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Kennedy aide Sorensen / TUE 6-17-14 / Beginning end of Athena / Kabayaki fish...
Constructor: Zhouquin BurnikelRelative difficulty: Medium to Medium-Challenging (for a Tuesday)THEME: SILENT (69A: ___ movies (8-, 20-, 39- and 57-Across, in a way)— first letters of all the movies are...
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2001 best seller about competitive Scrabble / WED 6-18-14 / One-named singer...
Constructor: Amy JohnsonRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium THEME: BLANK TILE (58A: What you'd need to play 26-, 29-, 43- or 45-Across) — A Scrabble-related theme, where all the theme answers contain two...
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1/100 of Danish krone / THU 6-19-14 / Best-selling 2004 young adult novel...
Constructor: Timothy PolinRelative difficulty: Medium (took a little longer than normal, but it's a little bigger than normal, so …)THEME: TWENTY QUESTIONS (17A: Classic 1940s-'50s quiz show) — Twenty...
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Automaker Bugatti / FRI 6-20-14 / First stabber of Caesar / Business bigwig...
Constructor: Martin Ashwood-SmithRelative difficulty: ChallengingTHEME: noneWord of the Day: ST. AFFA (whoops, nope, that's one word: STAFFA) (40D: Scottish island that's home to Fingal's Cave) —...
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Onetime Toronado informally / SAT 6-21-14 / Cigar with clipped ends /...
Constructor: Brad Wilber and Byron WaldenRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: noneWord of the Day: W. C. Handy (22A: Handy talent? => BLUES) — William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28,...
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White-crested ducks / SUN 6-22-14 / Summer weather stat / 2014 for Doublemint...
Constructor: Elizabeth C. GorskiRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME:"Dime Store"— rebus puzzle where the "¢" sign (represented by an "I" in the Down and a "C" in the Across) must be written...
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MTV competitive reality show featuring children of pop stars / MON 6-23-14 /...
Constructor: Brendan Emmett QuigleyRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: YO-YO TRICKS (26D: what 5-, 7-, 10- and 15-Down all are) — all clued in non-yoyo-specific ways …Theme answers:ROCK THE CRADLE (5D:...
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Sleep state for electronic device / TUE 6-24-14 / SXSW festival setting /...
Constructor: Heather ValadezRelative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (*for a Tuesday*)THEME: COVERT OPERATION (40A: Secret military mission … or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle?) — circled...
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Nickname for filmdom's Lebowski / WED 6-25-14 / Woman in Wrinkle in Time /...
Constructor: Patrick MerrellRelative difficulty: Medium THEME: Wacky cluing of phrases that start with -LESS words — Three phrases, each beginning with words that end with the suffix "-LESS," are clued...
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Pulitzer winning biographer Leon / THU 6-26-14 / 2008 action thriller with...
Constructor: Pawel FludzinskiRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME: IN BED (40A: How breakfast may be served … or how the answers to the eight starred clues should be entered?) — starred clues...
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Ruined rose-red city of Jordan / FRI 6-27-14 / Weapons inspector Blix /...
Constructor: Peter A. CollinsRelative difficulty: Medium to Medium-ChallengingTHEME: noneWord of the Day: GIMEL (25A: Dreidel letter) — n.The third letter of the Hebrew alphabet. [Hebrew gîmel, of...
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2003 Billy Bob Thornton crime film / SAT 6-28-14 / Beer named for port on...
Constructor: Josh KnappRelative difficulty: Medium (leaning Easy)THEME: noneWord of the Day:"BAD SANTA" (27A: 2003 Billy Bob Thornton crime film) — Bad Santa is a 2003 American Christmas black comedy...
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1982 holiday country hit by Alabama / SUN 6-29-14 / Grammy-nominated 1998 hit...
Constructor: Byron WaldenRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME:"Downright Tricky!"— six theme answers travel down and then veer to the right; the reason is explained in the clue for EL CID...
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Theme music for TV's Dating Game / MON 6-30-14 / Dismissive term for chronic...
Constructor: Ed SessaRelative difficulty: Medium, leaning tougher than usual (3:09)THEME: FL-+— vowel sound progression, from long A to long U:Theme answers:BOBBY FLAY (17A: Celebrity chef and host of...
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Game similar to hide-and-seek / TUE 7-1-14 / Mass of crystallized magma /...
Constructor: Gary CeeRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: DON'T — songs that start with DON'T, at least a few of which you will have heard of:Theme answers:"DON'T BE CRUEL" (18A: Appeal from Elvis,...
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Kosygin of Russia / WED 7-2-14 / Honshu honorific / Often kicked comics...
Constructor: Jeff Chen and Dick ShlakmanRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: blanks blank blanks— verb phrases where some plural does something to some other plural and all three of the words in the...
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Half of hip-hop's Black Star / THU 7-3-14 / Female rapper with 2002 hit...
Constructor: Luke Vaughn Relative difficulty: ChallengingTHEME: MOUNT ST. HELENS (39A: It left part of itself in 11 states in 1980) — ASH from this volcano can be found all over the grid (in 11...
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Columbian Exposition engineer / FRI 7-4-14 / First-century governor of...
Constructor: Patrick BerryRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: noneWord of the Day: AGRICOLA (17A: First-century governor of Britain, whose name was Latin for "farmer") — Gnaeus Julius Agricola (June 13, 40...
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Broadway inspector / SAT 7-5-14 / Old Pokemon platform / Farm painter 1921 /...
Constructor: David SteinbergRelative difficulty: ChallengingTHEME: noneWord of the Day: Theodore BIKEL (13D: Theodore of "The African Queen") — Theodore Meir Bikel (born 2 May 1924) is an...
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Overlapping fugue motifs / SUN 7-6-14 / New World monkey / Star in Summer...
Constructor: Daniel C. BryantRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME:"Oh, Say…"— buncha facts about "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER" (65A: This puzzle's theme, whose first notes are indicated by shaded squares);...
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