Dance Number
by Todd McClary
edited by Mike Shenk
February 5, 2010

Full answers available on WSJ's crossword puzzle page.

Theme: Answers where pairs of phrases combine to clue TANGO. Kinda. Yeah, it was that complicated.

BRITS WORD OF THANKS {23A Partner of 114-Across} = ta
& DINH DIEM OF VIETNAM {114A Partner of 23-Across}= ngo
What would NDD have thought of Vietnam.com, complete with an explanation of TET {59A Asian celebration}?

BEACH SKIN TONE {33A Partner of 100-Across}= tan
& MONOPOLY SPACE {100A Partner of 33-Across}= go

ORANGE DRINK MIX {43A Partner of 93-Across} = tang
& WOMENS MAGAZINE {93A Partner of 43-Across}= o

IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO {66A Maxim demonstrated by the partnered answers in this puzzle}

All is forgiven. Impenetrable on the way it; delivered on the finish. Even with the explanation answer and some of the theme answers, I was still asea. TANG was finally my way in. Do kids still know from Tang? It's out there, now in grape & tropical passionfruit. Less of a blip on the cultural radar than it used to be. Unfortunately I got so excited about grokking the answer I wrote in BRIef WORD OF THANKS without considering that ANeIGUN {4D Like NRA foes} made no sense.

Usually, I solve on paper and highlight the theme boxes with a colored pen.* For this one I color-coded the theme pairs in different colors. How in the world did online solvers keep track?

*[Recently overheard: That's not OCD, that's organized. My new mantra.]


Admissions of Defeat: 4
In addition to the two above, S(f)T(r)EIG {24D Shrek creator William} crossing BONIT(r)A {27A Madonna's “La Isla ___” } was random letter generation that I generated incorrectly. Also, SOOEY(e) {41A Message for a pen pal?}/MINKSY(e) {13D Big name in burlesque}.


Variety Puzzle: Acrostic
My solving of acrostics is always overshadowed by wondering How do they do it? One has a given set of letters - the quote – and a mandated number of words with the first letter fixed - the name and title. How do constructors not have a pile of stray letters left over???


Variety Puzzle: Rows Garden
I worry when the instructions are longer than the clues. Which is my way of saying I had no luck. So far my loyalty to the grid has not been tested.


Commentary: So taken with the main conceit that I don't have much to say about the rest of the puzzle. Plus I'm way late. Tomorrow is another week.

Katherine Walcott
Puzzle Fan