(ALICE) MUNRO, THE PROGRESS OF LOVE — Hatred is always a sin, my mother told me.... One drop... in your soul will spread and discolor everything like a drop of black ink in white milk. I was struck by that and meant to try it, but knew I shouldn't waste the milk.
| A. | Belief of a yogi or Gnostic | MYSTICISM |
| B. | Based on custom rather than documentation | UNWRITTEN |
| C. | Gave assent without saying so | NODDED |
| D. | Consider from a new angle | RETHINK |
| E. | Times of yore (2 wds.) | OLDENDAYS |
| F. | Taunts and boasts between rival players (2 wds.) | TRASHTALK |
| G. | Without there being a close second (2 wds.) | HANDSDOWN |
| H. | Furry red monster with a falsetto voice | ELMO |
| I. | Let go (hyph.) | PINKSLIP |
| J. | Tool for a geological outing (2 wds.) | ROCKHAMMER |
| K. | Displaying not much acumen | OBTUSE |
| L. | Way to a man's stomach | GULLET |
| M. | Instruction on a bill | REMIT |
| N. | One determined not to miss out (2 wds.) | EARLYBIRD |
| O. | Apt anagram of "winter's O" (2 wds.) | SNOWTIRE |
| P. | Kind of ball game with few strikeouts (hyph.) | SLOWPITCH |
| Q. | Crude storage unit (2 wds.) | OILTANK |
| R. | What has an eye, a shank, a bend and a barb | FISHHOOK |
| S. | Save-it-for-me plan | LAYAWAY |
| T. | Where karate originated | OKINAWA |
| U. | Legal force or soundness | VALIDITY |
| V. | Rebuke at a betrayal (3 wds.) | ETTUBRUTE |