian president removed from power in July 2013; 9. Thickening agents?, PLOT TWISTS; 10. Psych 101 subject, EGO; 11. Judo ranking, DAN; 12. Trojan competitor, UTE; 13. So says, PER; 1`5. 21-Across, e.g., RARE GAS; 20. N.H.L. players’ representative Donald REHR; 23. Reduces to bits, RICES; 24. Land east of Babylonia, ELAM; 25. Fictional corporation that made a jet-propelled unicycle, ACME; 26. It has points of interest, LOAN; 28. This is the end, FINISH LINE; 30. Tree huggers?, VINES; 31. Half a nursery rhyme couple, JACK SPRAT; 32. Run through the gantlet, say, HAZE; 33. Pop IDOL; 34. Iowa politico Ernst JONI; 35. Credo, BELIEFS; 37. SITZ bath; 39. Car modified for flying n “The Absent-Minded Professor”, MODEL T; 40.“Home Alone” star, 1990, CULKIN; 41. Time Lords on “Doctor Who,” e.g., ALIENS; 42. Big name in retail, PENNEY; 44. Planes, quaintly, AEROS; 45. Broadway character who sings “The Rumor, YENTE; 47. Not that bright, PALE; 48. Number of weeks in il Giro d’Italia, TRE; 49. “Stop right there!”, HEY; 50. When le Tour de France is held, ETE; 51. Romeo’s was “a most sharp sauce”, WIT.

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Saturday, December 13, 2014

Puzzle by James Mulhern and Ashton Anderson

Edited by Will Shortz

Of interest — ANTONIA (43D. Title girl in literature’s “Prairie Trilogy”); ANTS ON A LOG (9D. Celery topped with peanut butter and raisins); ARTIST (20A. Met someone?); BOLSHOI (1D. Where Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” premiered); BRISBANE (60A. Kangaroo Point is a suburb of it); BUTTOCKS (1A. Cheeky couple?); Langston Hughes’s “CORA Unashamed”; EASY READ (65A. Beach book, typically); G I JANE (48A. Action figure released in 1997); HAIL (23A. Caesar’s predecessor?); HIT ME UP (39D. Modern request for contact); JABBER (49D. Yap); KNURL (7D. Small projecting ridge); LINKEDIN (63A. Online aid for job-hunters); LIQUOR UP (17A. Become ripped); STREET MEAT (28D. Kebabs sold curbside, say); SWEE’PEA (38D. Comics boy with the given name Scooner); TEQUILA (3D. 1958 #1 hit whose only lyric is its title word).

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Capital Letter G, James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum

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Sunday,December 14, 2014

“Well, Golly!“ — Puzzle by Jim Peredo / Edited by Will Shortz

The sound of “Gee” in seven entries changing the meaning of a common phrase is the main feature of this run-of-the-mill Sunday crossword:

KITTY LITURGY(23A. Religious rituals for cats?), kitty litter
KANJI ARTIST (42A. Master of Japanese writing?), con artist
WEIRD ALGAE (52A. Strange pond scum?), Weird Al Yankovic
GENIE JERK REACTION (67A. “Grant you own damn wishes,” e.g.”), knee-jerk reaction
BEE GEE LINE (87A. “How deep is your love?” or “You should be dancing”?), beeline
GPS I LOVE YOU (93A. Comment from a driver who finally reached his destination?), P. S., I love you
OH DARJEELING (115A. Surprised comment upon rummaging through a tea chest?), oh darling

Other — BESTIE (109A. Closest friend, slangily), DANTE (51A. Poet who wrote “Let us not speak of them, but look and pass on”), DEKED (58D. Made a false move?), DIAL-A-RIDE (79D. Transportation service for the disabled), ENUF (8D. Sufficiently, informally), GOD NO (100D. “Heaven forbid!“), INSTINCTIVE (44D. Not learned), JALAPA (43d. Veracruz’s capital), LAPD andDRAGNET (40A. “Let’s Be Cops” org.; 41D. Friday night series?), MAIL ORDER (15D. Like early Sears business), NETIZENS (25A. Web browsers), PATTI PAGE (7D. “Tennessee Waltz” singer), PROEMS (23A. Literary prefaces), STOOP (45d. Keep a low profile), TETRAGRAM (81D. Any four-letter word), WHITE GLOVES (38D. Some queenly attire), ZOLTAN (26D. Korda who directed “Sahara”).

