09.30.14 — The Price Is Right

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Puzzle by Kyle T. Dolan / Edited by Will Shortz

THE PRICE IS RIGHT (35A. Long-running game show with a feature spelled out clockwise by this puzzle’s circled letters), DREW CAREY (18A. Modern host of 35-Across), BOB BARKER (53A. Longtime host of 35-Across) and the circled letters, S H O W C A S E   S H O W D O W N, constitute the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword.

Other — BEER CAN (26D. Fraternity party detritus), BREWED UP (4D. Fomented, as trouble), GAS RING (24D. Blue circle on a range), IDLE WILD (37D. Original name for J.F.K. Airport), LOVE BITES (3D. Red marks of affection), PG RATINGS (32D. They may be given for rude humor), POTUS (30A. Air Force One occupant, acronymic ally), TERCE (45D. Canonical hour before sext).

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09.29.14 — Success

H. R. Haldeman

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Puzzle by Eric Sydney Phillips / Edited by Will Shortz

Phrases relating to success constitute the interrelated group of this Monday crossword:

I KNEW YOU WHEN (18A. Words to a local success story)
CELEBRITY (24A. What a local success story achieves)
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS (39A. What a local success story comes from)
MAKES GOOD (49A. What a local success story does)
HOMETOWN HERO (60A. Local success story)

Other — ALL TOLD (23A. After everything’s been said and done), ARGO (32D. 2012 Best Picture with Ben Affleck), BESS (33D. Mrs. Truman), GEORGE (47D. First name of three U.S. presidents), H R HALDEMAN (3D. Nixon White House chief of staff), JAMIE Foxx, JULIE Andrews, MSNBC (1D. Rachel Maddow’s channel), NINE MONTHS (31D. Pregnant pause?), Norman Vincent PEALE, YEGGS (26D. Safecrackers).

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09.28.14 — Four by Four

The Berlin Wall was placed in Berlin, Germany at the end of World War II to separate East Germany from West Germany

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Sunday, September 28, 2014

“Four by Four” —  Puzzle by Todd Gross / Edited by Will Shortz

Six phrases containing four-word-long phrases, each word being of four letters, constitutes the main feature of this Sunday crossword:

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR (23A. 1975 Tony-nominated play about an extended affair)
SALT LAKE CITY UTAH (46A. The Crossroads of the West)
WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN (92A. Warm way to welcome someone)
LESS TALK MORE ROCK (119A. Common slogan for a music radio station)
HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH (16D. “Don’t be ashamed”)
TEAR DOWN THIS WALL (36D. Reagan’s challenge to Gorbachev) 

Other — AESOP (77A. Writer painted by Velazquez), ANABOLIC (20. Kind of steroid), JOAN OF ARC (80A. Historic figure with a reputation at stake), EVA LARUE (125A. “CSI: Miami” actress), IMARETS (9A. Ottoman inns), MAHARAJA (1A. Bygone potentate), NO-GOODNIK (70D. Bum), PESCI (105D. Oscar-winning actor whose name is Italian for “fishes”), SHOFAR (63D. Synagogue instrument), WILD CARD (128A. Unpredictable one).

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09.27.14 — The Saturday Crossword

Joan Rivers

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Saturday, September 27, 2014

Puzzle by Martin Ashwood-Smith and George Barany

Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Start of a weird infraction?, I BEFORE E; 9. Sushi offering, FLUKE; 14. First Indian tribe to sign a treaty with the U.S. government, DELAWARE; 15. Hand in hand, JOINED; 16. Eskimo wear, SEAL SKIN; 17. Hike, e.g., OUTING; 18. Mideast pops?, ABBA; 19. Smoke without fire?, E-CIGARETTE; 21. Naval petty off., YEO; 22. What was once cool?, KEEN; 23. Gray figures?, REBS; 27. One-man Broadway hit of 1989, TRU; 29. Only one U. S. prez has had one, MBA; 32. Straight talker’s slangy phrase, I CALL ‘EM AS I SEE ‘EM; 37. Country standard, NATIONAL AVERAGE; 38. Words from a good buddy, BREAKER ONE NINER; 39. On the side, ON ONE’S SPARE TIME; 40. X or Y preceder, GEN; 41. Site of class struggles?: Abr., SCH; 42. Floor, STUN; 43. One N.B.A. All-Star Game team, EAST; 46. One telling you to where to get off, for short?, GPS; 49. High ranking?, TOP TEN LIST; 55. Introductory ballet instruction, PLIE; 56. Whence the word “alcohol”, ARABIC; 57. Listen here!, EARPIECE; 59. Words of support from an organization, WE CARE; 60. Reacts to, as a nagging request, GROANS AT; 61. Game keeper?, SNARE; 62. Tiramisu ingredient, ESPRESSO.

