09.19.11 — ARRR!



Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, a 1718 painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris depicting the battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Robert Maynard in Ocracoke Bay. After a furious battle, Blackbeard was killed and his head was cut off, eventually being tied to the bowsprit of Maynard's ship, where it hung as proof of the infamous Blackbeard's death. Upon returning to his home port of Hampton, Maynard had Blackbeard's head placed on a stake near the mouth of the Hampton River as a warning to other pirates.

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Puzzle by Julian Lim / Edited by Will Shortz

TALK LIKE A / PIRATE DAY (27A. With 44-Across, annual celebration on 9/19), DAVY JONES LOCKER (17A. Where plank-walkers end up on 27-/44-Across), SHIVER ME TIMBERS (57A. “I don’t believe it!,“ on 27-/44-Across), ARRR (1A. Common interjection on 27-/44-Across), AHOY (65A. Hello, on 27-/44-Across), AVAST (25A. “Hold it!,” on 27-/44-Across) and BOOTY (46A. Treasure on 27-/44-Across) constitute the interrelated group of this merry Monday crossword.

Capt. Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, became feared as he plundered the coasts of the West Indies, North Carolina and Virginia. His hair is woven with flaming fuses to increase his fearsome appearance. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — Pirates Who's Who.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1996 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy), of Albany, Oregon, who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. For example, an observer of this holiday would greet friends not with "Hello," but with "Ahoy, matey!" The holiday, and its observance, springs from a romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy. The holiday is a major observance in the religion of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. More on Wikipedia, HERE. For the talk, HERE.


Other — BASSOON (36A. Deep-toned woodwind), CLOSE IN ON (5D. Get near to), LOSE NO TIME (29D. Take immediate steps), MEDALLION (34D. Award hung on a chain or ribbon), OVERSEE (7D. Be a foreman of), PENGUIN (38A. Bird in a “tuxedo”), PINK EYE (41D. Ocular inflammation also known as conjunctivitis), POKE AROUND (10D. Do some investigating).

Mid-size — ANKLE, BASIN, DEMON (40A. Malevolent spirit), IRISES, KISMET (30D. Destiny), LAA-LAA (52A. Playmate of Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Po), “It’s the LEAST I can do“, LOVES, Gog and MAGOG, OCHRE, OMAHAN, OOCYTE (37D. Immature egg cell), PACMAN, PESETA, POEMS, SAY SO, STRUT, VEGGIE.

Short stuff — ABBA, ACT, AKIN, “I’ve fallen .. AND I can‘t get up!”, APPS, ARC and ARCO, ASHY, ATAD, ATOI, BACH, CROP, EMU, GIGA, HER, INGA,IRMA la Douce“, IRS, JELL, LEAH, NAY (39D. Aye‘s opposite), NEC, NEET, NEON, NIE, NOAH, PAD, PARK, RAVI, REAM, RHYS, ROAR, RON, ROOT, SLAT, TAB, TEAM, TICK, TSO, VAT.

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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: 5. Corn, wheat or soybeans; 9. Mobile downloadable; 13. Ark builder; 14. Amours; 16. Underground part of a plant; 20. Often-purple flowers; 21. 500 sheets; 22. Big bird Down Under; 31. That woman; 32. Yours, in Tours; 33. Never, in Nuremberg; 34. Gog and ___ (enemies of God, in Revelation); 36. Deep-toned woodwind; 41. Cushion; 42. Actress Swenson of “Benson”; 43. Asian electronics giant; 48. Sometimes-sprained joint; 49. Pretend; 50. Watch sound; 61. Ultimate authority; 62. “The Art of Fugue” composer; 63. Onetime competitor of Nair; 64. Glowing gas. — DOWN: 2. Surf sound; 3. Sitar player Shankar; 4. John ___-Davies of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy; 6. Harry Potter’s best friend; 8. Onetime money in Spain; 9. Curve; 11. Sonnets and haikus; 12. Peacock’s walk; 15. 1970s radical org.; 18. Set, as mousse; 19. Resident of Nebraska’s largest city; 24. Related (to); 26. ___ burger (meatless dish); 27. Key on the far left of a keyboard; 28. Not much; 35. Prefix with byte; 38. The “P” or PRNDL; 44. Dot-chomping character in a classic arcade game; 45. What there’s no “I” in; 46. Place to wash up; 47. Autumn hue; 51. 1040 org.; 53. “Mamma Mia” GROUP; 54. Jacob’s first wife; 55. California-based oil giant; 56. Like a used barbecue pit; 58. Winery container; 59. General on a Chinese menu.

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