We're Not in Kansas

by George Barany

This "mid-week level" puzzle, with somewhat more black squares and words than is normally considered kosher (not to mention that not all theme entries are symmetrically placed), was written during an August 2013 working vacation abroad, and is illustrated for the most part by the remarkable camera work of Logan Fiorella. We hope that even those who are not avid cruciverbalists will ignore the puzzle's little imperfections and get some vicarious appreciation of our adventures. After completing the puzzle (spoiler), learn more about the puzzle by clicking here for our "midrash." 

Click here to view or download the puzzle in PDF format and here for the solution. Please note that this puzzle has fifteen pictorial clues that you can only get from THIS web page. We thank Noam Elkies, Lloyd Fricker, Brent Hartzell, Martin Herbach, Karen Kaler, and Tom Pepper for testing the puzzle despite thousands of miles of separation, and suggestions that improved it.

If you want to tell others about this particular page, refer them to
http://tinyurl.com/kansaspuz

More puzzles here (all) and here (tributes).

E-mail barany@umn.edu to be added to a bcc distribution list.

Across

1. Green gemstone

5. Their business is picking up

9. One-named singer of "Smooth Operator"

13. What the nose knows

14.

15.

16. World chess champion (from 1935-1937), Max ___

17. Bean or Welles

18. Counterpart of yang, as commonly misspelled

19. Strong desire

20.

(answer is slang)

21.

23. "___ furtiva lagrima"

25. Perfect score that is half a score

27. Straight one who supports LGBT ones

28. Vehicle, in more ways than one, for Nicolas 28-Down

31. Terra ___

33. Piles on

34. "Come again?"

35. Drs. who investigate crimes

38.

42. Musical gift

43. Palindromic parent

44. Concept in Hinduism and Buddhism

45. ___ Eatenton, role for Sally Field in "Steel Magnolias"

47. Targets

48. Actor Morales of "NYPD Blue"

50. Shoot the breeze

52.

53.

55. Partner of abet

57. Louvre Pyramid architect

60. Give ___ (care)

61. Reservoir conduits

63.

64. DXV divided by V

65.

66. Neil Diamond hit, "___ Said"

67. Market leader?

68. Short orders?

69. Lesage hero Gil ___ (anagram of "slab")

Down

1.

2. Together, in music

3. Source of images that illustrate this puzzle

4. Before, before

5. French landscape painter

6. Small batteries

7. Like the Washington Redskins after losing the 1940 league championship to the Chicago Bears by a score of 73-0

8. Mens ___ (sound mind)

9. Counterpart of Charybdis

10. Frequently used font

11. Catch-22 major (anagram of "bandy")

12. Like quiche or custard

14. "Koochie-koochie-___!"

20. Entertainment industry father John or daughter Bonnie

22. Back muscle, familiarly

24. Cape Canaveral grp.

26.

28. See 28-Across

29. Central European river, to Czechs or Poles (anagram of "road")

30. Disorderly

32. Movie vamp Bara

35.

Above is one example; see 14-, 20-, and 21-Across for additional examples

36. Witty Bombeck

37. German game played with less than a full deck

39. Digital problem

40. Recoiled (from)

41. Jon of "Mad Men" or Mia of U.S. soccer

45.

46. "Turandot" soprano

48. Frighteningly unreal

49.

51. Loud reports

53. Treaty

54. With .com, web site for cinephiles

56. Equi equivalent

58. Statue of Liberty poet Lazarus

59.

62. Pigskin pickoff: Abbr.

63. Right-leaning pol. 3-Down