Happy Canada Day everyone!
Ken Bessette ran out of space for the three theme answers in his Tuesday, July 1 puzzle (answers) so he dropped some doubled letters. I liked this theme but I confess to some more-than-usual trouble for a Tuesday. Crosswords can be humbling sometimes.
For example, what's a three-letter Tolkien creature? There are only two possibilities: ENT or ORC. Neither is correct. It turns out there are more weird critters than you can shake the one ring to rule them all and in the darkness bind them at including, apparently, an ELF. I was sure that had to be wrong. Elves are denizens of Hogwart's or the north pole, right? Perhaps, but Middle Earth is lousy with them too. Legolas is elven.
I always thought VIRTU was a quality of art. It is, but it's also a plural of art pieces. Cobbler's forms are LASTS? It's been 12 years since one had to know that to solve an NYT puzzle. This is a Tuesday, right? There were a half dozen more items that I had to guess at or painfully solve through crosses. It made this a particularly fun Tuesday puzzle once I got over the fact that I wasn't going to rip through it. "Seven year stretch" is a yummy clue for TEENS.
Don't tell me you still haven't done the diagramless I mentioned yesterday! I really do insist you take a whack at it. Ok, ok, here's another clue. This image shows the shape of the top couple of rows:
You now have all the information you need. If you could finish today's Tuesday puzzle, or let's say if you could finish a typical Tuesday puzzle, you can absolutely do this diagramless. Here's the NYT link again. Remember the symmetry rules.
With apologies to James Leigh Hunt:
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold:
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."
The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!
Prompting a thesis, quite hypothethetical,
That even recording angels find it best,
To keep us alphabetical.