In today's
Los Angeles Times crossword by Joseph Groat, the letters SH replace TCH in familiar phrases:
Spell? WICKEDWISH
Convenient snack? NOSHINONESBELT
Outback outlaw? BUSHCASSIDY
Score for Hawkeye's team? MASHPOINT
Clothing magnate David posing with a bass? ABERCROMBIEANDFISH
Self-cleaning laundry? SMARTWASH
Avoid diner dishes? ESCAPEHASH
The puzzle's title: "Sh!"
With Trump and Cruz sniping at each other and Hillary and Bernie sniping at each other, the "Political Promises" theme of Patrick Merrill's
New York Times crossword is especially appropriate. The answers reveal the truth behind all those promises:
"No new taxes!" JUSTMOREOFTHEOLDONES
"I will maintain a strong defense!" WHENOPPONENTSATTACKME
"Deficit spending must stop!" DONATETOMYCAMPAIGNNOW
"Education will be my top priority!" IVEGOTALOTTOLEARN
"Unemployment will be a thing of the past!" FORMEIFIMELECTED
Very clever.....and, unfortunately, that is probably the way most politicians think. If Merrill ever decides to quit making crosswords, he could likely become a political satirist for
Mad magazine.
"Back" was FRO. In the US, we never hear the word used today except in the phrase "to and fro," although in certain British dialects the word is still used in place of "from." The word "from" dates from the 11th century and comes from the Old High German
fram, which means "forth" or "away" and derives from the Old English
faran, which means "to go." The word "fare" also comes from
faran. "Fro" dates from the 14th century.
The January 15
New York Times crossword included AMATI, the name of an Italian family of violin makers. Today's
Los Angeles Times crossword included STRADS for "Treasured strings." STRAD appears quite often in crosswords. I wrote about the Amati family and now I can write about the Stradivari family. Both families lived in Cremona, Italy and both families made stringed instruments. The Amati family made instruments from 1538 to 1740. In 1656-57, Antonio Stradivari studied under Niccolò Amati and began making his own instruments in 1658. The Stradivari family continued to make instruments until 1743. Strads are reputed to produce better sound than modern violins but when comparison tests are performed, almost no one can tell a difference. The highest price ever paid for a Stradivarius violin was $15,900,000 in a 2011 auction:
http://www.stradivariusviolins.org/pricesofstradivariusviolins.html
