google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Jan 12, 2009

Monday January 12, 2009 John Underwood

Theme: OPERA (52D: Highbrow entertainment)

10A: Berg opera: LULU

20A: Gounod opera: FAUST

26A: Bizet opera: CARMEN

41A: Puccini opera: MADAMA BUTTERFLY

51A: Strauss opera: SALOME

63A: Bellini opera: NORMA

71A: Verdi opera: AIDA

Well, I've only heard of CARMEN, AIDA and MADAMA BUTTERFLY. Actually, I thought it's MADAME. Nevertheless, I still got all the opera names sans cheating. The intersecting clues certainly helped.

John Underwood always amazes me with his theme ideas, so simple and original. Interesting how he could turn LULU into a "Berg opera". I wonder if he is a real opera fan or just constructed this puzzle with some research.

Across:

5A: Laminated rock: SHALE. Here are some SHALE rocks. Wikipedia says it's the most common sedimentary rock.

15A: "Rodeo" composer Copland: AARON. Have never heard of "Rodeo", the so-called "cowboy ballet".

16A: Genesis character: ENOS. Adam's grandson. Sometimes it's clued as "Slaughter of Cooperstown". This name Slaughter sounds very menacing. My husband told me our surname Burnikel means "Don't kill the child" in Viking language. Does your family name carry any special meaning also?

17A: Tolkien creatures: ORCS. The baddies. ENTS are those talking trees. Learned from doing Xword of course.

40A: Ottoman official: AGA. Can also be spelled as AGHA.

62A: Shakespearean curse: POX. Oh, so that's how Shakespeare cursed. Is it like our "damned"?

64A: Egyptian cross: ANKH. Is that the sun god Ra at the bottom of this gold ANKH? This word is very close to SIKH in spelling.

Down:

2D: Hebrew scroll: TORAH. How is it different from Talmud?

4D: University of Montana city: MISSOULA. See this map. I got it from the across fills. Wikipedia says Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress, was born and grew up here. In fact, she attended the University of Montana. And to this day, she is the only woman to be elected to Congress from that state. What's the matter with Montana then? Is it a red state?

11D: Early computer OS: UNIX. How "Early"?

26D: Trophy shelf: MANTEL. I always confuse MANTEL with the "loose cape" Mantle. I wonder how many of those Mickey Mantle fans made mistakes spelling his name when they asked for his autograph via mails.

43D: Inflated language: RHETORIC. Bacon once said: Histories make men wise; poet, witty; mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and RHETORIC, able to contend.

53D: Virtuous: MORAL. Do you know why Bacon said "moral, grave"?

59D: First name in spy: MATA. MATA Hari. She looks so exotic.

60D: Letters on a cross: INRI. Abbreviation of Latin "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum". Funny how letter I became letter J.

66D: Casablanca cap: FEZ. It's called tarboosh in Egypt. Most of them seem to be in red color.

C.C.

Jan 11, 2009

Sunday January 11, 2009 Josiah Breward

Theme: EE - to - OO

23A: Weak force?: POOR PRESSURE (Peer Pressure)

40A: Pink tiles of a skylines?: CORAL ROOF (Coral Reef)

61A: Fell trees?: TUMBLE WOOD (Tumbleweed)

71A: Successful dive?: CLEAN SWOOP (Clean Sweep)

90A: Endearment for a cowgirl?: SUGAR BOOTS (Sugar Beets)

111A: Cancel filming?: SCRATCH SHOOT (Scratch Sheet)

16D: Chandler's nautical novel: THE BIG SLOOP (The Big Sleep)

67D: Yellow swimming holes?: BANANA POOLS (Banana Peels)

Do you know that Sugar Beets are actually white-rooted? I always had this image that they were all red-colored like our regular beets. Had never heard of Scratch Sheet before, but SCRATCH SHOOT was very easy to infer.

Great theme idea. The title is a bit too straightforward for my taste though. I think I prefer something more subtle, can you think of a better one?

The clue for PGA (119A: Org. of Couples and Love) made me laugh. Brilliant use of the names of Fred Couples and David Love III.

What's your answer for 57A: S Kubrick movie? Right now I have AMI. But it does not make any sense to me. My intersecting fill is STEAMERS for 39D: Miner's tamping bars, an answer I am not sure either. (Addendum: The answer for S. Kubrick movie is MMI (2001: A Space Odyssey). And the answer for 39D is STEMMERS.)

Across:

1A: Builds up: ACCRUES. My instinctive thought is ERECTS. An addition of "interest" would have made the answer easier for me.

19A: Controversy: POLEMIC. I am more familiar with its adjective polemical.

33A: Ambler and Lindros: ERICS. Have only faintly heard of ERIC Ambler the English author. The hockey player ERIC Lindros is foreign to me. Was he good?

45A: Frank of "Wagon Train": MCGRATH. I googled. Is that he the guy on the picture?

51A: Strikes with a club: BLUDGEONS. I tend to confuse this word with dungeon.

68A: French city known for textiles: LILLE. De Gaulle was born here (close to the Belgium border).

69A: Pertinent: APROPOS. The opposite is malapropos.

70A: Bric-a-brac holder: ETAGERE. I suppose you can call this plant stand ETAGERE too.

73A: Chair craftsmen: CANERS

74A: Tomlin and Pons: LILYS. Barely remember French soprano LILY Pons, who appeared in our puzzle not long ago.

81A: Cast rays of light upon: IRRADIATE

86A: Base cops: MPS (Military Police)

94A: Italian actress Eleonora: DUSE. Uh-uh, no idea. This actress has been dead for almost 85 years.

104A: Fox follower?: TROT. I thought of Fox NEWS first.

117A: High fashion: COUTURE. I think Vogue's Anna Wintour will get the British Ambassador job. Want a bet?

119A: Lohengrin's love: ELSA. I can never remember this girl's name.

Down:

1D: Computer brand: APPLE. Don't think I will ever get one, so used to PC.

3D: Blocking passage through: CLOSING UP. Football term? What does it mean?

6D: Leprechaun's land: EIRE. ERIN does not fit.

8D: Degree with teeth: DDS (Doctor of Dental Science).

9D: Carpenter tools: ROUTERS. Have never heard of ROUTERS as "Carpenter tools".

10D: Borealis and australis: AURORAE. Aurora is Roman goddess of dawn (Eos in Greek mythology).

11D: Fairy-tale girl: GRETEL. "Hansel and GRETEL". I learned from doing Xword. Have never read any Grimm story.

24D: Distinct mus. tones: STAC. How come LEG is not a legit abbreviation of legato then?

43D: Poet Metastasio: PIETRO. Another google. Have never heard of this Italian poet.

46D: Calculator key abbr.: CLR

47D: Newman movie: HOMBRE. Here is the poster. Is it worth seeing?

58D: Ribbed fibrics: TWILLS

59D: Ventilated, in a way: HOLEY. I suppose so, "in a way". Weird looking word.

