M.F.K. FISHER, CONSIDER THE OYSTER — For about a year... our oyster is a male... . Then one day, maternal longings surge between his two valves in his cold guts and gills and all his crinkly fringes. Necessity, that well-known mother, makes him one. He is a she.
| A. | Activity for a chef or a dandy | MINCING |
| B. | Child, to man, per Wordsworth | FATHER |
| C. | Figures often viewed at a tilt | KNIGHTS |
| D. | Admiral's charge | FLEET |
| E. | Nacre or abalone on a guitar | INLAY |
| F. | Like a clam | SILENT |
| G. | Stay calm, don't freak (2 wds.) | HANGLOOSE |
| H. | Mayonnaise or butter, e.g. | EMULSION |
| I. | Dissolute; debonair | RAKISH |
| J. | Exacting a high price | COSTLY |
| K. | River diverted to Los Angeles via aqueduct | OWENS |
| L. | Sexually developed and attractive | NUBILE |
| M. | Imbued with flavor; having experience | SEASONED |
| N. | Belief based on five pillars | ISLAM |
| O. | Dolphinfish | DORADO |
| P. | Hermaphroditic burrower | EARTHWORM |
| Q. | Aimlessly wandering; unorganized, as a speech | RAMBLING |
| R. | Torment for Tantalus | THIRST |
| S. | Place where fry or spat are raised | HATCHERY |
| T. | Otis who gave us a lift | ELISHA |
| U. | Diminutive egg | OVULE |
| V. | Half of a gender-related duality | YANG |
| W. | Periods of development | STAGES |
| X. | Dismantle; copy onto paper; defeat, as a powerful enemy (2 wds.) | TAKEDOWN |
| Y. | Midmorning tea with a snack | ELEVENSES |
| Z. | Path for a triple jumper | RUNWAY |