dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

tuesday, october 16, 2007
michael kaplan / will shortz
















difficulty factor: not bad at all; just a minor hiccup in the northwest.


theme: it just dosn't sit exactly right with me that the "hint" answer 41A DATES is plural and the others are singular, so i maintain that the theme is not "dateS"... more like there is a DATE in the four themed answers.

as some have already noticed, my "regular" posting time has changed. i won't be able to have this posted until closer to 3pm for a while. sorry, but life happens. so be it.

i found today's puzzle to be largely effortless, the clues flowing into one another nicely.

today's geography lesson: (we will discuss the socio-political ramifications at a later date!)

between november 1763 and october 1767, reknowned astronomer - yes, astronomer - charles mason and surveyor jeremiah 53A DIXON (who had worked together previously) were commissioned by the calvert and penn families to to officially mark the borders between delaware, maryland, pennsylvania, and a part of western virginia (that eventually became west virginia.)

what took their team four years? stones! loads of 'em! not just the countless ones in their way, mind you, they actually brought two hundred (200) 10 to 12 inch cut granite stones with them from england to mark every mile of their journey... they brought an additional fifty (50) larger "crownstones" to mark every five miles along the way... and they placed a substantial limestone benchmark stone at their point of origin south of philadelphia! in addition to all those stones, they had provisions and tools enough to outfit a team of up to fifty men, by some accounts (guides, hunters, cooks, and laborers.) in some places they amassed additional local rocks and piled them as much as eight feet tall! they traveled the almost seventy-five miles south first, and then backtracked to philly before commencing the westward portion, and then backtracked to philly again. these guys must've really liked their work to wanna see it all twice! they traveled over 500 miles to establish the 233 (or 244?) mile-long mason-dixon line. interestingly enough, they never really completed their assigned task. their guides turned them back less than 25 (or 36?) miles from their goal because of heightening native american hostilities.

oh, and yes, this will be on the test!

the completely unrelated test "bonus" question: what was sgt. friday's badge number? answer tomorrow!


in the "your mileage may vary" category:

best clue of the day: 39A "sgt. friday's org."... aah, who didn't love ol' dragnet's "all business" deadpan detective seargent joe (played by producer, writer, actor jack webb?!)

best answer of the day: 35D UP AND AT 'EM... i love the colloquial quality (oxymoron intended) of it!

worst clue of the day: 9D "one in the infield"... "one OF THREE in the infield" would have been better, as there can be up to ten players in the infield.

worst answer of the day: 49A AENEAS... it just looks all scrambled up.


now, you kids play fair, and...

keep on keepin' on...

dann