CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Across

1 File

8 Go as low as 15 Tightens, say 16 Observation when Porky leaves

17 Ready

18 “I’ll do it”

19 Pass with a wave? 20 Up to one’s eyeballs 21 “Street Scene” playwright Rice

22 Water line?

23 D.C. United’s first home

26 Obscures

28 Belinda Carlisle album with French songs and Irish musicians 30 Corkers

31 Pub freebie 32 Confection that reportedly improves heart health

34 Small tower

35 Lots

36 Companion of Dionysus

37 Fit

38 TY preceder, maybe 39 “Never __ the comments”

40 Scoring instructions 44 Saved for later, in a way

47 One of the Istari, in Middle-earth

48 Tinkerer 50 Disinfectant distilled from needles 51 Humdinger

52 Feature of an assured fit

53 On point

54 Scottish dogs

Down

1 Stopped lying?

2 __ artery

3 Maintain

4 “Bruised” director 5 Party exercise

6 Rather

7 Suffix for records 8 Defeats soundly, in sports slang

9 Pi–ata feature

10 Look that causes discomfort

11 Member of the Siouan family

12 Images on Clemson Tigers merchandise 13 Cook with a lot of Apples?

14 Shout of support 20 “My goose is cooked” 22 Lead-in to draw or hold

24 Furnace part 25 Dennings of “2 Broke Girls”

27 Tear __

28 Midwinter honorees 29 Grated ingredient in cranberry relish, often 30 MVP of the first two Super Bowls

31 Clown whose voice inspired Krusty of “The Simpsons”

32 Binary

33 Down __

34 One of six in a fl. oz. 37 “Toss a can my way” 39 City on the Seine 41 Don DeLillo title inspired by an Andy Warhol print series

42 Hold dear

43 Runs without moving 45 Market unit 46 Singer-songwriter Suzanne

47 “Sideways” subject 48 S.A. country bordering five others 49 Novelist Rita __ Brown

50 Sound of a sock