As indicated in previous columns on French words and Italian words in crosswords, our puzzle composers continue to assume that we, their puzzle solving audience, are as internationally language oriented as they all seem to be.  There does seem to be an affinity for the romance languages based once again upon perusal of a month of puzzles from seven or eight of the more popular daily and weekly crosswords available in newspapers and on the internet.  Along with French and Italian, there are a large number of Spanish favorites...as we are about to see.

Speaking of romance, we can start with

AMOR... In French it's amour and in Italian it's amore, but if the clue happens to be "love, to Luis" or "love Spanish style", we can settle for AMOR.  In  this case, however, we are also dealing with the name for the "winged child of myth", a "mythical archer" who is very often clued with the single word "cupid".  What better source to learn more about the mythical "god of love" than Bulfinch's Mythology which is now available on the web.  Just click on the picture to the right to take you to the full story of Cupid (Amor) and Psyche as told by Thomas Bulfinch.

While  on the subject of "love Spanish style", I'd  like to point out that Timothy Parker and his Universal group (in this case Jay Sullivan) have opened up a whole new world for cluemeisters with a recent puzzle telling us that

NENE is a "Spanish toddler".  In addition to being a word meaning baby or infant, the Spanish word can also mean "dear" or "darling".  For decades I've been depending on "Hawaiian state bird" as the identification for NENE but now I'll  have to expand on possibilites for the word.  You can CLICK HERE to find out what I had to say in my very first crossword column about the NENE.
 

We rarely see BULLFIGHT showing up in a puzzle, and it is even rarer to run across TOREADOR or CORRIDA, but the popular spectator sport of Spain and Mexico is well represented in crosswords with

TORO...  We've been told that this is a "ring contender" and a "bullish sort" and even just "Bull: Sp."   Clicking on either this marvelously animated TORO and toreador or on the high-lighted word TORO at the beginning of this paragraph will take you to separate pages of one of the best websites on Spain you are apt to run across.  All of which leads us to another of the frequently used words in crossword puzzles.

OLE...Think of how many times you have added these three little letters to a puzzle.  It might be in answer to "shout at a bullfight" or "corrida cry" or simply just "cry of approval".  Just recently it was  clued as "Olsen and Bull" (courtesy USA Today) and several times we were also reminded that "Grand --- Opry" is one of the cluemeisters "ole" standbys for OLE.  The Olsen reference is to comedian Ole Olsen of 1940s "Hellzapoppin" fame.  You can read more about him by clicking on his high-lighted name in the previous sentence.

At the bullfight in Mexico, you might want to spend a PESO or two (clued as  "peons pay, perhaps" in the LA Sunday Times and also as "Chihuahua coin" in another publication) for a...

TACO... We are informed by various clue writers that this popular "Mexican dish" is "Mexican fare" or a "folded snack".  It is also referred to as "Chihuahua chow" and a "Tijuana snack".    Click on the picture to go to  the Taco Bell site where you can see more about the "folded snack". While we are more often apt to find the TACO included in the LA Times and other southwestern U.S. puzzles, in other areas the most popular "Mexican dish" is the

TAMALE... At least this is what the New York Times would have us believe.  This "Sonora snack" is "Mexican cuisine", and they are also quick to remind us that "some like it hot" (hot tamales...get it?).  However, the annual tamale festival which you can read about by clicking on the picture shown here takes place not in New York, but rather in a location closer to Mexico...Indio, California.

In a previous column on Food and Drinks, I included a paragraph about CHILI, an English translation of the Spanish word CHILE, and still another favorite of the crossword composers.  To give it it's full due we can add CARNE, since both words appear quite often in many, many puzzles.

CHILI CON CARNE...CHILI we are told by the cluemeisters is a "spicy Mexican dish" and CARNE is a "chili go-with".  What they are talking about is chili beans (usually red kidney beans) with meat (carne)..usually pork, beef or chicken.  The trick, or course, is in what you use as added ingredients.  The picture shown here is of "Uncle Bill" Anatooskin's 1999 Gold Platter Award winner for Chili Con Carne Atu, and if you'd like to see his recipe, just click on Website.com's photo of same.

Not turning up as often as the previous three, but often enough for a quick inclusion are

SALSA...Defined as everything from a "hot dip" to a "spicy Mexican tomato sauce".

CAFE... In addition to being a "small restaurant" or a "coffeehouse", we are also told it is "coffee, Sp.".

LECHE... It's "Spanish milk" as well as the Spanish Starbucks order, "cafe con _ _ _ _ _".

AGUA...Then, too, "water, Sp." could also be a "cantina request".

PINA... Most popular of all seems to be the pineapple juice and rum drink known as "_ _ _ _ colada"...which I believe appears in puzzles as often if not more than any of the drinks listed above.
"_ _ _ _  colada" also happens to be the only clue I've ever seen for PINA.