Down — 1. Guesstimate opening, I’D SAY; 2. Deep-sea explorer William BEEBE; 3. Explain, ELABORATE ON; 4. Beginning of a seasonal refrain, FA LA; 5. Hurtful outbursts?, OWS; 6. Playboy, RAKE; 7. Shortstop ERICK Aybar who was a 2011 Gold Glove winner; 8. Start of an elimination, EENIE; 9. Time that little Susie is woken n the 1957 hit “Wake Up Little Susie”, FOUR; 10. Lo-cal, LITE; 11. Military group, UNIT; 12. Canterbury’s home, KENT; 13. Beat by a whisker, EDGE; 15. Who said “I have a wonderful psychiatrist that  see maybe once a year, because I don’t need it.  It all comes out onstage”, JOAN RIVERS; 20. Easily passes, GETS AN A; 24. Name in 2000 headlines, ELIAN; 25. Mates, BLOKES; 26. Old age, SENESCENCE; 28. Early online forum, USENET; 29. Inane, MEANINGLESS; 30. Spangle, say, BEGEM; 31. “A MERE trifle!”; 32. Having much at stake, IN BIG; 33. CARNE asada; 34. Parade V.I.P., MARSHAL; 35. Cockeyed, ALOP; 36. Song that ends “O dolcezze perdute! O speranze d’amor, d’amor, d’amor!”, ERI TU; 44. Challenge for defenders, SIEGE; 45. Bygone royalty, TSARS; 47. Measures of one’s writing?, PICAS; 48. Mind, SEE TO; 49. Shooters, TAWS; 50. Israel conductor Daniel OREN; 51. Rain forest rodent, PACA; 52. Aid in an uphill climb, T-BAR; 53. Country name pronounced by natives in two syllables, EIRE; 54. Atlantic City resort, informally, with “the”, TROP; 55. Common cleaning scent, PINE; 58. Hole number, PAR.

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09.26.14 — The Friday Crossword

Ninotchka, Greta Garbo

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Friday, September 26, 2014

Puzzle by Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. “Ninotchka” setting, PARIS; 6. Fad dance of the 1930s, SHAG; 10. Swedish Air Force supplier, SAAB; 14. Hollywood job, AGENT; 15. Water bearer, PIPE; 16. Lady Antebellum, e.g., TRIO; 17. Someone might call your number this evening, BINGO NIGHT; 19. Asian tourist magnet, AGRA; 20. Delayed sensation?, SLEEPER HIT; 21. 1920s-’30s debate opponent of Einstein, BOHR; 22. 15-Across shape, TEE; 23. “The road of excess leads to the palace of WISDOM”: William Blake; 25. Succumb to drowsiness, NOD; 26. Exceed 21 in twenty-one, BUST; 28. Orchard Field, today, O’HARE; 30. Spending time unprofitably, BUMMING AROUND; 34. Little home wreckers?, CARPENTER ANTS; 35. Some carved Victorian toys, ROCKING HORSE; 36. Strong and durable, in a way, OAKEN; 37. Maid, LASS; 38. Deli offering, BLT; 39. Giri cocktail, GIBSON; 43. They’re on during the wee hours, briefly, PJS; 46. Arab League member, OMAN; 48. Lengthened unnecessarily, DRAGGED OUT; 51A. Roofing material, TILE; 52. 1963 song investigated by the F.B.I. for supposedly obscene lyrics, LOUIE LOUIE; 53. Cartridge fillers, INKS; 54. Forever, basically, EONS; 55. In the intervening time, SINCE; 56. Cole Porter’s “C’EST Magnifique”; 57. Three-player card game, SKAT; 58. Wound up, ENDED.

