04.30.10 — TGIFriday...

Friday, April 30, 2010

Puzzle by Natan Last, edited by Will Shortz

Since appearing in the media in the 1970s, crop circles have become the subject of speculation by various paranormal, ufological, and anomalistic investigators ranging from proposals that they were created by freak meteorological phenomena to messages from extraterrestrials — some are definitely known to be the work of human pranksters, much the same as many of the clues of this perplexing TGI Friday crossword.

Across — 1. Inspiration for Björn Again, ABBA; 5. Bob of stand-up comedy, SAGET; 10. Waves back?, ECHO; 14. It has many functions, briefly, CALC; 15. Art center since 1819, PRADO; 16. Risky thing to try in figure skating, QUAD; 17. Risky thing to try for on “Jeopardy!”, TRUE DAILY DOUBLE; 20. Novel whose title comes from Ecclesiastes, THE SUN ALSO RISES; 21. “Doo WOP (That Thing) (#1 hit for Lauryn Hill); 22. Nonpro?, CON; 23. Heat unit?, LAP; 24. Player of Sethe in “Beloved”, OPRAH; 26. It might go through a filter, E-MAIL; 29. Campaign crunch time: Abbr., OCT; 32. Opposite of schadenfreude, PITY; 33. Offerer of package plans, UPS STORE; 35. Source of jumbo eggs, in brief, DINO; 36. Hound, BESET; 38. Complicit with, IN ON; 39. Subject of a Sophocles tragedy, ANTIGONE; 41. Result of excessive bending, SNAP; 42. Midgets of the 1960s-’70s, e.g., MGS; 43. Gets charged up?, LOADS; 45. Hound, POOCH; 47. Image on Connecticut’s state quarter, OAK; 48. EKE out a profit; 50. Main role on “My Big Fat Greek Life”, NIA; 51. Justice League member, THE GREEN LANTERN; 57. Diamond deception, HIDDEN BALL TRICK; 58. Drive, URGE; 59. Gifted individual?, DONEE; 60. Fashionista’s read, maybe, ELLE; 61. Like some bets and patients, SEEN; 62. Bottleneck, SNARL; 63. Red, e.g., for short, NLER.

Down — 1. Drama center, often, ACT TWO; 2. Lush travel plan?, BARHOPPING; 3. Detailed outlines, BLUEPRINTS; 4. Hotshots, ACES; 5. “Apollo 13” actor Joe, SPANO; 6. 1906 Massenet opera, ARIANE; 7. Brass, GALL; 8. Brand with the flavor Fudge Tracks, EDY’S; 9. It might include check boxes, TO-DO LIST; 10. Outfit, EQUIP; 11. Litter lying around a den, CUBS; 12. Fit, HALE; 13. Pablo Neruda’s “Elemental ODES”; 18. Brunswick, e.g., once, DUCHY; 19. Grad students often dread them, ORALS; 25. Tours “yours”, ATOI; 27. Said reflectively, MUSED; 28. Make like, APE; 29. Debutante who dated J. D. Salinger and Orson Welles, OONA O’NEILL; 30. Crushed corn creation, CROP CIRCLE; 31. Total hottie, TEN; 34. Martinez of the diamond, TINO; 35. Clog, DAM; 36. Title holders, BOOKENDS; 37. Disney doe, ENA; 40. Driving problem, GLARE; 41. Ready for retirement, SPENT; 44. Bear say, SELLER; 47. Setting of Hill Air Force Base, OGDEN; 49. Lara’s son, in DC Comics, KAL-EL; 51. So, THUS; 52. Give a name badge, say, HIRE; 53. Work (in), EDGE; 54. Like death’s dart, in Shakespeare, EBON; 55. Family moniker, NANA; 58. Tampico track transport, TREN.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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