Ryan solves the NYT, Tue 11-25-8
I really enjoyed the theme in today’s Caleb Madison puzzle. Let me see if I can somehow explain it in a way that makes sense. Two word phrases with both words containing the same letters in the same order except the vowels switch positions in the second word. Hmm. I guess that makes enough sense. If you’re reading this you’ve probably already figured it out anyway.
17A. Trial jury? (PENAL PANEL).
23A. Wine telemarketer? (CELLAR CALLER).
30A. Lone Star State duties? (TEXAS TAXES).
40A. Late night talk show host’s principles? (CONAN CANON).
49A. Slyly popping a breath mint, e.g.? (TICTAC TACTIC). This is my favorite one. I like the way it sounds and I’ll probably think of it everytime I have a Tictac now. (That actually won’t be too often since Tictacs are pretty lousy mints.)
61A. Sammy’s backup singers? (DAVIS DIVAS).
Other highlights:
19A. “Young Frankenstein” hunchback (IGOR). ”Hump? What hump?” And my other favorite, “Put the candle back!” Great stuff. The broadway musical is closing. I never saw it but I heard it blew. Broadway shows are just too expensive to go to when everybody says they blow.
25A. Detective played by Peter Lorre (MR MOTO). These movies featuring the Jewish Peter Lorre as the Japanese Mr. Moto were released on DVD in 2006. And here’s a comment on that by an “angry Asian American woman”.
46A. ___ Flanders, neighbor of Homer Simpson (NED). I really need to go back and check but it seems like there’s been a Simpsons clue every day since the Will/Merl episode.
8D. Old maker of baseball cards and bubble gum (FLEER). I know this is going to sound like grumpy old man stuff but when I was a kid you could buy a pack of 10-20 baseball cards for a quarter. Nowadays you get a pack of about 6 for $4. Four dollars! Are you nuts? I know the cards are all special now with 3-D crap and lasers and whatnot but good gravy. All I want is a piece of cardboard with the picture on the front and the stats on the back.
10D. Not quite in the majors (TRIPLE A). This clue doesn’t quite make sense to me. If a player is in Triple A you say, “He’s in Triple A” not “He’s Triple A”. The whole thing just seems a little off to me.
34D. Gamecube competitor (XBOX). I don’t have much to say here. I just love the Xbox. If anybody out there is on Xbox live, my gamertag is Ryan the Badaaz. Friend me, baby. Let’s play some Rock Band 2.
41D. Myrmecologist’s box (ANT FARM). Someday I think I’m going to have to get one of these. I think I’ve always been afraid it’ll get knocked over, break, and fill our apartment with deadly, flesh-eating ants. Here’s where you can buy them. Does anybody have any ant farm stories they’d like to share?
Great Tuesday puzzle. Lots of fun fill.
Next stop, Wednesday.
