09.30.07 -- Invitation to the Dance -- the Acrostic

Abraham Lincoln & Mary Todd Lincoln greeting Union generals, Cabinet members, & others at a reception. Hand-colored lithograph by John Smith, Philadelphia, 1865, from The Library of Congress
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Sunday, September 30, 2007
ACROSTIC Puzzle by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz
Today‘s acrostic contains a quotation from DORIS Kearns GOODWIN‘s TEAM OF RIVALS -- “The story is told of Lincoln's first meeting with Mary at a festive party. CAPITVATED BY HER LIVELY MANNER, INTELLIGENT FACE, CLEAR BLUE EYES, AND DIMPLED SMILE, LINCOLN REPORTEDLY SAID, "I WANT TO DANCE WITH YOU IN THE WORST WAY." AND, MARY LAUGHINGLY TOLD HER COUSIN LATER that night, "HE CERTAINLY DID."
The defined words with their clues are:
A. DIPTYCH (Artwork on two hinged panels); B. OLDGLORY (What Betsy Ross worked on (2 wds.); C. RICHTER (Eponym of a widely used logarithmic scale); D. INDICTED (Charged in an unwelcome way); E. SAGUARO (Set item in many a western); F. GETHELP (“You should see a psychiatrist!”); G. ORBITAL (Making the rounds?); H. OBDURATE (not likely to say “I’m sorry” for a crime); I. DYNASTY (Sports franchise that perennially dominates); J. WILLYNILLY (Whether desired or not; randomly [hyph.]); K. ICELAND (Country with the oldest known geyser…and from which the word “geyser” comes); L. NEVILLE (Longbottom, bumbling friend of Harry Potter); M. TAILWIND (Pilot’s aid in making good time); N. EDAMAME (Boiled soybean pods, in Japanese cuisine); O. ANTENNA (Destination of some waves); P. MEMPHIS (Home of the bluesy Beale Street); Q. OUTLAWRY (State occupied by Jesse James beginning in 1866); R. FLETCHER (Person who makes arrows); S. RENOWNED (Having widespread name recognition); T. INCENSE (Staple of aromatherapy); U. VERMONT (Abutter of Lake Champlain); V. ACIDITY (What a pH below 7 indicates); W. LADYDAY (Jazz nickname, or March 25 on the Christian calendar [2 wds.]); X. SALUTES (Fire off 21 rounds, maybe)
Another fine acrostic from Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon!
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