dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

saturday, january 19, 2008
david j. kahn / will shortz
ny times online premium crossword puzzle
















difficulty factor: not at all the bear the last few saturdays have been!


theme: none... but the thirteen letter crosses in the center are somewhat related...

36A ORIENT EXPRESS
15D HERCULE POIROT


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in the "notes of record" category
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david, this was that rarest saturday anomaly... a puzzle that could be greatly enjoyed... while still going through the process!


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in the "cool mutiple word answer" category
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14A warm up, as leftovers RE-HEAT

15A freak out HAVE A COW

17A embassy issue? EXIT VISA

21A 1993 rap hit with the repeated lyric "bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay" DRE DAY (ice t's full title is "fuck wit' DRE DAY")

36A see 15-down ORIENT EXPRESS (site of an infamous murder by author agatha christie)

40A rise partly SIT UP

54A lit ON FIRE

59A infer READ INTO

63A put on the line, perhaps AIRED OUT

66A having one's feet up, say AT EASE

2D love all ZERO - ZERO

3D simon & garfunkel hit after "mrs. robinson" THE BOXER (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOkigFvxLrk&feature=related)

9D new york city transportation option METRO-NORTH

12D certain diet restriction NO-SALT

15D noted 36-across passenger HERCULE POIROT (agathie christie's famed, fictional french detective)

28D christmas song favorite since 1949 SLEIGH RIDE

38D refuge SAFE AREA

42D comparatively bulky AS LARGE

44D entered GONE IN


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in the "abbreviations, truncations, etc." category
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31A part of many cultural venue names: abbr. CTR. (center)

43A gridiron stat: abbr. F.G.'S (field goals -3 pts)

48A platters' platters players HI-FI'S (high fidelity record players of the late 1950's thru early 1970's)

58A univ. of _____, alma mater of joe namath and bart starr ALA. (alabama)

4D affirmative action letters E.E.O. (equal employment opportunity)

33D prefix with parasite ENTO-

62D _____ lyman & his california orchestra, popular 1920s-'40s band ABE (born: abraham simon lymon... he and his brother mike "americanized" the spelling of their last name in their early teens)


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in the "other" category
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7A mekong river sights SAMPANS (a sampan - derived from the cantonese words sam [three] and pan [plank] - is a simple, relatively flat-bottomed wooden vessel approximately twelve to thirty feet long, and is generally propelled by oars, but may be fitted with an outboard motor and used for fishing or transportation by rural residents in coastal areas or rivers of southeast asia)

18A short cut BOB (the arrangement of the hair - especially a woman's - in an all-around short cut and hair style)

22A big name in sportswear IZOD

26A role in a tchaikovsky ballet ODILE

27A battlers, at times SEXES (the shield and spear of the roman god mars - which is also the alchemical symbol for iron - represents the male sex... the hand mirror and comb of the roman goddess venus represents the female sex)

29A fiat headquarters TURIN
46A "dead souls" novelist GOGOL (russian author nikolai gogol)
51A gulf of _____, body of water next to viet nam SIAM

56A jim beam and others RYES
64A sportscaster with the catchphrase "oh, my!" ENBERG (richard alan "dick" enberg is an american sportscaster. he is one of the most prominent and respected play-by-play announcers in network television history, with a career spanning more than forty years. he is recognizable by his trademark exclamation, "oh, my!")

7D adolphe with an instrument named after him SAX (antoine-joseph 'adolphe' sax was a belgian musical instrument designer and musician (clarinetist), best known for inventing the saxophone)

23D actress mazar and others DEBI'S
25D rabbit food? TRIX
37D water towers? TUGS (as in... ship "tow"-ers... although just as often these incredibly powerful little boats actually push!)

39D father-and-son comedic actors STILLER'S (ben & jerry)

52D title role for maria callas in her only film MEDEA
55D mercury-atlas 5 rider ENOS (mercury-atlas 5 was an american un-manned spaceflight of the mercury program. it was launched just after 3pm on november 29, 1961 and recovered intact - after two orbits - a little over three hours later... with enos, a chimpanzee, aboard)

57D turned on SENT (as in... the 1950's expression "you send me..." [you turn me on]... or... turning on electrical current and sending power to... ?!)

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in the "damn-brand-new-t'-me" category
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47D romantic narrative LAY (a lay, in its most archaic usage is a narrative poem - or ballad such as sung by medieval minstrels; a poem that is sung: a song)


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in the "your mileage may vary" category
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the 'express' and 'poirot' crosses were pretty cool



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. mesoarnencans of old 7. mekong river sights 14. warm up, as leftovers 15. freak out 16. small cavity, as around a cactus spine 17. embassy issue? 18. short cut 19. look at a playboy club? 21. 1993 rap hit with the repeated lyric "bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay" 22. big name in sportswear 24. concordat 26. role in a tchaikovsky ballet 27. battlers, at times 29. fiat headquarters 31. part of many cultural venue names: abbr. 32. shrill 34. long rides? 36. see 15-down 40. rise partly 41. echelons 43. gridiron stat: abbr. 46. "dead souls" novelist 48. platters' platters players 49. indisposed 51. gulf of _, body of water next to viet nam 53. bring down 54. lit 56. jim beam and others 58. univ. of _, alma mater of joe namath and bart starr 59. infer 61. higher-priced 63. put on the line, perhaps 64. sportscaster with the catchphrase "oh, my!" 65. superlatively derogatory 66. having one's feet up, say 1. mideast expert, maybe 2. love all 3. simon & garfunkel hit after "mrs. robinson" 4. affirmative action letters 5. _ letters 6. acclivitous 7. adolphe with an instrument named after him 8. not blase 9. new york city transportation option 10. hard-top 11. sharp 12. certain diet restriction 13. influential one 15. noted 36-across passenger 20. down 23. actress mazar and others 25. rabbit food? 28. christmas song favorite since 1949 30. little terrors 33. prefix with parasite 35. letter finisher 37. water towers? 38. refuge 39. father-and-son comedic actors 42. comparatively bulky 43. groups of plants 44. entered 45. what a game plan leads to? 47. romantic narrative 50. helped, in a way, with "over" 52. title role for maria callas in her only film 55. mercury-atlas 5 rider 57. turned on 60. when repeated, an old-fashioned cry 62. _ lyman & his california orchestra, popular 1920s-'40s band