dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

friday, january 18, 2008
trip payne / will shortz
ny times online premium crossword puzzle
















difficulty factor: after i reined-in my crappy attitude, not too bad at all


theme: none


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in the "notes of record" category
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trip, i felt stupid, terrible, not so bad, pissed-off, good... then, vindicated by this puzzle... a great friday!


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in the "most googled" category
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i gotta admit this one surprises me, but it looks like... 44D tv star who said "stop gabbin' and get me some oats!" MR. ED

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in the "cool mutiple word answer" category
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14A suddenly ALL AT ONCE

16A steely dan hit of 1972 DO IT AGAIN

21A _____ clue GET A... (not... "not a..." which really put me in a terrrible spot for WAY too long)

30A moliere comedy THE MISER

35A properly filed IN ORDER

49A classic mystical book by khalil gibran THE PROPHET

55A gulf of taranto's locale IONIAN SEA

59A guided missile sections NOSE CONE

61A have as an appetizer START WITH

11D pilgrims leave them HOME LANDS

12D not randomly arranged IN A SERIES

30D beach house arrangement, perhaps TIME SHARE

32D rotary motions SIDE SPINS

33D be a big success GO FAR

39D directorial demand RE-SHOOT


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in the "abbreviations, truncations, etc." category
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15A stereo receiver button PHONO (phonograph)

26A certain sale item: abbr. IRR. (irregular)

43A suffix with darwin -IST (not "-ian"... or "-ism"... aaaaarrrggh!)

44A "divine" showbiz nickname MISS M (as in... bette midler)

4D r.f.k. stadium player, for short NAT. (as in... the washington nationals)

36D subway series locale, for short N.Y.C. (new york city)

41D thing with a life of its own? BIO. (biography)

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in the "other" category
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1A drawing power MAGNETISM

16A steely dan hit of 1972 DO IT AGAIN (listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLya_2sNuUA)
18A t-formation participant END (while it is no longer in popular use, the 't formation' is the grandaddy of most modern offensive set-up formations in football, in that it places the quarterback directly behind the center [as opposed to 'the single wing' of olde-tyme football, which had the quarterback receiving the ball on the fly.] the t formation set-up signaled a short-med distance running play that consists of three backs lined up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a t. in a variation known as the 'power t', it might feature two tight ends; in a variation known as the 'split t', it might feature a tight end and wide receiver [in this case known as a split end])
24A georgia _ of "the mary tyler moore show" ENGEL (born georgia bright engel is an american television actress best known as uber naive georgette franklin baxter on 'the mtm show' from 1972 until the show ended in 1977. the role earned her two emmy nominations)
28A six-time all-star third baseman of the 1970s dodgers CEY (ronald charles "ron" cey [SAY] is a former third baseman who started his pro career with the los angeles dodgers [1971-82])
33A canadian equivalent of the oscar GENIE
37A "cooking with astrology" author OMARR
38A "moon over parador" star, 1988 DREYFUSS
41A you wouldn't sit for a spell in this BEE
58A echo, e.g., in greek myth OREAD (in greek mythology, an oread [or orestiad] was a type of nymph that lived in mountains, valleys, and ravines, who differed from each other according to their dwelling... echo was a mountain nymph who loved her own voice. in an act of vengeance, her voice was taken away from her, except in foolish repetition of another's shouted words. thus, all echo could do was repeat the voice of another)

60A _____ atomic dustbin (english rock band) NED'S
5D _____ carinae (hypergiant star) ETA (eta carinae is a highly luminous hyper-giant double star. estimates of its mass range from 100 - 150 times the mass of the sun, and its luminosity is about four million times more than that of the sun. this object is currently the most massive nearby star that can be studied in great detail. eta carinae and the bipolar homunculus nebula which surrounds the star. the homunculus was partly created in an eruption of eta carinae whose light reached earth in 1843. eta carinae itself appears as the white patch near the center of the image, where the two lobes of the homunculus touch)
8D journal with an annual "breakthrough of the year" award SCIENCE ('science' is the weekly published academic journal of the american association for the advancement of science [aaas] and is considered one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals. the journal is peer-reviewed, and has a print subscriber base of around 130,000. because institutional subscriptions and online access serve a larger audience, its estimated readership is one million people)

10D detective in "the shanghai cobra" CHAN
15D "the amazing race" host keoghan PHIL
20D thing on a ring KEY
23D hard-to-break plates ARMOR (plate armour is personal armour made from large metal plates, worn on the chest and sometimes the entire body)
45D prometheus society alternative MENSA

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in the "damn-brand-new-t'-me" category
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29. "ode to broken things" poet NERUDA (pablo neruda, was the penname and, later, legal name of the chilean writer and communist politician neftalí ricardo reyes basoalto.

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in the "your mileage may vary" category
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56D ACT... and 57D NOW... love it or hate it, it is what it is... side by side and... cute



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 ©2008 The New York Times
1. drawing power 10. soigne14. suddenly15. stereo receiver button16. steely dan hit of 197217. villain in the book of esther18. t formation participant19. cunning 21. _ clue24. georgia _ of "the mary tyler moore show"25. perishable fashion accessory26. certain sale item: abbr.28. six-time all-star third baseman of the 1970s dodgers29. ancient fragrance30. moliere comedy33. canadian equivalent of the oscar34. filled treat35. properly filed37. "cooking with astrology" author38. "moon over parador" star, 198840. "buona _"41. you wouldn't sit for a spell in this42. no-goodnik43. suffix with darwin44. "divine" showbiz nickname46. motivational cries49. classic mystical book by khalil gibran52. brood : chicken :: parliament: _54. asian title55. gulf oftaranto's locale58. echo, e.g., in greek myth59. guided missile sections60. _ atomic dustbin (english rock band)61. have as an appetizer1. not natural2. lengthwise3. skate4. r.f.k. stadium player, for short5. _ carinae (hypergiant star)6. attire7. witless8. journal with an annual "breakthrough of the year" award9. where the wild things are?10. detective in "the shanghai cobra"11. pilgrims leave them12. not randomly arranged13. weigh15. "the amazing race" host keoghan20. thing on a ring22. earth, en espanol23. hard-to-break plates 27. 18-wheeler29. "ode to broken things" poet30. beach house arrangement, perhaps31. no longer gloomy32. rotary motions33. be a big success34. beta decay emission, sometimes 36. subway series locale, for short 39. directorial demand 41. thing with a life of its own?44. tv star who said "stop gabbin' and get me some oats!"45. prometheus society alternative47. egypt's mubarak48. honeybun50. potpie ingredients51. top-_ (leading) 53. secure, in a way56. with 57-down, commercial entreaty57. see 56-down