12.25.12 — Letters to Santa

 

Santa Claus 1881 illustration by Thomas Nast

 

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012 — Christmas Day

 

Puzzle by Ellen Leuschner and Victor Fleming / Edited by Will Shortz

LETTERS TO SANTA (48A. Certain holiday mail … or what 20-, 25- and 43-Across have in common) along with SANTA in circled letters found in SECRET AGENT MAN (20A. 1966 Johnny Rivers hit), SLAM ON THE BRAKES (25A. Create skid marks, perhaps) and SEASONED VETERAN (43A. One with lots of experience) constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

 

Other — ALUMNA, DONE DEAL, FEDORAS, FREEZE, GIN RUMMY (4D. Game with sets and runs), HERMIT crab, INSTANT, POP TART, SAT OUT, SEE-SAWED, SNEERS AT, SORTIES, VOTE IN.

 

Five-letter — ARENA, ARGUE, ELIZA, HONED, KITER, LEVEE, MEETS, “OLIVE the other reindeer“, PALED, PUREE, SHIPS, SO DO I, SOREN Kierkegaard.

 

Short stuff — ANTE, ARIA, ARTE, AYES, DAMS, DEE, DIAN, EDGE and EDIE, ELOI, EMAG, EVEN, EXEC, GREG, GTOS, ILO, IRED, IVEY, LIRA, LODS, NADA, NEMO, NIBS, OAST, ODES, OVEN, PEN (37A. Prison, informally), RAVE, RTES, SAM, SANE, SCAN, SEER, SERA, SNL, STIR (38D. Prison, informally), TANS, TAXI, TRIM (52A. Decorate, as a Christmas tree), ULAN Bator, WARY.

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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. Kinnear of “Little Miss Sunshine”; 5. Turned red, say; 9. Turned white; 14. Streetside shout; 15. Verne captain; 16. “___ the other reindeer” (common mishearing of a Yuletide lyric; 17. Cookie baker; 18. Eye carefully; 19. Turn into mush; 24. Anthropologist Fossey; 3. Malt-drying 17-Across; 34. World workers’ assn.; 35. Judith of “The Devil’s Advocate,” 1977; 36. Early gig for Chase and Belushi, for short; 39. Mentally together; 41. Top right there!”; 46. El Prado works; 47. Lofty verses; 54. “Me, too!”; 55. Visionary sort; 56. Untrusting; 57. Dispute, as a point; 58. Diva’s delivery; 59. Falco of “Nurse Jackie”; 60. Is introduced to; 61. Shades at the beach; 62. Beavers build them. — DOWN: 1. Old muscle cars; 2. Four-star piece, say; 3. Corp. higher-up; 5. Like some coffee and potatoes; 6. Take back, as testimony; 7. “Zine on the Net; 8. Agreement that’s now sure to go forward; 9. Kellogg’s snack since 1964; 10. Bryn Mawr grad, e.g.; 11. Old currency abbreviated “L”; 12. Squared up; 13. Actor Billy __ Williams; 21. Race in an H.G. Wells novel; 22. Ballpoint tips; 25. Armada units; 26. Corps of Engineers project; 27. Where competitions take place; 28. Made sharper; 29. Parkgoer on a windy day, maybe; 30. Doolittle played by Audrey Hepburn; 31. Philosopher Kierkegaard; 36. Shows disdain for; 37. Changed one’s mind again and again; 39. Combat pilots’ missions; 40. Stud fee?; 41. Felt toppers; 42. GPS suggestions: Abbr.; 44. Did not play; 45. Elect; 48. The stuff of legends; 49. Living on the ___; 50. Inoculation fuids; 51. Nothin’; 53. Roll-call calls; 54 Texas patriot Houston.