Friday, May 30 - Natan Last

I knew exactly four answers after my first run through Natan Last's Friday puzzle...38A: Four-legged film star of the '30s (Asta), 44A: Bouncing off the walls (hyper), 10D: Follower of Sha Na Na at Woodstock (Jimi Hendrix) and 35D: She had a 1993 hit with "No Ordinary Love" (Sade).

After that I guessed a few and Googled a few more. Google got me 21A: "The Big Lebowski" director (Coen), 54A: "The Fog of War" director Morris (Errol) and 5D: Peter who wrote "The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde" (Ackroyd). That led to more good guesses, some of which panned out.

Among my favorites (always!) are the multiword answers at 14A: Soapmaking compound (oleic acid), 16A: Living end (bee's knees)...is it one bee or multiple bees?, 24A: Occupies (stays at), 27A: Not view innocently (leer at), 37A: "Without __" (Grateful Dead album) (a Net), 55A: Old comedian known for his unique piano-playing style (Chico Marx), 58A: "Oh well" (c'est la vie)...a very good guess with only one letter in place, 60A: "My parents are gonna kill me!" (I am so dead), 21D: Question while eying someone else's plate (can I try some)...Elaine would very quietly say, "I wonder what that tastes like"...it was too cute, 25D: Be a whipping boy (take the rap), 26D: "__ Forget" (Harbach/Kern tune) (Try to), and 39D: Eschew aid (fly solo).

I'm curious to know (but at 11:30, it's too late to spend the time to find out) if we have debuts with 1A: Elaborate procedure (rigmarole) and/or 11D: Clears (exonerates). I'll have to hope that JimH covered that in his blog.

My favorite clue was also my very best guess...49A: Keys (isles).

For some reason, I was exhausted after solving the puzzle and took a two-hour nap on the couch. I was startled awake by Dooley's furious barking. In the wake of seventeen arson fires in the last couple of months (five of them at a co-worker's home, one at the home of a former member of our board, and one at the new apartment complex we're building for the chronically homeless), you can bet we checked things out. All seems well now, and Dooley is resting comfortably.

It'll be midnight before I get into bed, so I'd better wrap this one up. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, February 2 - Natan Last

It's only been a couple of weeks since Natan Last's amazing trigonometry puzzle appeared in the New York Times. Today he serves up a themeless puzzle that's chock full of one of my favorite things.

Multiword answers.

20A: Convict (bring to justice). If you put the accent on the first syllable, as I initially did, you probably had a tough time coming up with a plausible answer.

32A: Has as a foundation (rests on).

50A: "She's gonna blow!" (run for it).

6D: Snapped (lost one's cool).

7D: Ecstatic (on top of the world).

11D: A jiffy (no time).

21D: Quality that's hard to express (je ne sais quoi). It's one of my favorite French expressions...right up there with "joi de vivre."

33D: 1979 film with sequels II to VI (Star Trek).

36D: Popular dish in an Asian cuisine (Pad Thai).

Some very clever cluing, as well...8A: Tree (corner), 14A: Spinners, for short (DJs)...not LPs or CDs, 22A: Meter readers? (poets), 31A: Italian mine (mio), 46A: Seemingly silent types (ventriloquists), 8D: Option for wings (Cajun), 13D: Least spotted (rarest) and 22D: Event for a king and queen (prom).

I thought this might be a pangram. Unless I'm missing something, though,there's no X or Y. But there are plenty of Scrabbly letters.

The best word in the grid...hands down.. is 2D: Neighbor of Somalia (Djibouti). The combination of letters can't be beat. I was sure I had something wrong when I ended up with DJ as the first two letters...before I'd read the clue.

Other great answers:

17A: Having the most pizazz (zippiest), sharing its Z with 1D: Hoelike cutting tool (adz)...a crossword staple. It will behoove you to remember it.

19A: Cap and bells wearer (jester).

36A: Easter-related (Paschal).

38A: Norm of "This Old House" (Abram).

41A: Coup d' __ (survey made with a glance) (oeil).

