10.22.09 -- A Shot in the Dark

Thursday,
October 22, 2009
Puzzle by
Joel Fagliano, edited by Will Shortz
A SHOT IN THE DARK (27A. With 52-Across, wild guess … or what the answer to each starred clue has?), along with NOT BY A LONG (17A. *”That’s way off”), SNAP (38A. *Photo), JELLO (39A. *Colorful party drink), DOWN (40A. *Rejected), GUN WEDDING (62A. *Quick hitch-up), SLING (71A. *Y-shaped item), TEE (10D. *What “fore” may precede) and PUT (61D. *Track-and-field event) are the interrelated group of this cunning Thursday crossword featuring nine black squares with starring roles via “a SHOT in the dark” in a puzzle otherwise fairly, er… light!
Eight-letter entries -- CLOSED IN (2D. Trapped); OCCASION (41D. Reason to celebrate);
RUTABAGA (3D. Vegetable that’s peeled); WHITENED (42D. Bleached).
Seven -- HOARDER (44A. Pack rat); I MEAN IT (35A. “For real!”); 24A.
Mideast’s Mount LEBANON; TOP HATS (55A. Many magicians wear them).
Six -- EMILIO (12D. Actor Estevez); 11D.
Daniel Decatur EMMETT, composer of “Dixie”; HETEREO (48D. Straight); SHUT UP (47D. “Shhh!,” not so politely).
Five -- ALEUT (36D. Rat Island resident); APHID (34D. Insect called a greenfly in Britain); AROAR (68A. Creating a din); HADJI (56D. Completer of the fifth pillar of Islam);
KNURL (54D. Small ridge on the edge of a button or dial); MARIN (13D. San Rafael’s county); MELDS (31D. Pinochle combos); NAMER (26D. Whistle-blower); NORVO (37D. Red of early jazz); OUIJA (25D. Spiritualist’s tool); OUTDO (28D. One-up); RAGAS (53D. Sitar pieces); SANTA (8D. Nick name?); SIGNS (9D. Omens); SINAI (15A. 1967 war locale); THUGS (52D. Some riffraff); UMBRA (4D. Shadow).
Short shots -- ADA, ALUM, ANO, AUTO, CIG, EAN, EASE, ECRU, ELI, EMIR, EMMA, ERG, GIGA, GLO, GSA, GUAM, GURU, HAN, HUT, INDO,
JOEL (69A. Book before Amos), LAGS, LIL, NOGS, NOI, OCHO, OPAH, SARA, SHIP, SPED, SPOT, SUVS, TEEM, THAI, TNT, UTEP, WAN.
Here‘s one more shot at a shot in the dark!
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The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games
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Remaining clues -- Across: 1. It’s similar to cream; 10. Crawl (with); 14. ‘08 classmate, now; 16. Title heroine who says “One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other”; 19. Arabic for “commander”; 20. 1986 #1 hit for Starship; 21. “Saving Grace” airer; 23. “The Whiffenpoof Song” singer; 29. Nabokov novel; 30. Stop on Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world; 32. Camera setting; 33. Prefix denoting 10 to the ninth power; 46. El numero de agosto; 47. FedEx, say; 49. Explorer and Navigator; 51. Butt; 57. QB’s cry; 58. Solo in science fiction; 59. Nonchalance; 60. Sch. Located on the Rio Grande; 67. Maven; 70. Give a handicap of; 72. ___-Aryan. Down: 1. Suffix with Euclid; 5. Federal management agcy.; 6. Rapper ___ Jon; 7. “Is that ___?”; 18. Masculine side; 22. Cuisine with sen yai noodles; 24. Is seconds behind; 43. Often-ladled drinks; 45. Mako shark prey; 50. Earned a citation?; 63. “___ won’t!”; 64. Pale; 65. .0000001 joule; 66. Mop & ___.

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