Jerry Edelstein has created many clever crosswords. A puzzle titled "Half moon" included phrases which began with MO and ended with ON. The grid of a puzzle titled "Square roots" included several areas where a square of four spaces contained the letters R, O, O and T. Today's crossword isn't clever -- but that's okay. Instead, it's historical. Here are the theme answers:
Trifling matters: PENNYANTESTUFF
Focal point in a theater: CENTERSTAGE
John Paul Jones was a commander in it: CONTINENTALNAVY
May observance for those who died in military service: MEMORIALDAY
"Statesman born 2/12/1809 whose surname can precede the starts" of those answers is ABRAHAMLINCOLN. The nickname of our 16th President was "Honest Abe." In Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and New York, Lincoln's birthday is a state holiday. It has never been a federal holiday, however. The birthday of our first President, George Washington (February 22, 1732) is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February. Most states now call that Monday "Presidents Day" to honor both Lincoln and Washington but the federal government continues to observe the day as "George Washington's Birthday." Here are 11 humorous quotes attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/57794/11-abe-lincolns-favorite-stories"Trite" is OVERUSED -- and the puzzle includes several words which
are overused. But then,
every crossword includes several overused words. Today's includes NEE ("Originally named"),LON ("Chaney of horror"), ELF ("North Pole worker"). CSI ("TV forensic series"), MCI ("1101, to Romans"), EATS ("Has a midnight snack, say"), ERNES ("Diving seabirds"), AREA ("Side squared, for a square"), STET ("Editor's 'never mind'") and ENOLA ("WWII bomber ___ Gay").
The Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber and was the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, the Enola Gay dropped a bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the Enola Gay dropped a bomb on Nagasaki. The pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbetts, named the aircraft after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets. She was named after the title character in Mary Young Ridenbaugh's 1886 novel
Enola; or, Her Fatal Mistake. The plane is on display at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.
In closing, allow me to ask: Why is Abraham Lincoln like a bloodhound tracking a criminal? They're both on the cent.
(Bad, I know.)