60D: Having domes: CUPOLAED. I only know the noun form cupola.

66D: And others: Lat: ET ALII (masculine plural). ET ALIAE is feminine plural. ET ALIA is neuter plural.

76D: Cleverly amusing: FACETIOUS. The only word with all the vowels in its proper order is FACETIOUSLY I think.

85D: Marilyn Monroe movie: BUS STOP. Here is a nice clip. Have never seen the movie either.

86D: Mr. Peanut's eyewear: MONOCLE. Do you collect any Mr. Peanut item?

92D: College treasurer: BURSAR. New word to me. Rooted in bursa, Latin for purse.

101D: "The Dresser" director Peter: YATES. One more google. Is he very well-known? This film does not look interesting to me.

103D: Nuncupative: ORAL. I guessed. My first encounter with "Nuncupative".

114D: Italian possessive noun: SUA. Italian for "his", SUO is "her". Both new to me.

C.C.

Jan 10, 2009

Saturday January 10, 2009 Tom Pruce

Theme: None

Total block: 30

Total words: 68

I just noticed this morning that all of the Tom Pruce puzzles we've solved are themeless. Have never seen his name in other newspapers before. I sure hope he starts to look for other venues. What a mess with Tribune!

Mr. Williams, if you are reading this blog, please talk to your constructors, pay what you owe them for God's sake. You are losing the loyalty and trust of those capable puzzle makers by continuously keeping silent.

Not a hammer, but definitely a gavel for me today. Lots of troubles with lower right corner. Most of the time I find down clues to be easier than the across ones, but today is an exception. Can you still clue ITO (3D) as "OJ's judge" after his recent trial? How would you clue Judge Jackie Glass then?

Forgot to show you this huge Crossword Building earlier this week. It looks like an empty grid in the day time, but all the words become visible when the light is on in the evening. Tell me how different it is from our puzzle pattern other than that it has an additional gray shade.

Across:

1A: Armed robbery: STICKUP

8A: Spanish port: ALMERIA. Arabic for "The Mirror". Unknown to me. See here. It's a seaport in south Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.

17A: Astronomer of Alexandria: PTOLEMY. I surprised the hell out of me by getting his name with only letters PT_ _ _ _ Y filled in.

18A: Huge statues: COLOSSI. I only knew the adjective colossal. Can you give me an example of a COLOSSUS?

24A: Physics Nobel laureate Isidor: RABI. Googled his name. Nobel winner 1944.

26A: Of Rome's predecessors: ETRUSCAN. I simply forgot this word. Saw the clue before. Wikipedia says ETRUSCAN civilization extended between 1200 BC to 100 BC.

34A: Member of a Catholic order: PAULIST. It's "a member of the Roman Catholic Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, founded in New York in 1858." Another unknown to me.

40A: British weapon: BREN. See this picture. I only knew STEN.

41A: Bootleg liquor: HOOCH. Have never heard of this word before. Does not sound like a liquor name to me.

45A: Tolkien creature: HOBBIT

46A: Anglo-Saxon tax: GELD. Nailed it this time. But does "Neuter" sound like an offensive clue? "Anglo-Saxon tax" strikes me as very obscure.

48A: Garment with a tight waistband: BLOUSON. Like this? I only know blouse.

53A: Rod shaped bacteria: BACILLI. See this picture. Why some of them have black dots on? It's another new word to me. Dictionary says BACILLUS is rooted in Latin "baculum" meaning rod/walking stick.

59A: Serengeti hunter: LIONESS. I don't get this clue. LIONESS is being hunted, how can it be "hunter"?

Down:

4D: Very pale green: CELADON. Hmm, "Very pale green" indeed. Good to learn this word.

7D: PGA golfer Stewart: PAYNE. Gimme to me. He died in a plane crash in 1999. He won three majors in his life, 2 US Open, 1 PGA Championship.

8D: Discover: ASCERTAIN. New definition to me. Always associate ASCERTAIN with "To make certain".

13D: Singer DeLange: ILSE. Have never heard of this Dutch country singer. She looks very pretty.

23D: Elvis Costello hit: ALISON. I got it from the across fills. Not a familar song to me. Could not find a YouTube clip either.

26D: Moray catcher: EELER. Sniggler is "Moray catcher" too.

27D: Mediterranean evergreens: CAROBS. Oh, good to know. CAROB is always powder to me. Are those ripe pods edible also?

28D: R & B singer Keys: ALICIA. Here is her "Fallin'"again. "... Lovin' you darlin'..."

31D: Ghastly quality: LURIDNESS. I wanted pallidness, but it did not fit.

35D: Mother-of-pearl sources: ABALONES. NACRE is often clued as "Mother-of-pearl".

36D: Of the chest: THORACIC. Oh well, I guess I don't know my own chest.

39D: Roger of Byrds: McGUINN. Another google. I've never heard of "The Byrds" either. What songs are they famous for?

42D: Pointed monolith: OBELISK. Why is it also called "Cleopatra's Needle"?

45D: 1962 John Wayne movie: HATARI. New movie to me. Wikipedia says the title means "danger" in Swahili.

48D: __ out (eject): BAIL. Is this another Janus phrase? I thought BAIL out means rescue, like the current bailout package.

49D: Currency of Georgia: LARI. No idea. See this picture.

55D: Letters before the World Series: LCS (League Championship Series). I think ALCS or NLCS is a more popular term than LCS itself.

56D: Addams Family relative: ITT. The cousin. Everything I know, I learned from doing Xword.

C.C.

Jan 9, 2009

Friday January 9, 2009 Barry Silk

Theme: RIGHT FIELD (54A: Baseball position... or this puzzle's theme)

17A: Oscar winner in 37D: SALLY FIELD

22A: Second shortest serving U.S. president: JAMES A. GARFIELD

35A: "Catcher in the Rye" character: HOLDEN CAULFIELD

45A: "The Wayward Bus" co-star: JAYNE MANSFIELD

David Copperfield is another RIGHT FIELDer. But his name has 16 letters. Won't fit in this 15*15 grid.

I did not know that JAMES A. GARFIELD is the "Second shortest serving U.S. president" (199 days). Brian Williams of "NBC Nightly News" is working on a book about the assassination of GARFIELD I think.

Knew JAYNE MANSFIELD, but I had never heard of "The Wayward Bus". I was so proud that I got HOLDEN CAULFIELD. I remember his name not from "Catcher in the Rye" (too many curses in the book), but from Jennifer Aniston's "The Good Girl". Her love interest in the movie named himself Holden Worther because he thinks his life mirrors that of HOLDEN CAULFIELD.

Luckily 17A, 37D and 38D are not difficult to obtain today, cross-referencing clues can be frustrating sometimes.

Why is A-ROD (28A) clued as "2005 baseball MVP"? Something special about his 2005 season? He was the MVP in 2003 and 2007 too. I can never understand why Seattle Mariners did not try hard enough to keep players like A-ROD, Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, etc.

