06.05.12 — U for I



Engraving by Gustave Doré for an 1876 edition of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge. Labeled "The Albatross," it depicts 17 sailors on the deck of a wooden ship facing an albatross. Icicles hang from the rigging.

Roaming farther than any animal on earth, albatrosses are magnificent masters of the air, inspiring awe in all who are privileged to see them. But these beautiful seabirds are also the most threatened family of birds in the world. Most albatross species are declining—rapidly. More than 100,000 albatrosses drown each year in fishing gear set by long-liners and trawl netters on the open ocean. ~ National Geographic

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Puzzle by Sharon Delorme / Edited by Will Shortz

Substituting the letter U for the letter I in the first word of common phrases to form an uncommon one constitutes the interrelated group of this tractable Tuesday crossword:

DULL PICKLES (17A. Boring predicaments?)
DUTCH DIGGERS (28A. Tulip planters, perhaps?)
MUSTER ROGERS (43A. Bring Ebert and Moore together?)
RUNG MASTERS (59A. Expert ladder climbers?)

Other — ABOUT TIME (31D. “Finally!“), ALBATROSS (12D. Burden, figuratively), ANALYST (20A. Market researcher), BUMBLE BEE (11D. Big collector of pollen), DEAREST (13D. Sweetie pie), E-MAILED (40D. Sent with a click), GUEST SPOT (32D. Celebrity’s talk show appearance, say), STUCK UP (55A. Nose-in-the-air), THREW ON (25D. Donned hastily).

Mid-size — “So AS NOT to offend …”; AT TEN, AZERA, DISBAR, ENGRAM (45D. Memory trace), ERNES, GASMAN, IN-LAW, IRANI, IT’S A GO, MOURN, NOLTE, PRUNE, RISING, SEDAN, SKEIN, SPICE, TICTAC, TIMOR, TRIBE, TURBO, UPSET.

Short stuff — ADES, ”I got A GAL in Kalamazoo”, ANAT, BAD, BOT, CELL, CTRS, DAT and DET, EMO, EOE, ERR and GRR, ESPY, ETTA, ICE, IDES, IRK, ISN’T, LIP, MAL and MAR, MBA, NATO, NEU and NEW (23A. Wet behind the ears), ODIN, ONE-D, OUZO, RAW (41A. Wet behind the ears), RARA avis, RIC, SOG, STU, TEA Party, ULE and ULT, USTA.

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Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks
Had I from old and young !
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at


Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Add zip to, with “up”; 6. Island north of Australia; 11. Deserving detention, say; 14. Maritime raptors; 15. Farsi speaker; 16. Suffix with glob; 19. C.F.O.’s deg., perhaps; 21. Keep from practicing; 23. Wet behind the ears; 24. Defense acronym; 27. Nick of “Warrior”; 33. Wrestling’s Flair; 34. Sci-fi sidekick, maybe; 40. Classified ad inits.; 42. Sources of vitamin C; 48. When brunch may be served; 49. Art school subj.; 50. Poker champ Ungar; 53. “We’re on!”; 58. Blistex target; 62. Subgenre of punk; 63. Hyundai model; 64. One of Israel’s 12; 65. Police dept. rank; 66. Wear black, say. — DOWN: 1. It’s bigger than a coupe; 2. Kind of danish; 3. Cause of many a family feud; 4. Unit in a block; 5. Catch sight of; 6. “Get a bang out of life!” mint; 7. Perturb; 8. Prefix with content; 9. Linear, for short; 10. On the upturn; 18. Word of denial; 22. Get completely wet, in dialect; 26. Valhalla V.I.P.; 28. Brooklynese pronoun; 29. Final: Abbr.; 30. Bump off; 36. Goof up; 38. Scratch up; 39. Passports, e.g., in brief; 40. Sent wit a click; 46. Certain meter reader; 47. “At Last” singer James; 50. Yarn purchase; 51. Engine type; 52. Like some stomachs and elections; 54. Liqueur similar to Sambuca; 56. Racket org.; 57. N.F.L. snappers: Abbr.; 60. Opposite of old, in Germany; 61. [I’m mad!].

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