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Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

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Sunday, December 14, 2014

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s intriguing acrostic draws a quotation from“The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual” by Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The story was originally published in Strand Magazine in 1893, and was collected later in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Unlike the majority of Holmes stories, the main narrator is not Doctor Watson, but Sherlock Holmes himself. With Watson providing an introduction, the story-within-a-story is a classic example of a frame tale. It is one of the earliest recorded cases investigated by Holmes, and establishes his problem solving skills. "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" shares elements with two Edgar Allan Poe tales: "The Gold Bug" and "The Cask of Amontillado".In 1927, Conan Doyle ranked the story at 11th place on his top 12 Holmes stories list. ~ Amazon.com

The quotation: ALTHOUGH… METHODICAL… [HE] KEEPS HIS CIGARS IN THE COAL-SCUTTLE, HIS TOBACCO IN THE TOE END OF A PERSIAN SLIPPER, AND HIS UNANSWERED CORRESPONDENCE TRANSFIXED BY A JACK-KNIFE INTO THE VERY CENTER OF HIS WOODEN MANTELPIECE

The author’s name the title of the work: A C DOYLE, THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL

The defined words:

A. First and worst among adversaries, ARCHFOE
B. Director of a crew, COXSWAIN
C. British form of “Phooey!” (2 wds.), DASH IT
D. Cloud, fog, muddy, perplex, OBFUSCATE
E. Encouraging cry to foxhounds, YOICKS
F. Relax, LOOSEN
G. Given some improvement or magnification, ENHANCES
H. Onetime game craze with falling figures, TETRIX
I. Jazz Age term for a drug addict, HOPHEAD
J. Items on which deposit may be paid, EMPTIES
K. Impressively grand, MAJESTIC
L. Like the loser of a medieval contest, UNHORSED
M. Detective whose name literally means “fair-haired”, SHERLOCK
N. n. Go see a therapist, say (2 wds.), GET HELP
O. Notable player of the quote’s subject, RATHBONE
P. Chopper named for a tribe, APACHE
O. Made to seem the bad guy, VILIFIED
R. Whimsical or odd sort, ECCENTRIC
S. Kept a sub going?, RENEWED
T. First small suggestion of comprehension, INKLINGS
U. “Charge of the Light Brigade” poet, TENNYSON
V. In no position to lie (2 wds.), UNDER OATH
W. A little something preprandial, APERITIF
X. Battle of LEPANTO, 1561 naval engagement that was a setback for Ottoman Turks

The Full paragraph of the quotation: An anomaly which often struck me in the character of my friend Sherlock Holmes was that, although in his methods of thought he was the neatest and most methodical of mankind, and although also he affected a certain quiet primness of dress, he was none the less in his personal habits one of the most untidy men that ever drove a fellow-lodger to distraction. Not that I am in the least conventional in that respect myself. The rough-and-tumble work in Afghanistan, coming on the top of a natural Bohemianism of disposition, has made me rather more lax than befits a medical man. But with me there is a limit, and when I find a man who keeps his cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece, then I begin to give myself virtuous airs. I have always held, too, that pistol practice should be distinctly an open-air pastime; and when Holmes, in one of his queer humors, would sit in an arm-chair with his hair-trigger and a hundred Boxer cartridges, and proceed to adorn the opposite wall with a patriotic V. R. done in bullet-pocks, I felt strongly that neither the atmosphere nor the appearance of our room was improved by it. ~ The Musgrave Ritual

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Puzzle by Zhouqin Burnikel and Dennis Ryall

Edited by Will Shortz

STOP[S to P](69A. “Freeze!” … or, when broken into three parts, how the answer for each of the six starred clues goes), along with the six starred clues and their answers, constitutes the main feature of this fairly likeable Monday crossword:

SLAP(1A. *Obstetrician’s action on a newborn’s behind)
STANLEY CUP (18A. *Goal an N.H.L.’ER SHOOTS FOR?)
SKINNY DIPPING (20A. *Go swimming in one’s birthday suit)
SKI TRIP (40A. *Visit to Vail, maybe)
STEEL TRAP (56A. *Sharp mind, figuratively)
SUMMER CAMP (61A. *Setting for “Meatballs” or “Friday the 13th”)

Other — STP (36D. Indy letters), ALFA ROMEO (34D. Sports car with a Spider model), RACE AHEAD (11D. Quickly take the lead).

