09.22.10 — E-I-E-I-O

Old MacDonald‘s Farm 

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins, edited by Will Shortz

OLD MACDONALD (57A. Subject of a children’s song associated with the vowels in the answer to each starred clue), LEIF ERICSSON (20A. *Turn-of-the-millennium explorer), CELINE DION (30A. *1996 Grammy winner for the album “Falling Into You”), PRESIDENT WILSON (38A. *Treaty of Versailles signer), PERIHELION (46A. *Point in a planet’s orbit that’s closest to the sun), along with BAAS and MOOS (8D. and 58D. Sounds heard by 57-Across) are the amusing interrelated entries of this Wednesday crossword  with its four sets of sequential vowels, i.e., E-I-E-I-O.

Other — HIGH ALTAR (35D. Sanctuary fixture), INDONESIA (9D. World’s fourth-most populous country), and an odd pair, LOSING HEART (3D. Becoming discouraged) and RIB SPREADER (26D. Tool used in thoracic surgery), are the remaining long entries.

Mid-size — AMOEBA (2D. It multiples by dividing), Whack-A-MOLE, APNEA, ARLENE, DARNED, DERIDE and DREDD, DIETS, GAUNT, ILENE, INERT, IRATE, IRONER, LADED, LONG I (31D. Second in line?), MALAY (1D. Dweller on an Asian peninsula), MARLIN, NEXUS, OSCARS, REINED, ROSES, STARR (69A. Brenda of comics), SINEW, SOLID (55D. Nonliquid state), STRAD, WEDDED, YESES.

Short stuff — ALEF, APT and ASP, AVER, AXE, BTU, DEB, EEL, EPA, EPIC, ERE, ESS (13D. What‘s extracted from soil to get oil?), HAH, GAS (61D. Nonliquid state), GREG, IBN, INT, ITA, LSD, NALA, NOD, NUN, OER, OVA, PIP, RIA and RIC, RTES, SAS and SOS and SRS, Punk rocker SID Vicious, RIC, TOTO (27D. Kansas canine), King TUT, UNA.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 6. Ballgoer, for short; 9. Steamed; 15. Org. doing atmospheric tests; 16. Meeting point; 17. Gifts for divas; 18. Shoreline indentation; 19. Has only half-servings, maybe; 23. Saudi “son of”; 25. Immobile; 28. Hounds; 34. “Not a chance!”; 36. Kind of place to the left of the decimal point; 37. 1,055 joules: Abbr.; 43. “Give ___ little time”; 44. Pitcher Maddux who won four straight Cy Young Awards; 45. Cleopatra held it close; 50. Attract; 53. Expensive violin, for short; 54. ___ pad; 56. Before, to Byron; 61. Overly thin; 64. Fertility clinic samples; 65. Put on, as cargo; 68. Sleep disorder; 67. “___ the ramparts …” 68. “Mr. Belvedere” actress Graff; 70. Promgoers: Abbr.; 71. Risked. — DOWN: 1. Catch that might be mounted; 4. Beth preceder; 5. Some survey responses; 6. Ridicule; 7. Like some battles; 1. Restricted, with “in”; 11. Tool used by Hansel and Gretel’s father; 21. Singer Ocasek of the Cars; 22. Tendon; 29. Carrier with a hub in Copenhagen; 32. Abbr. on a bank statement; 33. Carmelite, for one; 35. Sanctuary fixture; 38. Any singer with Gladys Knight; 39. Delivery persons’ assignments: Abbr.; 40. Judicial title role for Stallone; 41. Slippery swimmer; 42. It was dropped in the ’60s; 47. Worker whose job always has a new wrinkle?; 48. Hollywood treasures; 49. Silent assent; 51. Francis of “What’s My Line?”; 52. Kind of bliss; 59. Maintain; 60. “The Lion King” role; 62. Likely; 63. Italian article.