The Bad Penny (beta)

Warning: You won’t find any music-related content in this post. But in observance of Bloomsday, let’s momentarily stray from convention.

For the uninitiated, this is the anniversary of the day Harold Bloom took an epic stroll in James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” the most important work in modern literature.

Below is a crossword puzzle that revolves around said novel, accompanied by two sets of clues: easy and hard. PDFs, an answer key and a broken-up version of the puzzle are also provided, in case you’re having readability issues.

Don’t forget: This is a specialty crossword, so while it adheres to some traditional guidelines, there are a few experimental flourishes.

That said, this puzzle is solvable. Believe it or not, the crossword has actually been vetted by no less an authority than the Master himself, Merl Reagle. He kindly tried his hand at it a few weeks ago.

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HARD VERSION

Hard version PDF

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EASY VERSION

Easy version PDF

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Answer key

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Stand-alone puzzle

HARD CLUES

ACROSS

1. Buck Mulligan adjective
8. King Arthur’s HQ
10. Bloom’s effect on the citizen?
14. Slan agaibh
15. The opp. of tomorrow
16. Nickname of Sam Raimi flick
17. Aussie jumper
18. Episode 18 title
21. ___ of war
22. Actor Brenner
23. Half a doc?
24. Skin smoothers
25. NY coll.
27. Ireland commemorated “Ulysses” with these
30. Oft-repeated word in “Ulysses”
31. Garden tool
34. Enthusiastic reply to Bob?
35. Seasonal preserve
37. “___ betide you!” (Episode 15)
38. Train in reverse?
39. Episode 9 title
47. Film critic Scott
48. Red carpet need
49. Molly, when thinking of Boylan
50. Episode 16 title
56. “Odysseus in America” author Jonathan
57. Dublin drags? (abbr.)
59. 1 Down synonym
60. Bloom, to his fellow countrymen
61. Lexus model
62. Pull on
63. Turkish flute
64. Molly, when thinking of Bloom
65. Most humble
66. Episode 5 title
70. Ban Ki-moon nickname?
71. Antonym of a cold anagram?
72. Half a swine snort?
73. “… __ I was stretched out stiff.” (Episode 10)
74. Unser in reverse?
75. “__ will excite me.” (Episode 11)
76. Molly’s favorite letter?
77. Episode 14 title
82. Joyce’s literary status
86. Germany neighbor, abbreviated
87. “He was eying her __ …” (Episode 13)
88. Miss Douce exclamation?
89. Work unit
90. “SNL” alum Cheri
91. A vowel majority?
93. Ulysses griper? (abbr.)
94. Episode 11 title
96. One who teaches “Ulysses” when the prof. is out?
97. Episode 4 title
100. Air train?
102. Ancient city in Cyprus
103. “Might be all feeding __ tabloids …” (Episode 8 )
104. “___ jig jogged stopped.” (Episode 11)
105. “My twelfth ___ is gone, he cried.” (Episode 1)
106. PD unit
107. Episode 12 title
110. Where Barney Kiernan keeps the beer?
113. E. ____
115. Ailing
118. Music synthesizer manufacturer
119. Wife of Richie Goulding
121. Episode 3 title
123. Golfer’s org.
124. Episode 17 title
126. Manifesto
127. Episode 7 title
130. Sydney ____ House
131. Long time
132. Easy Rawlins creator
133. Photographer Goldin
134. Canadian prov.
135. “Which volume was the largest __ bulk?” (Episode 17)
136. Molly’s last word? (which appears four more times in
this puzzle

DOWN

1. What Molly does at the end of Ulysses
2. “Crows and _____, hoarse bookies …” (Episode 15)
3. Dwight’s election rival
5. Where to send Mina Purefoy ASAP?
6. ______ goosey
7. Not a good boy
8. Tax pro
9. Episode 1 title
10. Cadillac or Mercedes-Benz model
11. “Water __ water” (Episode 5 quote)
12. “J.J. O’Molloy, smiling palely, took __ the gage.” (Episode 7)
13. Episode 2 title
14. You can beat it
15. It’s history (abbr.)
19. Indecisive remark?
20. __ cummings
21. Blood type
26. Three dots on a die
28. Molly’s title of respect
29. Hot bod feature
32. Outdoes, in anagram form
33. Episode 8 title
35. She probably hasn’t read Ulysses (abbr.)
36. Org. Paddy Dignam should’ve joined
37. Episode 10 title
40. Lariat
41. Naysayers’ era?
42. “Laid by his __ filled pipe …” (Episode 11)
43. Low-risk investment acct.
44. Sir Andrew John, who represents Helios in Ulysses
45. Ladies’ undergarment
46. “Goonies” character actor Robert
50. HarperCollins imprint
51. Dread-full remark
52. “That thou ______ …”
53. ___ pupil
54. Dir. from Dublin to Liverpool
55. Scottish river
56. Materials
58. Oper.
67. Paco’s mother’s brothers
68. 110 Across option
69. Zaps with a gun
72. Sarabanes-_____ Act
77. Iridescent stone
78. Episode 13 title
79. “Thought is ___ thought of thought.” (Episode 2)
80. Episode 6 title
81. Author Leon
82. “Must be a great _____ in the air …” (Episode 11)
83. “___ just the ordinary do it …” (Episode 18)
84. Football player position
85. Potential painting gig?
92. Agt.
95. Common U.S. city name
97. First part of a sequence?
98. FBI employee
99. Ad speak
101. Pays heed
104. Meg and Amy’s sister
106. Episode 15 title
108. Nigerian port
109. How Homer’s “Odyssey” was originally conveyed
111. Pale
112. Late-night Jack
114. Music albums
116. Start of a 20 Down declaration?
117. Chewed food
120. Nina Simone’s label
122. “Kneeling on one knee __ __ two …” (Episode 17)
123. Lower-class laborer
124. Charged particle
125. FL airport
127. French friend
128. South Korean pop tart
129. Tech prefix

