(^38) The Puzzle Page
Find the solutions to all The Week’s puzzles online: http://www.theweek.com/puzzle.
Crossword No. 541: Pardon Me by Matt Gaffney
Sources: A complete list of publications cited in The Week can be found at theweek.com/sources.
The Week Contest
This week’s question: Astrophysicists are trying to iden-
tify the source of mysterious radio signals that are being
emitted at regular intervals from a galaxy 500 million
light-years away. In seven words or fewer, please come
up with the important message that an alien civilization
far, far away might be trying to send us.
Last week’s contest: Scientists have discovered a rare and
remarkably sedentary species of olm—a cave- dwelling
salamander—that can live into its hundreds and typically
moves less than 32 feet a decade; one stayed in the same
spot for seven years. Please come up with the title of a
self-help book touting the health benefits of taking life as
slow as an olm.
THE WINNER: “Keep Olm and Carry On and On and On...”
Laurel Wroten, Petaluma, Calif.
SECOND PLACE: “Eat, Love, Stay”
Lisa Smith, Dublin, Ohio
THIRD PLACE: “Seven Year Inch”
Claude Paumier, Louisville, Ohio
For runners-up and complete contest rules, please go to
theweek.com/contest.
How to enter: Submissions should be emailed to contest
@theweek.com. Please include your name, address, and
day time tele phone number for verification; this week, type
“Alien message” in the subject line. Entries are due by
noon, Eas tern Time, Tues day, March 3. Win ners will appear
on the Puzzle Page next issue and at
theweek.com/puzzles on Friday, March 6.
In the case of identical or similar entries,
ACROSS the first one received gets credit.
1 Pear variety
5 Stand in front of an
artist
10 State publicly
14 Repeat the views of
15 Instant replay
technique
16 Bakery buy
17 Attention-getting
grunt
18 Resident of the
Leaning Tower’s city
19 Shot at a lollipop
20 Former Illinois
governor released
from federal prison in
February after being
granted clemency by
President Trump
23 Physics particle
24 Trig function
25 Pirate pardoned by
President Madison
after he defended
New Orleans from the
British during the
War of 1812
31 Bandage brand
34 City painted by
van Gogh
35 Brainstorms
36 Machine part
37 Google suggests
them
38 More desertlike
39 Instruction for a
bartender
40 Dunkirk denial
41 Bean or Welles
42 Alternative to a
turnover
43 Start for state
44 Kidnapping victim
who had her seven-
year sentence for bank
robbery commuted by
President Carter and
was fully pardoned by
President Clinton
46 Chew
48 Take responsibility for
49 Transgender
whistleblower whose
35-year sentence
for espionage was
commuted by
President Obama
in 2017
56 Way to go
57 Harder to explain
58 At least once
59 No longer interested in
60 Aficionado
61 Seldom seen
62 Country on the Pacific
63 Fights (off)
64 White blanket
DOWN
1 Withstand
2 Number after siete
3 Lawn mower’s place
4 Puts together
5 Country with a tilde in
its name
6 Character before Borat
7 Just meh
8 Key of Bruckner’s
Symphony No. 7
(abbr.)
9 Feature of Texas’ flag
10 Fully committed
11 One unseen in scenes
12 Apiece
13 Atty. general of the
1960s
21 Texted snickers
22 Competes
25 Quick trip
26 Misstep
27 Lack of rest before
a test
28 Behind no one
29 Ninny
30 Wee
32 Change in your car,
say
33 Bird with beautiful
plumes
38 Removes, as liquid
39 Self-checkout tools
41 Gem that may be
milky
42 Stitched
45 Throws way too
little out
47 His birthday is a
national holiday
in India
49 Spelunker’s spot
50 James’ wife, on
The Sopranos
51 Port near Djibouti
52 Fix
53 Lendl of 1980s tennis
54 Extravagant emperor
55 Got bigger
56 Explode
1234 56789 10111213
14 15 16
17 18 19
20 21 22
23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
34 35 36
37 38 39
40 41 42
43 44 45
46 47 48
49 50 51 52 53 54 55
56 57 58
59 60 61
62 63 64
Fill in all the
boxes so that
each row, column,
and outlined
square includes
all the numbers
from 1 through 9.
Difficulty:
super-hard
Sudoku
WThe winner gets a one-year
subscription to The Week.
H M R S
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nancy kaufman
(Nancy Kaufman)
#1