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IT'S ONLY "A" GAME

New York Times, Sunday, January 12, 2014

Author:
Andrew Chaikin
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
108-Across : *Warm mask/cap amalgams
TotalDebutLatest
41/12/20145/24/2020
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
4000000
CircleDebutFresh
14176%
Andrew Chaikin

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 72 Missing: {Q} Spans: 1 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Chaikin. Sunday freshness: 29%
Andrew Chaikin notes:
Last year, I was creating a game called "May Own A's," for the 57th Equinox word-game party in Berkeley. (That party's theme was condiments, naturally.) When I found that glorious ... read more
Will Shortz notes:
In 2002 I published a crossword by Patrick Berry in which the only vowel in the entire grid was A, so I wasn't so impressed here that just the theme answers are univocalic. But the twist ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Before I started this gig last year, doing the NYT xw was fun in itself. But I always wanted more, specifically to hear Will's thought process regarding why he chose each puzzle and how he ... read more
1
D
2
E
3
W
4
A
5
R
6
F
7
L
8
O
9
W
10
C
11
H
12
A
13
P
14
M
15
A
16
L
17
E
18
E
X
I
L
E
19
R
A
R
E
20
L
A
B
A
21
N
I
M
A
L
22
C
A
S
A
B
23
L
A
N
C
A
24
F
A
L
A
L
A
L
A
L
A
25
O
M
E
N
26
O
N
E
27
S
28
C
A
N
T
29
O
D
D
S
O
N
30
A
31
T
O
Z
32
N
E
A
L
S
33
S
M
E
E
34
T
35
A
36
B
L
E
T
37
B
O
L
T
S
38
S
T
A
R
W
39
A
40
R
41
S
42
B
L
A
D
E
43
C
L
U
44
C
E
45
S
A
R
46
B
O
T
47
S
O
F
A
48
T
H
A
T
49
C
H
50
O
N
U
51
P
52
E
R
D
E
53
P
E
T
54
C
H
O
C
U
L
A
55
I
D
D
O
56
D
A
H
L
57
A
58
S
H
E
59
K
R
O
S
60
S
61
M
E
T
62
R
I
C
A
L
63
A
64
M
A
N
A
P
65
L
A
N
A
C
A
66
N
A
L
P
A
N
A
M
A
67
R
A
W
O
N
I
O
N
68
K
A
M
E
N
69
I
P
A
D
70
C
R
A
W
71
T
U
D
72
E
73
T
O
A
D
74
I
E
S
75
A
76
B
77
S
78
H
I
R
E
79
S
I
T
S
80
C
A
R
A
T
S
81
A
B
L
E
82
E
N
D
83
S
A
T
84
C
H
85
E
L
S
86
E
N
R
O
N
87
R
A
S
88
T
89
A
90
M
A
N
91
I
C
92
O
S
A
93
I
S
A
A
C
S
94
U
T
E
S
95
S
L
A
N
T
96
S
M
O
G
97
A
98
D
99
O
R
E
S
100
P
A
I
N
E
101
G
P
A
102
R
103
A
104
J
105
A
106
M
A
G
N
A
C
107
A
R
T
A
108
B
109
A
L
A
C
110
L
A
V
A
S
111
P
Y
R
O
M
A
N
I
A
112
I
C
E
S
113
A
M
I
C
I
114
M
O
E
N
115
L
I
M
N
116
T
E
E
M
117
O
S
A
K
A
© 2014, The New York Times1/12/14 ( No. 23,441 )
Across
1
Last name in Scotch : DEWAR
6
Stream : FLOW
10
Bloke : CHAP
14
Like blokes : MALE
18
Napoleon, e.g., twice : EXILE
19
Steakhouse order : RARE
20
Test subject : LABANIMAL
22
*Grand-slam drama that stars Bacall's man : CASABLANCA
24
*Half an Xmas "Halls" chant : FALALALALA
25
1976 horror hit, with "The" : OMEN
26
Point value of an A in Scrabble : ONE
27
Little to no : SCANT
29
Heavily favored : ODDSON
30
All-inclusive : ATOZ
32
Beat poet Cassady and others : NEALS
33
Captain Hook's right hand : SMEE
34
69-Across, e.g. : TABLET
37
Scrams : BOLTS
38
*Astral saga that has a Darth part : STARWARS
42
Cutting edge : BLADE
43
Gulager of TV's "The Virginian" : CLU
44
French Oscar : CESAR
46
Bit of Google programming : BOT
47
Staple of a waiting room : SOFA
48
Work on the roof, say : THATCH
50
"Movin' ___" (TV theme song) : ONUP
52
One of die Planeten : ERDE
53
Kitty, e.g. : PET
54
Count ___ : CHOCULA
55
"___ Anything" ("Oliver!" song) : IDDO
56
"The Witches" writer : DAHL
57
King Arthur of tennis : ASHE
59
Kris ___ (music duo) : KROSS
61
Like classical poetry : METRICAL
