Cryptic Puzzle tom toce spider's Web

eaCh oF The 16 RaDIaL WoRDS is to be entered with the letters
in mixed order. eleven of the radial words are five letters and will fill
their radials’ five spaces. Some spaces (one per ring) catch an extra
letter, as a spider’s web catches bugs, and so five of the radial words
will be six letters.

The ring words vary in length. I provide the starting space for each ring’s first word, with subsequent words occurring in clockwise order. If you’d really like to torture yourself, however, cover up the starting space information and try solving the puzzle without it. I’ll give you extra credit next issue, honor system.

There is only one proper noun among the answers. The only (mildly) unusual words occur at Radial 3 and Ring C3.

The two-letter spaces occur in clockwise order from the outermost to the innermost ring. That is, if Ring A’s two-letter space occurs in Radial 3 (it doesn’t), then Ring B’s would have to be in Radial 4 or higher, and so on. These letters, with no reordering, yield an apt 10-letter word.

The clues are cryptic clues. This
means that one end is a fairly straight-
forward definition of the answer, while
the other is an alternative, often me-
chanical, way of getting to the same
word. In this puzzle, the mechanical
means I use may include puns, homo-
phones, anagrams, constructions, and
double definitions. (For a further ex-
planation of cryptic clues, e-mail me at
Thomas. Toce@ey.com.) Ignore punctua-
tion, which is intended to mislead.

16

A

1

15

2

B

14

C

3

D

13

E

4

radial clues

1.;Guy I see texting is frenzied

2.;Turned partner in to Himmler's gang (editor)

3.;Roman maladies from little streams 4.;Terrific to irritate via talk radio

5.;Appears to lay eyes on manuscript 6.;Wild tales of magnetic scientist

7.;Pertaining to the main artery, one Ohio route, Interstate-100

8.;Pay back for clock watcher

9.;Little island in the Sound I rent out

10.;Mother, the creator of misery is winning the contract

11.;At the beginning, they wash down the things over there

12.;Are exits destroyed?

13.;Souvenirs to Salazar and Burns

14.;Rock mined from sturdy material 15.;Fetish in España: hugging beams

16.;Out of practice but loyal after a fashion

12

4

5

11

5

6

10

ring clues

ai B-school test following sparkling
wine is Mae's earliest example
of blurred vision
aii Former shelter within reach?
Bi Eli found in Roman Catholic ark
Bii Great joy in connection
running late