Advertisement
Cracking the Code: The Ultimate Guide to Solving "Egg-Shaped" NYT Crosswords
Are you a seasoned New York Times crossword puzzle enthusiast, or perhaps a newcomer looking to conquer the daily challenge? Have you encountered those frustrating clues that seem to hint at something roundish, oval, or, yes, egg-shaped? This comprehensive guide is your key to unlocking the secrets behind "egg-shaped" clues in the NYT crossword, transforming those baffling moments into triumphant "aha!" experiences. We'll explore various clue types, common word associations, and effective solving strategies to help you conquer even the most challenging egg-shaped puzzles.
Understanding the "Egg-Shaped" Clue
The term "egg-shaped" in a NYT crossword clue isn't literal. It's a metaphorical descriptor, usually implying something oval, rounded, or slightly elongated. The clue rarely points to an actual egg; instead, it hints at the shape or form of the answer. This requires a nuanced understanding of the clue's context and wordplay. The difficulty lies in interpreting the subtle nuances of language the constructor employs to guide solvers toward the solution.
Common Word Associations for "Egg-Shaped" Clues
When encountering an "egg-shaped" clue, consider these frequently associated words and concepts:
Oval: Many answers will be words describing things of oval or elliptical shape. Think of objects like a stadium, a racetrack, or even a gemstone.
Rounded: Clues might focus on something with a smooth, curved contour, such as a type of fruit or a specific anatomical feature.
Elliptical: The clue might utilize scientific or mathematical terms referencing ellipses, hinting at a shape similar to an elongated circle.
Oblong: A longer, more stretched-out oval shape. Think of objects like certain vegetables or even specific types of buttons.
Solving Strategies for Egg-Shaped Clues
Here's a breakdown of effective techniques to tackle these challenging clues:
1. Context is King: Carefully examine the surrounding clues and answers. The intersecting words often provide crucial letters or hints that narrow down the possibilities. Look for patterns and themes within the puzzle.
2. Consider Multiple Meanings: Many crossword clues are cleverly worded, utilizing puns or double meanings. Explore alternative interpretations of the clue's words to uncover potential solutions.
3. Think Outside the Box (Literally!): Don't limit yourself to only considering common words. The answer might be a less frequent term that still fits the "egg-shaped" description and the clue's overall context.
4. Leverage Word Lists and Crosswords Solvers (Sparingly): While it's tempting to immediately reach for assistance, try your best to solve the clue independently first. If you're truly stuck, use these tools strategically to only get a hint or a single letter to guide you rather than looking up the entire answer.
5. Practice Makes Perfect: The more NYT crosswords you solve, the better you become at deciphering the constructors' cryptic language and recognizing recurring patterns.
Examples of "Egg-Shaped" Clues and Their Solutions
Let's examine some hypothetical examples to illustrate the principles discussed:
Clue: "Like some stadiums, in shape" - Answer: OVAL
Clue: "Fruit with a smooth, rounded exterior" - Answer: PLUM (or other similar fruits)
Clue: "Astronomical orbit" - Answer: ELLIPSE
Clue: "A certain type of button" - Answer: OVAL (or OBLONG)
Advanced Techniques for Expert Solvers
For those seeking a deeper understanding, here are advanced strategies:
Pattern Recognition: Identify recurring wordplay techniques used by specific constructors. This will help you anticipate their style and approach to clue writing.
Anagrams: Be alert for clues that might be anagrams (rearranged letters) of the answer.
Hidden Words: Sometimes, the answer is cleverly hidden within the clue itself.
Article Outline: "Cracking the Code: The Ultimate Guide to Solving 'Egg-Shaped' NYT Crosswords"
I. Introduction: Hooking the reader with the challenge of "egg-shaped" clues and outlining the guide's purpose.
II. Understanding the Clue: Defining the metaphorical nature of "egg-shaped" and its implications.
III. Common Word Associations: Listing words and concepts frequently associated with this type of clue.
IV. Solving Strategies: Detailed explanation of techniques to solve "egg-shaped" clues.
V. Examples: Illustrating the strategies with hypothetical clues and solutions.
VI. Advanced Techniques: Exploring advanced strategies for expert solvers.
VII. Conclusion: Summarizing key takeaways and encouraging continued practice.
VIII. FAQs: Answering common questions about solving NYT crosswords.
IX. Related Articles: Suggesting further reading on related topics.
Detailed Explanation of Each Outline Point (Already covered extensively in the main body of the article above)
9 Unique FAQs
1. Q: What does "egg-shaped" actually mean in a NYT crossword clue? A: It's a metaphorical descriptor, implying an oval, rounded, or slightly elongated shape.
2. Q: Are there any specific words frequently associated with "egg-shaped" clues? A: Yes, words like oval, elliptical, rounded, and oblong are common.