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Puzzle by Joel D. Lafargue / Edited by Will Shortz

THE BEE GEES(60A. Trio whose members start 17-, 26- and 44-Across), GIBB(66A. Last name of 60-Across), along with BARRY, ROBIN and MAURICE constitute the main feature of this neat Tuesday crossword:

BARRY WHITE (17A. R&B singer backed by the Love Unlimited Orchestra)
ROBIN WILLIAMS (26A. Late comic genius)
MAURICE SENDAK (44a. Chldren’s author/illustrator with a National Medal of Arts)

Other — JaneADDAMS, ANSELM (9D. Canterbury saint), BULL MARKET (28d. Something you won‘t see many bears in), CANTEENS (21A. Thermos alternatives), DO OK (33A. Scrape by); EARTH (14A. Wod after Mother or Google), GEWGAW (5d. Showy trinket), HARD TASK (51A. No easy chore), KEPI 53D, French army headwear), NERD, (3D. One whose favorite website is Sporcle, say), SAPOR (63A. Flavor), SKIN (19A. Banana discard), SUPERB (47D. Top-notch), TAKE A STAND (10D. Declare something boldly).

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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Puzzle by Stu Ockman / Edited by Will Shortz

A hyperbole, an oxymoron, a litotes and a simile,, different examples oflinguistic tropes, constitute the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword:

IT’LL TAKE FOREVER (17A. Hyperbole for an arduous task)
TAKE HASTE SLOWLY (22A. Oxymoron for cautious travel)
NOT UNATTRACTIVE (45A. Litotes for beauty)
AS THICK AS A BRICK (50A. Simile for denseness)

Other — FIVE WS (11D. Reporter‘squestions, collectively), WELL-KNIT (3D. Tightly interlocked), GALLEONS (4D. Many Spanish Armada ships), REST AREA (34D. Place to stop and text, perhaps), OLD IRISH (35D. Ancestor of Scottish Gaelic and Manx) and ZIP IT (31D. “Hush!”).

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Puzzle by Timothy Polin / Edited by Will Shortz

Five asterisked clues, X-ray, Ashtray, eBay, Airway, along with PIG LATIN (62A. Hinto to interpreting the five starred clues) constitutes the main feature of this lackluster Thursday crossword:

JALOPIES(17A. *X-ray)
RIP TO PIECES (24A. *Ashtray)
LIVE AND BREATHE (32A. *e-Bay)
KNUCKLE DRAGGER (41A. *Outlay)
DETERIORATE (48A. *Airway)

Other — EXTRAS (19A. Ones who are never billed?), ON THE STAGE (10D. Performing, say), REDUCED FAT (30D. Attribute of the 1%?), SHEMP (6D. One of the original Stooges), STEEPLE (8D. Carillon holder).

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John Howard Davies as Oliver Twist

in the 1948 film by David Lean

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Friday, December 19, 2014

Puzzle by Brad Wilbur and Doug Peterson

Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. There’s the rub!, SPA; 4. Novel subtitled “The Parish Boy’s Progress”, OLIVER TWIST; 15. Lot, TON; 16. Underground waves?, PIRATE RADIO; 17. Animal on the Michigan state flag, ELK; 18. Is beyond compare, STANDS ALONE; 19. Plea opener, NOLO; 21. Heading from Okla. City to Tulsa, ENE; 22. Gown maker’s supply, TULLES; 23. Tests that accommodate claustrophobes, OPEN MRIS; 25. “Ella giammai m’AMO” (Verdi aria); 26. Pretend to be, POSE AS; 27. Casts a wide net?, TRAWLS; 30. Rarin’ to go, ANTSY; 31. Lot, maybe, ACRE; 33. Tiresias in “Oedipus Rex,”, e.g., SEER; 35. Heading: Abbr., DIR; 36. Major media event of ‘95, O J TRIAL; 39. “Star Wars” boy, informally,ANI; 40 Vacuum maintainer, SEAL; 42. “Scimitar-horned” creature, ORYX; 43. Find a spot for, say, ADD IN; 45. Flowering shrub whose name comes from the Greek for “coil”, SPIREA; 47. Chorus of approval, BRAVOS; 48. Big name n chips, NEC; 49. Play house?, TOY STORE; 51. Coin with a picture of un rey, PESETA; 54. About 28% of the U.N.: Abbr., AFR; 55. Indigestion cause, ACID; 56. Fictional school bully with henchmen named Crabbe and Goyle, DRACO MALFOY; 59. Volume 1 starter, maybe, A TO; 60. Practice swizzles and twizzles, say, FIGURE SKATE; 61. Dr. Watson portrayer on CBS’s “Elementary”, LIU; 62. Track star of 1977, SEATTLE SLEW; 63. Craft that must overcome wave drag, n brief, SST.

