09.20.11 — Vacation Expenses

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Puzzle by Daniel Raymon / Edited by Will Shortz

RENT-A-CARS (63A. Some vacation expenses … or a hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 38- and 54-Across), BUDGET  CUT (17A. Way to reduce spending), NATIONAL ANTHEMS (23A. Pre-sporting-event songs), DOLLAR DIPLOMACY (38A. President Taft’s foreign policy) and ENTERPRISE ZONES (54A. Areas targeted for economic revitalization) constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other — AIRER, AKIRA, ANTON, ASKS IN, CABANA, CORNELIA (11D. First wife of Julius Caesar), ENLACE, ERODE , EXTOL, GRUMPY, IN HALF, IS ONTO, LEANT, LEFT WING, LOUIS XI (25D. 15^th-century French king nicknamed “the Prudent“), LUCAS, NEAR TO, PAC-MAN, PLURAL, REARS, SIGNS, SONAR, UPDATE, URIAHS.

Short stuff — AARP, ACTI, ADE, ALEC, ALPE, ALT and ALTO, APIA, ARA, ASS, AVE, CAP, COM, CPUS, DADE, DEAR, DEFT, DUES, ECO and ELO, EGG, FLO, FOOL, GAD, ICU, IN AN instant, IRA, JENA, KOI, “Mighty LAK’ a Rose“, LOL, MARC, MAXI, MOJO, NACL, NOAH, OVEN, OXO, PEON, RAF, SEG and SER, SLAW and SWAY, URAL, WHEY, ZOA.

————————

Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. PC hearts; 5. Capital ENE of Fiji; 9. “Star Wars” director George; 14. Mont Blanc, par exemple; 15. Table salt, chemically; 16. Chip away; 19. Broadcaster; 20. Coach Parseghian; 21. URL ending; 29. Baldwin of “30 Rock”; 30. Genesis mariner; 31. Deli side; 32. Faberge collectible; 35. River to the Caspian; 37. Author Levin; 43. N.Y.C.’s Park or Lex; 44. Union collections; 45. “Alice” spinoff; 46. Nimble-fingered; 48. Long skirt; 50. Malone of “Into the Wild”; 58. Part of Miss Muffet’s meal; 59. Kitchen gadget brand; 61. Director Kurosawa; 66. Echolocation acronym; 67. Kind of sax; 68. Play opener; 69. Speaks silently; 70. One pitied by Mr. T; 71. McJob doer. — DOWN: 1. Poolside enclosure; 2. Mice or men; 3. “This just in ..” announcement; 4. Line part: Abbr.; 5. Composer Bruckner; 6. Game with four “ghosts”; 7. Post-O.R. stop; 8. PC key near the space bar; 9. Was biased; 10. Heep and others; 12. Suffix with block or cannon; 13. Sun. speech; 18. Prefix with friendly; 22. Divided 50/50; 24. Reykjavik’s land: Abbr.; 26. Senior’s org.; 27. Painter Chagall; 28. Have influence on; 33. Wander, with “about”; 34. In a mood to complain; 36. Follower of a chat room joke; 38. Miami-___ County; 39. Place for a roast; 40. More than liberal; 41. Very expensive; 42. Voodoo charm; 47. Persian Gulf capital; 49. Sees through, in a way; 51. Intertwine; 52. On the verge of; 53. Invites to enter one’s home; 55. Brings up; 56. Heap kudos on; 57. Suffix meaning “animals”; 61. Balaam’s beast; 62. Fish in backyard pools; 63. U.K. fliers; 64. “Xanadu” rock grp.; 65. Salary ceiling.