# Please explain these crossword clues/answers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816 "2009-02-07T17:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/21 "2009-02-07T19:48:14Z")
I’ve really been enjoying _The Week_’s crossword since they started running it a few weeks ago, with its interesting entries involving up-to-the-minute references to current events. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/22 "2009-02-07T20:39:50Z")
Could someone check the byline and tell me who’s credited as constructor and/or editor? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/23 "2009-02-07T20:49:14Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > And some words show up more frequently because these have lots of needed letters. Airer is a frequent flier because of the double vowel at the beginning. (Any hint of broadcasting or television will be either airer or rerun.) Also eerie and aerie and early and oeno and iodine. Crosswords become easier with practice, just like any other skill. Yes. There are certain “filler” words that they use over and over again because they begin or end with vowel letters (often both). It’s like they have them in stock only to make other solutions fit: epee (any clue about fencing) elate (any version of a term to make some very happy) emote (anything about acting) oboe (usually a reference to an instrument and the context where it’s heard) Ilsa (any reference to the film Casablanca) egad (any kind of “oath” in quotation marks, especially an old fashion one) Alamo (any clue about San Antonio, TX, or Santa Ana, or a car rental company competitor) alas (any reference to “woe” etc.) ami (French, “friend,” usually implied by mentioning a city in France) agua (Spanish, “water,” usually implied by mentioning a city in Mexico or Spain) este, esto, esta (Spanish, “this,” “that,” usually implied by mentioning a city in Mexico or Spain) Asia (usually a reference to a city or county in Asia, and the clue “continent”) ache (any reference to soreness or discomfort) And so on. But there’s another question, and I don’t mean to high jack (perhaps it deserves a new thread), but no one has been able to answer it for me: **Why is it that the crossword puzzles from various daily newspapers will often have many of the same solutions on a given day? Is there some kind of network whereby the writers agree to use some of the same solutions? Do they have a “word of the day” calendar? Do they distribute a secret list, that says, “On Wednesday, include these three solutions.”?** ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/24 "2009-02-07T21:07:39Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > My all-time favorite crossword clues: > > ```auto > > [sub]4[/sub] > [sup]1[/sup]oooo > o > o > o > > ``` > > 1 ACROSS: \_\_\_\_\_ Musketeers > > 4 DOWN: \_\_\_\_\_ Match 1 ACROSS: “THE3” > 4 DOWN: “3ONA” 😃 What?! Is that legal? > [@Gary\_T](#): > > I remember a clue that read “Second person in the Bible.” The answer had four letters. > > Turns out it wasthou > > Personally, I love this kind of stuff. Makes your brain get off its butt and out of its rut. Now _that_ is clever. Took me a second to get it even after reading the spoiler. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/25 "2009-02-07T21:50:03Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Is “shower” ever used in the sense of “one who shows” (and presumably pronounced with a long O, not OW)? M-W doesn’t show such a usage. Never heard the expression, “[he’s a grower, not a shower](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=grower%20not%20a%20shower),” huh? **esne** used to be as big as **oleo** in the crossword filler realm. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/26 "2009-02-07T23:27:24Z")
It’s a mistake to conclude that something is not a word because it doesn’t have an entry in the dictionary. There is a verb “air” and a suffix “er” that are both well-known, and you can stick that suffix at the end to form a noun that means someone or something who airs. The same goes for “show” and “-er”. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/27 "2009-02-07T23:42:57Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > It’s a mistake to conclude that something is not a word because it doesn’t have an entry in the dictionary. There is a verb “air” and a suffix “er” that are both well-known, and you can stick that suffix at the end to form a noun that means someone or something who airs. The same goes for “show” and “-er”. +1,000, preach it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/28 "2009-02-08T00:01:56Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Could someone check the byline and tell me who’s credited as constructor and/or editor? It’s “by Peter Gordon.” I recently read Matt Gaffney’s book _Gridlock_. He devotes several pages to Peter Gordon who, as editor of the _New York Sun_ crossword, attempts, quite possibly successfully, to produce a better crossword than Will Shortz’s _New York Times_. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/29 "2009-02-08T00:10:32Z")
Along the same lines, I’ve seen the puzzle clue “Largest tower in the U.S.” The answer is “AAA” That is, “tower” is referring to tow trucks that pick up damaged cars. Triple A is called regularly to tow away cars. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/30 "2009-02-08T00:18:48Z")