Across:

1A: Scale with no sharps or flats: C MAJOR. Is it really a key for happy music?

14A: Sumptuous: DELUXE. I always associate "Sumptuous" with a lavish meal.

15A: Fashion designer Kawakubo: REI. No idea. This photo looks very familiar though. Here are some her designs. So edgy.

19A: Norse VIP: ODIN. We got Friday from Frigg, wife of ODIN.

20A: Slip-on slipper: MULE. I wonder why they are called MULE slippers.

27A: Essen article: EIN. And LES (57D: French article)

32A: I. M., the architect: PEI. Someday I am going to visit the JFK Library. PEI was born in Guangzhou, where I lived for five years before moving to the US. I like the clue. It reminds me of the funny name Ima Hogg.

41A: Small silvery swimmer: DACE. New fish to me. Looks like a small carp.

43A: Airline to Madrid: IBERIA. Have never heard of IBERIA Airlines. It's the national airline for Spain. I am more used to "Spain's peninsula" for IBERIA. Nice, fresh clue though.

53A: Pianist Thelonious: MONK. Too obscure an MONK for me. Why would his parent name him Thelonious? Sounds like a Greek mythological figure with 12 heads living in the Hades.

Down:

3D: The works: ALL. Why?

5D: Water part: OXYGEN. H2O.

7D: Shorthand system: GREGG. Is it still in use today?

8D: Macedonian capital of old: PELLA. See this map. New name to me. It's the birthplace of Alexander the Great.

9D: Of stars: SIDEREAL. I was surprised that I had never seen this word before. It's rooted in sidus, Latin for star.

10D: Get a close-up: ZOOM IN

11D: Provide (with): ENDUE. Only know ENDOW.

22D: One of a court dozen: JUROR. "12 Angry Men" is a great movie.

23D: Soap plant: AMOLE. Learned from doing crossword. Don't know why it's called "Soap plant". Can you wash your clothes with AMOLE?

24D: Safety grp.: MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

25D: Feudal estate: FIEF

32D: Wisdom unit?: PEARL. Plearls of wisdom.

33D: Heston title role: EL CID. Have you seen the movie? Is it romantic?

37D: Movie starring 17A: NORMA RAE

43D: Should that be the case: IF IT IS

44D: Nigerian Civil War side: BIAFRA. Here is the map. The Civil War in 1967. I know nothing about it.

45D: Economy-size: JUMBO. I often confuse JUMBO with jumble.

47D: "Fiddler on the Roof" role: YENTE. I just learned this morning that YENTA is a back-formation of YENTE, which is an alteration of YENTL.

C.C.

Jan 8, 2009

Interview with Alan P. Olschwang

Alan P. Olschwang is one of the most prolific constructors. His puzzles have appeared in NY Times, NY Sun (now The Sun Crosswords), LA Times, Wall Street Journal and other major newspapers in the US, including TMS. Since I started blogging on Jan 21, 2008, we've solved 54 of his grids. Six of them are Sunday 21*21, all the others are Thursday quips/quotes.

His "Play Ball" puzzle is my all time TMS favorite. But due to my special background, I don't always grok the humor and fun in his quips. I was so pleased that he took time answering my questions. I found them to be very fascinating.

Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you develop this interest in crossword construction?

I am a lawyer by vocation, crossword author by avocation. I've been a lawyer since 1966. Originally from Chicago. I've been General Counsel of a company since 1983, moving first to New York and then to California. I'm due to retire from my job March 30 of this year, but will work part-time for a while after that.

I've been solving puzzles as far back as I can remember. I guess I inherited the aptitude, if that's the right word. Someone I grew up with told me that she remembers my father laying on our couch solving crosswords in ink (of course I would never consider solving a puzzle in pencil).

Thinking about my eventual retirement, in 1994 I started composing puzzles. I didn't own a computer then and created them on paper, in ink of course. Eventually I was successful in getting one publisher to accept my puzzles. Before long, I got a computer and a software program to assist the progress. That got me more acceptances. Now I have several hundred puzzles published each year (not only crosswords), although the business is getting tougher - more writers, less outlets. I've been published by almost every publisher, and my only unfilled goal is to get a New York Times Sunday puzzle published (I have had 15X puzzles in the NYT from time to time). I've been most successful over the years with Tribune, both with Wayne Williams and his predecessor. I think I average 8 or 9 puzzles a month with them (They publish two puzzles each weekday, one unthemed).

Oh, by the way, I've been married for 43 years, and we have three children, each of which is married and has two children.

Why do you pick up quip/quote as your signature style? How are they different from a normal themed puzzle? They don't need to follow the symmetrical rule, do they?

Yes, they do follow the symmetrical rule, which is what makes it tough to find quotes that will work. While it is my signature style with Tribune (aside from my unthemed puzzles which are published one per week), it's really not my signature style. With other publishers I rarely use quote puzzles. Wayne Williams likes to use them though, and I like to create theme. It is not always easy to come up with novel themes for normal puzzles, so it's nice variety to spend some time looking for good quotes and others trying to come up with good non-quote themes.

How did you get the idea of using Evan Esar as your main source of quips? What other sources do you also use for inspiration?

He is not really my main source, and I'm done with him for 15X puzzles. What happened was my wife and I were playing bridge at someone's house some years back. I noticed a book of quips and quotes (Evan Esar's) on their bookshelves and borrowed it. There're 20,000 quotes in the book, the great majority his own. It turned out to be a fertile source, so I got my own copy and used it for a long time. What I've done in the past when I didn't use that book is to use a couple of other books I found (not nearly as good), a few periodicals I had access to, Reader's Digest (Quotable Quotes), Forbes Quote and on rare occasions quotes that appeared in Time Magazine. Now I almost exclusively browse around online. The trick is to try to avoid repeating quotes. Neither my memory nor record keeping are perfect, and sometimes the same quote is claimed by more than one person.

What kind of puzzles do you solve every day? Who are your favorite constructors?

Each week I solve the Thursday, Friday and Saturday NYT puzzles. I don't know the authors though, as my Orange County Register does not include the author's name except on Sunday. I accumulate the two Sunday puzzles on my paper (NYT and Tribune - except when the Tribune is mine, maybe once every six weeks). I take those with me when I travel and do them on the planes. I think I did nine of them in the last two days, as I had not been on a plane since early December. My local daughter-in-law gave me a book of 1001 NYT puzzles. That's the other solving I do regularly. I'm determined to finish the book one day, but it has been maybe three years now and I'm only through puzzle 364. I keep track of my errors. I have 253 erros on those 364 puzzles. I don't realy have favorite constructors, but Frank Longo, Patrick Berry, Rich Norris, Norma Steinberg and Brent Emmett Quigley are certainly among the elite. Rich publishes a goodly number of my puzzles, and Patrick has published several. The bottom line though is that I'd rather construct than solve.

Any tips for our TMS solvers on how to improve our solving skills?

