Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Puzzle by Allan E. Parrish, edited by Will Shortz
JACK (55D. Word that can define 17- and 59-Across and 11-, 28- and 29-Down), along with LIFTINGTOOL, PLAYINGCARD, MALEDONKEY, MONEY and PLUGINSERT, all clued as “See 55-Down“, are the interrelated entries of this little jackpot of a crossword.
THUMB (36A. Hitcher’s digit) is, of course, what Jack Horner put in to pull out a plum, so I entertained PLUM INSERT. HAHAS (34D. Comedy club outbursts) from the EMCEE (64A. Comedy club host)! What else… TOPHAT (26A. Astaire wear) and USHERS (42A. Ones in matching tuxes) lend a formal touch. JACK and JOE (55A. Diner cupful) share their J.
Other -- BUSDEPOT (37D. Commuters’ terminus), MAINSTAY (46A. Bulwark), MATADORS (29A. Capote wearers) and TELECAST (10D. Put on the tube) are the eight-letter entries. Coming in at seven letters are PROBATE (9D. Validation of a will) and STELLAR (43D. Top-notch). Six-letter entries include BEREFT (22A. Deprived); SHOVES (33A. Starts of some brawls); OBEYED (48A. Minded); MOSTEL (52A. Talented Zero); CRIMEA (5D. Yalta’s peninsula); BERGEN (49D. Candice of “Murphy Brown”).
The rest of it -- Five-letters: ADEPT, ADHOC, ANGST, BRIAR, FACED, FAVOR, FOIST, TOKEN, NACRE, NESTS, NIKON, NUDES, OASES, OSHEA, REEVE, SOREN, SYNOD, TOTEM, TRUST. Four-letter: ABLE, BOER, BYES, DATA, DEVO, DRIP, EDEN, FRED, HIFI, MAMA, MESA, ODED, OREO, OSLO, OXEN, TGIF, WEST, WHOM and VOLT. Three-letter: AGO. ANO, ANT, ASU, AXE, CMI, ECO, EPI, LIL, MER, MTV, NEY, RED and the Shortzesque OAT (4D. Granola morsel) and NUT (47D. Granola morsel).That's all I got, uh... Jack!
-----------------
For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
Click on image to enlarge.
Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games
If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery subscription.
Search information -- Across: 1. Formed for a specific purpose; 6. Good (at); 11. “Next” network; 14. Pipe type; 15. Inlay material; 16. Back; 19. Like Abner; 20. Prefix with -cardial; 21. Badlands feature; 24. Rapper Kanye; 25. Stood up to; 32. Munch Museum’s home; 35. Marshal under Napoleon; 38. “I’d like to buy ___”; 39. Straphanger’s buy, once; 41. Hosp. procedure; 45. “Whip it” band; 50. Some sculptures; 51. ___ Gailey of “Miracle on 34th Street”; 54. Great Trek emigrant; 62. Water around Polynesie; 63. Gobi greenery; 65. Pantry raider. Down: 1. Up to it; 2. IV flow; 3. Rec room item of old; 6. Recurring Woody Allen theme; 7. Flash drive filler; 8. Writer Umberto; 12. End-of-workweek cry; 13. Pioneering General Motors electric car; 18. Home of twigs; 23. McCarthy quarry; 24. Part of T.W.I.M.C.; 25. Goodie bag goodie; 26. Clan symbol; 27. Milo of Hollywood; 30. A Chaucer pilgrim; 31. Church council; 40. Had need of an E.R, maybe; 44. Philosopher Kierkegaard; 51. Palm off; 52. Word from the crib; 53. Teamed beasts; 54. Tournament passes; 56. Modern ice cream flavor; 57. Scene of a fall; 60. Tempe sch. 61. Early 10th-century year.
