08.15.10 — The Colossus of Roads — the Acrostic

Territorial Highway near Prescott, Arizona

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Sunday, August 15, 2010

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s acrostic draws a quotation from The Colossus of Roads: Myth and Symbol along the American Highway by Karal Ann Marling.  For a few more words, go HERE.  The frontispiece on the cover of the book is Great Sphinx Hole at Goofy Golf, Panama City, Florida.

The quotation: (In the) EARLY (1920s), LONG-DISTANCE DRIVING WAS A NIGHTMARE OF MISSED TURNS FRANTIC HUNTS FOR LANDMARKS, AND QUARRELS OVER WHETHER THE SIGNPOST AT THE LAST CROSSROADS, BRISTLING WITH HAND-LETTERED (directional) ARROWS, HAD (or had not) BEEN ROTATED BY PRANKSTERS.

The author’s name and the title of the work: MARLING THE COLOSSUS OF ROADS

The defined words:

A. Roald Dahl novel made into a 1996 movie, MATILDA

B. Prominent jackalope feature, ANTLERS

C. Area around the Arc de Triomphe (2 wds.), RIGHT BANK

D. Sad last song on the “Evita” soundtrack, LAMENT

E. Lake Wobegon’s Lutheran pastor, INGQVIST

F. What U.S. highways lacked before the 1920s, NUMBERS

G. First word in the names of two of the top 15 Fortune 500 companies, GENERAL

H. Put the brakes on, as a plan, stymied, THWARTED

I. Workers’ group so called for their attire, HARDHATS

J. Like Lewis and Clark’s return travels, EASTWARD

K. Site of a famous Minute Man statue, CONCORD

L. Quick to notice, law-abiding, OBSERVANT

M. Keys to map interpretation, LEGENDS

N. Story-writing award eponym (2 wds.), O HENRY

O. Trophy for a big-game angler, SWORDFISH

P. Downtime in la tarde, SIESTA

Q. Straighten out, in a way, UNTWIST

R. Common trip memento, SNAPSHOT

S. Cantankerous, stubborn as a mule, ORNERY

T. Saloon on a Hollywood set, often (2 wds.), FALSE FRONT

U. Tool employed in some traps, RADAR

V. Part of town that’s not so bustling, OUTSKIRTS

W. Robin Hood or Cupid, e.g., ARCHER

X. Give or get pleasure, DELIGHT

Y. Ben’s Alfa Romeo in “The Graduate”, SPIDER

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Where can one find the world's largest prairie chicken, a restaurant shaped like a fish, a massive Paul Bunyan, or an enormous ear of corn? Roadside sculpture is a uniquely American phenomenon and these strange and wonderful figures can be found scattered along highways and standing in small-town squares, particularly in the Midwest.

These odd and oversized attractions have become destinations for travelers. Whether it serves art, commerce, or local pride, the colossus is always a place in itself, a stopping place where the everyday rules of reality are suspended and the observer can gain insight into the way these communities imagine themselves.

Karal Ann Marling visits dozens of these roadside attractions, viewing them analytically, intellectually, and enthusiastically, tracing each one through folklore and literature. Heavily illustrated, this book takes the reader on the road to examine these treasures and all that they represent.

— University of Minnesota Press

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Click on image to enlarge.

 

Puzzle available on the internet at

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