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ACROSS
1 Passport notation’s a tautology if its first part is flipped, with a line across the middle (4)
3 Greedy slug, not out wandering (10)
10 Link South American custom (7)
11 Contradicts judge before residents of the Rockies (7)
12 Refashion litter to cheer Cleopatra, e.g. (5,4)
13 Gag: I agree to appear in a common T-shirt image (5)
14 In retrospect, felt revulsion about onset of complete disconnect (6)
16 Deep and vibrant tirade involving crazy ones (8)
18 Jewish prayer service I’d note east of German city (3,5)
19 This character-promoting chicken lacks energy (6)
22 Like some bulls in Pennsylvania, buddy (5)
23 In retreat, uniformed students grabbing instrument for IRS employee (9)
25 Monarch totaled Nazi car (7)
26 Like a G-sharp originally—happening in advance of Brahms’s Fourth (7)
27 Draw around black horse lodged nearby (10)
28 Loud bird! (4)
DOWN
1 Came by and competed to captivate model (7)
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2 Shock over finale of most impressive trick (5)
4 Two things an untrustworthy cow will do to avoid being seen (3,3)
5 Unusually great partner for Bill is singled out (8)
6 Earl of Coventry’s stinky smell detector (9,5)
7 Healer’s vow to accommodate rising artists (9)
8 Cups set randomly for criminal, possibly (7)
9 Relax thanks to actor Stacy, the source of peace amid tribulations (4,1,5,4)
15 Ring Eloise’s home where you might stop on the freeway (4,5)
17 State of company: upset over mail mix-up (8)
18 Knockout kisses in Russian capital (7)
20 Pro-choice group conveys weight and height for animal (7)
21 Ready electric vehicle in reverse, carrying last drop of fuel (3,3)
24 Sidekick found in Washington town (5)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3522
ACROSS 1 A(LEX + AND)RIA 6 hidden 9 “guys” 10 PA(INTER + L)Y 12 E(Z)RA 13 anag. 15 rebus 17 “sphere” phonetic rev. 19 R + ERUN (anag.) 21 D IS C OVER Y 23 TAPES + TRIES 25 “key we” 27 B(L + INDF)OLD (find anag.) 28 TOO + T[oug]H 29 EX + AM 30 anag.
DOWN 1 anag. (&lit.) 2 ERIT (rev.) + REA[l] 3 A + MEN 4 DE + POT (rev.) 5 hidden 7 “force ale” 8 WA(Y)NE 11 TATER (anag.) + TOT 14 RED(N)OSED 16 OR + DERF(O)RM (rev.) 18 STY + LI(SH)LY 20 anag. 22 EPIS (anag.) + ODE 23 T + ABLE (rev.) 24 2 defs. 26 alternate letters
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.