03.07.09 -- On Edge

Saturday, March 7, 2009
Puzzle by Joe Krozel, edited by Will Shortz
MORTAR AND PESTLE (1A. Drug combination), MACHINE WASHABLE (1D. Not taken to the cleaners?), ENGAGEMENT STONE (14D. One set for a future wedding?) and ENDS ON A SOUR NOTE (62A. Doesn’t get wrapped up well?) are the main entries of this Saturday crossword, clinging to the outer edge of the grid with the letters N, E, W and S left hanging with a nice-looking radiation of black squares emanating from a cross in the center…and that‘s what it‘s all about! For an in-depth analysis of today’s crossword diagram, read Wordplay. The remaining clues:
Across: 15.
Many a vigilante; 16. Call for dishes; 17. Going for; 18. Unspoken language; 19. Not in the dark; 20. Scent; 22. River that meets the Thames at London; 23. Very hot star; 25. Insuating; 26. No walk in the park; 27. Players that replaced Minis; 29. Base pay recipient?: Abbr.; 30. Title holder; 31. Pitcher Orlando Hernandez’s nickname; 33. Undercover Playboy bunny of 1963; 35. Continuous series; 36. Lost” Emmy nominee Henry IAN Cusick; 37. Sans strife; 41. Brak, as a habit; 44. Started; 45. LON Morris College, in Jacksonville, Tex.; 47. Electric guitar model, familiarly; 48. Mind; 49. Praise for Nero?; 51. Bygone boomers; 52. Gate info: Abbr.; 53. Bebe who co-starred in “The Maltese Falcon,” 1931; 55. Act on a primal urge; 56. “Krapp’s Last Tape” playwright; 58. Chew out; 60. Be postponed; 61. Dweller along Lake Volta. That last is a Ghanaian, but in this crossword it’s a GHANIAN.
Down: 2. Not perfectly round; 3. Come back; 4. Major downer?; 5. Money-changer’s profit; 6. Splits; 7.
W.W. I battle locale near the Belgian border; 8. Hoedown moves; 9. It may be received after sweeping; 10. Sedative target, with “the”; 11. Beltway fig.; 12. Longtime columnist for The Nation; 13. Phone system starting point; 21. Pro wrestler Flair; 24. “Walk on the Wild Side” singer; 26. Upright relatives; 28. Platoon part; 30. They make lasting impressions; 32. Family moniker; 34. Roofing material; 38. Legalese adverb; 39. Like some navels; 40. Hyundai model; 41. Bear; 42. First name in late-night talk, once; 43. Automatic sound; 46. Reponse affirmative; 49. Round midnight?; 50. Root of law; 53. Band that famously remade “Satisfaction” on its first album; 54. Work to help one get 57-Down; 57. See 54-Down; 59. Night spot.
Don’t forget -- Spring forward!
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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games
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