dannmann's NYT crossword puzzle ramblings

saturday, january 26, 2008
karen m. tracey / will shortz
ny times online premium crossword puzzle

difficulty factor: this was a
pleasure for a saturday morning!


theme: none

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in the "notes of record" category
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karen, this puzzle had it all! a yin/yang of equal number of across and down clues... some very familiar, some very obscure... a few smile-causers, a few groan-inducers... and a pangram t' boot! what a treat... very nice!

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in the "most googled" category
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in the "cool mutiple word answer" category
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1A cash cache, often COOKIE JAR

21A determined to execute SET ON

27A green vehicle ECO-CAR

30A it's prohibited by the telephone consumer protection act of 1991 JUNK FAX

57A what kids might roll down HILL SIDES

62A blues guitarist vaughan STEVIE RAY

7D peer group setting? JURY BOX

9D dwarf, maybe RED STAR

12D potential canine saver ROOT CANAL

13D personal manager MAJOR DOMO

30D "the thiefs journal" author JEAN GENET (jean genet was a prominent, controversial french writer and later political activist. early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal; later on he wrote novels, plays, poems, and essays, including 'querelle de brest', 'the thief's journal', 'our lady of the flowers', 'the balcony', 'the blacks', and 'the maids')

31D review unfairly, maybe UNDER-RATE

32D tops NUMBER ONE (not 'numero uno, dann!)

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in the "abbreviations, truncations, etc." category
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16A liner threat, once U-BOAT (u-boat is the anglicized and abbreviated version of the german word unterseeboot 'undersea boat', and usually refers to military submarines operated by the german military world war I and II)

44A sr.'s test G.R.E. (college seniors, who wish to persue post-graduate studies, take the graduate record examination which is a standardized, computer-based exam that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in english speaking countries. created and administered by the educational testing service [ets], the exam is primarily focused on testing abstract thinking skills in the areas of math, vocabulary, and analytical writing. The GRE is typically administered only at select, qualified testing centers)

3D ibid, relative OP. CIT. (op. cit. (latin, short for "opus citatum"/"opere citato," meaning "the work cited/from the cited work") is the term used to provide an endnote or footnote citation to refer the reader to an earlier citation. to find the op. cit. source, one has to look at the previous footnotes to find the relevant author)

11D drama honor OBIE (the obie awards, ["off-broadway theater awards"] are annual awards bestowed by the newspaper the village voice on off- and off-off-broadway theater artists performing in new york city. [the tony awards are given to broadway productions])

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in the "other" category
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15A happy OPPORTUNE (i have a small problem with this clue/answer combo... i thought that opportune means "suited for a particular purpose', or 'having advantageous overtones with respect to a time or place'. while those experiencing those things may make someone happy, i don't find them very synonomous... there... i'm done bitchin')

19A "isaac's storm" author larson ERIK (erik larson is an american author. "isaac's storm" is about the experiences of isaac cline during the galveston hurricane of 1900)

20A player of the queen mother in "the queen," 2006 SYMS (sylvia sims)

22A wanton type SATYR (satyrs appear predominantly in greek

mythology and are most often depicted as having the upper body of a man and the lower half of a goat, sometimes possessing horns, a long thick tail and constantly erect penis. they tended to engage in revelry with dionysus and often made nymphs the victims of their lecherous activites. as time has progressed they are now generally depicted as 'more human' with less animalistic characteristics, until only the tail remains to show that they are satyrs)

24A please, to pachelbel BITTE (johann pachelbel was a german composer, organist and teacher who composed a large body of sacred and secular music. his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era)

29A they don't stay hot for very long FADS (some of the more memorable fads of the last century include: flagpole sitting [1920's]; (stamp collecting, goldfish swallowing [1930's]; poodle skirts, and bobby sox [1940's]; the hula hoop, phonebooth stuffing, and panty raids [1950's]; the twist, troll dolls, and yo-yos [1960's]; lava lamps, and tie-dye [late 1960's- early 1970's]; pet rocks, streaking, [1970's]; trivial pursuit, hacky sack, rubik's cube, cabbage patch dolls, garbage pail kids, "... on board" signs [1980's]; grunge, fanny packs, beanie babies, tickle-me elmo, roller blades, furbys [1990's]; and atkins diet, fantasy leagues, lo-rise jeans with rhongs, p2p file sharing, reality shows, plastic 'cause' wristbands, energy drinks, phone texting, sudoku [2000's])

