TUESDAY, Feb. 26, 2008 - Sarah Keller (CLOSE-FITTING HATS)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008


Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: University puns (3 good, 1 bad)

Started out with NEWT instead of TOAD (1A: Its eye may be part of a witch's brew), had no idea what CORNELL SANDERS was supposed to mean as a theme answer, didn't know the London tube station I needed at the heart of the puzzle (30D: _____ Court (London tube station) => EARL'S), and had BARK (!?) instead of CORK (49A: Fishing float) in what I'll call the "Obscure Headwear" part of the puzzle - and yet I finished in a respectable 4:18 (a pretty normal Tuesday for me). I don't have a lot to say today - I've looked this puzzle up and down and while I don't think it's bad, I don't think it's very ... noteworthy. Maybe that's the best one can hope for on a Tuesday. You know my theory of puzzle difficulty: Saturdays are the hardest to solve, but Tuesdays are the hardest to construct well. Good rule of thumb for a Tuesday puzzle: Just Don't #$@! it up.


Theme answers:

  • 20A: Polishing machines at an Ithaca campus? (Cornell Sanders) - got CORNELL easily but the SANDERS part had to come together from crosses. This is by far the worst pun of the bunch today. Wasn't til after I was done that I realized it was a pun on COLONEL SANDERS. The other puns simply involve a change in stress (from first to second syllable, in the case of MARQUETTE), or no change at all (EMORY BOARD). But with CORNELL SANDERS, you have to change the vowel sound in the first syllable and shift stress to the first syllable. Awkward.
  • 35A: Trustee group at an Atlanta campus? (Emory board)
  • 43A: Thoroughfare at a New Orleans campus? (Tulane road)
  • 53A: Rental arrangement at a Milwaukee campus? (Marquette share)

There are several things to like about this puzzle:

  • SODOM and not VEGAS for 27D: Sin city!? Nice.
  • KEPIS (50D: French military hats) and TOQUES (46D: Close-fitting hats), in the same puzzle, so close together?! Nice. Exotic and daring!
  • ARGO hidden in the kitchen (14A: Popular cornstarch brand) instead seeking the Golden Fleece!? A bit rough (for a non-baker like me), but clever. Nice also that it intersects another kitchen product, AGAR (3D: Food thickener).

I enjoyed the English Literature subtheme here, with my favorite POET (61A: Versifier), John DONNE (4D: John who wrote "Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies"), sharing space with PARSE (63A: Analyze in English class), AEIOU (60A: Letters that must be bought on "Wheel of Fortune"), and SONG (67A: Dance's partner - Donne has two poems with this simple title, one of which was the first poem I ever memorized, when I was a TEEN - 56D: Adolescent). Donne could also BLESS you (66A: Cross over?), as he was a prominent Anglican priest.

The Rest:

  • 7D: What Texas hold'em tables hold (pots) - seems super-easy in retrospect, but something about the wording of the clue made me balk at first. Is "hold'em" really one word, with no space between "hold" and "'em?"
  • 34D: Tournament favorites (seeds) - balked at this as well, as I was thinking of the (upcoming) NCAA basketball tournament, where all participants are SEEDed, not just the favorites.
  • 36D: Discovered by accident (ran across) - had RAN and then ... blanked.
  • 37D: A horse of a different color? (roan) - wrote this in while cringing. "Different" from what? Or is it supposed to mean "of different colors?"
  • 58D: Piper's followers (rats) - I like this answer. My first thought was FIFE or something military, which makes little sense. I think the "followers" part was suggesting parade. My sister was born in the Year of the Rat, so I have a certain affection for this creature. See also 2007 Best Animated Feature Film "Ratatouille"

Three days til I leave for the tournament. NYC residents: if you are rich and / or famous and want to buy me dinner / drinks / a new wardrobe, just let me know. I'm sure I can work you into my schedule. My only plans at this point (aside from a drinking ... I mean business meeting or two) involve going to Jacques Torres's chocolate shop. Multiple times.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

PS Many thanks to "Pop Culture Junk Mail" for the free press.

69 comments:

Anonymous 8:45 AM  

Eye of NEWT, right? (See, if I were doing the clues, I'd have "What Tim Blake Nelson thought John Turturro turned into in OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?" But that's me.)

And "Prenatal sites" had to be UTERI, right?

Fortunately, after those snafus were quickly corrected, I was able to exclaim "IMONA roll!" In fact, I thought this puzzle was a SNAP.

