Thursday, May 22 - Richard Silvestri

If I could read and write, I'd probably have an easier time with crossword puzzles. I don't know what it is lately, but I've had a problem with both...more about that after the theme.

Richard Silvestri's puzzle really wasn't very Thursday-ish. I had two problem areas...both caused by operator error. Otherwise, I might have almost breezed through this one.

The theme is revealed at 38D: Sign...or a description of the answers to the six starred cues? (omen).

And the six O-men are:

17A: *Five-time Wimbledon winner (Björn Borg)...the best-looking one of the bunch. This was my writing error. While saying it correctly in my head, I wrote Bjorg Born...making for a bit of a mess in that area.

24A: *"Numb3rs" star (Rob Morrow). I've never seen it...or even heard of it...but he's actually not bad looking.

51A: *Harpers Ferry raider (John Brown).

64A: *"Newhart" actor (Tom Poston).

3D: *Famed restaurateur (Toots Shor). Here he is with Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe...some time in the fifties.

36D: *Co-star of "The Andy Griffith Show" (Don Knotts). Did anyone else have Ron Howard at first? He's another O-man.

Favorite clues in this one include 22A: Start court proceedings? (serve), 30A: Fire proof? (ash), 31A: "Son of" story (sequel), 47A: Howard in shorts (Moe)...two days in a row, 69A: Catfish Row denizen (Bess), 4D: Perfect pitch (strike), 10D: Vesta, Pallas or Hygiea (asteroid)...a good guess with only two letters in place, 27D: Orly : Paris :: Gardermoen : __ (Oslo), 40D: Athletes on horses (gymnasts)...clever, and 56D: Yclept (named)...that's a new one for me.

My reading problem was at 68A: Classic spy plane. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how UTWO could be correct. I checked and rechecked every answer in that corner until it finally registered...U2. Is it time to turn in my Pentel?

A few more noteworthy answers before I wrap it up. 1A: Lively group? (arts), 5A: Volkswagen route (Bahn), 41A: "The Last Supper," e.g. (mural), 44A: Be deceitful (palter), 57A: 252-gallon unit (tun)...who knew?, 63A: Parsonage (manse)...I'm sure we've had it before, but I needed crosses to get it tonight, 2D: Red, as a Spanish wine (roja), 7D: Silent film star (Harpo), and 28D: " __ paratus" (motto of the U.S. Coast Guard) (Semper)...I think that's Latin for "Always Keep the Boat Afloat." Not really...it's Always Ready.

Skating queen Sonja Henie appears at 53D: "Sun Valley Serenade" star, 1941. Way before my time, but I remember hearing about her when I was a kid. She won her first gold medal at the age of fifteen. You can read more about her here.

That's it for tonight. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, May 7 - Richard Silvestri

Richard Silvestri delivers a fun Wednesday puzzle...right on the heels of his Sunday puzzle, Poplar Music.

I enjoyed this theme far more than Sunday's...four in-the-language phrases, clued in relation to baseball teams.

17A: Musial's 6 and Gibson's 45? (Cardinal numbers).

27A: Pregame practice in Cincinnati? (Red pepper).

48A: AT&T Park standout? (Giant star).

62A: Prospects for a New York pennant? (Met expectations).

We had dinner tonight with a friend, so I was late getting to the puzzle and blog. My goal is to be finished by 10:00...which means I have ten minutes.

I was impressed with much of the fill. My favorites, either because of the clue or the answer:

5A: Big jerk (spasm).

10A: Author O'Flaherty (Liam). I think I remember this from just a couple of days ago...or am I making that up?

15A: White house (igloo). This one is made out of milk jugs.

21A: Grabs some shut-eye (snoozes).

42A: Ledger entry (debit)...twice in one week. Don couldn't believe it.

43A: Coffeehouse order (latte). My regular is a soy latte, occasionally with one shot of regular and one of decaf...you know, so I don't get overly wired.

53A: Adak native (Aleut).

54A: With "El," British victory site of 1942 (Alamein).

58A: Wild (feral). The friend we had dinner with is very active in the feral cat project here in town. They trap the cats and have them neutered...then they're returned to the same place they were found. Five or six of them continue to live in her back yard. Even after neutering, they're still a bit jumpy when she comes outside with food.

68A: Part of N.B. (nota). Nota bene...Latin for note well.

4D: Snatch (kidnap).

5D: Sloth, for one (sin)...I'll bet that faked out a few who were thinking of the animal.

10D: Inspiration for "Rent" (La Bohème).