I'm reading a book right now called "Outliers". Reading that book teaches me that there's really only one important tip, solve, solve, solve. One of the author's premises is that to be a star in any field (sports, arts, business, etc), one must practice for a minimum of 10,000 hours. Up to that number, the more you practice, the better you do. I should tell you that, among the elite solvers, I don't stack up very well. I attended Will Shortz' annual tournament twice. Although I did a little better the second time, my recollection is that about 2/3 of the attendees did better than me. I'm told this is rather common for constructors, though some are great solvers. I had to miss the last two years' tournaments, but hope to make it this year (It's always at the end of Feburary/beginning of March). I have been doing more solving since I last attended, so, if the author of "Outlier" is right, I should do better. One thing I noticed at the tournaments though is that I don't function like the superstars. I don't think I can train myself to be a speed solver. But, back to your question, my basic tip would simply be the more you can do, the better you will get. And here's a second tip I just thought of. I almost will never give up on puzzle. If I'm stuck, I will sometimes sit with it, maybe for days, before moving to another one. There are times though that I get stuck with a puzzle one day and put it down, then, when I picked it up the next day, the solution flows. I'm convinced one's subconscious keeps working when you think the puzzle is out of your mind. So, tip two, don't be impatient and give up, or cheat, or even look up words in dictionary. Keep working on the puzzle. If you're stymied, put it down and come back to it, maybe the next day. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish.

Thank you, Mr. Olschwang.

Thursday January 8, 2009 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Battle Tactics

20A: Start of a quip: HE THAT FIGHTS AND

37A: Part 2 of quip: RUNS AWAY, MAY LIVE

51A: End of quip: TO RUN ANOTHER DAY

Not sure where this quip comes from. Wikiquote seems to imply that it's from Oliver Goldsmith's poem: For he who fights and runs away/May live to fight another day/But he who is in battle slain/Can never rise and fight again.

Last time when we had "He who courts then runs away, lives to court another day" quip, Martin mentioned that Olschwang might get his source from Tacitus who said "He that fights and runs away, may turn and fight another day; but he that is in battle slain, will never rise to fight again." Whatever. Sounds like Mao Ze-Dong's Guerrilla Warfare Strategy during Sino-Japanese War.

I had another smooth sailing this morning. I noticed that all the puzzles we've had this week have very similar grid structures, lots lots of 4-letter words. I wonder if that makes solving easier.

I suppose "Shea player" is still a valid clue for MET (40A). I just want to mention that Shea Stadium is being demolished now. MET will be "Citi Field player" when the season starts. I dislike the clue for SEVENS (41A: Another name for fantan), as ANOTHER is part of the theme answer. Besides, I've never heard of fantan, not familiar with the original Chinese words 番摊 either.

Across:

5A: Deadly African snake: MAMBA. No idea. It doesn't look threatening though. I could only think of cobra.

16A: Pieces of pelvises: ILIA. I don't like "Pieces". Always reminds me of broken bones.

18A: Bucket wheel: NORIA. New word to me. Where is the bucket?

30A: Hebrew month: ELUL. ADAR does not fit.

48A: Sew loosely: BASTE. I tend to associate BASTE with moistening turkey.

57A: Eye part: UVEA. Latin for "grape". I always want IRIS for "Eye part" clue.

58A: In a slow tempo: LENTO. This is indeed slow. In "Shine", Geoffrey Rush's character is obsessed with Rachmaninoff.

59A: Japanese ethnic group: AINU. Literally "man". I wonder how AINU food differs from the traditional Japanese diet.

60A: Letter opener? DEAR. I like this clue.

63A: Before, before: ERST

64A: Nimoy's half-Vulcan: SPOCK. He is the guy who says "Live Long and Prosper", right?

Down:

3D: Debatable: MOOT. Once again, here is a list of all the self-contradicting words in English. I rather like the term Kazie used last time: Janus words, so evocative.

4D: Insect colonies: ANT HILLS

8D: Jail on the high seas: BRIG. Wikipedia says BRIG is jail for the Navy and Marines. And the prison is called guardhouse or stockade by the Army and Air Force.

12D: Jungle vine: LIANA. Can never remember this vine. Hmm, it's A NAIL when you spell it backward.

26D: Twist sideways: SLUE. The same pronunciation as slew, right?

27D: "Charley's ___": AUNT. Easy guess. I knew nothing about "Charley's AUNT".

28D: Describe with vividness: LIMN

29D: Literary collections: ANAS. How is it different from anthologies?

32D: Fighting force: NAVY. I thought of ARMY first.

34D: Queen of Carthage: DIDO. She killed herself when deserted by her lover Aeneas. I used to confuse her with LEDA, the swan lady.

38D: Vail rival: ASPEN. Both are Colorado ski resorts.

48D: Small, hand drum: BONGO. Interesting, Wikipedia says BONGO is also a kind of African antelope.

54D: Christian of fashion: DIOR. Like J'adore?

Enjoy Bob Marley "The Heathen". He sings "... 'Cause he who fight and run away, live to fight another day...". I love Bob Marley, don't you?

C.C.

Jan 7, 2009

Wednesday January 7, 2009 Norma Steinberg

Theme: On the Ground

21A: Negative campaigning: MUDSLINGING

56A: Fertility goddess: EARTH MOTHER

3D: Very inexpensive: DIRT CHEAP

36D: Diminutive whirlwind: DUST DEVIL

DUST DEVIL is new to me. What causes it?

SOIL*, MUCK* and CLAY* are three other potential theme candidates I could think of. What else?

This is my first cheat-free, Wite-out free puzzle. Ms. Norma Steinberg, if you are reading this blog, please can you send me an email? I want to have my finished puzzle autographed.

Although TMS puzzles are random and do not follow NY Time's more-difficult-as-the-week-goes pattern. I do feel that Wednesday is always the easiest, with the exception of Verna Suit's Three Lines puzzle on Dec 3, 2008.

Across:

14A: Carroll heroine: ALICE. Did you all read this book when you were a child? You know, I really don't hate Chairman Mao, but I often look back on my childhood with a sense of what might have been. Cultural Revolution ruined so many people's lives.

18A: Jodie Foster film: NELL. Not a Jodie Foster fan. Don't think I want to watch NELL.

45A: Cinco y tres: OCHO. In Chinese, it's å…«, the lucky number, as its pronunciation is similar to "prosper". Thus, the Olympic started at exactly 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 pm on 8/8/08. "I love you" is 520.

47A: Actress Heche: ANNE. So many ways to clue ANNE, ANNE Heche, ANNE Frank, ANNE Bancroft, ANNE Boleyn, who else can you think of?

56A: Belushi biography: WIRED. Not familiar with this Bob Woodward book. Easily obtainable though.

68A: Happy expression: SMILE. Wonderful intersection with AMO (65D: Caesar's loving expression). I don't believe in "Amor vincit omnia" any more. It's simply not true.

Down:

1D: Wilson's predecessor: TAFT. The only U.S. President to become Chief Justice. I have an autographed photo of Bob TAFT. I was unaware of his criminal activity when I got it.

