FLAT CITY
Copyright 1998 by Kray (Kiran S. Kedlaya), Silver Spring MD.
All rights reserved and all that.

Edited by Lunch Boy (Francis Heaney), New York NY
Web version revised August 13, 1999: corrected an error in the definition
   of "word deletion"

NOTE: This puzzle was originally composed for use at a 1998 mini-convention
of the National Puzzlers' League, held in New York City. Besides holding an
annual games-and-puzzles convention and various smaller regional gatherings,
the NPL publishes "The Enigma", the only current English-language publication
featuring verse puzzles like this one (in addition to cryptograms, cryptic
crosswords and other puzzles). For more information about the NPL, visit
their web site at http://www.puzzlers.org.

The answers can be obtained by downloading the file flat-city-answers from
the same Web site from which you obtained this file.

INTRODUCTION

The following bad poem about a visit to New York City is an example of a type
of puzzle called a "flat". If you already know what this means, skip down to
"THE PUZZLE" below. Otherwise, keep reading.

The answers to a flat consist of one or more "bases", groups of words
or phrases (the "basewords") related by some sort of wordplay. For
example, a base may consist of two words which are pronounced the same
but spelled differently (homonym), of two words with the same letters
in a different order (transposal), et cetera. The specific types of
bases used in this puzzle are described below.

How are the bases related to the poem? Each baseword occurs in the
poem somewhere, but has been replaced with a "cueword", a dummy word
printed in all caps. (In this puzzle, the cuewords for base 1 are
ONE-A and ONE-B, and so forth.) The puzzle is to determine the
basewords from the context of the verse. (Warning: the rhyme and meter
have been arranged to work properly with the cuewords in place, not
the basewords, so don't use those as hints. What you are supposed to
infer from the verse is the meaning and part of speech of the answer.)

An additional hint is provided by the enumerations of the answers.
Just above the start of the verse is listed the type of each base,
followed by the lengths of the words constituting each answer.
Asterisks denote capitalized words, while carets denote words which
are capitalized only because of context.  Any other punctuation stands
for itself.  Some sample enumerations may clarify:
   goat = 4, Mexico = *6, "Gulliver's Travels" = "*8'1 ^7"

Normally, unless otherwise specified in the enumeration (by the
phrases "not MW" or "not MW usage"), answers must appear in
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. (The rules are
slightly different in this puzzle, as will be explained later.)

One more point: the form of a baseword that fits into the poem may differ
from the form that fits the wordplay, in which case the cueword will be
modified to reflect the difference. For example, if "throw" is the baseword
corresponding to cueword FIFTEEN-A, the word "threw" in the verse would be
represented as "FIFTEEN-Aed".

FLAT TYPES

The following is a description of the flat types used in "Flat City".

BEHEADMENT: Remove the first letter of A to get B.
   Example: scamp, camp
CONSONANTCY: A and B have the same consonants in the same order, but
different vowels. (Y is considered to be a vowel.)
   Example: pope, papaya
HETERONYM: A and B have the same letters in the same order, but different
meanings. (Unlike most of the other flat types, in a heteronym, A and B can
be made-up phrases, not just dictionary entries.)
   Example: to part, top art
HOMONYM: A and B are pronounced the same but have different meanings.
   Example: heir, air
ISOGRAM: A and B could stand for each other in a cryptogram (ignoring spacing).
That is, two letters of A are the same if and only if the letters of B in the
corresponding positions are the same (and no letter of A is the same as the
corresponding letter of B).
   Example: pepper, mammal
LETTER BANK: The letters of A (the "bank") are all distinct. The letters of
B are the same, but possibly repeated. Likewise for C if it occurs.
   Example: sale, lease, Lasalle
PHONETIC FLATS: The modifier "phonetic" indicates that the relationship implied
by the rest of the name of the type refers to the sounds of the words, not
their letters.
   Example: (phonetic beheadment) doffed, oft
REVERSED FLATS: The modifier "reversed" indicates that the specified
relationship holds between A and the reverse of B.
   Example: (reversed heteronym) murder, red rum
TRANSPOSAL: A and B have the same letters in different order.
   Example: scrape, capers
WORD DELETION: The letters of B appear consecutively in order somewhere
within A; removing them yields C. In a repeated-word deletion, B appears
two or more times within A, and removing all occurrences yields C.
   Example: (word deletion) stapled, tap, sled
   Example: (repeated-word deletion) bananas, an, bas

THE PUZZLE

Each base of this flat includes the name of a New York place name or
landmark; these are tagged NY. (Some are MW and some are not, but this
distinction is not indicated.) Other answers are tagged normally.

