12.28.10 — Valuable Truck?

An overturned semi-truck and other semis are strewn across both sides of Interstate 90 in Erie, Pennsylvania, January 26, 2007

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Puzzle by Robert A. Doll, edited by Will Shortz

MARATHON MINI (20A. Distance runner’s skirt?), MARINE SUB (34A. Military sandwich?), FINE EXTRA (45A. Outstanding crowd scene actor?) and PRECIOUS SEMI (55A. Valuable truck?) are the seemingly interrelated group of this tepid Tuesday crossword.

Other — ARCHIE (30D. Jughead’s buddy), AVIATE, DIARIES (44D. Works of Pepys and others), CANAPE, EATS OUT (46D. Visit’s a diner), FLATTEN (5D. Render pancake-shaped), HALEST, MILERS, SCRAMS, SEEN AT, SEE SAW, SMEARS, STANCES (9D. Batting positions).

Five-letter — AAHED, ARENA, ASIDE, ATARI, FIRST, GOWNS, HADES, LEVEL, MOVIE, NEHRU, NO SIR, OILED, OOMPH, SARAN, SHELF, SMILE, SNARE, SPOON (5A, Dish‘s runaway partner, in rhyme), SPRIG, TESTS, TONES, UTILE.

Short stuff — AMS, ANI, ARM, AVA, CAEN and CAIN, EBAN, ELIS, ENCL, ESE and ETE, EVER, FORT, HERA, IDES, ISE and ISP and IST, LENA, MELT, NTH, OWE, POE, RED, RILE, RPI, SAFE, SGT, SITE, SLAM, SWE, TANS, TEEM, TOT, URI, VIE.

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Bookcase unit; 6. Drill instructor’s rank, often: Abbr.; 9. Animal trap; 14. Tool with a bubble; 15. Poet who created the Ushers; 16. Color variations; 17. Fight card venue; 18. Have payables; 19. Comment to the audience; 23. Catches some rays; 24. Beats it; 28. Chicken, so to speak; 32. Season after printemps; 33. Compete; 37. “Candid Camera” request; 39. Bottom-of-letter abbr.; 40. Clear wrap; 42. Battle of Normandy city; 43. Emitted a contented sigh; 47. Sch. In Troy, N.Y.; 48. Sussex suffix; 50. Most robust; 51. Plaything with a fulcrum; 53. Defense in a snow fight; 55. Valuable truck?; 61. Company behind the game Battlezone; 64. Hurler’s asset; 65. Applied 3-in-One to; 66. Netflix rental; 67. Juno or NetZero, for short; 68. Serving a purpose; 69. Antler sporters; 70. Utmost in degree; 71. Dry runs. — DOWN: 1. Verbal assault; 2. Zeus’ wife; 3. Partner of anon; 4. “Havana” actress Olin; 7. Graduation attire; 10. Boot camp reply; 11. Young Skywalker’s nickname; 12. “Curse you, ___ Baron!”; 13. U-turn from WNW; 21. Where the Styx flows; 22. Believer’s suffix; 25. Take to the sky; 26. Four-lap runners, often; 27. Witnessed in the area of; 28. Slings mud at; 29. Cocktail hour nibble; 31. Stir up; 32. Abba of Israel; 35. Not risky; 36. Mentalist Geller; 38. 1140, in old Rome; 41. India’s longest-serving P.M.; 49. Neighbor of Nor.; 52. Bit of parsley; 53. Leading the pack; 54. Get-up-and-go; 56. Genesis brother; 57. Webmaster’s creation; 58. Yale students; 59. Disappear a la Frosty; 60. Fateful day for Caesar; 61. Pro-___ (some turneys); 62. Huggies wearer; 63. Gardner of “Mogambo”.