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The World's Tallest Cryptic

Kevin Wald

This is an infinitely tall cryptic crossword. In particular, above a 13x5 base, it consists of infinitely many repetitions of the same 13x13 grid pattern. Each place for an entry in the 13x5 (indicated by a single number) or the 13x13 (indicated by a pattern of the form number + 45n, which gives the number for that position in the nth 13x13) is given one or more clues. The answers to these clues, given below, provide the possible entries that can go in this position.

There is only one way of filling the infinite grid with these possible answers (shown here); the pattern repeats after 15 levels. In particular, the boldfaced 51 + 45n UP entry gets the following words on levels 0, 1, 2, ... (shown in lowercase in the full solution): DIT, DAH, DAH, DIT, NIL, DAH, DAH, DAH, NIL, DAH, NIL, DIT, DIT, DIT, NIL, and then the cycle starts again. If you read this "down to earth" (that is, heading downwards, and ending at the bottom) and take the final word of "four letters" (as indicated in the answers for 2 Across and 14 Across), you get the answer, STOP.

Clue answers and brief explanations

In the explanations, "ana" = anagram, "rev" = reversal, "hom" = homophone, and "double def" = double definition.)

ACROSS
2: DOWN TO EARTH (DARTH "comprehends" WOE NOT ana)
11: ROBOTIC (TIC "comes after" ROB + O)
13: SCHOOL (SOL "about" CHO)
14: FOUR LETTERS (OUR + L "in" FETTERS)
16: STEN (NETS rev)
18: FEDERATED (FETED "getting" DER + A)
19: TODD ([tha]T + ODD)
21: PERI (RIPE ana)
22: SEAM (SEEM hom)
25 + 45n: BREW (HEBREW - HE), PEEK (PIQUE hom), REIN (RAIN hom)
26 + 45n: LAHR (LA + H[ono]R), LIFT (LI + FT), RAPS (SPAR rev)
28 + 45n: EDIT (TIDE rev), ODIN (O + DIN), ODOR ([c]OD + OR)
31 + 45n: ABC (A + BC), AMI (AM I), TOI (TOI[l])
32 + 45n: ADORER (DEAR OR ana), ALINER (IN REAL ana), STONER (S[nort] + TONER)
33 + 45n: CANNONADED (CANNED "after getting" O + DAN rev),
CARBONATED (CARTED "around" A + NOB rev),
CARRONADES (CARS "containing" RON + ADE)
34 + 45n: ADS ([l]ADS), YEN (double def)
37 + 45n: EDH (HE'D ana), FEH (HEF rev), NTH ("in" hyaciNTHs)
38 + 45n: EASERS (ERASES ana), ELDEST (LETS ED ana),
ELMERS (ELMS "filled with" ER)
39 + 45n: TINTS (TIN + TS), TONTO ([no]T + ONTO)
41 + 45n: SILKS (S[even] + ILKS), EAT IT (EA + TIT)
42 + 45n: FAUNA (F[errar]A + UNA), FOVEA (OF rev + VEA[l]), DONNA (DO + NN + A)
43 + 45n: IAN ([g]IAN[t]), EAR (double def), LAX (double def)
45 + 45n: BERG ([a]B[sorbs] + ERG), ERRS (E + RR + S), TECS (TECHS hom)
47 + 45n: EON (ONE ana), REN (REN[t]), ROM (double def)
49 + 45n: LAID (L + AID), RUIN (I RUN ana), WARN (WAN "after getting" R)
52 + 45n: OAF (LOAF - L), ARF (FAR ana)
54 + 45n: ICI (I + CI), ICS (SIC ana)
55 + 45n: GAWK ([dis]G[ust] + AWK), GASP ([starin]G + ASP)
56 + 45n: MAT (MATT hom), GAR ("found in" hanGARs)
57 + 45n: TAM (TAM[e]), GAM (MAG rev), GAL (LAG rev)
58 + 45n: ALTI (TAIL ana), ATLI (AT + LI), ACHE (EACH ana, &lit),
AXLE ("put" X "into" ALE)
59 + 45n: CHLORO (OR LOCH ana), BOLERO (ER "wearing" BOLO)
60 + 45n: NARRATIVELY (VARIANT LYRE ana), THIRSTINESS (REST ISN'T HIS ana),
THROATINESS (THAT SENIOR'S ana)
63 + 45n: DEFINITIZED (DEED "involving" FIN + ZITI rev),
DIMINUTIVES (MINUIT ana "in" DIVES), REMONETIZES (ZEROES IN MET ana)
65 + 45n: COT (double def), ROD (double def), SAT (AS ana + T)
67 + 45n: MESH (ME + SH[e]), MGMT (MGM + T[hinks]), PSAT (PAT'S ana)
68 + 45n: ARM (A + RM), EDM ([s]E[l]D[o]M), ESP (what dESPot "exhibits")

