ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ WHAT’S LEFT?]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
NOTE: All of this puzzle’s theme answers are the longest words that can be typed using only the left hand.
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ WHAT’S LEFT?]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
Let me start off by saying that Monday’s puzzle is finally corrected. I’ve just come back from a much-needed self-imposed puzzle/ Internet-free stretch of time for the last four days, so I didn’t catch all your e-mail/comments until this morning. Believe me, I needed it. The puzzle/Internet-free-ness, that is. The typo? Not so much. Irony: I must have dyslexia or something, cuz I watched all of the damnfool Celtics/Heat series the whole time and Just Never Caught the Funky Spelling. No matter: no more excuses. The corrected grid’s up now. Thanks for your patience/support.
To all the lurking Cavs fans out there: I know you’re out there and you don’t have to remind me. Your team will eventually beat my Celtics, but you have to admit it. This is going to be one ugly and entertaining series. Check that: it’ll be fugly. And I’m not just talking about Delonte West’s cover-your-eyes-bad tattoos. I’m just hoping for seven emotional games.
Oh, and an abrupt change of topic here. I’m now featured on the Android app Shortyz. Apparently, I’m listed under “Experimental,” which I guess I like. Who doesn’t want to be experimental? Well, anyway, that about wraps it up for all the major handhelds, I think? Note to self: check the Blackberry market.
Lastly, thanks again for who were able to hit up the tip jar so far. I’ve mentioned before, there are costs that keep this site running smooth, and every little bit helps in that department. It’s been said that a career in puzzlemaking is a slow and inevitable march toward insanity. Tipping, it’s said, at least slows that march down. Do your part. As always, I’ll award one donor with their choice of something from the souvenir stand.
Share the puzzle. New one on Friday.
that series could be a lot more winnable if lebron is really hurt.
38A = awesome.
8A baffles me. I don’t recall seeing Q as I walk down the diet soda aisle.
1A has me pulling up Pandora.
Rock on.
Liked the ESSES clue. The longest words with those letters? How the heck do you check that?
BTW, a measy BEQ for me. No having to resort to the “Check” cheater button. Victory!
How do you check that? With a Perl script of course! (And a few NPL word lists …)
Well, I googled Perl script and I choose to remain in blissful ignorance of such doings. Thanks for trying.
Accidentally smashed my right hand between desk chair armrest and desk in the middle of solving this puzzle… odd.
For some reason, this thing won’t let me reply to others’ comments today, so I’ll start a new box here.
@ Kevin Ashworth – re: 8A – it’s the “tab” key on your computer. It’s next to the “q” key. It has nothing to do with diet soda.
Okay, you dragged me in. If we consider the left-hand letters to be QWERTASDFGZXCVB then running a Perl script on the Scrabble dictionary gives me:
ABRACADABRAS
AFTEREFFECTS
DECEREBRATED
DECEREBRATES
DESEGREGATED
DESEGREGATES
EXTRAVAGATED
EXTRAVAGATES
EXTRAVASATED
EXTRAVASATES
REAGGREGATED
REAGGREGATES
RESEGREGATED
RESEGREGATES
REVERBERATED
REVERBERATES
STEWARDESSES
SWEATERDRESS
WATERCRESSES
SWEATERDRESSES
all 12 letters long except the last, which is 14. Looks like Brendan got the most common ones.
This one struck me as easy today, go figure. My only comment is that I really really wanted 24A to be AXE. French be damned!
@Bridget, absolutely, Axe was also what I thought for 24A.
@Andy F
Thanks for the explanation on TAB. I got it, but I also thought both clue and answer meant soft drink brands. Since I don’t drink any of them (I prefer wine) and don’t even go down that aisle in the grocery store, it could easily have been such… Don’t I feel silly?
@Bridget, Craig
AXE? (Norman used a butcher knife…)
I have to rate this as Easy–unusually so–because I finished it quite handily despite trying TOSS for [Hurl] and REFORD instead of RESWIM.
@Brendan, for the second time in like a week, I can’t open your Across Lite file. No problem with the NYT, LAT, etc. Any idea what’s up with that?
This one was a helluva lotta fun. Also probably the easiest BEQ I’ve ever done, but the fun was in the fill—a festering grid-full of non-NYT YUCKYness. BARF. WHARF. “Douche spray”. ANAL. Isadora Duncan allows me to say SCARF. Great stuff. Now if only it’d included MOIST.
Weirdest moment was that RED on RED in SE. Brain just did not want to accept that I had it right.
Also some terrific clues. 53A “Virgin women?” 50D “A lot of ass-kissers?” and 61D “French born?” were my fav’s.
re: 24A – Me too!
As for Sheilas being Aussies, mate – you need to drag your arse Down Under. We haven’t used that kinda lingo since the cane toad plague. Feel free to whack a shrimp on my BBQ, BEQ, and I’ll bring you up to local speed.
For 50A (and I agree, great clue) I just couldn’t get MULES out of my head. Never heard of JOCKJAM before, I had rock jam until I saw 36A.