Sunday, 5/27/12

NYT 17:21 
LAT 7:58 (Jeffrey) 
Reagle 8:09 
Hex/Hook 13:40 (pannonica) 
WaPo 11:03 (Neville) 
CS 10:10 (Sam) 

Byron Walden’s New York Times crossword, “State Quarters”

NYT crossword solution, 5 27 12 "State Quarters"

Holy crap, I don’t know how one would undertake to make such a crossword. The theme entries are 12 states, each packed into four squares by means of squeezing two or three letters into each square. Each state name is 8 or 12 letters long, so the number of rebused letters per square is the same within each state name. And then! These 12 (!) answers that lock down two or three letters in every single crossing? They’re placed in symmetrical locations in the grid, occupying every sector except the NE and SW corners. The title plays two roles: One, it tips you off that the states’ clues describe what’s on their commemorative 25¢ coin; two, each state’s name is broken into quarters. Not to mention, the states’ names are in rather tight quarters.

This puzzle is an intricately woven creation and a worthy challenge.

Looking past the theme, you’ve got a grid with lots of long fill. While LAUGHING FALCONS (24a. [Snake predators named for their calls], and no, I’d never heard of them before), GEORGES DELATOUR, ABLE SEAMEN, and RADAR RANGE don’t crisscross any rebus-action states, all the other long fill does. SHA{H O}F IRAN, “RI{PEN}ESS IS ALL,” COR{N SY}RUP, BRITAN{NIA}, primal bluesman W.{C. H}ANDY, and all four of {NEW} {HAM}{PSH}{IRE}‘s crossings are particularly nice double plays.

8d: [Outgrowth from the base of a grass blade] clues LIGULE. This is not a word that was in my vocabulary. Why, I never needed a word to label any sort of outgrowth from any part of a grass blade. If you’re curious, here are a couple paragraphs and pictures. Didn’t know CAR{LO}TTO Massimo, HYMIE the robot, and Sir Walter Scott’s Saint RONAN, nor that I{CO}NIFY was a word; I know INA C{LA}IRE and Jorge AMADO from crosswords. {KA}RELIA is vaguely familiar but I needed lots of crossings. I managed to get through it without any mistakes, so I’m calling the puzzle fair with no deadly crossings. (Your mileage may vary.)

Five stars. A coup in technical construction, with fewer tricky/twisty clues than are typical of Byron’s puzzles (on account of the need for solvers to actually make it out alive).

Ed Sessa’s Los Angeles Times crossword, “Suitable Employment” – Jeffrey’s review

Los Angeles Times crossword solution Sunday May 27 2012

Theme:  Professions with appropriate descriptions

Theme answers:

• 23A. [Scientist who is tedious to a fault?] – BORING GEOLOGIST
• 35A. [Bread maker not earning his bread?] – LOAFING BAKER
• 50A. [Arranger growing into her job?] – BUDDING FLORIST
• 63A. [Attorney who turns heads?] – APPEALING LAWYER
• 80A. [Nightclubbing club pro?] – SWINGING GOLFER
• 92A. [Belle in blue?] – ARRESTING COP
• 111A. [Practitioner who likes to practice?] – DRILLING DENTIST
  

I am sure we have seen this type before, but this is very nicely done. The fill is really clean. Easy (I solved in under 8 minutes, very fast for me on a Sunday) and enjoyable. The best Sunday LAT puzzle in quite a while.

Other stuff:

• 6A. [Spaceship Earth locale] – EPCOT
• 115A. [Fantasy land] – UNREALITY

Evangelist Billy Graham once told Walt that Disneyland was “a nice fantasy.” This did not sit well with Walt. He replied, “You know the fantasy isn’t here. This is very real…The Park is reality. The people are natural here; they’re having a good time; they’re communicating. This is what people really are. The fantasy is – out there, outside the gates of Disneyland, where people have hatreds and people have prejudices. It’s not really real!” – Sam Gennawey, “Walt and the Promise of Progress City.”

• 75A. [Williams who played Potsie on “Happy Days”] – ANSON
• 86A. [Flier with Chicago H.Q.] – UAL. United Airlines is awesome. They turned a two hour flight to San Francisco into an 8 hour adventure, for NO EXTRA CHARGE! We even got to sit on the tarmac for two hours! Thanks UAL!
• 5D. [16th-century work also known as “La Gioconda”] – MONA LISA
• 69D. [Beatles hit with the line, “Treasure these few words till we’re together”] – P.S. I LOVE YOU
• 79D. [1972 video game debut] – PONG. If you are of a certain age, the invention of PONG was the greatest advance in the history of technology.

