dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

SUNDAY, december 09, 2007
patrick blindauer / will shortz
secret santa's helpers
ny times online premium crossword puzzle
















difficulty factor: especially for a sunday puzzle, this one had me trippin' over wrong answers from the get-go...


theme: ev'rywhere i turned a saw an elf... pointing, taunting, and laughing at me!


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in the "notes of record" category
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i'm learning to be less intimidated by these notepad rascals...






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in the "most googled" category
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39A weena's fictional race ELOI (in h.g. wells' futuristic "the time machine" the year is 802,701AD and humanity has evolved into two separate species: the eloi - the spoiled, attractive upper class, living in luxury on the surface of the earth - and the morlocks - who live underground, tending machinery and providing food, clothing and infrastructure for the eloi. each class evolved and degenerated from different social classes as humans, a theme that reflects upon wells' sociopolitical opinions.


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in the "cool multiple word answer" category
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23A yuletide celebration TWELFTH NIGHT

28A clearing OPEN AREA

32A bingo call B-TEN

33A rock group with the 12-time platinum album "hysteria" DEF LEPPARD

44A like narcissus? SELF-REFLECTIVE

50A popular hispanic newspaper name EL SOL (the sun)

53A reposeful AT EASE

59A kind of sweater PULL-ON

63A last time? SHELF DATE

66A 1964 beatles #1 hit I FEEL FINE (listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PykzyxWYS3Y)

70A words from a promising individual? I SHALL

76A starters A-TEAM

81A classic outdoor winter toys FLEXIBLE FLYERS
97A bond's man? IAN FLEMING

102A pope of 452 who met with attila ST. LEO

106A adam sandler's "spanglish" co-star TEA LEONE
108A precious cargo of legend GOLDEN FLEECE

2D light, in a way LOW-FAT

3D repetitive exclamation from sakespeare FIE, FIE

12D never-failing SURE-FIRE

24D manx trait NO TAIL

32D "_ good cheer" BE OF

65D current with the wind LEE TIDE

77D _ effort 'E' FOR

90D key of dvorak's "new world" symphony E MINOR

92D out of gear IN 'IDLE'

99D "we got the beat" group GO-GOS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR_2kKujDsc&feature=related)

97D "life _____ short..." IS TOO

107D "well, what have we here?!" O HO!

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in the "abbreviations, truncations, etc." category
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12A e-5 in the u.s.a.f. S.SGT. (staff sergeant)

35A some martyrs: abbr. STES. (french, saintes)

42A rolodex abbr. TEL. (telephone [number])

56A play analyzer REF (referee... and "analyzing" is right at the edge of my "acceptable clue" range. i consider analysis something to be done in retrospect and in depth, but to make split-second evaluations especially with respect to rules is an analysis of sorts, i suppose)

69A employee's move, for short RE-LO (re-location)

74A samoa-to-hawaii dir. N.N.E. (north-northeast)

85A "climb _ mountain" EV'RY (yep, this rodgers and hammerstein classic from 'the sound of music' really is contracted!)

86A one who's gone but not forgotten A.W.O.L. (absent without leave)

87A mag magnate HEF (magazine biggie hugh hefner)

100A ltr. carriers ENVS (envelopes)

40D 13, for al AT. NO, (atomic number for aliminum)

60D craft often shown landing on three legs U.F.O. (unidentified flying object)

61D old sports org. A.F.L. (american football league)

109D big inits. in news N.P.R. (national public radio)

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in the "further explanation" category
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16A fourth steps FAS (do, re, me, fa...)

20A control _____ (four-wheel-drive system) TRAC (control-trac is the brand name of a four wheel drive system developed by borg/warner and marketed by ford motor corporation on its popular explorer and expedition sport-utility vehicle models)

37A swiss _____ MISS

40A marc antony's love AMOR (latin, amor : love... rassa, frassa, [more mumbling]... "cleo"... i fought for cleo...

58A year england captured normandy at the battle of tinchebray MCVI (1106AD)

62A actor kilmer VAL

84A uganda's _____ amin IDI (idi amin took over uganda in a military coup in january of 1971. his rule was characterized by horrendous human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, extra-judicial killings and the expulsion of indians from the country. estimates of the number of people killed as a result of his regime is estimated at as many as 500,000)

89A _____-pliè (ballet move) DEMI (french, demi : half... pliè : bend... "half bend of the knees"... all steps of elevation begin and end with a demi-pliè)

91A personnel person HIRER (hirer... firer... henley... FINLEY... INVOICES... AAAARRRGGH!)

93A "_____ homo" (declaration in john 19:5) ECCE (ecce homo [latin, 'behold the man"] are the words purported used by pontius pilate when he presented a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his crucifixion)

111A seussian villagers WHO'S (from... horton hears a who!)

112A 1988 cy young winner hershiser OREL

1D. sources of fall color ASTERS (this is where it first got all shot up: i sure as heck wasn't thinkin' 'bout flowers! i wanted 'leaves' for WAY too lomg!)

5D "waiting for _" (odets play) LEFTY

10D songwriter sammy CAHN

13D rickey henderson record-breaking stat STEALS (stolen bases in baseball)

14D beetle juice? GAS (as in... volkswagon beetle... and gasoline)

15D edward o. _, card-counting author of "beat the dealer" THORP

48D first name in court fiction ERLE (perry mason's creator... erle stanley gardner)

49D hanna-barbera collectible CEL

51D redenbacher of popcorn fame ORVILLE (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LRpUBUQ3sE)

52D hero's hero LEANDER (hero, in greek mythology, was a priestess of aphrodite who lived in a tower on one side of the hellespont strait, and lymander [or leandros, or leander] a young man from the other side of the strait a mile's distance away. hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide leander's nightly swim across the water to be with her hroughout the warm summer. but one stormy winter night, the winds caused waves that tossed leander mercilessly and blew out hero's light. leander lost his way, and was drowned. hero threw herself from the tower in grief and died as well)

55D genesis shepherd ABEL (so that was his job!)