3. Q: How important is context when solving "egg-shaped" clues? A: Crucial! The surrounding clues and answers provide essential hints and letters.
4. Q: Should I use online crossword solvers? A: Use them sparingly, only for a hint when truly stuck, to avoid hindering your learning process.
5. Q: What if I'm completely stumped by an "egg-shaped" clue? A: Try re-reading the clue carefully, considering multiple interpretations, and checking for intersecting letters.
6. Q: Are there any advanced techniques for solving these clues? A: Yes, pattern recognition, identifying anagrams, and finding hidden words are helpful.
7. Q: How can I improve my overall NYT crossword solving skills? A: Practice regularly, analyze your mistakes, and learn from experienced solvers.
8. Q: Are some constructors known for using more "egg-shaped" clues than others? A: Possibly, but consistent practice helps you recognize various constructor styles.
9. Q: Where can I find more information and resources to help me improve? A: Explore online crossword communities, forums, and websites dedicated to crossword puzzle solving techniques.
9 Related Articles
1. Mastering NYT Crossword Clue Types: A comprehensive guide to understanding different clue styles.
2. Common Crossword Fillers and Their Uses: Learning frequently used words to speed up solving.
3. Advanced Crossword Solving Techniques for Experts: Deep-dive into expert-level strategies.
4. Understanding Crossword Construction Principles: Insight into how crosswords are created.
5. The History and Evolution of the NYT Crossword: A chronological look at the puzzle's development.
6. Famous NYT Crossword Constructors and Their Styles: Exploring different constructors' unique approaches.
7. Tips and Tricks for Solving Difficult NYT Crosswords: Strategies for tackling challenging puzzles.
8. Using Online Tools Effectively for Crossword Solving: A responsible guide to using online help.
9. Building Your Own Crossword Puzzles: A Beginner's Guide: Learn to create your own crosswords for practice.
egg shaped nyt crossword: Eat a Peach David Chang, Gabe Ulla, 2020-09-08 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the chef behind Momofuku and star of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious—an intimate account of the making of a chef, the story of the modern restaurant world that he helped shape, and how he discovered that success can be much harder to understand than failure. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, Fortune, Parade, The New York Public Library, Garden & Gun In 2004, Momofuku Noodle Bar opened in a tiny, stark space in Manhattan’s East Village. Its young chef-owner, David Chang, worked the line, serving ramen and pork buns to a mix of fellow restaurant cooks and confused diners whose idea of ramen was instant noodles in Styrofoam cups. It would have been impossible to know it at the time—and certainly Chang would have bet against himself—but he, who had failed at almost every endeavor in his life, was about to become one of the most influential chefs of his generation, driven by the question, “What if the underground could become the mainstream?” Chang grew up the youngest son of a deeply religious Korean American family in Virginia. Graduating college aimless and depressed, he fled the States for Japan, hoping to find some sense of belonging. While teaching English in a backwater town, he experienced the highs of his first full-blown manic episode, and began to think that the cooking and sharing of food could give him both purpose and agency in his life. Full of grace, candor, grit, and humor, Eat a Peach chronicles Chang’s switchback path. He lays bare his mistakes and wonders about his extraordinary luck as he recounts the improbable series of events that led him to the top of his profession. He wrestles with his lifelong feelings of otherness and inadequacy, explores the mental illness that almost killed him, and finds hope in the shared value of deliciousness. Along the way, Chang gives us a penetrating look at restaurant life, in which he balances his deep love for the kitchen with unflinching honesty about the industry’s history of brutishness and its uncertain future. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Crooked Heart Lissa Evans, 2014-11-06 When Noel Bostock - aged ten, no family - is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz, he winds up in St Albans with Vera Sedge - thiry-six, drowning in debts. Always desperate for money, she's unscrupulous about how she gets it. The war's thrown up all manner of new opportunities but what Vee needs is a cool head and the ability to make a plan. On her own, she's a disaster. With Noel, she's a team. Together they cook up an idea. But there are plenty of other people making money out of the war and some of them are dangerous. Noel may have been moved to safety, but he isn't actually safe at all . . . Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, 2015 |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Prune Gabrielle Hamilton, 2014-11-04 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Gabrielle Hamilton, bestselling author of Blood, Bones & Butter, comes her eagerly anticipated cookbook debut filled with signature recipes from her celebrated New York City restaurant Prune. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE SEASON BY Time • O: The Oprah Magazine • Bon Appétit • Eater A self-trained cook turned James Beard Award–winning chef, Gabrielle Hamilton opened Prune on New York’s Lower East Side fifteen years ago to great acclaim and lines down the block, both of which continue today. A deeply personal and gracious restaurant, in both menu and philosophy, Prune uses the elements of home cooking and elevates them in unexpected ways. The result is delicious food that satisfies on many levels. Highly original in concept, execution, look, and feel, the Prune cookbook is an inspired replica of the restaurant’s kitchen binders. It is written to Gabrielle’s cooks in her distinctive voice, with as much instruction, encouragement, information, and scolding as you would find if you actually came to work at Prune as a line cook. The recipes have been tried, tasted, and tested dozens if not hundreds of times. Intended for the home cook as well as the kitchen professional, the instructions offer a range of signals for