The Puzzler

By Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

DEDUCTION

A dastardly deed has been done in one of the diagram’s nine rooms. The mystery can be solved by process of elimination: Eight clue answers must be entered with a letter dropped, each from a different room. Taken in their rooms’ order, from left to right and top to bottom, these eight letters will identify the weapon. The room that drops no letter is the scene of the crime. The perpetrator hides there, in the unchecked letters (those appearing in one answer only), again reading in the usual order. Finally, 11 clues’ definitions contain an extra letter. If these letters are removed to the blanks preceding the clue numbers, they’ll name the crime scene. Answers include three proper nouns.

The solution to last month’s Puzzler appears on page 122.

ACROSS

_ 1. Dance with South American business school graduate

_ 6. Ill-humored snake gripped by desire

_ 11. Show off first of Emmys won with hit (hyphenated)

_ 12. Disc placed around large ring

_ 13. Water taken at first with medicine for otitis?

_ 14. As an example, slug back party wine and dip

_ 15. Insufficient statue, alas, without head

_ 17. Try to deal with two animals going west

_ 18. In middle age, condition gets set for warts?

_ 20. Maintaining schedule, change flight instrument

_ 24. Possibly twill’s strength

_ 26. Favor keeping red element

_ 27. Don’t allow Dundee headwear for small fighters

_ 28. Shining silver-blue

_ 30. Hopis’ underground chambers

_ 31. Striking a blow, true monarch captures 100

_ 32. Double success in horseshoes

_ 33. Left in wasteland condition

_ 34. Long string stuck on back of note

DOWN

_ 1. Northwestern town without a square

_ 2. Gold appliance maker featured in commercial

_ 3. Designs spy group reversed, infiltrating plant

_ 4. Glance around block for spice

_ 5. Current tax collectors inside, at stack of papers

_ 7. Tell about a judge

_ 8. Question by relative sort of pries

_ 9. Turned around sacks for something to sit on

_ 10. Mobs of men surrounding Oregon Democrat

_ 16. State of being owed nothing but diamonds, accepting one

_ 18. Spinning halts if I slide back and forth

_ 19. Amphibians found in mists around river

_ 20. Take boy surprise treat: ham sub

_ 21. Whitman’s “Heart and Flower” sampler

_ 22. Oklahomans rejected help on the outskirts of Nevada city

_ 23. Hoop pulled back and forth

_ 25. End of short, relative boom

_ 26. Count one in foundation

_ 29. Look to leave mark

NOTE: The instructions above are for this month’s puzzle only. It is assumed that you know how to decipher clues. For a complete introduction to clue-solving, send an addressed, stamped envelope to The Atlantic Puzzler, 745 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02116.

Answers to the September Puzzler

“MITOSIS”

Across. 1. BINARY (anag.) 3. PONDER (pun) 5.ST(R)EAK 8. INFE(RIO)R 9. MULTISTAGE (anag.) 10. CH(E)ATS 11. E(ME)NDS 15. S(US-P)ECTS 17. A-VIA-TORS 19. S(T)RIA-TES (set airs rev.) 20. C(EL)LARET 21. S-HEARING 24. FOR-TUNES 27. R-EVERT 28. ALI-CIA 30. SL(UMBER)ING 32. EXEGESES (anag.) 33.P(R)OLES 34. DEN-IE-R 35. RETIRE (double def.) Down. 1. ARABIC (hidden) 2. IN-HER-ITS 3. P(RESIDENT)S 4. RUN-T 6.AGLITTER 7. R(IS-K)ED 12. EAST (anag.) 13. M(ORK)OVER 14. CARESS (pun) 16. C-ENSURES 18. S(TEAL)S 20. C(OVEN)ANTER 22. HO(R-RIB)LE 23. G-EAR 25. SLEETIER (anag.) 26. A-SLEEP (peels rev.) 29. AGEIST (anag.) 31. MIND (homophone)