At least twice in the past couple months, the NY Times Sunday crossword has had a clue referring to a “number”. Both times, the reference was to a dentist (a numb-er). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/31 "2009-02-08T00:58:48Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Yes. There are certain “filler” words that they use over and over again because they begin or end with vowel letters (often both). It’s like they have them in stock only to make other solutions fit: There’s a whole book on this, [Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider by Michelle Arnot](http://www.amazon.com/Four-Letter-Words-Secrets-Crossword-Insider/dp/0399534350/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234054559&sr=1-1). It might be useful for the OP or other newcomers to pick up. > [@](#): > > But there’s another question, and I don’t mean to high jack (perhaps it deserves a new thread), but no one has been able to answer it for me: > > **Why is it that the crossword puzzles from various daily newspapers will often have many of the same solutions on a given day? Is there some kind of network whereby the writers agree to use some of the same solutions? Do they have a “word of the day” calendar? Do they distribute a secret list, that says, “On Wednesday, include these three solutions.”?** Coincidence. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/32 "2009-02-08T01:33:03Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > What?! Is that legal? Oh, Lord, yes. Those are my favorite kinds of puzzles. I remember one where phrases and words including the letters HOLE were featured, and you actually had to draw in, or punch, a hole in place of those letters in the grid. Another did similar things with old-fashioned slot machine symbols. And it’s not just limited to individual grid squares; you can make entries run in different ways, twist them around, do whatever. It’s a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/33 "2009-02-08T02:01:27Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Coincidence. Really. I don’t buy that. It happens too often, with some more obscure words–not the ones they always have. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/34 "2009-02-08T02:08:17Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > What?! Is that legal? Yeah, the NYTimes does this sometimes, usually on Thursdays, if I’m remembering correctly. I remember one puzzle in which they used card suits (heart, club, spade, diamond) in one square. So, the answer may be something like HEARTBREAKER, but the actual squares were filled in (symbol of heart)BREAKER, for a total of eight spaces. I also seem to remember one where the answers would snake around in a weird way, so that the answer might start going forward across, but will wind down and backwards on itself in the next row. These sorts of tricks can be unfair if you don’t know to look out for them as a possibility. Like I said, I think it’s a peculiarity of Thursday puzzles only in the NYTimes, but I may be wrong about that. > [@](#): > > Now _that_ is clever. Took me a second to get it even after reading the spoiler. Got that one right away, but it was easy when you know it’s going to be a trick. If you’re stuck on a crossword clue, especially the NYTimes, it pays to step back for a second and see if there’s another way the clue can be read. Show-er/shower, Flow-er/Flower – these are very typical examples of the way crossword puzzle makers deliberately (but fairly) try to misdirect you. A crossword wouldn’t be fun if it were merely straight definitions. It’s exactly this sort of wordplay that makes crosswords an enjoyable time waster. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/35 "2009-02-08T02:09:31Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I don’t buy that. It happens too often, with some more obscure words–not the ones they always have. Sorry, but I think the mundane answer is the correct one: coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/36 "2009-02-08T02:19:38Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > It’s “by Peter Gordon.” > > I recently read Matt Gaffney’s book _Gridlock_. He devotes several pages to Peter Gordon who, as editor of the _New York Sun_ crossword, attempts, quite possibly successfully, to produce a better crossword than Will Shortz’s _New York Times_. Peter’s a first-class constructor. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/37 "2009-02-08T02:34:02Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Oh, Lord, yes. Those are my favorite kinds of puzzles. > > I remember one where phrases and words including the letters HOLE were featured, and you actually had to draw in, or punch, a hole in place of those letters in the grid. Another did similar things with old-fashioned slot machine symbols. And it’s not just limited to individual grid squares; you can make entries run in different ways, twist them around, do whatever. > > It’s a lot of fun. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, the NYTimes does this sometimes, usually on Thursdays, if I’m remembering correctly. I remember one puzzle in which they used card suits (heart, club, spade, diamond) in one square. So, the answer may be something like HEARTBREAKER, but the actual squares were filled in (symbol of heart)BREAKER, for a total of eight spaces. I also seem to remember one where the answers would snake around in a weird way, so that the answer might start going forward across, but will wind down and backwards on itself in the next row. These sorts of tricks can be unfair if you don’t know to look out for them as a possibility. Like I said, I think it’s a peculiarity of Thursday puzzles only in the NYTimes, but I may be wrong about that. Whoever writes these is really lucky I don’t do crosswords. _Really fuckin’ lucky._ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/38 "2009-02-08T05:45:44Z")
If you’ll forgive some self-promotion, this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=491427) might be of interest. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/39 "2009-02-08T06:21:09Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > What?! Is that legal? I remember one puzzle in which some of the squares needed to be filled with colors, e.g. a word like “bared” would cross a word like “redraw,” and one square took care of the “red” in each word. I love stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/40 "2009-02-08T06:25:50Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I don’t buy that. It happens too often, with some more obscure words–not the ones they always have. Believe it. I’ve seen it happen with a 2 month old Games Magazine puzzle and the current Times one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816.md?page=3)