Thanks for the Frank Miller pic of Marv, Rex. Anyone with any interest in noir fiction should check out the SIN CITY graphic novel series.

There were enough clever clues (such as for ARGO) that I rather enjoyed this.

RATS intersecting with NITS - ewwwwww...

"Pie nut" makes me think of Christopher Guest in BEST OF SHOW reciting all the nuts - "walnut, macademia nut, pine nut..."

Unknown 8:52 AM  

Perhaps me doth protest too much, but it's toe of toad and eye of newt, as I recall. Maybe there is an eye of toad formula in something more obscure than Shakespeare, but those witches in MacBeth knew how to make a proper brew.

I think my only redo was 1A in a quick run through. I wanted to see actsofPROVIDENCE, RICEpudding, XAVIERself, GONZAGAcheese, EMERSONclass and maybe dodgeDARTMOUTH. Others?

Anonymous 8:58 AM  

Is it bad luck to wish good luck to crossword tournament players? If so, ignore this. If not, good luck.

Whitey's mom

Orange 9:33 AM  

Rats chewed through the wire for my car's oxygen sensor. Cost me $294, and the engine needs to be steam-cleaned too. Rats: Not as charming as in the movies.

I'm not sure what cornstarch is good for. I've never used it in baking. Thickening sauces if you're too lazy to make a roux? I dunno.

EARL'S Court is on the blue line train from Heathrow, and if I didn't know better, I'd've thought the announcer was saying "Ull's Court." Those crazy Brits! Don't know how to speak proper English.

Anonymous 9:36 AM  

2nd Witch:
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)

Anonymous 10:10 AM  

I started with newt too, but "eye of TOAD" gets some respectable Google hits.

Anonymous 10:11 AM  

See? That's why we all wrote in NEWT right away. So what recipe calls for eye of toad? Would like a copy please if anyone has one.

Liz 10:15 AM  

Lemon meringue pie is an all time favorite in my family and cornstarch is one of the ingredients for thickening.

I started with eye of newt but quickly realized that toad was the correct answer. I always enjoy the puns, even when they are rather strained.

Norm,
Loved the full quote from "Macbeth". Think I'll make a batch at lunchtime.

Anonymous 10:25 AM  

eye of NEWT definitely...

eye of toad? That's like saying brisket of shrimp.

Ladel 10:32 AM  

Whether the toad was the thing or not, a quick check of the crosses would have settled the matter. Rex, Jacques Torres is one of my culinary heroes, I have watched him grow these many years, but be forewarned once in the shop you may forget about the tournament.

Anonymous 10:38 AM  

I'm back from cruising and jumping on the the newt bandwagon. Nothing much else to say about this one. Had NOTECARDS and also blanked after getting RAN but finished in around 10 min. which is reasonable time for me. Need to catch up with past puzzles.

Bill D 11:01 AM  

Put me in with the NEWTists..a quick correction and I blazed through this almost as fast as yesterday. I'm never crazy about punny puzzles, but once you get the theme the big ones tend to fall fast. Some great answers like PULLTAB, TOQUES and KEPIS are offset by some tired ones (guess it can't be helped), and the ever-popular OREO and ROAD appear yet again.

I liked the clever cluing for some common answers: POTS, SNEAK, EMMYS, REPOS, CORK, AEIOU, NITS, BLESS. And the clever results for some common clues: NEED, WOMBS, SODOM. Overall, an enjoyable Tuesday outing.

Doug Garr 11:02 AM  

Texas Hold'Em has no style preference. Invented by Texas gamblers (one-word). It's eluded the dictionary constructors so far.

Anonymous 11:02 AM  

Liked the puzzle and the theme, but Cornell fell a bit short of the mark. I loved Macbeth and in particular the witches, so newt it was for me, too. It's also one of my favorite words. Newt.

I chuckled at a couple clues. Sharif of Funny Girl, as if there are any other Sharifs. Ditto Zellweger of Chicago, but I guess the added clue is Tuesdayish.

I lived near Earl's Court in London, so that was a gimme. Had to pass on NY this weekend for a trip to London next month to see my boy. Did you know that puzzles are one of the London cabbie's favorite pastimes (along with reading)?

Welcome back Jae. Hope the trip was great. Seems like it flew by.

Overall, an excellent Tuesday puzzle. Thanks, Ms. Keller!

