"A great flame follows a little spark" — Dante Alighieri
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
Puzzle by John Farmer, edited by Will Shortz
DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM (1A. Find out what’s wrong), IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME (30A. “Huh?!”) and TAKE A STEEP NOSE DIVE (61A. Plummet … or what this puzzle’s theme answers do) are the interrelated group of this thrashing Thursday crossword. All three result in NOSE as an unnumbered down entry. The print and electronic versions differ in clue numbering. The electronic version has 72 clues with a hyphen to indicate “no clue“, while the print version has 66 clues and is blank where blank is blank. Both have an extra line across, resulting in a 15x16 grid. The electronic version of the crossword appears in this post.Other — ETHIOPIAN (14A. Like Moses’ wife, per Numbers 12:1), FANNIE MAE (40D. Mortgage giant), MAIL SACKS (17A. Loot in an old train robbery), NICHOLSON (6D. Actor in the Best Picture winners of 1975, 1983 and 2006), SEMIOTICS (66A. Robert Langdon’s field in “The Da Vinci Code”), TRANSACTS (69A. Conducts, as a business).
Mid-size — FT DODGE (9D. Old Army base on the Santa Fe Trail, briefly),GETS TO (50D. Bugs), LASAGNA (46D. “Mangia!” dish), 34A. METHOD acting, MR SULU (45A. U.S.S. Enterprise crewman, to Kirk), ON SPEC (8D. Without assignment), 15D. Peppermint PATTIE, SCARE UP (23D. Get ahold of with effort), SEEPS IN (48D. Come through slowly), STEVIE (55A. Nicks of rock), ST PETER (29D. Subject in many a joke), TO SEED (24A. Downhill).
Five-letter — AGING, AHIKE, AKITA (54D. Dog breed Helen Keller introduced to the U.S. in 1937), AMICI, AUNTS, CAKES (7D. They‘re sometimes upside-down), CHORD (38A. Key combination), DANTE (18A. "A great flame follows a little spark" writer), DEEMS and DEMME (1D. “Philadelphia“ director Jonathan), ENTER, FAMED, HAGAR, ITALY, MANLY, MATIN, NBCTV, PRADA, REIMS, REPEL, STAMP, TASSE, THANE, VEERS (56D. Changes course).Short stuff — AHAB, ANSA, BODE, CIGS, COIL, DOLE, ENID, EYES, GIL (4D. Jazz great Evans), HYPO, ICBM (30D. Part of the U.S. arsenal), MBA, MLK, NCO, NEVE, OOFS, OKD, OREM, OSE, PANG, PYRO, RANT, REV, SHA, TAD, THOR (30D. Onetime part of the U.S. arsenal), YRS.
So rarely, Father, are they gathered for triumph or of Caesar or of poet, (fault and shame of human wills,) that the Peneian leaf should bring forth joy unto the joyous Delphic deity, whenever it makes any one to long for it. Great flame follows a little spark : perhaps after me prayer shall be made with better voices… The Divine Comedy, Canto I
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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.
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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 6. Squad leader, e.g.: Abbr.; 9. Oft-talked of; 16. Cawdor title; 19. Monogram of 1964s Nobel Peace laureate; 22. Regards; 25. Sports seasons: Abbr.; 26. Wind up; 28. Coffin nails; 39. “Batman” sound effects; 41. Ignition system expert?; 42. Augur; 43. Jug handle, in archaeology; 44. Turn off; 49. Qualm; 51. “Scream” actress Campbell; 52. Doo-wop syllable; 57. Blow a gasket; 64. Deg. Held by George W. Bush; 65. Senescence; 68. Period before apre-midi; 70. Milan-based fashion label; 71. Sugar suffix. DOWN: 2. “A Farewell to Arms” setting; 3. “Take ___!”; 4. Jazz great Evans; 10. I Kings king; 11. Butch; 12. Welcome word; 13. Regards; 21. Site of Germany’s surrender in W.W. II; 27. Having a permit; 32. Some ‘60s hipsters; 35. Needle, informally; 36. City near Provo; 37. Republican candidate between Bush and Bush; 43. Clara and Harriet, in 1960s TV; 44. Short circuit?; 52. Perforation site; 53. Viking in a Dik Browne strip; 58. Friends of Florence; 59. “More colorful” sloganeer; 60. Café cup; 62. Children’s author Blyton; 67. Whisper.
