SUNDAY, january 27, 2008
mike nothnagel / will shortz
i need my space
ny times online premium crossword puzzle
















difficulty factor: i stumbled... i picked myself up and brushed myself off... i stumbled... i picked myself up...


theme: a common expression is left slightly askew with the addition of a little "room"

24A AFRAID OF THE DARK ROOM
39A BRINGS HOME ROOM THE BACON
53A POWDER ROOM KEG
72A THE BALL'S IN YOUR COURT ROOM
92A GREEN ROOM PARTY
107A NO REST ROOM FOR THE WICKED
125A DAVY JONES' LOCKER ROOM

and there was plenty o' room left for me t' screw up time and again as well!


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in the "notes of record" category
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mike, i thought we were headed to the world of cyber networking when i first saw the title... wrong!

oh, and i was in danger of hating this puzzle... til the theme revealed itself... and... in the end, i liked it a lot!


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in the "most googled" category
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maybe 49D host of public radio's "this american life" IRA GLASS... i dunno... maybe 100D "le misanthrope" playwright MOLIERE... 89D dict. listings SYNS. [dictionary... synonyms]...


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in the "cool mutiple word answer" category
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6A. succeeded in WON AT
31A. imported by plane FLOWN IN
82A. give _____ of hope A RAY
84A. 1977 george burns film OH GOD!
117A. short-hop plane AIR TAXI
131A. handily defeated ACED OUT
3D. laredo or nuevo laredo BORDER TOWN
10D. 1976 horror film whose score won an oscar THE OMEN
18D. seldom-used golf club ONE IRON
19D. over AT AN END
39D. offer to buy at auction BID ON
49D. host of public radio's "this american life" IRA GLASS
50D. cubs' protector DEN MOTHER
58D. attempt to trick PUT-UP JOB
60D. analogy part ...IS TO...
67D. rap enthusiast, in slang B-BOY
85D. "right place wrong time" singer, 1973 DR. JOHN
99D. prescription phrase ...ONE A DAY...
101D. place for an elbow ARM REST
105D. singer with the #1 country album "80's ladies" K.T. OSLIN
110D. "this one's _____!" ON ME
112D. "now it's clear!" I SEE!


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in the "abbreviations, truncations, etc." category
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23A. suffix with absorb -ENT
36A. wally's tv brother, with "the" BEAV (from the tv show... 'leave it to beaver')
44A. part of a. a. r. p.: abbr. ASSN. (the organization was originally named "american association of retired persons", but to reflect that its focus has become broader than retirees - which is no longer a requirement- in 1999 it officially changed its name to just "AARP" [pronounced one letter at a time, "a-a-r-p"])
45A. first word of "jabberwocky" 'TWAS... (it was...)
57A. extremely inept person, slangily SPAZ (colloqi=uialism for 'spastic')
69A. it may charge you a fee A.T.M. (automated teller machine)
79A. esq. ATTY. (attorney)
87A. letter addenda, for short P.S.S. (post-script script)
90A. band with the 1989 hit "stand" R.E.M.
104A. ring stats T.K.O.'S (technical knock-outs)
11D. talks from a rev. SERS. (sermons)
12D. toll hwy. TPK. (turnpike)
36D. jaguar alternatives BMW'S (as in... vehicles from the bavarian motor works)
65D. kind of hall REC (recreation)
67D. rap enthusiast, in slang B-BOY (it this a stutter sound... or something worse?!)
75D. "_____ my fault!" IT'S... (it is...)
83D. turnaround, slangily U-EY (as in... a "u"-turn)
89D. dict. listings SYNS.
91D. brothers FRAS.
105D. singer with the #1 country album "80's ladies" K.T. OSLIN
126D. gridiron units: abbr. YDS. (football... yards)


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in the "other" category
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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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132A church support TITHE... i liked this one!



