01.27.13 — Black CAT

 
 
 
————————
 
Sunday, January 27, 2013
 
Puzzle by Jeff Chen / Edited by Will Shortz
 
Four “black” CAT crossings and one solo “black” CAT constitutes the main feature of this sly Sunday crossword:
 
COPY[CAT] CRIME (30A. Offense that’s provoked by lurid news) crossing RAT [CAT]CHER (6D. The Pied Piper of Hamelin, e.g.)
WILLA [CAT]HER (43A. Author who wrote about frontier life) crossing CRAZY [CAT] LADY (14D. Screwball character on “The Simpsons”)
MUS[CAT] GRAPE (88A. Base of Asti wine) crossing DELI[CAT]ESSEN (58D. Hero’s spot)
LATEX [CAT] SUIT (102A. Dominatrix’s wear) crossing STAY[CAT]ION (76D. Modern R&R option)
TOM[CAT]TED (63A. Sowed one’s wild oats)

Other — AD ASTRA (61D. Magazine of the National Space Society), AGREES TO (85D. Shakes on), AM STATION (78D. Source of talk, often), CAESURA (1A. Break in poetry), CALICO (1D. It may be spotted in a pet store), EVIL QUEEN (53A. Villain in many a fairy tale), MT ARARAT (86A. Biblical resting spot), PROP PLANE (72D. Old barnstorming needs), SCORE A HIT (16D. Make the Billboard charts, say), SPACEMEN and STARSHIP (100A. ETs; 45A. Vehicle that’s out of this world?), SPARE TIRES (10D. Middle weights?), TERRORIST (79A. Villain in many an action movie), TESSERAE (13D. Mosaic tiles), WAUL (43D. Cry like a feline).

————————
 

 
 
 
Click on image to enlarge.
 
Puzzle available on the internet at



Remaining clues — ACROSS: 8. Costumed animal, perhaps; 14. Something media executives keep an eye on?; 19. The hare, notably; 20. One on the verge of croaking?; 21. Prompt again; 22. Allowed aboard; 23. Molecules in natural gas; 24. Acrobat developer; 25. Chains; 26. “Take that!”; 28. Egg-sorting device; 32. “Fine, have it your way!”; 35. Davis of “I’m Not Rappaport”; 37. Mom-and-pop orgs.; 38. Salty stream; 40. Aforementioned; 41. New England seafood staple; 49. Person on tap?; 51. Cold war fighters; 5. Shred; 55. Winged; 57. Salon request; 59. 27-Down predators; 60. Diamond unit; 62. Water park feature; 66. ___-dozen; 70. Metals giant in the Dow Jones Industrial average; 72. Monterrey cheddar?; 75. Sanitariums; 77. Chaise scene?; 82. Darkens; 83. ___ mater; 84. Paparazzi payer; 9. Sandwich spec; 91. First responders, for short; 93. Pop’s pop; 94. Where the Mets once met; 95. Back-to-back competitions?; 105. Sampling’; 106. ___ Sea, body of water north of Norway; 108. In itself; 109. Really hurts; 111. More poker-faced; 113. Show time; 115. Act impulsively, as young lovers; 116. Without any oomph; 117. More dirty, as Santa’s boots; 118. He wrote “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back”; 119. Dramatist Sean; 120. Swaddles. — DOWN: 2. Last Oldsmobiles; 3. Hinders; 4. Wife of Woody; 5. Fancy flower holders; 7. Years abroad; 8. “Misty” crooner; 9. Leigh Hunt poem “About Ben ___”; 11. Traffic director; 12. Cry with an accent; 15. Moistens, in a way; 17. Unwieldy boat; 18. Victorian leader?; 20. Foursome; 27. Ink holders; 29. Return address letters?; 32. Bonding measurement; 33. Feudal vassal; 34. P.M.’s and such: Abbr.; 36. Sigmoid curve; 37. In on; 39. Actress Sommer; 45. Participants in some rivalries, briefly; 46. Going rate?; 47. Yours, in Ypres; 48. Number-cruncher’s numbers; 49. Hwy. that ends near La Guardia; 50. Word often seen before 3, 4 or 5, but never 1; 51. Precocious Roald Dahl heroine; 54. Apollo 10’s Snoopy, e.g., for short; 64. High-fiber cereal; 65. Raptors home: Abbr.; 67. Pioneering conservationist; 68. Watson of the Harry Potter films; 69. Part of T.A.: Abbr.; 71. Retirement spot; 73. Lake connected to Sandusky Bay; 74. Roll around in the yard?; 76. Modern R&R option; 77. Well-rounded; 78. Source of talk, often; 80. Jack of old westerns; 81. “My turn”; 83. Double agent Aldrich; 87. Cherry, e.g.; 90. Master of literary twists; 92. Sautéed seafood dish; 93. Intl. standard; 94. Intense, as a gaze; 96. Not fazed by; 97. Kind of pass for an overseas passenger; 98. On the stock exchange; 99. Stock units?; 103. Hitch ___; 106. When doubled, island near Tahiti; 107. Author’s encl.; 108. Univ. figure; 109. “The Producers” producer Brooks; 110. It may be represented by “XXX” in the funnies; 112. One of the X’s in XXX.


 

No comments: