Below the fold is a set of hints to the weekend’s Wall Street Journal puzzle, a variety crossword called Beginnings and Ends by Patrick Berry.
In the left column are the first words of each of the Ends clues. The second column is the enumeration of the answer and the third column identifies the row or column it belongs in, numbered from 1 at the top (angling upwards) to 20 at the bottom (angling downwards).
When you’re done, stay for Sunday brunch with more cryptic and variety puzzles.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Puzzles for freedom? (Puzzle No. 3,321)
OK, now everything’s copacetic with thenation.com and the new puzzle is up and visible.
Meanwhile, as the Venezuelan government cracks down on protesters and tightens currency controls amid growing shortages of basic goods like toilet paper, the government’s information minister has declared a new enemy: crossword puzzles. While the minister doesn’t appear to be a skilled-enough solver to post the offending answers, she alleges that the newspaper El Arügueño is hiding anti-government messages in its crossword.
It wouldn’t be the first time such allegations have been made: in 2012, the puzzle constructor for Últimas Noticias, Neptalí Segovia, was hauled in to the intelligence ministry to explain a puzzle that was seen as a death threat against the regional governor, who happens to be President Maduro’s brother. Segovia said the offending juxtaposition of words was just a coincidence, and he avoided punishment.
Now there are in fact puzzles that have included hidden messages: happy (marriage proposals) and sad (a farewell from a dying friend), so the idea isn’t so far-fetched. Some constructors, like Kevin Wald, make an art of it. Usually though, when there is an intended message or theme within a puzzle, the constructor will call it to attention somehow: either explicitly in the instructions or a clue, or by putting the message in an obvious place like the central row of the grid or the first letters of the clues.
Such messages have a long and noble history beyond the crossword, and indeed beyond the written word: one of the reasons I appreciate the music of Dimitri Shostakovich was his willingness to skate out at the edge of what the government would allow, and his use of music to challenge the authorities in the USSR. We’re fortunate to live in a place where Hot and Trazom and their editors can sneak a message into a puzzle and not be afraid of being clapped into jail as a result.
Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/179246/puzzle-no-3321
Degree of difficulty (by standards of this weekly puzzle): moderate, with a few hard ones before you finish. Be ready for twists!
Hozom’s comment:not up yet—watch this space. (updated Monday) “Sam Who?” in which Hot and Trazom field complaints over general knowledge and cultural literacy (not theirs, but what they expect of their solvers). They might have cherry-picked some particularly favorable examples in Satchmo and Sam Spade, but I agree that solvers would be poorer off if such references, even to the latest vapid pop stars were ruled out of the puzzles.
Back with the solution (and more 11) on Monday. Join us as always this weekend for Sunday brunch.
Meanwhile, as the Venezuelan government cracks down on protesters and tightens currency controls amid growing shortages of basic goods like toilet paper, the government’s information minister has declared a new enemy: crossword puzzles. While the minister doesn’t appear to be a skilled-enough solver to post the offending answers, she alleges that the newspaper El Arügueño is hiding anti-government messages in its crossword.
It wouldn’t be the first time such allegations have been made: in 2012, the puzzle constructor for Últimas Noticias, Neptalí Segovia, was hauled in to the intelligence ministry to explain a puzzle that was seen as a death threat against the regional governor, who happens to be President Maduro’s brother. Segovia said the offending juxtaposition of words was just a coincidence, and he avoided punishment.
Now there are in fact puzzles that have included hidden messages: happy (marriage proposals) and sad (a farewell from a dying friend), so the idea isn’t so far-fetched. Some constructors, like Kevin Wald, make an art of it. Usually though, when there is an intended message or theme within a puzzle, the constructor will call it to attention somehow: either explicitly in the instructions or a clue, or by putting the message in an obvious place like the central row of the grid or the first letters of the clues.
