Monday, December 7, 2009
Puzzle by Ed Sessa, edited by Will Shortz
"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest--
...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest--
...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
“Dead Man's Chest" (also known as Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest or Derelict) is a fictional sea shanty originally from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island (1883). It was expanded in a poem, titled Derelict by Young E. Allison, published in the Louisville Courier-Journal in 1891. It has since been used in many later works of art in various forms. (Wikipedia)
Nifty little Monday crossword with four long interrelated entries -- AND A BOTTLE OF RUM (56A. Words after the starting syllables of 17-, 29- and 43-Across), YOGURT SMOOTHIES (17A. Blended fruit-flavored drinks), HOLY MACKEREL (29A. “Jumpin’ Jehosaphat!”) and HOMER SIMPSON (43A. TV character who says “It’s 1 a.m. Better go home and spend some quality time with the kids).
Mid-size entries include ADHERE (10D. Stick to), ARTFUL (5D. Wily), COSTLY (6D. High-priced), EMBALMS (24D. Mummifies), ENTAIL (44D. Call for), HOTCAKE (9D. Flapjack), LAROSA (25A. Old-time singer Julius), OBTRUDE (54A. Thrust out), OIL CAN (19D Squirter at an auto garage), ON DRAFT (20A. Available from a keg), PASS GO (37D. Collect $200 in Monopoly), POOLED (45D. Combined, as assets), SOBERS (46D. Recovers from a bender, with “up”), STENOS (47A. Shorthand pros), TROUBLE (41D. Reason for a 911 call).
Five-letter -- 28D. Look-ALIKE (twin), AS ONE (2D. Unanimously), BLAHS (31D. Sense of tedium with “the”), BRIAN (31A. News anchor Williams), BROIL (60A. Oven setting), CURIE (49D. Physics Nobelist Marie), EAGLE (63A. Golf score of two under par), EDUCE (50D. Draw out), HAITI (9A. Country adjacent to the Dominican Republic), IT’S ME (33D. Informal reply to Who’s there?”), MAGDA (3D. A Gabor sister), ODDER (16A. More peculiar); ORMAN (26D. Financial adviser Suze), PLAIN (37A. Nothing fancy), RAYON (18D. Silky synthetic fabric), ROBOT (32D. C-3PO or R2-D2), SAY OK (1D. Give permission), SEARS (27D. Roebuck’s partner in retailing), TENSE (42A. Past, present or future), TONTO (42D. Lone Ranger’s companion), YEMEN (51D. Modern locale of ancient Sheba).
Short stuff -- ABE and ABS, ACHE, ARI, ASAP (14A. “Quickly!,” on an order), BARK, BEN, BRAE, CEY, DICE, DOG, ETON, EWER, HAS, HUM, IDI, IRS, KEA, LII, MAI, NICE, NRA, PODS, RFDS, ROUT, SAMS, SEEN and SOON (48A. Before long), SPUR, STEP, TAIL, TEE, TUGS, TWO, YULE (23A. Christmastime).
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Remaining clues -- Across: 1. ___ Club (discount chain); 5. Pain; 9. Country adjacent to the Dominican Republic; 15. Runaway victory; 21. Opposite of naughty; 22. Hawaii’s Mauna ___; 23 Christmastime; 34. Highlands hillside; 35. ___ tai (cocktail), 36. Oodles; 39. “Woof!,” e.g.; 40. Tummy muscles; 41. Peacock’s distinctive feature; 49. 1970s Dodgers All-Star Ron; 52. Harbor vessels; 61. Wide-mouthed pitcher; 62. What high rollers roll; 64. Pea holders; 65. “ …___ and not heard”. Down: 4. Cowboy boot feature; 7. What you can do if you don’t know the words; 8. British prep school; 11. Uganda’s ___ Amin; 12. Summer shirt, for short; 13. Org. with a 4/15 deadline; 29. Owns; 30. Bush spokesman Fleischer; 38. 52, in old Rome; 39. London’s Big ___; 53. Rung; 55. Country mail rtes.; 56. Lincoln, informally; 57. Gun rights org.; 58. Woofer?, 59. Duet number.
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