cooks—a head’s up on when you have gone too far, things to watch out for that could trip you up, suggestions on how to traverse certain uncomfortable parts of the journey to ultimately help get you to the final destination, an amazing dish. Complete with more than with more than 250 recipes and 250 color photographs, home cooks will find Prune’s most requested recipes—Grilled Head-on Shrimp with Anchovy Butter, Bread Heels and Pan Drippings Salad, Tongue and Octopus with Salsa Verde and Mimosa’d Egg, Roasted Capon on Garlic Crouton, Prune’s famous Bloody Mary (and all 10 variations). Plus, among other items, a chapter entitled “Garbage”—smart ways to repurpose foods that might have hit the garbage or stockpot in other restaurant kitchens but are turned into appetizing bites and notions at Prune. Featured here are the recipes, approach, philosophy, evolution, and nuances that make them distinctively Prune’s. Unconventional and honest, in both tone and content, this book is a welcome expression of the cookbook as we know it. Praise for Prune “Fresh, fascinating . . . entirely pleasurable . . . Since 1999, when the chef Gabrielle Hamilton put Triscuits and canned sardines on the first menu of her East Village bistro, Prune, she has nonchalantly broken countless rules of the food world. The rule that a successful restaurant must breed an empire. The rule that chefs who happen to be women should unconditionally support one another. The rule that great chefs don’t make great writers (with her memoir, Blood, Bones & Butter). And now, the rule that restaurant food has to be simplified and prettied up for home cooks in order to produce a useful, irresistible cookbook. . . . [Prune] is the closest thing to the bulging loose-leaf binder, stuck in a corner of almost every restaurant kitchen, ever to be printed and bound between cloth covers. (These happen to be a beautiful deep, dark magenta.)”—The New York Times “One of the most brilliantly minimalist cookbooks in recent memory . . . at once conveys the thrill of restaurant cooking and the wisdom of the author, while making for a charged reading experience.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Bees Laline Paull, 2014-05-06 Born into the lowest class of an ancient hierarchical society, Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, an Untouchable, whose labour is at her ancient orchard hive's command. As part of the collective, she is taught to accept, obey and serve. Altruism is the highest virtue, and worship of her beloved Queen, the only religion. Her society is governed by the priestess class, questions are forbidden and all thoughts belong to the Hive Mind. But Flora is not like other bees. Her curiosity is a dangerous flaw, especially once she is exposed to the mysteries of the Queen's Library. But her courage and strength are assets, and Flora finds herself promoted up the social echelons. From sanitation to feeding the newborns in the royal nursery to becoming an elite forager, Flora revels in service to her hive. When Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen's fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses who are jealously wed to power. Her deepest instinct to serve and sacrifice is now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart and her society, and lead her to commit unthinkable deeds . . . |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Dairy Queen Catherine Gilbert Murdock, 2006 Murdock's stunning debut novel, narrated by 15-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, is now available in paperback. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Anish Kapoor Anish Kapoor, Sandhini Poddar, Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, 2008 Since the early 1980s, Anish Kapoor's investigations into objecthood, materiality and gravity have explored the concept of the void, or what he describes as objects becoming space. His sculptures, installations and public art have been characterized by intensely tactile or reflective materials, including coloured pigments, wax, fibreglass, polished stainless steel and PVC, that resist any narrative reading. Deutsche Guggenheim's ambitious commission opens to the public in October 2008 and travels to New York in 2009. It is conceived as an intervention in the galleries that prevents any one complete viewing or experience of the work. Fabricated of Cor-Ten steel, with industrial hinges and flanges exposed, the work tests the boundaries between sculpture and painting, as one opening brings viewers into a cavernous, expansive paint field. This accompanying catalogue offers four points of entry into the work: through philosophy, postcolonial and architectural theory, and structural analysis, and is accompanied by preparatory sketches and architectural renderings. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner, 2021-04-20 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the indie rock sensation known as Japanese Breakfast, an unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American—“in losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself” (NPR). • CELEBRATING OVER ONE YEAR ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her. Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Hiroshima John Hersey, 2020-06-23 Hiroshima is the story of six people—a clerk, a widowed seamstress, a physician, a Methodist minister, a young surgeon, and a German Catholic priest—who lived through the greatest single manmade disaster in history. In vivid and indelible prose, Pulitzer Prize–winner John Hersey traces the stories of these half-dozen individuals from 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, when Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a city, through the hours and days that followed. Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told, and his account of what he discovered is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Architecture of Happiness Alain De Botton, 2010-12-03 Bestselling author Alain de Botton considers how our private homes and public edifices influence how we feel, and how we could build dwellings in which we would stand a better chance of happiness. In this witty, erudite look at how we shape, and are shaped by, our surroundings, Alain de Botton applies Stendhal’s motto that “Beauty is the promise of happiness” to the spaces we inhabit daily. Why should we pay attention to what architecture has to say to us? de Botton asks provocatively. With his trademark lucidity and humour, de Botton traces how human needs and desires have been served by styles of architecture, from stately Classical to minimalist Modern, arguing that the stylistic choices of a society can represent both its cherished ideals and the qualities it desperately lacks. On an individual level, de Botton has deep sympathy for our need to see our selves reflected in our surroundings; he demonstrates with great wisdom how buildings — just like friends — can serve as guardians of our identity. Worrying about the shape of our sofa or the colour of our walls might seem self-indulgent, but de Botton considers the hopes and fears we have for our homes at a new level of depth and insight. When shopping for furniture or remodelling the kitchen, we don’t just consider functionality but also the major questions of aesthetics and the philosophy of art: What is beauty? Can beautiful surroundings make us good? Can beauty bring happiness? The buildings we find beautiful, de Botton concludes, are those that represent our ideas of a meaningful life. The Architecture of Happiness marks a return to what Alain does best — taking on a subject whose allure is at once tantalizing and a little forbidding and offering to readers a completely beguiling and original exploration of the subject. As he did with Proust, philosophy, and travel, now he does with architecture. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) Min Jin Lee, 2017-02-07 A New York Times Top Ten Book of the Year and National Book Award finalist, Pachinko is an extraordinary epic of four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family as they fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan (San Francisco Chronicle). NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 * A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 * JULY PICK FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * FINALIST FOR THE 2018DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE* WINNER OF THE MEDICI BOOK CLUB PRIZE Roxane Gay's Favorite Book of 2017, Washington Post NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER There could only be a few winners, and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones. In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history. *Includes reading group guide* |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Red Tent Anita Diamant, 2009-09-18 ‘Intensely moving . . . feminist . . . a riveting tale of love’ – Observer Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent is an extraordinary and engrossing tale of ancient womanhood and family honour. Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the Book of Genesis that recount the life of Jacob and his infamous dozen sons. Told in Dinah’s voice, The Red Tent opens with the story of her mothers – the four wives of Jacob – each of whom embodies unique feminine traits. Then follows Dinah’s own startling and unforgettable story of betrayal, grief and love. Deeply affecting and intimate, The Red Tent is a feminist classic which combines outstandingly rich storytelling with an original insight into women’s society in a fascinating period of early history. Such is its warmth and candour, it is guaranteed to win the hearts and minds of women across the world. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Blue Book A.L. Kennedy, 2011-09-30 You are crossing the Atlantic on a liner with your boyfriend who may or may not be planning to propose. You are fleeing the past - your ex-lover Arthur, the man who helped you dupe the vulnerable into believing loved ones were trying to make contact from beyond the grave. But there's a secret you've kept from Arthur, a deception about the two of you that threatens to emerge when you discover Arthur's presence on the boat. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Jamie Ford, 2009-01-27 Sentimental, heartfelt….the exploration of Henry’s changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages...A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices.-- Kirkus Reviews “A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel. -- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain “Jamie Ford's first novel explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle area during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love. An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut.” -- Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol. This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept. Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago. Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart. BONUS: This edition contains a Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet discussion guide and an excerpt from Jamie Ford's Love and Other Consolation Prizes. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: These Precious Days Ann Patchett, 2021-11-23 The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike. —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls, 2007-01-02 A triumphant tale of a young woman and her difficult childhood, The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience, redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and wonderfully vibrant. Jeannette Walls was the second of four children raised by anti-institutional parents in a household of extremes. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage Alice Munro, 2007-12-18 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro come nine short stories with “the intimacy of a family photo album and the organic feel of real life” (The New York Times) “In Munro’s hands, as in Chekhov’s, a short story is more than big enough to hold the world—and to astonish us, again and again.”