| A crossword editor has to be very careful when changing one--unlike this puzzle's editor, who was careless four times herein |
| Conversation starters |
| Puzzled comments |
| First word across in the first-ever crossword (1913) and the first of a dozen appearances of the word in this puzzle's grid, written word search-style (left, right, down, and diagonally) ... Can you f |
| Activity suggested by this puzzle's theme entries |
| Annual cause of losing an hr.'s sleep hidden in this puzzle's 10 longest answers |
| Partially obscured (and a hint to this puzzle's theme) |
| Alternative title of this puzzle, in view of what can be placed in front of the answers to the 10 asterisked clues |
| Video game that comes out today (9/9/09), whose songs/levels are referenced in this puzzle, with "The |
| Asleep ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| Alternative words used as alternatives for each other in this puzzle's theme answers |
| Contract extras, and read differently, a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| Behave!" ... and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| Alphabetic starters |
| Puzzled |
| Common birds, in puzzles |
| Cryptographers' successes (and what can be found in the circles in this puzzle's long answers) |
| New father's task, maybe ... and what the three other longest puzzle answers have in common? |
| Rap sheet letters hidden in this puzzle's longest answers |
| A different one is hidden in each of this puzzle's seven longest answers |
| Achieves a rare baseball feat, delineated by part of each long puzzle answer |
| Alphabet starters |
| Alternate title for this puzzle |
| Starters who are stoppers |
| ___ accent, mark used symmetrically six times in this puzzle's solution |
| Outline for puzzle solvers |
| And finally, the brave solver finished the crossword puzzle. The ___. |
| Bar exhortation ... and a hint to how to answer five puzzle clues |
| Department in a store where you might buy this puzzle's theme |
| Split ___ (tonsorial woe, and a hint to this puzzle's theme) |