LAT Sun. 2/21 Mike Peluso

[magus]

Breaking the Presidential Code

The numbers in parentheses after the starred clues refer to the president's number in the presidential order:
23A = RMN (Nixon)
38A = HH (Hoover)
54A = USG (Grant)
75A = FDR (Roosevelt)
92A = BO (Obama)
16D = HST (Truman)
60D = RR (Reagan)

I felt like a CIA operative trying to break a secret code --- a lot of fun.

 
Line dancer?    CHORUSGIRL
Eave droppers    ICICLES
Old "King" Cole   NAT [For the under 50 crowd, Natalie Cole's father]

Any puzzle that takes me from XERXES and SCIPIO to AGASSI and RIVERA, and from ARARAT to the PAINTEDDESERT, is okay in my book.

 
SED