The Puzzler
by Emily Cox and henry Rathvon
What’s in the Box?
The diagram includes five boxes enclosed by heavy bars. Clue answers do not cross these boxes. But if you knew the single letter occupying each box, you’d find that a word does cross each one in the finished diagram; these five words may read up. down, left, right, or diagonally in any direction (“word-search" style). When you have discovered these words (which have something in common), and thus determined the five boxed letters, you can anagram those five letters into a word that answers our title’s question. There are three proper nouns among clue answers, and a less-than-common word at 15 Across,
The solution to last month’s Puzzler appears on page 133.
Across
1. Among dukes, count followers ot fashion (8)
7. Hit hard with belt (5)
11. A fool eating red kind of squash (5) 12. Half-thrilled about Edom’s
reference books (8) l3. Family members on mom’s side following school assemblies (7)
15. Part of chapter Alcott’s ill-equipped to take off? (7)
l6. Topless ushers in diners (6)
18. A runner of errands accepts many years in serfdom (7)
19. Chief of security has a lapse of attention while carrying round fasteners of locks (6)
20. Leading lady’s bobtailed horse (6) 22. Mt. Seir crumbles into deserts (6)
25. How heartlessly dividing pie can make you cross (6)
30. Name pieces on a gameboard I positioned in style (7)
31. By river’s edge, fish-catcher in rocker(6)
32. Stupidly, I will get plenty drunk (7)
33. One receipt in Washington city (7)
34. Take a little something negative and make RI political event (8)
35. Note held by bird in pen? (5) (two words)
36. Prophet going around with seamstress? (5)
37. The guy enthralled by Conservatives’ ideas (8)
Down
1. Someone likely to shed a lot of pounds in a briefer time span (6)
2. Actress Sharon, after great pilot film (7)
3. Ducks down before debauched characters (6)
4. One after another, serve as apprentices in audition (6) (two words)
5. Family member raised no small cats, dogs, or hamsters (7)
6. Five hundred of the Romans, with swords uplifted, infiltrated (6)
8. Big fight about Ken Kesey’s second rouser(7)
9. Get air recirculated in emergency ward system (6)
10. Like a narrow dress or slip she tailored (7)
14. Doctor can rail about the skullbone (7)
17. Shade’s covering Homer’s chairs (7)
20. North Africans laugh over little bugs (7)
21. Go more quickly than a coupe convertible, taking first of turns (7)
22. Cord of twisted strands left in sea (7)
23. Front of tiny little neckwear for an animated character (7)
24. See about scratch that’s deteriorated with time (6)
26. Stop or crash into fencing over the hill (6) (two words)
27. Some screech owls bounce back again? (6)
28. Rope trick’s first number? (6)
29. After end of racing, horse’s pained expressions (6)
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 art addressed, stamped long envelope to The Atlantic Puzzler, 745 Boylston Street. Boston, Mass. 021 16,
ANSWERS TO THE NOVEMBER PUZZLER
“Keyholes”
Across. 1. S(CRAP)PYI, BRAHM(S) + A 2. (SIAMPLER 3. IN-GROUP(anang); PO(N)DS 4. DO(P1N)G: RASCAL (anag.) 5. WELL (double def.): BED + ROOM (rev. 6. HOSED (anag.); S(AVE)D 7. DAlSES (anag.)Z GE(R)M 8. P + INTER: SPARS(e) 9. PIT + A (rev.); SEL(f) + LOUT l0. KAR(A)TS; ll. RO: + ()s; HAYSEEDZ (anag.) Down. I. SA(I)D: HOP(P)ER 2. CAN(O)E; DID + O 3. PLAITED ( hidden pcriphcmlly) 4. A(PR)IL; SINE (homophone) 5. P(ON)IES: TA(C)O 6. PLUG (rev.): DE + S(a)KS 7. P + RI-ZFFR 8. BRA(D)S;. s + ERA 9. REPS (double def.); REPL(A)Y 10. CO + CO + A; GALS (rev.) 11. H(AN)OER 12. MA + DAM: RUSE (homophone) 13. A + IS LED; STUD (double def.)