Anonymous 11:25 AM  

We all wrote NEWT immediately because it's the right answer! But hey, we're flexible; and as soon as I got to DONNE, I saw my so-called mistake and got with the program!

Anonymous 11:33 AM  

Loved the crossing of ARGO and AGAR, which are both plant-based starches used to thicken foods. ARGO (cornstarch) comes from corn (duh!) and agar comes from seaweed. Agar-based thickening has a gelatinous consistency (think petri dishes in biology lab) and cornstarch has more of a flour-y consistency (think instant pudding). Vegetarians use agar for gelled dishes, instead of gelatin, which is of animal origin.

Anonymous 11:44 AM  

And in some Asian recipes, potato starch is recommended over cornstarch... (maybe those are Americanized recipes, but I was taught to use it by a native Japanese)....

Think "eft" is as much fun as "newt"!

∑;)

Main Entry: eft
Pronunciation: 'eft
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English evete, ewte, from Old English efete
Date: before 12th century
: NEWT; especially : the terrestrial phase of a predominantly aquatic newt

Campesite 11:50 AM  

Rex, I've been out of the country and away from the computer for most of the month, so I've just noticed the sub-header indicating a particularly troublesome clue. Very nice touch.

Best wishes and safe travels to all those going to the ACPT, hopefully I'll join you next year. Looking forward to occasional blog updates from the tourney.
-- Mark

Orange 11:50 AM  

Ladel, Rex and I talked about going to Jacques Torres four or five times this weekend. If we fall into chocolate comas and fail to complete a single crossword, I can't say it would be a total waste. (Not that I've ever had JT's chocolates, but I have salivated at them on PBS.)

So lemme see if I've got this right: If you make a sauce with eye of toad, either cornstarch or potato starch will give it a good consistency?

Anonymous 12:00 PM  

@Orange -- Much prefer to try making a chocolate sauce or chocolate pie-filling... The more bitter, the better! No no, no newt. At this point it may be snow-cones, though...

∑;)

Squash's Mom 12:01 PM  

Maybe if you pronounce CORNELL SANDERS in a southern accent it sounds more like Colonel Sanders?

I liked the pairing of "I'm on a roll" Next to the clue anyway "Sin City" even though it wasn't the first thought of Vegas.

Rex, will you still be blogging during the tournament?

mrbreen 12:10 PM  

I liked the pairing of the answer "ranaCROSS," with the clue "CROSS over?"

Anonymous 12:27 PM  

Yes! Cross ON A ROLL with the blessing and you get Chocolate Croissants -- Heaven!

Stir-crazy.... ∑;)

Doris 12:36 PM  

I was reminded of the great old Chas Addams cartoon showing three witches doing a cauldron taste test, and one of them remarks, "You forgot the eye of newt." How about W.S.'s "liver of blaspheming Jew"? Oh, well, it was the prejudice of the day. Oh, yes, and "fillet of a fenny snake"and "a tiger's chawdron"; etc. But it's not "eye of toad" in Macbeth—maybe somewhere else.

Anonymous 12:53 PM  

Cornstarch is key in many a great Chinese stir-fry.

Didn't know that NITS turn into lice. Is that true only if you pick them?

Anonymous 1:02 PM  

I think the wierd sisters' chant does say something about a toad. Not a part of a toad, so it's probably a whole toad. And if that's so, then indeed there is an eye of toad in the brew.

Anonymous 1:04 PM  

Orange, I haven't seen many recipes for "eye of toad" but suspect that it is fairly glutenous in its own right, so probably neither Corn or Potato starch would be required.

Anonymous 1:19 PM  

Twas a fun and quick puzzle, although I don't get the 53A clue. I had never come upon the term "tap out" in yesterday's puzzle, but I heard someone on tv say "sorry, all tapped out" just a minute ago!

Ladel 1:22 PM  

Orange

with the two of you alone in Jacque's palace of chocolate, things that are usually reserved for local late nite cable channels might ensue. You both might want to watch that delicious (yes a pun) movie Chocolat before things are allowed to get out of control.

The Big E 1:28 PM  

Orange,
I use cornstarch in my chili to thicken it up a bit - no need for a roue in chili! :-)
Overall I liked this puzzle a lot, though I umptillionth the motion that the toad answer stinks!
Enjoy the convention all - regretfully I cannot make it for my first try this year :-( But if it is in Brooklyn again next year, there is no way I will miss it!
Also, for anyone interested in GREAT pizza, I highly recommend Lucali's, on Henry (between 1st and Carroll) in Brooklyn - they only sere pizzas and calzones, and it is no reservations (you can call in day of and put your name on the list, though), but byob! IMO it is better than Grimaldis, and has been getting rave reviews (look it up in Zagat)!
Happy Puzzling!
Greg

Anonymous 1:51 PM  

I newted as well. The rest was easy, except I spelled Emory as Emery... must have been board.

