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Puzzle #71–April 2007  "Unstrung"

Instructions: Guess the words defined by the cryptic clues (words vary in length from three to twelve letters and include seven capitalized words, one foreign phrase, and one regional spelling), then enter them in the grid one after another in the same order as their clues, starting in the upper left corner. Across words that don't end at the right continue on the next row, and down words that don't end at the bottom continue in the next column. Nine across words and eight down words won't fit in the grid unless one of their letters is removed. Those seventeen letters, taken in order, spell a three-word phrase related to the mystery entries. In the correctly completed grid, two squares contain more than one letter. I thank Kevin Wald for help with the clues. (If you are having trouble printing these puzzles, you can download an Adobe Acrobat version of the puzzle and grid). [Want to see some hints?]

Across

  1. Mystery entry
  2. Clan adopts one French champion
  3. Look endlessly for the sun, maybe
  4. Herb carried about a thousand
  5. Talk about wood for window framing
  6. Salinger eats fish
  7. Ronald enterprisingly has a way to cook pasta
  8. Ronald's tanager, beheaded and roasted
  9. Great regal imbroglio
  10. Lean, topless, and hot to trot
  11. Short throw
  12. Announces a pressure reversal
  13. Operations leader to run airport
  14. Felt tipsy holding back secretion
  15. King takes lanthanum to ease the tension
  16. Harbor town game is announced
  17. Fish locale is reported
  18. Police officer in division keeps quiet
  19. Shot every bird
  20. Huff and puff about period show
  21. Lesser tsar shelters revolutionary force
  22. Mystery entry
    23.

Down

  1. Mystery entry
  2. Small animal's head keeping almost alive in a watery secretion
  3. Singular bird I released left in a storm
  4. The unfinished contest for Balkan land
  5. Weld, unsteady, awkwardly drops note
  6. Former tree destroyed in Devon Town
  7. Jacob's son was here inside
  8. Dream of unbridled praise
  9. Unraveling a string's measurements
  10. Lucky Sophie has brought back a bouquet
  11. Not crazy about true rock in Scotland
  12. Latest opinion about bar
  13. Return to sum up a horse
  14. Agree they will have to meet
  15. Jumped up and smashed plate
  16. Cry of animal left in defeat
  17. Starting long, lively cheer for libertine
  18. Excited Tiger with a way to sort things out
  19. Cut tapes up for partitions
  20. Fruit order sounded excellent
  21. Labor longer with fiber
  22. Miser wickedly daring to hoard $1000
  23. Mystery entry

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