04.03.11 — Shifting Gears — the Diagramless

Sunday, April 3, 2011

DIAGRAMLESS, Puzzle by Fred Piscop / Edited by Will Shortz

Finding the right gears to solve this well-tuned diagramless is easy as they are placed in the order of a standard automatic — PARK PLACE (13A. $350 Monopoly property), REVERSE SPLIT (25A. Corporate action that reduces a shareholder’s number of shares), NEUTRAL GROUND (39A. Where there’s no home-field advantage), DRIVE-THROUGH (56A. Part of many a fast-food restaurant). LOW BUDGET (67A. Made on a shoestring, say), and away we go!

Other — BASSINET, CAVORTS, DRONING, EL CHEAPO and EL GRECO (64A.”View of Toledo“ painter), LEAD TIME, LED UP TO, RIGATONI, RITALIN, SANDMAN, URGINGS, SAPPORO (38D. 1972 Winter Olympics site).

Mid-size — ALCOVE, ALIBI, ARLES and ARIES, BUSONI, ENROL, ERATO, EWERS, GO NOW, GROPES, GUILE, Hoops great Kareem Abdul-JABBAR, LYING, MILAN, NIBBLE, O’NEILL (71A. “The Hairy Ape“ playwright), ORIOLE, ORLON, REESE, ROACH, ROLEO, SEGAR, SERGE, SLURPS, SONATA, TAUNTS, TRENT Reznor, Oscar winner for scoring “The Social Network“, TROUGH, WINGS.

Short stuff — ARPS, BIL, BOA, CIG, DAG, DUDE, EDGE, EMS, ENYA, EPA, GER, IDLE, “Deed I DO“ (Ruth Etting tune), IRE, ISH, JOKE, MEWL, MOS, NCO, NETS, NOR, OPIE, OPT, ORS, OSU, PAUL and PULL, RIP, SSGT, TABS, TEST, TRIP, ULT.

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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: 7. Whimper like a baby; 11. Baseball cap bird; ___ Taylor, 1960s TV role; 16. Sleep inducer; 20. A fire sign; 21. Columbus sch.; 23. Artful deception; 24. Last: Abbr.; 29. Job scheduling concern; 32. Eur. Tongue; 33. They’re kept on suspects; 34. Rude sounds at dinner; 35. Ribbed past; 38. Piece that may contain a rondo; 44. Seeks blindly; 45. Word between here and there; 46. Shoddy item, slangily; 49. Bygone copies; 52. Singer with the album “The Celts”; 53. 72-Across, e.g.: Abbr.; 54. Nursery fixture; 59. Ill temper; 60. 1965 Moody Blues hit; 61. Where scrubs are worn: Abbr.; 62. Signs of engine trouble; 70. Make a misstep; 72. U.S. Army E-6; 73. Sign of interest, as in an offer. — DOWN: 1. One-liner, e.g.; 2. Some Dadaist works; 3. Cartoonist Keane; 4. Constrictor; 5. Breakfast area; 6. Baseball’s Pee Wee; 7. Perps’ patterns; 8. Superfund org.; 9. Spicy bar fare; 10. Set the stage for; 13. One of the Fab Four; 14. Town on the Rhone; 15. Drug for the hyperactive; 17. City with a twice-yearly fashion week; 18. It’s good when airtight; 19. Brings home; 22. Exhortations; 25. Job for a tailor; 26. 911 responder, for short; 27. Popeye creator Elzie; 28. Sister of Clio; 30. Weekend rancher, maybe; 31. Slop holder; 35. Lumberjacks’ contest; 36. Talks trash to; 41. Exterminator’s target; 42. Words of denial; 43. Emulating a boring professor; 46. Sign up; 47. Telling stories; 48. Rollicks; 49. Nobelist Hammarskjold; 50. “Sorta” suffix; 51. Suit material; 52. Competitive leg up; 54. “Doktor Faust” composer; 55. Word repeated before “1, 2, 3”; 57. Still-life pitchers; 58. Wool-like material; 62. Political asset; 63. Just chilling; 65. Smoke; 66. Make a choice; 68. Bug trapper; 69. Park of overalls.