I’m A Mac
By Janet Bender
Edited by Mike Shenk
February 19, 2010
http://www.puzzability.com/whois.html

Full answers available on WSJ's crossword puzzle page.

THEME: Words ending in –MA joined with words starting with C-.
The two words ending in –MA are from Latin. The five place names come from languages indigenous to that area when the dictionary writers showed up.
PIMA COTTON {25A Underwear fabric}- Named after Pima County AZ where it was first grown. [OED] The county was named after a local tribe.
SUMMA CUM LAUDE {27A Valedictorian’s honor} – From Latin for highest. [OED]
OKLAHOMA CRUDE {47A 1973 George C. Scott film} – From Choctaw meaning red people.
DRAMA CRITICS {54A Some opening night attendees} – Via Latin from Greek, “deed, action, play, esp. tragedy.” [OED]
SONOMA COUNTY {79A Home to more then 250 wineries} – Chocuyen Indian name translated by some as "Valley of the Moon" and by others as "land or tribe of the Chief Nose." Wiki says Coast Miwok and the Pomo tribe plus VotM.
REDEEM A COUPON {85A Save 50c, say}
OBAMA CAMPAIGN {105A “The Audacity to Win” subject} – African/Kenyan Luo language, “Luo verb that means "to be slightly bent" or "to be twisted". Though no one knows for sure why his [BHO's] great-grandfather was given the name, experts on Luo language and culture think the most likely possibilities are that the baby either had a leg or arm that looked a little bent just after he was born, or that he was born in the breech position.” [Wiki ans]
PANAMA CITY {108A Museo del Canal Interoceanico setting} – Guarani word meaning a "butterfly,"

A cousin to "I'm a PC" by Myles Callum on November 6, 2009. Praise songs and accolades of the highest honor to the first constructor who creates I’m A Linux.

How many –MA words did Ms. Bender have to chose from? 166 according to the The Million Word Crossword Answer Book by Stanley Newman and Daniel Stark [2007 Collins 2008 pb], superior to the OED as a crossword-specific dictionary since it includes abbreviations, partial words, multiple words, popular culture, and proper names both geographic and personal.
Nine 3 letter words for _ MA (p4), including OMA {Medical suffix (p1237)}.
Forty-four 4 letter words for _ _ MA (p28), including CYMA {Cornice molding (p1193)}.
Forty-seven 5 letter words for _ _ _ MA (p108), including NAIMA {John Coltrane ballad (p1232)}.
Forty-Three 6 letter words for _ _ _ _ MA (p328), including LOOK MA.
Twenty-Three 7 letter words for _ _ _ _ _ MA (p841), including ATACAMA, the desert driven across in Road Fever: A High-Speed Travelogue [Random 1991]. Author Tim Cahill says that trees from the foothills can be uprooted by spring runoff, brought down into the salt pan, and then covered with wind-blown grit and sand, “The Atacama is the only place on earth where people mine wood.” (p163)


Admissions of Defeat: 3
I made a few errors, notably pulling an Al Saunders and leaving 2 squares blank. I’m irate with myself. Imagine if the ACPT had been on the line? Back in 1996, I volunteered at the Atlanta Olympics. We watched a Canadian competitor ride right past a jump to eliminate herself. It must be kinda like that.

On the plus side, I’m giving myself points for letting the word ‘protein’ tip the R(d)NA {78A Protein synthesis participant} guesswork scales in the right direction.


Commentary: ACPT
Thought about them all weekend. Wished I was there. So, I am making a public announcement that I will go in 2011.
IF
I can make headway on the Friday/Saturday NYT puzzles. I assume that basic competence at this level is a requirement to survive the championship. I’m currently a solid Wed/Thur/WSJ solver with a minimum of errors. Right now the only thing I can do with Fri/Sat printouts is use them for coasters. I’m not asking for 100% correct, just greater than 50% filled in. Whenever I thought about competing this year, I had an image of myself sitting in front of a sheet of paper with nothing to do for 45 minutes but draw smiley faces in the boxes.

See you in 2011. I hope.

Katherine Walcott
Puzzle Fan