5D: Flunky: YES-MAN. Can you call those eunuchs YES-MEN?

6D: Slugger Barry: BONDS. Have never liked him before. I do have all his rookie cards though.

9D: Nabokov title: LOLITA

10D: Pennants: FLAGS. Great pennant. I only have 1987 and 1991 Twins Championship pennants. Mine are in perfect condition.

12D: Peace in Greece: IRENE. I thought she was the goddess of peace in Greek mythology.

25D: "Siddhartha" author: HESSE. I got the answer from across fills. Have never heard of "Siddhartha". HESSE won Nobel Literature in 1946.

41D: Quiz show host Mandel: HOWIE. Another guess. He is the host of "Deal or No Deal".

48D: Maidenly minor deities: NYMPHS. Mountain nymph is OREAD. River nymph is NAIAD, Wood nymph is DRYAD. Do you know why all of them have *AD ending?

55D: Job's question?: WHY ME. From the Bible I presume?

C.C.

Jan 6, 2009

Tuesday January 6, 2009 Diane C. Baldwin

Theme: Heating Up

20A: Lives dangerously: SKATES ON THIN ICE

37A: Finds troubles: LANDS IN HOT WATER

48A: Loses one's punch: IS ALL OUT OF STEAM

Too bad RUNS OUT OF STEAM is one letter short. I feel it's a better clue than IS ALL OUT OF STEAM. BLOWING OFF STEAM has the correct number of the letters, but it does not fit the tense pattern.

Nice to see YOGI (11D: Berra of baseball) in the grid. Wish MITT (8D: Potholder alternative) were clued as "Glove for 11D" as a tie-in. YOGI Berra is a great catcher after all. Who is your favorite catcher? I used to like A. J. Pierzynski. Wish I had seen Johnny Bench play.

Easy sailing today. Notice how this puzzle differs from the ones offered by Allan E. Parrish/Barry Silk? No letter Q, X or Z.

Oh, for those who have trouble with Roman numerals, here is a great website for you to cheat. Also, I found this snowball clip JD/Clear Ayes located yesterday to be very funny.

Across:

15A: Pueblo dweller: HOPI. Zuni is 4-letter too. Look at these HOPI Kachina dolls, very intriguing. Their bodies are carved out of wood, right?

25A: Makes confused: ADDLES. Reminds me of that long fancy word "Discombobulates".

34A: React to a bad pun: GROAN. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!". Does this make you GROAN?

40A: Musical piece: OPUS. Have never seen OPUS clued as "__ Dei" in TMS puzzle.

41A: Demeanor: MIEN. This word always brings to mind the Marlboro Marine. He has such a tough MIEN, yet so fragile in real life.

57A: Asian capital: SEOUL. Literally "capital city" in Korean language. The same as Japanese city Kyoto. Beijing literally means "North capital" in Chinese. Nanjing (Nanking in Cantonese) is "South capital". Xi'An means "West peace".

60A: Marine ray: MANTA. I can never remember this fish. What is so special about it?

64A: March middle: IDES. The 15th of March, May, July, or October. And 13th of the other months.

Down:

13D: Withered: SERE. And WET (43A: Moisten).

25D: Luminous: AGLOW. Does anyone like J-Lo's GLOW?

26D: Cover loosely: DRAPE. Beautiful, isn't it?

35D: Purl's counterpart: KNIT. I thought PURL is a kind of knitting. Why "counterpart"?

36D: Glass panel: PANE. Horrible clue.

45D: Whiskey bottle sizes: FIFTHS. No idea. Why FIFTH instead of fifth or sixth?

46D: Mozart's "The Magic __": FLUTE. Here is "The Magic Flute" overture.

54D: New Old World money: EURO. I misread money as "monkey". Thought of TITI, which is actually "New World monkey".

55D: Kind of sax: ALTO. This clue made me laugh. But seriously, I have great difficulty pronouncing "sax" and "sex" distinctly. I need a patient person to sit in front of me and teach me how to say "bad", "bed" and "bide".

C.C.

Jan 5, 2009

Monday January 5, 2009 Stanley B. Whitten

Theme: Access Control

18A: "Fatal Attraction" star: GLENN CLOSE

57A: "Fallin" singer: ALICIA KEYS

3D: Magical command: OPEN SESAME

29D: Noted porridge taster: GOLDILOCKS

A few things first:

1) I know that some of you only read my main blog entry every day. I suggest you start visiting Comments section. You will find more fascinating information and intelligent discussions there.

2) For those who have been lurking on the Comments section, I hope you will join the fray today. I would love to hear your "whining" about the puzzle or puzzle inspired topics.

3) I've decided to cut down my blogging activity this year. There will be no change on the main blog entry. But I won't make as many appearances on the Comments section from now on, unless I have questions or feel some explanation is needed.

As every comment is forwarded to my email account, I will still read and study every one of your post. Can't tell you in words how appreciative I am of the time and effort you guys have given me to better understand American culture. I am very touched by your kindness and generosity. Thank you.

Now back to the puzzle. I know GLENN CLOSE starred in "Fatal Attraction", though I've never seen the movie. ALICIA KEYS is such a talented singer. I love "Fallin". I've never heard of "The Story of GOLDILOCKS and the Three Bears". But I don't like the embedded *LOCKS in this answer. KEYS, OPEN and CLOSE are all stand-alone independent theme answers. Lack of theme consistency in my opinion.

Also, the clue for PONDWEED (20A: Submerged perennials) should be in singular form. Easy solving today.

Across:

14A: Pith helmet: TOPI. Unknown to me. Pictures of antelopes showed up when I googled TOPI. I've never heard of "Pith helmet" either.

15A: Japanese-American: NISEI. Second generation, to be exact. The root word SEI means birth, Ni means second. ISSEI is first generation (IS means first). SANSEI is third generation (SAN means third), don't confuse it with SENSEI (Judo/Karate teacher). Also, KIBEI is a person of Japanese descent, born in the U.S. but educated in Japan (KI is to return, BEI is America).

25A: Granitelike rock: GNEISS. Only learned this morning that it's pronounced the same as nice. I might confuse you with my spoken English. There is no distinction between my "bad" and "bed", "sax" and "sex".

40A: Take away game: NIM. I got it from down clues. What is it? Why "Take away"? Is it related to Nimbod in anyway?

41A: Indian bread?: RUPEE. "Nepal/Pakistan/Sri Lanka bread?" as well.

47A: Alabama port: MOBILE. Had no idea that it's Alabama's only seaport. Hank Aaron was born here. Come to the Comments section and say Hi if you are from MOBILE.

54A: Gorbachev policy: GLASNOST. Literally "publicity/openess". I know the meaning of this word when I read it in the newspaper. But I could not spell it out without help.

64A: Many-headed monster: HYDRA. Nine-headed, to be accurate. He was slain by Hercules. Reminds me of Janus, the two-faced god, from whom we got January.