3D: Brewed drink (espresso). Not my favorite, but I'm a sucker for lattes. I get them with vanilla soy milk and a sprinkling of raw sugar...delicious. Don and I could probably retire now if it weren't for my expensive coffee habit. I don't even want to know how much we paid to coffee shops last year.

26D: Father of Harmonia (Ares).

34D: Prophet of Thebes, struck blind by Athena when he accidentally saw her bathing (Tiresias).

39D: Zyzzyva, e.g. (beetle). Okay, so the clue is the better word...and I'm pretty sure it appeared in a puzzle in the last year or so. Maybe fellow blogger Jim will check it out and let us know. For those of you who have long wondered, here's what a zyzzyva looks like. For those of you who forgot (again!) what a zyzzyva was, you probably weren't alone.

40D: Malignity (rancor). Again, the clue is a crossword-worthy word. Not to say that the answer isn't.

42D: Protein-rich paste (miso). I used it in a soup several years ago...a very simple soup with some greens and tofu. Delicious.

Things I didn't know and got from crosses:

4A: Hershey brand (Rolo). I know the name but didn't know they were a Hershey candy. My favorite Hershey candy is Special Dark anything.

15A: Southern university whose campus is a botanical garden (Elon). I think I've seen this before but didn't remember it.

33A: "Rugrats" dad (Stu). My girls weren't Rugrats fans...and that was just fine. There were plenty of movies that were watched ad nauseum for a long, long time.

52A: Ferris Bueller's girlfriend (Sloane). Too long ago. I'm happy to remember his name.

54A: Where the utricle is (ear). It was either that or eye...not hard to figure out which.

57A: The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. (KSU). I've gotten better with the names of professional teams, but I can't keep up with all of the college teams. If everyone had only one sport...maybe. But with basketball, football, baseball and hockey...it's too much to expect. I now know they're basketball...just Googled them.

5D: Two-time figure-skating Olympic gold medalist Protopopov (Oleg). I only had the E and thought it might be Alex or Alec.

18D: British P.M. when the U.S. Constitution was signed (Pitt). Very Saturday cluing.

27D: Former Giant Robb __ (Nen). If they hadn't put the blank in the clue, I wouldn't have known if it was Robb Nen or Nen Robb.

47D: Oscar-winning French film director __ Clément (René). That's what I had guessed, and it panned out.

51D: Robert Morse Tony-winning role (Tru).

It's time to wrap this up. We're gathering at church in a couple hours to make twelve pans of lasagne to put in the freezer. If someone needs a meal because of illness or death in the family and no one can do it on short notice, we'll be ready. The bad news is I don't get to stay home all day. Because it's only a mile and a half, I can get there and back without driving. So it will still be a no-drive day...and I'll get in some much-needed exercise.

Enjoy your day. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, January 20 - Natan Last

The boy wonder returns! Sixteen-year-old Natan Last...Will's neighbor, if I'm not mistaken...delivers his first Sunday New York Times puzzle.

And it's nothing short of brilliant.

Before I get into the theme, I want to address the discrepancy between the print and online versions. An additional clue had to be added to make it work in Across Lite...so nothing after 56A will match up. Thanks to Crossword Fiend for a heads-up on this [and for letting me know that 17-year-old Natan isn't Will's neighbor...that's Oliver Hill.]

I'll include the clue numbers for both...the first will be the online number, and the paper version will appear after in [red]. I'll also post both solutions (identical, except for the numbering) at the end...large enough that you should be able to see the numbers.

Here goes...

The theme is revealed at 81 [80]A: Subject of this puzzle [and proceeding counterclockwise] (TRIGONOMETRY)...making a very nice triangle. In the paper, there is no number at the E. The online version, though, shows it as 57D, clued as [See 81-Across].

The three functions...sine (sin), cosine (cos) and tangent (tan)...each appear twice in the grid, contained in one square. The theme answers are:

12A: "The Simpsons" character who often refers to himself in the third person (DISCO STU), crossing at 15D: "Seinfeld" character (COSMO KRAMER). Two shows I've never seen, but I've heard enough about both of them.

