dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

thursday, october 18, 2007
lucy gardner anderson / will shortz















difficulty factor: two band-aids outta five just to cover the wounds from being an innocent bystander too close to that drive by shooting in the d.c. section of the puzzle; the rest was a fun ride.

theme: menu side orders were split between two clues and answers as "hinted at" in 38A SIDE SPLITTING

• 1D FRENCH... and... 69A FRIES
• 5A BAKED... and... 50D POTATO
• 10A COLE... and... 68A SLAW
• 33A ONION... and... 44A RINGS

i did not want to like today's puzzle at all, what with all those usually disarming "see..." and "with..." clues, but when i discovered it was about foods, well... i gave in almost immediately. and being temporarily awash in the moment... i actually wish there were more!

37A ONT(ario), canada bucked me well before an 8-second count. abbrs. and vars. always peeve me more than they probably should... but they DO, dammit!

and the above crossing with below... well... i just better keep my mouth 47A SEALED UP tight!
26D "one of a series of joint soviet/u.s. space satellites": BION

as part of the Bion [note ultra rare, intended capitalization!] astrobiology program, nine (9) joint us/ussr flights, ranging in length from just under one week to just over three weeks between 1975 and 1996, were carried out in a more or less cooperative atmosphere of space research, each mission designed to focus investigation upon specific areas of biological experimentation and study with respect to extended space travel on various forms of flora and fauna, including primates, rodents, insects, cells, and plants on an otherwise unmanned soviet biosatellite in near-earth orbit.

french film director, producer, and comedic actor jacques 56D TATI (born jacques tatischeff) used subtle slapstick, sight gags, and absurdity to his advantage. the predominance of his creative effort was filmed from the late 1930's to the early 1960's. although referred to by some as "the french buster keaton", he wasn't nearly as 'physical' as keaton, or for that matter, as 'clowny' as the other american great, charlie chaplin. tati maintained that in an era where 'talkies' had become a quite popular film form, his decision to have his most famous character, the inadvertantly bumbling, pipe-smoking Hulot, remain almost silent "made it more universal" in appeal, as "visual humor needs no translation."

in the "your mileage may vary" category:

best clue of the day: 21A behind closed doors

best answer of the day: 55A TOP STORY. i see those way-too-serious local news folks doin' the "if it bleeds, it leads" thang...
worst clue of the day: 14A wedding parties?: abbr. (see below)

worst answer of the day: 14A REVS. wtf, over, did i not get the memo here?! it takes more than one REVerand to officiate at a wedding these days?


keep on keepin' on...

dann

all elements of the puzzle (grid layout, clues and answers), NYT, NY Times, and The New York Times logo are ©2007 The New York Times
1. lady abroad 5. with 50D, steak go-with 10. with 68A, fish filet go-with14. wedding parties?: abbr.15. water, for one16. tel ____17. psyche components18. fix, as a hitch19. unnerve20. "yep" negator21. behind closed doors 23. drug-free 25. well-founded 29. he-man33. with 44A, hot sandwich go-with34. like waves on a shoreline37. it's on the st. lawrence river: abbr.38. hilarious ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme42. brown, in ads43. passed44. see 33A 47. closed tight 51. white-knuckle54. make a ship stop by facing the wind55. newscast lead59. drift ____60. airline rarity, nowadays63. "may ____ your order?"64. bob dylan's first wife and the title of a song about her65. makeover66. stinky67. dirty magazines and such68. see 10A69. see 1D70. neither good nor bad 1. with 69A, burger go-with 2. treat splendidly 3. one saying "i do" 4. letters before liberty or constitution 5. sprung (from) 6. x, y and z 7. toy sometimes seen on a beach 8. order 9. big name in balers10. unisex dress11. female gametes12. 1995 showbiz biography by c. david heymann13. december31, e.g.21. harden22. musician brian 24. breezed through26. one of a series of joint soviet/u.s. space satellites27. dragged out28. suffix with absorb30. shake, in a way31. cable inits. since 197932. albino in "the da vinci code"35. police target36. jazzy james38. something to take in a car39. fred astaire's "_ this a lovely day"40. the beeb is seen on it41. "the very _!"42. the rams of the atlantic 10 conf.45. 2003 #2 hit for l'il jon and the east side boyz46. ____-cat48. go-getter49. womb50. see 5A52. spruce (up)53. perfume ingredient56. 1955 oscar nominee for "mr. hulot's holiday"57. tex's neighbor to the north58. some wines60. partner, informally, with "the"61. underwater cave dweller62. oral health org. 64. draft org.