02.03.10 -- But Why?!


Wednesday, February 3, 2010 -- The Day the Music Died

Puzzle by Kristian House, edited by Will Shortz

If you’ve ever suffered through parenthood, this is your crossword to bear. Parental orders, BRUSH YOUR TEETH, PICK UP YOUR TOYS, and DO YOUR HOMEWORK are met with the possible response BUT / WHY? -- to that question is replied, BECAUSE I SAID SO!

Holoalphabetic, the puzzle includes REQUITE (41D Give in return), SEE-THRU (9D. Like a sheer nightie), SKY HOOK (5D. Abdul-Jabbar’s trademark shot) and WIZARDS (43D. Some Hogwarts students) as the other entries of any length.

Five-letter -- AD WAR (50D. Exchange of TV smears, maybe), AILED (49D. Felt green around the gills), AZURE (2D. Fair-weather hue), BATES (1A. Infamous motel of film); BOBBY (1D. Coventry cop), BUGGY (17A. Amish conveyance), CAGEY (10D. Cautious, as a reply), DWARF (62A. One of a Disney septet), ELIOT (6D. Silas Marner’s creator), ICERS (47D. Patisserie artisans), ISERE (51D. River of Grenoble), JEANE (48D. Astrologer Dixon), NO DUH (7D. Slangy “That’s obvious!“), 14A OZARK Jubilee,” weekly 1950s country music program on ABC, ROLFE (52D. John who loved Pocahontas), ROWEL (59A. Wheel on a spur), SAREE (65A. Ranee’s wrap), TAG UP (3D. Touch base after a fly-out).

Short stuff -- ACTO, AIR, ALIT, AOL and ALOU, ASK, BEA and BEAU, BOAR, CARB, CDS, COLT, DIN, DORM,  DRE (27A. Dr. with several Grammys), EDYS, ENOS, ERGS, ERIK, EWER, EXED, EYCK, GIST, HAIR, HWY, IDEE, ILYA, INQ, IOWA, ITAL, JAYZ (48A. Rapper with the #1 hit “Empire State of Mind“), LOVE, OAR and OATH, OVER, POHL, POOP, RACK, ROSH, SEL, SPA, STYX, TRON, TYNE, WERE, USNA, YAO and YALU, YEP and YUKS.



Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

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Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 6. Son of Seth; 10. Dual-___ engine; 15. Serenader’s subject; 16. Baseball family name; 18. ___ fixe; 19. Main point; 23. “Darn tootin’!”; 24. Inauguration Day words; 25. Rte. 66, e.g.; 26. Co. split off from Time Warner in 2009; 28. Actress Benaderet of “Petticoat Junction” 36. Stallion-to-be; 37. Sculler’s need; 38. ___ of lamb; 44. Place for a mud bath; 45. Seasoning for pommes frites; 46. Hubbub; 47. Govt. investigation; 50. Put on; 57. “___ #1!”; 58. Emphatic type: Abbr.; 60. “Flower power” musical; 61. Newcastle upon ___, England; 63. Big laughs; 65. Marked in a way. DOWN: 4. Joule fractions; 8. ___ easy; 11. Touched down; 12. ___ Hashanah; 21. River to Korea Bay; 22. Vessel by a basin; 26. Part of a Spanish play; 27. All-nighter site, perhaps; 28. Wild tusker; 29. Flemish painter Jan van ___; 30. “Fire away!”; 31. Inside dope; 32. Kovalchuk of the N.H.L. 33. Science fiction writer Frederik; 34. 7’6” N.B.A. star; 35. 1982 Disney cyber movie; 36. Some Amazon.com mdse.; 40. Alma mater for Adm. Richard Byrd: Abbr.; 42. “Slow Churned” brand; 53. Steady guy; 54. Estrada of “CHiPs”; 55. Charon’s river; 56. Where James T. Kirk was born and raised.

1 comment:

Scott said...

Clever opening sentence - "THIS IS YOUR CROSSWORD TO BEAR."

As always, thanks for your commentary.