dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

saturday, november 17, 2007

brad wilber / will shortz

ny times online premium crossword puzzle

difficulty factor: don't get me wrong, this had its pesky moments, but it was mostly cool.

theme: none

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in the "not necessarily explained just by the answer" category
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1A liniment ingredient CAMPHOR OIL

11A certain copier MITA (mita industrial, a former photocopier manufacturer company, since january 2000, a division of the kyocera group, and now known as kyocera mita)

15A presidents adams, fillmore and taft UNITARIANS (unitarianism is the belief in the single personality of God, in contrast to the doctrine of the trinity [three persons in one God] espoused by christians)

16A "... on the head of _____?" A PIN

17A rap RAT-A-TAT-TAT

18A "the man who fell to earth" director ROEG (david bowie had his first starring film role in this cult classic 1976 sci-fi flick directed by nicolas roeg - based on the 1963 novel of the same name by walter tevis - about an alien who crash lands on earth while trying to find water for his drought-stricken home planet)

21A minute buzzer MIDGE (gnatlike flies found worldwide and frequently occurring in swarms near standing water)

24A its banks are lined with nearly 200 palaces GRAND CANAL (the grand canal forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in venice, italy from the lagoon near the train station to the basilica di santa maria della salute, near piazza san marco)

27A "giuliani: nasty man" author ED KOCH (after taking credit in his prologue for helping giuliani get elected, koch rapidly goes from acknowledging giulianis achievements [such as a drastically lowered crime rate] to brutally criticizing him as an authoritarian publicity hound who can't admit when he's made a mistake)

28A booster of a rock band AMP (as in amplifier)

29A tackle box item FLY (a fishing lure simulating a flyin insect made by attaching materials such as feathers, tinsel, and colored thread to a fishhook)

31A lei _____ (here and there, to thérèse) ICI ET LA (french, "ici et là" : "here and there")32A "in the," in italy NEI (?)

33A nostalgia elicitor OLDIE (as in oldie-goldie music)

38A alma mater of albert sabin and jonas salk: abbr. NYU (new york university)

43A rx specification TER (very rarely used as such, on the caontrary its abbreviation is quite common: t.i.d. = ter in die = three times a day; t.d.s. = ter die sumendum = three times a day; t.i.w. = three times a week)

44A sinusitis studier's specialty: abbr. ENT (ear, nose and throat)

45A 100 centimes, in haiti GOURDE

47A like the chrysler building DECO (as in art deco)

51A nightspots where the attraction is simply a gas OXYGEN BAR (this trendy idea arrived in california from japan and is used by idiots who claim this practice enhances concentration, health and well-being, and "strengthens" the immune system. oh, yeah and it helps alieviate hangovers! these gullible jerks will normally pay $1.00 u.s. [and up] - per minute - to inhale an increased percentage of oxygen compared to the average atmospheric content of 21%. no formal studies have ever confirmed any of these ridiculous claims. now repeat after me: wtf, over?!)

57A project wrap-up? ILE (projectile)

58A rolls roller TYRE (oh, those wacky ol' brits!)

59A national historic landmark in manhattan PLAZA HOTEL

63A pablo neruda's "_____ to common things" ODES

64A big name in dakota history CRAZY HORSE

2D its ads once showed hammers inside the head ANACIN

4D org. addressing class conflict PTA (parent/teacher association)

6D like a bad spray-on tan ORANGE-Y

7D score direction: abbr. RITARD (from ritardando : delaying [sometimes abbreviated 'rit.' i hear musicians say this all the time for "slowing down at the end of a song [for dramatic effect]" they use it instead of the more correct "rallentando")

8D scottish cereal staple OATCAKE (made almost entirely of ground oats - the only cereal to flourish in northern scotland - oatcakes are widely considered to be the national bread of Scotland, and have held that position for centuries... they are most often served with porridge)

9D snarled IN A KNOT

10D "saving private ryan" craft, for short LST (Landing Ships for Tanks, or tank landing ships - an lst could carry a 2,100-ton load of tanks, vehicles and troops in the latter part of the second world war)

