04.26.11 — NO-BRAINER




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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley / Edited by Will Shortz

EASY A (69A. No-brainer class, an example of which is named by combing the ends of 20-, 36-, 42- and 55-Across), e.g., UNDERWATER BASKET WEAVING, constitutes the interrelated group of this Tuesday crossword — KNUCKLE UNDER (20A. Consent reluctantly), TREADS WATER (36A. Is active without making progress of falling behind), BREAD BASKET (42A. Main food-supplying region of a country) and SPELL WEAVING (55A. Wizardry).

Other — BOULDER (5D. Rock that may be hard to roll), DEEP SEA (43D. Kind of diving), ESSENCE (45D. Perfume), JUDE LAW (9D. Dr. Watson player in 2009’s “Sherlock Holmes”), WHO’S NEXT (28A. 1971 rock album with the hit “Won’t Get Fooled Again”), YES AND NO (49A. “Could go either way”).

Mid-size — CYRANO, DOOZY, ELECTS, ELEVEN (26D. On a scale of 1 to 10, what one amp in “This is Spinal Tap“ goes to), HARROW, JESUS, JOINT, LOFTER, NAMELY, NAVAJO, OKEEFE, OVINE, RETARD, SEINE, TANSY (32D. Aster relative), ULCER, UDDER, WOBBLE.

Short stuff — ACLU, AREA, AXEL, BIAS, BRAE, BRED, CAHN, DAT, DEKE, DENS, EAU and EWE, EEL, ERIC, EVA, GATO, HAWK, HOPE, IDO, INGE, IRIS, JAVA, JILT, JOE, LARA, MAJ, NELL, Pince-NEZ, NNE, OAK, ODOR, OSLO, OXEN, PERU, RAZE, REC and REN, SIS, STA, SUNY, TATA, TED, TRY, UGLI, WE’RE pregnant!”, WHIZ, XENA (31D. Title TV character in a brown, skirted, leather outfit).

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.
Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Word on a 2008 Obama poster; 5. Subject for a media ombudsman; 9. Wrist or knee; 14. Jump in a rink; 15. Second word in many limericks; 16. Milk provider; 18. Hybrid citrus fruit; 19. Humdinger; 23. Main character on “How I Met Your Mother”; 24. Fish that twists; 25. ___ room; 33. To be specific; 35. Acorn source; 38. Born’s partner; 40. Opposite of SSW; 41. Programming language that’s also the name of an island; 47. Stimpy’s TV pal; 48. Golf club similar to a nib lick; 51. ___ lamb; 52. Liquid in the 8-Down; 54. Harvard Sq. on Boston’s T, e.g.; 61. Easter figure; 64. “Three Coins in the Fountain” lyricist Sammy; 66. Region; 66. Like a 51-Across; 67. Google executive Schmidt; 68. Leave at the altar; 70. Knock down; 71. Site of the Ibsen Museum. — DOWN: 1. Atlanta cager; 2. The yoke’s on them; 3. Land with chinchillas; 4. Puts in office; 6. Playwright William; 7. Rights org.; 8. See 52-Across: 10. Dumpster emanation; 11. Altar declaration; 13. “Give it a shot”; 21. Canterbury’s county; 22. TV rooms; 25. Slow down; 27. Storied duelist with a large nose; 28. Teeter; 29. Tilling tool; 30. Political activist James known for undercover videos; 34. Army V.I.P.; 37. Hockey feint; 39. Dis’s opposite; 44. Hill near a loch; 46. “Gotta run!”; 50. Indian making a blanket; 53. Bad feeling in one’s gut?; 55. Sch. System with campuses in Albany and 63 other places; 56. Actress ___ Flynn Boyle; 57. Zoom; 58. Eye part; 59. “The Old Curiosity Shop” heroine; 60. Cancún kitty; 61. Vice President Biden; 62. Little ___, who did the Loco-Motion; 63. Family nickname.

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