# Explain this Sunday Times crossword theme? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 30, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-sunday-times-crossword-theme/498108 "2009-05-30T01:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-sunday-times-crossword-theme/498108/1 "2009-05-30T01:47:41Z")
All righty, I’ve been working away at my _New York Times Supersized Sunday Crossword Puzzles_ omnibus, and usually the theme takes a while for me to pick up on, but I do eventually figure it out. One of them, however, has me stumped – even though I know the answers! Rather embarrassing. The name of the puzzle is “What a Nice Picnic!” Now, with this sort of title, I guessed that the answers would be some sort of pun with the word “ant” stuck in the middle. Mainly 'cause picnics usually = ants in crosswordese. 🙂 But I was wrong, natch. They do appear to be some sort of puns but I’ll be damned if I can figure out what they’re supposed to mean. And I’m usually very good at puns, anagrams and wordplay, darnit! Anyway, the clues that appear to be part of the theme are as follows. I’ve added spoilers and the number of letters just in case anyone wants to guess: _Part of a girl’s magazine dealing with makeup? (10 letters)_ BEAUTYPAGE _Attempt to irritate? (10 letters)_ GALLEFFORT _Sleeves of a sports jacket? (11 letters)_ SERGEATARMS _Army dog? (11 letters)_ GISCHNAUSER (seriously, the hell does this mean? I get “G.I.” and I get “Schnauzer” and I get that this = “army dog,” literally, but…?) _Little one bypasses the altar? (11 letters)_ PYGMYELOPES _Grange lacrosse team? (10 letters)_ TENFARMERS _Philly champion? (10 letters)_ PENNWINNER So what am I missing? I know it’s gonna be ridiculously obvious, oy… ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-sunday-times-crossword-theme/498108/2 "2009-05-30T02:08:01Z")
Oh crapples, I just got it. LOL. Okay, well, my post remains here as evidence that I am slower than molasses. And here are hints just in case anyone else is as slow as I am (though I doubt it). Hint #1: The reason it’s a great picnic is because… More obvious hint #2: There are no pests… Answer: Each phrase is missing the “ant” that completes it. So GISCHNAUZER is GIANT SCHNAUZER. BEAUTY PAGE is BEAUTY PAGEANT. And so on. Well, at least I was in the right direction with the picnic/ants idea. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-sunday-times-crossword-theme/498108/3 "2009-05-30T15:33:11Z")
Well, that was fun! 😃