dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

tuesday, november 20, 2007
larry shearer / will shortz
ny times online premium crossword puzzle

difficulty factor: not a lot to trip on here

theme: not very likely 56A SUPER BOWL foes (at least this year!)

17A GIANT BILL
25A COLT PACKER
37A CARDINAL CHARGER
45A CHIEF SAINT

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in the "notes of record" category

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day-um... except for the puzzle, eveything i touched or did t'day turned t' crap and cost me a great deal if time!

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in the "not necessarily explained just by the answer" category
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1A missing jimmy HOFFA (president of the teamster’s union from 1957 to 1971 - the brains and guts behind unionizing workers - who admitted that liaisons with the mafia were needed, because the mob had the power to disrupt strikes, so deals had to be made with them. he disappeared without a trace on july 30, 1975. hmmm... i wonder... what deal did he break... and which load of cement did he get buried in?!)

14A paula of "american idol" ABDUL and 39D supermodel carol ALT

19A "mule train" singer, 1949 LAINE (listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXes2-s2KpQ&feature=related) and 52A country singer milsap RONNIE (singin' "local girls" here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIoMG53vms)

20A bête _____ NOIRE (bête noire [bet nwar - rhymes with car] french, bête : beast, noire : black 'black beast') refers to someone or something unwanted or even hated, from a minor pet peeve to a major annoyance)

21A gum arabic-yielding tree ACACIA

22A where to find the headings books, dolls & bears, and collectibles EBAY

27A the ewings' soap DALLAS

30A letter-shaped support I-BEAM

33A clinic name MAYO (the mayo clinic - ranked the second best hospital in america by u.s. news & world report - is an internationally renowned medical practice based in rochester, minnesota, integrated with hospital facilities and a medical school. it also runs additional hospitals and physician practices in jacksonville, florida, and scottsdale, arizona. in addition there are smaller clinics and hospitals in minnesota, iowa, and wisconsin, known as the "mayo health system". the mayo clinic evolved from the frontier practice of dr. william worrall mayo and his two sons, william james mayo and charles horace mayo depicted in bronz below in front of the gondo building.

40A new york home of rensselaer polytechnic institute TROY

42A greene of "bonanza" LORNE

43A mark, as a ballot square X-IN

44A "blah, blah, blah ..." ETC. ETC.

53A quick pick game LOTTO

64A prickly husk BUR (more common spelling 'burr', a rough prickly husk or covering surrounding the seeds or fruits of plants such as the horse chestnut [below] or the common burdock)

65A pasta sauce brand PREGO (PRAY-go)

3D Rx watchdog FDA (food and drug administration)

4D 1975 barbra streisand sequel FUNNY LADY

6D richard's first vice president SPIRO

7D superman's birth name KAL-EL

9D spock, on his father's side VULCAN

10D asimov of sci-fi ISAAC

11D lacrosse carmaker BUICK and 24D olds discontinued in 2004 ALERO

12D bert's muppet pal ERNIE

18D some ballpoints BICS

22D papal bull, e.g. EDICT (a decree "in bull form" is a special kind of communication - after the fifteenth century, only for the most formal or solemn of occasions - issued by a pope. it gets its name from the type of closure that was appended to the end to authenticate it - a 'bulla' - which is a lump of a substance rhat is malleable when wet - clay, wax, and lead are common materials - molded around a length of cord and stamped with an official seal)

23D kiddie lit elephant BABAR

28D "_____ blue?" AM I (an old blues standard written by harry akst and grant clarke... give a listen t' the great ethel waters... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2b5eM7lrDw&feature=related

32D overhead trains ELS (as in elevated trains)

33D reggie jackson nickname MR. OCTOBER

35D buttinsky YENTA (a person, especially a woman, who is meddlesome or gossipy)

36D vacuum maker ORECK

43D "trust no one" tv series, with "the" X-FILES

46D self-help category HOW-TO

47D due to get, as punishment IN FOR

49D romantic message, in shorthand I LUV U

50D without face value NO PAR

54D pipe section TRAP (a trap is a bent pipe that retains a small amount of water located below a plumbing fixture such as sinks, bathtubs, and toilets to prevent sewer gases and vermin from entering buildings. because it is a likely place to catch small objects - such as jewelry - please think ahead and purchase the model with the cleanout feature - a removable drain screw at the bottom of the trap)

59D zodiac beast LEO

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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:
worst answer of the day:



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 missing jimmy 6A hit the slopes 9A general feeling 14A paula of "american idol" 15A chum 16A take forcibly 17A big spender's woe? 19A "mule train" singer, 1949 20A bête _____ 21A gum arabic-yielding tree 22A where to find the headings books, dolls & bears, and collectibles 25A revolver toter? 27A the ewings' soap 29A _____ tin tin 30A letter-shaped support 31A huge expanses 33A clinic name 37A mastercard-carrying ecclesiastic? 40A new york home of rensselaer polytechnic institute 41A give the boot to 42A greene of "bonanza" 43A mark, as a ballot square 44A "blah, blah, blah ..." 45A peter? 51A deck wood 52A country singer milsap 53A quick pick game 55A worse than bad 56A where this puzzle's theme pairs would like to meet 60A chain unit 61A reproductive cells 62A condor's nest 63A tender spots 64A prickly husk 65A pasta sauce brand 1D witchy woman 2D sapporo sash 3D Rx watchdog 4D 1975 barbra streisand sequel 5D chorus voice 6D richard's first vice president 7D superman's birth name 8D under the weather 9D spock, on his father's side 10D asimov of sci-fi 11D lacrosse carmaker 12D bert's muppet pal 13D pickle portion 18D some ballpoints 21D imitative in a silly way 22D papal bull, e.g. 23D kiddie lit elephant 24D olds discontinued in 2004 26D developer's plot 28D "_____ blue?" 31D spa feature 32D overhead trains 33D reggie jackson nickname 34D think alike 35D buttinsky 36D vacuum maker 38D library no-no 39D supermodel carol 43D "trust no one" tv series, with "the" 44D sermon ending? 45D lacking couth 46D self-help category 47D due to get, as punishment 48D toughen 49D romantic message, in shorthand 50D without face value 54D pipe section 56D cry out loud 57D seam material 58D rug, of a sort 59D zodiac beast