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
i. literary elephant 6. succeeded in 11. hot17. drag show accessory20. _ stadium, home of the university of hawaii warriors21. baseball hall-of-famer edd22. admonish23. suffix with absorb24. like a useless photo lab employee?27. stephen of "breakfast on pluto"28. dejected29. trespasses30. lineage31. imported by plane 33. tv oil baron35. "let's go, miguel!"36. wally's tv brother, with "the"38. take on39. offers breakfast to students before first period?43. marriage _44. part of a. a. r. p.: abbr.45. first word of "jabberwocky"46. put a rider on, e.g.47. it may be false48. game stopper 50. place for a panel52. director anderson53. beer sources for genteel guests? 57. extremely inept person, slangily 59. sharp turn62. _ arbor63. through64. cartoonist bil65. sauce thickener66. name in a hymn67. worthless talk, in slang69. it may charge you a fee70. casino surface71. mattress brand72. reminder to a forgetful judge on bowling night?78. early invader of britain79. esq.80. sette minus quattro81. utter82. give _ of hope83. functions84. 1977 george burns film86. fix87. letter addenda, for short90. band with the 1989 hit "stand"91. own (up)92. what talk show guests have before the broadcast?95. yowl96. playboy's look97. sloops' headsails98. sported99. poker game with four hole cards 102. see26-down 104. ring stats106. guest beds, often107. sign outside a church lavatory?113. stately trees114. work units115. satirical paper, with "the"116. they may be scattered117. short-hop plane119. potential hangar buildup120. on the safe side121. music with jazzlike riffs124. ruby _125. where a monkee changes after a game?130. "_ poetica"131. handily defeated132. church support133. 1964 quinn role134. still135. tasty bit136. pc key137. beginning1. barnyard calls2. _-romeo3. laredo or nuevo laredo4. "now it's clear!"5. cereal topping6. torts7. responses to punches8. crackpot9. religious retreats10. 1976 horror film whose score won an oscar11. talks from a rev.12. toll hwy.13. sports legend whose #4 was retired14. day spa accessories15. unfold16. "finding _,"2003 film17. eccentric friend on "designing women"18. seldom-used golf club19. over22. 1969 oscar-nominated film role25. little job for a body shop26. with 102-across, dashboard warning light 32. loud hits34. exert, as influence35. _ 1, yuri gagarin's spacecraft36. jaguar alternatives37. seventh-brightest star in a constellation39. offer to buy at auction40. meteorological effect41. steam shovel inventor william42. guthrie's follower at woodstock43. tv host kelly48. diva's effect49. host of public radio's "this american life"50. cubs' protector51. survey info52. increase, in away54. poland spring competitor55. owen _, john irving character56. "a maid with hair of gold," in an old song57. goes it alone58. attempt to trick59. "beetle bailey" soldier60. analogy part61. u.s. possession since 189865. kind of hall66. schmo67. rap enthusiast, in slang68. rob of'melrose place"70. damager of the ozone layer71. pouting person's action72. bygone leader73. fabled race loser74. reason for an office visit75. "_ my fault!"76. impulse77. paper purchases83. turnaround, slangily84. bauxite, e.g.85. "right place wrong time" singer, 197387. seminar leaders88. expensive strings 89. dict. listings 91. brothers92. beginning, as of an idea93. seine tributary94. stirred up, as memories95. blanket holder96. golden triangle country99. prescription phrase100. "le misanthrope" playwright101. place for an elbow102. one pulling in103. road bend104. italian province or its capital105. singer with the #1 country album "80's ladies"106. playful movement108. company with a star logo109. source110. "this one's _!"111. physical therapy equipment112. "now it's clear!"118. the first prophet of god, in islam119. awful120. feel compassion122. kind of beef123. part of a latin 101 conjugation126. gridiron units: abbr.127. java128. giant born in louisiana129. 1989 gold glove winner darling

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

friday, january 25, 2008
david quarfoot / will shortz
ny times online premium crossword puzzle
















difficulty factor: moderately tough, but maximally satisfying



theme: none


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in the "notes of record" category
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david, just seeing your name gave me pause, but my fleeting trepidation was largely unfounded... this was a really good friday puzzle!


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in the "other" category
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i must attend the funeral of a very dear friend's father-in-law... he was a great fella...

time for only one elaboration t'day...



43D swee' pea's creator E.C. SEGAR (after taking a $20 correspondence course in cartooning - twenty lessons at a buck a piece - elzie crisler segar [SEE-gar, like the colloquial pronunciation of the cylindrical tobacco contrivance] created his newspaper comic strip "thimble theater," in 1919. the oyl family - dad 'cole' and mom 'nana', 'olive' and brother 'castor', and their friend ham gravy were the comic's leads for the first decade of its run. the rest of olive's kin included cousin 'sutra' oyl, her uncles 'lubry kent' and 'otto' oyl, and her niece 'deezil' oyl. it wasn't until 1929, when castor oyl needed a mariner to navigate his ship to dice island, that he picked up a funny-lookin' old salt down by the docks named 'popeye'. and the rest, as they say, is history! the popeye character "stole the show" and became the permanent featured character. some of the other notable characters segar created include 'j. wellington wimpy', 'eugene the jeep', and 'swee' pea' who is popeye's adopted son... the tyke arrived in popeye's mail in an express package on july 24, 1933... and is christened almost a month later "by the names of 'SCOONER seawell georgia washenting, christiffer columbia, daniel boom'"... hmmm... not a 'swee' pea' in sight! read more about naming swee' pea at: http://www.popeyespoopdeck.com/sweepea.htm)

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in the "your mileage may vary" category
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call me quirky, but i really loved 2D it forbids religious tests for political office ARTICLE VI [of the united states costitution: "... no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the united states]


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. war-torn baghdad suburb 9. 23-across and others15. one and only16. weather channel topic17. fleet runner of myth18. key that doesnt include 58-across19. up to20. ape22. habit23. shade shade25. biblical miracle setting26. powerful piece27. boarding spot29. call from home31. 1936 n.l leader in slugging percentage33. brooklynese pronoun34. pilot's place37. part of manhattan's alphabet city39. "be honest"41. onetime serbian capital42. show some spunk44. drops in a theater45. japanese model sold from 1970 to 200647. meccan pilgrim48. some speakers 51. abbr. before a date53. underhand?54. zip55. spotter's confirmation57. polit. label58. it's almost a b, scorewise 60. pilot's place62. apple application63. fancy haberdashery item64. no longer in65. judge of films1. henry clay or william jennings bryan2. it forbids religious tests for political office3. versatile actors may play them4. person found in a tree: abbr.5. buck6. corinthian alternative7. it might hold a couch potato's potato8. really hoped to get, with "for"9. it can be drafted10. _ bark beetle11. stuck12. 11 1/2" soldier13. online memo14. archaeologist david who found the lost roman city of kourion21. made some waves?24. word in some british place names26. put out28. school exercises30. zoo de madrid beasts32. shade of blue34. enter gently35. head of state known to his people as "dear leader"36. "of course"38. exclamations40. piehole43. swee' pea's creator45. edmond rostand hero46. calm48. composed49. direccion sailed by columbus50. british poet tate52. track-and-field equipment55. _ dixit56. 1982 film title role for bruce boxleitner 59. traffic stopper 61. school dept.