Such messages have a long and noble history beyond the crossword, and indeed beyond the written word: one of the reasons I appreciate the music of Dimitri Shostakovich was his willingness to skate out at the edge of what the government would allow, and his use of music to challenge the authorities in the USSR. We’re fortunate to live in a place where Hot and Trazom and their editors can sneak a message into a puzzle and not be afraid of being clapped into jail as a result.
Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/179246/puzzle-no-3321
Degree of difficulty (by standards of this weekly puzzle): moderate, with a few hard ones before you finish. Be ready for twists!
Hozom’s comment:
Look at it this way: one of the things you hope to get out of solving a cryptic is the intellectual stimulation of seeing words and phrases in new ways: things like clever and fitting anagrams or a funny Spoonerism. Learning a new fact or two along the way ought to give you the same kind of reward, not to mention a more rounded intellect to engage with the world around you.
If you're still not convinced, consider that that person or work of art in the cryptic clue you're thinking of carping about might show up in another puzzle somewhere else, so even if those facts have nothing to do with you or your cultural preferences, they'll make you a better solver.
Hot and Trazom are right on target in saying that an unfamiliar definition ought to be matched with straightforward wordplay. I was going to say the same thing.
Back with the solution (and more 11) on Monday. Join us as always this weekend for Sunday brunch.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Resiliency (Solution No. 3,320)
The solution to The Nation puzzle No. 3,320 is below the fold.
One of the reasons I like kid sports is the lessons you see kids learning. Last weekend, Bangle was skating at the Morris Open, a big competition in North Jersey and the last event she’s going to do before moving up to the Juvenile level (which is the first level where they use the IJS [Olympic] scoring system.
She landed her initial jump combination cleanly, but then wobbled out of her camel spin and wound up going the wrong way. Fortunately, she had the resiliency to figure out what happened and change part of her program on the fly. After the skate, she felt awful about the mistake and was convinced that it wrecked her performance. But it turned out that the other skaters fell on their combinations or had some weaknesses in their fundamental skating skills. She wound up finishing second and qualifying for the trophy round of the competition, where she finished second again, this time getting the program right.
So we made the point to her that she won that medal by not dwelling on the mistake: by continuing on, doing the best she could, and presenting a positive image to the judges. So in the Godspell performance yesterday, when her headset mike started sounding scratchy, she had the presence of mind to keep singing and then at the end of the number, go grab a hand mike to finish the show with.
Great job, Bangle!
One of the reasons I like kid sports is the lessons you see kids learning. Last weekend, Bangle was skating at the Morris Open, a big competition in North Jersey and the last event she’s going to do before moving up to the Juvenile level (which is the first level where they use the IJS [Olympic] scoring system.
She landed her initial jump combination cleanly, but then wobbled out of her camel spin and wound up going the wrong way. Fortunately, she had the resiliency to figure out what happened and change part of her program on the fly. After the skate, she felt awful about the mistake and was convinced that it wrecked her performance. But it turned out that the other skaters fell on their combinations or had some weaknesses in their fundamental skating skills. She wound up finishing second and qualifying for the trophy round of the competition, where she finished second again, this time getting the program right.
So we made the point to her that she won that medal by not dwelling on the mistake: by continuing on, doing the best she could, and presenting a positive image to the judges. So in the Godspell performance yesterday, when her headset mike started sounding scratchy, she had the presence of mind to keep singing and then at the end of the number, go grab a hand mike to finish the show with.
Great job, Bangle!
Godspell (Solution No. 3,319)
 |
| Light of the World |
A little theater for you in honor of this week’s theme: Bangle and Sabers in the church’s production of Godspell. More pictures here.
Catchy music, colorful costumes, and a cast made up of kids from 3 to 18. That’s a sure-fire recipe for a real crowd-pleaser. Kudos to music director Rae Ann Anderson for all her work on the production, and for having such confidence in the kids.
[ed. note: this post was back-dated to keep the solutions in order]
Showtime (Puzzle No. 3,319)
The theme answers in puzzle 3,319 are Broadway
musicals, which was a perfectly timed theme. Sabers and Bangle are performing in a church production of
Godspell this weekend; it’s been one of my favorite shows ever since I saw the
original cast off-Broadway in the 70s.