—Chicago Tribune FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • A TIME BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY In the nine breathtaking stories that make up this collection, Alice Munro creates narratives that loop and swerve like memory, conjuring up characters as thorny and contradictory as people we know ourselves. The fate of a strong-minded housekeeper with a “frizz of reddish hair,” just entering the dangerous country of old-maidhood, is unintentionally (and deliciously) reversed by a teenaged girl’s practical joke. A college student visiting her aunt for the first time and recognizing the family furniture stumbles on a long-hidden secret and its meaning in her own life. An inveterate philanderer finds the tables turned when he puts his wife into an old-age home. A young cancer patient stunned by good news discovers a perfect bridge to her suddenly regained future. A woman recollecting an afternoon’s wild lovemaking with a stranger realizes how the memory of that encounter has both changed for her and sustained her through a lifetime. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage is Munro at her best—tirelessly observant, serenely free of illusion, deeply and gloriously humane. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Wintergirls Laurie Halse Anderson, 2014-03-06 A beautifully written and riveting look at anorexia from acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson. Cassie and Lia are best friends, and united in their quest to be thin. But when Cassie is found dead in a motel room, Lia must question whether she continues to lose weight, or choose life instead. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Tales of the Dervishes Idries Shah, 1982 A mysterious chest is buried unopened. A wondrous caravan brings fortune to a simple cobbler. An outcast princess creates a new life in the wilderness. Some of the 78 tales in this remarkable book first appeared in print over a thousand years ago; others are medieval classics. Yet each has a special relevance for us at the dawn of the 21st century. All are told with Idries Shah's distinctive wit and grace and the author's own commentary notes. These are teaching stories in the Sufi tradition. Those who probe beyond the surface will find multiple meanings to challenge assumptions and foster new ways of thinking and perceiving. Tales of the Dervishes is essential reading for anyone interested in Sufi thought, the significance and history of tales, or simply superb entertainment. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Anagram Solver Bloomsbury Publishing, 2009-01-01 Anagram Solver is the essential guide to cracking all types of quiz and crossword featuring anagrams. Containing over 200,000 words and phrases, Anagram Solver includes plural noun forms, palindromes, idioms, first names and all parts of speech. Anagrams are grouped by the number of letters they contain with the letters set out in alphabetical order so that once the letters of an anagram are arranged alphabetically, finding the solution is as easy as locating the word in a dictionary. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Sexual Perversity in Chicago and the Duck Variations David Mamet, 2014-10-03 David Mamet is one of America’s most celebrated playwrights. The author of plays, screenplays, poetry, essays, and children’s books, he has won many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Glengarry Glen Ross. The Obie award-winning Sexual Perversity in Chicago is about two office workers, Danny and Bernie, on the make in the swinging singles scene of the early 1970s. Danny meets Deborah in a library and soon they are not only lovers but roommates, and their story quickly evolves into a modern romance in all its sticky details. The Duck Variations is a dialogue between two old men sitting on a park bench. The conversation turns to the mating habits of ducks, but soon begins to reveal their feelings about natural law, friendship, and death. New York magazine has called The Duck Variations “a gorgeously written, wonderfully observant piece whose timing and atmosphere are close to flawless.” |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Double Hook Sheila Watson, 2018-01-09 Widely considered one of Canada's first postmodern novels, marking the start of contemporary writing in the country, The Double Hook is now available as a Penguin Modern Classic. In spare, allusive prose, Sheila Watson charts the destiny of a small, tightly knit community nestled in the BC Interior. Here, among the hills of Cariboo country, men and women are caught upon the double hook of existence, unaware that the flight from danger and the search for glory are both part of the same journey. In Watson's compelling novel, cruelty and kindness, betrayal and faith shape a pattern of enduring significance. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Acid for the Children Flea (Musician), 2019 The co-founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers chronicles his life from his birth in Australia and upbringing on the streets of Los Angeles through his rise to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. -- |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Uncultivated Andy Brennan, 2019-06-17 The best wine book I read this year was not about wine. It was about cider--Eric Asimov, New York Times, on Uncultivated Today, food is being reconsidered. It’s a front-and-center topic in everything from politics to art, from science to economics. We know now that leaving food to government and industry specialists was one of the twentieth century’s greatest mistakes. The question is where do we go from here. Author Andy Brennan describes uncultivation as a process: It involves exploring the wild; recognizing that much of nature is omitted from our conventional ways of seeing and doing things (our cultivations); and realizing the advantages to embracing what we’ve somehow forgotten or ignored. For most of us this process can be difficult, like swimming against the strong current of our modern culture. The hero of this book is the wild apple. Uncultivated follows Brennan’s twenty-four-year history with naturalized trees and shows how they have guided him toward successes in agriculture, in the art of cider making, and in creating a small-farm business. The book contains useful information relevant to those particular fields, but is designed to connect the wild to a far greater audience, skillfully blending cultural criticism with a food activist’s agenda. Apples rank among the most manipulated crops in the world, because not only do farmers want perfect fruit, they also assume the health of the tree depends on human intervention. Yet wild trees live all around us, and left to their own devices, they achieve different forms of success that modernity fails to apprehend. Andy Brennan learned of the health and taste advantages of such trees, and by emulating nature in his orchard (and in his cider) he has also enjoyed environmental and financial benefits. None of this would be possible by following today’s prevailing winds of apple cultivation. In all fields, our cultural perspective is limited by a parallel proclivity. It’s not just agriculture: we all must fight tendencies toward specialization, efficiency, linear thought, and predetermined growth. We have cultivated those tendencies at the exclusion of nature’s full range. If Uncultivated is about faith in nature, and the power it has to deliver us from our own mistakes, then wild apple trees have already shown us the way. