The Atlantic Puzzler

By Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Answers to the June Puzzler, “ABECEDARIAN JIGSAW”

1. AN-A-PEST 2. ANTEDATE (Dante “headless” and “heartless”) 3. BULL-ETS 4. C-I-RCA 5. DOMINOS (anag.) 6. EX(er)CISE 7. FACING (double def.) 8. GUSSET (anag.) 9. HUD-DLE (led anag.) 10. “I’M IT”-ATE 11. INLETS (anag.) 12. (S)INNER 13. JENA (anag.) 14. JETTY (pun) 15. KLEE(nex) 16. L-IGNITE 17. ME(A)SURE (anag. + a) 18. MO(TT)O 19. NEVADA (ave rev. in and anag.) 20. NORTH (anag.) 21. NUTS-HELL 22. ODES (hidden) 23. OMELETTE (hidden) 24. PEARL (double def.) 25. PLACE (double def.) 26. QUAIL (double def.) 27. REEL (double def.) 28. SEMI(tic) 29. S(P)ECT-ER (re rev.) 30. STEM (hidden) 31. STUNT (double def.) 32. TOPICS (anag.) 33. TREPAN (anag.) 34. UNR(I)PE (anag. + i) 35. V-ARNISH (anag. + V) 36. WI-DTH 37. X-ENON (none rev.) 38. YACHT (th[e] cay rev.) 39. ZODIAC (ca-i-doz rev.) 40. ZWIE-BACK (zwei with ie rev.)

DROSSWORDS

Every clue contains at least one letter too many. These extra letters are totally irrelevant to the solution of the clues and, in this respect, should be disregarded. However, taken in the order in which they appear in the 42 clues, the superfluous letters compose an apt quote (of 48 letters, 13 words). In six clues, two superfluous letters occur—always next to each other. The name of the quote’s author will appear in the completed puzzle diagram, running diagonally from 1. Answers include two proper names and one German word. As always, remember that punctuation in the clues may be used deceptively.

ACROSS

1. Ghost loses tone in anger (5)

6. Put shoot-out in frontier (7)

11. Wiggling ears, i.e., produces angry reaction (4)

12. Musical works, sculpture, art, prose (6)

13. Christians find hero jailed by mad sultan (9)

14. Felt sick while eating a duck (4)

15. A quantity of cream—bountiful quantity (6)

16. Bores create this partly obscene nuisance (5)

17. Counterfeit coin I lose to porters (7)

18. Tearing out one’s eye, in part (6)

21. It’s left in sweet glaze (5)

23. GI in love, oddly, with bird in Bonn (5)

25. For dessert, snake swallows rodents? Just the opposite! (6)

27. Eccentric artisan—he singes (7)

28. Fair about nothing, I fight (5)

30. Slut’s ad: “Sports for the mature” (6)

31. It’s said to be a metre ruler (4)

32. Halter is article that’s practical (9)

33. Putting one in pastries gives you trots (6)

34. Rock area elevated in part (4)

35. Where a beer ends in a cocktail (7)

36. Heart turns to fliers (5)

DOWN

1. They inscribe ceremony in new rows (7)

2. “Mature redhead: fine moves, keeps quiet” (5)

3. Like Leibnitz at first, Kant is oblique (6)

4. Recite some of “First Noel” lyrics (4)

5. Sixty minutes with me—Lawdy that’s beautiful (5)

6. I love California around tip—out of sight (7)

7. Vibrant note: “Exciting long-term love” (7)

8. Savage law: rope brings release (6)

9. Petrarch wrote them, then sons edited (7)

10. Tries out new tastes (5)

19. Patent for TV—need it badly (7)

20. Capturing essence of Monet tint: gold (7)

What dabblers do to master plays (7)

21. “Birds”: dear lovers, perhaps (7)

22. This would be plenty to drink; unfortunately, it’s all gone (6)

26. Tale with no end: “Merry Time of Year” (6)

27. Dresses in rehearsal—risqué (5)

28. Jack is too silly for a stud (5)

29. Senior dances with attractive vocalist? (5)

31. Area for endless racket-swinging (4)

Note: The instructions above are the special instructions for this month’s puzzle. It is

assumed that you know how to decipher clues. For a complete introduction to clue-solving, write to The

Atlantic Reprint Department, enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

The solution to last month’s Puzzler appears on page 92.