03.05.12 — Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek by Igor Melnikov

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Monday, March 5, 2012

Puzzle by Mike Nothnagel / Edited by Will Shortz

HIDE AND SEEK (62A. Children’s game hinted at by the circled letters), along with the circled letters spelling READY OR NOT HERE I COME found in four otherwise unrelated answers constitutes the main feature of this fine Monday crossword. The four answers: BEARDED LADY (17A. Hirsute carnival attraction), SORTING OUT (24A. Trying to make sense of), THE WIRE (37A. Hit HBO series set in Baltimore) and NICK OF TIME (51A. Eleventh hour).

Other — CARRY ME (4D. Request from a tired child), DEN MOTHER (11D. Scouting mission leader?), ESPRESSO (20A. Order of coffee in a small cup), HALF MILE (38D. One-third the length of the Belmont Stakes), HERESIES (59A. Inquisition targets), KING COBRA (31D. World’s longest venomous snake), RED RIVER (9D. 1948 John Wayne western).

Mid-size — ADIEU, “You ARE SO stupid!”, ARRAY, ASK TO, AT ISSUE, AVERT and OVERT, BUNDT (13D. Kind of cake that’s ring-shaped), DARER (15A. Challenger), EGOISM, ELIAS Howe, GIMLI (47A. Dwarves’ representative in the Fellowship of the Ring), GUN IT, I HEAR and I GIVE and I’M EASY, LIENS, NERDS, MOSHER (48D. One in a pit at a concert), ODDS ON, RETRY, ROAMED, SABER, SATCH (1A. Nickname for Louis Armstrong), SEE IN, TRAPS, TRY ONE, VALOR, WAKEN, YARDS, YES NO.

Short stuff — ABE and AXE, AGRO, BERN, DAB, DIT, DVR, EDGY, EDU, ELO, ERA of Good Feelings, ESSO, EWE and EXE, EXIT, EYE, HYDE, I BET, ILSA, Clark KENT, KOS, MOON, NIN, OBI-Wan Kenobi, OH OK (33A. “Hmm, I guess so”), OLD, ONT, RIB, ROSY, SEA, TAXI, TIKI, WOK.

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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: 6. Plain as day; 11. Apply with a cotton ball, say; 14. Table of data, e.g.; 16. School’s URL ending; 19. Writer Anais; 21. Roved; 23. Pink; 26. Apollo 11’s destination; 29. Arouse from sleep; 32. Computer file extension; 41. “Evil Woman” rock grp.; 42. Clark ___, Superman’s alter ego; 44. Lumberjack’s tool; 45. Gridiron units; 49. Skeptic’s rejoinder; 54. Rick’s love in “Casablanca”; 58. Cause of “I” strain?; 61. Chest bone; 64. TiVo, for one, in brief; 65. Inventor Howe; 66. Hit the accelerator; 67. Mediterranean, e.g.; 68. Hear again, as a case; 69. Simple kind of question. — DOWN: 1. Cavalry sword; 3. Pitfalls; 5. Jekyll’s alter ego; 6. Most likely to win, as a favorite; 7. Bravery; 10. Sign on a tray of samples; 12. “Goodbye, mon ami!”; 18. Gas brand with a tiger symbol; 22. Farming: Prefix; 25. Cab; 27. Province west of Que.; 29. Chinese cooker; 30. Lincoln, informally; 32. Rams fan?; 34. Obsolete; 35. Some boxing wins, for short; 39. Interstate sign with an arrow; 40. Ogle; 43. ___ torch (outdoor party lighting); 46. Up for discussion; 49. “Whatever you want”; 50. Capital of Switzerland; 51. “Study, study, study” types; 52. “Just tell me the answer”; 52. Start of a rumor; 55. Property claims; 56. Welcome at the front door; 57. Invite out for; 50. A little “out there,” as humor; 63. Dah’s counterpart in Morse code.