Down:

9D: Crystal radio component: ZINCITE. New to me. I only know ZINC.

13D: Very French?: TRES. Also "A Spanish crowd?" (three).

25D: Accra location: GHANA. Often see ACCRA clued as "Ghana Capital". Ex-UN Chief Kofi Anna came from GHANA. I have an autographed photo of him.

27D: Narcotic nut: BETEL. The same as areca nut, right?

30D: Bay window: ORIEL. Here is a photo. Doesn't look like bay-shape to me.

45D: Ancient calculator: ABACUS. I really, really hate this clue "Ancient". It implies to me that ABACUS was used ages ago. I used it when I was at primary school. And my uncle still prefers ABACUS over calculator. Sorry, Calef, I just can't be persuaded by your "been in existance for a long time" argument.

47D: Bad atmosphere: MIASMA. Just learned this word a few days ago.

54D: Anglo-Saxon tax: GELD. New definition to me. I always associate GELD with "castrate".

C.C.

Jan 4, 2009

Sunday January 4, 2009 Ed Voile

Theme: Old/New Things

23A: Any date in 2008? OLD YEAR'S DAY (New Year's Day)

25A: Replacement dog?: NEW YELLER (Old Yeller)

40A: City in ancient France?: OLD ORLEANS (New Orleans)

53A: Recently made?: NEW FASHIONED (Old Fashioned)

83A: Past eras in a city near Leeds?: OLD YORK TIMES (New York Times)

98A: Ebonics, e.g.?: NEW ENGLISH (Old English)

111A: Pink slip of a former GM Car?: OLDS PAPER (Newspaper)

116A: Waterway named for Paul?: NEWMAN RIVER (Ol' Man River)

"Ol' Man River" is a new song to me. As for 98A, Wikipedia says Ebonics refers to "Black English" or "African American Vernacular English". Why is it called NEW ENGLISH then? And How is it related to Old English? I guess I don't understand the rationale for his clue buildup.

Very nice and timely theme. Of those 8 theme answers, OLD YORK TIMES is my favorite.

Sunday's puzzle is always intimidating to me. The sheer size is overwhelming. And it often contains a few strange medical/chemical terms and obscure people' names. The difficulty level of NY Times Sunday puzzle is the same as their Thursday's. But our puzzle does not follow their pattern. I would say TMS Sunday is the most difficult, at least for me. I hope I can finish a 21*21 without cheating by the end of 2009.

Across:

11A: Playful troublemakers: SCALAWAGS. A new rascal word to me. Dictionary says that SCALAWAG also refers to "a native white Southerner who collaborated with the occupying forces during Reconstruction, often for personal gain."

20A: Unit of loudness: SONE. About 40 decibels.

21A: Civil War battle site: SHILOH. I was not familiar with Battle of SHILOH. What's so siginificant about it?

26A: Rocket launcher: BAZOOKA. OK, here is a picture. It's a portable. Topps also manufactures BAZOOKA baseball card.

27A: School in Sandhurst. Eng.: RMA (Royal Military Academy)

31A: Spaces between leaf veins: AREOLES. Can also be spelled AREOLAS, AREOLAE. The singular form is AREOLA. This is the only diagram I could find. And obviously they are not "Spaces between leaf veins".

35A: Chloroform discoverer: LIEBIG. OK, I checked, it's not a BIG LIE. This guy LIEBIG is indeed the discoverer of Chloroform, whatever it is. Wikipedia also says that he is known as the "father of the fertilizer industry" for his discovery of nitrogen as an essenitial plant nutrient.

45A: Wilson and Mulroney: BRIANS. Wilson is the lead singer for The Beach Boys. And Mulroney was the Canadian Prime Minister from 1984 to 1993. I knew neither of them. Easy guess though.

52A: Gust of wind: SCUD. I always associate SCUD with ballistic missile.

63A: Arlene or Roald: DAHL. Arlene DAHL is an actress. Roald DAHL is the author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Both unknown to me.

67A: Isl. of Australia: TAS. I wish it were clued as "Prof's aides".

69A: Current flow restrictors: DIODES. No idea. This is too complicated for me to understand.

75A: "The Conformist" writer Moravia: ALBERTO. I googled his name.

79A: Destitute class: HAVE-NOTS

86A: Climb (a rope): SHINNY. New to me. Looks like an adjective.

96A: Mutation: FREAK. How so?

102A: Capital of ancient Lydia: SARDIS. See this map. Way obscure to me.

104A: "Roberta" star: ASTAIRE. Alright, here is the clip. I've never heard of "Roberta".

109A: Cooking sticks: SKEWERS

120A: Seaport in the Philippines: ILOILO. I forgot. Saw this clue before. Here is the map again. The spelling reminds of the African fly TSETSE.

124A: Scott of a famous case: DRED. Was he a gimme to you? I could only picture Scott Peterson in my mind. What a awful man he is.

Down:

4D: Milne character: EEYORE. Learned from doing Xword. How to pronounce EEYORE again?

6D: Racing org.: NHRA (National Hot Rod Association)

10D: Aromatic fungicide: THYMOL. THYME & OL (suffix for alcohol). Unknown to me. How can fungicide be "Aromatic"?

19D: Old pol. unit: SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic). Pre-1991 obviously.

31D: Slow musical passages: ADAGIOS

34D: Sergeant fish: SNOOK. Had zero familiarity with this giant fish.

36D: Italian bowling: BOCCI. Or BOCCE. Yet another unknown. Looks like they are having fun.

37D: Pelvic bone: ILIUM. Also the Latin name for ancient Troy.

45D: Actor De Wilde: BRANDON. Another google. Which movie is he famous for?

47D: Mountain nymph: OREAD. Echo is an OREAD in Greek mythology.

50D: FDR or JFK: DEM. BHO is a DEM too. Weird, isn't it? Obama sounds so much better.

52D: Blues or Cardinals: ST. LOUIS

53D: Pres. advisory grp.: NSC (National Security Council). James Jones will be Obama's National Security Advisor.

59D: Love potion, in Britain: PHILTRE. Holy smoke. Really? How come I've never heard of this word? It's rooted in Greek philos, love. I suppose PHILTER is "Love potion, in America". Maybe I need to learn how to brew PHILTER.

68D: Ratfink: STOOLIE

77D: Mass calendars: ORDOS. Latin for "order". I have no doubt that I won't be able to remember this word next time the clue comes up.

80D: Director Kurosawa: AKIRA. I recognized his Japanese name when I googled. What a brilliant career!

84D: Hebrew letter: KOPH. 19th letter of Hebrew alphabet. I got it from the across fills. It's pronounced the same as cough.

90d: Master of a ship SKIPPER. I always thought Joe DiMaggio's nickname is Yankee SKIPPER rather than Yankee Clipper.

93D: "Falconer" writer: CHEEVER (John). Here is the bookcover. Is it worth reading? Have never heard of this writer.

94D: Earthly: TERRENE. Only knew terrain.

