Ryan is solving the NYT, Sat 12-27-8
Oy vey. I have most of the bottom third of this Karen M. Tracey puzzle but I’m completely stuck up top.
Here’s what I do have:
48A. Rudolph Valentino type (LATIN LOVER).
55A. Parting words (ADIOS AMIGO).
57A. Class-conscious figure (DEAN).
58A. Letter getter (PO BOX).
60A. Pines (YENS).
61A. Verse (POESY).
Those are all the acrosses in the bottom right. I’m pretty sure those are all correct. In the bottom left I have:
43D. Evening news hour (TEN PM).
44D. Centipede producer (ATARI). This one I got right away. There’s another Centipede clue up top (20A. Centipede alternative) but I’m clueless on that one. Not sure if it is also referencing the game or the animal.
26D. Constraint (INHIBITION). This one I’m not sure about.
36D. Laugh-a-minute sort (RIOT).
41A. Literary supporter (BOOKCASE). Not sure about this one either.
Ok, just got 20A. Centipede alternative (DONKEY KONG). I think I’ve got 1D. Office stamp (PAID). 2D. Further (ERGO). 9D. Be amorous with, in Britain (SNOG).
And one that’s a big guess is 11D. Net (AFTER TAXES). It fits but I haven’t been able to get anything to cross with it.
Since I’m already feeling like a bit of idiot here I thought I’d bring up something that’s been a source of wonderment for a while. I have a number of NY Times puzzle omnibuses and all the puzzles seem much, much, much harder than the current offerings. I feel, at this point, I can no-google Monday through Thursday with regularity but I can barely finish any of the puzzles in these books. So have the puzzles become easier? Or is a 10 year old puzzle simply going to be harder by virtue of it being 10 years old?
Ok, I’m going to keep at this puzzle for a while. If I can somehow make progress or, heavens, no-google I’ll post an update.
Next stop, Sunday.
