Thursday, April 9, 2009 Puzzle by Patrick Blindauer and Tony Orbach, edited by Will Shortz AAHS (65A. Contented sighs and a homophonic hint to this puzzle‘s theme) is the tortured tie to six inane entry/clues containing OZ within the entry -- Mini-Mart becomes MINI-MOZART (17A. Nickname for a dwarfish piano prodigy?); dingbat, DOZING BAT (19A. Sleeping cave denizen?); boy wonder, BOOZY WONDER (31A. Pickled pub quiz winner?); one-liners, OZONE LINERS (40A. Ships carrying a smelly gas?); Cy Young, COZY YOUNG (51A. Comfy kids?); lions’ den, LIONS DOZEN (57A. Pride of 12?). The entry of JUDY (1A. Garland native to Minnesota) clinches that the film version of The Wizard of Oz is the thread of today’s crossword.
Or is it OZZY (52D. Black Sabbath singer, to fans) which crosses OOZE? Eating the rest of those hanging Z’s are ATOZ, DITZ, EZINE, ZEES, and NAZARENE (9D. Early Christian convert), while INSOMNIA (37D. People with this don’t go out for very long) denies us any Zzzzz’s. No poppies, no opium, but NUMB (20D. Unfeeling) will do. Onward -- mid-size entries include SERENE (27A. Collected) and SLICER (44A. Deli machine), the combination of NOVA SCOTIA (9A and 46D -- Site of Cape Breton Island) and YES I DO (4D. Positive affirmation)… Five-letter -- BRINE (47D. It can cure many things) and BROWN (47A. Toast); CAROM (24A. Bank) and CRIME (50A. It may be organized); ELWES (41D. Actor Cary of “Twister”); NEWER (23D. Comparatively recent); NORAS (23A. Comic Dunn and others); the now-frequent crossword entry of OBAMA (10D. Only president born in Hawaii); the ever-present ORONO (18D. Maine university town); and the rarely-seen OSLIN (32D. K.T. of country music); PSALM (45A. One begins “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down”); RAMBO (21A. “First Blood” hero John); RIOTS (48D. Laugh-a-minute folks); 29D. Golf’s RYDER Cup; SNIDE (38A. Said with a sneer); SONIC (27D. Like some waves); and that old sneakily clued VERBS (11D. Shake, rattle and roll). Short stuff -- ABEL and ABIT, ANTI and ALTO, ARC, ATTS, AYN, CLAD and CLAM, COOP, CRIB, CUJO, DADA, DEM and DUM, DIA, DOS, EAVE and EVIL, GTOS, ISSO, JOAD, JONI, LUNA, MESA, NOSH, OPIE, REAM, RENO, RUBE, SPRY and SPYS, TROT, UPTO, URSA, UTE, ZEES. That’s enough… I'm off to see the Wizard! 
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Remaining clues -- Across: 5. Not in the buff; 13. English artist John who’s buried at St. Paul’s Cathedral; 14. Potential sucker; 15. The brother in “Am I my brother’s keeper?”; 16. Lawyers: Abbr.; 22. Musical sound before and after “da”; 30. Adaptable truck, for short; 36. Musical Mitchell; 39. Icicle site; 43. Domingo, for one; 49. Parenthesis, essentially; 59. Bring (out); 60. Part of ABM; 61. Move like molasses; 62. Combative retort; 63. ___ Verde National Park; 64. 1974 Sutherland/Gould spoof. Down: 1. Bruce Springsteen album “The Ghost of Tom ___”; 2. ___ no good; 3. Scatterbrain; 5. Mobile home?; 6. Counterpart of Apollo; 7. Partially; 8. Like 10-Down: Abbr.; 12. High in the Sierra Madre?; 17. “2001” studio; 24. 1981 Stephen King novel; 25. Complete; 26. Ashcroft’s predecessor; 28. Online weekly, e.g.; 33. Early baby talk; 34. Devilish; 35. Chew (out); 42. Not at all stiff; 49. Writer Rand; 50. Chowder morsel; 51. Prison, slangily; 53. Pieces of pizza?; 54. Celestial bear; 55. Bite; 56. Pontiacs of old; 58. How many it takes to tango in Spain?
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