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Amazing Cakes Instructables.com, 2013-08-01 Rubik’s cubes, fire-breathing dragons, and jack-o-lanterns. Pirate ships, pianos, and Star Wars figurines. With Instructables.com’s Amazing Cakes, you’ll be able to make cakes shaped like animals, mythical creatures, and vehicles. They may light up, breathe fire, or blow bubbles or smoke. They may be 3D or they may be animated, seeming to move of their own free will. Whether they’re cute and cuddly (like a penguin) or sticky and gross (like a human brain!), these cakes have two things in common: They’re (mostly) edible and they’re amazing! Instructables.com authors walk you through each step of the process as you cut plywood for cake bases, hardwire figurines for automation, and mix nontoxic chemicals for explosions and eruptions. The photos accompanying the step-by-step directions provide additional information about the processes and enable you to compare your final products with the originals created by the expert cake artists of Instructables.com. In addition to the cakes mentioned above, you’ll also learn how to make cakes shaped like: • Yoda • Helicopters • 3D dinosaurs • Moving tanks • Pi signs (p) • Bass fish • Zombie heads • Swimming pools • Ladybugs • Evil clowns • And more! |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The 9.9 Percent Matthew Stewart, 2021-10-12 A “brilliant” (The Washington Post), “clear-eyed and incisive” (The New Republic) analysis of how the wealthiest group in American society is making life miserable for everyone—including themselves. In 21st-century America, the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution have walked away with the big prizes even while the bottom 90% have lost ground. What’s left of the American Dream has taken refuge in the 9.9% that lies just below the tip of extreme wealth. Collectively, the members of this group control more than half of the wealth in the country—and they are doing whatever it takes to hang on to their piece of the action in an increasingly unjust system. They log insane hours at the office and then turn their leisure time into an excuse for more career-building, even as they rely on an underpaid servant class to power their economic success and satisfy their personal needs. They have segregated themselves into zip codes designed to exclude as many people as possible. They have made fitness a national obsession even as swaths of the population lose healthcare and grow sicker. They have created an unprecedented demand for admission to elite schools and helped to fuel the dramatic cost of higher education. They channel their political energy into symbolic conflicts over identity in order to avoid acknowledging the economic roots of their privilege. And they have created an ethos of “merit” to justify their advantages. They are all around us. In fact, they are us—or what we are supposed to want to be. In this “captivating account” (Robert D. Putnam, author of Bowling Alone), Matthew Stewart argues that a new aristocracy is emerging in American society and it is repeating the mistakes of history. It is entrenching inequality, warping our culture, eroding democracy, and transforming an abundant economy into a source of misery. He calls for a regrounding of American culture and politics on a foundation closer to the original promise of America. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Verbal Advantage Charles Harrington Elster, 2009-02-04 First time in book form! A successful program for teaching 3,500 vocabulary words that successful people need to know, based on America's #1 bestselling audio vocabulary series. People judge you by the words you use. Millions of Americans know this phrase from radio and print advertising for the Verbal Advantage audio series, which has sold over 100,000 copies. Now this bestselling information is available for the first time in book form, in an easy-to-follow, graduated vocabulary building program that teaches an outstanding vocabulary in just ten steps. Unlike other vocabulary books, Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last. A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms. Lively, accessible writing from an expert author and radio personality. From the Trade Paperback edition. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: I Never Played the Game Howard Cosell, Peter Bonventre, 1986 The popular broadcaster describes his involvement and recent disillusionment with spectator sports and documents his thirty-two years as a sports journalist, giving revealing accounts of those who have worked beside him |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Wild Ones Jon Mooallem, 2014-05-27 Wild Ones is a tour through our environmental moment and the eccentric cultural history of people and wild animals in America that inflects it. With propulsive curiosity and searing wit, and without that easy moralizing and nature worship of environmental journalism's older guard, [Jon] Mooallem merges reportage, science, and history into a humane and endearing meditation on what it means to live in, and bring life into, a broken world.--Back cover. