05.26.11 — XY and XX

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Puzzle by Ashish Vengsarkar / Edited by Will Shortz

XY AND XX, XYPANIC HERITAGE, TRUST ME ON TXY, XXHEYS KISSES and THE WRIGHT BROTXX constitute the interrelated group of tXY TXXday crossword.

Other — ANACONDA (14A. King of wrap?), SHERWIN (42D. Williams’s paint partner), TALL TALE (65A. Yarn), TITANIC (10D. Really big), TSUNAMI (24D. Seaquake sequel) and WISE / LATINA (28A. With 8-Across, Sonia Sotomayor, self-professedly).

Mid-size — ACRES, AMINO and AMIDOL, ANSAE (54A. Looped vase handles), ARGUE, Often AS NOT, CARTE, DO LIKE, EARLS, EDGES, EXTRA, ICEBOX, LARUE, NAGEL, OBESE, SAGAN (23D. Astronomy figure), SHEESH, SONAR, SPIES and SPINES, TARIFF, WACO TX, XTERRA, YES SIR, YORKE.

Short stuff — “ACH du lieber!”, AFAR, ALE and AXE and AXL and AXLE, BLT, CAPT, CDC, CEE, ELI and ELM, EXED, FRI, HAH and HAS, HOP, HTS, “I ATE it up and spit it out (“My Way” lyric), IDA, IRS, KEG, LUNA moth, MER (46A. Nice view), NOG, ONYX, RED, ROPE, SAXE, SGTS, SOC, STAR (55D. Astronomy figure), "SUCH is life”, TAG, TDS, TOSH, UHRY, UNI, XERS.

————————

Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Coll. Major; 17. It’s celebrated for 30 days each year beginning September 15; 21. “Take my word for it”; 31. Is down with; 34. Stickle; 36. There are 843 of these in Central park: 37. 2.0; 38. Matching towel set … with a hint to this puzzle’s theme; 40. Much Apr. mail is addressed to it; 41. Really big; 43. Conrad of old films; 44. It might be casual: Abbr.; 45. Weekly Comedy Central host; 47. Miles off; 48. Foiled bites?; 53. Part of a bell tower; 58. Newsmakers of 1903; 64. Imitate; 65. Yarn; 66. Features of hedgehogs; 67. Company leaders: Abbr.; 68. Barolo or Marsala. — DOWN: 1 ___-Altenburg (former German duchy); 2. Black; 3. Cook, e.g.: Abbr.; 4. School locator?; 5. Cycle starter; 6. SARS monitor, for short; 7. “Fat chance!”; 8. Lash of westerns; 9. Part of PABA; 10. Really big; 11. Moscow’s home: Abbr.; 12. Yule quaff; 13. Sierra Nevada, for one; 15. Bistro offering; 18. Slippery ___; 22. Alfred who wrote “Driving Miss Daisy”; 25. Duty; 26. Nissan S.U.V.; 27. Private aye?; 28. Baylor U. locale; 29. Cooler; 30. “Oh, man”; 34. Can; 35. Lips; 36. ___ Rose; 39. Gen ___ (thirtysomethings); 449. Radiohead front man Thom; 50. Fears of some paranoiacs; 51. Powder site; 52. Court figures; 56. Turning point; 57. Deleted; 58. Parts of bowls, for short; 59. Quaint school event; 60. “The Book of ___”; 61. Seaside ___, N.J.; 62. Handle; 63. Luncheonette order.