A clever title, a clever theme and a clever word make today's crossword by John Lampkin a lot of fun. Well.....as much fun as it's possible to
have in a crossword puzzle. The title is "Cereal Boxes" and eight answers begin and end with circled letters which spell the names of different cereal grains. "Deep-rooted" is INGRAINED, which also describes the theme answers:
Lothario's organ:
ROVINGE
YERing leaders:
BARNUM AND BAI
LEYJoe may come from one:
COFFEEU
RNMoved like a crowd:
MILLEDABOU
TSignificant other:
MAINSQUEE
ZELids for a fancy box?:
OPERAH
ATSEasy order for a mixologist:
WHISKEYN
EATCeremonious choreography:
RITUALDAN
CERye, barley, corn, millet, maize, oats, wheat and rice. There are many other types of cereal grains, including teff, spelt, sorghum, fonio, triticale and canary grass. The Crops Review website gives a simple description of cereal grains and explains the distinctions among seeds, grains, hulls and coryopses:
http://www.cropsreview.com/cereal-crops.html"Alternate version, in scores" is OSSIA, a word I was unfamiliar with. It comes from the Italian phrase
o sia, which literally means "or be it." Ossias are common in operas and piana solos and are often just a few measures long. They are alternative passages which can be played instead of the original passages. Sometimes the ossia is easier to play than the original passage.....but not always.
"One who remembers old flames with fondness" is a nice clue for PYROMANIAC. "That thing in Tijuana" is ESO, which is not used in English. "Pulled up a chair" is SAT -- although it is certainly possible to "pull up a chair" without
sitting in it. "The Who classic" is IMFREE. I don't know if I would call
I'm Free a classic, though. The song reached only #37 on the
Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. The Who formed in 1964 in London and were originally known as the High Numbers. In more than five decades, the Who have had only one top-ten hit,
I Can See For Miles.
That's all for today. Ossia later. (Sorry -- I couldn't resist.)