If you have no idea what's going on, go back to the introduction.
Otherwise, here are the flat types and enumerations. Enjoy!

Warning: #3 and maybe also #9 could be a bit tricky if you're not that
familiar with New York City; try looking at a map.

1. BEHEADMENT (*8 = NY, 7)
2. HETERONYM (^4 ^6 = NY, 5 5 = not MW)
3. HOMONYM (*8 = NY, 7)
4. ISOGRAM (*9 = NY, 3 6)
5. LETTER BANK (7, ^4 ^6 = NY)
6. LETTER BANK (4-3, *5 ^6 = NY)
7. LETTER BANK (7 5 = not MW but inferable, ^5 ^7 ^7 = NY, 13 8)
8. PHONETIC REPEATED-WORD DELETION (^6 *5 = NY, 2'2, *3 = not MW usage)
9. REVERSED CONSONANTCY (*7 = NY, ^7 = not MW usage)
10. TRANSPOSAL (*6 = NY, *6)
11. TRANSPOSAL (*6 = NY, 6)
12. TRANSPOSAL (^4 ^4 = NY, 8)
13. WORD DELETION (^4 ^5 = NY, 6, 3)

FLAT CITY: THE POEM

New York. The Big Apple. The City of... oh,
I'm bad at long SIX-A, so on with our show!
(EIGHT-B be patchy where memory wanes;
I've THIRTEEN-Bed to speak of whatever remains.)

When I got in on Friday, I stepped off the train
Into SEVEN-B--what a delightful domain!
The complete renovation looked perfect to me.
(This must be a pork-barrel-rich SEVEN-C.)

I exited into Times Square--what a place!
The heart of the world beat a furious pace
As all of the FOUR-B moved through in a hurry
Past poor, homeless FIVE-As with no place to scurry.

With an hour to kill ere my 12 o-clock date,
I began to explore (much more fun than to wait):
I walked towards the THIRTEEN-A, reached the UN,
Admired all the flags, then went westward again.

After eating, I shopped 'til I dropped, then some more,
Along TWO-A.  A jeans store sold EIGHT-Cs galore,
While a TWO-B hawked warm winter coats. That was great,
Since the weather, once mild, had turned THREE-B of late.

That evening, I took in a concert of note
At renowned Lincoln Center. The program I quote:
"'Das Lied von der Erde', by TEN-B: A feast
For the THIRTEEN-Cs!" (Only with volume decreased.)

On Saturday, I "took the A-train" of song
To TEN-A and lunch with a friend (who ere long
Should be done at Columbia), then crossed the Park
To the TWELVE-A, and wandered the Met until dark.

That night, we hit ONE-A and took in a show
On a nightclub, called "NINE-B". My rating: so-so.
After the show, I caught sight of the star
Dodging autograph ELEVEN-B next to her car.

On Sunday, I took in the Village's charm;
Young men and their TWELVE-B passed by, arm in arm,
While I for a ONE-B named THREE-A looked 'round.
(That's the street where my next friend's apartment is found.)

Once I found him, through NINE-A we wandered some time,
Then through Soho and Chinatown to a sublime
New trattoria (heart of EIGHT-A). What a treat!
For a minuscule price you get mountains to eat.

On Monday, to FIVE-B I followed the money
And lunched with a friend whose vocation is funny;
A "quant", he moves other folks' money around
And profits when prices go up or go down.

"I just finished a SEVEN-A; that is, I sold
From an open position..." "Your food's getting cold,"
I replied, being tactful though bored of this talk
Of wheeling in options and dealing in stock.

Next, I ferried across the ELEVEN-A to peek
At Liberty Island; it seemed like a week
I was standing in line. Then I hit SIX-B's banks,
Where immigrants once joined America's ranks.

That was all! Time was up, I was due to go home.
I just hope to have many more chances to roam
Through the streets of FOUR-A, with their marvelous scenes,
Or perhaps do some touring in Brooklyn, or Queens.