Scott Earl author page
5 puzzles by Scott Earl
with Jim Horne comments
See the 37 answer words debuted by Scott Earl.
| L | E | M | O | N | D | I | A | L | S | A | P | |||
| A | D | I | D | A | S | A | C | M | E | P | R | O | ||
| S | I | L | E | N | T | T | R | E | A | T | M | E | N | T |
| S | T | E | T | R | O | T | C | S | E | E | I | T | ||
| O | M | I | T | U | P | S | I | D | E | S | ||||
| E | M | O | J | I | K | E | Y | B | O | A | R | D | ||
| D | E | N | O | T | E | E | E | L | Y | A | T | O | ||
| A | R | T | Y | G | A | S | S | T | O | P | ||||
| M | E | H | G | O | O | S | I | M | H | E | R | E | ||
| E | L | E | V | A | T | O | R | M | U | S | I | C | ||
| C | A | S | I | T | A | S | M | O | A | T | ||||
| O | S | C | A | R | T | H | E | N | S | O | I | L | ||
| T | H | E | R | E | A | R | E | N | O | W | O | R | D | S |
| T | E | N | A | L | A | N | N | A | U | S | E | A | ||
| A | N | T | L | A | Y | S | S | T | O | A | T |
Crossword solvers quickly learn that paying attention to clue precision is critical to success. An answer must match the tense and the formality level of the clue. Clue abbreviations imply answer abbrevs. Etc.
But the opposite is also true. Solvers need to accept the fuzziness of clues, especially if there is colloquial support. Speed and velocity aren't the same thing, but non-physicists use them interchangeably. Ode to Joy isn't the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth, but close enough for crosswords.
The fourth movement of Beethoven's final completed symphony included (shocking, at the time) four solo singers and an entire choir. Singing words! In what was supposed to be a "pure music" form! Kids and their crazy music nowadays! The lyrics for the singers were adapted from a poem by Friedrich Schiller called, in English, "Ode to Joy."
There's a sad story about the premiere of this work. Beethoven, already deaf, wanted to conduct, so he stood on a conductor's stand and madly waved his arms while someone nearby waved a baton that the musicians actually followed. But there's a happy ending. When the piece was finished, Beethoven turned to face the audience. The crowd knew he couldn't hear, so along with the clapping and cheering, they threw their hats and handkerchiefs into the air so the maestro could see that he was appreciated and loved.
| M | O | N | S | T | E | R | M | A | S | H | G | N | C | |
| E | D | I | T | O | R | I | A | L | W | E | R | O | O | |
| L | I | F | E | T | I | M | E | B | A | N | E | R | N | |
| B | U | T | T | O | N | U | P | S | T | A | T | E | ||
| A | M | Y | S | N | A | M | O | A | T | H | S | |||
| O | N | S | E | T | S | N | O | G | S | |||||
| I | C | A | N | T | W | A | T | C | H | S | A | T | E | |
| C | A | F | H | A | T | E | S | O | N | M | A | P | ||
| E | R | R | S | N | O | S | P | O | I | L | E | R | S | |
| G | O | O | F | S | T | A | S | H | A | |||||
| G | O | P | R | O | M | S | N | K | P | O | P | |||
| A | H | I | T | U | N | A | E | T | E | R | N | E | ||
| M | O | C | R | E | C | E | N | C | Y | B | I | A | S | |
| M | L | K | P | H | O | T | O | C | R | E | D | I | T | |
| A | D | S | M | I | N | D | R | E | A | D | E | R | S |
| I | N | O | U | Y | E | P | U | B | S | O | L | D | ||
| S | E | C | R | E | T | M | E | N | U | T | B | A | R | |
| A | C | T | N | A | T | U | R | A | L | O | A | T | Y | |
| A | C | A | H | U | P | B | I | O | M | E | S | |||
| C | O | D | A | S | P | I | T | O | P | A | R | T | ||
| N | A | M | E | S | I | G | N | C | I | A | ||||
| D | R | A | G | M | O | T | H | E | R | E | A | S | T | |
| R | O | L | L | E | R | S | T | E | A | T | R | E | E | |
| A | L | O | E | S | H | E | H | E | R | H | E | R | S | |
| G | E | N | G | E | O | M | E | T | R | Y | ||||
| O | M | E | G | A | W | O | K | A | L | L | O | W | ||
| N | O | T | E | L | L | N | A | N | I | R | A | |||
| E | D | I | E | O | H | F | O | R | G | E | T | I | T | |
| G | E | M | S | C | O | O | T | I | E | S | H | O | T | |
| G | L | E | E | K | E | Y | A | S | P | E | N | S |
Jim (he/him/his) here, sitting in for Jeff Chen, who's binge-watching Claire FOY in "The Crown."
