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ACROSS
1 Like a small percentage of Beatles songs, I say (2,6)
5 Engrave X’s on train (6)
10 Admire Baroque scepter (7)
11 • Chicago squad • captures • alien (7)
12 This much is certain: Bundy the serial killer comes back around within range, with lethal weapons (5,3,5)
14 Star performer to lead one elderly relative (3,6)
16 Trick Georgia into a dance (5)
17 Seethed from expression of uncertainty in banking system (5)
19 Metaphorical jumping site of Spooner’s nosy supporter (6,3)
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21 One who hopes to marry a millionThompsone? (7,6)
25 Red lips belonging to prisoner (7)
26 Where to study a colony with a deranged frat man (3,4)
27 Willing to backpedal about grand musical style (6)
28 Extremely tired of standing in the rain, perhaps holding a sign (8)
DOWN
1 Totally unstimulated argument among a group of directors, we hear (5,5)
2 Old-fashioned fixture of poetry contest in space (3,4)
3 Caught some business expenses, including rent at first (9)
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4 Entered metal enthusiast’s exclamation (3,2)
6 Pair of librarians, going inside, spell “DNA,” say (5)
7 Don’t change this boy’s hat (7)
8 The Spanish toreador’s facade vanished (4)
9 Rewritten a bit: your passing notice? (8)
13 Roman adult vandalized a place for cleaning (10)
15 Well-to-do chap with no end of suffering after a loud illness (8)
16 Big bird carrying rough-cut wire, for instance (9)
18 Screwing up breakfast item? Good (7)
20 Angel, for example—the source of an eruption on the 6th of September in gym class (3,4)
22 A hint of recrimination in lieu of thanks for an aficionado of 27, possibly (5)
23 Delete Times editorial’s opening (5)
24 Behead statuette, leaving a mark (4)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3470
ACROSS 1 anag. (&lit.) 9 rev. hidden 10 UN-[it/TI]-E 11 HAL(V)E 12 STAN + DINGO 13 TH(RUST)ING 15 anag. 17 rev. hidden 19 anag. 21 INF([d]ORM)ANT 24 S + EI + KO (rev.) 26 H + ENNA (rev.) 27 IN + TUITION 28 letter bank
DOWN 1 S(T)ASH 2 OVERL([w]ORD)S (solver anag.) 3 MIT (rev.) + TENS (anag.) 4 DR(EG)S 5 NO(STAL + GI)C (con rev., last anag.) 6 anag. 7 S + ATIN (anag.) 8 TEN OR S-[i/A]-X 13 T(WIL[l])IGHT 14 I’M IT + ATIVE (rev.) 16 PET R-[a/I]-DISH 18 NIR(VAN)A (I ran anag.) 20 MISS + [l]ION 22 FUN + DS 23 TOTE + M 25 OW + NUP (rev.)
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).