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The Veery is a small thrush—related to robins and bluebirds and other thrushes. They’re about 6 inches long, have pink legs and a longish, thin bill. They feed on insects and fruit and are common in dense, moist woodlands and along the vegetation near brooks and streams. But getting a glimpse of them may prove difficult. Their reddish-brown upper body has a whitish belly, gray flanks and a gray face and blends beautifully with the forest understory where they scratch for bugs among pine needles and dead leaves. Duncraft.com Wild Bird Blog for Nature Enthusiasts
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Puzzle by Joel Fagliano, edited by Will Shortz
Repetitive double-vowel-A syllables get a work-out in this very playful Monday crossword — RARA AVIS (5D. One in a million); VA-VA-VOOM (10D. “Hubba hubba!”); MAMA SAID (38D. 1961 hit for the Shirelles); PAPA BEAR (40D. Owner of the largest bed Goldilocks tried); LA LA LAND (20A. Dreamy state); BABA WAWA (56A. Gilda Radner character on “S.N.L.”).
Other — LET LOOSE (29A. Unshackle) and OXYMORON (47A. Clearly confused, e.g.) at eight letters each, followed by seven of six — FITS IN (53A. Isn’t an odd one out), JEWFRO (50D. Curly ethnic hairstyle, colloquially), LIVE TV (26A. Broadcast with little room for mistakes), 49A. PAJAMA party (sleepover), PHASER (22A. “Star Trek” weapon), RENAME (48D. Put a new title on), SQUARE (4D. Equilateral quadrilateral), STOP IT (9D. “Cut that out!”).
Five-letter — ADOBE (61A. Hacienda material), APART, ELENA, EMBAR, ICEAX, JABBA, LASSO, LATEN, LEMUR (25D. Ring-tailed primate), MAMBA (65A. Lethal cousin of the cobra), MOBIL, OBAMA (30D. First president not born in the continental U.S.), REPRO (18A. Copy, for short), RULES, SARAH (42A. Politico Palin), SETUP, SICEM (31D. Words to an attack dog), SIXAM, RERAN, UPEND, XEROX (35D. Copy, of a sort), VEERY (28D. Small American thrush).
Short stuff — ACE, ALEX and APEX, AREA and ARIA, ATTN, AXIS, BOMB, DAM, ERR, ESTD, EXES, FAME, FLAT, GAEL, HELM, HOPI, IRAQ and IRAS, JADE, JAGS, JILL, LAPD, LIEU, LIVE, LOTS, MACE, MAXI, MEN, NADA, OXEN, RENT, ROAD, SIRE, TEXT, TSAR, VERA, VEST, WANE (58D. What moons do after full moons).
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