03.07.11 — Questions?

Oakland is overtaken by giant cartoon question marks

photo by Greg aka Easy Pickle

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Monday, March 7, 2011

Puzzle by Mike Torch, edited by Will Shortz

This musing Monday crossword poses four questions of note — SHOULD I STAY / OR SHOULD I GO (17A. With 61-Across, 1982 question from the Clash), DOES SHE OR / DOESN’T SHE (23A. With 54-Across, old advertising question from Clairol), TO BE OR NOT TO BE (37A. Soliloquy question from Hamlet) and DEAL OR / NO DEAL (12D. With 46-Down, question from a 2000s game show).

Other — ABSORB, BASSLINE (40D. Low instrumental part of a tune), EDIBLE, FEIGNS, FREE OF, OPT FOR, IBERIA, REBORN, SAO PEDRO (3D. Heavenly gatekeeper, in Portugal), SWEEPS, OWING TO (25D. Because of), RIFFLE, SO I SEE.

Five-letter — AFAST, AGATE, ARENT, BAIUL, BOERS, EATER, DELTS, ENTRE nous, ETUIS, ICAME, LEWIS, LIRAS, LONER, MUSED (1A. Pondered), NILLA, OUIJA, PITAS, SAGAS, SAYIT, SLOES, SPRIG, STERN, TROOP, TUDOR.

Short stuff — AJAR, ALS and AUS, DAHL, DEL, END, ERAT, ERRS, ESTH, ESAU, GEN, GIT, HER, IAN, MAS, MTA, ODS, ONIT, ORE and ORT, PEW, REG, RICO, RIND, SAT, SEP, STE and STU, TAE and TUE, UGH.

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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: 6. Long-winded stories; 11. Some E.R. cases; 14. Playing marble; 15. Kind of board for a séance; 16. Church bench; 19. ___ Bo (exercise system); 20. Breads with pockets; 21. Leaf (through); 27. Boy Scout group; 28. Finale; 29. Huey ___ and the News; 31. Slips up; 32. Turkish money; 35. Start of Caesar’s boast, 42. Bit of parsley; 43. Pull ___ one on (hoodwink); 45. Facts and figures, for short; 51. Disco guy on “The Simpsons”; 52. Afrikaners; 57. Safe to consume; 59. Oksana ___, 1994 gold-medal skater; 60. Lower-priced gas option: Abbr.; 66. Writer Fleming; 67. Diner; 68. Recluse; 69. Capp and Gore; 70. Back of a boat; 71. “You ___ kidding!”. — DOWN: 1. Postgrad degs.; 2. “Ick!”; 4. Needle and thread holders; 5. Shoulder muscles, briefly; 6. “Ah yes”; 7. Vienna’s land: Abbr.; 8. “Scram!”; 9. Barely open; 10. “Tell me!”; 11. Select; 13. Goes 4-0 in the Series, e.g.; 18. Roald who created Willy Wonka; 22. Without; 23. The first State: Abbr.; 24. “Don’t bet ___!”; 25. Because of; 26. Puerto ___; 30. Was in session; 33. Soak up; 34. Labor Day’s mo.; 36. Big Apple mass transit inits.; 36. Miner’s load; 39. Outside of a watermelon; 41. Book before Job: Abbr.; 44. Wed. preceder; 45. Portugal’s peninsula; 47. Fakes, as an injury; 49. Having new energy; 50. Isaac’s eldest; 53. Tart fruits; 55. Nabisco wafer; 56. Henry VIII’s house; 58. The “E” in Q.E.D.; 62. Fr. Holy woman; 63. The other woman; 64. ___-X; 65. Table scrap.