The New York Times Crossword in Gothic: 05.13.11

Friday, May 13, 2011

Puzzle by Joe Krozel / Edited by Will Shortz

This Friday the 13^th crossword has a mild case of triskaidekaphobia, a fair amount of SUPERSTITION (1-Across [See blurb]), and is accompanied by the following: Note: Every length of answer from 3 to 15 letters - except one - appears in this puzzle. Some people might have a 1-Across about that. What remains beyond is everyday and not a bit eerie.

15-letters — INSTANT POTATOES (16A. Betty Crocker or Hungry Jack product) and OPTICAL SCANNERS (55A. Reading devices).

14 — BUSINESS DINNER (14A. Deal-making occasion, maybe) and DENTAL SURGEONS (58A. Bridge workers, perhaps).

13 — None. (However, the electronic version, AcrossLite, includes the number 13 and that fact changes all the subsequent clue numbers of the crossword.)

12 — LOST ONE’S EDGE (59A. Wasn’t quite as great as before) and SUPERSTITION.

11 — CALL TO ORDER (38A. Open formally) and INDEFINABLE (30A. Hard to nail down).

10 — FIXED STARS (28D. Apparently stationary light sources, to astronomers) and RENEGING ON (5D. Backing out of).

9 — IN A CORNER (10D. Trapped) and INTERACTS (30D. Plays with others, for instance).

8 — AL PACINO (36D. “Author! Author!” star, 1982) and ONTARIAN (11D. Mike Myers or Dan Aykroyd, once).

7 — DEFANGS (35A. Takes the bite out of?), EX-ENEMY (37A. Germany vis-à-vis France, e.g.), NO CAN DO (19A. “Impossible“), PANCAKE (49A. Flatten).

6 — BY ROTE (18A. Mechanically), NEGATE (20A. Cancel), PITONS (3D. Climbers’ gear), PUNNED (43D. Made Berne burn?), TINGES (51A. Overtones).

5 — “Are you calling me A LIAR?”, AND SO (21D. “Hence …”), ENATE (4D. Related on the mother’s side), FED ON (31D. Had for a meal), HELLO (47D. “What do we have here?!”), HINGE (48D. Connector with a pivotal role), HONSHU (47A. Island whose name means, literally, “main land”), “What on earth have I DONE?”, INTEL (46D. Pentium source), NEONS (12D. Bygone Dodges), ORSON (23A. Bean, for one).

4 — Staging AREA, BEAR (32D. Certain Wall Street type), ERNE (53D. Sea cliff dweller), EYED (34D. Saw); GEOG (52D. Popular Sporcle subj.), KAAT (50D. Pitcher Jim who was a 16-time Gold Glove winner), LAPD (45D. Grp. In “Die Hard”), LMNO (33D. Alphabet run), MAUS (24A. Ruhr rodent), MMDC (24D. End of the 26^th century), PROD (43A. Poker), REDO (15D. Mulligan, say), SUNY (1D. Sch. Syst. With a campus in Buffalo), TITO (9D. One of the Jacksons), USFL (26D. Defunct sports org. with the Denver Gold and Chicago Blitz), USSR (2D. BOAC destination, in song).

3 — ANE (40A. End of many a fuel source name), APO (44D. Base letters), BIB (14D. Lobster catcher?), CUE (57D. Passport application datum: Abbr.), FRI (28A. Day associated with an unlucky number: Abbr.), HOD (42A. Mortar carrier), IN E (27A. Like Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7), MRS (29A. Certain ring-bearer: Abbr.), PEN (41A. Compose), RHO (39D. A fraternity chapter), SON (17D. Prince, e.g.), SSS and SSN, TEE and TSP.

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