Illustration by Alphonse de Neuville
for Jules Verne's Vingt mille lieues sous les mers.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Puzzle by Barry C. Silk, edited by Will Shortz
SQYD (11D. 3 ft. by 3 ft.) leads a school of happenstance fill in this unseaworthy crossword -- ARI, COP, DEA, EGG, EMS, ESO, JAB, XKE, MVP, NHL, NOT, OOH, ONO, OTO, PTS, QED, SOC, SPA, SYR, TAN, UKE, WAR and XKE of three letters, and ADES, ASET, BAEZ, CRAG, DEED, EHUD, ERIC, HICK, IDEA, ITAL, JOSE, KENO, KING, MEAD, MOEN, MOON, NIKE, OWNS, PELE, SPIN, TAXI, TOGS, TOOL, USSR and VOTE of four.
That is the real HIDDENCOST (56A. Surprises for buyers … or what 18-, 28- and 43-Across contain) to the solver, rather than the inter-related entries of ROCOCOSTYLE (18A. 18th-century Parisian design), DELMONICOSTEAK (28A. Beef cut) and NEWMEXICOSTATE (43A. Aggies home), rendering this lost-at-sea puzzle not worth the price of the dear old Gray Lady in 1851.
The rest of this shipwreck includes PHOEBESNOW (3D. “Poetry Man” singer), EXPATRIATE (31D. American in Paris, e.g.), NASTASE (10D. Tennis great Ilie), TERCELS (41D. Bygone Toyotas), WAITSON (4A. Serves at a restaurant), ALTOONA (15A. Pennsylvania railroad city), LOOSELY (62A. In an imprecise way), ALONZO (5D. Mourning of the N.B.A.); SUBTLE (45D. Understated); STPETER (63A. Heavenly gateman), NORDIC (29D. Kind of skiing), ICANSO (26D. Argumentative comeback) and a group of five-letter entries, AKITE, DALES, DOWSE, ENIAC, ISAAC, MOSES, OSAGE, PLATO, SLASH, TADAS, TIDES and TRANS.
SQYD!
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For today’s cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
