03.16.14 — It's Better This Way


Urim and Thummim, an attempt to identify a sinner via divination, by repeatedly splitting the people into two groups and identifying which group contains the sinner.

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

"It's Better This Way"  Puzzle by Jeremy Newton
Edited by Will Shortz

With SICK at the beginning in circled letters and WELL at the end, this strange Sunday crossword tells us FOLLOWING THE / PRESCRIPTION is “the better way” — along with seven answers containing "RX" — the group:

FOLLOWING THE / PRESCRIPTION (16D: With 58-Down, a patient process? … or a hint to two consecutive letters in the answer to each of the seven starred clues).

XERXES I OF PERSIA (23A. *He bested Leonides at Thermopylae)
FOUR X FOUR (31A. *Off-roader, often)
THE WINTER X GAMES (49A. *Annual draw for snow cross fans)
GROUCHO MARX MUSTACHE (65A. *Iconic feature of comedy)
PROFESSOR XAVIER (79A. Founder of Marvel’s School for Gifted Youngsters)
SOLVE FOR X (97A. *Frequent problem faced by algebra students)
RETURN OF DOCTOR X (108A. *Horror flick starring Humphrey Bogart as a mad scientist, with “The”)

Other — AEGISES (42A. Sponsorships), BURLAP (36A. Stuff in sacks), EX-FED (98D. Retired govt. agent), GO BROKE (51D. Lose everything), MGM LION (57D. Loud beast heard in theaters), RESCUE ME (20A. 1965 R&B #1 song with the repeated lyric “Can‘t you see that I‘m lonely?“), R.L. STINE (73A. “Revenge R Us“ author), ROM-COMS (40D. "Clueless" and "Bridget Jones's Diary"), URIM and Thummim (sacred Judaic objects).

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