The Atlantic | November 2003

Contents | November 2003

More Puzzlers from The Atlantic Monthly.

The Atlantic Monthly | November 2003

The Puzzler

Floor Plan

by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

.....

Here's the floor plan for our new place. The flat is filled by Across answers starting in the upper left and reading rightward in each row; a word not finished at the end of a row simply continues from the left in the next row down. The Across words are clued in order but without lengths shown. To help you get into the diagram, Keyword answers have their letters distributed to the numbered squares. Letters in unnumbered squares (which you are encouraged to circle for emphasis) identify the rooms. Answers include one proper name.

The instructions above are for this month's puzzle only. See a complete introduction to clue-solving.

See the solution to last month's Puzzler.

Across

1. Home having peak about checked for flaws

2. Talk with Ms. May, the lady of the manor

3. Medical practitioner's house, with round walkway

4. Commotion about a supporting post 5. Domestic drudge recalled in novel

6. Wood slab restorative of microscopic life

7. Set of stairs circling an arcing window

8. Safety rail repaired in unreliable stories (two words)

9. Altering average tapestry

10. Guys with gloves meet in back room

11. Fireside mug containing bit of toddy for sweetie

12. House pet keeps plain night spot

13. Got relaxed and cut the grass around extension

14. Mender of a sort renovated that spire

15. Audibly exhaled and drilled dining-room piece

16. Shrubbery tool for gardeners in the way

17. Call about name for room of lighting supplies

18. Farm kid with parent's first chest of drawers

19. Bent softer wood

20. Exercise in silent building of relics

Keywords

A. Depiction of beam in doorway (32, 86, 100, 48, 77, 10, 105, 68, 20)

B. Cellar appliance with jar in front (45, 113, 65, 11, 52, 25, 89)

C. Powdered gypsum covering one structural column (16, 47, 31, 5, 80, 64, 91, 69)

D. Tenants form a team in monthly payments (63, 28, 51, 83, 98, 72, 41, 17, 108)

E. Tossed big chair, so to speak (81, 44, 1, 92, 103, 53)

F. Large upper room with English trellis work (73, 19, 109, 8, 38, 94, 59)

G. Require the French spire (97, 29, 70, 6, 42, 107)

H. Room not on rocks (15, 40, 106, 79, 67, 23)

I. Did housework with Dee and you in Mexico (90, 21, 57, 35, 12, 76)

J. Believe swine about socket location (111, 93, 46, 30, 102, 13, 75)

K. Female attaching sheet metal around a chimney (3, 33, 96, 82, 18, 54, 26, 43)

L. VIP in a navy, or in water closet (39, 74, 58, 14, 2, 87, 66, 24, 50)

M. Engineer banged a strip of gauze (85, 49, 37, 27, 7, 56, 99)

N. Moor plants in niche at home (88, 4, 78, 60, 95)

O. Couple shell out money, reportedly for rug (71, 36, 110, 101, 62, 9)

P. Forewarning visitor, she occupies ruin (104, 34, 55, 22, 61, 112, 84)