UP
1: CRUST (C + RUST)
3: OBOE (O + BE, "with" O "in it")
4: WOUND (double def)
5: TILE (TILDE - D)
6: ESTER (ESTHER hom)
7: RHEAS (HEARS ana)
8: TORT (TO + R[eflec]T)
9: HOSEA (HOSE + A)
10: CLOD (CLOUD - U)
12: CEDE (SEE'D hom)
15: TRIO ([pa]TRIO[ts])
17, 62 + 45n: MARSALAS (MAR + SALADS - D),
TOENAILS (TAILS "capturing" ONE ana), VARIABLE (LAB I RAVE ana)
18, 64 + 45n: FOLIOS (SOIL + OF rev), MARCOS (MS "about" ARCO),
MARION (ROMAN I ana)
20, 66 + 45n: DIANA (NAIAD ana), TEARY (TEA + R[or]Y), TETRA (TATER ana)
21, 67 + 45n: MADNESS (MEN'S SAD ana), PIANIST (PIA + IN rev + ST),
PIGNUTS (PI + STUNG rev)
23, 68 + 45n: A-ONE ("from" mAO NEvertheless), EIRE (IRE hom)
24, 69 + 45n: MARSH MARIGOLD (MARS + HOLD "gripping" A GRIM ana),
PARTHIAN SHOTS (THIS PART HAS NO ana)
25 + 45n: BACTERIOGENIC (RICE I GOT CAN BE ana),
ROCKET ENGINES (ROCK + ETE + NINES "about" G),
POCKET LIGHTER (PLIGHTER "has" COKE ana + T)
27 + 45n: FEAST OR FAMINE (FE + ASTOR + FAME "has" IN),
HEARTBREAKING (THE RIGA BANKER ana), PLASTOCYANINS (OY CAIN'S PLANTS ana)
29 + 45n: DIDO ([uttere]D + I DO), DODO (DO "after" DO), DOSE (DOE "takes" S)
30 + 45n: NEEDLE-SCARRED (RED "after" NEEDLES[s] + CAR),
RENE DESCARTES (SEER CAN'T SEE DR ana), TEUTONIC ORDER (DOCTOR REUNITE ana)
32 + 45n: ADMITS (A + D[iscussion] + MIT'S), STRONG (SONG "about" TR)
35 + 45n: DELHI (DELI hom), DETER (RE TED rev), EELER (R. E. LEE rev)
36 + 45n: INFRA (IF RAN ana), UNDER (UND + ER)
40 + 45n: TAO (OAT rev), TOE (TOW hom), TOO (TO hom)
44 + 45n: ALAS (ALA + S[omerville]), ARAB (A + BAR rev),
AWAY (AW + A + Y[oungster])
46 + 45n: EMMET ("infesting" thEM METs), REMIT (TIMER rev),
ROGET (ROT "about" E.G. rev)
48 + 45n: NIMOY (N + I'M + OY), MILOS (double def),
MIMES (SEMI rev "follows" M)
50 + 45n: AWARD (A + DRAW rev), USAIR (UR IS A ana)
51 + 45n: DAH (HAD rev), DIT (IT "following" D), NIL (N + IL)
52 + 45n: ARC ("within" fARCe), OTC (TO rev + C[odeine]), ORB (BRO rev)
53 + 45n: FALL IN (ALL "enthralled by" FIN), FALSIE (LEAF IS ana)
57 + 45n: GHETTO (GET EAU hom), GOETHE (GO + ETHE[r]),
THETHE (HET ana + HET ana)
61 + 45n: O'ER (ORE hom), REX (R + EX), RIP (double def)