Ryan solves the NYT, 10-28-8
Fun, toe-tapping puzzle by Allan E. Parrish. Took me a little while to figure out what was going on with the theme.
38A. Activity exemplified in the ’60s by the ends of 17-, 28-, 48- and 64-Across (DANCING).
60s dancing styles is just one of the many topics of which I’m completely ignorant. Wikipedia has detailed descriptions of each dance. I was going to copy them here but they are rather long and in the interest of space I will only copy what I feel to be the essence of the dance.
17A. Dickens lad (OLIVER TWIST). The Twist: The torso may be squared.
28A. Small equine (SHETLAND PONY). The Pony: Couples do not touch.
48A. Weightlifer’s lift (CLEAN AND JERK). The Jerk: Check out the dance in a mirror.
64A. Rum/vodka cocktail (BRASS MONKEY). The Monkey: Straighten to original position.
Other highlights:
26A. Red dye (EOSIN). Wasn’t he from the Lord of the Rings? Maybe a nobleman from the House of Eorl?
52A. Oscar winner Marisa (TOMEI). My Cousin Vinny is just one of those movies. The whole thing is quotable and the people who love it (myself included) have it memorized to critically irritiating levels. I always hoped there would be a sequel but it’s probably for the best as it certainly would have sucked.
Jim Horne is back. The official New York Times Crossword Blog is live. Looks like it will be a lot of fun.
Next stop, Wednesday.
