Perseus and Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini, 1554
In Greek mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon. She had hair of snakes and turned all who looked at her to stone. Perseus beheaded Medusa with the aid of a reflection in the polished bronze surface of his shield to avoid her deadly gaze.
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Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski, edited by Will Shortz
TURN TO STONE (61A. Petrify … or what five alternating words in 17-, 23-, 29-, 43- and 50-Across can do?), MENTAL NOTES (17A. Unwritten reminders), SETON HALL (23A. The Pirates of the N.C.A.A.), THE ONSET (29A. Robert Frost poem about a snowfall), STENO PAD (43A. It may have wire binding) and FALL TONES (50A. Oranges, reds and golds) are the interrelated group of this rock-solid Wednesday crossword.
Other — ATE UP A STORM (14A. Gorged, gorged and gorged some more, informally), EAT (42D. Break a fast), TEA (62D. Reason for a service break at Wimbledon?), and PEPPERONI (33D. Alternative to mushroom or sausage), along with IN A TRANCE (34D. Spellbound), LENT AN EAR (3D. Was a sounding board) and STEAMSHIP (2D. The Titanic, for one).
Mid-size — ARE TOO (9D. Playground retort), AUDIO and AUTOS, BUS MAP (5A. Urban commuter’s aid), CHRONO (21D. Time: Prefix), EASY A’S (66A. Undemanding courses), EENSY, FRIZZ, I WILL, KORUNA (46D. Czech currency), L-DOPA, MOTETS (8D. Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” and others), NUDIST (44D. One with no tan lines), OATER, OLE OLE (30D. Enthusiastic flamenco cry), PARTON (15D. Dolly who sang “9 to 5”), REGAL, SAMOA, SATORI (19A. Zen enlightenment), SNARES (47D. Some drums), SPREE, STOLE, TIARAS (58A. Pageant crowns), TOPIC, WEDGY.
Short stuff — AWE, BALI, CADS, COLA, DIAL, DOER, GTOS, IAMS, I DO, ISLA, LET (20A. Wimbledon do-over), MAST, MIG, NENA, NUT, OAKS, OSU, “My OWN Private Idaho,” 1991 film, PMS and PTS, RAE, RIEN, RUDE, SEEN and SNEE, SIR, SOUR, SSN, STDS, TOE, TONS, USN, WSW, YES, ZIP and ZOA.
“The television, that insidious beast, that Medusa which freezes a billion people to stone every night, staring fixedly, that Siren which called and sang and promised so much and gave, after all, so little.” — Ray Bradbury
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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.
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Remaining clues — ACROSS: 1. Part of un archipielago; 11. “My dear ___”; 16. Blow away; 18. “Top Gun” target; 21. RC, e.g.; 22. Sail support; 25. ID entered on every I.R.S. form; 28. Lip-puckering; 32. Anything to talk about; 36. Clock face; 37. Shaped like pizza slices; 40. “99 Luftballons” band, 1984; 41. Shopaholic’s indulgence; 45. Trees loved by squirrels; 48. Sch. In Columbus; 49. Halves of qts.; 54. Busy bee; 56. Impolite; 57. Comic Charlotte; 60. Swearing-in phrase; 63. Number after many a state postal abbr.; 65. Taxonomy suffix; 67. Nothing, in Nantes. DOWN: 1. Big name in pet food; 4. Road runners; 5. Neighbor of Java; 6. Dept. of Defense branch; 7. Embezzled, e.g.; 10. Residents of 10 Downing St.; 11. Part of the U.S. south of the Equator; 12. Volunteer’s cry; 13. Fit for the throne; 23. Dagger in “The Mikado”; 24. Fanatic; 25. Norms: Abbr.; 27. Egypt-to-Niger dir.; 31. N.F.L. stats; 35. Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am types; 38. 1960s band with a car-related name, with “the”; 39. “Sounds good!”; 50. Humid day hair problem; 51. It’s mastered in a studio; 52. Rx for Parkinson’s; 53. Minuscule, informally; 55. Western, in slang; 58. Oceans; 59. Viewed; 61. Stiff ballet shoe part.
