Good morning, and welcome to The Turn, the set of three challenging puzzles we get from Thursday through Saturday. It's a bright and sunny day here in upstate New York, a perfect opportunity to get into... math?
Sure, why not. The theme today is SOLVEFORX. The clue alerts us to the fact that 5 squares in the puzzle are tricksy. It turns out that the letter X is used five times to mean different things in one direction (and to be an X in the other direction). We've seen puzzles play on this concept before, so let's remind ourselves what the letter can stand for:
1. A kiss (14A: Affectionate gesture that might get some blowback? (AIRX)) - fun clue, too!
2. The mathematical operation of multiplication, or "times" (13D: 60 minutes, for example (XPAN)).
3. A strike, as in bowling (35A: Tenants' collective protest (RENTX)).
4. A cross (55D: Sport with a stick (LAXE)).
5. The number ten (53D: Rabbit ears, e.g. (ANXNA)).
In addition (see what I did there?) we get 10D: Problem that may have several factors (EQUATION), and 38D: Unknown quantity in a 10-Down (VARIABLE), as well as 17A: Where students may be plotting (MATHCLASS) to round out our early morning math quiz.
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| An example of SARIS |
Did anybody else blithely put in BASSoon at 8D: Low-pitched woodwind (BASSSAX)? That took me a minute or two to unravel, but the rest of the puzzle went pretty quickly.
Some fun clues with 9A: Noted figure in genetic research (HELIX) - not a person but a shape. 20A: Customer service state? (ONHOLD) hits awfully close to home. I liked ISRAEL crossing the DEADSEA (seemed apt), and so close to a RABBI! Happy Rosh Hashanah, everybody, a day or two early.
- Colum
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