Down — 1. Quaint office supply, STENOPADS; 2. Ones involved in horseplay?, POLO PONIES; 3. Stiletto attachment, ANKLE STRAP; 4. Ending with psy-; OPS; 5. Some bottled water purchases, LITERS; 6. Almost any character n Jon Stewart’s “Rosewater”, RAN; 7. Turbine blades, VANES; 8. Gate approx., ETD; 9. Where you might see someone walk the dog, REST AREA; 10. TRAUMA center; 11. Indulges oneself, in a way, WALLOWS; 12. Fan fixation, IDOL; 13. 0, for 180 degrees, SINE; 14. Tips of wingtips, TOES; 20. Common notes, ONES; 24. Subway option, MAYO; 27. Cereal that reverted to spherical shapes n 2007, TRIX; 28. Frontman’s assignment, LEAD VOCALS; 29. Certain drop in motivation, SENORITIS; 31. Gillette brand, ATRA; 32. “Extra! Extra!,” e.g., CRY; 34. No longer sudsy, say, RINSED OUT; 37. Pack animal?, JOE CAMEL; 38. Never-seen neighbor on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, LARS; 41. Black-and-white engraving, LINE CUT; 44. Table filler, DATA; 46. Shoot back, RETORT; 47. Mechanically, BY ROTE; 49. Part of SALT, TALKS; 50. Some haggis ingredients, OFFAL; 51. Many email attachments, PDFS; 52. County name in three states, ERIE; 53. Novel format, SAGA; 57. Enzyme suffix, ASE; 58. Tree whose name sounds like a letter of the alphabet, YEW.

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Reggie Rockstone ... pioneer of hiplife,

Africa's homemade take on hip-hop

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Puzzle by Kevin G. Der and Ian Livengood

Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Where much grass grows, POT FARMS; 9. Moolah, WAMPUM; 15.Jazz/funk fusion genre, AFROBEAT; 16. Creature with a crest, IGUANA; 17. Enterprise headquarters, STAR BASE: 18. Tap, CALL ON; 19. Place for a sucker, TENTACLE; 20. Faiths, CREEDS; 21. Rosetta Stone symbol, ANKH; 22. Betty’s sister on “Ugly Betty”, HILDA; 24. One ferried by Charon, SOUL; 25. Plato portrayer in “Rebel Without a Cause”, MINEO: 26. Org. seeking to catch 11-Down, DEA; 27. Cork’s place, maybe, POPGUN; 31. Tameness, DOCILITY; 35. In abundance, APLENTY; 37. “Le Bourgeois Gentlhomme” playwright, MOLIERE; 38. Positive response to “How ya doin’?”, REAL GOOD; 40. Sherlock Holmes cover-up?, ULSTER; 41. Rugby four-pointer, TRY; 41. Flying female fighters in W.W. II, WASPS;44. Orange side dish, YAMS; 46. Hip, with “in”, CLUED; 47. Lolcats, e.g., MEME; 51. Kind of bullet, TRACER; 53. Before making one’s debut?, PRENATAL; 55. Photoshop command, ROTATE; 56. Cross words?, HATE MAIL; 57. Tip-offs, maybe, ALERTS; 58. Nexus 7 rival, IPAD MINI; 59. “No doubt!”, YES YES; 60. Important figure in business, NET SALES.

Down — 1. Tagliatelle, e.g., PASTA; 2. A lot, OFTEN; 3. One delivering a knockout, informally, TRANK; 4. Into the open, FORTH; 5. Ones repeating “ do” in 1976?, ABBA; 6. Access, as a pocket, REACH INTO; 7. Literary/film critic Janet MASLIN; 8. Girded, STEELED; 9. Practice with the Book of Shadows, WICCA; 10. Stabilizing kitchen supply, AGAR; 11. See 26-Across, MULES; 12. Faddish food regimen, PALEO DIET; 13. Italian count?, UNO DUE TRE; 14. Murderer, MANSLAYER; 23. Dr. DOOM (archenemy of the Fantastic Four); 25. MUNG bean; 27. Caterer’s preparation, PARTY TRAY; 28. Figaro, e.g., OPERA ROLE; 29. Ones with recess appointments?, PLAYMATES; 30. What keeps a part apart?, GEL; 32. Power outage?, COUP D’ETAT; 33. Shangri-la’s lack, ILLS; 34. Symbol of purity, in Lille, LIS; 36. Caterwaul, YOWL; 39. Heir apparent to a French king, DAUPHIN; 43. Wear for Clint Eastwood in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, SERAPE; 45. Blood-curdling, SCARY; 46. Garden CRESS; 47. Her “little baby love clambake,” in a 1967 Elvis song, MAMMA; 48. Cyber Monday activity, ET AL; 49. Home for Deer Isle and Moosehead Lake, MAINE; 50. Dock ELLIS, Pirate who claimed to have thrown a no-hitter on LSD; 52. Novel’s end?, ETTE; 54. “NEDS Declassified” (old Nickelodeon show).