24A: Something to play (CAT AND MOUSE), crossing with 6D: See 37-Across (SATAN)...another theme answer (see next).

37A: One succumbing to 6-Down (SINNER), crossing with 3D: Whence the line "Into the eternal darkness; into fire and into ice" (DANTE'S INFERNO)...the giveaway that we were looking at a rebus.

105A [104A]: Strip joints? (CASINOS), crossing with 70D [69D]: Like things (TWO PEAS IN A POD)...my favorite answer.

108A [107A]: Buttonholes (ACCOSTS), crossing with 80D [79D]: Aggressiveness (BELLICOSITY).

117A [116A]: Like any points on a circle, from the center (EQUIDISTANT), crossing with 113D [112D]: Anthem part (STANZA)...which gave away the second function. That sent me hunting for the third...in corners where I had a lot of blanks up to that point.

Was I kidding about brilliant? And some of the fill is just phenomenal.

22A: How Mulan dresses in much of "Mulan" (as a man)...a gimme.

26A: Numbers game (Sudoku)...this may be its first appearance in a NYT puzzle.

44A: "Don't worry about me" (I'm fine).

46A: Archbishop Tutu (Desmond)...the clue was too easy for a Sunday, though.

57A: Home of Canadian P.M. Stephen Harper (Alberta).

62A [61A]: When the sun is directly overheard (at midday)...not high noon or at twelve.

67A [66A]: Facilities (restrooms).

73A [72A]: Thin-framed, big-footed woman of cartoons (Olive Oyl).

88A [87A]: Skateboarder's accessory (kneepad). I've never tried it. I had enough accidents on rollerblades...the worst injury happened when I landed on my rear and got a severe case of whiplash. That meant it was time to hang them up.

90A [89A]: Rim in which a gem is set (collet).

91A [90A]: Guessing game (Hangman)...the girls used to play that for hours.

97A [96A]: Jazz singer Nina (Simone).

110A [109A]: New York governor after Pataki (Spitzer).

115A [114A]: Drink whose name is Tahitian for "good" (mai tai). I never much cared for them, but they flow freely (and free) in Hawaii, so I acquired a taste for them.

1D: "Speed-the-Plow" playwright (Mamet).

7D: PC data reader (CD drive).

11D: What those in agreement are said to be of (one mind).

17D: "__ pro omnibus, omnes pro uno" (unus). One for all, all for one.

19D: 1950s stereotype (beatnik).

25D: Joan Rivers's daughter and TV co-host (Melissa). I hope she won't follow in her mother's footsteps...to the plastic surgeon. Enough is enough.

47D: "Love of loves" (my darling)...I wanted something in Spanish or French.

53D: Oaf (sad sack). Does anyone else remember the comic book character by that name?

82D [81D]: Played (gambled).

89D [88D]: Poop (exhaust).

92D [91D]: Relic (antique).

112D [111D]: Jerry Scott/Jim Borgman comic (Zits)...one of my all-time favorites. I feel sorry for poor Connie and Walt...

There was also some great cluing.

27A: They're left behind (estates).

32A: Saw things (teeth).

40A: It might be silver (lining).

52A: Single, for one: Abbr. (syn)...the most clever clue in the puzzle.

56A: Star in old westerns (badge). Until I figured out where they were going, I had LaRue...a crossword regular.

60A [59A]: "Great" boy detective (Nate). When I was a TA, one of the students signed his papers N8. Does that make the boy detective GR8?

78A [77A]: Chest protector (ribcage).

100A [99A]: Gag reflex? (ha ha).

125A [124A]: Salty septet (seas). I think we've had that before, clued the same way.

61D [60D]: Place for a swing (tee).

79D [78D]: "Do what you want" (I don't care).

[UPDATE: Thanks to Wendy for pointing out the error in the grids...not in one, but both! 86A [85A] clued as [Thought] is ideated, crossing with 66D [65D] Makes up? (elates). I was trying to get elaborates in there...when I knew there was a rebus...apparently I never went back and fixed things!]

