You are here:   Home >  Previous Puzzles & Solutions [February 2003]        Click here to print this page print icon 

Puzzle #21--February 2003 "By the Horns"

Instructions: Guess the words defined by the cryptic clues (words vary in length from three to ten letters), 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 margin continue on the next line below; down words that don't end at the bottom margin continue in the next column to the right. Six across words and five down words won't fit in the grid unless one of their letters is removed. Those eleven letters, taken in order, spell a two-word phrase related to another two-word phrase hidden in the completed grid that solvers are invited to find. Answers include four proper names and one hyphenated word. As ever, I am grateful to 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. Surface vessel's speed around town
  2. Open at lunch irregularly
  3. Delete Times error
  4. Proclamation cited incorrectly
  5. Discordant noise envelops head of caged songbird
  6. Author Rorty's abomination
  7. Start casing a Chinese gambler's place
  8. Train with assistant football player
  9. Parrot with weight as a comedian
  10. Place for storing loose soil
  11. Free tempo, timeless verse
  12. Grand shelter gives joy
  13. Poisoned lure again causes pain
  14. Instrument breaking down in a mess
  15. Fail in credit, to be more precise
  16. Glutted and unhappy about starting to eat
  17. Also let off to play the flute
  18. Jack and king at center of church
  19. Campus announcement about Asian port
  20. Watched and heard what's on stage
  21. No charge for speech
  22. Credit with formerly starting trade agreement

Down

  1. See garlic mashed in profanation
  2. Religious raving due to inspiring verse
  3. Everything Spanish is a bother in English
  4. Not up to par as a result of stress?
  5. Initiate peaceful performance agreement
  6. Course in prep at Harvard
  7. Collars fashioned without a decoration
  8. Deviating route
  9. Packet's contents rearranged for cover
  10. Poke icky stuff with tips of spike
  11. Mostly dry southeastern spring
  12. Claiming one is very wet
  13. Journal of lactation
  14. Definitely having an egg
  15. Storm reported by highlander
  16. Smell reported by cons
  17. Sulfur by itself turning up in chemicals
  18. Save notes with prompting
  19. Get sharp in phonetics
  20. Crooked wakes
  21. Approve finish before rose wilts
  22. Residence said to have style
  23. Money left by a Gershwin
  24. Moment at home with small, bronze head of Tutankhamen

© Copyright 2001-2004. John de Cuevas. All rights reserved.