(RUTH) GOODMAN, HOW TO BE A VICTORIAN — A lightly boned... corset... is... very easy... to wear, more comfortable, in my opinion, than... underwired bras of the twenty-first century. ... [I]t is hard to achieve more compression than is produced by the shapewear currently on sale... .
| A. | Like Stoker's "Dracula" or Shelley's "Frankenstein" | GOTHIC |
| B. | Giving cryptic clues about the future | ORACULAR |
| C. | Influential 1859 work by John Stuart Mill (2 wds.) | ONLIBERTY |
| D. | Subject of certain codes | DRESS |
| E. | Brilliant but lethargic brother of Sherlock Holmes | MYCROFT |
| F. | A case of faulty ignition? | ARSON |
| G. | Remedy for grief, per Greek myth | NEPENTHE |
| H. | Up-to-the-minute things? | HYPHENS |
| I. | Anglo-Chinese strife of the 1800s (2 wds.) | OPIUMWARS |
| J. | "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1" artist | WHISTLER |
| K. | Where flies are typically found | TROUSERS |
| L. | Hamper the progress of | OBSTRUCT |
| M. | Supplier of archery gear | BOWYER |
| N. | Like the era after the one evoked in this puzzle | EDWARDIAN |
| O. | Eponymous physicist André-Marie | AMPERE |
| P. | Cabinet with an inset washbowl | VANITY |
| Q. | Psychologically connect (with) | IDENTIFY |
| R. | Trickster in Native American folklore | COYOTE |
| S. | Monopoly tokens with dimples | THIMBLES |
| T. | Factor in the budget for a roofing company? | OVERHEAD |
| U. | Parliamentary law affecting voting (2 wds.) | REFORMACT |
| V. | Gilbert and Sullivan opera featuring the Queen of the Fairies | IOLANTHE |
| W. | Drug that brings pain relief | ANODYNE |
| X. | Subtle distinctions | NICETIES |