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Black Mamba

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This cryptic crossword can be solved as usual, except that at one crossing per row, the down entry uses three letters and the across entry uses one (which may or may not agree with any of the down entry's letters). Here is the completed grid:

1
S
W
2
A
R
3
M
4
M
I
5
C
R
6
O/DET
W
7
A
V
8
E
H
L
U
A
E
R
C
9
I
C
E
M
A/SAS
N
10
S
K
I
R
M
I
S
H
L
X
H
11
A
E
S
I
12
L
U
I
G
I
13
C
O
R/BOS
N
14
B
R
E
A
D
E
S
C
S
E
N
L
15
B/DET
I
16
G
B
E
N
17
A
L
I
18
C
I
A
A
O
R
S
L
A
19
G
E
C
K
O
20
S
T
21
E
P
22
W
O/DET
R
23
M
H
Q
W
G
24
L
I
U
25
B
I
G
D
I
P
26
P/PHI
E
R
27
T
E
28
S
R
H
M
L
A
29
R
E
V
30
G/POR
L
I
D
E
31
B
L
I
N
G
I
I
T
G
A
P
E
32
B
A
L
T
I
C
33
A
D
M
34
I
R
A/SAS
L
U
L
V
O
S
35
T
H
E
R
E
36
H
O
37
N
E
Y/WAS
C
O
M
38
B
A
Y
O
T
O
A
39
R
O
40
C/SAC
K
41
D
A
R
T
A
G
N
A
N
Y
C
42
M
R
M
T
43
M
A
I
L/UTA
M
A
N
44
R
E
V
45
I
E
46
W
47
G
D
T
48
B
N
A
49
A
D
E
L
E
50
S/DEN
K
Y
W
51
A
L
K
E
R
R
M
P
D
W
E
52
L
J
53
U
B
54
L
J
A
N
A
55
D
R
E
A
M/HOU
I
N
O
R
S
E
L
S
56
C
H
I
E
F/BOS
57
K
E
S
T
R
E
L
E

The three letters are all abbreviations of NBA teams, and the across entries they cross are all nicknames of famous NBA players who played for that team. Indexing into the player's last name by the position of the crossing yields the following:

NicknameTeamLast NameCrossing LocationLetter
MICROWAVEDETJOHNSON5S
ICEMANSASGERVIN5I
CORNBREADBOSMAXWELL3X
BIGBENDETWALLACE1W
WORMDETRODMAN2O
BIGDIPPERPHICHAMBERLAIN7R
GLIDEPORDREXLER1D
ADMIRALSASROBINSON6S
HONEYCOMBWASJOHNSON5S
ROCKSACRICHMOND3C
MAILMANUTAMALONE4O
SKYWALKERDENTHOMPSON1T
DREAMHOUOLAJUWON5U
CHIEFBOSPARISH5S

These letters spell the clue phrase SIX WORDS SCOTUS, which suggests expanding the acronym SCOTUS to the full six words, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.