01.27.11 — HO-HUM


The Sleeping Gypsy (La Bohémienne endormie) by Henri Rousseau, 1897

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Puzzle by Patrick Blindauer, edited by Will Shortz

This Thursday crossword utilizes the aural similarity of J and CH, exchanging same in four two-word phrases — DIRTY CHOKE (17A. Mean, illegal wrestling hold?), ORTHODOX CHEW (34A. Standard tobacco wad?), COURT CHESTER (43A. Woo President Arthur?) and BROAD CHUMP (63A. Fat fool?). Clever or amusing? HO HUM (36D. Yawn-inducing).

Other — BAY AREA (60A. Noted earthquake locale), FLOWERS (25D. Blooms), IN TENTHS (11D. How metric units are divided), ROUSSEAU (39D. “The Sleeping Gypsy” painter), STARCHES (12D. Stiffens, in a way), STREAKY (20A. Like poorly cleaned glasses), TUNA MELT (40D. Lunch counter order).

Mid-size — ATHOS, AUDIS, BADLY, ENCYC, ETHYL, JACKO, JERRY and PERRY, KAPOW, KATIE, LYNCH, MIDST, MSNBC, NBAER, OSAKA, PERUSE, RAKER, RISKY, SEEMTO, “Yes SIREE!”, SMART, SOLFA (24A. Musical syllable singing system), STEEL, UNITED, YASIR, YOWIE.

Short stuff — AHEM, ALEX, CERA, DEMI, EEK, ELY, ESSE, ESTO, ETTE, HOWE, HUN, INIT and INTL, Hip-hop’s LUPE Fiasco, MALL, MEET, MEOW, MMM, MOOR, MUSE and MUTE, NAPS, OCHO, OER, ORTO, POET, RHO, RISE, RHO, ROK, RTE, SOUR, STAY, TEE, THO, TYCO, YSER.

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Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.
Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Deliberate; 5. Rice wit three rings; 10. Prepare to sing an anthem; 14. Not out of the running; 15. One of a literary trio; 16. Part of I.M.F.: Abbr.; 19. Dog command; 21. One with a yard stick?; 23. Certain pipe joint; 27. “Dune” director; 29. Moore in entertainment news; 33. Granting that, briefly; 38. “___ take arms against …”; 41. “That really hurts!”; 42. In ___ (actual); 46. Pillager, maybe; 47. Go bad; 48. Piles; 51. Where Panasonic and Sanyo are headquartered; 53. It’s billed as “The Place for Politics”; 56. Clichéd cry; 58. Stylish; 62. Satisfy; 66. Landlocked land of Africa; 67. Coke is used for this; 58. “Salus populi suprema lex ___” (Missouri’s motto); 69. Speechless; 70. Clinton defense secretary William; 71. Copy cats. — DOWN: 1. Thick; 2. One way to stand; 4. Kitchen extension?; 5. Onetime tabloid nickname; 6. Kind of alcohol; 7. Euripides character?; 8. Seoul soldier; 9. River that begins in Nord; 10. Perilous; 13. Screen swinger Ron; 18. P.L.O.’s Arafat; 22. “Family Ties” son; 26. Q5 and Q7; 28. N.H.L. star nicknamed “Mr. Hockey”; 30. El Cid foe; 32. One with stressing work?; 35. Tickle Me Elmo manufacturer; 37. Michael of “Superbad”; 38. ___ Rios (Jamaican resort); 44. Bolshevik target; 45. Multivolume ref., usually; 49. Leaf through; 50. Appear that way; 52. ___ Bell, witch who was a fellow student of Harry Potter at Hogwarts; 54. Celt or Cav; 55. In the worst way; 57. [Bam!]; 59. Shortening used in recipes; 61. “Don’t you forget about me”; 62. “Yum!”; 64. U.S.P.S. abbr.; 65. Contraction that sounds like a conjunction.

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