11D: Don Juan's mother (Inez).

24D: Closing passage (epilog).

25D: City in central Missouri (Sedalia).

34D: Man of Principle? (Peter). Some of these just made me giggle. I must be tired.

40D: Adjective for a 1-Down (TexMex), referring to taco [Snack in a shell]. How can you not love a word that has more than one X in it? Also liked its cross at 47A: Earl in the court of Elizabeth I (Essex).

I managed to get 2D: One of TV's "Two and a Half Men" (Alan), but I have no idea who it refers to. It's too late for me to Google it, so I hope someone out there knows.

That's it for tonight. Not bad...it's only 10:15.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, May 4 - Richard Silvestri

Some time during the night, a nasty little bug crept up and hit me...or maybe it hadn't been allergies these past few days. Whatever the cause, I feel like crud (also appearing at 20A: "Darn it!").

It's true that I love a pun more than most, but I wasn't enamored with this theme. In order to get the theme answers...takes on once-popular (poplar) songs, as they relate to trees...you had to know the song before you could figure out the pun.

24A: 1977 Dolly Parton song for tree fanciers? (Here You Gum Again). "Here You Come Again" was a catchy tune and certainly fit a relationship I was in at the time. The only problem I had with it was the use of "filling up my senses" in the lyrics. That line belongs to "Annie's Song" by John Denver...and it always will.

33A: 1965 Yardbirds song for tree fanciers? (Fir Your Love). It took me forever to remember "For Your Love" but only a second to guess how that one would be punned.

50A: 1957 Jerry Lee Lewis song for tree fanciers? (Great Balsa Fire). In this case, I knew the song, but couldn't think of a tree that would fit. Funny...I think of balsa as wood (remember the old airplanes?) but for some reason don't associate it with a tree.

61A: 1964 Bobby Goldsboro song for tree fanciers? (Cedar Funny Little Clown). I could only remember "Honey," so I had to get a good bit of crosses before this one revealed itself. It would help tremendously if I could remember how to spell 47D: Musical Rimes (LeAnn). It looks so easy.

79A: 1982 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts song for tree fanciers? (Olive Rock 'n Roll). I don't know where I was in 1982, but I don't remember "I Love Rock 'n Roll"...I'll head to YouTube after I finish this post to jog my memory.

90A: 1959 Chuck Berry song for tree fanciers? (Elmost Grown). Don't recall "Almost Grown" either.

107A: 1978 Linda Ronstadt song for tree fanciers? (Pawpaw Pitiful Me). This one holds special memories. When Leslie would start with one of her (then quite frequent) pity parties, one or another member of the family would break into the first line of the song "Well, I laid my head on the railroad tracks waitin' on the Double E." That's about as much as it took to get Leslie laughing, and she'd join in on the song. As time went on, she would often start it herself...and to use it on others of us who deserved it. I'll be sure to tell her it was in today's puzzle, and that she was featured in the blog.

I put much more effort into the theme answers than I had planned...coughing all the while...and now I'm exhausted. But much of the non-theme fill was so good, and I can't leave out my favorites.

1A: Craving, slangily (Jones).

21A: Mountain chain (cordillera). I was trying to think of a particular chain that began with C.

26A: Bridal collection (trousseau). One of only a few gimmes of any real substance.

29A: Nominal promotion of a military officer (brevet). I didn't know that...got it from crosses, then Don confirmed it.

32A: Inner circles (cadres)...I've always loved the look and sound of that word.

41A: Nirvana seeker (Yogi).

42A: World capital, founded in 1538, formerly known as Chuquisaca (Sucre).

44A: Suffix with myth (ical)...just because it looked so funny every time I saw it later in the grid.

89A: Flight formation (vee). I read the clue as flight information, so I entered ET*. The cross at 72D: Chick on the piano (Corea)...great clue...fixed that one.

110A: Palate part (uvula).

2D: "A Jug of Wine..." poet (Omar). This was the site of another stupid mistake. I had the O and the R and knew the answer, but what I wrote ended up as OMRR. Try to find the answer to 23A: Nick name? (Santa) with R as the second letter...another very clever clue.

6D: Key fort? (McHenry).

8D: Ashram leader (Guru). Ashram appears again...yesterday it was an answer.

14D: Tito Puente played them (timbales). When I'm hungry, that looks like it should be something to eat.

51D: Place for an easel (atelier).

63D: Ledger entry (debit). Don loved this answer...I don't think that debits and credits make it to the New York Times all that often.

