LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
We were looking for an article of clothing last week, and 571 solvers found the five BELTs lurking in the grid. Not the kind you wear, but the kind used to describe different regions of the country:
17-A [Lithuanian delicacy (Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster Counties, New York)] = COLD BORSCHT. That’s the Borscht Belt, where Jewish stand-up comics honed their schticks at resorts like this.
24-A [Summer solstice phenomenon, above the Arctic Circle (California to North Carolina)] = MIDNIGHT SUN. The Sun Belt, where all those people sick of cold winters move.
38-A [Barbara Kingsolver’s most famous novel, with “The” (Texas to Virginia)] = POISONWOOD BIBLE. The Bible Belt, where you’d better be prepared to wait for a table at Sunday lunch.
49-A [Orville Redenbacher’s product (eastern Nebraska to western Ohio)] = POPPING CORN. John Mellencamp country.
60-A [German 18-year-old who landed a Cessna in Red Square, 5/28/1987 (northern Illinois to central New York)] = MATHIAS RUST. The Rust Belt, some of whose cities have reinvented themselves nicely (Pittsburgh and Cleveland, for two).
So BELT it was. And there are interesting belts in other parts of the world as well, such as these.
bschoner boasts:
Notched up another one!
Norm Hurlbut says:
Your metas are never a waist of time!
Ale M had a thought:
This had me wondering if Japanese regions are called ” ___ obi.”
And Leo reminds me of a belt joke:
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen randomly from the 571 correct entries received, is Danny A. of Pittsburgh, Penna. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil and notepad set, Danny will also receive a signed copy of my new book Pocket Posh Easy Crosswords.
ALERS AND NLERS:
Amusing rant by Evan Birnholz here.
QUICK META:
Here’s a meta by Grant Fikes that shouldn’t take you long at all.
CHESS PIECE:
Nothing to do with crosswords, but I wrote another chess article.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is an 11-letter proper noun that would’ve made a good fifth theme entry. Submit your answer in the form on the left sidebar by Tuesday at noon ET. Note: the submissions form disappears from the site promptly at noon on Tuesday.
To print the puzzle out, click on the image below and hit “print” on your browser. To solve using Across Lite either solve on the applet below or download the free software here, then join the Google Group (2,322 members now!) here. Or you can download the .puz file (you may have to right-click the link and save to your Downloads folder).
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.