This Sunday puzzle titled WORLD PAY demonstrates the tradeoffs puzzle creators have to make. It was a tougher puzzle than usual for a Sunday, it included a few clunky answer words, but the theme trick was great fun and there were an amazing number of theme clues. I won't give it away in case you're still working on it.
Puzzles are supposed to be great for mental flexibility. A couple of clues today reminded me of that. 103 Across is "Bass part," three letters. If you're a musician and you get an image of a double bass in your head, it's hard to shake that and imagine what else bass could be. I think this is especially tricky when the intended meaning is pronounced differently. The answer turns out to be FIN.
83 Across represents a related but different form of mental gymnastics. The clue is "You might hear it going up and down," five letters. I had no idea what this meant. What makes noise going up and down? It turns out that is the wrong question. I've provided another clue with the attached photo. The gentleman with the bizarre beard is Elisha Otis, he of elevator fame.
Note how cleverly the clue is worded. If it said "You might hear it going up OR down" it would have been far easier. One could quibble (I won't) that an Otis customer is never going both up and down. Instead, I admire the clue for it's devilish cleverness. Or at least for making me grin.
Oh, right, the answer. MUZAK.