65D: __-Poo of "The Mikado" (Nanki).

66D: 1970s-'80s baseball All-Star Manny (Trillo).

78D: Laura of "Blue Velvet" (Dern). That was one of the movies I was forced to sit through during a World's Greatest Films class. I'm sure it was only included because that particular professor liked something about it...it's certainly not a classic, and I didn't see anything great about it.

96D: Words before bed or rest (put to). I had everything except the first letter and was sure I had something wrong. I did...I was trying to read it as one word.

I'm failing fast, so I need to wrap this up. A couple of favorite clues:

30A: Sugar substitute? (hon).

68A: It's spotted in the wild (ocelot).

72A: Tippy transport (canoe).

74A: Bank deposit? (silt).

101A: Do police work (keep order).

111A: Sing "Bye Bye Birdie," e.g. (alliterate).

116A: Red army? (ants).

43D: Nut holder (U-bolt).

52D: One way to be taken (aback).

73D: Rough condition to face? (acne).

105D: Salmon tail? (ella).

Don is off doing a 50K bike ride to raise money for our local equivalent of the Ronald McDonald house. For many reasons, I'm glad I didn't sign up for it...but I don't think I'll get much done while he's gone.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, September 5 - Richard Silvestri

As I suspected, the Wednesday puzzle was easier to get through than Tuesday's. I got hung up briefly in a few spots but was able to work around them and finish in a decent time.

Before I get into the specifics of the puzzle, I want to say Happy Birthday to my little brother, Mikey. Most of us call him Michael (or Mike) now, but he'd answer to Mikey if any of us called him that again. He's a loving (and loved) grandpa, father, husband, son and brother. I purposely reversed the order...it seems that he's gotten even better with each new role. I love you, Michael...you're such a blessing to so many.

And now we return to your regularly scheduled puzzle blog.

The theme of Richard Silvestri's puzzle is a three-part "idle" question, with answers at 21A, 42A and 60A: If vegetarians eat / vegetables, what do / humanitarians eat?

This was pretty easy for a Wednesday, but there was some interesting fill.

I loved that 34A: Robbie Knievel's father (Evel) crossed with 34D: Satanic (evil). Although they didn't cross, we also had 69A: Pad paper? (lease)...clever clue, that one...and 57D: Collar attachment (leash).

25A: Canasta plays (melds). I think this appeared in another NYT within the last couple of months. My mother taught all four of us to play canasta in the late sixties, and I remember two things...we used two decks of cards, and a seven-card meld is a canasta. You can read more about the game here.

45A: Book before Jeremiah (Isaiah). This is one of the better names in the Bible. I like the AIA combination.

51A: Rover's pal (Fido). Dooley and Barnabas thought I should mention that those are silly names for dogs.

3D: Pre-chrysalis stage (larva). Gross...but cool.

5D: Call at first (safe). Does this count as getting a sports clue?

10D: Miles from Plymouth (Standish). An appropriately deceptive clue. I'm sure there were many solvers who tried to think what city that might have been. I was happy to get this with only the D in place.

27D: Language from which "safari" comes (Swahili).

43D: Masterful (talented). I was thrown off a bit by the -ed ending, but eventually had enough letters to figure it out.

56D: Molded jelly (aspic). That sounds so unappetizing. I actually had tomato aspic at a potluck last month and it was delicious.

62D: Square thing (meal). Another clever clue.

There were a few things I didn't know and will try to remember in the future:

55A: Cambria, today (Wales). Easy enough to guess, though.

6D: Painter Mondrian (Piet). A few of his pieces are shown in this article.

53D: Parson's place (manse). Why is it that I have never heard this word used?

54D: Big shot (nabob)...or this one?

Today was my first day working full time in years. It was hard to stay awake and productive for eight hours, but I did it. I then spent two hours checking out sites for wedding receptions (many of the places in town are booked for all of 2008) and discovered that for $2,500 you can get a large room or yard, and maybe a couple of tables if you're lucky. It's a very good thing that I'm working full time.

Here's today's grid...



...and I hope to see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, June 6 - Richard Silvestri

Today's puzzle went down easier than yesterday's. Must be that Richard Silvestri added a spoonful of sugar. Y not?

The four theme answers were common words/phrases, except the last word of each had a variation on the spelling -- changing the I to Y.

20A: Stealing some computer memory? (taking a byte)

54A: Always use the term "coloring agent"? (never say dye)

11D: Ways to make lefts and rights? (turnstyles)

29D: Assorted hydroxides? (pack of lyes). Especially interesting in that it followed Tuesday's Leader of the Pack theme.

