12.14.11 — Q, More or Less...




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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Puzzle by Tim Croce / Edited by Will Shortz

In this Wednesday crossword, adding a Q to the familiar phrases of traditional IRA, uneven bars, county fair and Atari computers results in TRADITIONAL IRAQ (20A. Mesopotamia?), UNEVEN BARQ’S (28A. Inconsistent brand of root beer?), COUNTY FAQIR (45A. Local ascetic) and QATARI COMPUTERS (53A. Some Mideast laptops?).

Other — ANTIGUA (5D. Barbuda’s island partner), AROUSED (44D. Wakens), HIT A SNAG (9D. Run into unexpected trouble), JOHN MAYER (35D. “No Such Thing” blues rocker), OLEIC ACID (10D. Soapmaking compound), PHYSIQUE (39D. Mr. America’s pride).




Mid-size — ADELA Quested, AMARNA (14A. Cuneiform discovery site), BRODY, BRONC, EIEIO, GASTON (6D. Alphonse‘s comics partner), IN PORT, LONG U (27D. “Rude“ sound), MANBAG (1A. Metrosexual‘s tote), OSPREY (63A. Fish-eating raptor), P AND G, QUELL, REAGAN, REPOTS, RIOJA (34A. Red wine of Spain), ROSES, SPEAR, ST PAT, T STOPS, VANYA.

Short stuff — AEF, AMER, ANA, ARNO, BEL, CENT, COUP (37A. Qaddafi‘s rise to power, e.g.), EBON, END, ERGO, ETS, EZRA, HEY, INRE and IRE, ISEE, JOT, LAB, LATH, MART, MAS, MEH, MOJO, NAPA, NIGH, OBI, ODDS, OENO, OROS, OTRA, POOR, QED, QUM (47D. Holy city of Iran), QTIP, RAZR, REAP, SAC, SHAQ, SLR, SYNS, TAR, TORO, TROY, UND, UNOS, YGOR.

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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. Doesn’t thrill me”; 10. Top awards at los Juegos Olimpicos; 15. Geisha’s tie; 16. Backing strip; 17. Transplants, in a way; 18. Make note of, with “down”; 19. Cornell of Cornell University; 23. Role in “Son of Frankenstein”; 24. Kind of fly, informally; 25. ___ Paes cheese; 36. Santa ___, Calif.; 38. Vintners’ prefix; 39. Consumer products giant, briefly; 41. “Gotcha!”; 42. Close by, in poems; 43. “Yoo-hoo!”; ___ Quested, woman in Forster’s “A Passage to India”; 49. Camera type, in brief; 50. Barker and Kettle; 51. Pizzeria chain, informally; 61. Helen’s city; 62. “Proved!” letters, 65. “Hansel ___ Gretel”; 66. President who said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”; 67. Like a D-; 68. U.F.O. crew; 69. Movie camera settings. — DOWN: 1. Trade center; 2. C.S.A. part: Abbr.; 3. Vintners’ valley; 4. Adrien of “The Pianist”; 7. Voodoo charm; 8. Black, to bards; 11. Motorola cell phone brand; 12. ___ vez (again: Sp.); 13. Hoopster with six rap albums, for short; 21. Ill temper; 22. “Chocolate” dog; 25. Horse to be broken; 26. Sequence sung by kids; 29. Chekhov uncle; 30. Put the kibosh on; 31. Pasadena posies; 32. Put down, as a riot; 33. Hurled weapon; 40. W.W. I mil. group; 46. Sealer’s stuff; 47. Holy city of Iran; 48. At a cruise stop, say; 52. Annual parade honoree, informally; 53. Popular swab; 54. The New Yorker cartoonist Peter; 55. Ring foe of Manolete; 56. Euro fraction; 57. They may be even, ironically; 58. Descartes’ “therefore”; 59. Get, as profits; 60. “Cease” and “desist,” e.g.: Abbr.

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