Much Tzimmes About Nothing

From guest blogger PhillySolver:

Today marks Charlie Barasch’s sixth NYT puzzle and his first Saturday puzzle. I sometimes become too focused on evaluating crosswords and seeing what I can learn form them to pay much attention to the talented constructors who make them. Weekend puzzles require a great deal of special talent, so it should come as no surprise that these contributors are talented in other ways. For example, Charlie teaches linguistics at The University of Vermont and has published in several academic fields.  His first book will appear in September and it is not a book of crosswords. It is a book of poetry reflecting on the dreams of 42 past presidents (not sure about the current nightmare). Check out this link to see I am not making this up (Dreams of the Presidents).

I was able to ask Charlie a few questions and here is what he told me about his art.

I'm a very part-time puzzle constructor, although once I have an idea (either a theme or some interesting entries for a themeless) I throw myself into it with abandon. I've had more luck with themeless puzzles recently; they take a long time for me to create because I try to stay away from obscure entries. I love it when a theme or an interesting phrase pops up and my mind goes "Aha!" Then you might see me counting letters on my fingers for the next few days, trying to come up with entries that fit.

Well, his entries certainly 'fit' this time and made me wish I were a Professor of Linguistics. Jim will post the answer grid soon [here - JH] but to complete your degree in language arts, here are a few answers on the final exam:

1a/d  One taking a shot = GUNMAN and GUESSER
17a   Second in Court = ASST DA (think Sam Waterston)
18a   Like a family man = MARRIED WITH KIDS (inspired the picture)
23a   Pitch between columns = NEWSPAPER ADS
38a   Couples aspiration = QUALITY TIME (gotcha!)
46a   Be like Clark Kent = LEAD A DOUBLE LIFE (wear nerdy glasses almost fit)
8d     Split = DASHED AWAY
15d   Its stuffed with dough = FAT WALLET
25d   Area of interest for Archimedes = Pi R SQUARED (Area of a circle, right?)
32d   Beer brand since 1842 = SCHAEFER (wanted Schlitz for some reason)
39d   Tzimmes = ADO (hence the title of this post)
57a   Woman with a future = SEERESS (my least favorite word, but if I construct a puzzle, I want to use it. Just look at those end of word letters!)

Someone else will have to explain UNIATE and SATI as they just fit in and may not be real words.

This was certainly one of the hardest puzzles since late last December and yet it was a total pleasure. I guess I said 'aha" about twenty times. I need to go rest up now. Tomorrow will really test our intelligence, I promise.

PhillySolver

Comments

[LaurenB]

Damn this was a hard puzzle. Thank you PhillySolver for making some sense out of it!

[JimH]

Thanks, PhillySolver. Man, you ended up with a tough puzzle and you managed far better than I would have.

pi times the radius of a circle squared is indeed the area of a circle, and Mr. Barasch provided a wonderful clue. It is literally "an area of interest", Archimedes was Greek leading to the Greek letter in the answer, and in fact Archimedes himself proved not only the area formula in question, but he refined the estimate of pi to a high degree of accuracy. (Along the way, he nearly invented calculus himself eons before Leibniz and Newton.) It's not often so much gets crammed into a single clue.

[SethG]

The punch line to a really bad math joke: "No, pie are round. Cake are square."

A good math joke: "What's the difference between the diameter and the radius"?

Good job, Philly Solver.

[PhillySolver]

@ sethg

Ok, I'll bite? What is the difference? The Radius?

And here is a literary play on a simple math problem I always loved.
"What's one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one?"
"I don't know" said Alice. "I lost count."
"She can't do addition." said the Red Queen.
- Lewis Carrol, "Through the Looking Glass"

[KarmaSartre]

I thought it was a very tough challenge. Still not getting SATI

@PSolver -- excellent write-up. I wonder if any of the twenty times you said "aha", did you do so aloud?

[PhillySolver]

SAT I refers to the old college board exam (Scholastic Aptitude Test in my HS days). The SAT II is the subject matter portion of the test (you went back after lunch for these if I recall). So, SAT I is the general portion is my guess, but it was always called just the SAT and SAT II as far as I was aware.

[SethG]

The radius.

[Patricia]

U·ni·at (yn-t, -t) also U·ni·ate (-t, -t)
adj.
Of or relating to any of several Eastern Christian churches that are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church but retain their own languages, rites, and codes of canon law.
n.
A member of any of these churches.

[PhillySolver]

Thanks Patricia.

I can now rest easier knowing I am NOT a Uniate Christian and we can put those rumors to rest. ;)

[christian]

Let me begin by saying that i really like your blog www.xwordblog.com a lot
now.. back to the post hehe
I cant say that i agree with what you wrote... care to clear things up for me?