02.27.12 — The Tell-Tale Tail

Monday, February 27, 2012

Puzzle by Bill Thompson / Edited by Will Shortz

STAND TALL (17A. Exhibits pride), KISS AND TELL (25A. Betray a lover’s confidences), HAND IN THE TILL (37A. Symbol of embezzlement), HIGHWAY TOLL (50A. E-ZPass pays it) and JETHRO TULL (60A. Group with the 1971 3x platinum album “Aqualung”) constitute the interrelated group of this lazy Monday crossword.

Other — ANAGRAMS (38D. “Slot machines” and “cash lost in ‘em,” e.g.), AZALEA, DOGGEREL (11D. High-class poetry it isn’t), ENHALO, EVILER, EYELID, FELINE, GRAVEL, I AM SAM, IN TRAY, MISLED, PESTLE, PRAISE, RAM JET, SAID HI, SUTURE.

Five-letter — ALOHA, ALTOS, ANGRY, ATE IT, ENRON, HOBBY, OCHER, PAREE, PIPPI Longstocking, SOAKS, STEAD, TITLE (52A. “Annie” and “Annie Hall”).

Short stuff — ADZE, ALP, AMA, AOK, ARAB, AS OF, DDE, EDS, EGGS, ELI, ELLE, ETAS and ETAT, FELT, FILM (38D. “Annie” or “Annie Hall), HEMI, ICE, I DIG, IND, IRR, IWO Jima, KIND, LAS Vegas, LEE and LET, LENT, LIMB, LOLL, LOWE, LTR, Photo OPS, OWL, Ping-PONG, POSY, RAH, RENT, RIO de Janeiro, ROE, ROOM, TEAL, TIER, TOAD, TRIG, UZI, ZAG.


Have good week!

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. ___ Long stocking (children’s story character); 6. Dating from; 10. Shaping tool; 14. Energy giant that filed for bankruptcy in 2001; 15. Rob of “Parks and Recreation” 16. Relative of a frog; 19. Hens lay them; 20. Calc prerequisite; 21. Fine and dandy; 22. “Loud and clear, bro”; 29. Lashes grow from it; 31. Confederate general at Gettysburg; 32. ___ v. Wade; 33. Surround with a saintly light; 36. Craps table surface; 41. Landlord’s due; 42. Surface for an unpaved road; 43. Docs’ grp.; 44. Abbr. on a garment sale tag; 46. 2001 Sean Penn movie; 54. Israeli gun; 55. One of nine on a Clue board; 56. Water, when it gets cold enough; 57. Greek H’s; 58. Spirited horse; 63. Bough; 64. Vogue rival; 65. “Gay” city; 66. Small bouquet; 67. Wedding cake feature; 68. Place. — DOWN: 1. Mortar’s partner; 2. Place for arriving office papers; 3. Kudos; 5. Neither Rep. nor Dem.; 6. Voices above tenors; 7. Good long baths; 8. Avian hooter; 9. Catlike; 10. Suffered ignominious failure, in slang; 12. Zig’s opposite; 13. Workers with mss.; 18. Greeted informally; 23. Ike’s inits.; 25. Ilk; 26. Honolulu hello; 27. Laze; 28. Court do-over; 30. Gave temporarily; 34. Wrathful; 35. 8 ½” x 11” paper size: Abbr.; 37. Prefix with sphere; 39. More fiendish; 40. Freshwater duck; 41. “Go team!”; 45. Kind of engine for an airplane; 47. Sew up, as a wound; 48. Rhododenron relative; 49. Deceived; 51. Model building or stamp collecting; 53. Autumn hue; 57. Coup d’___; 58. Swiss peak; 61. QB Manning.