10.06.13 — Reading the O.E.D. — the Acrostic

Photo: The "shoes" entry in the OED. 

Credit: thrig via Flickr, LA Times

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Sunday, October 6, 2013

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s rich acrostic draws a quotation from Reading the O.E.D. by Ammon Shea.

An obsessive word lover's account of reading the entire Oxford English Dictionary, hailed as "the Super Size Me of lexicography."

"I'm reading the OED so you don't have to," says Ammon Shea on his slightly masochistic journey to scale the word lover's Mount Everest: the Oxford English Dictionary. In 26 chapters filled with sharp wit, sheer delight, and a documentarian's keen eye, Shea shares his year inside the OED, delivering a hair-pulling, eye-crossing account of reading every word. ~ amazon.com

The quotation:  I CHUCKLE, LAUGH OUT LOUD, SMILE …, CRINGE …, FEEL SADNESS … ALL OF THE HUMAN EMOTIONS AND EXPERIENCES ARE RIGHT THERE IN THIS DICTIONARY, JUST AS THEY WOULD BE IN ANY FINE WORK OF LITERATURE.  THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE ALPHABETIZED.

The author’s name and the title of the work:  AMMON SHEA, READING THE O.E.D.

Illustration for "To Autumn" by William James Neatby,

 from A Day with Keats, 1899



Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core …



The defined words:



A. Lemming eater of frigid climes (2 wds.), ARCTIC FOX

B. Rolled oats and dried fruit, MUESLI

C. Botanist who studied peas, MENDEL

D. Beltway, in Britain, ORBITAL

E. Discussion site on the Internet, NEWSGROUP

F. Category in a bookstore’s nonfiction section (hyph.), SELF-HELP

G. Lethargy, torpor, dullness, HEBETUDE

H. Portion of this quote’s subject perused by the quote’s author, ENTIRETY

I. Touching, ADJACENT

J. Sure sinner in a certain World Series (2 wds.), ROYAL FLUSH

K. 1850s rival of Isaac Singer (2 wds.), ELIAS HOWE

L. Keats’s “close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”, AUTUMN

M. Stuff used to clean up oil spills, DISPERSANT

N. The power of creative imagination, INGENUITY

O. Absolute slob’s opposite (2wds.), NEAT FREAK

P. Deteriorate, fall in value, fail (2 wds.), GO SOUTH

Q. “It is in the THIRTIES that we want friends” (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

R. Squatters’ means of support, HAUNCHES

S. Level or grade, literally, “rung of  ladder”, ECHELON

T. Related to adders or asps, OPHIDIAN

U. Miss Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice”, ELIZABETH

V. Sample of off-color humor (2 wds.), DIRTY JOKE



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The full paragraph of the quotation:  I find myself subject to the entire range of emotions and reactions that a great book will call forth from its reader.  I chuckle, laugh out loud, smile wistfully, cringe, widen my eyes in surprise, and even feel sadness—all from the neatly ordered rows of words and their explanations.  All of the human emotions and experiences are right there in this dictionary, just as they would be in any fine work of literature.  They just happen to be alphabetized. ~ Google Books

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10.06.13 — Toe Tags

A toe tag is a piece of cardboard normally attached with string to the big toe of a dead person in a morgue. It is used for identification purposes, allowing the mortician, coroner, law enforcement and others involved in the death process to correctly identify the corpse. ~ Wikipedia

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Sunday, October 6, 2013

“Toe Tags”, Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Nine standard phrases have the sound of “toe” tacked on to produce unfamiliar and sometimes amusing new phrases in this curious Sunday crossword:

PERMANENT PRESTO (23A. Magic word that never loses its power?)

ROLLING PINTO (28A. 1970s Ford on the move?)

GLOOMY GUSTO (39A. Enthusiastic enjoyment o one’s unhappiness?)

CUP OF TITO (41A. The Josip Broz Memorial Trophy?)

BUY ONE GET ONE FRITO (58A. Stingy snack vendor’s special offer?)

NYPD BLUTO (75A. Big Apple cop who’s looking to bust Popeye?)

MASTER QUITO (77A. Learn all about the capital of Ecuador?)

GARBAGE CANTO (88A. Portion of Dante’s “Inferno” that was wisely excised?)

GUIDED MISTLETOE (96A. Christmas decoration that automatically steers toward lovers?)

Other — BLOATED and OBESE (75D and 85D. Overlarge); CANOODLE (73D. Make out); JUST DESERTS (37D. Fitting punishment); OVINE (20A. Like Lincolns); RUMBLE SEATS (36D Model A features).

