Thank you, Lester Ruff — that name sounds so much like something from a Nabokov novel; it must be a pseudonym, don’t you think? — for a challenging and enjoyable Newsday Saturday Stumper. It begins with a giveaway, just enough to inspire a mistaken sense of confidence: 1-A, six letters, “Big name in parliamentary procedure.” Which leads to another giveaway, 1-D, eight letters, “Tried to catch.” And then the ground steepens in all directions.
Some unusual clues:
From the Department of Lifelong Learning: 8-D, eight letters, “Device in a ‘busting miles’ crime.” An easy answer, but I didn’t know it’s called “busting miles.”
From the Department of Dimly Recalled Trivia: 9-D, five letters, “Seemingly indecisive poet.” That name too sounds like something from Nabokov.
And from the Department of Faintly Dated Foods: 46-D, six letters, “Meat served with pancakes.”
The clue and answer pairs I liked best, because they’re so fiendish: 13-D, six letters, “India and Pakistan have one.” And 38-D, eight letters, “‘Pygmalion’ lead character.” Eight? Uh, DOOLI’L’?
No spoilers: the answers are in the comments.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Today’s Saturday Stumper
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ROBERT. RANAFTER. ODOMETER. NOYES. (Alfred Noyes.) MOOSHU. (Now it’s all authentic Chinese food, right?) TITTLE. (The dot on the i.) CAPITALP.
What's a tittle?
When I was a kid my father would bring up the name of Lester Gweet when it was time to go out to eat. Sometimes it was Lester Gwo, when dinner wasn’t involved. But the name Lester Ruff, by that punny logic, would make this puzzle appear less rough. I wouldn’t have gotten these answers in a million years!
A tittle is the dot on an i.
Elaine,we think alike: see this post.
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