Anonymous 2:10 PM  

No self-respecting witch uses eye of toad if she has eye of newt on hand.

Doug 2:31 PM  

Do you notice how the Colonel looks like Mao? They've definitely edited Asian features into the good ol' boys face.

Years ago before there was a skyscraper, Starbucks, McDonalds and Pizza Hut on every Beijing corner, the best view of Mao's tomb in Tiananmen Square was from the KFC at the SW corner. Sort of a Berlin situation: A capitalist spicy wing and Coke joint thrown up agains an icon of communist rule. We now know how a Colonel can beat a General!

Doug 2:33 PM  

Sorry, maybe few readers noticed that RP chose a pic from KFC in mainland China. The two characters mean "We deliver" or thereabouts.

Anonymous 2:51 PM  

I've loved this blog for awhile, but have never posted. It always seems like everyone has said everything. Was I the only one who thought about "polishing machines" as a thing found in a nail salon? Then it could be "Cor-nail?" I don't know if such things exist, but I just can't make sense of the connection between fried chicken and polishing... -BNiebur

Unknown 3:12 PM  

Among my time killers is having fun with Google Earth. Enter these coordinates and you will see something relevant to today's puzzle. It is the only thing of its type which can be seen from space:
Copy and Paste:

37 38'46.25 N 115 45'01.52 W

BTW, it is real...not doctored

For our ACPT friends, Google Maps has photographed much of the surrounding streets for the site. At Google Maps enter:

333 Adams St, Brooklyn, NY

I find the whole concept amazing.

Anonymous 3:27 PM  

Sanders are not polishing machines.
Buffers are polishing machines.
Sanders are smoothing machines.
Sanders are also DMV trucks for the
streets of Ithaca in the winter.

Bill from NJ 3:32 PM  

I've never seen PI as a plural before

@Norm - Thanks! I didn't think the Weird Sisters mentioned toads at all but newt was obviously wrong.

Good cute Tuesday puzzle.

Anonymous 3:37 PM  

As a newcomer to crosswords generally, thanks for the help and the witty comments that make me realize others run into similar problems. It helps me feel less dumb at the end of the day. Even with a few mistakes, I finished this one in about 20 minutes and have started getting the hang of these things (at least early in the week).

Anonymous 3:42 PM  

@PSolver - Thank you, the Google Earth find was great. Surprised it didn't stay in Las Vegas, there must be a leak.

Anonymous 4:13 PM  

Did anyone else notice that PIS pronounced another way doesn't pass the breakfast test?

Also interesting was that Rex posted a pic from Ratatouille, as the word TOQUE was used several times in that movie. They used it to refer to a chef's hat, though- certainly not close-fitting.

McGuff 5:00 PM  

It's funny, when entering the CORNELL answer, I thought "Rex should put a KFC picture up from China". Odd.

When I travel in China, locals are amazed to learn that we ever cook our own food in America. They are convinced that we eat only three things: KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut. KFC has over 2000 restaurants in China. Popular dishes: egg tarts, Pi Dan Congee.

Anonymous 5:20 PM  

Anonymous @ 1:02 -In Macbeth they throw in the whole toad:
First Witch
Round about the Cauldron go;
In the poison'd Entrails throw.
TOAD, that under cold stone
Days and Nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd Venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

I prefer Bullwinkle-
A pinch of this
A pinch of that
A Dewey Button
And a French-fried Bat.

Anonymous 5:26 PM  

I went to Cornell and wondered what on earth a Cornell sander was? Something invented at Cornell that I'd never heard of? I don't think that Harlan Sanders pronounced the colonel part of his name the same as Cornell. Kernel maybe but not Cornell.

dorothysmom 6:11 PM  

hey - good luck!!!