When the choir director announced the production, I did a
little research and discovered that John-Michael Tebelak wrote Godspell as a senior project while he was in college
(at Carnegie Mellon). At that point, it was a straight play. A few months later, Tebelak and the producers decided the show needed music, and reached out to another recent CMU alum, Stephen Schwartz, who composed the memorable songs.
The show is notable for the number of now-famous performers who made their main-stage debuts in it (particularly in the 1972 Toronto prodution), including Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Sonia Manzano, Jeremy Irons, and Paul Schaffer.
In our production, Sabers has the John the Baptist role. Fellow high school students Jake (as Jesus) and Blair (Judas) are the other leads; and Bangle and her two junior high classmates round out the main cast. Nearly twenty elementary-age kids have smaller singing and speaking parts, and the cherubs provide the cute and adorable element.
Link to puzzle:
[ed. note: this post was back-dated to keep the puzzle links in order]
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Tabbies (Sunday brunch: April 6, 2014)
Don’t know if Hot and Trazom planned it that way, but in 3,319, they had TABBIES in 2d intersecting CATS in 1a. So let’s introduce the feline members of the family, who both happen to be tabbies.
First there’s Joey, whose given name is Job. We got him from a rescue group five years ago. Sabers and Bangle had been angling for a pet, but there were concerns with everyone’s allergies, so we first spent an hour or so with him at the apartment of the person who was taking care of him. There was no sneezing or asthma or rash, so he came home with us a week later.
Joey is built like a defensive end: big and strong and fast. Even his whiskers are big, and his tail is like a labrador’s. He’s almost six now, so he’s more like a retired defensive end, but he still gets his way around the house.
A year after we got Joey, another cat came up to the front window and knocked very politely. We gave him a bite to eat, ascertained that there weren’t any other humans in the neighborhood looking for him, and got him to the vet, but he was certain that this was home.
Bangle (who was seven at the time) named him Dusty because of his pale tabby coloring. Dusty’s a big cat too, but not as athletic as his brother. His coat is not as fine, and it looks like it doesn’t quite fit him properly (if you can imagine that!). He bites his nails too, so his claws are constantly broken. But he has the most pleasant disposition. He makes a fine lap kitty (if your lap is big enough), and purrs at the drop of a hat. But he doesn’t speak much. About the only time he’ll meow is if someone goes down to the back door: he’ll go down, reach up to the doorknob, and ask to go out. Once he’s out, his desires are quite simple: roll around on the driveway and nibble on some grass. I’ve never seen a cat eat as much grass as this one.
Find a lap kitty and a clipboard, and work on these puzzles.
The Hex cryptic in the National Post was interesting and maybe a little harder than usual.
There were two acrostics: in the New York Times (by Hex, behind the paywall, and Deb notes that the web wizards of the Times now have a non-Java online version) and Wall Street Journal by Mike Shenk. On the latter, I think this was the first puzzle where I solved the acrostic before I even looked at the grid, so try it out.
Not much else this week, but if you subscribe to PandA or to Aries’s Rows Gardens, or you’ve got Cryptic All-Stars, you’ve got puzzles to catch up on. I know I do.
First there’s Joey, whose given name is Job. We got him from a rescue group five years ago. Sabers and Bangle had been angling for a pet, but there were concerns with everyone’s allergies, so we first spent an hour or so with him at the apartment of the person who was taking care of him. There was no sneezing or asthma or rash, so he came home with us a week later.
Joey is built like a defensive end: big and strong and fast. Even his whiskers are big, and his tail is like a labrador’s. He’s almost six now, so he’s more like a retired defensive end, but he still gets his way around the house.
A year after we got Joey, another cat came up to the front window and knocked very politely. We gave him a bite to eat, ascertained that there weren’t any other humans in the neighborhood looking for him, and got him to the vet, but he was certain that this was home.