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“Santa Claus” by William Holbrook Beard

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Sunday, December 21, 2014 — Winter Solstice

Season’s Greetings — Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

Seven common phrases changed by the interjection of "HO" to become uncommon ones constitutes the interrelated group of this fine Sunday crossword:

HO HUMDINGER (22A. Homer that leaves people yawning?)
HOKEY WORD (24A. “Shucks!” or “Pshaw!“?)
BLACK-EYED HOPIS (42A. Southwest tribe after a fistfight?)
DESPICABLE HOMIE (67A. Backstabbing pal?)
NO MONEY HOEDOWN (91A. Barn dance that’s free to attend?)
CROSS HOBO (114A. Vagrant after getting kicked off a train, say?)
HOKUM TO PAPA (117A. Stuff your dad finds ridiculous?)

Other — ANKARA(12D. World capital once conquered by Augustus), BAR SCENE (11A. Likely feature of a college town), EBOLA VIRUS (16D. Cause for a quarantine), EFGH (8D. I will follow it), GOES GREEN (56A. Starts recycling, say), HOLLIES (46D. Some Christmas decorations), HONEY LOCUST (69D. Tree whose pods have sweet pulp), INFOTECH (50D. Computerdom, informally), KID GLOVES (120A. Gentle treatment, metaphorically), NANCY PELOSI (7D. House speaker after Dennis Hastert), OOH OOH (35A. “Pick me, pick me!”), ORANGE SODA (72D. Crush, e.g.), O-TOWN (76D. Nickname for Orlando), POT SHOP (90D.Joint business venture?), SMETANA (55D. Composer whose name s an anagram of SANTA + ME), SOY LATTE (87D. Trendy coffee order), STATE PEN (123A. “The Shawshank Redemption” setting), TAUREG (122A.Saharan nomad), TIM COOK (5D. Steve Jobs’s successor at Apple), WINE LABEL (21A. Red or white sticker?), YOGA POSE (43D. Warrior or downward dog).

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Monday, December 22, 2014

Puzzle by Lynn Lempel / Edited by Will Shortz

PED XING(39A. Something often seen on a street corner, briefly … or, literally something seen in each corner of this puzzle) along with PED crossing PED in the four corners as mentioned constitutes the interrelated group of this clever Monday crossword:

SHARP EDGE and PEDRO (17A. What a whetstone gives a knife; 15D. Martinez with three Cy Young Awards)
SPED AWAY and IMPEDIMENT (19A. Hurriedly left by car; 3D. Roadblock)
STAMPEDE and BRAKE PEDAL (58A. Panicky onrush; 30D. It may bring you to a screeching halt)
PIPE DREAM and HOPED (62A. Wishful fantasy; 47D. Had aspirations)

Other — DUE DATE(4D. What a pregnant woman or a library book has), ELECTRIC (40D. Thrilling), Dadaist Max ERNST, Dame JUDI Dench, MEDIAN (21A. Highway divider), ORCS (51A. Ugly Middle-earth creatures), PARMESAN (9D. Cheese to sprinkle on spaghetti), SCAMP (67A. Rapscallion), SERPICO (45D. Title cop played by Al Pacino in 1973), SNIT (24A. Pique performance?).

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Scrabble

The Friday Crossword

12.06.14 — The Saturday Crossword

12.07.14 — Holdup Man

Monkey Business

Shoes

Elementary

Passing Through

The Friday Crossword

Saturday with Swee' Pea

Gee

12.14.14 — Musgrave Ritual — the Acrostic

S to P

The Bee Gees

Figures of Speech

Pig Latin

More Is Less

12.20.14 — The Saturday Crossword

Season's Greetings

Xing