05.24.12 — Crossroads

Highway #1, Intersection 105 & 110,

Los Angeles, California, USA, 2003 Photo by Edward Burtynsky

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Puzzle by Derik Moore / Edited by Will Shortz

CROSSROADS (62A. 1969 Cream hit … or a hint to the seven “mathematical” clues in this puzzle), along with the names of seven cities clued by highway numbers constitutes the interrelated group of this Thursday crossword:

BIRMINGHAM (17A. 65 + 20)

ATLANTA (40A. 75 + 20)
MEMPHIS (4D. 55 +40)
LOS ANGELES (11D. 5 + 10)
SAN ANTONIO (28D. 35 + 10)
OMAHA (30D. 29 + 80)
DETROIT (44D. 75 + 94)

Cream, 1966 — Left to right: Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton

Other — ALEPPO (20A. City of Syria), ANTHEM, DOORNAIL, ERRAND, IN A FLASH, NONETS, RIALTO, SAMOAN, SCALER, SURGES.

Five-letter — AARON, ALAMO, AMOCO, ARENA, ASSAD, BESOS, FIONA, HABIT, HASID, HANOI, HONOR, KOREA, NOOKS, ORGAN, RAMAL (9D. Of a branch), SNEAD, TACKS, TONER.

Short stuff — “ALAS, I am dying beyond my means“, ALBA, AROD, ATM and ATOM, BAN, BLUR, CORE, DECK, DEJA vu, EDEN, EDNA, EMO, GABE, HAIR, I BET, “I’M A-coming‘!”, ION, IPAD, IRON, JOIN, LIEN, LOGE and LORE, LOO, MESH, NEHI, OAT Chex, ODOR, OGRE, Put ON AN act, ORG, SALT, SEA, SLUM, SSTS, STN, TENS, TOIL, TROT, URIS.

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I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.

Down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.

Asked the Lord above for mercy, "Save me if you please."

I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.

Down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.

Nobody seemed to know me, everybody passed me by.

~ Crossroads, Cream

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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. Maker of bonds; 5. Oscar nomination, e.g.; 10. Hardly a high-rent district; 14. Ticket option; 15. Bowl; 16. Part of the earth; 19. Unreturnable, in way; 21. Very quickly; 23. Common drain clogger; 25. Payment guarantee; 26. Certain pious Jew; 32. Pipe holder; 35. “___, I am dying beyond my means”: Oscar Wilde; 36. Language with only 14 letters; 38. Music genre; 39. Block; 41. London facilities; 43. Key work?; 44. Send to the canvas; 45. It may be found on a drum; 48. Signs of amor; 49. Bring (out); 51. See 63-Down; 53. Carpentry item in a common simile; 57. Swells; 61. Bart’s teacher; 64. Couple; 65. Cold war flashpoint; 66. Sarcastic reply; 67. Hot corner Yank; 68. Youngest golfer to shot his age (67) in a P.G.A. Tour event; 69.Kind of column. — DOWN: 1. Jessica of “Fantastic Four”; 2. Slave; 3. Figure in “Jack and the Beanstalk”; 5. Capital known in literature as Thang Long; 6. Society: Abbr.; 7. ___ Grape; 10. Tackle box item; 12. “Trinity” novelist; 13. Jungle camping supply; 18. Apple tablet; 22. Apple on iTunes; 24. Commercial district; 26. Something that’s often best broken; 27. Thrifty competitor; 31. Fair-sized musical groups; 33. Bygone gas brand; 34. Quiet reading spots; 36. RR stop; 37. $ dispenser; 40. Man with a rod, in the Bible 46. Picking up the dry cleaning, e.g.; 48. You can hardly see it; 50. Tire deflators; 52. Syrian strongman; 54. Effluvium; 55. Wood alternative; 56. Legends; 58. “Welcome Back Kotter” role; 59. First place; 60. Fast “birds”; 63. Potential source of 51-Across.