Updated Sunday morning:

Randolph Ross’s CrosSynergy/Washington Post crossword, “Sunday Challenge” – Sam Donaldson’s review

CS, May 27 solution

Today’s Sunday Challenge was like a wedding on steroids–many things old, many things new, many things borrowed, and many things blue. Let’s talk about them in that order.

Old Things: Some old friends from Crosswordland pay a visit today, including GNAR, the [Snarling sound] that I almost always want to be GRRR. Also stopping by are TNS (that’s “tons,” sans the inconvenient “O”), LEERS, the ASP (little-known rule: every fifth puzzle has to have either an ASP or AN ASS–today’s puzzle has both), and the TERNS.

New Things: Oh, there were so many new things for me that it would be easier to itemize them–

• BILLETS are not small bills, they are living [Quarters] for soldiers.
• The proper spelling of the [Soft little shoes] is BOOTEES, not BOOTIES.
• Someone named EDA LeShan is a [Child expert].
• DREAR is [Bleak, to Blake]. His favorite author is Beverly Clear, his iPhone-4 assistant is just named Cyr, and when he’s tired he just feels wear.
• The answer to [Quarter grooves] is REEDING.  That “D” was my last square, and I confess I was just typing random letters at that point, hoping something would eventually cause the “Congratulations! You have solved the puzzle!” message to appear.
  

Borrowed Things: What’s “borrowed” in a crossword? How about a clue that’s borrowed from one entry but used for another. By that, more specifically, I mean the devious little traps assorted throughout this puzzle. Sure enough, I fell into one right away at 1-Across, as I had FLORIDA as [Georgia’s southern neighbor] instead of ARMENIA. Then there’s the three-letter entry ending in C that’s clued as [D.C. Advisory Group]. That has to be a PAC, right? Wrong. Today it’s the N.S.C. And the [Egg containers] should be CARTONS, except that they’re OVISACS.

Blue Things: This one may be a stretch, but give it a chance. The “blue” wedge in Trivial Pursuit is for Geography, and there was a lot of that here. In fact, there’s a neat “Seven-Letter Geographic Terms That Begin and End With A” theme working around the entire perimeter. That’s right, kids, this Sunday Challenge has a theme! In addition to the aforementioned ARMENIA, there’s ALBANIA, ALTOONA, the ARAL SEA, ALGERIA, ASSYRIA, ALABAMA, and ALAMEDA. Anybody in Arizona feel left out?

Favorite entry = ART FERN, the [Johnny Carson character]. Favorite clue = [Grace period?] for AMEN.

Doug Peterson’s Washington Post crossword, “The Post Puzzler No. 112” – Neville’s review

Post Puzzler, 5 27 12

Neville here, in for Doug who wrote this great puzzle. One word I wouldn’t use to describe it: UNEVENTFUL.

• 1a. [Urban clothing line] – PHAT FARM. This is the sort of entry you expect at one across – a real winner. Urban meets preppy. I never understood why the women’s line they have is called ‘Baby Phat’ – shouldn’t that be the kids’ line?
• 18a. [DH, often] – RBI MAN. Something about Kevin Youkilis, maybe? I don’t always understand the intricacies of the AL, which can make a DP puzzle a learning experience.
• 23a. [“30 Rock” locale] – GE BUILDING, aka The Slab. (It’s like a pro wrestler.) “30 Rock” shoots exterior shots there, but the indoor shots are actually done in Queens. I guess building a studio around a studio would be tricky.
• 35a. [Fictional CTU agent Jack] – BAUER. First, why is ‘fictional’ in the clue? CTU is fictional! But have you been watching “Touch,” which also stars Kiefer Sutherland? I keep wanting him to beat the hell out of someone, but he’s a much milder character in this show.
• 44a. [Drumstick alternatives] – ESKIMO PIES. Favorite clue. Would’ve been tricky if I hadn’t figured out Doug’s wavelength by the time I got to it.
• 59a. [The engagement ring once belonging to her was given to Kate in 2010] – LADY DI. That’s some neat trivia that you can pretty easily figure out if you don’t already know it.
• 6d. [Marine skeleton sold as a decorative “plant”] – AIR FERN. The air fern is also called a Neptune plant. I know nothing about it beyond that. This entry seems a little forced is what I’m thinking.
• 8d. [TV character whose shoe size is 65 GGG] – MR. Aloysius SNUFFLEUPAGUS, the best “Sesame Street” character! Remember the old days, when he was thought to be Big Bird’s imaginary friend? Me neither – we’re young, aren’t we?