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: National Puzzlers' League Cryptic Crosswords Joshua Kosman, Henri Picciotto, 2005-11 The National Puzzlers' League (NPL) was founded in 1883 and is the oldest puzzlers' organization in the world. For over 100 years, crosswords and other word puzzles that appear in the NPL's monthly magazine, The Enigma, could be enjoyed only by NPL members. Now, for the first time, a selection of the league's favorite cryptic crosswords is available in book form for puzzle fans everywhere to enjoy. Unlike regular crossword puzzles, each clue in a cryptic crossword has two parts--one that's straightforward and one that involves one or more types of wordplay--and part of the fun is determining which part is which and what type of wordplay is involved. For example, Shoestring allowances lead to tears (11) is a cryptic clue for LACERATIONS. The straightforward part of the clue is tears, which is a definition for LACERATIONS. The wordplay part of the clue is Shoestring allowances which can be expressed as LACE + RATIONS which lead to LACERATIONS. The number in parentheses tells you the number and length of the answer words--in this case, it's one 11-letter word. Another example, with a different type of wordplay is Rearrange, rearrange ram's front (9) which is a cryptic clue for TRANSFORM. Rearrange is a straightforward definition of TRANSFORM and rearrange ram's front tells you to rearrange, or anagram, the nine letters in ram's front giving you the nine-letter word TRANSFORM. One of most fascinating things about cryptics is that the clues are a combination of tremendous creativity and imagination, on one hand, and strict, formal rules, on the other. This book contains 45 variety cryptics from members of the NPL, many of them by distinguished puzzle authors, as well as a foreword by Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword editor and the NPL's official historian PuzzleMeter: Difficulty--Very Difficult; Style--Contemporary] |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Hygge Marie Tourell Søderberg, 2016-10-06 Bring Hygge into your home this year with this beautiful and essential guide to the globally celebrated Danish art of happiness 'At these times it is crucial for me to have hygge. Hygge time with family and friends, hygge moments with myself and a hyggelig home. It's small moments that money cannot buy you, finding the magic in the ordinary.' _______ Whether it's listening to the rain with a cup of tea, or going on a long walk with a loved one, hygge can be harnessed all around us. We all know the feeling of hygge instinctively, but few of us ever manage to capture it for more than a moment. Now Danish actress and hygge aficionado Marie Tourell Søderberg has travelled the length and breadth of her home country to create the perfect guide to cooking, decorating and enjoying yourself, inspired the hygge way. Full of beautiful photographs and simple, practical steps and ideas to make your home comforting and content, this book is the easy way to introduce hygge into your life. 'Pretty, homey and intimate, scattered with reflections from ordinary Danes' GUARDIAN |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Spoken From the Heart Laura Bush, 2010-05-04 In a captivating and compelling voice that ranks with many of our greatest memoirists, Laura Bush tells the story of her unique path from dusty Midland, Texas to the world stage and the White House. An only child, Laura Welch grew up in a family that lost three babies to miscarriage or infant death. She masterfully recreates the rugged, oil boom-and-bust culture of Midland, her close relationship with her father, and the bonds of early friendships that she retains to this day. For the first time, in heart-wrenching detail, she writes about her tragic car accident that left her friend Mike Douglas dead. Laura Welch attended Southern Methodist University in an era on the cusp of monumental change. After graduating, she became an elementary school teacher, working in inner city schools, then trained as a librarian. At age thirty, she met George W. Bush, whom she had last passed in the hallway in seventh grade. Three months later, 'the old maid of Midland married Midland's most eligible bachelor'. As First Lady of Texas, Laura Bush championed education and launched the Texas Book Festival, passions she brought to the White House. Here, she captures presidential life in the frantic and fearful months after 9-11, when fighter jet cover echoed through the walls. She writes openly about the threats, the withering media spotlight, and the transformation of her role. One of the first U.S. officials to visit war-torn Afghanistan, she reached out to disease-stricken African nations and tirelessly advocated for women in the Middle East and dissidents in Burma. With deft humor and a sharp eye, Laura Bush lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House. And she writes with honesty and eloquence about her family, political life, and her eight remarkable Washington years. Laura Bush's compassion, her sense of humour, her grace, and her uncommon willingness to bare her heart make this story deeply revelatory, beautifully rendered, and unlike any other First Lady's memoir ever written. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The New York Times Acrostic Puzzles Volume 11 The New York Times, Emily Cox, Henry Rathvon, 2010-08-03 50 Quotation puzzles from the pages of The New York Times Edited by Emily Cox and Harry Rathvon New York Times puzzles are America's favorite! Whether your tastes are literary or lowbrow, this latest installment of fifty of the Sunday Times' famous acrostic puzzles features quotations ranging from Herman Melville to Dave Barry, Stephen Jay Gould to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So sharpen your pencil, put on your thinking cap, and get ready for some acrostic fun! |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Mouneh Barbara Abdeni Massaad, 2018-07-01 PRESERVING FOOD AND CULTURE THE LEBANESE WAY -- The very best memories connecting us to time and place are often stimulated by the tastes and smells of our childhood. Freshly-baked bread, hot from the oven, sweet homemade jam dribbling down our chins, or the burst of flavor in each dried grape—these memories bring a smile to our faces even as they call to mind the people who made them possible. Do you remember working alongside your grandmother as she lovingly preserved garden-fresh foods to set back for the winter? You watched Jiddo (grandfather) patiently prepare his arak, but could you reproduce his efforts from memory? Are you lucky enough that they kept written records of recipes gleaned from family history and years of experience? If so, count yourself among the very fortunate minority. The reality for many of us is that we no longer enjoy such a strong connection to our culinary roots. As much as we might wish the contrary, the beauty and simplicity of home-preserved pantry items, the mouneh, taken for granted during our childhood, often seems a lifetime away. In Barbara Abdeni Massaad’s book, Mouneh: Preserving Foods for the Lebanese Pantry, we’ve been thrown a lifeline to a piece of our cultural and culinary identity. So many things we would love to recreate for our own families become possible within these pages, thanks to the author’s diligent research, stunning photography, simply presented instructions and delightful stories. