Constructor: David Steinberg and Barry C. Silk
Relative difficulty: easy
THEME: none
Word of the Day: RONDEL (48D Chaucer's "Merciless Beauty," for example) —
A
rondel is a
verse form originating in
French lyrical poetry, later used in the verse of other languages as well, such as
English and
Romanian. It is a variation of the
rondeau consisting of two
quatrains followed by a
quintet (13 lines total) or a
sestet
(14 lines total). The rondel was invented in the 14th century, and is
arguably better suited to the French language than to English. It is not
to be confused with the
roundel, a similar verse form with repeating refrain.
• • •
Merciless Ambiguity
Your Number Five Puzzle will stump me suddenly;
Their wordplay mocks me who was once overweening;
Straight through its heart the long Down mocking, mean.
Only the right word will fill the injury
To my split grid, while yet the clock is running -
Your Number Five Puzzle will stump me suddenly;
Their wordplay mocks me who was once overweening.
Upon this clue, I tell you faithfully
My life and death in this contest does depend;
For with this fill the whole grid shall be seen.
Your Number Five Puzzle will stump me suddenly;
Their wordplay mocks me who was once overweening;
Straight through its heart the long Down mocking, mean.
Today, the contestants in Brooklyn for the
ACPT stake out a chair, sharpen their pencils, get one last cup of coffee, make one last pit stop, array their lucky talismans, and launch into the official competition puzzles. It's been all socials and gladhanding up to now, but the tiger awakens when the timer starts and you hear the whoosh of five hundred sheets of paper being flipped simultaneously. Some tear into the puzzle like wild animals and propel themselves to the upper echelons. Some falter when a crucial answer will not come. A few doodle in the margins and plan to work their puzzles after the convention so they can savor them more. But none of them will have time for this extra newspaper puzzle.
Ha, ha! See what I did there? I was kidding. Every Single One Of Them will at least
attempt this puzzle before the competition begins. Most of them solved
it last night. A few of them have already posted to their blogs about it while I am sitting here typing.
Nevertheless, I think Mr. Shortz decided to go easy on us Average
JOEs (31A Mud) while the serious solvers are at the tournament. I always know I have a fair chance when I see Mr. Silk's name in the byline, but this was not the challenge I expect on a Saturday. I'm not complaining, mind you. In fact, I feel godlike on these rare weekends when I can complete both Friday's and Saturday's puzzle. I might even get my taxes done today. And wash the dogs.
Bullets:
- 20A Bicycle support, informally SISSY BAR — I know some people are offended by the S word, and maybe the double entendre here is pushing the limits, but it makes me
think of kids riding bikes. I like it.
- 9D Sominex alternative ADVIL® PM—well, after yesterday, I couldn't overlook this blatant shill. So, will I give it a pass on my standard of facilitating worthwhile fill? Since it crosses both sissy bar and Warren Zevon, I will. But I DARE YOU to try that again.
- 42D Lugs GALOOTS — I learned it as a BRAT from watching Warner Brothers on many long-ago Saturday mornings.
- 55A Wine-tasting accessory SPITTOON — so, if you were thinking about getting into wine tastings, but
wanted to be sure you could look suave and sophisticated as you participated, now you know. You spit into a bucket.
- 61A One stoked to provide warmth WOOD FURNACE — I thought it said "stroked" at first. Write your own wood jokes here.
- 28A Title science teacher of an old sitcom MR PEEPERS — Like, really old. Like, 1952 old (thank you, google). Because there's no way a guy named Mr. Peepers could get a job working with kids today.
- Gets in a lather SUDSES — I haveses reservations about this word. It seemses made up.
Good luck, ACPT puzzlers. Remember, you're all winners. Don't get too worked up if things go badly. This is not healthy: [
WARNING: NSFW language]
Signed, treedweller, on behalf of
Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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Lascaux (Lascaux Caves) (English /læsˈkoʊ/,[1] French: [lasko][2]) is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in thedepartment of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 17,300 years old.[3][4] They primarily consist of images of large animals, most of which are known from fossilevidence to have lived in the area at the time. In 1979, Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list along with other prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley.[5] (from Wikipedia)
