By Tom Toce
Eight of the answers in this puzzle, four across and four down, must be declassified before they can be entered in the diagram. The eight answers cross, and the squares at which two answers meet do double duty. Two different synonyms for class, one for the across entry and one for the down entry, would occupy each special square, were it not for the declassification the solver must perform, most likely by merely thinking about it. With or without the declassification, the entries are valid ones. In fact, the declassified clues have three parts, rather than two as in the usual cryptic clue: wordplay for the long answer and definitions for both the original and the declassified entry. The three elements may occur in any order.
One of the across answers is two words, both before and after declassification, with one of the two-word phrases a proper noun. (The other could be a proper noun, too, but doesn’t have to be.) All the other special answers are regular words, both before and after declassification. Besides the special answers, there are three more proper nouns. Two other entries come from double definition clues, where one definition is a non-capitalized word and the other definition is a proper noun or acronym. Everything else is playable in Scrabble.
Thanks to Bob Fink, Eric Klis, and Jerry Miccolis for test-solving and editorial suggestions.
Across clues
| 1 | Pole dance for former president by leader of Antifa |
| 4 | Ruin a musical because of the singing |
| 8 | Buddy on the drums is too much |
| 11 | Intended for flipping in a little bit, they say |
| 13 | Turn back a little cousin outside of California |
| 14 | Ads returning featuring orange sparkling water |
| 15 | For example, Saint John the Baptist is Leonardo’s last, one learns at the outset |
| 16 | Cloudy to a great degree at the alternative to the highway where we live |
| 18 | Spastic bladder, Ron? That’s an uncertain condition, but of no interest to anyone |
| 19 | Shortly, all of us would go crazy in Vegas |
| 21 | “Body and Soul” in empty cello arrangement |
| 24 | A gun, maybe silver, and a great deal of hot air |
| 28 | Outstanding from the beginning: four amazing Beatles |
| 29 | Representation of a Virginia cadet, sometimes |
| 30 | Two-page article parsed improperly |
| 33 | Josh is G.O.A.T. |
| 34 | Acquires modern art hacks’ wall installations |
| 37 | Waste time in the worst way with small, inside, home-repair practices |
| 38 | Fanning through a fashion magazine |
| 39 | Messes around as Tony’s losing focus |
| 40 | Surveys telling us certainly again and again |
| 41 | Boogie down to a new Common Era |
Down clues
| 1 | Soup not quite unadulterated |
| 2 | Fortified with liquor and aggrieved, Al reacted badly |
| 3 | Puts up with slow LA commuting |
| 5 | When this is backwards, things are screwed up, Jack |
| 6 | Determine 3.1415 . . . the wrong way as a discontinued series |
| 7 | Married actor burns prescription |
| 9 | Translated “Lassie” to Basque and other languages with no demonstrable genealogical relationships |
| 10 | Christmases with singer Billie’s family |
| 12 | Maracas set tempo evidently on tape for class |
| 16 | Hooked up with Casey Stengel, once |
| 17 | Subordinate one may free |
| 20 | Passed stupidly at card game |
| 22 | Mark invested in uPet, expensively |
| 23 | Fearful company division, gaining only on divestment |
| 25 | A cheap shot by an Army helicopter |
| 26 | Darkness during short days causing sorrow! |
| 27 | Held a hearing and made a couple of cuts to ET (credits lost) |
| 28 | Like autumn leaves, all buried in a swamp |
| 31 | Career like Sinatra, with no nonsense? |
| 32 | Class held by university pedant |
| 35 | Sale! Twenty-five percent off some beer |
| 36 | Contemplate ocean sounds |
Solution to Previous Issue’s Puzzle—Bored Games
Across clues
| 1 | QUICKLY—Double definition |
| 2 | REINVENT—REIN (“stop”) + VENT (“air duct” |
| 3 | PROTOTYPE—PRO (“being in favor of”) + TYPE (“To enter data”) |
| 4 | BLITZ—BLITZ(EN) (“one of Santa’s reindeer cut short”) |
| 5 | FREIGHT – FReeway wEIGHT |
| 6 | VINEGAR—Anagram of “in grave” |
| 7 | JOE – Double definition |
| 8 | SUB – Double definition |
| 9 | HAND—Even letters in “the acned” |
| 10 | AIDE—Anagram of “idea” |
| 11 | AIS—pAISes |
| 12 | END GAME—END (first letters of “Elgar never disappoint”) + GAME (anagram of “Enigma”—IN (“tossing in”) |
Down clues
| 1 | ROADWORK—Anagram of “draw” and “rook” |
| 2 | OXYMORON—Anagram of “Roxy, ‘moon’” |
| 3 | VOLLEY—VOLatile motLEY |
| 4 | ZESTIEST—Anagram of “size test” |
| 5 | QUASH—(S)QUASH (“pumpkin after removing the top”) |
| 6 | JAGUAR—JAG (“a frolic”) + UAR (“Egypt and Syria once”) |
| 7 | NEWT—Double definition (alluding to Newt Gingrich “who came somewhere in between Tip and Nancy”) |
| 8 | CANAL—CAN (“Canada”) + AL (“LA” reversed) |
| 9 | AVID—(D)AVID (“king is beheaded”) |
| 10 | IFS—Import tarifFS |
| 11 | POI—Anagram of “IPO” |
| 12 | END—OFFEND—OFF (“officer”) |
Hint #1
Alternative clue for 1-Across: QUICKLY—QUIETLY with ET (“ Elliott’s friend”) replaced by CK (“Louis”)
Solvers
Arlan Aakre, Steve Alpert, Anthony Amodeo, Dean Apps, Jack Brauner, Bob Campbell, Lois Cappellano, Jared Dashoff, Christopher Dickens, Mick Diede, Bob Fink, Phil Gollance, Pete Hepokoski, Catharine Hornby and Bruce Harvey, Max Jackson, Ruth Johnson, Eric Klis, Paul Kolell, Ken Kudrak, Ben Lynch, Mathew Marchione and Marika Brown, Dave McGarry, Jerry Miccolis, Jon Michelson, Jim Muza, David and Corinne Promislow, Alan Putney, Jay Ripps, Karen Skoglund, Bill Scott, Zig Swistunowicz, T. O. C. E. (Josh DenHartog and Sean Donohoe), Betsy and James Uzzell
