07.09.10 — Vicious!



Friday, July 9, 2010

Puzzle by Patrick Berry, edited by Will Shortz

One man’s meat is another man’s piece of cake. Four 15-letter entries are the main feature of this vicious Saturday crossword clued with vagueness and vagary resulting in the arcane and archaic — SEDIMENTARY ROCK (31A. Where natural gas accumulates), MAN-EATING SHARKS (35A. Popular sea menaces of film), RESIDENTIAL AREA (6D. Place with higher speeding fines, often) and FIVE-STAR GENERAL (7D. Army post unused since the 1950s).

People in the puzzle — ADA and SELES (22A. Literary title character with a palindromic name; 18D. Sports champion with a palindromic name), ANN (9D. “Roman Holiday” princess), EFREM (51A. Roger’s “77 Sunset Strip” co-star); 50A. JADE Emperor (Taoism figure); 50D. JANE DOE (1D. She’s tried often), "JESU, meine Freude” (Bach motet), a JOGGER (1A. Park ranger?), LENNY (46A. 1974 Best Picture nominee directed by Bob Fosse), 43A. Dickens heroine NELL Trent; NIA (30A. Long seen on TV), PAULINE (13A. Princess who was a sister of Napoleon), PEI (48A. Big name in Modernism); PISANS (13D. Losers of the Battle of Meloria, 1284), RYAN (33D. Hero of many Clancy novels), TREVINO (121D. Golfer nicknamed “Supermex”), VAN PELT (17A. “Peanuts” surname), and the ever-puzzle-popular YETIS (47D. Cryptozoological creatures).

Other — ALIASES (58A. Forwarding e-mail addresses); 53A. ANOTHER Country” (James Baldwin novel); CABOOSE (57A. It’s also called a “way car”), CONTENTED (20D. Like Arcadia’s inhabitants); ICED/OVER (19A. With 21-Across, like many rivers in winter); IGNORES and INTENDS (14A. Fails to factor in; 16A. Aims); KLEENEX (39D. It may be offered with a blessing); NAIROBI (37D. Uhuru Park locale); OUTLAID (2D. Spent); 34A. “Few can be induced to labor exclusively for POSTERITY”: Abraham Lincoln; REPRISE (38D. Second appearance on a soundtrack); SELENIC (12D. Containing element #34).

Mid-size — BET ON (45D. Back), BLYTH (25D. English city that’s home to the Spartans football club), BRINE (25A. Feta maker’s need), CRIBS (44A. Banned aids?), LASTEX (60A. Yarn with a rubber core), LINGUA (59A. Latin tongue), MOATS (32D. Tokyo Imperial Palace features), 35D. Nova Scotia’s Lake MICMAC, named for an Indian tribe; RENTAL (28A. Picked up pickup, perhaps), SLIMED (40D. Besmears), STREAK (15D. Run out of clothes?), most notoriously at the 1974 Academy Awards, TO A TEE (42A. Flawlessly), UPDOS (23A. French twists, e.g.).

Short stuff — ALA (56D. Imitating), EGAD (8D. Minced oath), 5D. “The END,” next-to-last song on “Abbey Road,” ironically, FLAT (52D. One way to be turned down), GLEE (3D. High spirits), HOG (54D. Appropriate in an inappropriate way), IDA (41A. Where I-15 meets I-86: Abbr., NOIR (26A. Genre of “The Set-Up,” 1949).

"Few can be induced to labor exclusively for posterity; and none will do it enthusiastically. Posterity has done nothing for us; and theorize on it as we may, practically we shall do very little for it, unless we are made to think we are at the same time doing something for ourselves."  Abraham Lincoln, speech, Feb. 22, 1842.

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