Long, long ago, in years gone by, when dinosaurs ruled the earth, in times past, one of my favorite words was antediluvian. It means long, long ago, but the genesis of this word fascinated me back when I was a boy. You already know it means "before the deluge" or "before the flood" referring to that unlikely event involving Noah and a few million species of animals. Two of each, in fact.
Today's Tuesday, July 15 puzzle (answers) is full of antediluvian phrases. It's the first NYT puzzle in nearly three years from constructor Leonard Williams although he had one each in the L.A. Times and the N.Y. Sun last year.
Thor Heyerdahl was an ambitious Norwegian who had crazy ideas about ancient peoples being able to cross vast oceans in primitive boats, and then went on to demonstrate them himself. 25 Across refers to his attempts to cross the Atlantic from Morocco to Africa in the late 1960s. Although RA I has been clued many times as an "historic Heyerdahl craft" I'm not sure it really existed. The first boat was the Ra. The second was the Ra II. One could argue that the existence of the second requires a disambiguating suffix on the first, but I'm not sure Thor or his crew of tars ever used that name.
WORD is indeed a "popular Microsoft product" and it's nice to see some non-Apple software get mentioned. Speaking of trade names, Cherry GARCIA is very tasty. In the endless quest for new clues for OREO, we've never before talked about the floral design. Soon we'll be reduced to discussing the chemical composition of the crumbs since every other possible descriptor will have been used.
Update: Our favorite PsuperSleuth has dug up some fascinating info on today's constructor as well. Dr. Williams is a Professor of Political Science at Manchester College in Indiana. He teaches Political Analysis, Public Policy, Constitutional Law, and even Feminist Theory. Among his many books, essays, and articles, his most recent, published in New Political Science is titled "Anarchism Revived." You can read all his academic side on his Manchester College page.
What his awestruck students don't know is that he has another side. His Animated Adventures puzzle is #30 in a collection called Banned Crosswords, stuck right before Bedtime Ritual and right after Penis! Penis!
One other note: I've added a new feature to xwordinfo.com. There's a search box right on the home page which allows you to look for any word or phrase in both xwordinfo and this blog. This is particularly useful for looking up clues, for example, which I don't index.
EVAH is only possible in crosswords by mentioning Cole Porter. He wrote the song for his 1939 musical Du Barry Was a Lady. Put on your top hat, drink a little too much Champagne, and sing along to this excerpt. Why don't I evah get invited to these parties?
Have you heard, among this clan,
I am called "The forgotten man"?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard the story of
Dexter boy being gypped by love?
Well, did you evah!
What a swell party this is!
What frails, what frocks!
What furs, what rocks!
What gaiety! It's all too exquis!
That French champagne!
So good for the brain!
That band, it's the end!
Kindly don't fall down, my friend,
Have you heard the poor dear Blanche
Got run down by an avalanche?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
Have you heard? It's in the stars
Next July we collide with Mars.
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!
