Puzzle No. 3257

Puzzle No. 3257

And don’t miss Kosman and Picciotto’s crossword blog, Word Salad.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Click HERE to download a printable PDF of this puzzle.
And don’t miss Kosman and Picciotto’s crossword blog, Word Salad.
ACROSS
 1 See 2 if confused about final two parts of clues (7)
 5 Filthy locale outside university, very loud and poorly ventilated (6)
 8 “Goodbye, trouble!” is heard (5)
 9 Places where animals graze in unadulterated delight (8)
11 Will examine last word at end of fight (9)
12 Benjamin’s half—it alternates with the second half of 5 across (5)
13 and 10 downThis hint to four words hidden within this puzzle’s entries was not uttered by a discoverer of DNA, nor by a master decipherer of clues (10,2,4,6)
16 A monster, and therefore repulsed (4)
18 Part of church: section of cheap seats (4)
19 Ocean bird harassed hat wearers (10)
23 Hipster’s comeback: it is implied (5)
24 Creatively recook rap to produce a kind of musical (4,5)
26 Monkeys with computer get a question half-written (8)
27Times-edited articles (5)
28 and 15 downPrehistoric boast about ravaged zone at onset of epoch (6-3)
29 I agree to equip hothead and heavyweight (5,2)
 
DOWN
 1 Sexist metaphor: he wants “a pert bombshell” (4,3,5)
 2 Ties at first, then victories for baseball team (5)
 3 Erudite fellow getting up to embrace actress Blanchett (8)
 4 Sage’s torn panties (7)
 5 Irrationally respect symbol of authority (7)
 6 Dangerous snafu disrupted beginning of enterprise (6)
 7 Wood cube securing front of fortress in skirmish (9)
10 See 13 across
14 Spooner’s tacky first-born gets a comfy seat (4,5)
15 See 28 across
17 Go back and forth around noon—starting a little late, feeling faint (8)
20 I hear the lady’s outfit is covered with hair (7)
21 Emile Zola, famously: “California brought up dreadful curse” (7)
22 Injury is a feature of rigorous training (6)
25 Former tennis champion is upset (5)

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3256

 
ACROSS 1 anag. 4 S(MIDGE)N 8 rev. 9 BA[ck] 10 THOR + N 11 OF FENDERS 12 “gallop, pole” 14 hidden 17 MA(K)E 18 ART I CU[r/L]ATE 20 B(L)ACK + L + UNG (rev.) 21 PE(T)ER 23 SP(HERO)ID (dips rev.) 24 E + NAMEL[y] 25 LA(TEN)CY (net rev.) 26 N(OT)YET
DOWN 1 rev. 2 2 defs. 3 MERING(U)E (regimen anag.) 4 SCAF + FOLDING 5 IN + FA(N)T 6 G + UATEMALA (a lame tau rev.) 7 N + UKES 11 OP + PORT + UNITY 13 LIKE + AS + HOT 15 anag. 16 BUM PINTO 19 SKI(RU)N 20 2 defs. 22 hidden

Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth. 

The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more. 

But this journalism is possible only with your support.

This March, The Nation needs to raise $50,000 to ensure that we have the resources for reporting and analysis that sets the record straight and empowers people of conscience to organize. Will you donate today?

Ad Policy
x