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10.05.13 — The Saturday Crossword

Tango Argentino, Pedro Alvarez 

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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Puzzle by Byron Walden / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. It may provide closure in a tragedy, ACT FIVE; 8. Discarded, OFFCAST; 15. City named for Theodore Roosevelt’s vice president, FAIRBANKS ALASKA; 17. Word search technique?, FREE ASSOCIATION; 18. Webby Award winner who accepted saying “Please don’t recount this vote”, AL GORE; 19. With 11-Down, animal called “stubbin” by locals, MANX; 20. Nascar stat that rises under caution flags, MPG; 21. Diddly, BEANS; 22. Opening in he computer business?, PORT; 23. Bad thing to lose, MOJO; 24. Flights, LAMS; 25. Taste makers?, BUDS; 26. Has it bad for, so to speak, LOVES; 27. -i relative, ESE; 28. Largest city in Moravia, BRNO; 29. Mob member, informally, ROO; 30. Morale, ESPRIT DE CORPS; 35. Second in command?, AIM; 36. Cloverleaf section, RAMP; 37. Flat top, LID; 39. Blended dressing?, SKORT; 42. Shutter shutter, HASP; 43. Literally, “I do not wish to”, NOLO; 44. Sauna exhalations, AAHS; 45. Solomonic, SAGE; 46. Chewed the fat, JAWED; 47. Watson’s creator, IBM; 48. Lowest of the low?, ZERO; 49. Prankery, DUPING; 50. 1965 Beach Boys hit, DO YOU WANNA DANCE; 53. Mission, HOMELESS SHELTER; 54. Jason Mraz song that spent a record 75 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100, I’M YOURS; 55. Outcries, CLAMORS.

Down — 1. Outgoing, AFFABLE; 2. Lot arrangement, CAR LEASE; 3. Draws, TIE GAMES; 4. Some refrigerants, FREONS; 5. Reinforcement pieces, I BARS; 6. Mantel piece, VASE; 7. Nissan bumpers?, ENS; 8. Annual event since 1929, with “the” OSCARS; 9. Hard to pick up, FAINT; 10. Cigarette paper source, FLAX; 11. See 19-Across, CAT; 12. Author of 1980’s “The Annotated Gulliver’s Travels”, ASIMOV; 13. Macedonia’s capital, SKOPJE; 14. “El dia que me quieras” and others, TANGOS; 16. Large monitors, KOMODO DRAGONS; 22. Abandon one’s efforts, informally, PUNT; 23. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” backdrop, MOOR; 25. It’s around a cup, BRIM; 26. 1 Infinite LOOP (Address of Apple’s headquarters); 28. Dover soul, BRIT; 29. Force in red uniforms: Abbr., RCMP; 31. Course data, PARS; 32. Palliate, EASE; 33. Hit hard, as in an accident, PLOW INTO; 34. Tip used for icing, SILENCER; 38. They will be missed, DODGERS; 39. Lightly hailed?, SAID HI; 40. Major report, KABOOM; 41. “Yowza!”, OH MY MY; 42. Hound, HARASS; 43. Dresden decimator of 1945, NAPALM; 45. Something beyond the grate divide?, SEWER; 46. Herod’s realm, JUDEA; 48. 1879’s Anglo-ZULU War; 49. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” author, DAHL; 51. War on Poverty agcy., OEO; 52. Advisory grp. That includes the drug czar, NSC.

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10.04.13 — The Friday Crossword

Alla Kushner (Liela) dancing to Black Magic Woman by Santana

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Friday, October 4, 2013

Puzzle by Bruce R. Sutphin / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Hall-of-Fame rock band or its lead musician, SANTANA; 6. It sends out lots of streams, NETFLIX; 15. Very long European link, CHUNNEL; 16. Rust or combust, OXIDATE; 17. It flies on demand, AIR TAXI; 18. Skunk, at times, SPRAYER; 19. Some P.D. personnel, LTS; 20. One who may be on your case, GUMSHOE; 22. The Spanish I love?, AMO; 23. What a couple of people can play, DUET; 25. Stand-out performances, SOLOS; 26. Chocolate bar with a long biscuit and caramel, TWIX; 27. Subject of the 2003 book “Power Failure”, ENRON; 29.Without hesitation, NOW; 30. Subsist on field rations, GRAZE; 31. Its flowers are very short-lived, DAY LILY; 33. Like a sawhorse’s legs, SPLAYED; 35. Critical, KEY; 36. Party staple, DIP; 37. Catered to Windows shoppers?, ETAILED; 41. Noodle taxers?, IQ TESTS; 45. Observes, NOTES; 46. Abbr. after 8-Across, INC; 48. Last band in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alphabetically, ZZ TOP; 49. “The Hudsucker Proxy” director, 1994, COEN; 50. Columbia and the like, IVIES; 52. French river or department, EURE; 53. ‘AS I mentioned …”; 54. Images on some lab slides, AMOEBAS; 56. Lima-to-Bogotá dir., NNE; 57. Frankenstein, e.g., MONSTER; 59. Its passengers were revolting, AMISTAD; 61 Theodore Roosevelt, POTOMAC; 62. Destroyer destroyer, TORPEDO; 63. Colorful cooler, SNO CONE; 64. Makeover options, HAIRDOS.

