On the A Line: Solution
By John Toomey
Answer:
STYLE
First, solve each of the clues:
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| bobbin | S P O O L |
| book of future dates, hopefully | L I T T L E B L A C K |
| cereal grain Triticum | W H E A T |
| cover for a plate | C L O C H E |
| don’t shoot him | M E S S E N G E R |
| elongated loaf of French bread | B A G U E T T E |
| feline progeny | K I T T E N |
| frustrum-shaped chocolate | R O L O |
| generally-accepted tenets of a political party | P L A T F O R M |
| grip tightly | C L U T C H |
| kiss or cut preceder | F R E N C H |
| Mead Keeper | T R A P P E R |
| Pinocchio’s pet cat | F I G A R O |
| rigid flap to keep sun out of the driver’s eyes | V I S O R |
| scabbard | S H E A T H |
| solid, liquid, or solidus | S N A K E |
| Spider-Man’s Watson | M A R Y J A N E |
| stage in front of proscenium | A P R O N |
| Stallone’s Vietnam POW | R A M B O |
| the attack, decay, sustain, and release of sound | E N V E L O P E |
| train transient | H O B O |
| WWII-era fortified concrete military emplacement | P I L L B O X |
Each answer describes an article of clothing or jewelry. Here are the groups, in the order they appear:
Heels
- S P O O L
- K I T T E N
- P L A T F O R M
- F R E N C H
- M A R Y J A N E
Dresses
- L I T T L E B L A C K
- S H E A T H
- A P R O N
Necklace chains
- W H E A T
- R O L O
- F I G A R O
- S N A K E
- R A M B O
Hats
- C L O C H E
- T R A P P E R
- V I S O R
- P I L L B O X
Handbags
- M E S S E N G E R
- B A G U E T T E
- C L U T C H
- E N V E L O P E
- H O B O
The articles of clothing can be sorted head-to-toe (as indicated by the flavortext), and the highlighted letters from each group spell the first name of a famous designer:
| Article | First name | Last name |
|---|---|---|
| Hats | LEVI |
STRAUSS |
| Necklace chains | TRINA |
TURK |
| Dresses | LAN |
YU |
| Handbags | RALPH |
LAUREN |
| Heels | PERRY |
ELLIS |
Reading the first letters of the last names in order yields the
answer, STYLE.