Happy Memorial Day!

Henry Hook’s Sunday crossword, “Irrational Numbers” — pannonica’s review

Hex/Hook • 5/27/12 • "Irrational Numbers" • Hook • solution

Puns with numbers. Not irrational, not even inane (as puns are often wont), just some longer phrases with words swapped out for near homophones and clued appropriately. Most of them are rather good.

• 22a. [Breakfast hour for some?] DAYLIGHT SEVEN TIME (…saving…). Well. One of the weaker themers for a first entry.
• 31a. [Cheese that’ll feed over a dozen?] WHEEL OF FOURTEEN (…Fortune].
• 56a. [Venue for eight weddings?] THE SIXTEEN CHAPEL (…Sistene…). Ah, getting better.
• 64a. [Teacher’s concerns in a crowded classroom?] PATIENCE AND FORTY-TWO (…fortitude). Ha-ha, pretty good. No insight into the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, though.
• 75a. [Contenders on “Jeopardy!”?] THREE OF KNOWLEDGE (Tree …).
• 98a. [Three couples renewing their vows?] SAME SIX MARRIAGE (…sex…). Again with the matrimony? Irrespective of underlying message, this one is to me the most satisfying and successful, despite the modest alteration.
• 112a. [Situation if the dice lack sixes?] NO WAY TO MAKE ELEVEN (…a living). I suppose it presupposes that there are just two dice. The only themer in which more than one word is punned. Duplication of the SIX in 98-across?

Since the numbers employed seem to have no order, no relation to each other, to the clue numbers, or to anything, I guess that aspect can be deemed irrational.

Can’t put my finger on it, but there was a sense of incompleteness while solving the puzzle. Don’t know if it has to do with the content and execution of the theme, the structure of the grid, or the makeup of the ballast fill. As I said, there isn’t any one thing that can be pointed to, it’s just a feeling. Onward.

• Longer non-theme fill includes the sciencey AMMONIAC and ASYMPTOTE in the northwest, EDGEWISE and “DEEP RIVER” in the southeast. Tried at first to fill in OL’ MAN RIVER; the superficial duplication of EDGEWISE and 93a [Judicious] WISE is all right, as the former is an alteration of “ways” and doesn’t share an etymology; I need to get back to R&D on my ASYMPTOTEBAG™—it’s a revolutionary design that can be almost, but never quite, filled all the way. Others are 43d [There… (reminiscer’s words)] WAS A TIME, 55d [Abutting lengthwise] END-TO-END (now there’s a bit of duplication with EDGEWISE), 20d [Prep for a career change] RETRAIN, and 83d [Major crop in Fresno] RAISINS.
• 38a [MBTA bldg.] STA. is a ½ duplication of 96a [NYC transp. grp.] MTA. That’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Metropolitan Transportation Authority, for those keeping score at home. Oh, and the clues are just ugly too; happens a lot with abbrevs.
• 39d [“The Honeymooners” role], nice to see Joyce Randolph’s TRIXIE get some recognition. On the other hand, I am so very tired of 45a [Actor Morales] ESAI and 109d [Ward of “CSI: NY”] SELA—even if they are both cruciverbal manna—and having them in the same puzzzle is too much.
• Partials! 25a [Cartesian conclusion] I AM (I never know whether to fill in that or SUM); 62a [Pour OIL ON troubled waters]; 11d [ACT OF Congress]; WAS A TIME; 46d [“A VIEW from the Bridge”]; 77d [“You have to KISS A lot of frogs…”]; 89d [Tex-MEX]; 104d [“If I WERE a Rich Man”].
• Oddness and some crosswordese: 27a [Money-exchange fee] AGIO; 10d [Lessen] MINIFY, which is completely legitimate but seems weird (more so than ICONIFY in today’s NYT); 45d [Town near Helsinki] ESPOO; 52d [Scolded] CHID; 65d [Hersey’s bell town] ADANO; 68d [Oahu town with an all-vowel name] AIEA (at least the clue was practically helpful); 76d [First king of modern Egypt] FUAD I.
• Favorite clue: 92d [Stand for something?] EASEL. Did-not-like clues: 96d [Jason’s wife, et al.] MEDEAS—is there really more than one? 78d [Compass letters] NNE—some have just N, most have N, W, E, and S, some even include NE, SE, and so on, but I have yet to see one that includes further delineations labelled as such. 88a [Venus’s lack] ARMS—really? an indirect reference to a particular statue for a goddess represented myriad times? Without even a question mark?
• Last square filled: 5a [1982 TV-movie role for Ingrid] crossing 6d [Lake Ontario city]. I had GILDA/ISHAWA at first, but of course it’s GOLDA/OSHAWA.

