08.21.07 -- Bees

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

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Puzzle by Tom Heilman, edited by Will Shortz

BEES (60A Theme of this puzzle), along with STINGOPERATIONS (17A Police ploys), HONEYIMHOME (30A End-of-day spousal salutation), GIVEMEABUZZ (46A “Call when you get the chance”), and THEAFRICANQUEEN (62A Bogart/Hepburn film) are the inter-related entries of this breezy crossword puzzle.

In a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. And nobody knows why. Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold, recalling the ominous quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. Among the highest suspect cause of bee disappearance is satellite radio and cell phones -- read the story in The International Herald Tribune HERE. The subject is also reported in The New York Times HERE, and The Minneapolis Star Tribune HERE .

No such concern exists in this Tuesday crossword, just business as usual. The other long entries are CHIPSHOTS (10D Lofted approaches to the green); CASELOADS (36D Social workers’ work); SOREEYES (8D What a welcome sight relieves); and MEATPIES (41D Pastries in “Sweeney Todd”).

Five- and six-square entries include TOPTEN (6DBest-seller list), UPTAKE (48D Mental grasp), CACHE (1A Private stash), OCHER (14A Earthy pigment), DEICE (35A Clear, as a winter windshield), AMUSE (40A Give the giggles) sharing the puzzle’s central ‘U” with EXURB (31D Outlying community), USHER (45A Lead down the aisle), TRIED (67ATook a shot at), HENRI (4D Painter Matisse), IDTAG (27D Holder of a dog’s name and owner info), LEONI (28D Tea of “Spanglish”), KIROV (29D Russian ballet company), OMAHA (32D D-Day beach), METED (33D Apportioned), ENERO (34D First month in Madrid) and SASSY (70A Full of lip).

Old standards abound, including TOSS, CHIC, OBOE, HOOD, TSAR, STYE EPPS, ISLE, EWES, ILK, XED, OMEN, TORA, TATE, ANOS, MER, ADO, LINT, PAIL PROF, PATH, ALBA, WEED, PERK, OWLS, ISEE, COST, ACTS, CHIA, ERG, OBEY, SEA, HOOP, IONS, CDS, OSLO, TEEM, SHE, WIDE, AMEN, UZI, MIFF, TWO, PHEW, REEL, RPI, ACRE, LEIS, ANDY, and ZAHN -- all with fairly clear clues.

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The New York Times Crossword Puzzle solution above is by the author of this blog and does not guarantee accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you are more than welcome to make note of same in the Comments section of this post -- any corrections found necessary will be executed promptly upon verification.

Puzzle available on the internet at

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