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Sorrowful 1954 Patti Page hit / WED 10-15-14 / Drifter of literature / Potent...
Constructor: David PooleRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: CHUCK BERRY (56A: One of the original Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, whose name is a hint to the answers to the four starred clues) —...
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Edomite patriarch / THU 10-16-14 / Pacific Surfliner operator / Trevelyan...
Constructor: John FarmerRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: REPEAT (69A: What three-letter words do in five answers in this puzzle) —Theme answers:WHOOPIE [PIE]S (18A: Cream-filled chocolate...
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Olympian troublemaker / FRI 10-17-14 / 2007 satirical bestseller / Town at...
Constructor: Michael AshleyRelative difficulty: Medium (maybe leaning toward "Medium-Challenging")THEME: noneWord of the Day: Paul DIRAC (49A: Paul who pioneered in quantum mechanics) — Paul Adrien...
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Strong ale in British lingo / SAT 10-18-14 / Kvass component / Gomer's...
Constructor: Evan BirnholzRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: noneWord of the Day: Kvass (43D: Kvass component => RYE) — Kvass is a fermented beverage made from black or regular rye bread. The colour...
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Pygmalion's beloved / SUN 10-19-14 / Soprano Licia singer at Met for 26 years...
Constructor: David Phillips Relative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME:"Why Not?" — in familiar phrases, words w/ a terminal (or near-terminal) "Y" are changed to homophones that don't have "Y," creating...
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John who won 1964 Heisman Trophy / MON 10-20-14 / Gulager of McQ / Time...
Constructor: Patrick BlindauerRelative difficulty: Medium (leaning slightly toward the Challenging side of the Monday spectrum)THEME: time keeps on slipping slipping slipping … — actually, that's a...
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Actress Donovan of Clueless / TUE 10-21-14 / Kristoff's reindeer in Frozen /...
Constructor: Patrick BlindauerRelative difficulty: Challenging (*for a Tuesday*)THEME: [TIME]— that's the clue for three long answers; the answers are all definitions of TIME.Theme answers:MARATHONER'S...
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Actor Gerard of Buck Rogers / WED 10-22-14 / Mikado maiden / 007 film of 1981...
Constructor: Patrick BlindauerRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME: smiley face — Black squares in the grid form a smiley face / jack o' lantern image. A few of the Across answers relate to...
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Tabasco turnover / THU 10-23-14 / Michael of Weekend Update / Brewster...
Constructor: Patrick BlindauerRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: [Times Square]— there are four "squares" made out of the word TIME—actually, each "square" is made out of two TIMEs running...
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Title carpenter of 1859 novel / FRI 10-24-14 / Flowering plant named for...
Constructor: Patrick BlindauerRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: none— I mean, none on its own. There is, of course, the meta:Word of the Day: Richard March HOE (25A: Richard March ___ (inventor of...
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1977 PBS sensation / SAT 10-25-14 / Trumpeter Jones / Musical partner of DJ...
Constructor: Patrick BlindauerRelative difficulty: Medium[In lieu of a finished grid, please accept this picture of my dog balancing a cupcake on her head.]THEME: none, except, you know, the METAWord...
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Unusual diacritic used in Portuguese / SUN 10-26-14 / Lila Oscar winner for...
Constructor: Caleb EmmonsRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME:"Winners' Circle" — Puzzle note:So the letters spell out CHAMPION or DEFEATED depending on whether you enter the winners' or the...
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META-CHALLENGE SOLUTION
Here you go:THEME: X MARKS THE SPOT / ALPHANUMERICS— if you take all the Xs in all the grids from the past week, in order, and change each one to a letter of the alphabet based on the number that's in...
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Eleniak of Baywatch / MON 10-27-14 / Long-running western anthology /...
Constructor: Stanley NewmanRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: DVD RECORDER (53A: TV hookup option … or what you are by solving this puzzle?)— two answers have "DVD" as their initials:Theme...
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First anti-AIDS drug / TUE 10-28-14 / Golden Horde members / Company that...
Constructor: Andrea Carla MichaelsRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: NBA (48A: Org. whose only members with non plural names appear at the ends of 17-, 25-, 41- and 56-Across)Theme answers:ALL THAT...
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Longtime Prego slogan / WED 10-29-14 / State that borders Bangladesh / Bach...
Constructor: Elizabeth C. GorskiRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME:"IT'S IN THERE" (54A: Longtime Prego slogan … with a hint to the answers to the five starred clues) — "IT'S" is...
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Nonhuman singer of 1958 #1 song / THU 10-30-14 / Like liquor in Ogden Nash...
Constructor: David WoolfRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME: CHIP— CHIP rebus, in a grid shaped like a poker chip.Word of the Day: PINEAL (23D: Kind of gland) — The pineal gland, also known as...
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Actor with line Rick Rick help me / FRI 10-31-14 / Topping for skewered meat...
Constructor: Mary Lou Guizzo and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: none except a vaguely spooky Halloweenish vibe created by the two "Cask of Amontillado"-related answers near the grid...
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Academica author / SAT 11-1-14 / 1979 comedy set at Camp North Star / Husband...
Constructor: Trip PayneRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: COVERT OPERATIONS— That's the title this puzzle was *designed* to have. Also, blurb was to have read: "No one said there was going to be math!"...
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Chaplin of Game of Thrones / SUN 11-2-14 / James Joyce's Ulysses per 1921...
Constructor: Brendan Emmett QuigleyRelative difficulty: Medium-ChallengingTHEME:"BP Station"— words in common phrases have their initial "B" changed to an initial "P," resulting in wackiness:Theme...
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