Anonymous 6:42 PM  

Doc John,

A toque is the hat a chef wears. It is close-fitting around the forehead, though it rises up past the head in a cylindric shape. I had to wear one in culinary school, so I know. And, by the way, it is not particularly flattering, except maybe for the fact that I might have passed for 5'2" in it rather than just 4'10"!

fergus 7:01 PM  

Just to pick a little nit with Orange: Earl's Court tube stop is not merely on the dark blue line (Piccadilly) but on the green one (District), as well. Used to be the hang-out of Aussie expats, but who knows whether that's still true, or ever really was? And speaking of Aussies, I put in PAUL (Hogan) for 28A Recipient of G'day, based on those "slip another shrimp on the barbie" ads of the 1980s.

Liked all the puns though I tend to think of a thoroughfare as bigger than a two-lane road.

I, too, newted the TOAD.

fergus 7:20 PM  

Perhaps the eye of TOAD comes from "The Crucible" incantation? I would look it up, but have to run.

Anonymous 7:35 PM  

A witch from the middle ages probably didn't read Shakespeare or have the preconceptions some of you appear to have about what's what, when it comes to newts, frogs, toad, or jackals. An elixir may have not been as much a "formula" as it was an improvisation. The eye of an albino mouse might have been powerful, for example. There may be a goth game or two (Diablo?) where an elixir is "flexible" as to animal parts.

I put in toad quite comfortably when I got one letter to verify. Had tuque for a bit til cork became evident, thus toque. A hoser hat, ala SCTV. Put on your toques, winter is not quite over.

Anonymous 7:57 PM  

Amy (aka Orange),

I just wanted to mention that I saw you a few weeks ago on the x-word show! I was so excited because I had wanted to watch and thought I couldn't because I'd be at work ... Thank God, my work entails going to restaurants where there are TV's. Needless to say, I caught at least 15 min. worth of your big-screen time! Awesome job. I attibute my having seen it to Krossword Kharma.

Rex, I am sure you have had a moment or two of Krossword Kharma yourself? No?

Anonymous 8:23 PM  

Sure, I thought "Eye of Newt" as well, but I always check my cross answers and was able to determine that "newt" wouldn't work. All you and your 'I gotta finsih this fast' attitudes!... I kid.
Being a resident of Louisville Kentucky, "Cornell Sanders" made me smile... I apologize to those who found it lame (Rex).

Anonymous 8:38 PM  

It's so funny that in the eye of newt/toad discussion (I'm a newt by the way, like many of you) everyone referenced Shakespeare, and while I love the witches of MacBeth (double, double, toil and trouble) as much as the next person with a degree in English (just a BA, sorry Rex), but what about Harry Potter?!

Snape's Potions class brought up wonderful ingredients to add to your cauldron. Although I never got the Polyjuice Potion--you had to put hair in it from the person whose identity you were going to consume. Ick. In a Saturday puzzle, NEWT could be evilly clued as "Wizarding Test at Hogwarts." I get royalties if anyone actually does that, please.

Sorry if I instigate a stream of anti-Harry vitriol, but to write books that are so universally appealing (to adults and children alike) is really a talent. Plus they make me laugh!

No Elimidate today, which was a very good thing. Fun puzzle.

Kathy

Orange 8:43 PM  

Yeah, but Fergus, I was on the blue line, riding in from Heathrow. I never rode the green line so I didn't bother mentioning that. (My second hotel was near the other blue line, the light blue one. Man, London has many more transit colors than Chicago.)

Squash's Mom 9:00 PM  

@Fergus,

"Newt the toad" is now my favorite saying. I just have to figure out when it would be appropriate to say it. Either that or start a rock band and call it that.

Unknown 9:13 PM  

Ah, the famous London Tube Map...Three blue lines (Dark Blue) Piccadilly Line. (Light Blue) Victoria Line (Aqua Blue) Waterloo and City Line and then (pale blue) the Thames, which they make look like a line of its own. Twelve Lines in all, but many of those split. I read a book about a guy who tried to make every Tube stop in a single day and failed.

Earl's Court has a major Convention Hall and the area is teaming with good Indian Restaurants. I can't recall though if Earl's Court is in the English version of Monopoly, but I do not thinks it is.

fergus 9:19 PM  

There may be yet more colours since I was last there. London may even be reaching saturation for the map.

If you want a good old-fashioned subway ride, though, choose the Metropolitan (Purple), which is as old as old can be. I remember coming out of the Moorgate station feeling misplaced in some Victorian drama, or worried that Sherlock Holmes might be on to me when I came up from underground at Baker Sreet.

fergus 9:32 PM  

... and more recently, writing a missive for Martin Amis deep in the tunnels at Queensway, on the Central Line (red). Or imagining one of his more nefarious characters, heading toward Ladbroke Grove out of Notting Hill.

