08.20.10 — Egg

The Nobel Ice Egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé, for the Swedish-Russian oil baron and industrialist Emanuel Nobel between 1913 and 1914.

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Friday, August 20, 2010

Puzzle by Brad Wilber, edited by Will Shortz

Hard to crack and a bit of a sectionalized zig-zag solve, this hard-boiled rich Friday crossword sports a dozen ten-letter entries, three in each corner:

AGLIO E OLIO (53A. Simple trattoria dressing)
ESSAY TESTS (14D. What cribs might be used for)
FABERGÉ EGG (1A. Objet d’art at auction in “Octopussy”)
HATEMONGER (13D. Prejudicial propagandist)
IN A DILEMMA (15A. Torn)
LOW SPIRITS (17A. What a lift may get you out of)
PLURALIZED (26D. Like men, women and children)
OUTSHINING (27D. Topping)
SCORCH MARK (49A. Lampshade blemish)
SEMI-MATURE (25D. Still developing)
STORE HOUSE (12D. Magazine)
WIDOW’S PEAK (55A. Common feature of a Dracula mask)

Seven- and eight-letter — ALIENEE (41A. Heir, legally), BEECHES (37D. Triangular nut producers), FLOP SHOT (28A. Phil Mickelson specialty), GAS STOVE (10D. Pilot’s setting), MAHJONGG (38A. It’s played with 144 pieces), PANEL SAW (33D. Plywood cutter), PTOLEMY (24A. Ancient dynasty name), RIPOSTE (5D. “Touché!” elicitor).

Five and six — APRILS (11D. Folks are often fooled when these arrive), BARGE, BESET, CURIO, EERIE, ELUDE, FLAGG (28D. Fannie who wrote “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café”), GLINTS (6D. Effects created by 43-Across), JESSIE (39D. Daughter in “night, Mother”), PEACE and PLACE, SEA COW (40D. Creature with a paddle like tail), SEDERS (40A. Reading-and-feedng occasions), SPIREA (21A. Rosaceous ornamental), SPORTS (25A. Newspaper section), TINSEL (43A. Strands on a branch, perhaps).

Short stuff — ANON, Soprano ARIA, ASHE, BAWL, BONE, CEES (42A. Cosmetic extremes?), CGI, EDGE, EDS, EMIT, ENL, ERDE, ESTE, FILE, GMT, HOLD, HUAC, IRS, MALE soprano, MAO, MEDS, MUGS, MUTE, OKOK, ONE, ONIT, POPE, PTAS, ROTS, and featured below, “The Labors of Hercules” by Guido RENI.

Hercules and the Hydra, Hercules Wrestling with Achelous, The Abduction of Deianira, Hercules on the Pyre, c. 1620, Guido Reni

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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: 1. Queens’s ___ Stadium; 16. Grps. Sponsoring many book fairs; 18. Languishes in the lockup; 19. Big print: Abbr.; 20. Not procrastinating; 23. European princely dynasty name; 29. Shake, as a tail; 30. Sweat blood; 31. Bit of bread; 32. Make less flamboyant; 33. What a V may indicate; 34. Doesn’t look normal; 35. It’s HQ is in D.C.’s Federal Triangle; 36. Origination point for many fireworks; 37. Dogged; 44. Org. that subpoenaed Abbie Hoffman; 45. He outlawed 38-Across because it promoted gambling; 48. Rambos might wield them; 54. What people are on during a nail-biter. DOWN: 1. Put in the archives; 2. Like many forum postings: Abbr.; 3. Not just sniffle; 4. Masthead figs.; 7. Unexplainable, maybe; 8. Discharge; 9. Std. in chronometry; 21. Venerated visitor; 23. Himmel und ____ (apple-and-potato dish); 24. Niche; 30. It has a diagonal rib; 34. Hospital administration, briefly; 36. A boxer may work on it; 42. “Antiques Roadshow” item; 44. You may hear Muzak when you’re on it; 47. Assent to relent; 50. Hollywood techie’s field, briefly; 51. Disorderly do.