09.17.10 — BLOOD MOON, Etc.

The hunter's moon—also known as blood moon or sanguine moon—is the first full moon after the harvest moon, which is the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. The Hunter's Moon is so named because plenty of moonlight is ideal for hunters shooting migrating birds in Northern Europe. — Wikipedia

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Puzzle by Jonah Kagan, Brown University ‘13, edited by Will Shortz

Note: Every crossword this week, from Monday to Saturday,

has been composed by a student at Brown University.

Read more at Wordplay.

A nonet of eclectic long entries are the meat of this spunky Friday crossword which moves quickly once the solver gets past a good many clues from far out in left field — ALLOSAURUSES (29A. Literally, “different lizards”), ARROW KEYS (31D. Certain navigational aids), BLOOD MOON (6D. Autumnal event so called because it helps hunters kill their prey), BLUE MAN GROUP (34A. Colorful stage performers since 1987), COGITO ERGO SUM (32A. Descartes found this truth to be self-evident), HYPERBOLIC (16A. Over the top), NO PROBLEMO (13A. “Easy peasy!”), STAY UP LATE (52A. Put off retirement?), UNREQUITED (49A. Like some love).

Seven- and eight-letter — BLAME ME (34D. “It’s my fault”), CLINIQUE (32D. Company that gets a lot of its money from foundations?), JIU JITSU (10D. Practice with locks and pins?), LOVE POEM (11D. Troubadour’s creation), ORATORS (12D. Ones happy to give you their addresses?), OUT OF USE (33D. Defunct).

Six — DELTAS (22D. Some sorority women), DOCTOR (26A. Photoshop, say), DUGONG (26D. Sea grass grazer), INHALE (1D. Scarf down), LITRES (35A. There are 50 in a keg of Newcastle), TOY BOX (2D. Home for Barbie and Ken, perhaps), NEEDED (39D. Compulsory), OPPOSE (3D. Counter), PORTAL (37D. Door), UPSETS (38D. Reasons to use Pepto-Bismol), WEBBER (4A. Five-time N.B.A. All-Star Chris), YESSES (54A. O.K.’s).

Five — ABOVE, ARRAS (42D. Decoration for Gertrude’s room in “Hamlet”), BELLA (7D. “Twilight“ protagonist), DANTE, EMILY, “Indoors OR OUT?”, PARSE, SLIME.

Short stuff — AGER, AJET, ANO, BARK, BUSY, CUSP, “Wassup, DAWG?”, D-DAY, DIOR, DNA, EBB, EQUI, EXE, FIE (45. “Ptui!”), HAIL, HOPE, IPO and ITO, JLO, LOSS, LSD, MIFF, MUSE, NUVA, OLLA, ONT, PUN, PUPS, QUE, REV, ROCA, SEG and SEM, WORE.

The purity of the unclouded moon

Has flung its atrowy shaft upon the floor.

Seven centuries have passed and it is pure,

The blood of innocence has left no stain.

There, on blood-saturated ground, have stood

Soldier, assassin, executioner.

Whether for daily pittance or in blind fear

Or out of abstract hatred, and shed blood,

But could not cast a single jet thereon.

Odour of blood on the ancestral stair!

And we that have shed none must gather there

And clamour in drunken frenzy for the moon. 

—
Blood and the Moon (III) by William Butler Yeats

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Japan’s Prince Niobium ___; 10. 2001 #1 album with the hit “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”; 15. Christian with many robes?; 17. ___ Ring (birth control brand); 18. Over; 19. Vessel over heat; 20. “Leaving on ___ Plane”; 21. Perfect-record breaker; 22. When all one’s planning is put to the test; 23. Company outing, for short?; 24. River of Devon; 25. Sch. For the preordained?; 36. Home of Polar Bear Prov. Park; 37. One of about 3,000 in Shakespeare’s plays; 43. One might lose it in a crisis; 44. Tee off; 46. Where you might see some initials; 47. Break down, in a way; 48. Prefix with angular; 51. Opine; 53. Spec for a roomy flat?; 55. Subj. in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”. — DOWN: 4. Tediously went (on); 5. Flag; 8. “Bones” actress Deschanel; 9. Jay-Z’s ___-Fella Records; 14. Makes roar; 15. Kind of profiling; 25. Lowlifes; 28. Where two branches of a curve meet, in math; 29. Sun exposure, for one; 37. Door; 38. Reasons to use Pepto-Bismol; 39. Compulsory; 41. Il Poeta; 43. When repeated, exuberant cry; 46. Tied up 47. Litter, maybe; 50. 36-Across neighbor.