95D: Blows a gasket: SEES RED. And HUFFS (79D: Blows hard). Someone is mad.

97D: "__ Fideles": ADESTE. Semper came up first.

105D: Austrian article: DER. Never know when to put DER, when to put DAS.

110D: Macrame feature: KNOT. I did not know the meaning of Macrame.

111D: Archaic: abbr.: OBS (Obsolete). Where can you find this abbreviation?

118D:Wire measure: MIL. It's about .001 inch. Saw this clue before.

C.C.

Jan 3, 2009

Saturday January 3, 2009 Josiah Breward

Theme: None

Total block: 38

Total word: 68

What's so special today? Why two crosses in the grid? Pure coincidence?

Funny how visual images can be so misguiding. After a quick glance at the simple grid, I had thought we might have a new record for the lowest total blocks. So wrong. It turns out that this puzzle actually has the highest number of black squares, though the total word count is quite low.

Still some suffixes, but not too excessive. CERN struck me as very obscure, but it's obtainable from the crossing fills, so is YAOUNDE.

But I cheated too early. Should have worked hard for MALACHI instead of looking up in the Reference Supplement section of my dictionary for "Books of Bible" immediately. Definitely not a satisfying solving experience.

Across:

1A: Awllike tool: ICEPICK. The weapon Sharon Stone used in "Basic Instinct". Leon Trotsky was also murdered with an ICEPICK.

8A:Lug laboriously: SCHLEPP. I thought it's SCHLEP, one P.

15A: Old Testament closer: MALACHI. Wikipedia says MALACHI might not be "the name of the author, since MALACHI means 'my messenger' or 'my angel' in Hebrew".

16A: Rigby of song: ELEANOR. By The Beatles. Unknown to me, the tune sounds very familiar though.

18A: Alternative to pasta: RISOTTO. There is really a science behind a perfect RISOTTO. Very complicated to prepare.

20A: Poetic globe: ORB. Or "Eye, poetically".

21A: Troy, NY school: RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). My brain simply refuses to accept this school name. What is RPI famous for?

22A: Uris novel, with "The": HAJ. It was QB VII yesterday.

28A: Herbal quaff: SAGE TEA. I've never had SAGE TEA. Guess that's why I can't even finish a Saturday puzzle without cheating.

29A: Grp. of gridders: AFC (American Football Conference). I thought of NFL. Holy cow, the Vikings belongs to NFC. I didn't even know that. OK, now I know TDS, QBS, NFL, AFC and NFC. What else? Oh, YDS & wardrobe malfunction.

30A: Eur. particle accelerator location: CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire - European Council for Nuclear Research). It's the the world's largest particle physics lab according to Wikipedi. Doesn't feel like it's something worth knowing.

32A: Work unit: ERG. Ten-millionth of a joule.

35A: Old-style second person verb: WOULDST. Strung the answer together with the crossing help.

38A: Illumination unit: LUX. What? I thought LUX is a brand of soap.

40A: Primitive plant: ALGA. Nori, kelp and other seaweeds are all ALGAE.

42A: Take over for: RELIEVE. Ah, how I miss baseball! Goose Goosage made into HOF last year. He is a great reliever.

46A: Fractional ending: ETH. "Biblical verb ending" as well.

50A: German automobile pioneer: DAIMLER

55A: Can. province: QUE. Next I want "___ Sera, Sera".

56A: Capital of Cameroon: YAOUNDE. No idea. See this map. I wonder what YAOUNDE means in its local language.

62A: Parents: REARERS. I only knew REAR. If it's a valid word, then step-parents are REARERS too. My REARER is my grandma.

63A: Most labyrinthine: MAZIEST. Have never heard of MAZY before.

Down:

1D: Mrs. Marcos: IMELDA. Ah, shoes, of which she had too many. It's like my baseball card collection, very addictive.

2D: Indian pony: CAYUSE. I forgot. Saw this clue/answer before. CAYUSE is named after the Indian tribe.

5D: Discharges from wounds: ICHORS. I rememer ICHOR was clued as "Blood of gods" before,

6D: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. Another new word to me. Is it pronounced the same as Korea?

8D: Saw-toothed: SERRATED

13D: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. I won't link a picture, since so many of you just hate this dish.

14D: Item on a secret agenda: PROJECT X

25D: Inveigh: DECLAIM. So many *claim words: DECLAIM, disclaim, reclaim, proclaim, exclaim, acclaim and misclaim.

34D: Sword lily: GLADIOLA. Not my favorite flower. Too wild for me. I did not know it's also called "Sword lily" though.

36D: Poisonous shrub: OLEANDER. Which part is poisonous?

43D: Jewish Jehovah: ELOHIM. You would think this would be a gimme for me after reading your comments three weeks ago. But no. Dear God, please let me know your name next time.

44D: City in a Shakespeare title: VERONA. "The Two Gentlemen of VERONA".

45D: Poor quality imitation: ERSATZ. Dealt with too many ERSATZ luxury products when I worked with Pinkerton (Intellectual Investigation) in China.

57D: Egy-Syr., for a time: UAR (United Arab Republic). Between 1958 to 1961, during Nasser's presidency.

C.C.

Jan 2, 2009

Interview with Barry Silk

Since July 2003, Barry Silk's puzzles have appeared in NY Times, LA Times, NY Sun, USA Today and TMS. As you can see from Jim's database, Barry constructed 14 puzzles for NY Times alone in 2008, very impressive record.

We first solved Barry's TMS puzzle on May 27, 2008. Since then, he has offered us 25 quality puzzles. I've always been intrigued by Barry and his scrabbly style. And I was so happy that Barry agreed to answer some of my questions. I hope you find them enjoyable.

Where did you get the inspiration for today's MATCH puzzle and how did you decide the four theme answers (I am curious about your thinking process)?

It's been a while since I've constructed this puzzle, but I believe one day during a power failure and having to light candles with a match, I thought that MATCH might make a good theme. With a little bit of research I was able to come up with the themed entries in this puzzle. I believe I chose SWIZZLESTICK and CARDBOARDBOX because of their "scrabblyness" and they both have the same number of letters required for symmetry. I can't remember exactly why I chose POPCORNMAKER and BROWNIEPOINT other than I thought it they would make good themed answers.

How do you think your puzzles are different from others and why do you go to such a direction?

When possible, I try to incorporate 'interesting' words and phrases into my puzzles that, to my knowledge, haven't appeared in any puzzle before. Also, I usually try to make each puzzle into a pangram with "scrabbly" fill. For those who aren't familiar with the term pangram (as applied to crosswords), it is a puzzle that uses every letter of the alphabet. I once read in a book about crossword construction that using the rarer letters (J,Q,X,Z) in the fill would have more appeal to crossword editors. I guess that stuck with me. However there's nothing inherently better about a puzzle that's a pangram, I just strive to do it as a personal challenge. I wouldn't however make a pangram if it required using an obscure answer.

