05.24.10 — To the Point...



Monday, May 24, 2010 — Victoria Day

Puzzle by Bob Johnson, edited by Will Shortz

Cheeseburger, e.g., BUN, TOMATO, PICKLE, CHEESE, BURGER and BUN in circled letters within BRUIN, T-FORMATION, PICK OF THE LITTER, CHERRIES JUBILEE, BUCK ROGERS and BLUNT are the interrelated group of this well-done Monday crossword. The circled letters are an afterthought of little use to a solver, and some of the clues are helpless — 5. U.C.L.A. player, 17. Football alignment named for its shape, 26. Top choice, 45. “Light” dessert?, 58. Sci-fi hero in the 25th century, 64. To the point, ironically — wasn’t looking for a cheeseburger with the works, but — “I’ll have a hamburger, for which I will gladly pay you Tuesday!”


Other — COLLATERAL (11D. Property securing a loan) and CRIME SCENE (28D. It might be marked off with police tape) clock in at ten letters each, followed by a quartet of seven — AGILITY, ARTISTE, , FORSAKE and VINEGAR (44D. The “sour” in sweet-and-sour).

Mid-size — ABOVO, ALLAH, AYEAYE, CLEATS, CREATE, ELCID, Rutherford B. HAYES, HOLDEM, JERKIN (47D. Sleeveless jacket), not the pickle, that‘s a gherkin, nor the New Boyz doin‘ it, nor 30 St. Mary Ax, nor this one who’s LOST IT, MAGPIE (38A. Heckle or Jeckle of cartoons), MYRON, OLLIE, OPIATE, RAVAGE, REPRO, RETINT, SASSY, TETHER, TO RENT, VENTI (53A. Starbucks size that’s Italian for “twenty”).

Short stuff — ACCT, ACLU, ADES, AGE, ALFA, ANI, APIA and ARIA, ARON, BOB, BRA, CALF, COTS, ETON, EYE, GORE, GRID (40D. Where to enter this puzzle’s answers), ILET, INN, ION and IRON, ISAY, LIE and LYE, LEOS, NERO, NON, OFT, OLE and OLEO, PAR, PIT, PTA, PULL, RAW, ROXY, SMEE, TENT, TRIX, UPIN, WEE (37D. Itsy-bitsy).




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Puzzle available on the internet at


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Remaining clues — 1. Cow’s offspring; 10. Bank no.; 14. Margarine; 15. Copy, for short; 16. What’s seen in “Saw”; 19. “___ a Song Go Out of My Heart”; 20. Impertinent; 21. Bed-and-breakfast; 22. Muslim’s God; 23. Elvis ___ Presley; 25. Drug that’s a downer; 31. Sign in a boardinghouse window; 32. “Yes, captain!”; 33. Good “Wheel of Fortune” purchase for STRING BIKINI; 34. Drano ingredient; 35. Undeveloped; 42. Lay waste to; 48. Went nuts; 49. School near Windsor Castle; 50. 11th-century conqueror of Valencia; 51. Number on a golf hole; 57. Fruity drinks; 60. Circus shelter; 61. Stan’s pal in old films; 62. Puccini’s “Nessun dorma,” for one; 63. Captain Hook’s henchman; 65. Class theater name. DOWN: 1. Foldable beds; 2. ___ Romeo (Italian car); 3. Ones born before Virgos; 4. Abandon; 5. Item under a blouse; 6. Color again, as the hair; 7. Go ___ smoke; 8. Do a post-washing chore; 9. Oui’s opposite; 10. Nimbleness; 12. Manufacture; 13. Restraining cord; 18. Ancient Athenian sculptor; 22. Samoan capital; 24. Frequent, in poetry; 25. Cheer for a bullfighter; 26. School org.; 27. Charged particle; 30. Ogle; 34. Big fib; 36. Biographical datum; 37. Itsy-bitsy; 39. Skilled entertainer; 41. Indy 500 service area; 42. Same old same old; 43. From the beginning: Lat.; 45. Shoe grippers; 46. Poker variety; 51. Word on a door handle; 52. Org. protecting individual rights; 54. Literary Wolfe; 55. “___ are for kids” (ad slogan); 56. “___, old chap!”; 58. Go up and down, as in the water; 59. On Social Security: Abbr.

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