Did you get your exercise? (Solution No. 3,356)

The solution to The Nation puzzle no. 3,356 is below the fold.

I said when I introduced this puzzle that it required more than the usual level of mental agility, and that solvers who prefer to grind out anagrams and rebus clues would find this one harder.  Keep reading and I’ll explain my thinking.



We had a whole host of creative clues in this puzzle, starting with the two heteronyms (not too hard: a variant on the double definition) in 16a and 25a, and the pun (which could also be classified as a heteronym) in 28a.  23d brought a Greek character into the clue.

Then it gets harder.  21a is a replacement: fairly uncommon in American cryptic practice, but nothing unreasonable at all.  20d takes a phrase from beginner’s French and then alters it.  The French is perfectly fair: if you solve anything harder than a tabloid crossword, you probably have had to count to ten in a half-dozen languages.

And 21d can be solved from the crossing letters if you get enough of them, but the reversal fodder is creative: hats off to you if you figured it out before getting the definition.  

Legend: “*” anagram; “~” sounds like; “<“ letters reversed; “( )” letters inserted; “_” or lower case: letters deleted; “†” explicit in the clue, “^” first or last letter or letters, “{“ relocated letter or letters; “§” heteronym, “¶” letter bank, “‡” Spoonerism

Across

1a	BOUND ARIES	BOUND (“certain”) + ARIES (“sign”)
6a	C U F F	^C^auliflower ^U^sually ^F^ried ^F^ound (first letters indicated by “heads”)
10a	*THORN	*NORTH (anagram indicated by “moving”) Definition is a cross-reference to 11a: CHARACTER.  A thorn is a character from Old English.
11a	*CHARACTER	*CATCH RARE (anagram indicated by “off-beat”)
12a	MO(VI)E S	MOE (“one of the Three Stooges”) containing (“taking”) VI (“six”) pie^S^ (last letter indicated by “in the rear”)
13a	LAB(OR)ER	OR (“choice”) contained in (“between”) LAB + OR (“two parts of a hospital”)
15a	NO IS Y	NO (“number”) + IS (†) + pla^Y^ing (middle letter indicated by “at the center”)
16a	§INCREASE	§IN CREASE
19a	*NAT TUR NER_	*TRUANT (anagram indicated by “undisciplined”) + NER_d_ (“geek,” omission of last letter indicated by “deficient”)
21a	PU}L{SE	PU{R}SE (“pocketbook,” replacement of R with L indicated by “switching from one hand to the other”)
22a	O PINION	O (“round”) + PINION (“gear”)
25a	§OUT BOX	§OUTBOX
27a	M(<NEM ON<)ICS	MICS (“audio equipment”) containing (“outside”) <NO MEN< (†, reversal indicated by “returning”)
28a	MUSTY	Pun
29a	DATE	Double definition
30a	*DEPRE(CIA)TE	*PETERED (anagram indicated by “out”) containing (“on either side”) CIA (“a federal organization”)

Down

1d	BAT H	BAT (“mammal”) + H (“hot”)
2d	*UFOLOGIST	*GULF IS TOO (anagram indicated by “obscure”)
3d	DE(NS)ITY	DEITY (“God”) containing (“enveloping”) NS (“both poles”)
4d	*RECESSION	*CONES RISE (anagram indicated by “surprisingly”)
5d	*EMAIL	*AMILE (anagram indicated by “traveling”)
7d	_UTTER	_m_UTTER (“speak indistinctly,” omission of first letter indicated by “when losing face”)
8d	FOR TRESSES	FOR (†) TRESSES (“hair”)
9d	DA(BB)LE	DALE (“glen”) containing (“takes”) BB (“shot”)
14d	UNI(N)FORMED	UNIFORMED (“like a policeman”) containing (“detaining”) ^N^AACP (first letter indicated by “leader of”)
17d	CUR(IOUS)ER	CURER (“a doctor, perhaps”) containing (“holds”) IOUS (“chits”)
18d	*SALTON SEA	*ONES ATLAS (anagram indicated by “can be… possibly”)
20d	UN IS ON_	UN IS ON_e_ (“how to start counting in French,” omission of last letter indicated by “incomplete”)
21d	<POTOMAC<	<CAMO TOP< (“shirt a soldier might wear,” reversal indicated by “going upriver”)
23d	*INEPT	*TEN PI (“10π,” anagram indicated by “”)
24d	NA(I)VE	I (“indigo”) contained in (“seen in”) NAVE (“part of church”)
26d	~LYRE	~LIAR (“storyteller,” homophone indicated by “sound of”)