63
*Fab "backward-gram" à la "Sam, aha! Bahamas!" : AMANAPLANACANALPANAMA
67
Burger topper : RAWONION
68
Segway inventor Dean ___ : KAMEN
69
Apple product : IPAD
70
Bird's gullet : CRAW
71
Chip on one's shoulder, say : TUDE
73
Kowtowers : TOADIES
75
Pilates targets : ABS
78
Take on : HIRE
79
Poses : SITS
80
Stone figures? : CARATS
81
Equal to the task : ABLE
82
Objective : END
83
Louis Armstrong, to friends : SATCH
85
Two-time U.S. Open champ : ELS
86
Houston's old ___ Field : ENRON
87
*Black cat that packs grass and chants "Jah" : RASTAMAN
91
Prefix with -hedron : ICOSA
93
Best-selling novelist Susan : ISAACS
94
Great Basin natives : UTES
95
An op-ed has one : SLANT
96
Air apparent? : SMOG
97
Worships : ADORES
100
"Common Sense" pamphleteer : PAINE
101
Valedictorian's pride, for short : GPA
102
Bygone Bombay bigwig : RAJA
106
*Landmark vassal law act : MAGNACARTA
108
*Warm mask/cap amalgams : BALACLAVAS
111
Burning desire : PYROMANIA
112
Puts away : ICES
113
Friends, in Firenze : AMICI
114
Big name in faucets : MOEN
115
Depict : LIMN
116
Swarm : TEEM
117
Where Sharp Electronics is based : OSAKA
Down
1
Chrysler Building style, informally : DECO
2
Physical, e.g. : EXAM
3
Smart-alecky : WISE
4
*"M*A*S*H" star : ALANALDA
5
One in a gray suit : REB
6
Modernist Kafka : FRANZ
7
A bridge might have one : LANE
8
"The Lord of the Rings" villain : ORC
9
"Pop" goer : WEASEL
10
Online gaming guilds : CLANS
11
Gatekeeper's cry : HALT
12
Lawyers' org. : ABA
13
Picasso's designer daughter : PALOMA
14
Tilex target : MILDEW
15
Latin 101 verb : AMAS
16
Score creator Schifrin : LALO
17
Style : ELAN
21
Subject of the documentary "An Unreasonable Man" : NADER
23
Spoils : LOOT
24
Two-faced : FALSE
28
*Haphazard : CATCHASCATCHCAN
31
Gift shop buy : TEE
32
Sign at an intersection : NOUTURN
33
Apple product, perhaps : STRUDEL
34
Recipe amt. : TBSP
35
Skin soother : ALOE
36
*Gala that saw "Black Swan," "Avatar" and "Ab Fab" attract claps : BAFTAAWARDS
37
*Bar glass that's half Bass, half dark malt : BLACKANDTAN
38
*Lama's art that can't last : SANDMANDALA
39
*"Shazam!" : ABRACADABRA
40
Noted political maiden name : RODHAM
41
Designer McCartney : STELLA
43
Comedian Margaret : CHO
45
"___ hear" : SOI
48
Something woeful : THEPITS
49
Item of attire for 54-Across : CLOAK
51
Square meals that are round : POTPIES
52
Minneapolis suburb : EDINA
54
Jackie of "Shanghai Noon" : CHAN
58
Maine senator after Mitchell : SNOWE
60
Striped Girl Scout cookie : SAMOA
62
Knocks : RAPS
63
Zodiac symbol : ARCHER
64
Pier place : MARINA
65
Adams and Alcott : LOUISAS
66
Most handy : NEAREST
72
'70s self-help course : EST
74
Word repeated in the "Superman" intro : ITS
76
Alliance : BLOC
77
Meaning: Fr. : SENS
81
*Flashback and halfbacks : ANAGRAMS
84
Eyelashes : CILIA
86
That, in Tijuana : ESO
88
Source of excitement : TURNON
89
TV/movie group associated with this puzzle's theme? : ATEAM
90
Agave drink : MESCAL
92
In the slightest : ONEBIT
93
Apple product : IMAC
95
The Adversary : SATAN
96
Jerk : SPASM
97
Day-and-night, in a way : AMPM
98
Belafonte hit : DAYO
99
Dungeons & Dragons figure : OGRE
100
Strait-laced : PRIM
101
Elation : GLEE
103
Reebok alternative : AVIA
104
Hike, with "up" : JACK
105
The East : ASIA
107
It goes before E except after C : ANI
109
Whiz : ACE
110
Vientiane native : LAO

Answer summary:
6 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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