Story Circle
Medieval engraving of the Knights of the Round Table
Sunday, July 26, 2009
STORY CIRCLE, Puzzle by Kevin G. Der, edited by Will Shortz
KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (14D. With 76-Down, 1953 Ava Gardner film … as depicted elsewhere in this puzzle?) and SIR squeezed into five of the puzzle's squares in a loose circle with no particular centerpiece is this crossword’s conceit, along with the interrelated entries of EXCALIBUR (2D. 1981 film in which Helen Mirren plays a sorceress), A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHURS COURT (4D. With 12-Down, 1889 Twain novel), MIST OF AVALON (71D. 2001 Anjelica Huston miniseries, with “The”), SWORD IN THE STONE (137A. 1963 animated film with the song “Higitus Figitus,“ with “The”) and QUEST FOR CAMELOT (143A. 1998 animated film featuring the voice of Pierce Brosnan). The puzzle does not have circles in the Magazine.
The entries containing SIR -- Across: 38. [SIR]ES (Fathers); 40. AE[SIR] (Norse pantheon); 72. [SIR]IUS (Part of Canis Major); 73. YES[SIR] (Boot camp affirmative); 101. DE[SIR]ED (101A. Popular. Down: 18. PUMP[SIR]ON (Does some heavy lifting); 19. FIRE[SIR]EN (Red alert?); 72. [SIR]LOINS (72D. Some steaks); 74. [SIR]OCCOS (Hot desert winds); 88. YA[SIR] (Chairman Arafat).
The remainder of the crossword is lavished with a nerve-racking compilation of bits and pieces, fragments, abbreviations, nonsense and other gruesome and grueling fill! -- ACE, ADA, ARI, AYN, BIZ, CAL and CAS and GAS, DOS, ESS, EVA and EVE, FGS, HRS, ICS, IRR, LAN, LEE, LST, NAH and NAG, NHL, NSA, OAR, ORU, RAH, REN, SAX, SNO and SON, TAT, TEC, THO, YAO and YON. More? -- ANNI, AURA, CERA, COMA, DEFT, DORM, EARS, ESAI, ETCH, FLOR, FOES, IFFY and ILLE, INRE, IONO, ISAO and IPSO, JAVA, KNOB, LABS, LRON, MERC and MESH, NANS, NILS and NIPS, NANS, ODON, ORSO, PODS, ROTC, SINO, SQIN, STEM, STYE, UGLI, VOUS. Five-letter -- ADIEU, ANGIE, AOLER, AUFEU, CHAIN, CHICO, DISKS, DOESA, ENCYC, ENRON, ERICA, EXIST, FLYIN, FRIAR, INGOT, KOMBU, LEDGE, LOFAT, MEDAL, NEALS, NISAN, NOTIF, OPTIN, DISKS, CHAIN, OCEAN, OLMOS, REHEM, RHINE, SABOT, STOCK, SYNOD, TITAN, TVSET, ULTRA, UVULA, VIDEO, VIXEN, YEANS, and etc.
So much for CAMELOT!
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For today’s cartoon, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
For the complete post, go HERE.
