03.07.12 — Dance

Dancers, 1878, Edgar Degas

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski / Edited by Will Shortz

ONE TWO THREE KICK (39A. Classic Xavier Cugat song … or a hint to the invitation in the circled letters), along with the circled letters, e.g., MEET ME ON THE CONGA LINE, constitutes the main feature of this lively Wednesday crossword — throw in SERPENTINE (61A. Snaking, like the arrangement of circled lettes in this puzzle) and well, maybe, DANCE CLASS (16A. Subject for a Degas painting).

Other — AT LEISURE (33D. Idle), DOMINOS, ECO-FREAKS (8D. Green nuts?), HOT MESS (19A. Complete train wreck, in Southern slang), NO-TELL MOTEL (23D. Secret rendezvous point), ON ORDER, VALIDATIONS (9D. Parking amenities), WEIRD AL (56. Parody singer Yankovic).

Mid-size — AGAVE, ALTAR, AURAE, BASSO, CESSNA, DEEDS, ECLAT, EDAMS, ETHEL, HATES, IRENA, LECHE, LOBOS, MASTS, NEVER, OSTEO, SALLY, SEEDY, SKIMS.

Short stuff — ACT, ARCO, ARIE, ATE A lot, ATNO, BBC, BETA, BRAE, CAGE, CECE, DEER, DES and DYS, EEN, EOE, ESOS, ETTU, EVAN, “Gimme FIVE!”, GMAN, HAD, HTML, INO and ITO, IRAS, LEND, LINEN, LONG, MIN, NAM, NNW, NOTA bene, OLAV, ORO, “The wearin’ O’ THE green“, ROTC, ROWE, RPM, SIRE, SOLE and SOLI, TRA, ULM, WYNN.

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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: 1. Web programmer’s medium; 5. Telly network; 8. Hunter who wrote “The Blackboard Jungle”; 12. Grammy winner India. __; 13. Glowing rings; 15. Prop for Houdini; 18. Patron saint of Norway; 19. Complete train wreck, in Southern slang; 21. Bedsheets and such; 24. Not in stock, but coming; 26. Prize higher than plata or bronce; 27. Stable father figure?; 31. ___ lot (gorged oneself); 32. Software prototype; 36. Has no stomach for; 42. Field o n screen; 43. R&B singer Peniston; 44. Unaccompanied performances; 45. Impart; 7. Like some vowels and pants; 49. “Platoon” setting, informally; 50. Fast-food franchise with a game piece in its logo; 53. Locales for crow’s-nests; 55. Those, to Teodoro; 60. Rebuke to a traitor; 65. Rudolph and kin; 66. Paraffin-coated Dutch imports; 67. Periodic table info: Abbr.; 68. Dover delicacy; 69. Prefi with functional; 70. Host Mike of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs”. — DOWN: 1. Feasted on; 2. “La-la lead-in; 3. Least fig.; 4. Milk, to Manuel; 5. Scottish slope; 6. Banquo, in Verdi’s “Macbeth”; 7. Aircraft division of Textron; 9. Parking amenities; 10. Tequila source; 11. “In your dreams!”; 13. Malfunction, with “up”; 14. German city on the Danube; 17. Time immemorial; 21. University of New Mexico team; 22. Grantorto’s victim in “The Faerie Queene”; 28. Queen of Thebes, in myth; 29. Sgts.’s program; 30. Bluesy Waters; 35. “With the bow,” to a violinist; 37. Razzle-dazzle; 38. Removes cream from; 40. Vegas casino magnate Steve; 41. Bard’s nightfall; 46. Used a divining rod; 48. Gangbuster; 50. Some Monopoly cards; 5. Prefix with arthritis; 52. Zero-star, say; 54. Wedding day destination; 57. Some investments, for short; 58. 45 letters; 59. ___ Moines; 62. “What am ___ do?”; 63. San Antonio-to-Amarillo dir.; 64. Abbr. in a job ad.