Nice to see Kelly Clarkson clued (along with Taylor Hicks) at 17A (Idol). I'll confess that I've never seen an episode of American Idol, but I've seen some of the winners perform since they won. Kelly Clarkson is more than the first winner--she's the best of them. I was hoping to see her in Las Vegas as part of her tour, but it conflicts with our Hawaii trip. Now it looks as though I'll have to drive to Denver to see her in July. Maybe we can get a hotel within walking distance of The Pepsi Center.

There were several words in this puzzle that I absolutely did not know, although I was able to get them with crosses.

9A: Perfume from petals (attar)

13D: Basketball's Tomjanovich (Rudy). Never heard of him, but I like his last name.

32D: Cordwood measure (stere). It's a cubic meter.

57D: Sledge (dray). We've had sledge before as an answer, but I don't remember how it was clued. I'm fairly certain it wasn't clued as "dray."

Words I really liked seeing in the puzzle, or clues that I thought were 51D: First-rate (primo). That's one of them.

3D: Running __ (amok). For as long as I can remember, I have liked that expression. One of my favorite movies is The American President. Annette Bening's character, Sydney Ellen Wade, apologizes to President Andrew Shepherd (played by Michael Douglas) for behavior she describes as "vanity run amok." Love the expression...love the movie. Come to think of it, I'm about due to watch it again.

22D: Get to the point? (taper). That clue ties in with the more graphic 19A: Like unfortunate bullfighters (gored).

26D: Outfielder's asset (arm). It's simplicity makes it great.

34D: Makeshift screwdriver (dime). Now I know that it's perfectly fine to use something else in a pinch. It's been validated by the New York Times! I would have preferred that it referred to a knife, since I tend to use that more often, but...

43D: Audio receiver (ear). They used to get me with this one...time and again. No more.

63A: Tiger club (iron). I thought they were looking for Tiger Beat, but that wasn't working out. A couple of the downs...and...voilà!

Alas (25A: "Too bad!"), it's getting late, and I have much to do before bed.

Linda G

Wednesday, May 2 - Richard Silvestri

It's deja vu all over again!

For those of you who didn't do Joy Andrews's Tuesday Sun puzzle, the theme was Artoo. Some of us thought it might contain endless playground retorts; instead, she added AR to some well-known names and/or phrases. See the completed grid and commentary here.

Today, Richard Silvestri does a similar trick, adding NY (for New York?), as well as a comic twist to the clues.

The three theme clues and answers are:

20A: Coin thrown for good luck? (Fountain penny)

38A: Result of sitting on a court bench too long? (Basketball fanny)

51A: Bugged Bugs? (Hot Cross bunny)

A few clues/answers that stumped me.

14A: Hebrides island (Iona).

41A: "The Morning Watch" author (Agee). We had ogee yesterday, but I knew that one.

44A: Neurotic TV dog (Ren). Have heard of Ren and Stimpy, but didn't know he was a dog.

12D: Taiwan Strait city (Amoy).

Things I remembered from long ago:

13D: Answer to the riddle of the Sphinx (man), cleverly tied to 21D: Before Oedipus, who could answer the riddle of the Sphinx (no one).

25D: Storybook elephant (Babar). Who doesn't remember Babar?

8D: Like House elections (biennial). Before I looked at the down clue, I saw BIEN and figured it was a Spanish phrase.

Things I really liked:

25A: Grand Canyon beast (burro). This reminded me of one of my favorite pieces of classical music, the Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé. According to Wikipedia, "it consists of 5 parts or movements, each an evocation in tone of a particular scene typical of the Grand Canyon." I can hear the burro's footsteps.

48D: Cousin of a mink (otter). What I like is that I remember it from the last time it appeared in a puzzle.

32D: "You got it!" (Bingo). That reminds me of the song about the farmer and his dog, which in turn reminds me of another clue/answer in the Sun puzzle referenced above. Clued as "...had a farm" follower, the answer was EIEIO. Didn't Orange do something funny with that in the last month or so?

61A: Waters seen on Broadway (Ethel). D'oh--Waters, not waters.

62A: Creatures of habit? (nuns). Clever clue. I almost missed it.

And my favorite:

4D: Waikiki locale (Oahu). I love everything about Hawaii. We spent several weeks on the big island, Maui and Oahu about two years ago. We're going back in September, and we'll spend two weeks on Kauai.

I think I'll go dream about it...good night.

Linda G