The Puzzler April 2003 Atlantic Monthly

Circular Logic

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Answers to this puzzle's Radial clues, which may be six, seven, or eight letters in length, are to be entered inward from the grid's perimeter. The eighth letters, when positioned properly on the line in the middle, will provide an answer to a certain problem in circular logic. Each of the six outer Rings accommodates a sequence of clue answers along with one unclued but fitting entry and one unused letter. The sequence, which proceeds clockwise and whose clues are given in order, may begin anywhere within the Ring. The unused letter (coming from a crossing Radial answer) will always fall between two Ring entries (clued or unclued). The seventh Ring consists of a single unclued word (whose starting point is not given) describing the logical conclusion. Some of its letters are not used by Radial entries; these uncrossed letters and the six unused Ring letters may be circled and read clockwise from twelve o'clock to reveal the character responsible for all this head-spinning logic. Seven clue answers are capitalized.

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.

RADIAL

1.Cryptic, coarse in outline

2.Best using brainwork first off, you idiot

3.A collection of opinions on old Olympian

4.Sort of pencil or pen and piece of paper, by some sort of quirk

5.Time article about eastern sea

6.Sumerian city disrupted by certain shark

7.Keep frames satisfactory in color again

8.Most curious cause of sleepiness in Spain? No final answer

9.Culprits altered ring on the face (two words)

10.Liane's tailored some skirts (hyphenated)

11.Glass covers among napkins and such

12.Expose man's wrong in Britain

13.Suddenly, one crackpot has run (three words)

14.Hens I let hosts place in a farm structure

15.Puts back some rocks, in pursuit of balance

16.Ominous bit of machinery inside of loud convertible

RINGS

a.Waterproof aquatic creature

Shook like bolts in a case

Weasel immediately eating goose egg

b.Chinese gooseberry has edible bulb

Chiron's home page, "Tail of the Cat

Part of the psyche, for example, involved in something forbidden

c.Nutty Stooge attends (two words)

Young wildebeests and swan high above

Silly as one half of a golf course

d.I attempt packing in time for travel plan

On the way back, encountered current article

Once again recognized Marvin when speaking

e.Turning form of a lycanthrope, run

Help CIA, playing drunk in Providence

Guinness stout, possibly cold

f.Publishes Italian children's author retrospectively

Audited bags for department store

Service provided by AAA to political faction