09.26.07 -- There's No Business Like Show Business

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

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Puzzle by Lee Glickstein and Craig Kasper, edited by Will Shortz

A note to today’s puzzle states: “The answers to the 13 starred clues have something in common” -- and they do!

The titles of thirteen musicals dance throughout this Wednesday wonder: OLIVER (1A *Stone in Hollywood); OKLAHOMA (7A *Home for Will Rogers and Garth Brooks); SPAMALOT (16A *What some unscrupulous e-businesses do?); RENT (19A *Torn); HAIR (31A *Extremely narrow winning margin); CABARET (35A *Kind of club); EVITA (41A *A Peron); CANDIDE (44A *Student of Dr. Pangloss); AIDA (*Lover of Radames); FAME (*Renown); CAROUSEL (67A *Site of much horsing around?); SHOWBOAT (69A *Perform ostentatiously); and KISMET (70A *Destiny).

Also chiming in to the tune of show business are Cole Porter's "Well Did You EVAH?" (57A); CHI (39A The Bears on the scoreboard) ("Chicago", the musical?); KPAX (8D 2001 film set in a mental institution); HAL (11D Anthropomorphic cinema computer); OLIN (12D Lena of "Chocolat"); MOES (13D Place to which Bart Simpson makes prank calls); DAS (45D Some "Law & Order" figs.); NERO (58D "Quo Vadis" role); Class CLOWN (59A); JFK (65D 1991 film directed by 1-Across); TRA (23A Song syllable); AVALON (17A Arthurian paradise) (also a 1996 film); PHIL (43A TV Dr. of note); and ODEA (60D Old music halls).

Less fanciful, but just as interesting, are PROVERBS (27A Whence the line "A soft answer turneth away wrath"); NEONATAL (47A Like some nursery care); LAVALIER (18A Bejeweled pendant); OVERRIDE (63A Nullify) (yesterday it was VETO, clued as Pork chop); FRIEZE (68A Architectural decoration); MINOSO (15A 1950s All-Star outfielder Minnie); Air JORDAN (65A); LIVEUP (2D Meet, as expectations, with "to"); INANER (3D Goofier); CHALET (26D Home in the Alps); OCULAR (28D Eyepiece); SETDOWN (30D Lay); ANADEM (48D Ancient garland); and LAMAZE (49D Kind of class).

Five-letter entries include COXES (20A Regatta crew leaders); LAVED (9D Washed); AMASS (10D Collect); REBEC (24D Renaissance instrument); BRINE (29D Curer of feta cheese); TAINT (36D Sully); SCRUB (51D Cancel); ALISO Viejo (California city near Laguna Beach) (52D); and TENET (55D Creed element).

Four-letter words or the like are VOLT, OSLO, ATRA, DOCS, FRIS, ANNE, LYNX, ECRU; and three-letter entries just happening to fall into the puzzle are ESO, DSC, NSA, RUE, EPA, RID, ANY, INN, RSA, WTS, NAT, ROW, ORI, and REX.

A very entertaining Wednesday puzzle -- "There's no business like show business!"

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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.

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