Down — 1. Like some milk, SCALDED; 2. Sashimi staple, AHI TUNA; 3. Changing place, NURSERY; 4. Blockbuster?, TNT; 5. Mediums for dummies, say: Abbr., ANAG; 6. Where it all comes together?, NEXUS; 7. Ex amount?, ALIMONY; 8. Appointment disappointments, NO SHOWS; 9. Nationals, at one time, EXPOS;10. Flag, TIRE; 11. Tablet banner, say, briefly, FDA; 12. Reserve, LAYAWAY; 13. Inventory, ITEMIZE; 14. Duped, XEROXED; 21. Gradual, in some product names, SLO; 24. Giant in fantasy, TOLKIEN; 26. Bar that’s set very high, TRAPEZE; 28. Physicist NIELS Bohr; 30. Display on a red carpet, GLITZ; 32. Basic solution, LYE; 34. Without hesitation, in brief, PDQ; 37. Does some outdoor pitching?, ENCAMPS; 38. “Don’t joke about that yet!”, TOO SOON; 39. Took away bit by bit, ATE INTO; 40. Event occasioning 7-Down, DIVORCE; 41. Cryotherapy choice, ICE BATH; 42. Artificially small, STUNTED; 43. What might take up residence?, TORNADO; 44. Truncated trunks?, SPEEDOS; 47. Zero times, in Zwickau, NIE; 50. Back-pedaler’s words, I MEAN; 51. About 7% of it is American, SAMOA; 54. Vapor: Prefix, ATMO; 55. Apple assistant, SIRI; 58. Lib. Arts major, SOC; 59. Coral SPR (city near Oakland Pk, Fla.).

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For the puzzle in syndication appearing Friday, October 4, 

2013, click on the following link:  08.30.13 — Egeria, etc.

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10.03.13 — BB or Not BB

Hamlet by ElfceltRJL 

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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Puzzle by Evan Birnholz / Edited by Will Shortz

Eight squares containing two letter B’s constitute the main feature of this thoughtful Thursday crossword.  Across is meant to be read “to be” and down “BB”:

• SUCKS BB YOU (17A. “Good thing I don’t have the same problem!”) crossing HOBBIT (5D. Certain ring bearer)


• BB A LOVER (21A. 1986 top 10 hit for Billy Idol) with FLUBBER (8D. Fictional substance in a Disney film)


• SEEMS BB (3A. “Apparently”) with ABBOT (32D. Half of an old comedy team)


• BB OR NOT BB (39A. That is the question) with ABBE (34D. Caen cleric) and EBBS (37D. Drifts away)


• BRIDE BB (42A. One who may need a shower?) and ROBBERS (35D. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, e.g.)


• BB HONEST (54A. “Truthfully …”) and BB GUN (54D. What’s not for big shots?)


• BORN BB WILD (62A. Classic rock song in “Easy Rider”) with Mr. PIBB (53D.)

Other — ASKED IN (4D. Showed politeness at the front door); BRIEFED (57A. Brought up to speed); CHESS SET (44A. Holder of a pair of queens); DRYNESS (43D. Chardonnay feature); OPEN AREA (33A. Expanse); U.S.S. Enterprise chief engineer Geordi LA FORGE; PHOENIX (20A. River of film); SCREW IT (45D. “Whatever!”); SEANCES (24D. Events at which people are dead serious?).

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For the puzzle in syndication appearing Thursday, October 3, 2013, 

click on the following link:  08.29.13 — Eye of the Storm 

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10.02.13 — Phonetics and Fantasia

“Fantasia”

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Puzzle by Paula Gamache / Edited by Will Shortz

PRINTS OF THIEVES (17A. What Ali Baba found on the treasure in the cave?), LOSING PATIENTS (27A. Sign of a failed practice?), PRESENTS OF MIND (43A. Puzzles as gifts?) and JUMP AT THE CHANTS (58A. Be startled by singing monks?) constitute the interrelated group of this Wednesday crossword.

Other — FANTASTIA and TUTU (4D. 1940 Disney film; 50D. Hippo’s wear in 4-Down), IN THE AIR (8D. Prevalent,, as a rumor), ON TIPTOE (38D. Moving stealthily), TAILGATE (39D. Party in the parking lot).

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For the puzzle in syndication appearing Wednesday, October 2, 2013, click on the following link:   08.28.13 — I Had a Better Year. 

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10.01.13 — V Formation

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

GEESE (18A. With 50-Across, it’s represented by 15 squares in an appropriate arrangement in this puzzle) and MIGRATION (50A. See 18-Across), along with those 15 squares containing the letter V constitute the interrelated group of this time-to-fly-south Tuesday crossword puzzle.

Other — ANIMATE (63A. Pep up), KISLEV (28A. Hebrew month when Hanukkah starts),  LIVING WILL (11D. Medical directive), LOVERS’ LANE (3D. Make-out session spot), LIMEYS (47D. British sailors), REVIVAL (34A. Placed to hear fire and brimstone), TORPEDO (61A. Ship sinker), VANE (1D. Revolver with the letters N-E-W-S), VENETIANS (37D. Shakespeare’s Antonio and Bassanio, e.g.), VICARIOUS (35D. Experienced through another).

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