Bangle (who was seven at the time) named him Dusty because of his pale tabby coloring. Dusty’s a big cat too, but not as athletic as his brother. His coat is not as fine, and it looks like it doesn’t quite fit him properly (if you can imagine that!). He bites his nails too, so his claws are constantly broken. But he has the most pleasant disposition. He makes a fine lap kitty (if your lap is big enough), and purrs at the drop of a hat. But he doesn’t speak much. About the only time he’ll meow is if someone goes down to the back door: he’ll go down, reach up to the doorknob, and ask to go out. Once he’s out, his desires are quite simple: roll around on the driveway and nibble on some grass. I’ve never seen a cat eat as much grass as this one.
Find a lap kitty and a clipboard, and work on these puzzles.
The Hex cryptic in the National Post was interesting and maybe a little harder than usual.
There were two acrostics: in the New York Times (by Hex, behind the paywall, and Deb notes that the web wizards of the Times now have a non-Java online version) and Wall Street Journal by Mike Shenk. On the latter, I think this was the first puzzle where I solved the acrostic before I even looked at the grid, so try it out.
Not much else this week, but if you subscribe to PandA or to Aries’s Rows Gardens, or you’ve got Cryptic All-Stars, you’ve got puzzles to catch up on. I know I do.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Back in action (Puzzle No. 3,320)
Don’t know what the problem was last week, but today I was able to get both this week’s puzzle and last week’s. So there’ll be some catch-up posts on the way in the next day or two; I’ll back-post them to keep the puzzles and solutions in order.
So without further ado...
Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/179136/puzzle-no-3320
Degree of difficulty (by standards of this weekly puzzle): hard. The great thing about this one was how consistent it was. No easy sections, but I got the entire thing in one go. Usually I’m stuck for a little while on one or two answers.
Hozom’s comment: Parsimony, in which Hot and Trazom respond to the flak they got over 3,316 (solution here). I was pretty sure of the answer to 21d, but less so about how the clue was intended to work. Turns out I had it right--it was a phonetic reversal (<~CHEER< / <~REACH<). Hot and Trazom explain that the homophone indicator was there in the clue, but some people read “loud ovation” as all definition instead of “ovation” being the definition and “loud” being an indicator. I see it now, but I’m still not convinced that the phonetic reversal is entirely by the book. However, we’ve been warned that the rules may be bent once in a while to make a clue more amusing.
So while Hot and Trazom were referring to whether or not there should be superfluous words in an indicator, the post title “Parsimony” works on another level too: the challenge of parsing a good cryptic clue. Not to mention it’s a fun word for the weekly clue-writing challenge.
3,319 and its solution will be posted tomorrow: solution 3,320 will be posted Monday.
So without further ado...
Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/179136/puzzle-no-3320
Degree of difficulty (by standards of this weekly puzzle): hard. The great thing about this one was how consistent it was. No easy sections, but I got the entire thing in one go. Usually I’m stuck for a little while on one or two answers.
Hozom’s comment: Parsimony, in which Hot and Trazom respond to the flak they got over 3,316 (solution here). I was pretty sure of the answer to 21d, but less so about how the clue was intended to work. Turns out I had it right--it was a phonetic reversal (<~CHEER< / <~REACH<). Hot and Trazom explain that the homophone indicator was there in the clue, but some people read “loud ovation” as all definition instead of “ovation” being the definition and “loud” being an indicator. I see it now, but I’m still not convinced that the phonetic reversal is entirely by the book. However, we’ve been warned that the rules may be bent once in a while to make a clue more amusing.
So while Hot and Trazom were referring to whether or not there should be superfluous words in an indicator, the post title “Parsimony” works on another level too: the challenge of parsing a good cryptic clue. Not to mention it’s a fun word for the weekly clue-writing challenge.
3,319 and its solution will be posted tomorrow: solution 3,320 will be posted Monday.
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