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Puzzle #52– September 2005  "Rise and Fall"

Instructions: Guess the words defined by the cryptic clues (words vary in length from three to twelve letters and include five proper names and one foreign word), 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; down words that don't end at the bottom margin continue in the next column. Eleven across words won't fit in the grid unless one of their letters is omitted. Those eleven letters, taken in order, spell a three-word phrase describing the appearance of certain words in the grid. As ever, I am indebted 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. Mostly real insect is a shirker
  2. "Permanent" ice melted for lack of self-restraint
  3. Started smoking pack to impress
  4. Strip of carton left in path
  5. End of story recited
  6. Punch dough
  7. Agency's core pledge is to get involved
  8. Fruit on ice has what refreshes
  9. Celebrity, wasting time, eats fish
  10. One Roman embracing an emperor
  11. Plead endlessly with Mark for candy
  12. Inverted part of abstract painting
  13. A lot of cover left out
  14. Ancient and resplendent without cap
  15. Love to be in mud making a pattern
  16. Anarchist Nicola's back in moccasins
  17. Add error to injury, getting cake
  18. Presidents concealing depression
  19. Turf turned for hispanic two
  20. Brother featured in film on kinship
  21. A rope is untied in a theater
  22. Stew a dog before the German
  23. Range bird ingests head of newt
  24. Start training in Paris with a new supporter

Down

  1. Half-pints beheaded doxy and parvenu
  2. See about equal status at divorce
  3. Arabian grass known only to a few
  4. Black bottom fish grabs tail of swan
  5. Fish grill
  6. Cut, rent, broken chain
  7. Name of man with fifty in hard currency
  8. Returning missile with alien quartet
  9. Murmuring fondly about love, initially feeling less ardent
  10. Run from degenerate Paris, where Galileo lived
  11. Man embraces English playwright
  12. Burmese tribesman secures humble dwellings
  13. Jones's unit
  14. Point of story about tritium being deadly
  15. Stepped back around fellow lying asleep
  16. Drop meter holding back pace
  17. Total collapse of ten leads to fury
  18. Spoil naughty child with mannerism
  19. Pinkerton's westward journey
  20. Curse of Sunday clothing
  21. Interminable jokes, etc. have a fall from grace

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