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ACROSS
1 Start leaving spots on arch, without regard for the consequences (10)
6 Recalled relative with island bird (4)
10 A couple of minutes with headless beast? That’s barely sufficient (7)
11 Cold, sentient computer rocks a vessel (7)
12 Holiday in one direction (not north) (6)
13 Summon to replace a writer? Not applicable (8)
14 Right at home in places—except for a place to drink and watch the game (6,3)
16 Coils backward into a bobbin (5)
18 Pallid, reflective, and penetrating—that is, thunderstruck (2,3)
20 Attachments to some pants: scales, fins, etc. (9)
22 Organize prohibition behind schedule (8)
24 Youth seen around ancient city with a bowl (6)
26 Fruit in the bottom of a boat, I’m told (3,4)
27 Gave money to put on a talk show? (7)
28 Reno confused a fiery classical musician? (4)
29 Someone unlikely to have 27 piles originally keeps interrupting Blanchett (10)
DOWN
1 Magical spinner in rear trains is inclined to go over family (15)
2 Solid shapes: covering for an old Roman wagon (9)
3 Glowing and innocent one, dispatched without a bit of sarcasm (7)
4 Pet spaniel usually licks kids’ faces (4)
5 Varnished billboard leaving out first broadcast (9)
7 Solution from a Google cofounder and the head of eBay (5)
8 Sandpile produces all the elements for an Italian item on a tourist’s bucket list? (3,6,3,3)
9 UC’s map might represent one! (6)
15 Dentures discounted because they stick out? (4,5)
17 What you might find in a pit or casket: God (9)
19 Extraterrestrial certainly keeps back pastry (6)
21 Lizards disturbed us again (7)
23 Company that makes medicines for a hound? (5)
25 Woman’s energy: what carries essential information for the next generation (4)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3430
ACROSS 1 “pick, nick” 4 rev. hidden 10 2 defs. 11 E(X + CUR)SION (noise rev.) 12 A LA + [o]BAMA 13 THERE’S A 14 TOD (rev.) + O 15 anag. 16 anag. 22 anag. 25 NO(MINE)E[l] 27 ALT + OS + AX 28 anag. 29 O’S + AKA 30 SER(ENAD)E (Dane rev.) 31 C + LOSE + T
DOWN 1 PEAS[ANT] 2 “um” in “candor” 3 INDI[e] + AN 5 anag. 6 SERGE[ANT] 7 ELIT E (rev.) 8 S[ANT]AFE 9 TEN[ANT] 16 [n]OVA 17 anag. 18 PL[ANT]AIN 19 P[ANT]IES 20 “guest” 21 LE[ANT]O 23 SEXT[ANT] 24 S + TROLL 26 M.I.T.-ER
Joshua Kosman and Henri PicciottoJoshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto are The Nation’s puzzlers. To read more about Kosman, click here. To read more about Picciotto, click here. Kosman and Picciotto explain what they’re up to in “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Crosswords” (also available as a PDF). Check out The Nation’s Current Issue page each week for the latest puzzle.