01.21.08 -- Jumble

Monday, January 21, 2008

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Puzzle by Andrea Carla Michaels, edited by Will Shortz

"Win, Lose or Draw": WINBYANOSE (17A. Triumph, but just barely); LOSEONESBALANCE (38A. Fall off a beam, e.g.); and DRAWABLANK (61A. Momentarily forget [or get lucky in Scrabble?]) are three inter-related entries unrelated to this Martin Luther King Day.

Along with WENTFIRST (3D. Led off) UNDEROATH (35D. Sworn to tell the truth), and several other entries and clues, this puzzle has a conversational air -- 10A. Say jokingly, JEST; 24A. False fronts, FACADES; 28A. Smug smiles, SMIRKS; 44A. Fusses, ADOS; 51A. Less drunk, SOBERER; 57A. Parisian yes, OUI; 18D. Talk idly, YACK; 50D. Meditated (on), MUSED; 53D. Took a curtain call, BOWED; 58D. “Render therefore UNTO Caesar …”; and 69A. Command to a steed, WHOA!

DWARF (5A. Dopey or Doc) lead off the beings in the puzzle which include AMES (21A. Actor Ed of “Daniel Boone”); OTT (42A. Baseballer Mel); NEWT (45A. Politico Gingrich); ARTE (25D. Comic Johnson); a SCOT (36D. Glaswegian, e.g.), along with 37D. Loch NESS monster; a SAVER (48D. Lifeguard, at times); NOMADS (45D. Wanderers); and LEW (63A. Actor Ayres), not to be confused with LEWD (1A. Lascivious) -- and dare we mention ALLAH (27A. God to Muslims)?

Places in the puzzle are AARE, UTAH, MAUI, SAMOA, LAWN, ERIE, SAUNA, STLO, USA, OCEAN, OCALA, RIO, and 47D. United ARAB Emirates. There’s a withdrawn air to the crossword, what with RARER, EBBING, EKED, DAB, WANED, MOOT, and the aforementioned inter-related entries.

Not so much ALIKE are a JUMBLE of entries: CARETS, ALUMNI, OILER, LOADS, DRAMAS, AROSE, ETAIL, THIGH, STUBS, RENTS, CONES, CEDARS, et cetera.

FREE (9D. Unoccupied, as a theater seat) is the closest we get to a mention of the Holiday!

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Across: 1. Lascivious; 5. Dopey or Doc; 10. Say jokingly; 14. Zone, 15. More unusual; 16. Great Salt Lake’s state; 17. Triumph, but just barely; 19. Hawaiian island; 20. Badminton court divider; 21. Actor Ed of “Daniel Boone”; 22. Declining in power; 24. False fronts; 27. God, to Muslims; 28. Smug smiles; 30. TV, slangily, with “the”; 32. Legal wrong; 33. Find a new purpose for; 35. Org. with admirals; 38. Fall off a beam, e.g.; 42. Baseballer Mel; 43. Ice cream holders; 44. Fusses; 45. Politico Gingrich; 46. Marks that look like inverted v’s; 48. Pago Pago’s locale; 52. Less drunk; 54. Graduates; 56. Opposite of an intro, musically; 57. Parisian yes; 60. MasterCard rival; 61. Momentarily forget (or get lucky in Scrabble?); 64. Barely earned, with “out”; 65. Ship from the Mideast; 66. Suffix meaning “little”; 67. M&M’s that were removed from 1976 to 1987 out of a health concern for a coloring dye; 68. A ton; 69. Command to a steed. Down: 1. Home turf?; 2. Shallowest Great Lake; 3. Led off; 4. Amount of hair cream; 5. All soap operas, basically; 6. Declined in power; 7. Got up; 8. Thing, in legal briefs; 9. Unoccupied, as a theater seat; 10. Popular newspaper puzzle subtitled “That Scrambled Word Game”; 11. Online commerce; 12. Finnish bath; 13. Chicken piece; 18. Talk idly; 23. Biblical tower site; 25. Comic Johnson; 26. Cigar ends; 28. Capital of Manche, France; 29. No longer worth debating; 31. “The Star-Spangled Banner” land; 33. Leases; 34. WNW’s opposite; 35. Sworn to tell the truth; 36. Glaswegian, e.g.; 37. Loch ___ monster; 39. Atlantic or Pacific; 40. At this moment; 41. Swiss river; 45. Wanderers; 46. Trees whose wood is used for chests; 47. United ___ Emirates; 48. Lifeguard, at times; 49. Similar; 50. Meditated (on); 52. City between Gainesville and Orlando; 53. Took a curtain call; 55. Fox hit “American ___”; 58. “Render therefore ___ Caesar …”; 59. Scandinavian furniture giant; 62. ___ de Janeiro; 63. Actor Ayres.