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Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Puzzle by Lee Glickstein and Craig Kasper, edited by Will Shortz
A note to today’s puzzle states: “The answers to the 13 starred clues have something in common” -- and they do!
The titles of thirteen musicals dance throughout this Wednesday wonder:
OLIVER (1A *Stone in Hollywood); OKLAHOMA (7A *Home for Will Rogers and Garth Brooks); SPAMALOT (16A *What some unscrupulous e-businesses do?); RENT (19A *Torn); HAIR (31A *Extremely narrow winning margin); CABARET (35A *Kind of club); EVITA (41A *A Peron); CANDIDE (44A *Student of Dr. Pangloss); AIDA (*Lover of Radames); FAME (*Renown); CAROUSEL (67A *Site of much horsing around?); SHOWBOAT (69A *Perform ostentatiously); and KISMET (70A *Destiny).
Also chiming in to the tune of show business are
Cole Porter's "Well Did You EVAH?" (57A); CHI (39A The Bears on the scoreboard) ("Chicago", the musical?); KPAX (8D 2001 film set in a mental institution); HAL (11D Anthropomorphic cinema computer); OLIN (12D Lena of "Chocolat"); MOES (13D Place to which Bart Simpson makes prank calls); DAS (45D Some "Law & Order" figs.); NERO (58D "Quo Vadis" role); Class CLOWN (59A); JFK (65D 1991 film directed by 1-Across); TRA (23A Song syllable); AVALON (17A Arthurian paradise) (also a 1996 film); PHIL (43A TV Dr. of note); and ODEA (60D Old music halls).
Less fanciful, but just as interesting, are PROVERBS (27A Whence the line "A soft answer turneth away wrath");
NEONATAL (47A Like some nursery care); LAVALIER (18A Bejeweled pendant); OVERRIDE (63A Nullify) (yesterday it was VETO, clued as Pork chop); FRIEZE (68A Architectural decoration); MINOSO (15A 1950s All-Star outfielder Minnie); Air JORDAN (65A); LIVEUP (2D Meet, as expectations, with "to"); INANER (3D Goofier); CHALET (26D Home in the Alps); OCULAR (28D Eyepiece); SETDOWN (30D Lay); ANADEM (48D Ancient garland); and LAMAZE (49D Kind of class).
Five-letter entries include COXES (20A Regatta crew leaders); LAVED (9D Washed); AMASS (10D Collect); REBEC
(24D Renaissance instrument); BRINE (29D Curer of feta cheese); TAINT (36D Sully); SCRUB (51D Cancel); ALISO Viejo (California city near Laguna Beach) (52D); and TENET (55D Creed element).
Four-letter words or the like are VOLT, OSLO, ATRA, DOCS, FRIS, ANNE, LYNX, ECRU; and three-letter entries just happening to fall into the puzzle are ESO, DSC, NSA, RUE, EPA, RID, ANY, INN, RSA, WTS, NAT, ROW, ORI, and
REX.
A very entertaining Wednesday puzzle --
"There's no business like show business!"
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For today's cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