Having pointed out above that NENE, in addition to being the "Hawaiian state bird", is also a Spanish baby or infant, it is interesting to note that there are a number of other familial and/or people designations which could be said to be in frequent use by the cluemeisters.  First and foremost would be

SRA... This abbreviation is often clued as "Madrid Mrs." or "Mrs. in Madrid", but in just a month of puzzles I've also seen it to be a "Mallorca Mrs." (clever that New York Sunday Times..Mallorca is the Spanish spelling for Majorca), "Mrs., in Toledo" and just plain "Sp. title".

SENORA... Spelled out if full, the New York Sunday Times announced that she is a "lady of Spain".

SENORITA... The Tribune people gave "maid in Madrid" as their clue.

SENOR... Clued as "Madrid mister", "Mexican mister" and "Spanish title", the main man of Spain has proven to be in very frequent crossword use.

TIO and TIA... The former, we're told, is a "Toledo uncle" while the latter appears as "Juan's aunt" and an "Acapulco aunt".

Going from people to places we find

MADRID... The "Spanish capital" is also the "home of the Prado", its very famous art gallery.  It is also, of course, the "capital of Spain" and "Spain's capital".  Go to the high-lighted MADRID at the top of this paragraph where with a click of your mouse you can visit a very informative website.

AVILA... This "walled city near Madrid" is a "popular tourist destination near Madrid" and would seem to be equally popular with crossword designers.  Read all about it by clicking on both the high-lighted AVILA and on the panoramic picture of this lovely city to visit two excellent sites relating to AVILA.
 
 
 

LIMA, PERU..Most often we are told that LIMA is "Peru's capital" or the "Peruvian capital" or the "capital of Peru".  However, The New York Times prefers to refer to it as the "Ciudad de los Rios".  Equally frequent in  puzzles is PERU where unsurprisingly we learn that "Lima is its capital" along with the fact that it is "llamas land".  The archeological discovery of Machu Picchu, that most fascinating pre-Columbian city of the clouds, has resulted in tourists from all over the world flocking to the area.  It is interesting to note that "_ _ _ _ _ Picchu" has also begun to find its way into puzzles, recently with the added explanation, "Peru's pre-Columbian city, _ _ _ _ _  Picchu".   Click HERE to visit Angus McIntyre's Inca Trail site containing several beautiful pictures of Machu Picchu.  You can also click on either the high-lighted words, LIMA or PERU, or the picture of Peru to visit the  informative site at Interknowledge.

Even with all of the above, there are several additional Spanish words which appear very, very often in crosswords.  See if you don't agree about the following:

SERA... Think about the number of times you have filled in with this one from the simple clue "Que _ _  _ _" for the Spanish word for  "will be" as  in "what will be".  If that isn't sufficient, there have been longer explanations such as "word repeated after 'Que'" and "title word in Doris Day song".  USA Today and the New York Times choose to ignore such an obvious route to the word, however, and clue us instead with "antitoxins".  SERA is, after all, the plural for serum.  Just to prove that it really is a Doris Day song, you can click HERE to read all of its lyrics for yourself.

ESTE... Marjorie Richter and Universal remind us that este (Spanish for east) is "one way to go in South America" while the New York Times tells us that "it's right on a Spanish map".  The Tribune people settle for the "Punta del _ _ _ _".  The contingent at the Los Angeles Times prefer something even farther east, however, and go for the Italian word when they clue that it is a "town near Padua" in addition to being a "Renaissance family".  The Tribune people pin it down to Italy even more by telling us it is the name for "Alberto Azzo's family".  I've always felt that este is este and oeste is oeste, but it just doesn't translate too well clue-wise.

SISI... No, "a timid or cowardly person, Sp." is not an acceptable clue in this case.  There does seem to be an opportunity to be clever, though, with examples like "Spanish ayes", "double positive, to Pedro" and "enthusiastic Speedy Gonzales reply" peppering the puzzles.

SERAPE... Clued as everything from a "senor's shawl" to a "ranchero's wrap", you can click on this handsome picture of a SERAPE to add to your very own collection of colorful woolen wrap-around blankets.

ORO... We can't complete this column without commenting on this perpetual puzzle favorite.  In just a month of puzzles I've seen "Guadalajara gold", "Tijuana gold", "El Dorado treasure", "Guadalupe gold", "word in Montana's motto" and "_ _ _  y Plata, Montana motto".

It's been a long, long DIA, so I'm just going to sign off now with a very appropriate

ADIOS... To the New York Times that's a "Toledo ta-ta" and to the Los Angeles Times it's a "Tampico ta-ta".  The New York Times also wants us to know it's a "cousin of 'ciao'".

Among the thousands of websites about Crossword Puzzles, I've found two that are especially helpful both to the novice as well as the veteran puzzle solver.  You might enjoy checking them out.

If you are into online crosswords, and have a Java-powered browser, you might like to try Timothy Parker's Universal Crossword.  Just click on the logo below.

Copyright 2000 C. Schnebel
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