08.11.11 — School Daze

Washington, D.C. Algebra class at Woodrow Wilson High School, 1943, photograph by Esther Bubley 

————————

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Puzzle by Parker Lewis / Edited by Will Shortz

SEQUENCE (3D. Any of the clues for 17-, 34- or 57-Across), VARIABLE (37D. In the answers to 17-, 34- and 57-Across, it was replaced in turn by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 …), X SQUARED PLUS TWO (17A. 3, 6, 11, 18, 27 …), TWENTY OVER FIVE X (34A. 4, 2, 4/3, 1, 4/5 …) and NINE MINUS X CUBED (57A. 8, 1, -18, -55, -116) constitutes the interrelated group of this rather dry Thursday crossword with very cold clues, adding up to a lot less than a GIVEN (28D. Presumption, in math).

Other — ANNOYS, ARABIA, ARRIVE, CATNIP, FISHER (32D. Casting director?), JEERED, JINXES, LINING, MAINER, METRIC, SHORES, STODGY, THEISM, TSWANA (12D. A language of South Africa), UNICEF, ZEROES.

Five-letter — BEEST, BONES, EMAIL, EMBED and EMEND, EPSON, MILLI, MOONS (24D. Hindsights?), MOSSY, NORAD, RIGEL, SPAYS, STONE, TRIES, ZELDA (5A. Princess in a Nintendo game series).

Short stuff — ABBY, ADD, AKA, ALL and ALT, Uncle BENS, CAM and CAY, DIPS, EDEN, ELEC, EMU, EMTS, ETE, FORE, GATE, GUAC, IRS, IVES, KEEN, LADE, LAHR, LOCO, NOW, OREM, ORSO, PERT and PEST, ROSE, ROXY, SLED, SNIP, TUNA salad, USES (29D. Inhales, perhaps), XED, YODA, “Caught YOU!”.

————————

Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Took off; 10. Ones trying to increase circulation, for short?; 14. So-called Family City U.S.A.; 15. It might have an attachment; 16. One who 26-Across; 21. Ship’s doctor, in slang; 22. Joint U.S./Canada military org.; 23. Journalist on a mission; 25. Jacket part; 26. Bugs; 28. Some chip dip, informally; 30. Small, low island; 31. Totally baked; 40. Supports, with “up”; 41. Part of a slalom run; 42. Lens holder, for short; 45. Setting for Genesis 2:8-25; 46. Scoffed; 48. Aladdin’s home; 50. Pop’s ___ Vanilli; 51. Isn’t lazy, say; 52. Gem; 54. Alias; 60. First major publisher of board games in the U.S.; 61. Instruction sometimes followed by “repeat”; 62. Vehicle for Calvin and Hobbes; 63. Smart; 64. Neuters. — DOWN: 1. Classic theater name; 2. Thereabouts; 4. Bird whose name is a Midwest school’s initials; 5. Complete losers; 6. Improve; 7. Put on; 8. Uncool sorts; 9. “___ right”; 10. Printer brand; 11. Standard of assessment; 13. Fuddy-duddy; 18. Apt name for a nun?; 19. Org. that won the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize; 25. “The Wizard of Oz” co-star; 26. ___-rock; 27. The time for action, often; 32. Front for “front”; 33. Brightest star in Orion; 35. Belief in something bigger than oneself; 36. Speaker of “Luke, when gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be “; 38. Common French word with two accents; 39. Signed as an illiterate would; 42. Cause of feline friskiness; 443. Show up; 44. Down East native; 48. Some spellings?; 47. Monopoly util.; 49. Ending with wilde- or harte-; 50. Old-fashioned; 52. Do some barbering; 55. Gung-ho; 56. Contributes; 58. Form letters?; 59. Kind of port.