01.24.08 -- Hit!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

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Puzzle by Matt Ginsberg, edited by Will Shortz

HITTHE (63A. Words missing from the answers to the eight starred clues), along with PINATA, ROAD JACK, CAMPAIGN TRAIL, GROUND RUNNING, NAIL ON THE HEAD, BULL’S EYE, FLOOR, and SKIDS are today’s inter-related entries of this fun crossword puzzle, clued as follows:

PINATA (13A. *Party game);

ROADJACK (15A. *1961 chart-topper for Ray Charles);

CAMPAIGNTRAIL (19A. *Vie for votes);

GROUNDRUNNING (37A. *Get off to a quick start);

NAILONTHEHEAD (55A. *Get it exactly);

BULLSEYE (62A. *Shoot perfectly);

FLOOR (28D. *React to gunfire, maybe); and

SKIDS (31A. *Fail).

To that group, one might as well add the entry AIMS (49D Targets)!

The puzzle also hits the spot with its remaining entries, starting with the eight letter entries: AERIALLY (18A. How trapeze artists perform);

COALMINE (59A. Vein locale); CALLEDON (10D. Selected); and REGINALD Jeeves of P.G. Wodehouse stories (38D.).

Six-letter entries continue with 17A. ARISES, Stems (from); 35A. MEKONG, “Mother of all rivers”; 40A. OLEOLE, Corrida chant; 61A. AVANTI, Classic Studebaker whose name means “forward” in Italian; 1D. SPACES, Gets all ditzy; 2D. PIRATE, Capt. Sparrow, e.g.; 3D. ANIMAL, Zooid; 7D. TOETAG, Morgue ID; 45D. OPENTO, Entertaining; 46D. LOATHE, Abominate; and 47D. EDDIES, Swirls.

Five-letters: CARRY, GRAND, LYNNE, PLIED, SHOES, SNOOD, SPARS, STEAM, TEVIS, UNAPT, and VERSE (30D. Chapter‘s partner).

Four-letters: AIMS (49D. Targets), ALLS, ASIA (14D. Largest of a septet), DIAN, GLAD, HATH, JAGR, NEED, OCHS (9A. Phil who sang “Draft Dodger Rag“), OJAI, ORAN, RASP, SDAK (31A. Where Wounded Knee is: Abbr.), SELF (27A. You, to you, or me, to me), SHAH, SOLE, STDS, SELF, and WANG.

Three-letters: APO, AVG, AYN, CBS, DID (65A. Served, as time), ENO, ETA, EWE, HCL, MAR, MNO, NNE, OJS, OTC, OUT (60D, Unsafe), POD, PST, SDI, SEA (43A. Swell place?), SKY (What‘s up), and YUL.

This is a breezy wonder of a crossword puzzle, a…well, uh -- HIT!

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THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games

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Across: 1. Locks horns (with); 6. Not Rx; 21. Announcement to passengers, for short; 22. Taint; 23. Rand who asked “Who is John Galt?”; 24. Dolly, for one; 29. Baseball stat.; 41. Hair net; 42. Hockey great Jaromir; 44. Exclusive; 48. Star Wars, briefly; 49. Fictional C.I.A. unit on “Alias”; 51. Calif. Setting; 54. Escape ___; 64. The usual amts.; 66. Gym bag items. Down: 4. Laryngitis symptom; 5. Tick off; 6. Algerian port in “The Plague”; 8. Have as a channel; 9. California hometown of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman; 11. Stomach acid, to a chemist; 16. Naturalist Fossey; 20. 10 Benjamin Franklins; 25. Designer Vera; 26. Ticker tape letters?; 33. Actor Brynner; 34. Johannesburg-to-Nairobi dir.; 35. Telephone triad; 36. Musician Brian; 37. Pleased; 40. A.M. drinks; 50. Carried on, as a trade; 52. Bygone potentate; 56. Shakespeare title starter; 57. Straits; 58. Doth own; 59. “The Dukes of Hazzard” network.