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Puzzle No. 3407

Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto

September 8, 2016

Click HERE to download a printable PDF of this puzzle.

ACROSS

 1 They are needed to be a surgeon, or a race-car driver? (4,5,6)

 9 Unsophisticated woman rebuilt engine around the middle of January (7)

10 Leadership of college taken in by inadequate teachers (7)

11 A job for a mechanic and a nanny: getting ripped (4,6)

12 Pleasant French city (4)

14 Cheap spies entrapped by cheer (2,4)

15 Arriving late, female relative keeps branch on the shelf (8)

18 A lunatic is crazy about ships (8)

20 Goose ranged freely for a look (6)

22 Audio equipment in front of Mamie Eisenhower (4)

23 Deaths as heavyweight boxer evens the score (10)

26 Comic actor’s Oscar on disc (7)

27 Taking Monday off in June, perhaps, I get busy (2,3,2)

28 I don’t care if its elements are reused—it’s recommended against (15)

DOWN

 1 Take a chance, cooking pilaf with mint (4,1,4)

 2 Denies source of nuclear energy before tech tycoon (7)

 3 Re: a million bucks for petroleum product (7,3)

 4 Jam that is set back outside (3-2)

 5 Hooligans in wild surf taking up one who’s wet behind the ears (8)

 6 Plutocrat’s soft drink, according to reports (4)

 7 Lounging and becoming hysterical online? (7)

 8 Literary fingerprint found in trusty lexicon (5)

13 Preachy claim: “Riots could be chaotic” (10)

16 A trio of unfinished symphonies, at the outset, embrace a beginning (9)

17 Deranged maniac covering Romeo’s shoulders with a certain feather? (8)

19 Obscure, corrupt nun accepts $1,000 right away (7)

21 Doctor! I have a tendency, initially, to steer toward… (5,2)

22 …Johnson’s buddy, capturing soldier (5)

24 Let it be heard! (5)

25 Mark second part of a train (4)

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3406

ACROSS 1 CONS + TELL + [n]ATION 9 R + EM(IX)ER (mere anag.) 10 P + RATTLE 11 STA(RED + E)C + ISIS (red rev.) 13 hidden 14 HE + CTOR (rev.) 15 anag. 18 B(L)ANKS + TARES 20 COST + ARI(C)A 24 2 defs. 26 TEAL EAVES 27 G(ANGST)A + RAP 28 DEL (rev.) + UDES (anag.) 30 anag.

DOWN 1 anag. 2 NO(MAD)IC (coin anag.) 3 & 29 T(AX)LAW (Walt rev.) 4 L(YR)IST 5 AP(POSIT)E 6 IM + AGE 7 NOT ABLE 8 HEADST (anag.) + ART 12 C + LOCK 16 [ant]ELOPE 18 BE(LUG)A 19 AMMO + N(I)A 21 IN + VADER 22 pun 23 DAS + TARD(L)Y 25 hidden

Joshua Kosman and Henri PicciottoJoshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto are The Nation’s puzzlers. To read more about Kosman, click here. To read more about Picciotto, click here. Kosman and Picciotto explain what they’re up to in “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Crosswords” (also available as a PDF). Check out The Nation’s Current Issue page each week for the latest puzzle.


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