OBSERVER CROSSWORD PUZZLER

ACROSS 1. ___ de deux 4. Dirty water activity 8. Fiddle stick 11. Blue 14. Excuse 15. Biblical birthright seller 16. “___ Maria” 17. Gumbo vegetable 19. No assembly required 22. Get-out-of-jail money 23. Precook by dunking, e.g.ribs 24. Boat blade 25. Neutrinos, by another name 26. Advisories 27. Capital of Vermont 29. Boot, as in elecected official 30. Hobbit bane 31. Three 32. Small big spoon 34. End of week load off 36. Sheepish girl 38. Fifth book 42. Multiple posteriors

44.ABBA’s tuneful help! 46. Entertainment skating by you

48.UN work standardizer 49. Preacher without eucharist rites, Anglican 52. Lizzy Borden’s problem solver 53. British beef cut 55. Astern 56. Courtyards of the heart 58. Widemouth water jug 59. Many creepy clowns 61. Not just “a” 63. Barely detectable difference

64.Altar avowal 66. Little Isaac 68. Hot fiddler 70. Tree sweet 74. 90’s era videogame props 77. Beelike 78. “___ will be done” 79. Packet of coins

80.Jane in Wales 81. Do not finish manually 83. Done for 84.Before 85. Life lines? 86. Sticky track 87. Extinct terror bird 88. Brings up the rear 89. British stress relievers 90.I, with my little eye DOWN 1. Gun slang (rap) 2. Acoustic 3. 3D movie tech 4. Stupefies with drink 5. Helps 6. Old Chinese money 7. Be busy 8. Equal measure 9. Blatant 10. Married 11. 415 flower types 12. Forest giraffe 13. Correspond 18. Apple spray 20. Short 21. Crude dude 25. Floral garland 27. Let’s depart abruptly 28. Work, meal, art 32. Hackneyed 33. Not on deck 35. Heretofore 37. Sideways dimension 39. Ben Hur for one 40.Poison 41. Exertion 43. Floating, stinging Muhammad 45. Water lion 47. Well, that’s the end of an ___ 50. “Bye” 51. Behind 54. Ceylon, historically 57. Faerie glamour

60.To see land 62. High praises 65. Private livingroom 67. Box to the canvas 69. Goes off like a volcano 70. Come together 71. Umbellifer flower 72. 88 key instrument 73. 180, so to speak 75. Consume 76. Fatty 79. Bath garment 81. Monkey see, monkey do 82. Bunk