[This is a corrected version of my original post.]
I approach a Saturday puzzle like today's July 12 crossword (answers) with some trepidation so it's always nice if I can guess 1 Across right off the bat. Sure enough the 911 pest referred neither to a terrorist nor to a Porsche model but to the emergency phone number. Well, to tell the truth I guessed prank caller first but it was close enough to get me going.
When I also guessed WOMEN IN LOVE for the David Herbert Lawrence novel I knew I was off to an easy solve.
Not so fast. Really, not fast at all. Things got tough quickly and it ended up being a typical Saturday challenge meaning I felt like a "dull finish" before it was over. We haven't heard from Myles Callum in nearly a year but his last one was tough too. Did he spend the whole year trying to find new ways to trip us up? A virtuous puzzle is worth more than RUBIES so let's take a closer look.
The things you learn from puzzles. Clorox bought STP? Wow. I wonder if the products are interchangeable. The Idaho motto is ESTO Perpetua meaning it goes on forever which is what driving through Idaho in the winter might feel like. El CID (the "the" is misdirection) battled the Moors in the 11th century. If you're my age, you remember NASA's Extra Vehicular Activities. What does a director sit on (three letters)? Admit it, you really wanted it to be ASS, didn't you? This one sits on a board.
There are some absolutely great clues today. Constructors and editors are challenged most by the common short answers. "Got into the swing" is a repeat clue from 2002 but it's terrific. "Flight destinations" was used just a few months ago but I love that one too. "Bygone grp. of 15" is an unusual clue for SSRS. On Saturday you solve clues like this by thinking something this obscure must be a tortured way of indicating a common crossword answer.
I also like "play halters." It has nothing to do with crying fire in a crowded theatre. Think playing chess. "It can stop the show" is a nice apparently parallel clue with a clever techie answer. Those DVRs can make TV time miraculously stand still. It took me a long time to figure out "shade." I was too literal to see the NUANCE of the clue. How long has it been since you've done the "mashed potato" or the WATUSI?
Welcome back to the show, Myles Callum.
I get many questions about the Quick Clues module on the top right of this blog. Our favorite shiftless lad joon suggested it would not only be easier but it would more closely approximate the real solving experience if I provided a letter or two in the solution. Good idea. It makes a huge difference, doesn’t it?
Update: PhillySolver who has a knack for finding info about constructors sent me this autobiographical paragraph by today's constructor:
Myles Callum: I'm a retired magazine editor (TV Guide, Saturday Evening Post, Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping) who got into crossword constructing late in life, after I retired. Have since had about 100 puzzles published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, L.A. Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Portable Press books, and elsewhere. I still write articles for books and magazines, although they're probably ones you've never heard of. Stamford, Connecticut, [former] home of the annual crossword puzzle tournament, is my old home town, but I now live in wonderful Santa Rosa, Calif., an hour north of San Francisco, where I love the Mediterranean climate, feed the hummingbirds, ride my bike around the neighborhood, and spend many summer days down at the ocean in Bodega Bay or one of the coastal beaches. A bonus of living in the Bay Area is that I periodically get to have lunch with my pals and fellow constructors Manny Nosowsky, Stephanie Spadaccini, constructor and Scrabble pro Andrea Michaels, Byron Walden, and Anne Garellick. We also enjoy an annual get-together at the beautiful Saratoga home of Martin and Elaine Herbach. This event, marked by nonstop chatter, laughter. behind-the-scenes puzzle chat and fantastic food and drink, is just indescribably pleasant. You gotta be there, and I hope one of these days you will be.
Mr. Callum, you could invite me any time :)