71D voluptuous SEXY (i hafta emphatically agree... that "too-young, too-skinny" look turns me WAY off!)

72D osaka o.k. HAI (i don't get the unwarranred abbr, here)

76D ailey and toffler ALVINS (alvin ailey, jr. was an african american modern dancer and choreographer who founded the alvin ailey american dance theater. alvin toffler is an american writer and futurist, known for his works discussing technology and its impact on the individual (through effects like information overload), its societal ramifications, and the increasing power of 21st century military hardware, weapons and technology proliferation, and capitalism)

80D towering figure in french engineering EIFFEL (alexandre gustave eiffel was a french structural engineer and architect and a specialist of metallic structures. he is most famous for designing the tower that bears his name, built for the 1889 universal exposition in paris, france. he also designed the armature for the statue of liberty, that was shipped and built in new york harbor, u.s.)

81D carrie chapman catt, for one FEMINIST (carrie clinton lane chapman catt was a key organizer in winning the vote for women in the u.s.)

87D he-man woman-_____ club ("little rascals" group) HATERS

91D "crimes of the heart" playwright beth HENLEY 94D john of "rat race" CLEESE (john marwood cleese is an award-winning english comedian and actor, perhaps best known for being one of the founding members of the renowned comedy group monty python)

95D constellation between lynx and hydra CANCER

101D "the night cafe" was painted there ARLES (vincent van gogh's oil painting on canvas "the night café" [french: le café de nuit] currently resides in the art gallery of yale university)

104D comic sahl MORT

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in the "damn-brand-new-t'-me" category
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75A spitchcock EEL (the former, not the latter!)


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in the "your mileage may vary" category
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favorite clue/answer: 45D dropping acid, say ETCHING

play with these three answer words on your tongue... it's fum!
30A hindu queen RANEE

31A not fair at all RAINY

54A longtime soap actress jones RENEE

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. feed for cattle and horses 8. river or city of maine 12. e-5 in the u.s.a.f. 16. fourth steps 19. bashes 20. control _ (four-wheel-drive system) 21. vessel lost at pearl harbor 22. piz bernina or eiger 23. yuletide celebration 25. unwavering 27. decadent 28. clearing 30. hindu queen 31. not fair at all 32. bingo call 33. rock group with the 12-time platinum album "hysteria" 35. some martyrs: abbr. 36. gorge 37. swiss _ 38. music center? 39. weena's fictional race 40. marc antony's love 42. rolodex abbr. 44. like narcissus? 50. popular hispanic newspaper name 53. reposeful 54. longtime soap actress jones 55. "prince _" ("aladdin" song) 56. play analyzer 58. year england captured normandy at the battle of tinchebray 59. kind of sweater 61. fully functional 62. actor kilmer 63. last time? 66. 1964 beatles #1 hit 68. museum hanging 69. employee's move, for short 70. words from a promising individual? 73. ye follower 74. samoa-to-hawaii dir. 75. spitchcock 76. starters 77. "bald" baby 79. hail 81. classic outdoor winter toys 84. uganda's _ amin 85. "climb _ mountain" 86. one who's gone but not forgotten 87. mag magnate 89. _-plie (ballet move) 91. personnel person 93. "_ homo" (declaration in john 19:5) 97. bond's man? 100. ltr. carriers 101. quasar co-discoverer sandage 102. pope of 452 who met with attila 103. red-eye cause 105. burning 106. adam sandler's "spanglish" co-star 108. precious cargo of legend 110. mythical beast 111. seussian villagers 112. 1988 cy young winner hershiser 113. laundry worker 114. verb follower? 115. kind 116. ophthalmologist's concern 117. rolls 1. sources of fall color 2. light, in a way 3. repetitive exclamation from shakespeare 4. sen. specter and others 5. "waiting for _" (odets play) 6. bash 7. certain flake 8. mushroom stems 9. silver-colored 10. songwriter sammy 11. santa's reindeer, traditionally 12. never-failing 13. rickey henderson record-breaking stat 14. beetle juice? 15. edward o. _, card-counting author of "beat the dealer" 16. zoological studies 17. edits 18. words per minute, e.g. 24. manx trait 26. pin spots 29. eliminate 32. "_ good cheer" 34. actress getty 36. bolt 39. stumbling sounds 40. 13, for al 41. air 43. senior saarinen 44. biblical strongman 45. dropping acid, say 46. evening person? 47. go kaput 48. first name in court fiction 49. hanna-barbera collectible 51. redenbacher of popcorn fame 52. hero's hero 55. genesis shepherd 57. forces in the water 59. grouch 60. craft often shown landing on three legs 61. old sports org. 64. let out 65. current with the wind 66. metric foot 67. geezer 70. anatomical duct 71. voluptuous 72. osaka o.k. 76. ailey and toffler 77. _ effort 78. _ clear 80. towering figure in french engineering 81. carrie chapman catt, for one 82. little wrigglers 83. baa maids? 87. he-man woman-_ club ("little rascals" group) 88. link, as fingers of the hands 90. key of dvorak's "new world" symphony 91. "crimes of the heart" playwright beth 92. out of gear 93. firstborn 94. john of "rat race" 95. constellation between lynx and hydra 96. starts to make a scene? 97. "life_short..." 98. brand under amc theatres 99. "we got the beat" group 101. "the night cafe" was painted there 104. comic sahl 105. frizzy coif 107. "well, what have we here?!" 109. big inits. in news