London was a fine depressing place to think about getting somewhere at thirty. I chose it over New York, and left San Francisco deliberately for the event.

fergus 10:29 PM  

to add to squash's lexicon,

Newt the toad: express., slang; taking something obvious and rendering it obscure

Michael Chibnik 11:13 PM  

Well, my very first entry ("newt" of course) was wrong. After that I breezed through, but am chagrined by having a letter wrong on a Tuesday (the k in cork/kepis). Cornell Sanders came easily to me -- but I don't think it is because I graduated from the place.

Anonymous 11:32 PM  

i too began with the newt blunder

Anonymous 12:13 AM  

I go to Cornell and it was so exciting to see the clue for 20-across when I was sitting bored in class this morning!

Anonymous 12:15 AM  

Yep, newt here, too. But I finished in under two Rexes! :)

Anonymous 1:12 AM  

Fergus, I recently lived in Kensington next to Holland Park, so not far from Earl's Court. Still a lot of Aussies, but people from everywhere else as well. London is profoundly cosmopolitan now. If you walk across Holland Park to Notting Hill, halfway across the park there is a lovely Japanese garden given to the city by the town of Kyoto. My favorite part of London is the parks, no... the museums... no the music, the theater, the ballet. The oldness of it. The history. Walking around Henry the VII's house, seeing where he played tennis. Where he ordered women to their deaths because they couldn't bear him sons. The streets of Shakespeare (and, yes the boy who shall remain nameless).

But New York... also a great city. That's where I did my "finding myself'. Orange and Rex, I suggest you skip just one trip to JT's and go to Zabar's on the Upper West Side. Bring your appetite. It's the takeout deli of your dreams. They have chocolate too.

Anonymous 1:37 AM  

um... not to NIT-pick, but they use salt trucks on the roads in Ithaca in the winter, not SANDERS... always a thrill to see the old alma mater in the puzzle though!

fergus 2:46 AM  

Rikki,

So you and I know London, but how would compare W9 to to the upper west side of NY?

Anonymous 12:17 AM  

Hey Fergus,

You may not go back a day to read this, but to answer your question, I would say that of all the areas of London, Maida Vale reminded me most of New York with the brownstones and little cafes and shops. But I lived in New York 30 years ago and in London two years ago. I lived in the South Street Seaport area of New York before it was renovated and loved it. But I've loved all the cities I've lived in or near (Boston, NY, Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, London, and now San Diego.)

Sorry RP if this is too off-puzzle.

Anonymous 8:41 PM  

NEWT for VEEP ... God help us.

Had lsanders and put an i in front thinking the clue had some Greek connection.

Had never seen Krossword Kharma before, but I've definately expirienced this phenom. Like two weeks ago when there was a clue about Xmas eve celebrations (CAROLS) and I wikied Xmas eve and learned about the WWI crossing of the trenches, saw a comment about some French titled movie based on that Xmas eve trench crossing on this blog, then went home and turned on the TV and there was the movie, watched it and got the willies. How noble that event was. Men laying down thier arms to celebrate Xmas together and the Brass on both sides going apes*** about it, and it wasn't just a movie, it really happened. Although I'm sure at some point it will be written out of the history books under the excuse that it might encourage copycat acts of kindness. Why can't they just kill each other like proper soldiers? Truth really is stranger than fiction and the longer I live, the more I'm convinced there is no such thing as coincidence.

SW LaGland

cody.riggs 10:52 AM  

Count me among those who immediately inked in "NEWT." Thought Face powder ingredient would be "NARD" (expensive face powder!) Lunchbox goody...well, "EGGO," maybe???...food thickener "WROUX" ok that's too long. But I KNEW John Donne, so this was a mess.

I liked the theme, but the schools Tulane and Marquette are a bit out of my radar. I figured out the theme immediately after "CORNELL SANDERS", which was a gimme for me as I enjoy woodworking and have read all of former Cornell prof. Carl Sagan's books.

Never seen AGAR clued other than with a laboratory-related term! (Always have to think about that one, as I always confuse it with the banned apple spray ALAR)

Well-constructed puzzle. TOAD just needed a better clue.

cody.riggs 10:54 AM  

Yes, I should have remembered Harry Potter as well, not Shakespeare. So maybe that clue wasn't so bad after all.

  © Free Blogger Templates Columnus by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP