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Thursday, December 23, 2010
Puzzle by Oliver Hill and Eliza Bagg, edited by Will Shortz
George Bernard Shaw wanted to reform English spelling so that it was more logical. He asked the following question as an example: How do we pronounce the word "ghoti"? His answer was "fish" —the gh = f as in rouGH; the o = i as in wOmen; the ti = sh as in naTIon — a joke, of course, “ghoti” is not even a real word; however, it demonstrated the inconsistency of English spelling.
This Thursday crossword features the resulting odd-looking “quotation” — THE GH FROM ENOUGH (17A. What to use to spell 30-Down, according to George Bernard Shaw, reputedly, Part 1), THE O FROM WOMEN (36A. Part 2), THE TI FROM NATION (57A. Part 3) and GHOTI (30D. “Fish”). Well, I really don’t care for “quote” crosswords.
Other — AMHERST (35D. One of the Five Colleges), BOUTIQUE (11D. Shop), DETROIT (52A. Lion’s home), GLISTEN (18D. Shine), HERE WE GO (37D. Shout at the top of a roller coaster), MELISSA (22A. Notorious 1999 computer virus), PRELUDE (48A. Intro), TORYISM (25A. Conservative philosophy in Britain).
Six-letter — FERRET, ISTHMI (1D. Panama and Suez), DIE OUT (46D. Fade), NOTICE, REMITS, SILENT, STELLA (3D. Designer McCartney), STONED (47D. High), TEHEED (2D. Snickered), WATERY (54A. Like some eyes and soup).
Five — BAGEL, EBONY, EDGES, HELLO, HOHOS, HOMER, KAUAI, LATER, OBOES, OFAGE, OSTEO, SEENO, SNORE, TAROT and TORAH, TRISH, UTILE, ZEBRA, ZONER.
Short stuff — AGAR, ARR and ETD (Flight board abbrs.), ASH, EGGS and EGOS, ELO, FIEF and SERF (43A. Workplace for a 23-Down; 23D. Worker on a 43-Across), HAN, Hi-DEF, IDAS, “IT’S time”, KOS, MAR and MGR, MDI, MRED, NEO, OFF, OOO, QED, REG, SAP, SEAN, SET, TBS, TERR, WIFE, YODA.
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Click on image to enlarge.
Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.
Remaining clues — ACROSS: 4. Originator of the phrase “rosy-fingered dawn”; 9. Last picture in an alphabet book; 14. Lay; 15. Adult; 16. Ducks, in “Peter and the Wolf” productions; 20. Shout into a canyon; 21. Still; 25. Conservative philosophy in Britain; 28. Actress Lupino and others; 29. They’re usually white or brown; 31. Letters from a mathematician; 32. Books often read on Saturday; 34. One of the five counties of Hawaii; 40. Beginning of a saying about evil; 44. Goals; 56. Prefix with -pathy; 61. Zero, in slang; 62. Lips; 63. Nod, perhaps; 64. Noisome noise; 65. The Tower, e.g. — DOWN: 4. Alternative to Ring Dings; 5. A little peculiar; 6. Spoil; 7. They may be deal breakers; 8. Opposite of invoices; 9. One fighting urban sprawl, say; 10. Black; 12. Like some gas: Abbr.; 13. Memento from an old flame?; 19. Grp. With the platinum album “Out of the Blue”; 24. Lab gel; 26. Reggae/dancehall artist ___ Paul; 27. Century-starting year; 33. Tic-tac-toe win; 34. Ring results, for short; 36. Abbr. on an old map of the West; 38. Who’ll “talk ‘til his voice is hoarse,” in a 1960s sitcom; 39. Good radio station for a bride?; 40. Simpleton; 43. Find (out); 45. Spot; 46. Fade; 47. High; 49. “Peace out”; 50. Of service; 53. A goner; 55. Jedi with a big forehead; 57. Big inits. On cable; 58. Old Chinese dynasty; 59. Boss: Abbr.; 60. Prefix with conservative.