EASY CLUES

ACROSS

1. Dignified
8. The Constitution St.
10. Wow
14. Ta-tas
15. The opp. of tomorrow
16. Instantly available LPs
17. Aussie jumper
18. Cruise ex Cruz
21. Food scrap
22. Actor Brenner
23. Half a doc?
24. Skin smoothers
25. NY coll.
27. Postage stickers
30. Peepers
31. Garden tool
34. Enthusiastic reply to Bob?
35. Musical throw-down
37. Hardship
38. Pepe __ Pew
39. Mythical sea monsters
47. Film critic Scott
48. Red carpet need
49. Romantically transfixed
50. We, in Greek?
56. One-horse, two-person carriage
57. Sts.
59. Affirm
60. Make skin dry
61. Lexus model
62. Pull on
63. Turkish flute
64. ___ stare
65. Most humble
66. Flower devourers
70. Ban Ki-moon nickname?
71. Antonym of a cold anagram?
72. Half a swine snort?
73. “What __?”
74. NFL-free city
75. “What’s __ to you?”
76. “_ say, can …”
77. Chariot of fire’s yoked animals?
82. One who clashes?
86. Germany neighbor, abbreviated
87. __ stated above
88. “Hilarious!”
89. Work unit
90. “SNL” alum Cheri
91. Two-thirds of 126 across, rearranged
93. Pennsylvania Governor Rendell
94. Noise makers
96. Prof. aide
97. Afro-Carribean music genre
100. Overhead train
102. Ancient city in Cyprus
103. Get __ it
104. Slow hustle
105. Adam’s reproductive organ?
106. PD unit
107. Big guy with one eye
110. Where bartenders keep the beer
113. E. ____ bacteria
115. Ailing
118. Music synthesizer manufacturer
119. Lee who nobody doesn’t like?
121. Subatomic superhero?
123. Golfer’s org.
124. New York college (and college town)
126. Manifesto
127. Ruler of the winds, in Greek myth
130. Sydney ____ House
131. Long time
132. “Devil in a Blue Dress” author Walter
133. Photographer Goldin
134. Canadian prov.
135. Hip
136. This puzzle’s recurring word

DOWN

1. Agrees to
2. Lauds
3. Dwight’s election rival
5. Emerg. destination
6. ______ goosey
7. Not a good boy
8. Tax pro
9. Son of Ulysses and Penelope
10. Cadillac or Mercedes-Benz model
11. __ and fro
12. Recent Best Picture nominee
13. Bird-man of Greek myth?
14. You can beat it
15. The opp. of tomorrow
19. Indecisive remark?
20. __ cummings
21. Blood type
26. “South Park” co-creator Parker
27. ___ Fields
29. Hot bod feature
32. Outdoes, in anagram form
33. Devourers of Odysseus’ men
35. One-half of “Benifer”
36. Recovery org.
37. Stones that don’t stay still?
40. Lariat
41. Naysayers’ era?
42. Not wet
43. Low-risk investment acct.
44. Legendary singer Lena
45. Ladies’ undergarment
46. “Goonies” character actor Robert
50. HarperCollins imprint
51. Dread-full remark
52. “That thou ______ …”
53. Fitting
54. Entertainment network
55. Scottish river
56. “The _____ That Dreams Are Made Of”
58. Oper.
67. Paco’s uncles
69. Zaps with a gun
72. Sarabanes-_____ Act
77. Bracelet stone
78. “________ of the Valley of the Wind,” 1984 anime film
79. Most popular word?
80. Land down under?
81. “Trinity” author Leon
82. Gin and _____
83. Belonging to that
84. Football player position
85. Potential painting gig?
92. Agt.
95. Common U.S. city name
97. Not pro
98. FBI employee
99. Classified-ad term
101. Pays heed
104. One of the Little Women
106. “Isn’t it clear, Mr.?”
108. Bodies of water in Chile
109. How most pills are taken
111. Pale
112. Late-night Jack
114. Music albums
116. Start of a 20 Down declaration?
117. Chewed food
120. 44 Down’s label
122. “Watch live __ __ Pay Per View”
123. Lower-class laborer
124. Charged particle
125. FL airport
127. French friend
128. South Korean pop tart
129. Tech prefix

More fun and games:

• Anagrams: Touch And Go Bands
• Extreme-Metal Word Search
• Labyrinth: The History Of The Jesus Lizard
• Rock And Roll Rebus #1
• Anti-Death-Penalty Hangman

This entry was posted on 06/16/2010 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Features, Fun And Games, What You Readin' For?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.