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Puzzled? No more cross words! Read Kosman and Picciotto on “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Puzzles.” Or watch this video.
ACROSS
1 A bit of zesty sex with, um, a deer maybe? That’s almost certain to end badly for someone (4-3,4)
7 and 29 Invert the second number and letter—that is one way to look smart (3,3)
9 High-born snob lectures participant (5)
10 Vessel protecting North Carolina, formerly, with lack of interest (9)
11 Snarled: “Another Kennedy coming after $1,000” (7)
12 Fill with happiness and marvel at exquisite cargo (5)
14 Tailor names one measurement (6)
15 Tense about pros messing up travel document (8)
18 Satellite conveying a coach’s cookie (8)
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20 Someone harmed Victor and Timothy (6)
23 Excellent purse is ruined (5)
25 Small cut of meat infused with, for instance, liqueur (4,3)
27 Julia, a gangster in the early days (9)
28 Decapitate Venetian villain, leading to New York’s suffering (5)
29 See 7
30 Entire chain is broken? That’s what you get (11)
DOWN
1 “Heavy Metal”: possible name for Zorro’s company? (4)
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2 Criticizes Confederate instruments (7)
3 Large reptile, turning up like this, becomes gold and red (9)
4 In France, one breaks most wild horses (6)
5 Pastoral rainbow over a goddess, for the most part (8)
6 Pennsylvania city is home to no puppet (5)
7 Social gathering to raise Norwegian male cattle (7)
8 Triumph over exotic termite when it is cold (10)
13 Get lost, assuming I am heading from Toronto to Rochester with a pet (7,3)
16 Don’t start requesting something to keep you afloat for a surgical procedure (4,5)
17 Liquid sort of contains oxygen and hydrogen? Indeed (8)
19 Whim: Practice recklessly after time runs out (7)
21 Barb, claiming connection, is a second-rater (7)
22 Hits comparatively ancient receptacle (6)
24 Awesome sequel for Bones? (5)
26 Wealthy people embracing publicity (4)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3486
ACROSS 1 C + HANGED 5 E.G. + GNOG (rev.) 8 N(ARC)O (car anag.) 9 anag. 11 letter bank 12 LEN(T)O 13 INTERS + TATE 16 alternate letters 18 hidden (&lit.) 19 G(LITTER)AT + I (I + tag rev.) 23 EX + POS[t] 24 S(PUN)KIES + T 26 FLOUR-ISH 27 BI[ll] + SON 28 S(TR)ONG 29 P(ROB)ATE
DOWN 1 anag. 2 [p]AIRED 3 GE[n]OME + TRY 4 DA + TASE + T 5 EMINE[m] + NT 6 GANG + L + Y 7 O + O + LONG + TEA (anag.) 10 anag. 14 TES(TP)ILOT (toilets anag.) 15 hidden 17 PEEK (rev.) + A BOO[k] 20 2 defs. 21 T(OUCH)UP (put rev.) 22 P(SEUD)O (dues rev.) 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).