Courthouse
by Larry Hosken
Answer: JOE MCCARTHY
Tomás de Torquemada
Each clued phrase contains something from Physics (mechanics). Kind of like TORQUEmada. When filling in the blanks, use the letter you'd use for that Physics-thing in equations.modern TIMEs Modern ts doug FORCEtt douG ftt SPEED racer s Racer austin POWERs Austin ps DRAGon boat festival don boat festiVal under PRESSURE undEr p fireWORKs firewS M GRAVES -> MASS GRAVES
Cardinal Ximénez
In this "unexpected" crossword, X has been removed from some clues and answers. 18- and 38-Across are the symmetrically-opposite rhyming words, STOCKS BLOCKS.Across: 1. MYTH / Legend 5. HEM / Dress's lower edge 8. SPEW / Emit forcefully 12. ALOEVERA / Crossworder's fave succulent 14. LOCO / Very crazy in Veracruz 15. TENDERER / One who bids 16. IRUN / How I chase foes (not really) 17. MIIN (MIXIN) / Recipe instruction 18. STOCKS / Fills shelves 20. SOS / Morse-friendly m'aider 22. INKPAD / Rubber stamp's partner 24. ACCOMPANY / Go with 28. IBE (IBEX) / Goat near mountain ape (apex)? 29. MEAN / Average 30. RIM / Not the center of a frisbee 31. RELA (RELAX) / Take it easy 32. ELM / Tree type 33. DISABUSED / Persuaded otherwise 35. NEESON / He played Jinn 37. SAM / Uncle ___, USA mascot 38. BLOCKS / Thwarts 40. BAAL / #WicDiv Kanye-like deity 43. TEAN (TEXAN) / Lone Star stater 44. LICENSES / Permits 47. ESSE (ESSEX) / Moby Dick inspiration 48. EFOLIATE (EXFOLIATE) / Scrub skin 49. TOTS / Tykes 50. STY (STYX) / Charon's river 51. APSE / Church feature Down: 1. MAT / Yoga gear 2. YLEM (XYLEM) / Phloem's counterpart 3. TONI / Singer Braton (Braxton) 4. HEDISON / Moreland on The L Word 5. HER / Of that woman 6. ERES (XERXES) / Net (Next) Persia ruler after Darius 7. MARTINMAS / 11/11 8. SLICK / Grace of rock 9. PORKPIES / Some hats 10. ECUSABLE (EXCUSABLE) / Forgivable 11. WON / Took first place 13. VENOM / Spidey's e-costume 19. ONY (ONYX) / Dark crystal 21. SPRINKLES / Donut eternal (external) feature 23. DEAD / E-living (Ex-living) 24. AMEN (AXMEN) / Some hatchet wielders 25. CELEBESO (CELEBES OX) / Crossword clue for ANOA 26. CAMELAST / Arrived latest 27. AIS (AXIS) / It goes through frisbee center 31. RUMANIA / Old word for Wallachia-Moldavia region 33. DOC / Charles Stark "___" Draper 34. BABEL / Tower of tongues 36. SONES / They quantify loudness 39. SIFT / Let the fine through 41. ASAP / Antsy acronym 42. LETS / Rents 43. TET (TEXT) / Message on a mobile 45. COY / Cutely shy 46. SEE / Perceive
MYTH.HEM.SPEW ALOEVERA.LOCO TENDERER.IRUN .MIIN.stocks. ...SOS.INKPAD ACCOMPANY.IBE MEAN.RIM.RELA ELM.DISABUSED NEESON.SAM... .blocks.BAAL. TEAN.LICENSES ESSE.EFOLIATE TOTS.STY.APSE
Reverend Samuel Parris
Each clued word can have a letter removed to form the anagram of a metal. The removed-letters spell out a word:B lead baled E gold lodge T iron nitro R nickel crinkle A tin anti Y lithium humility E silver servile D copper cropped
Titus Oates
The clued words use only vowels, T, and S. 5-bit binary based on presence/absence of vowels. A=16, E=8, I=4, O=2, U=1
P stata E suits R toast J toes U attius R stoat I estus N tootsie G sit out
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys
The hanged people's arms form semaphore letters: CENTERS. You want the center letters of some old-timey harsh sentences:
hanGing burnedAtstake whirLigig pilLory poisOning droWned anguiShpear
This Display Closed for Repairs (meta)
Fill in answers from the other parts based on the enumerations. Pull out the indicated letters.
b e t r a y e d
1 8 3
g a l l o w s
12 14 4
m a s s g r a v e s
6 15 10
p e r j u r i n g
2 7 12
s t o c k s b l o c k s
13 5 9
r e d s c a r e s e n a t o r
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
A red-scare senator who fits the blanks is JOE MCCARTHY.
Acknowledgements
Reuben Ship's radio play The Investigator was darned handy for a puzzle-writer needing a list of famous inquisitors in a hurry. It's also grimly funny if you're into USA history.