37A kind of party PAJAMA (each year in march, the town of guerneville, ca. holds a big pajama party and pajama contest with prizes in categories such as best of show, pets, theme, couples, kids, groups, sexiest, and more. [bonus points for fuzzy slippers, curlers, face-packs, teddy bears, etc.] it's pretty bizarre!)

40A "new york city rhythm" singer MANILOW (listen/view here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P94c9BcPo-U)

41A bills NEBS (a neb is a beak, bill, nose, or snout)

42A "turandot" composer ferruccio _____ BUSONI (dante michelangelo benvenuto ferruccio busoni was an italian composer, pianist, teacher of piano and composition, music theorist, and conductor)

45A dad's rival BARQ'S (not pet food, dann!)

51A weasley family's owl, in harry potter books ERROL
53A breaking sticks CUES
55A minnelli of broadway LIZA
1D they're seedy CORES
2D glass work OPERA (philip glass is a three-time academy award-nominated american composer. He is considered one of the most influential composers of the late-20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public. he is a prolific composer: he has written ensemble works, operas, symphonies, concertos, film scores, and solo works)
5D hip-hop producer gotti IRV (irving "irv" domingo lorenzo, jr. is a prominent african-american/dominican hip hop and r&b record producer and is the head of the inc. record label [formerly murder inc.]... he is better known by his stage surname... gotti)

14D playwright/painter wyspianski STANISLAW (stanisław wyspiański was a polish writer, painter, and architect)

25D mine shaft tool TREPAN (trepanning produces a through-hole by axially cutting a peripheral circular groove that leaves a center core of uncut material... and while not a trepan drill, imagine a hole saw without the center drill bit on a much larger scale)
28D honeydew alternative CASABA
32D tops NUMBER ONE (noy 'numero uno, dann!)

33D cheryl's "charlie's angels" role KRIS (born cheryl jean stoppelmoor)

35D _____ raymonde, player of alex rousseau on "lost" TANIA

47D six-time grammy winner mary j. _____ BLIGE (listen/view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAN7NOqXX4)

49D hyundai sedan AZERA

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in the "damn-brand-new-t'-me" category
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in the "your mileage may vary" category
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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. cash cache, often 10. no surprise outcomes15. happy16. liner threat, once17. well again18. spanish table wine19. "isaac's storm" author larson20. player of the queen mother in "the queen," 200621. determined to execute22. wanton type24. please, to pachelbel26. shout across the seine?27. green vehicle29. they dont stay hot for very long30. it's prohibited by the telephone consumer protection act of 1991 34. vitamin a36. toughens37. kind of party38. general equivalent40. "new york city rhythm" singer41. bills42. "turandot" composer ferruccio _44. sr.'stest45. dad's rival46. iranian filmmaker kiarostami51. weasley family's owl, in harry potter books53. breaking sticks55. minnelli of broadway56. biblical woman who renamed herself mara57. what kids might roll down59. old lab items akin to bunsen burners60. darkroom equipment61. cold weather62. blues guitarist vaughan1. they're seedy2. glass work3. ibid, relative4. crackpot5. hip-hop producer gotti6. "vous _ ici"7. peer group setting?8. peaked9. dwarf, maybe10. ill-prepared worker?11. drama honor12. potential canine saver13. personal manager14. playwright/painter wyspianski23. direct25. mine shaft tool28. honeydew alternative29. the yasawa islands are part of it30. "the thiefs journal" author31. review unfairly, maybe32. tops33. cheryl's "charlie's angels" role35. _ raymonde, player of alex rousseau on "lost"39. reels40. light white wine 43. look askance 45. rapture47. six-time grammy winner mary j. _48. patient one49. hyundai sedan50. fresh52. it has an exclave on the strait of hormuz54. pomeranian or dalmatian58. asian honorific