Down — 1. Brewer of Schlitz, nowadays, PABST; 2. Catlike, in a way, AGILE; 3. Soprano RENEE Fleming; 4. “Splendor in the Grass” screenwriter, INGE; 5. Telegraphy word, STOP; 6. Secretly carrying (off), SPIRITING; 7. Weathercast numbers, HIGHS; 8. Fruit grower’s bane, APHID; 9. Reach, GET TO; 10. Uninformed guess, STAB; 11. Ancient mariners, ARGONAUTS; 12. Banned items at Wimbledon, AIR HORNS; 13. Left the gate, say, BOARDED; 18. Post office workers?, NEWSMEN; 24. Hard-to-escape situation, MORASS; 26. Philosopher who wrote “Superstition is the religion of feeble minds”, BURKE; 27. Working while others play?, UMPING; 29. Improves, HONES; 30. Answers wrongly?, BACK TALKS; 31. Ultimate degree, NTH; 32. Fault finder?, GEOLOGIST; 33. Systematize, ARRANGE; 34. Where firedamp can form, COAL MINE; 35. Like Tik-Tok in the Land of Oz, ROBOTIC; 40. Runs without moving, IDLES; 41. Small tributary, BROOK; 42. Ritzy gym feature, SAUNA; 43. Egyptian monetary unit, POUND; 44. Power, slangily, JUICE; 45. Jousting need, STEED; 47. First flight locale, NEST; 49. “Somethin’ ELSE” (Eddie Cochran song); 50. Dispatch, DO IN.

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09.25.14 — Body Parts

Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci 

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Thursday, September 25, 2014

Puzzle by Alex Vratsanos / Edited by Will Shortz

A note heads this Thursday crossword:  “The human body is said to have 10 three-letter body parts.  All 10 of these are hidden inside Across answers in this puzzle.  Can you find them all?  — GUM, TOE, JAW, RIB, EAR, ARM, HIP, LIP, KEY and LEG.

Of note — ARMENIA (37A. Yerevan is its capital), BEIJING (42D. Literally, “northern capital”), ESPOSITO (39D. First N.H.L. player to score 100 points in a season), EZEKIEL (7D. Book that descrbes the destruction of Gog and Magog), FILIPINOS (56A. New Americans of 1898), JA RULE (18D. Rapper who co-starred in 2002’s “Half Past Dead”), PEACE OUT (4D. “Later, bro!“), RIBOSOMES (25A. Protein generators), SACAJAWEA (17A. Golden girl?), SPACESHIP (48A. Enterprise, for one), SPALKO (46D. Villain in “Indiiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull“).

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09.24.14 — X

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Puzzle by Andy Kravis / Edited by Will Shortz

Substituting one letter in each of four film titles with the letter X is the main feature of this Wednesday crossword:

MARX ATTACKS, 17A. Film about a Communist Invasion? (1996)
A BEAUTIFUL MINX, 26A. Film about the woman most likely to catch men’s attention? (2001)
THE LOVELY BOXES, 46A. Film about an elegantly made crossword? (2009)
EAT X-RAY LOVE, 63A. Film about a romantic dentist’s daily routine? (2010)

Other — BETTE DAVIS (27A. Actress with the iconic line “What a dump!”), BRANDT (53A. First family of Germany, 1969-74), DALI (51A. Collaborator with Disney on the film “Destino“), LAMP (1D. Genie’s home), LEVITATE (37D. Get off the ground?), MAKE SURE (9D. Confirm), NORMA (6A. Bellini opera), PLAYBOY (20A. Casanova), REPLICA (39A. The statue “David” on open-air display in Florence, e.g.), UNFEMININE (11d. Like a bass voice or a hairy chest), WET CELL (36A. Battery containing a liquid electrolyte).

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09.23.14 — GOLD

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 — Fall Equinox 

Puzzle by Gerry Wildenberg / Edited by Will Shortz

GOLD NUGGETS (38A. Valuable finds suggested by the circled letters) and GOLD spelled in six sets of circled letters constitutes the main feature of this Thursday crossword gem on the first day of Autumn.

Other — ALDAS and ALDO, ASWIRL (48A. Like the snow in a shaken snow globe), BOGEYING (3D. Barely missing par), EDGARS (12d. Mystery prizes), IDLE (60A. Nothing doing), SIMMMERS (34A. Cooks gently), SLIPSLOP (40D. Twaddle), SO-AND-SO (41A. Rascal), Big SPENDER (person who takes a date to a fast-food restaurant, jocularly), STEAM (69A. What comes out of an angry person’s ears in cartoons), STREWN (45A. Scattered).

