05.30.11 — Break a LEG

Monday, May 30, 2011 — Memorial Day

Puzzle by Michael Barnhart / Edited by Will Shortz

BREAK A LEG (63A. “Good luck!” … and a hint to 17-, 25-, 39- and 51-Across), TILE GROUT (17A. Bonding material for bathroom floors), JUNGLE GYM (25A. Playground fixture), CHARITABLE GIFTS (39A. Donations) and STAPLE GUN (51A. Upholsterer’s tool) constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword, e.g., four answers have the letters L-E-G “broken” within a familiar phrase.

Other — AFTERGLOW (36D. Sunset remnant), INFLUXES (41D. Streams of arrivals), ISUZU and JAPAN (7D. Maker of the Rodeo and Trooper; 25D. Where 7-Down is based), LA BAMBA (27A. 1959 Spanish-language Top 40 hit), POLAR BEAR (3D. Arctic animal), SEDANS (50D. Many four-doors), STERNA (4D. Breastbones), TATTLING (9D. Being a snitch), WEASELS (48A. Animals not to be trusted?).

Five-letter — ANDIE, ARISE, ASYET, CLOWN, DODGY (59A. Not to be believed), EARLY, FEDEX, GIBED, KAREN, LATEN, LETBY, LYING, NAACP, SOFAS, SPECS, STEAM, TILLS, TRITE, TWERP, UVRAY.

Short stuff — AFT, AGE, AGHA (28D. Turkish title), A LOT, AMOK, “Wanna BET?”, BOIL, BURY, CTRL, DAYS and DYES, “EASY does it“, ELIE, ENE, EPIC, ESAI, ESC and ESE, GIG, GLAM, “May I BE service?”, ISR, LACK, Mal de MER, NBA, NEON, NOTI, ORO, OWN, PSIS, RAT, REAP and REPS, Messenger RNA, SGT, SWIG, TEN, TIS, TRI, UNIV, URSA, YETI, ZEST.

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. House members, for short; 5. Seethe; 9. Works the field; 14. Loads; 15 ___ Major (constellation); 16. To date; 19. Overused, as a saying; 20. Premature; 21. Piquancy; 23 Hoops grp.; 30. “___ the season to be jolly”; 31. Get on in years; 32. “Beowulf,” e.g.; 35. Civil rights grp.; 43. One of the Carpenters, in 1970s pop; 44. Gas in advertising signs; 45. Prefix with cycle; 46. Toward the back of a boat; 57. Hold the deed to; 58. Place to get an M.A. or Ph.D.; 61. UPS rival; 66. Get up; 66. “The Little Red Hen” response; 69. Glasses, informally; 70. Indigo and others; 71. Giant gulp, as from a bottle. — DOWN: 1. Snitch; 2. “Night” author Wiesel; 5. Lay in a grave; 6. Spanish gold; 8. Approach dark; 10. Tel Aviv’s home: Abbr.; 11. Bearing false witness; 12. Allow to pass; 134. Good thing to build up or blow off; 18. Glitz; 22. The Beatles’ ___ Pepper; 26. Actor Morales; 27. Be deficient in; 34. Entertainer at a kid’s birthday party; 37. Bottom-row PC key; 38. Pitchfork-shaped letters; 40. Harvest; 42. U-turn from WSW; 47. Two hours before noon; 49. One way to run; 51. Davenports; 52. Pipsqueak; 53. Actress MacDowell; 54. Mocked; 55. Bit of light that’s harmful to the skin; 59. Calendar units; 60. Himalayan beast; 62. Top-row PC key; 64. Suffix with Canton; 65. Band booking.