05.19.11 — Crushed ICE

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Puzzle by Paula Gamache / Edited by Will Shortz

Six multiple-letter squares into which the word ICE is "crushed" constitutes the main feature of this cool Thursday crossword, as follows:

• CRUSHED [ICE] crossing N[ICE]TY (66A. Drink cooler .. Or a hint to six squares in this puzzle’s answer; 64D. Fine point)
• ATOM[IC E]NERGY crossing POL[ICE] CAR (21A. Nuclear power; 8D. Black-and-white)
• SP[ICE] GIRL crossing ORGAN[IC E]GGS (27A. Member of a 1990s pop quintet; 3D. They’re not laid in a cage)
• S[IC E]M crossing D[ICE]Y (41A. Canine command; 34D. Touch-and-go)
• THR[ICE] crossing PUBL[IC E]NEMY (58A. “Thrice the brindled cat hath mew‘d”: “Macbeth”; 36D. See 35-Across)
• ELECTR[IC E]YES crossing PR[ICE] (59A. Photocells; 50D. Part of C.P.I.)

Other — BEAGLES (51A. White House pair in the 1960s), BIG MONEY (17A. “Wheel of Fortune“ spinner‘s cry), BONAIRE (5D. Neighbor of Aruba), IN SECRET (40D. On the q.t.), NAME TAPE (10D. Camp clothing attachment), PEERS IN ((45D. Sneaks a peek through a window), WETSUIT (47D. Diver‘s wear).

Mid-size — AHORA, ANDYS, BAGIT, DEBRA (55D. Messing on the screen), DO-RE-MI, ELIOT, HANNAH (31D. Mrs. Van Buren), HINT AT, LEMOND, Ex LIBRIS, LYCRA, MANGO, MELDS, NEUROscience, OMAHAN, PANAMA, RAPPER, STATEN Island, UNSNAP, TO YOU (7D. End of a “happy birthday“ message).

Short stuff — ADIA, ALG, AMEN, ASTO, BRIO, ERIE, Goethe’s “The ERL-King“, EROS, GROH, HOBO, IBET, LBO, LES, LOBS, MAB (42D. Queen in Shelley‘s poetry), MEDE, MIT, MPH, NEED, NEHI, OBIT, OHO, Put ON AN act, ORR, PEG, PLAN, ROBS, ROIL, SABU, SLO-mo, SOAP, STEP, TAOS, TIME (50D. What cons do), UPC, YAY (73A. “Woo-hoo!”), YAWN (46A. [I’m bored]).

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Wall St. deal; 4. Departure announcement?; 8. ___ City, Fla.; 14. Two-time Art Ross Trophy winner; 15. One who’s left holding the bag?; 16. Warren Buffett, by birth; 119. Three-time Tour de France winner; 20. Bar in a bathroom; 23. Beverage that once offered a Luau flavor; 25. Bars in a checkout line, briefly; 26. City or county of New Mexico; 30. “Oh man, you’re killing me!”; 32. H.S. math course; 33. Destitution; 35. Any member of 36-Down; 39. Quit trying, in slang; 43. Prefix with science; 44. Open, in a way; 48. Dribble guard; 49. When repeated, aerobic instructor’s cry; 53. Ancient Persian; 68. Moolah; 69. Stir up; 70. Campus on the Charles: Abbr.; 72. Concerning. — DOWN: 1. High hits; 2. Liveliness; 4. “Look what we have here!”; 6. “Yeah, right!”; 9. Hymn ender; 11. Now, in Nogales; 12. Chutney ingredient, maybe; 13. Some boy dolls; 18. Compressed video file format; 22. The “60” in “going 60”: Abbr.; 24. Suggest; 27. “Elephant Boy” boy; 28. Blueprint; 29. Aix-___-Bains, France; 37. Buffalo’s county; 38. Swindles; 52. Actor David of “Rhoda”; 53. Pinochle combos; 54. “Adam Bede” novelist; 57. Elastic fiber; 61. Love child?; 63. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit.