To welcome you to the new home of Diary of a Crossword Fiend, we’re having a blog contest. For inspiration, I turned to Brendan Emmett Quigley’s controversial list of “Ten Bullsh*t Themes.” BS theme #9 is this:
The “curriculum vitae” with entry that is clued {Subject of the puzzle}, usually the “Subject …” clue comes with: “born 100 years ago today.” Nobody cares about the filmography of Emmett Kelly. Equally offending: four people with the same birthday.
Contest: 2010 is right around the corner, so the contest assignment is to concoct the worst (weird, pointless, arcane) 100th birthday theme you can. The Wikipedia listing of 1910 births is a handy tool for finding subjects, but your job is to infuse a biographical theme with humor…somehow. If you’re divinely inspired by some other event of 1910 (not the birth of a notable person), have at it. These are the key criteria: pointless or uninteresting, 100 years ago, make it funny.
Deadline: Friday, December 18, noon Chicago time. Deposit your entries in the comments on this post.
Prizes for the three winners:
– Brendan Quigley’s new book, Diagramless Crosswords
– Simon & Schuster Mega Crossword Puzzle Book #4 (John Samson, ed.)
– Simon & Schuster Mega Crossword Puzzle Book #5 (John Samson, ed.)
Can’t wait to see what you cook up!
Okay, let’s get this one out of the way:
MICHEL AFLAQ 11 = [Founder of Ba’athism, born 12/29/1910]
RONALD COASE 11 = [Nobel-winning economist born 12/29/1910]
KONSTA JYLHA 11 = [Violin virtuoso born 12/29/1910]
[20a] Astronomical wonder seen in 1910 (and once since then) HALLEY’S COMET
Interval between 20-across’s visits near Earth (usually) SEVENTY-SIX YEARS
Person 20-across is named for EDMOND HALLEY
Noted American born during the appearance of Y-Across
MARK TWAIN
Unearthly visitor related to the birth of X-Across and the death of Z-Across
HALLEYS COMEY
Noted American who died during the appearance of Y-Across
MARK TWAIN
Noted self-serving thief born 100 years ago
BONNIE PARKER
Noted self-serving thief born 100 years ago
CLYDE BARROW
Noted figure born 100 years ago whom the Phoenix New Times once described as a “heartless, self-serving thief”
MOTHER TERESA
Relative who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2010 (with my):
GREAT GRANDDAD
Relative who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2010 (with my):
DADS GRANDFATHER
Relative who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2010 (with my):
GRANDDADS FATHER
“Four Weddings…”
[Boris ‘n’ Grace] KARLOFFHARDING (14)
[Fanny ‘n’ Frank] BRICEWHITE (10)
[Sam ‘n’ Blanche] GOLDWYNLASKY (14)
[George ‘n’ Beatrice] PATTONAYER (10)
[…and a funeral] KÁLMÁNMIKSZÁTH (14)
and/or………
“Four Funerals and a Wedding”
[The 1st] LEOTOLSTOY (10)
[The 2nd] IVANKOZARAC (11)
[The 3rd] MARIUSPETIPA (12)
[The 4th] KINGEDWARDII (13)
[John ‘n’ Katherine] BARRYMORECORRI (14)
cheers, all!
DJANGO REINHARDT — Cult guitar legend born in 1910.
DOUG REINHARDT — On again / off again Paris Hilton boy toy who would have been born in 1910 had he been born 3/4 of a century earlier.
CRAZY REINHARDT — Imaginary leader of the uprising of Flemish “Word players” thought to be so named as the result of the winning entry for unjumbling “Charred Zit Yarn” in the 1910 World Word Cup.
DWIGHT HOWARD (12) – NBA center nicknamed “Superman”
MOE HOWARD (9) – Stooge #1
SHEMP HOWARD (11) – Stooge #2
CURLY HOWARD (11) – Stooge #3
RON HOWARD (9) – “Apollo 13” director
LESLIE HOWARD (12) – He played Ashley Wilkes in “GWTW”
HOWARDS END (10) – 1910 novel and title of this puzzle
Disputed 1910 Stanley Cup Champions
OTTAWA SENATORS (14)
His 8th Symphony Premiered in 1910
GUSTAV MAHLER (12)
1st woman to solo a public airline in 1910
BLANCHE SCOTT (12)
Loser of 2nd CFL Cup in 1910
HAMILTON TIGERS (14)
1910: The Year in Produce
King of Siam, died October 23:
CHULALONGKORN (13)
English Tenor, born June 22:
PETER PEARS (10)
Oregon congresswoman, born January 17:
EDITH GREEN (10)
Japanese tree, first given to U. S. January 28:
CHERRY BLOSSOM (13)
ROBERT BRYCE (11) – Civil servant born in 1910*
HARRY THODE (10) – Academic administrator born in 1910*
MUNROE BOURNE (12) – Swimmer born in 1910*
OBSCURE CANADIAN (15) – What each starred answer is