I still have a cold. But I’m a day closer to being done with… well, being done with today’s list of things. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t even try to do Saturday’s puzzle. 1) I had too much to do this weekend. B) I can’t possibly do a Saturday, even if my brain was on fire, and iii) if my brain was on fire, I’d probably not be able to do anything.
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New York Times - 23:38
Philadelphia Inquirer - 25:42
New York Times: Oops!
constructed by Oliver Hill; edited by Will Shortz
Oliver Hill, the wunderkind who created this puzzle, has made a fine little Sunday game. Scattered throughout the grid are the ten most IMPROPERLY SPELLED words of 1999 (65A). Why 1999? I don’t know.
I’m a good speller. But I’m not a good thinker. Despite the clue for 65-Across being very clear in explaining that the answers to the starred clues would be misspelled, I went on to try and spell some of them correctly. I am a fool.
I had a lot of trouble with the upper left, what with the intersection of two abbreviations (CPUS and UTIL), the simile I can apparently never remember (happy as a CLAM), the fact that I was trying to spell MILLENNIA correctly instead of millennium incorrectly (MILLENIUM), the fact that I had no idea “Away In A Manger” was LUTHERAN, and that as of this morning, there’s a brand new breed of imaginary dogs called PULI. The puli (pictured at right) looks like a mop with a mouth.
Other jam spots: the central R in 99D/113A. CURES/ORRIS was a complete mystery, and still is. Wikipedia says that the article on orris does not contain any references or sources. Clearly, it is a sham, and there is no such thing as orris. It must be juiced from the shed fur of the puli.
Once I entered these fake words into the puzzle, I still needed about two minutes to find my errors. I need to return from the gutter, where apparently I think that 88D. Rare imports, maybe is EROTICA instead of EXOTICA. The across there didn’t help (93A. Gen ___) as I thought I was looking for someone’s name. Gen Rer sounds as believable as GEN XER, until I parsed it properly.
Speaking of parsing, I like that 117A. Attempts, while supposedly HAS A GO AT, can also be read as HAS A GOAT. I think I might start using that phrase as a euphism for trying something. “What? You can’t seem to figure out how to fold a fitted sheet? Well, go have a goat, and come back to me in ten minutes.”
Philadelphia Inquirer: Dressing the Part
constructed by Merl Reagle
I’ve probably said this before, and I’ll say it again. I always enjoy Merl Reagle’s puzzles. He’s crafty, clever, playful — it’s a delight. Today’s offering gives us several standard phrases or titles and tailors part of them, altering the meaning to fit the theme of clothing. (See, I can play along, too!)
I realize now that I’ve neglected to include answers in my posts about puzzles which can solve themselves in the Across Lite software. Of course, I was paying no attention to the throngs of you doing the puzzle on normal paper, and turning to the internet (our electronic oracle) for help. So here are those theme answers:
- 23A. Why I need to hem these pants? : MY CUFF RUNNETH OVER
- 36A. Garment-parts trafficking? : THE SLEEVE TRADE
- 53A. Period film that originated the term costume epic? : QUO BODICE — I have no idea what film he’s punning on. In fact, I didn’t even know this was a theme clue until I looked at the finished grid and saw it geometrically corresponded to another one.
- 55A. Singer who’s always in fashion? : PATTI LAPEL
- 63A. Song about searching for sweaters? : BY THE TIME I GET TO V-NECKS
- 78A. Best place in Idaho to find garment parts? : POCKET ELLO – I had no idea what this was a pun for. Apparently, there’s a town in Idaho called “Pocatello.”
- 84A & 94A. A fashion question that Peter Pan is really tired of hearing? : WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLLAR — I haven’t read or seen any version of Peter Pan in at least twenty years (unless you count that movie with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet), so I’m lost on this meaning. Are there scenes in Peter Pan where people annoy him by asking his favorite color? If there’s any clothing-related thing that I associate with Peter Pan, it’s that he has to find needle and thread to sew his shadow back on… Or maybe Wendy sews it on. I’m so foggy (NyQuil + no interest in Peter Pan are a wonderful recipe for at-home amnesia) I don’t even know what I’m talking about.
- 112A. What a fastener-company employee sees? : BUTTON-HEADS ALL DAY — Also lost on the sense of this. What is the real phrase here?
85-Across summarized this puzzle for me: SOLVABLE. Not the most joyous solve, but under a half hour is fine time for me.
I did as much of the fill as I could, and turned to the internet for help. I got most of the middle on my own, helped by a big down clue in 21D. Fictional secret agent (MAXWELL SMART). It helps that I have the latest Entertainment Weekly in my bathroom. Steve Carell can do no wrong, as far as I can see. I will try to see this movie on opening day.
