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Puzzle #12--May 2002 "Treasure Hunt"

Instructions: Guess the words defined by the cryptic clues (words vary in length from four to nine letters), then enter them in the grid one after another in the same order as their clues, starting in the upper left corner but skipping the centermost square. If a word doesn't end at that square it straddles it. As always, across words that don't end at the right margin continue on the next line below, and down words that don't end at the bottom margin continue in the next column to the right. Six across words and seven down words won't fit in the grid unless one of their letters is removed. Those thirteen letters, taken in order, spell a four-word phrase that will tell you what letter belongs in the centermost square. Answers include five proper names and one foreign word. 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. Muscle worked sore carrying ten twice
  2. Tear around, arrive around start of meeting, advise
  3. Imagine tide breaking around mid-year
  4. Bush's head straining under load
  5. Butterfly officer
  6. Howl about two grand getting loose
  7. Descartes's first in squareness
  8. California village gets a candy
  9. Vessel in front oven
  10. Well informed group in distress
  11. Tide loss surrounding island
  12. Distribute gold in luminous trail
  13. King, priestess start dancing
  14. Stand-in has energetic start with O2
  15. Gathers back talk, interrupting results
  16. Dumb girl, wrong road
  17. Mom, so to speak, deceives network
  18. Express desire for habit
  19. Evil end of term put in order
  20. Share quiet karate scuffling
  21. Obtuse--needs reforming

Down

  1. Raise spirits about letter model
  2. Break-away runner giving up right for left
  3. Hear sweeper in fog
  4. Put out without page finish
  5. Hapless Sherpa totes 1000 baskets
  6. Pale penny rod
  7. Discharge excellent feat
  8. Scent of blood oranges
  9. Solitary hit
  10. Time confining unknown part of gene
  11. Trifle about returning ad now
  12. Loud hearing in lobby
  13. Leading performer's schooling eyed
  14. Name of woman badly hurt
  15. Arrived at right-angle room
  16. Gallic sea of waste matter
  17. Author consumes nutty ointment
  18. Smith is leaner without head start
  19. Macho meal cooked
  20. Grain of rice realigned
  21. Zero melting point alternative
  22. Cabot returns company plant
  23. Funeral lament baleful about godhead

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