Words: 76
Average Length: 5.00
Here’s a gently springy puzzle for early April, as well as a poem that I wrote after walking around the neighborhood.
Spring in My Feet
Einstein-haired forsythias wave
To daffodils who bow and brave
The bagpipe drone and wheeze of blowers
Lofting leaves among the flowers
Callow cherries blush with pride,
Their elders slumber on and bide
The time til arthritic limbs
Break out in pinkly glorious hymns
Zoysia steals more Zs before
It grudgingly comes green once more,
For now the onion grass stands guard
While squirrels scrabble ‘cross the yard
Weekday children walk to school
In shorts though temps be cold not cool,
Weekend farmers make their beds
With shredded hardwood, blacks and reds.
I’m glad my verse you did indulge;
My friends I thank you very mulch.
Words: 11
Average Length: 4.55
This is the last Venn Mini for a bit – they’re a bit of a pain to construct, to be honest. Same rules as always: each half of the clue is like a circle in a Venn Diagram; the answer falls in the intersection of the clues and is something they have in common – it could be a name, a place, the same word used in different context, or some other commonality. Explanations follow the photo.
1A – You BASTE a turkey and a seam
6A – Shaq and the Great One both played CENTER, though in different sports. (Seeing Shaq ice skate might be interesting!)
7A – HAVANA was a hit for Camilla Cabello, and the USS Maine sank in Havana harbor, igniting the Spanish-American War
8A – EDITS as a verb includes cuts; director’s cuts may be considered EDITS used as a noun. I apologize for this one, which is the real weak link in the grid.
9A – Spike LEE; a shelter is on the LEE side
1D – BEAD is associated with drops of sweat and Mardi Gras
2D – One of the bones in your ear is the ANVIL, which is also used in a forge
3D – STATE of matter (liquid) and of the union
4D – Future is a TENSE, a cliffhanger is tense
5D – ERA – as an acronym for the Equal Rights Amendment, which was supported by NOW (the National Organization for Women), and for Earned Run Average, a key pitching stat
6D – CHE is the narrator of Evita, and Michael Che is known from SNL
Words: 74
Average Length: 5.05
Well here’s a surprise: a puzzle combining music and food. Whatever conclusions you might draw from my proclivity for this combination likely are correct. (For another example, see Meals in Motown.)
Words: 10
Average Length: 4.20
Think of each half of each clue as a circle in a Venn diagram. The answer will lie in the intersection of the two circles. It could be a name, a word with different meanings in each context, a common component, or something else they share.
Spoilers/explanations below the photo
1A: SPOCK – Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote what was, for a long time, the baby care bible. Mr. Spock, of course, needs no introduction. Live long and prosper!
6A: THREE – Lithium’s atomic number and Dale Earnhardt’s car number
7A: DADDY – Daddy Yankee was featured on Despacito and Daddy Warbucks is a main character in Annie
8A: SEE – The government of the Catholic Church (Holy See) operates from the Vatican, and you “see” in poker when you match a bet
9A: ERS – as in emergency rooms and “ers” when someone is searching for a word
1D: STD – a reg (regulation) is a standard (std), and the “clap” is slang for gonorrhea, a kind of sexually transmitted disease
2D: PHASE – the “terrible twos” is considered a phase, and liquid is a phase (state) of matter
3D: ORDER – is a categorization in taxonomy (between family and class), and a monastery generally is populated by monks of a specific order (e.g., Franciscans)
4D: CEDES – sorry about this one; it’s a stretch but it works if you consider that the root -cede is used with con (concede) but not pro (which changes the root to ceed) and pre (precede) but not post (instead it’s succeed). I got backed into a corner on this one!
5D: KEY – a piano has 88 of them; Florida has around 800
Words: 72
Average Length: 5.36
CORRECTION: THE CLUE FOR 68 ACROSS SHOULD READ “THREE MAKE AN O”, NOT A T.
The three seeds for this grid were 20, 36, and 57 Across. I started with 20 Across and then 36 Across immediately popped into mind. I had to find a third entry to complement 20 Across and continue the mini-theme, and a couple of minutes’ thought produced 57 Across.
By the way, if you ever get a chance to visit 36 Across, it’s a charming place to spend a few days. I was there last summer after a week hiking in Wales – you can read about it and see additional photos on my PuffinlessTravel blog here and here.
Words: 10
Average Length: 4.80
Spoilers/solving notes below:
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1A: A shepherd uses a STAFF and an employer hires a STAFF
6A: An ear has a CANAL, and Erie is one
7A: Lewis Carroll wrote about ALICE in Wonderland, and Jefferson Airplane’s song White Rabbit is based on Carroll’s book
8A: Bags are TOTES and in “I Love You Man,” Paul Rudd’s character says “TOTES McGotes”
9A: Mathematician John NASH was the subject of “A Beautiful Mind,” and Graham NASH was a founding member of The Hollies
1D: Ella Fitzgerald was known for SCAT singing, and animal poop is called SCAT
2D: An eagle has TALONs, and TALON is a major brand of zipper
3D: ANITA Hill accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, and ANITA is Maria’s friend in West Side Story
4D: Clocks have FACES and Rod Stewart was in a band called FACES
5D: In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock famously speaks of “the pound of FLESH, which I demand of [Antonio]”, and Matthew 26 contains the line “the spirit is willing but the FLESH is weak”
Words: 10
Average Length: 4.60
1A: STEAM comes from a kettle and a steamroller is a piece of construction equipment
6A: a HEDGE is a kind of bush and one can hedge a bet
7A: Mike Trout is an ANGEL, as is an investor in a start-up
8A: ROAST can mean good-natured kidding, and one roasts a turkey
9A: ERR works as a prefix for both -and and -or
1D: Kids learn to SHARE in kindergarten, and stocks are sold in shares
2D: Coltrane played TENOR sax and Pavarotti was a tenor
3D: EDGAR Allen Poe wrote “The Raven” and EDGAR Degas painted “The Dancing Class”
4D: AGES follows both “Stone” and “Middle”
5D: Ice will MELT, and a tuna melt is a (delicious!) sandwich
Words: 68
Average Length: 5.56
The seed for this grid was 15 Across, which is a fact I learned, appropriately enough, while playing trivia on a joint US-Canadian team (creatively called “USCAN”) on a recent trip. (Our team won the ship’s progressive trivia tournament!). For the whole story of the connection between 15 Across and Pooh, see this Wikipedia link.
Jeff's Puzzles