The Atlantic Puzzler

By Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

SPELLING BEE

(Acknowledgments to John de Cuevas)

The diagram represents a honeycomb of hexagonal cells made by a Spelling Bee who has spelled out 37 six-letter words, one word for each cell, one letter for each side of a cell. A word may begin at any side of a cell and proceed clockwise or counterclockwise; the letters on either side of a wall common to two cells will be identical. To provide a further check, the Spelling Bee has created a peripheral six-letter word from the starred sides of the honeycomb (reading clockwise from 1). Answers include three proper nouns and a possibly unfamiliar word at 33. Punctuation may be used deceptively.

1. Yank wearing jacket

2. Supplies apparatus for punishment

3. Love behaving badly, for the most part

4. Dull month for stutterers?

5. Dig up unbound text by Scottish philosopher

6. Heavenly piece of land in South Dakota

7. White man is out on bail

8. Amin is depraved ape

9. Accidents with whales’ tail parts

10. Silver accepted by institution for worship

11. Fool around 50 times in a two-family house

12. Back scratch tot in cotton

13. Maneuver leg a small amount

14. Man supposed to be married is in café, drunk

15. Cheer about Brazilian resort singer

16. Headwear that’s foremost in the city

17. Get a thrill from spotting leprechaun

18. Encumber with basket

19. Sailor with weathered cloth

20. Composer’s swinging new rag

21. Back up in a moment

22. Get sensual with a nurse in California

23. Ordinary clothing for Greek character fits poorly

24. Sound from vehicle in backing up hill

25. Punk has pot—pity

26. Spirit of one in fury

27. Hordes traveling to island

28. Valley filled with the sound of bees— confound

29. Transmute air, mud to precious metal

30. Bicyclist steps outside, showing muscles

31. Unemotional about one very soft and sentimental

32. Musician trained to bark

33. Knock out intrepid spirit

34. Farm animal on a road is a chicken

35. One may corrupt a petty officer

36. Destroyer in the front division getting youth from the rear

37. Vessel for rent behind swamp returned

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 98.

Answers to the January Puzzler, “RESOLUTIONS”

The fourteen asterisked clues led to answers that directed solvers to perform an additional operation: anagramming. For example, Shakespeare directed solvers to anagram speare for the final answer, serape.

Across. *1. ROCK GARDEN (anag.) 7. RIFF (double def.) *11. INTERCHANGED (anag.) 12. DI(URN)AL 13. R(O)AN 14. IN-SECT-A 15. TIT-LING *19. MARTINGALES (hidden) 20. ST(art)-UTTER 22. RANGE (double def.) *23. HEARTBROKEN (anag.) 24. REDRESS (double def.) 26. TOLERANT (anag.) *30. ILLUSTRATE (anag.) 32. LINE-UPS 33. DRAW (double def.) 34. ENG(lish)-AGED 35. GR-APE *36. SPINST(E)R (anag. + e) 37. B(OlL)ED Down. 1. DIRTY (anag.) *2. ALTERNATION (anag.) *3. CAST-A-NET 4. ETUIS (anag.) *5. BADGE-RING 6. M(US-TAR)D 8. IN(CLI)N-ED *9. BREAK-FAST 10. F-LANGES (anag. + f) *16. RATTLESNAKES (anag.) 17. C-LARET (anag. + c) 18. FUR(LONG)S *20. NEWSLETTER (anag.) 21. TH(e)-ROUGH 24. RASPED (anag.) *25. SHAKESPEARE (anag.) 27. TAN-GO *28. TUMBLEWEEDS (anag.) 29. FINE (double def.) 31. URAL (hidden)