06.13.10 — Strings — the Diagramless

Sunday, June 13, 2010

DIAGRAMLESS, Puzzle by Michael Shteyman, edited by Will Shortz

The note, “This diagramless is 17 squares wide by 17 squares deep and has reflective symmetry along the shaded diagonal,” accompanies this fine-tuned second Sunday crossword limning the image of a guitar with STRINGS ATTACHED.  1-Across begins in the 15th square of the top row. 

Across — 1. Faux PAS; 4. Destiny, FATE; 5. Skin layer, DERMA; 6. Mauna KEA; 9. Semblance, GUISE; 10. Gender bender?, SEX CHANGE; 12. Bacterium, e.g., PATHOGEN; 13. The “B” in N.B., BENE; 14. Be inconsolable, SOB; 15. Gap in a manuscript, LACUNA; 17. Ingredient in a hurricane, RUM; 19. Bigoted, in a way, RACIST; 22. Plod along, TRUDGE; 24 Ready for action, ON ALERT; 26. Supermodel with an iconic 1978 bikini poster, TIEGS; 27. “Me too”, SO AM I; 28. Love of Robin Hood, ARCHERY; 30. “And so forth and so on”, ETC ETC; 32. Players’ pledges, IOUS; 33. 2016 Summer Olympics host, for short, RIO; 34. Shelter, HARBOR; 36. Literary girl of Green Gables, ANNE; 38. No go out of service?, REUP; 39. Adelaide conversation starter, G’DAY MATE; 41. Flew, AVIATED; 42. Resort city of central Sicily, ENNA.

Down — 1. Analynze grammatically, PARSE; 2. “Why are you looking AT ME like that?”; 3. Mediterranean, e.g., SEA; 4. Fake, FEIGN; 5. Beach wheels, DUNE BUGGY; 6. Reeves of “The Matrix”, KEANU; 7. Degree, EXTENT; 8. Oberhausen “Oh!”, ACH; 9. Judge’s imposition, GAG ORDER; 10. Color ranges, SPECTRA; 11. Santa’s syllables, HOS; 13. First, second or third, but not fourth, fifth or sixth, BASE; 15. Adam’s wife before Eve, in Jewish lore, LILITH; 16. Title role for which Dudley Moore was nominated for an Oscar, ARTHUR; 18. Monterrey month, MES; 19. Cheering (for), ROOTING; 20. It can take your breath away in a jungle, ANACONDA; 21. Made it; CAME; 23. 180’s, UIES; 27. Lifesaving fluids, SERA; 29. Penned, COOPED; 31. Trolley driver, CARMAN; 35. Calf catcher, REATA; 37. Leafe collector around the house?, EAVE; 40. Yang’s partner, YIN.

“The guitar is a small orchestra. It is polyphonic. Every string is a different color, a different voice.“ — Andrés Segovia  

Click on image to enlarge.



Puzzle available on the internet at

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