It's been ten years since Daniel INOUYE retired from the U.S. senate. He was the highest-ranking Asian-American politician in U.S. history, making him a great 1-Across even if he didn't have such a spectacular name.
What makes a great Saturday crossword? I have no idea, but what makes a satisfying one for me is:
- It's not too easy
- But I can finish it and be confident it's correct
- And I encounter some new facts that I appreciate learning.
Today's puzzle hits all three for me. A NAME SIGN makes total sense. I hope every queen has a great DRAG MOTHER. I'd love to eat at the WOK AND ROLL.
You might recognize EDIE Windsor from the Supreme Court case, United States v Windsor that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, thereby legalizing same-sex marriage.
Part of the joy of Saturday crosswords is that puns get stretched far beyond any reasonable limit. "A strain in the theatre" for ARIA? That's so outlandish, it's hilarious.
| T | A | M | P | S | M | L | S | I | N | T | O | W | ||
| I | C | O | U | L | D | E | A | T | D | I | A | N | A | |
| L | O | O | K | I | N | G | U | P | L | A | B | E | L | |
| D | R | E | A | M | C | A | R | W | E | L | L | O | K | |
| E | N | D | S | A | G | E | L | E | N | O | ||||
| H | A | M | S | R | E | C | L | O | U | |||||
| M | E | T | O | O | M | O | V | E | M | E | N | T | ||
| M | A | L | E | P | R | I | V | I | L | E | G | E | ||
| B | I | G | L | I | T | T | L | E | L | I | E | S | ||
| A | N | I | T | O | E | L | S | A | T | |||||
| R | I | C | A | P | D | A | C | O | S | I | ||||
| I | M | A | G | E | S | G | A | N | G | U | P | O | N | |
| L | O | C | A | L | C | A | N | W | E | T | A | L | K | |
| L | O | T | T | A | H | I | T | A | N | E | R | V | E | |
| A | N | S | E | L | I | N | S | E | S | T | E | R |
| B | L | A | M | E | G | A | M | E | C | H | U | C | K | |
| L | O | V | E | S | I | M | O | N | H | A | N | O | I | |
| I | C | A | N | T | G | O | O | N | E | V | I | C | T | |
| M | A | I | D | S | I | D | E | T | R | A | C | K | S | |
| E | L | L | E | N | Y | A | H | R | Y | E | ||||
| Y | E | S | D | E | A | R | D | O | N | T | C | R | Y | |
| O | L | A | V | R | O | I | L | E | D | |||||
| A | T | M | P | L | E | A | S | E | D | E | L | S | ||
| D | R | A | W | E | R | C | I | A | O | |||||
| M | I | M | E | T | I | C | A | U | G | U | S | T | A | |
| A | M | A | S | I | S | S | T | O | W | S | ||||
| B | L | A | N | K | E | T | H | O | G | A | L | E | S | |
| A | R | M | I | E | R | I | D | E | S | H | A | R | E | |
| S | U | I | N | G | O | V | E | N | R | A | C | K | S | |
| S | N | A | G | S | N | A | S | T | I | N | E | S | S |