After running through these points, I realize that perhaps that inchoate sense of dissatisfaction and incompleteness had to do with what seems like less-than-scrupulous editing.

Merl Reagle’s syndicated crossword, “A Four-Star Puzzler”

"A Four-Star Puzzler" crossword solution, 5 27 12 Merl Reagle

I hope many of you enjoyed this puzzle because I found it disappointing—no wit or wordplay involved in the theme, and a few too many ugly answers in the fill. The title hints at four-star generals, and each theme answer contains the letter chunk GEN. Yes, 12 of the grid’s 21 rows are filled or half-filled with theme answers, but that doesn’t make them fun.

• 23a. HALLUCINOGENS, [Trip requirements?]. The most entertaining theme clue.
• 25a. INGENUE, [Young female lead]
• 29a. SECRET AGENT, [Austin Powers, e.g.]
• 31a. DETERGENTS, [All and others]
• 39a. EROGENOUS ZONES, [Sensitive subjects?]
• 49a. EUGENE MCCARTHY, [1960s presidential hopeful]
• 65a. GENUFLECT, [Show reverence, in a way]
• 68a. GENUINE RISK, [Derby-winning filly]. Who? 1980 Kentucky Derby horse.
• 74a. A DEGENERATE, [Mr. Robinson’s ultimate opinion of Ben in “The Graduate”]. The “A” threw me off. Might have felt better to me if the clue had hinted that the answer was straight from dialogue. But isn’t it an 11-letter partial?
• 79a. TED NUGENT, [Author of “God, Guns, & Rock ‘N’ Roll”]
• 91a. SARGENT SHRIVER, [First director of the Peace Corps]
• 99a. GENTRIFICATION, [Neighborhood rejuvenation issue]
• 109a. CRYOGENICS, [Low-level science?]. What, a “low level” of temperature? That’s awkward.
• 114a. IMOGENE COCA, [1950s comedienne]
• 121a. GENETIC, [DNA-related]
• 122a. FRONT-PAGE NEWS, [Presidential election results, e.g.]. This is the only one in which the GEN is split across words.

Sixteen theme entries is a ton, and the surrounding fill suffers as a result:

• 129a. TANACH, [Judaism’s Holy Scriptures, which include the Torah (anagram of A CHANT)]. When you see an anagram clue, that’s a signal that the word is rarely encountered by most solvers, not even in crosswords.
• 20d. OSCAN, [Ancient dweller of south-central Italy]. This could’ve used an anagram clue, but “anagram of CAN SO” would have duplicated the partial entry in 35d: SO CAN.
• 75d. DAT, [Recording tape]. Largely extinct.
• 100d. ELMER A., [Corporation founder ___ Sperry for whom an annual engineering award is named]. Whoa, middle initial. It’s a transportation engineering award, specifically. One with an amateurish-looking website.
• 106d. AGOGUE, [Dem or ped ending]. I would’ve guessed the suffix was just -gogue, but no. From the Greek agōgos, meaning “leading,” as in Whiskey A Go Go.
• Plus all sorts of blah short fill. Not one, but two [Phone letters] trios, PRS and MNO? Also two vague [Greek letters] clues, for THETAS and ETAS.

Favorite clues:

• 7a. CANAL, [Timesaver with locks]. Much quicker to traverse a canal than to go the long, long way around.
• 85a. RENE, [“I think, therefore I am” guy]. More casual and free of last names than the usual RENÉ clue. Somebody was just telling me they’d heard from a solver who complained that she teaches Descartes and had never, ever heard of the Latin form of the quote, Cogito ergo sum. For real! She thought that was obscure fill. (The French version is Je pense, donc je suis, though Descartes included the Latin phrase in his French treatise.)
• 7d. CANINE, [Woofer, not a tweeter]. Tweeters are avians or social media junkies.
• 42d. SOS, [Soap pad for emergencies?]
• 99d. GEIGER, [Man behind the counter?]. Kind of tough when ELMER A. is right next to him, though.

Mystery clue: 95a. ABE, [He beat G. McClellan]. Abraham Lincoln? I don’t think abbreviating George McClellan’s first name is a good cue for shortening Abraham to Abe and skipping the last name, and I had never heard of McClellan before. He lost the 1864 presidential election to Lincoln. Maybe his nicknames, “Little Mac” and “The Young Napoleon,” would have been more suitable for an ABE clue, but they’re not famous nicknames to most people.

2.9 stars.