It's another Marx puzzle but this time with Karl rather than Groucho. "Kritik der politischen Ökonomie" is one of those great clues where even if you don't speak the language, it's possible to suss out the solution, at least with the right time frame of 1867. DAS KAPITAL is the answer in this Saturday, June 14 puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley (answers).
Is REALER a word? I guess so. It was my first guess for "less of an illusion" but it seemed wrong. THE KITE RUNNER is a remarkable book and it's recommended by The JimH Blog. It's a simplistic tale, the storytelling is not graceful, there's no real suspense, but it absolutely packs a wallop. It's the kind of book you won't forget.
"It's the same in Paris" is not MEME but rather EGAL. Yep, that works too, but I was stuck on the wrong synonym for a long time. I didn't know IHOP bought Applebee's. You'd think the breakfasts at Appleby's would be better in that case. Nice to see THAD Jones jazzing up the puzzle.
Stephen Colbert's contribution to the English Language, TRUTHINESS, makes its NYT debut. I'm sure he and Mr. Marx could have had a fun debate on the TV show. I wonder if this was Mr. Quigley's first word in the grid. It's great to have a colorful answer at 1 Across. I wonder if this is the first article on the Internet to include images of those two polar opposite giants of political science.
Yes, Brendan Emmett Quigley is a rock star. Literally. You can read all about him in this Boston Phoenix article. Such a young kid and he already has over 100 NYT puzzles under his belt.
A reader asked me if there was a word for twisted phrases like "Time wounds all heels." I don't know but if you do, leave a comment. I also don't know the realer word for what I call Truncated Aphorisms — adages that make sense even if you leave off the usual ending. Here are my two favorites:
- People who live in glass houses shouldn't.
- Familiarity breeds.