This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

New York Times, Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Author:
Andrea C. Michaels
Editor:
Will Shortz
35-Down : Method: Abbr.
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
866/12/20007/8/202455
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
762122300
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
241.6430623%
Andrea Carla Michaels

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 38 Missing: {HQXZ} This is puzzle # 4 for Ms. Michaels. Wednesday freshness: 39%
Andrea Carla Michaels notes:

I had read somewhere that BRITNEY SPEARS was an anagram for PRESBYTERIANS. I couldn't believe that! Plus PRESBYTERIANS anagrammed into BEST IN PRAYERS. All 13s, so this was a natural.

The only problem was, Will didn't think BRITNEY SPEARS would last if the puzzle were reprinted six years hence. I didn't care about that issue because I wanted something fresh. Plus it's a daily newspaper, why should I be concerned about shelf-life? And although I'd like my puzzles to stand the test of time, it only benefits the publishers, as they don't pay royalties, nor even supply the authors with a book, so my feeling is why should I knock myself out worrying who will/won't be known in 10 years time? It was not published for a long time ... and I would argue with Will that BRITNEY would be around for a long time, that all girls knew her, and young folks, etc. It was the beginning of my trying to champion puzzles with a more feminine-bent to the themes. Even though the older male editors and sports enthusiasts that abound might not be a BRITNEY fan, there were plenty of women (and gay men) who were.

In the meantime, I thought it hadn't been accepted as I heard nothing for years. So I created a similar one, with four themes, for Peter Gordon and the Sun. BRITNEYSPEARS/PRESBYTERIANS and PEPSICOLA/EPISCOPALS. She was the spokesperson for Pepsi so I thought that was also a stunning coincidence. Totally different puzzle, as I said, four themes, not three and I hadn't heard from the Times in a couple of years. Suddenly the Times puzzle was printed and someone on line (which was a new phenomenon in 2005) accused me of plagiarizing the theme! He didn't realize that it was the same person who had written both puzzles. I was mortified ... wasn't the first, nor the last time, someone online had been scathing without knowledge, but I was embarrassed. I think over a year went by before I published again.

1
A
2
N
3
G
4
E
5
S
6
S
7
C
8
R
9
O
10
D
11
C
12
O
13
T
14
D
A
R
I
A
15
P
I
A
N
O
16
R
F
K
17
A
R
E
N
A
18
O
T
T
E
R
19
U
F
O
20
P
R
E
S
B
21
Y
T
E
R
I
A
22
N
S
23
T
O
N
24
O
T
R
A
25
E
A
26
V
27
E
28
S
W
E
29
E
30
T
L
Y
31
C
32
R
33
A
W
D
A
D
34
L
O
A
35
S
E
A
T
36
E
T
S
37
B
38
R
I
T
N
39
E
Y
S
P
E
40
A
R
S
41
P
E
A
42
A
D
D
S
43
S
A
C
44
J
A
I
45
A
L
A
I
46
A
T
M
C
47
A
48
R
49
D
50
S
U
N
G
51
F
52
E
T
A
53
M
A
I
54
B
E
55
S
56
T
I
N
P
R
57
A
58
Y
E
R
S
59
C
60
E
O
61
L
O
C
A
L
62
D
O
L
E
S
63
P
A
W
64
A
R
E
C
A
65
A
R
I
S
E
66
A
U
S
67
T
E
S
T
Y
68
M
E
A
T
S
© 2005, The New York Times9/7/5 ( No. 20,392 )
Across
1
French cherubs : ANGES
6
Fish often split for cooking : SCROD
11
Field hospital sight : COT
14
"Beavis and Butt-head" cartoon spinoff : DARIA
15
Honky-tonk sight : PIANO
16
Washington's ___ Stadium : RFK
17
Bullfight setting : ARENA
18
Riverbank burrower : OTTER
19
36-Across craft : UFO
20
About 4 million Americans, religiously : PRESBYTERIANS
23
Elephant's weight, maybe : TON
24
Other, in Madrid : OTRA
25
Gutter site : EAVE
28
How the sirens sang, in myth : SWEETLY
31
Lobster's cousin : CRAWDAD
34
Mauna ___ : LOA
35
Politician's goal : SEAT
36
19-Across passengers : ETS
37
Pop artist whose name is an anagram of 20-Across : BRITNEYSPEARS
41
Low-tech missile : PEA
42
Affixes : ADDS
43
Amniotic ___ : SAC
44
Fast-paced sport : JAIALAI
46
Certain drive-thru requirement : ATMCARD
50
Chinese dynasty a thousand years ago : SUNG
51
Greek cheese : FETA
53
Month of l'année : MAI
54
Like the most devout churchgoers ... and another anagram of 20-Across : BESTINPRAYERS
59
Headhunter's big recruit, for short : CEO
61
Not express : LOCAL
62
Allots : DOLES
63
Hairy hand : PAW
64
Tropical palm : ARECA
65
Spring up : ARISE
66
Mozart's home: Abbr. : AUS
67
Short-fused : TESTY
68
Deli choices : MEATS
Down
1
Doesn't stay the same : ADAPTS
2
Taper : NARROW
3
"Brighton Rock" novelist : GREENE
4
Zwei halved : EINS
5
Swedish export : SAAB
6
Poor, as coverage : SPOTTY
7
One making references : CITER
8
Routines bad to be on : RATRACES
9
"Dedicated to the ___ Love" : ONEI
10
"Dumb ___" (old comic) : DORA
11
Follower of Richard the Lion-Hearted : CRUSADER
12
Popular insect repellent : OFF
13
Bout stopper, for short : TKO
21
___ Griffith, 1999 W.N.B.A. M.V.P. : YOLANDA
22
"What's ___?" : NEW
26
Dye holders : VATS
27
Masthead contents, briefly : EDS
29
Inventor Whitney : ELI
30
Demolish : TOTAL
32
50 Cent, e.g. : RAPSTAR
33
Starters : ATEAM
35
Method: Abbr. : SYS
37
Bringer of wine and flowers : BEAU
38
Post-storm effects : RAINBOWS
39
Skyscrapers, e.g. : EDIFICES
40
N.C. State is in it : ACC
41
Bedwear, for short : PJS
45
Subject of a guessing game : AGE
46
Having fun : ATPLAY
47
Carson McCullers's Miss ___ Evans : AMELIA
48
Hardest to find : RAREST
49
Slams : DISSES
52
Put into law : ENACT
55
Bed board : SLAT
56
Burned up the highway : TORE
57
Biblical evictee : ADAM
58
Days long past : YORE
59
Tax pro, for short : CPA
60
Water, in the Oise : EAU

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2024, Jim Horne
72 ms