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Art Instinct Denis Dutton, 2009 The Dinka have a connoisseur's appreciation of the patterns and colours of the markings on their cattle. The Japanese tea ceremony is regarded as a performance art. Some cultures produce carving but no drawing; others specialize in poetry. Yet despite the rich variety of artistic expression to be found across many cultures, we all share a deep sense of aesthetic pleasure. The need to create art of some form is found in every human society.In The Art Instinct, Denis Dutton explores the idea that this need has an evolutionary basis: how the feelings that we all share when we see a wonderful landscape or a beautiful sunset evolved as a useful adaptation in our hunter-gather ancestors, and have been passed on to us today, manifest in our artistic natures. Why do people indulge in displaying their artistic skills? How can we understand artistic genius? Why do we value art, and what is it for? These questions have long been asked by scholars in the humanities and in literature, but this is the first book to consider the biological basis of this deep human need.This sparking and intelligent book looks at these deep and fundamental questions, and combines the science of evolutionary psychology with aesthetics, to shed new light on longstanding questions about the nature of art. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Crucible of War Fred Anderson, 2007-12-18 In this engrossing narrative of the great military conflagration of the mid-eighteenth century, Fred Anderson transports us into the maelstrom of international rivalries. With the Seven Years' War, Great Britain decisively eliminated French power north of the Caribbean — and in the process destroyed an American diplomatic system in which Native Americans had long played a central, balancing role — permanently changing the political and cultural landscape of North America. Anderson skillfully reveals the clash of inherited perceptions the war created when it gave thousands of American colonists their first experience of real Englishmen and introduced them to the British cultural and class system. We see colonists who assumed that they were partners in the empire encountering British officers who regarded them as subordinates and who treated them accordingly. This laid the groundwork in shared experience for a common view of the world, of the empire, and of the men who had once been their masters. Thus, Anderson shows, the war taught George Washington and other provincials profound emotional lessons, as well as giving them practical instruction in how to be soldiers. Depicting the subsequent British efforts to reform the empire and American resistance — the riots of the Stamp Act crisis and the nearly simultaneous pan-Indian insurrection called Pontiac's Rebellion — as postwar developments rather than as an anticipation of the national independence that no one knew lay ahead (or even desired), Anderson re-creates the perspectives through which contemporaries saw events unfold while they tried to preserve imperial relationships. Interweaving stories of kings and imperial officers with those of Indians, traders, and the diverse colonial peoples, Anderson brings alive a chapter of our history that was shaped as much by individual choices and actions as by social, economic, and political forces. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: The Curious History of the Crossword Ben Tausig, 2013-11-27 Discover the curious history of the world's most addictive game and its unusual upbringing. Celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the beloved crossword puzzle, readers can solve over 100 different puzzles from top constructors. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Becoming A Translator Douglas Robinson, 2003-09-02 This innovative book integrates translation theory and the practical skills required by the working translator. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Genius at Play Siobhan Roberts, 2024-10-29 A multifaceted biography of a brilliant mathematician and iconoclast A mathematician unlike any other, John Horton Conway (1937–2020) possessed a rock star’s charisma, a polymath’s promiscuous curiosity, and a sly sense of humor. Conway found fame as a barefoot professor at Cambridge, where he discovered the Conway groups in mathematical symmetry and the aptly named surreal numbers. He also invented the cult classic Game of Life, a cellular automaton that demonstrates how simplicity generates complexity—and provides an analogy for mathematics and the entire universe. Moving to Princeton in 1987, Conway used ropes, dice, pennies, coat hangers, and the occasional Slinky to illustrate his winning imagination and share his nerdish delights. Genius at Play tells the story of this ambassador-at-large for the beauties and joys of mathematics, lays bare Conway’s personal and professional idiosyncrasies, and offers an intimate look into the mind of one of the twentieth century’s most endearing and original intellectuals. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: Exploring Research Neil J. Salkind, 2017 An informative and unintimidating look at the basics of research in the social and behavioural sciences. It makes research methods accessible for students - describing how to collect and analyse data and providing thorough instruction on how to prepare and write a research proposal and manuscript. |
egg shaped nyt crossword: New York Times Daily Crosswords Will Shortz, 1998-02-17 For crossword fans who like their challenges in smaller doses, here comes a classic collection of sixty daily-size New York Times puzzles from the puzzlemaster Will Shortz. |