dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

wednesday, december 19, 2007
victor fleming/ will shortz
ny times online premium crossword puzzle
















difficulty factor: not bad at all




theme: 36A embodies the theme today: "what shall be first... or words that can precede 17-, 23-, 52- and 60-across 39. vote against" to reveal a well-known title

THE LAST...

• 17A ...MAN STANDING
• 23A ...DAYS OF POMPEII
• 52A ...OF THE MOHICANS
• 60A ...PICTURE SHOW

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in the "notes of record" category
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victor, this was avery pleasant puzzle indeed! i got sidetracked once with 'toneless' instead of 'tone deaf' but the rest was smooth sailin'!


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in the "most googled" category
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if i had t' guess, i'd say it might be 31A author ITALO calvino... or maybe... 25D POLA negri of silent films


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in the "cool mutiple word answer" category
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1A "_____ eat cake" (1930's musical) LET 'EM (let them) (although it was the sequel to the very popular and successful "of thee i sing", and had the same producer, writers, and stars, [and george and ira gershwin's music] the tone of "let 'em eat cake" was much darker and the issues more complex. the show carried a message that audiences did not want to hear and it closed after only 89 shows, an abussmal failure)

20A meditation goal ONE-NESS

6A convertible driver's option TOP UP (... or top down)

3D unable to hit a pitch? TONE DEAF

10D "dang!" BY GUM!

39D less than wonderful NOT SO HOT

44D takes care of TENDS TO

46D recently OF LATE

49D gym class exercises SIT-UPS

54D "for every bird _": emily dickinson ...A NEST"

57D "me neither" NOR I


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in the "abbreviations, truncations, etc." category
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6A h'wood type CELEB (celebrity)

64A d.d.e.'s purview in w.w.II E.T.O. (dwight david eisenhower... european theater of operations)

67A div. SEG. (segment)

1D v.i.p.'s ride LIMO (very importamt person... limosine)

18D mgr.'s helper ASST. (assistant)

22D project detail, for short SPEC (specification)

26D reveals, in verse OPE'S (opens)

27D brief life? BIO. (biography)

28D j.f.k. guess E.T.A. (john fitzgerald kennedy airport... estimated time of arrival)

34D "_____ a go!" IT'S (it is)

38D suffix with smack -EROO

58D _____' pea SWEE' (sweet pea... swee' pea is popeye's 'adopted' little one)

61D payment pledge I.O.U. (i owe you)


62D lance _ (u.s.m.c. rank) CPL. (corporal)
63D night that "happy days" was on: abbr. TUE. (tuesday)


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in the "further elaboration" category
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11A familiar sitcom figure DAD

14A massey of old movies ILONA

20A meditation goal ONE-NESS

27A cold one, so to speak BEER

31A author calvino ITALO

33A kind of acid OLEIC

48A martini's partner ROSSI

59A janis _____, with the 1975 hit "at seventeen" IAN (listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHOIT1ROk8&feature=related )

8D mid first-century year LVI (56)

11D title brother in a 1973 elton john hit DANIEL (listen while you read: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5kgx9qJfD0&feature=related ) ('daniel' was recorded at strawberry studios in château d'hierouville, france, in a flurry of 20 songs co-written over two days in june of 1972. taupin wrote the haunting lyric having been inspired by recent news magazine accounts of those returning to the u.s. from the vietnam war. he writes of a veteran who was blinded as a result of the war, comes home, finds the scrutiny largely overwhelming, and then travels to a distant spain to escape all those who would wish to disregard his need for anonymity, and treat him differently - including his brother, from whose point of view the story is told. in the notes to the "two rooms" elton john tribute project where wilson phillips covers the song taupin explains his thoughts, "'daniel' has been the most misinterpreted song that we've ever written. the story was about a guy who went back to a small town in texas, returning from the vietnam war. they lauded him and treated him like a hero. but he just wanted to go back to the farm, and try to get back to the life that he'd led before." elton says he left off the last verse because he thought the song was already too long. (he doesn't apologize saying, "if you have any imagination at all, you can fill in the gap any way you like.") others complain that without knowing daniel was eschewing the unwanted role of the war hero the song is not the same. i say get over it... it was just what it was... one of the best "i'm missing you brother, cuz your so damn far away" songs ever written. as things will be, the fine folks at island record company didn't want to release 'daniel' as a single because they thought it was too long and somber to be a hit. elton insisted, persisted and resisted anything to the contrary. the company released it prior to the album itself without any fanfare or support and... whammo... 'daniel' was a major hit song for john in the early spring of 1973. well, some time ago i found what was purported to be the 'complete song - lost verse an' all - fer chrissakes, folks, this is the internet... all sorts o' crap passes for fact... and it may or may not be... but it certainly follows the purported thread as described by writer taupin above. [have a read... an' play along if you must... click to enlarge:)

25D negri of silent films POLA (pola negri [born barbara apolonia chałupiec] was a polish born american actress of dubious repute through the silent era)

32D baseball's little giant OTT


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in the "your mileage may vary" category
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least favorite clue/answer: 47D court worker, for short STENOG. (stenographer... yuck! with the "g"?!)


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 "_ eat cake" (1930's musical) 6A h'wood type 11A familiar sitcom figure 14A massey of old movies 15A embassy figure 16A stir 17A guy ready to sing the national anthem? 19A eggy concoction 20A meditation goal 21A making the most of 23A era ended by vesuvius? 27A cold one, so to speak 29A march (through) 30A "ifall_fails..." 31A author calvino 33A kind of acid 35A churl 36A what shall be first... or words that can precede 17-, 23-, 52- and 60-across 39. vote against 42A maker of the game combat 43A piece in the game go 45A pear type 48A martini's partner 51A european erupter 52A belonging to a hudson valley tribe? 55A colgate alternative 56A sinews 59A janis _, with the 1975 hit "at seventeen" 60A museum exhibit? 64A d.d.e.'s purview in w.w. II 65A convertible driver's option 66A cache 67A div. 68A christmases 69A funny fields 1D v.i.p.'s ride 2D pizazz 3D unable to hit a pitch? 4D tangle up 5D brit's buddy 6D bleep out 7D football lineman 8D mid first-century year 9D years and years and years 10D "dang!" 11D title brother in a 1973 elton john hit 12D mr. gorgeous 13D little canine 18D mgr.'s helper 22D project detail, for short 24D daft 25D negri of silent films 26D reveals, in verse 27D brief life? 28D j.f.k. guess 32D baseball's little giant 34D "_ a go!" 37D detriment 38D suffix with smack 39D less than wonderful 40D former texas governor richards 41D vote for 42D liniment target 44D takes care of 45D unidentified planes 46D recently 47D court worker, for short 49D gym class exercises 50D patisserie employee 53D bottle ready to be recycled 54D "for every bird _": emily dickinson 57D "me neither" 58D _' pea 61D payment pledge 62D lance _ (u.s.m.c. rank) 63D night that "happy days" was on: abbr.