What motivated you to construct your first puzzle? Can you also tell us a bit more about your background?

Back in 2003, I attended my first American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, CT, where I met several crossword constructors. Until then, I'd never given any thought to constructing, I just enjoyed solving. However, meeting those constructors gave me some motivation to try my hand at creating a crossword. I didn't think it would be that difficult, but it sure was a lot harder than I thought. My first few puzzles were constructed manually... no computer tools involved. That was quite a challenging experience and as a result I developed quite an appreciation for the construction process and a deeper respect for constructors.

It turns out that my first puzzle was accepted by Timothy Parker, the Universal Crossword editor. The theme was "BIG DIPPER": BIG DIPPER was the clue provided for the three themed answers (WILT CHAMBERLAIN, ROLLER COASTER, and CONSTELLATION). It was published on 7/5/2003.

Soon after that, I decided that it would be a lot more efficient to use a computer in the construction process. Professionally, I'm a software engineer, so I took some time to write software, build databases and word lists to help with the construction process. I also use commercial software for the construction process. After several years of constructing now, I'm still refining my word lists!

What kind of puzzles do you solve every day? Any tips for our TMS solvers?

I solve the NY Times puzzle daily and occasionally the LA Times, NY Sun (now just "Sun puzzles"), and TMS. I especially look forward to solving the more challenging themeless puzzles.

Back when I first started constructing, I could not solve the NY Times themeless puzzles. but with lots of practice and determination, I was finally able to break through and start solving them. I think being a constructor also helps in solving the harder puzzles because you become familiar with the more frequently occurring answers and how they're clued. However, I'm definitely not a speed solver. It may take me anywhere from 15-60+ minutes to solve a typical NY Times themeless puzzle.

I don't think I can offer any tips for TMS solvers that haven't been mentioned before:

- Start filling in the grid with answers you know are correct. Then, work the puzzle around those filled in answers. Don't worry about solving in numerical order.
- Try to identify the theme and use it if possible
- Look for high-probably letter patterns (e.g, R's and V's are usually preceded by vowels)
- If you're stuck, walk away and come back later. Sometimes you'll notice something you couldn't think of before.
- Practice!

Any special planning for 2009? Seminar? Book? Your own website with free crossword and blog?

For those solvers in the Washington DC area, I have a presentation on crosswords coming up on January 17, 2009 at the Tysons-Pimmet Regional Branch of the Fairfax County Library. Attendance will be limited and registration required. Hope to see some of you there!

Thank you, Barry.

Friday January 2, 2009 Barry Silk

Theme: MATCH (39A: Word before ends of 20A, 28A, 48A and 58A)

20A: Movie theater appliance: POPCORN MAKER

28A: Parcel, possibly: CARDBOARD BOX

48A: Cocktail implement: SWIZZLE STICK

58A: Sycophant's reward: BROWNIE POINT

BROWNIE POINT is a new phrase to me. It takes "BROWNIE, you're doing a heck of a job" to a whole new dimension then.

I really like the clues for ARSON (2D: Illegal firing?) and LOO (49D: Elton's john). Very clever. I would prefer "Since Jan. 1" over "Since 1/1" for YTD. I also dislike the clue for SEL (24A: SSS word). Abbreviated answer should always be avoided when other choice exists. Besides, why not play with George Sand's name and clue SEL as "Sand's salt". Alliterative and misguiding.

I hope you enjoyed this pangram from Barry. It's been exactly a month since we last solved his puzzle.

Across:

1A: Delhi garb: SARI. And RANI (71A: Indian royalty). Perfect symmetry.

9A: Flashy: JAZZY. The style of Barry's puzzle as well. Four Z's today.

16A: "The Waste Land" poet: ELIOT. Boston accent?

23A: Surround with an aura: ENHALO. Was unaware of the verb form.

37A: Seed covering: ARIL. I forgot the difference between ARIL and TESTA again.

45A: Greek war god: ARES. He is also Aphrodite's lover, so are Adonis and Hermes and a bunch of other guys. Hugo once said "A woman with three lovers is a woman." I've yet to become a woman then.

61A: Leon Uris novel: QB VII. No idea. This is the book cover. What does QB stand for?

65A: Actor Franco: NERO. Unknown to me. I am used to the "Fictional Wolfe" clue. Hmm, his book looks interesting.

68A: Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Often clued as "Organic compound".

Down:

3D: Writer Ellison: RALPH. New writer to me. Wikipedia says he is best known for novel "Invisible Man", which won the National Book Award in 1953.

4D: Emetic medication: IPECAC. My brain keeps burping this word.

5D: "Air Music" composer: NED ROREM. Have never heard of this composer before. He looks quite handsome.

8D: Half of UTEP: EL PASO. Another "My Pet Goat" moment for me. I just can't remember what UTEP stands for (University of Texas, EL PASO).

9D: Worn ornaments: JEWELRY. Does anyone collect Taxco sterling silver JEWLERY? Here is a vintage Los Castillo signed sterling silver owl pin. The seller is asking $475 for his item.

10D: Banned spray: ALAR. When was it banned?

11D: Quick turn: ZIG

12D: Tony winner Caldwell: ZOE. Here is a clip of Caldwell and Sean Connery in "MacBeth". I simply forgot her name. Googled her before. She has won four Tony Awards.

21D: "The Good Earth" wife: O-LAN. "The Good Earth" is the best book about China. No other author has ever captured the authentic Chinese spirit better than Pearl Buck did.

22D: Cyclades island: KEA. I would not have got it without the across fills. Can never remember this damned island. Isn't it strange that KEA is the only feminine sounding island while others all have *S ending masculine names?

27D: Neural transmitters: AXONS. They transmit impulses.

29D: Kind of fingerprint: DNA. I've always associated DNA with blood or hair, but never with fingerprint.

30D: Test versions: BETAS. Computer term I presume?

31D: River regulator: DAM. I was thinking there might be a federal agency that regulate those rivers.

32D: Fabricated: FALSE. LIED does not fit.

41D: Dutch brew: HEINEKEN. They have very formidable market share in Asia Pacific.

44D: Of Russian monarchy: CZARIST

46D: Porgy: SCUP. Holy cow. So this is what a S CUP looks like. Unknown to me. Where did I get the idea that "Porgy" is a pig name?

50D: One of the Blues Brothers: ELWOOD. Another new name to me.

51D: Scandinavian coins: KRONER. Strange plural form.

55D: City in Tuscany: SIENA

56D: Bankrupt giant: ENRON. We bought a pack of ENRON logo golf balls on Ebay after the ENRON collapse. My sister-in-law has this strange conspiracy theory that Ken Lay is not really dead.

57D: Popular vodka, familiarly: STOLI

60D: Andes autocrat: INCA. Again, why "autocrat"?

61D: NFL passers: QBS. And TDS. That's all I know about football.

62D: Emeril's exclamation: BAM. "Aw, yeah, babe", "feel the love", Emeril also likes to say "Kick it up a notch".

C.C.