The Puzzler

By Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

WRAP SESSION

Each clue a-l defines two words, one of which must have its wrapping (first and last letters) removed to produce the other.

For example, the clue “Saying a dog’s name (7,5)“ would lead to the answers PROVERB and ROVER. (Either the longer or the shorter word may be defined first in the clue.) The 12 unwrapped words are to be entered in the diagram, with Acrosses and Downs serving as guides. But don’t throw away those 24 wrapping letters; reuse them, one per blank below, to work out a cryptic clue for the diagram’s central entry. Beneath each blank is the label of the clue (a-l) from which a wrapping letter is taken. Diagram entries include 8 proper nouns and a foreign word.

See page 133 for Puzzler contest details. The solution to last month s Puzzler appears on page 149.

WRAPPED & UNWRAPPED

a. Arab country (7,5)

b. Flemish town tree (7,5)

c. Protectively cover a tract of wasteland (7,5)

d. Most oppressive period of Reaganism (10,8)

e. Associate term of beginners? (7,5)

f. Not disposed to favor a bug (6,4)

g. Right line (6,4)

h. What a speechmaker gives proportion (7,5)

i. flower of the Orient (7,5)

j. Measure of a current meddler (8,6)

k. Immortal gas supplier (7,5)

L. Fluff part of a column (6,4)

ACROSS _

l. Designers foul place in front of registers (8)

9. Talks about a means of restraint (6)

10. Verse including Roethke’s first preface (5)

11. Bit of oil flowed in Algerian port (4)

12. Skinniest bum lies in men’s group (8)

13. Agitates about a flight? (6)

14. Kitty returned part of Stacy’s supper (8)

20. French darling is nouveau riche? (5)

22. Certain about ring, child is regarding part of the ear (8)

24. Canadian traveling on a train (8)

25. Sent back one new month’s magazine (4)

26. French painter’s pigment applied (5)

27. Hot sweet bread with the middle cut out(6)

DOWN

1. After school, pens news stories (6)

2. By speaking, made a cast (7)

3. Popular ballad’s decorative section (5)

4. Thanks, having to wander earth (5)

5. Jerky resort with incomplete staff (7)

6. Roused a Rhode Island senator (6)

7. Fly circles head of lady under the sun (5)

8. Young Gene ate bananas (7)

15. Rod rearranged “Respect” (7)

16. British miler swallowing murderer’s drug (7)

17. Peg taking shower with apprentice (7)

18. Class in back with explosives (6)

19. Building remains beneath black bears (6)

21. Where a den accommodates a novelist (5)

23. Cheer word’s fundamental part (4)

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, scamped envelope to The Atlantic Puzzler. 745 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02116.

Answers to the November Puzzler

“CENTERPIECE”

Central Across letters spell TALIKING TURKEY Across. 1. R-1-GEL (rev.) 2. C-ATC-H (act anag.) 3. SP-ARK 4. FIL(m)-C-H 5. IR(K)ED (anag. + k) 6. MO(I)RE 7. PI(N)TS 8. Mooss(e) 9. ALGER (anag.) 10. MA-NET (rev.) 11. (In) DIANA 12. L(U)-L-L 13. KIT(E)S 14. C-LUED (C + anag.) 15. HORA-E. 16. LA(K)ER (real rev.) 17. A-DDS 18. D(U)RESS 19. H-AYES 20. R-ENDS Down. a. A-S(T)OUND b. CASTLES(s) c. CHIL(LE)D (el rev.) d. CUR(FEW)S e. D(IT)HRES (shred anag.) f. E-LEA(NO)R g. EMERALD (anag.) h. FELU-C-CA ( fuel a nag.) i, GARB-AGE j. HUM-BLED k. HUM(ID)OR I. ICEFLOE (anag. + C) m. I-VAN-HOE n. IWO(JIM)A (Iowa anag.) o. KLATS-CH (stalk rev.) p. LAP-L-AT-A q. PR(O-X)IES r. RAN GOON s. REMODEL (anag.) t. R-US-SETS u. SNO(OK)ER (Reno’s anag.)