11D musical character who sings "my favorite things" MARIA

12D player in a shirt pocket IPOD NANO

13D anticlimactic court outcomes TIE GAMES

14D lemony meringue concoction ANGEL PIE

21D celtic kevin with a retired jersey #32 MCHALE (national basketball association hall-of-fame inductee)

23D bank offering, briefly RE-FI (re-finance)

25D seventh-century year DCL (650)

30D it can help you keep your balance LEDGER

33D not many ONE OR TWO

34D keen of vision LYNX-EYED

35D like some airport shopping DUTY FREE

37D novus _____ seclorum (great seal phrase) ORDO ("novus ordo seclorum" is the motto suggested by charles thomson, the founding father chosen by the continental congress to come up with the final design for the great seal of the united states and approved on june 20, 1782, by that august body. thomson did not provide a literal translation of the motto, but he explained its symbolism: "novus ordo seclorum" signifies "the beginning of the new american æra,"

42D syllables to skip by TRA LA LA

43D willful state? TESTACY (the condition of having made a legally valid will before death. "for my wife and i, testacy brings peace.")

46D character on trial in "a passage to india" DR. AZIZ ("a passage to india" is a novel by e. m. forster used his extensive first-hand knowledge of india to tell the story of the british raj and the indian independence movement in the 1920s. it revolves around three characters: cyril fielding, his indian friend dr. aziz, and adela quested. during a trip to the marabar caves, adela accuses aziz of attempting to rape her. every facet from accusation to the aftermath of aziz's trial bring out all the racial tensions and prejudices between indigenous indians and the british colonists who rule india.)

48D people person? EDITOR (a 'person' [currently mark golin] at people magazine)

49D mint-family plant with bright-colored leaves and blue flowers COLEUS

50D goon's last words ...OR ELSE!

56D "_____ ching" (classic book of chinese poetry) SHIH

59D u.s.m.c. e-2 PFC (united states marine corps enlisted rank 2 : private first class)

60D ear: prefix OTO-

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in the "your mileage may vary" category:

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best clue of the day:

best answer of the day:

worst clue of the day:

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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

1A liniment ingredient 11A certain copier 15A presidents adams, fillmore and taft 16A "... on the head of _____?" 17A rap 18A "the man who fell to earth" director 19A make a scene? 20A put down some chips? 21A minute buzzer 22A detail on some tickets 24A its banks are lined with nearly 200 palaces 26A cousin of-trix 27A "giuliani: nasty man" author 28A booster of a rock band 29A tackle box item 31A lei _____ (here and there, to therese) 32A "in the," in italy 33A nostalgia elicitor 36. imprecise 38A alma mater of albert sabin and jonas salk: abbr. 39A you may get into it while shopping 43A rx specification 44A sinusitis studier's specialty: abbr. 45A 100 centimes, in haiti 47A like the chrysler building 51A nightspots where the attraction is simply a gas 53A characteristic quality 54A direct 55A makes a raucous noise 57A project wrap-up? 58A rolls roller 59A national historic landmark in manhattan 61A quarter division 62A apropos 63A pablo neruda's "_____ to common things" 64A big name in dakota history 1D parish leader 2D its ads once showed hammers inside the head 3D one of a protective pair 4D org. addressing class conflict 5D occupiers of top spots 6D like a bad spray-on tan 7D score direction: abbr. 8D scottish cereal staple 9D snarled 10D "saving private ryan" craft, for short 11D musical character who sings "my favorite things" 12D player in a shirt pocket 13D anticlimactic court outcomes 14D lemony meringue concoction 21D celtic kevin with a retired jersey #32 23D bank offering, briefly 25D seventh-century year 30D it can help you keep your balance 33D not many 34D keen of vision 35D like some airport shopping 37D novus _____ seclorum (great seal phrase) 40D it goes on and on 41D drinking fountain 42D syllables to skip by 43D willful state? 46D character on trial in "a passage to india" 48D people person? 49D mint-family plant with bright-colored leaves and blue flowers 50D goon's last words 52D unlikely prom kings 56D "_____ ching" (classic book of chinese poetry) 59D u.s.m.c. e-2 60D ear: prefix