(DON) MARQUIS, (THE) ALMOST PERFECT STATE — Seen from the middle arch of the [Brooklyn] bridge at twilight, New York with its girdle of shifting waters and its drift of purple cloud and its quick pulsations of unstable light is a miracle of splendor and beauty.
| A. | Explanation for a magician's trick, maybe | MIRRORS |
| B. | Kid played by Carl Switzer in the "Our Gang" series | ALFALFA |
| C. | Sun with a low surface temperature (2 wds.) | REDSTAR |
| D. | Certain Benny Goodman ensemble | QUINTET |
| E. | What field theories strive to be | UNIFIED |
| F. | Symptom of prurigo | ITCHING |
| G. | Occasion for missing school (2 wds.) | SNOWDAY |
| H. | President Hamid Karzai, for one | AFGHANI |
| I. | Fowl whose name derives from an Italian city | LEGHORN |
| J. | Level, as adversaries (2 wds.) | MOWDOWN |
| K. | Another name for Beelzebub (2 wds.) | OLDNICK |
| L. | Comic who played Freddie the Freeloader | SKELTON |
| M. | Fundamental doctrine of Christianity | TRINITY |
| N. | Triceps-firming activity | PUSHUPS |
| O. | Dormant volcano near Arequipa, Peru | ELMISTI |
| P. | Launcher of the Sundance Film Festival | REDFORD |
| Q. | A bit like a popinjay | FOPPISH |
| R. | Order in a Thai restaurant (2 wds.) | EGGROLL |
| S. | Cheese-producing town of Somerset, England | CHEDDAR |
| T. | Leave; deduct (2 wds.) | TAKEOFF |
| U. | Five o'clock shadow | STUBBLE |
| V. | Spiky flower resembling an artichoke | THISTLE |
| W. | "We do not lay on any soul a burden except to the extent of its ___" (The Koran) | ABILITY |
| X. | Amount of money starting a cheerleader's cheer (2 wds.) | TWOBITS |
| Y. | School | EDUCATE |