12.29.13 — Take A Break


Sunday, December 29, 2013

“Take A Break,” Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

A pool-table shaped grid with six squares containing the word POCKET in the appropriate locations, along with a rack-shaped arrangement of POOL BALLS in circled squares, VERBAL CUE, SIDEWALK CHALK, WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE, DRESS RACK and HEARTFELT constitute the interrelated group of this winning Sunday crossword:


  • [POCKET]BOOK (1A. One at a woman’s side?) with [POCKET] VETO (1D. Presidential power first used by James Madison)
  • PICK[POCKET]  (11A. Person who might bump into you on a subway) with [POCKET] SIZE (15D. Miniature)
  • [POCKET] WATCH (62A. Item on a chain) with [POCKET] PASSER (62D. Well-protected no running quarterback)
  • OUT OF [POCKET] (68A. Like some expenses) with [POCKET] CHANGE (71D. Silver, say)[POCKET] ACES (123A. Best hand in Texas hold ‘em) with HOT [POCKET] (106D. Microwaveable snack item)
  • DEEP [POCKET] (125A. Having a ton of money to draw on) with AIR [POCKET]  (114D, Cause of a sudden drop in altitude)


VERBAL CUE (23A. Spoken instruction in animal training)
SIDEWALK CHALK (35A. Bit of hopscotch equipment)
WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE (51A. Philadelphia/New Jersey connector)
DRESS RACK (77A. It’s often divided into sections 0, 2, 4, 6, etc.)
HEARTFELT (107A. Sincere)

POOL BALLS contained within PIG PENS (87A. Symbols of dirtiness), STOOLIE (91A. Rat) and BALLS (95A. Big dos).

Other —BARBELLS (67D. Pressing needs?), ILLUMINATI (30D. Secret society in Dan Brown’s “Angels & Demons”), LET IT BE (73D. Next-to-last #1 Beatles hit), SCIENTISTS (28D. Half of the Nobel Prize winners, typically), T S ELIOT (29A. He said the most important thing to poets to do is to write as little as possible).

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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.


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