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09.22.14 — Spare the ROD

Monday, September 22, 2014

Puzzle by Ian Livengood / Edited by Will Shortz

STICK, POLE, CANE, STAFF and ROD, found at the starts of the following, constitutes the interrelated group of this dandy Monday crossword:

STICK-UP MEN (17A. Bank heist group)
CANE SUGAR (24A. Sweet rum component)
POLE CAR (37A. Indy 500 leader)
STAFF CUTS (47A. Company downsizings)
ROD STEWART (57A. British rocker with the 1979 #1 hit “Da Ya Think I‘m Sexy?”)

Other — AVAIL and AVILA, A WEE BIT (25D. Not very much), COME GET ME (11D. “I’m stranded and need a ride”), ENFORCE (41D. Carry out, as a law), GANG WAR (43D. Fight over turf), LOOS (29D. Eton johns), NECK TIE (4d. Item not worn on casual Fridays), PUTS ASIDE (33D. Takes off the burner), STATURE (10D. Height), TOE TAG (35A. Morgue identification).

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09.21.14 — Hippopotamus — the Acrostic

Sunday, September 21, 2014

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s fine acrostic draws a quotation from “An Account of Egypt” by Herodotus.

The subject of the history of Herodotus is the struggle between the Greeks and the barbarians, which he brings down to the battle of Mycale in 479 B.C.  The work, as we have it, is divided into nine books, named after the nine Muses.  … The chronological narrative halts from time to time to give opportunity for descriptions of the country, the people, and their customs and previous history; and the political account is constantly varied by rare tales and wonders.~ The Project Gutenberg 

The quotation:  THIS IS THE APPEARANCE WHICH HE PRESENTS:  HE IS FOUR-FOOTED, CLOVEN-HOOFED LIKE AN OX, FLAT-NOSED, WITH A MANE LIKE A HORSE AND TEETH LIKE TUSKS, AND HIS HIDE IS SO EXCEEDINGLY THICK THAT SHAFTS OF JAVELINS ARE MADE OF IT.

The author’s name and the title of the work:  HERODOTUS, “AN ACCOUNT OF EGYPT”

The defined words:  

A. What s described by this puzzle’s quotation, informally, HIPPO
B. Bartholdi’s helper with the Statue of Liberty, EIFFEL
C. Something others put on a dog, RELISH
D. Recurring melodic phrase, OSTINATO
E. Dried out at a facility, DETOXED
F. City of the “Moneyball” team, OAKLAND
G. Inclined to have stick fingers, THIEVISH
H. Free, as from a train, UNHITCH
I. Salad green at a sushi restaurant, SEAWEED
J. Stuck on, as a letter’s stamp, AFFIXED
K. Opponents one rarely defeats, NEMESES
L. Jacket for an arctic trek, ANORAK
M. Acclaimed playwright who was a physician by profession, CHEKHOV
N. Mark the homophone of answer M.? (2 wds.), CHECK OFF
O. Glance, especially an amorous one, OEILLADE
P. Items included in mess kits, UTENSILS
Q. Apple app for readers of current evens, NEWSSTAND
R. What spines may reveal, TITLES
S. Aeschylus trilogy, ORESTEIA
T. Language also called Suomi, FINNISH
U. Given the old heave-ho, EJECTED
V. Complimentary, GRATIS
W. Veil worn by some Muslim women in Turkey, YASHMAK
X. Dynast often pictured in a headdress, PHARAOH
Y. Ibis-headed god of wisdom and magic, THOTH

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09.21.14 — Nascar Rocks!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

“Nascar Rocks!” — Puzzle by Michael Ashley

Edited by Will Shortz

Five questions for Nascar drivers that are puns of rock songs constitutes the interrelated group of this Sunday crossword:

WON’T GET FUELED AGAIN (27A. “Hey, what did you think when you missed that last pit stop?” [The Who, 1971]), “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
I KISSED A GRILLE (42A. “Did you do anything for luck before today’s race?” [Katy Perry, 2008]), “I Kissed a Girl”
MOVES LIKE JAGUAR (65A. “How did that new car handle out there on the track?” [Maroon 5, 2011]), “Moves Like Jagger”
BRAKE ON THROUGH (93A. “What did you try to do after the caution flag came out?” [The Doors, 1967]), “Break on Through”
LIVIN’ LA VEHICLE LOCA (109A. “Are you enjoying your time out on the Nascar circuit?” [Ricky Martin, 1999]), “Livin’ La Vida Loca”

Other — ANIMAL HOUSE (25A. Comedy classic of 1978), CAST A SPELL (57A. Perform some magic), CITIZEN KANE (114A. Movie with the line “Old age. It’s the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don’t look forward to being cured of”), DO AS I DO (49A. “Like this”), DOCILITY (90D. Tameness), GHI (62A. 4 letters), LIONEL (86A. Toy company on track to success?), MINISTER TO (78A. Tend), NAMIBIA (95D. Home of some Bushmen), REAR END (40A. Fanny), RILING (20A. Teeing off), SCOUT MOTTO  (76D. “Be prepared”), WAGNERIANS (3D. “Ring” lovers).

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09.20.14 — CTR

Logarhitmic radial photo of the universe, Pablo Carlos Budassi

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Saturday, September 20, 2014

Puzzle by Erik Agard / Edited by Will Shortz

CTR (56A. Abbr. found at the 56-Down of this puzzle’s four longest answers), along with the four answers, constitutes the main feature of this lackluster Saturday crossword:

ASPECT RATIO (20A. 16:9, say)
PROJECT RUNWAY (33A. Fashion series since 2004)
MAGIC TRICKS (49A. Legerdemain)
LG ELECTRONICS (15D. “Life’s Good” sloganeer)

Other across — 1. Goes quickly after takeoff?, STREAKS; 8. Series of antecedents, LEAD UP; 14. Professor who tries to kill Harry Potter, QUIRRELL; 16. ANGINA pectoris; 17. Not one favored, UNDERDOG; 18. Randomly distributed, STREWN; 19. PBJ filling?, AND; 22. Muscles for some fraternity guys, DELTS; 24. Shake, LOSE; 25. Mo. Of National Grandparents’ Day, SEP; 26. Raft, SLEW; 27. Height, APEX; 29. Viewfinder?, POLL; 30. Some nerve?, OPTIC; 32. Nobelist Frederick SODDY, pioneer in radiochemistry; 37. Asner’s “Elf” role, CLAUS; 38. Browning, for one, RIFLE; 39. It might be found in a café, LAIT; 40. Spanish interrogative, COMO; 41. All-nighter, maybe, RAVE; 45. Writer AYN Rand; 46. Cold-shoulder, SHUN; 48. ASTIN Mackenzie of “The Facts of Life”; 53. Cooperstown inst. HOF; 54. Words before and after “Am too!”, ARE NOT; 55. Longest continuous corporate partner of the Olympic Games, COCA COLA; 57. Get misty, TEAR UP; 58. Fall guy?, STUNTMAN; 59. Galley slaves, e.g., OARERS; 60. Least abundant, SPAREST.

Down — 1. Teams, SQUADS; 2. Smuggling aid, TUNNEL; 3. Judges 14:14 has the only one in the Bible, RIDDLE; 4. “Maid of Athens, ERE we part”: Byron; 5. Hamlet takes a stab at it, ARRAS; 6. Some gym shoes, KEDS; 7. Spill, SLOP; 8. Holds up, LASTS; 9. Word with deux or nous, ENTRE; 10. Home of the Unesco World Heritage Site Fatehpur Sikri, AGRA; 11. Light refreshment, DIET SODA; 12. Hard to handle, UNWIELDY; 13. Splendid array, PANOPLY; 21. Sportsperson who may take a bow?, COX; 23. Situation that makes a double play impossible, TWO OUT; 27. Tucked away, ATE; 28. Snap, PIC; 29. Dungeons & Dragons attributes, POWERS; 31. Wear for the weary, PJS; 32. TV inits. Since 10/11/75, SNL; 33. Feature of many a McDonald’s, PLAY AREA; 34. Macs and such, RAIN GEAR; 35. Part of a crater, RIM; 36. Saucer, perhaps, UFO; 37. Red Juice hybrid, CLAMATO; 40. Contemptible sort, CUR; 42. In, AT HOME; 43. They take bows, VIOLAS; 44. Terrible one?, ENFANT; 46. Comb, SCOUR; 47. Certain address starter, HTTPS; 48. Yoga pose, ASANA; 50. About, IN RE; 51. Some Red Cross supplies, COTS; 52. Single-serving coffee holder, K CUP.

