The Puzzler
CUTTING THE CARDS
Each Down entry is to be entered in the diagram as a deck of cards is cut—that is, with some lower portion of the word moved intact to the top. Letters in the word are otherwise un-shuffled. For example, the Down entry WORDS might be entered as SWORD, DSWOR, RDSWO, or ORDSW. In the completed diagram the 20 letters in the top and bottom rows will spell something of which we think our solvers will never accuse us. Answers include two proper nouns.
The solution to last month’s Puzzler appears on page 122.
ACROSS
11. Stuck with club at end of hand(6)
12. Shuffle shiftily, revealing human nature (5)
13. Almost happening to get flush (4)
14. Room for poker game, one round (6)
15. Make money in off-and-on game (9)
16. Poor sis—con is cutting (8)
17. Shade inside straight intentionally (4)
19.Amid bids, repeat rude noises (5)
21. Give up last of diamonds, in control of queen (6)
25. Separating king. I’m about to shuffle again (5)
27. Reversing routine, North gets chance to play a card (4)
29. Came up with two of spades, trounced (8)
31. In a rush, lass cut into game (9)
32. In tussle, every ace’s place? (6)
33. Man, say, in row, discarding ace (4)
34. South shifted a den chair (5)
35. Last of clubs taken by player with hearts—bridge element, perhaps? (6)
DOWN
1. South dealt out of order, keeping quarter of pack stuck together (7)
2. Cut first of cards with emotion (5)
3. “Deal me in!" snarled Ms. Kahn (8)
4. See why a dummy is nonsense (7)
5. In seedy bar, I’d cut (6)
6. Bad habit, then, grabbing man’s top face card (7)
7. Suddenly moving for a breather before gin rummy (7)
8. Helped move to meld? (5)
9.Ridicule fourth in bridge with noisier clowning (8)
10.Straight with high ace’s ultimately best (6)
18.Barker is A-one dealer at sixes and sevens(8)
20. Playing trump, see changes (8)
21. Heard lofty prediction for heart’s part (7)
22. Tolls after a player’s initial bids (7)
23. Rude nudge—“Go fish” (7)
24. Excited sort played the first card (7)
25. Starts to search Hoyle’s Rules, until gambler shows signs of indecision (6)
26. Priest with pair of clubs preceding Norseman (6)
28. Made a run, keeping one in order (5)
30. Maverick lies about card’s first cut (5)
NOTE: The instructions above are for this month’s puzzle only. It is assumed that you know how to decipher clues. For a complete introduction to clue-solving, send an addressed, stamped envelope to The Atlantic Puzzler, 745 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02116.
Answers to the April Puzzler
“WHEEL OF FORTUNE”
Unclued entries are members of the inner-circle ROUND TABLE: GALAHAD, GAWAIN, LANCELOT, MORDRED, and PERCIVAL. The unclued GRAIL is encountered by GALAHAD and PERCIVAL. Radii, a. L(O)-VEIN b. ULCER (anag.) c. A(L)-PINE d.RANG-E e. STO(M)P f. SERDAB (anag.) g.VE(L-D)T h.T0(LED)O i. ENRAPT (anag.) j. LET-HAL k. D(ALE)S (SD rev.) l. APERQU (anag.) m. CRE(T)E n. LONGER (double def.) o. AFROS(t) p. T(WIN)ED q. EGADS (anag.) r.CA(C)T-I s. ITASCA (hidden) Rings. l.CA(VILE)R 2. T-RUE 3. CRICK’S 4. BLUR-TS 5. TU(PE)LO (lout anag.) 6. ROT-ATE 7. RUEFU-L (future anag. - t) 8.A-POLLO 9. ELEVATING (anag.) 10. RED-ACT 11. RAT-TRAP (rev.) 12. IN-GRATE 13. STUD-IO 14. HOSIER (anag.) 15. GENE (hidden) 16. PACT (homophone) 17. MISDEED (anag.) 18. MAS(ON)S 19.HE-ROD