With that, I'm going to wrap this up. I'm cross-eyed from going back and forth between the two puzzles.

Here are the grids, with the online version appearing first...



...followed by the print version.



And I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Tuesday, July 17 - Natan Last

I don't recall seeing Natan Last's name on a New York Times puzzle before. If this is a debut, Natan...job well done.

[Update: Thanks to reader, Liffey Thorpe, for the following comment: "According to Will Shortz's post in today's puzzle comments, Natan Last is a high school student and the fifth-youngest constructor to be published in the NYT."]

The theme is revealed at 64A: How the answer to each of the nine starred clues repeats (at both ends)...and the nine theme answers are:

17A: 1942 film with the line "What makes saloonkeepers so snobbish?" (Casablanca). I remember the movie but not the line.

24A: Bench sharer (teammate).

41A: Japanese grill (hibachi). Everyone had a hibachi in the early seventies. I don't remember the last time I saw one--either the word or the grill itself. Great fill.

56A: Underwater creature whose males give birth (seahorse). If humans reproduced that way, how do you suppose it would affect the birth rate in this country?

10D: They live on acres of Acre's (Israelis).

11D: Rick Blaine in 17-Across, e.g. (lead role). Two theme answers connected...very nice.

27D: Many-acred homes (estates). We had 30 acres in Arkansas, but I don't think of that as an estate. The house would have had to be larger than the 1,200 square feet that it was.

39D: Classic Chinese military treatise, with "The" (Art of War). I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know this. I haven't had a history class since the late sixties, and I just didn't retain that bit of information.

40D: Fearful 1917-20 period (Red Scare). According to this article, there was a second period from the late 40s to the late 50s.

Other things I didn't know...but was able to get from crosses:

1A: Rocker Ocasek (Ric). Many of you know that he was the lead singer for the Cars, but I didn't have a clue until I looked him up here.

31A: "Illmatic" rapper (Nas). I don't do rap.

3D: Sportscaster Bob (Costas). If it isn't Howard Cosell, I don't know him...which in no way implies that I liked Howard Cosell.

58D: Mario __, Nintendo racing game (Kart). I know as little about Nintendo as I know about sports.

49D: River nymphs, in Greek myth (naiads). I actually know the word. I just never remember how the @&%# to spell it. Those vowels make absolutely no sense.

But did you notice how many times X appeared in the grid? Three times, for a total of six X words--four of them all in one area. Would that be the Texas portion of the grid? My geography isn't very good, either...the last geography class I took was around the time of John Kennedy's assassination. Anyway, the X words:

9D: Instrument that wails (sax). Guitars, for the record, gently weep. Sax crosses with 19A: Look inside? (Xray).

59A: Fort __, N.J. (Dix), crossing with 60D: More, in commercialese (Xtra).

65D: Be a pugilist (box), crossing at 72A: The "S" in WASP (Saxon). That's awfully close to sax, but I'll allow almost anything for an X in the grid.

I always enjoy multiword answers. Today we have 15A: Walt Whitman's "__ the Body Electric" (I Sing), 48A: When Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled (at dawn), and 14D: Start liking (warm to).

Not a multiword answer, but when I look at the grid I keep seeing it as one. 69A: Bor-r-ring voice (drone) keeps looking like Dr. One.

In addition to Casablanca, there are several other film-related answers, including:

44A: "Me, Myself & __," 2000 Jim Carrey film (Irene). Didn't see it. I can only take Jim Carrey in small doses.

46A: Peter of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (O'Toole). Read the book, didn't see the film.

55A: Actor Milo (O'Shea).

8D: Christie who created Hercule Poirot (Agatha). Books and films.

Favorite clues include 37A: You might crack one while playing (smile) and 36D: It might need to be settled (score).

My friend and fellow blogger, Rex Parker, is away (62A: Not at home). This post also appears at his site. I'll be there for the Wednesday puzzle as well.

Linda G