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09.19.14 — Boop

Betty Boop, Graphics 99 

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Puzzle by Finn Vigeland / Edited by Will Shortz

Across — 1. Self-praise couched in self-deprecation, in modern lingo, HUMBLEBRAG; 11. Story lines, ARCS; 15. Wanting, INADEQUATE; 16. What marketers might follow, TELE; 17. 2013 Golden Globe winner for “Girls”, LENA DUNHAM; 18. Colony in ancient Magna Graecia, ELEA; 19. “Downton Abbey” title, LADY; 20. Four-star figs., ADMS; 21. Risotto relative, PILAF; 22. Refrain syllable, TRA; 23. Going green?, ILL; 24. South American cowboy, LLANERO; 26. Animal that may swim on its back, OTTER; 28. It’s often checked on a cell, E-MAIL; 30. NEO-soul (style of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill; 31. Talent scout’s find, informally, PHENOM; 33. Public, ON RECORD; 35. Beginning of a process of elimination, ONE POTATO; 37. One who gets numbers by calling numbers, POLLSTER; 40. Bathes, STEEPS; 44. Coach ARA Parseghian; 45. 44-Across’s “Fighting” team, IRISH; 47. Between, to Balzac, ENTRE; 48. One living in urban poverty, SLUMDOG; 50. Baby docs, OBS; 52. VOX pop; 53. Contemporary and compatriot of Debussy, SATIE; 54. You may drop a big one, NAME; 56. Toon toned down for the 1930s Hays Code, BOOP; 57. Resort options, INNS; 58. A nerd may not have one, SOCIAL LIFE; 60. Some tributes, ODES; 61. Alcopop relative, WINE COOLER; 62. Christie novel title that, without spaces, is a man’s name, N OR M; 63. New lease on life, FRESH START.

Down — 1. There’s no place to go but down from here, HILLTOP; 2. Make public, UNEARTH; 3. Obamacare obligation, MANDATE; 4. Fourth of July, for Calvin Coolidge, informally, B’DAY; 5. Was up, LED; 6. Level, EQUAL; 7. Unit of energy?, BUNDLE; 8. First name in Chicago politics, RAHM; 9. Not level, AT A SLANT; 10. Peach, GEM; 11. Eschewed takeout, say, ATE IN; 12. Stuffed chili pepper, RELLENO; 13. How you may feel after taking allergy medication, CLEARER; 14. Shore dinner, SEAFOOD; 21. Spots where artists mix?, PALETTES; 23. Nickname for Oliver Cromwell, IRONSIDE; 25. Turkish dough, LIRAS; 27. Unstable compound, ENOL; 29. Ties up in a slip, MOORS; 32. METRO desk (newsroom assignment); 34. Either director of “True Grit”, COEN; 36. Negligee, PEIGNOIR; 37. Fire, PASSION; 38. Sentinel’s place, ORLANDO; 39. Taylor LAUTNER of “Twilight”; 41. Chef de cuisine’s shout, ET VOILA; 42. Publishing house employee, PROOFER; 43. Dr. Ruth, for one, SEXPERT; 46. Bros, HOMIES; 49. “Divine” showbiz persona, MISS M; 51. Bad place for a whale, BEACH; 55. Spots annoying teens, ACNE; 56. Stain, BLOT; 58. Match.com abbr., SWF; 59. LOS Lonely Boys (2004 Grammy winners).

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09.18.14 — QRCIU

During a total solar eclipse, 

the solar corona can be seen by the naked eye.

~ Wikipedia

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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Puzzle by Joel Fagliano / Edited by Will Shortz

CASEY (16A. Man trying to clarify the spelling of his name n 21-, 25-, 38-, 52- and 57-Across) and QRCIU (66A. What the listener might think 16-Across’s name is?), along with unhelpful spelling clarifications, e.g., C AS IN CUE, A AS IN ARE, S AS IN SEA, E AS IN EYE and Y AS IN YOU, constitute the interrelated group of this clever Thursday crossword.

Other — ACACIA (5D. Tree in a giraffe’s diet), ALLEYS (56A. Places where you can hear a pin drop?), CORONAE (27A. Circles around the sun), EPSILON (4D. Elasticity symbol, in economics), IMITATE (50A. Copy), KIMYE (32D. Celebrity couple portmanteau), e.g., Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, MARLIN (10D. “The Old Man and the Sea” fish), MISSUS (51D. Wife, informally), OBIT (59D. Life lines?), ORYX (28D. African antelope), UTENSIL (47D. Something set in a place setting), YMCA (57D. Song that was a hit for a spell in the 1970s?), YOLO (58D. Modern acronym suggesting “seize the day“), e.g., "You only live once."

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