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New York Times, Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Author:
Peter Koetters
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
9-Across : Clear up, in a way
TotalDebutLatest
510/17/20122/11/2024
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1031000
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.602349%
Peter Koetters

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 35 Missing: {BJVXZ} This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Koetters. Wednesday freshness: 87%
Peter Koetters notes:

This puzzle was a long time in the making, with the first pass attempted in March 2010 and over nine complete redo's before settling on the right layout (and the right vegetables).

The "square roots" vegetable idea was simple enough, but turned out to be really difficult to execute. After failed attempts at 4-letter root squares, I settled on 8-letter wraparound "square roots." The big problem was the strange letter combinations one gets when words are spelled backwards! Just think about (_ _ _ PSP_ _ _) and (_ _ _ RSN _ _) near each other, or anything to fill (_ _ _ _ EOT _ _). Anyway, with the help of DEEP SPACE and FEARS NOT, and the infamous Italian ex-prime minister ANDREOTTI, it came together in the end to mark my New York Times debut.

In short, I predict won't be doing any more wraparounds.

1
S
2
R
3
T
4
A
5
S
6
E
7
M
8
U
9
D
10
E
11
F
12
O
13
G
14
Q
U
O
T
H
15
L
A
N
16
E
L
E
C
T
17
U
N
S
H
A
18
C
K
L
E
19
E
L
A
T
E
20
A
L
S
21
L
O
E
W
S
22
P
A
R
23
R
E
T
24
O
L
D
25
A
C
26
T
S
27
S
28
A
29
L
30
E
T
O
N
31
G
R
O
U
P
32
I
N
G
S
33
E
34
P
35
P
I
E
36
R
A
N
O
U
T
37
A
38
S
39
P
I
R
I
N
40
I
N
C
I
T
E
S
41
S
P
E
D
U
P
42
I
N
S
E
T
43
I
R
R
A
D
I
44
A
T
E
45
I
46
S
47
P
48
S
49
S
Y
S
50
I
T
E
S
51
S
52
P
O
T
O
N
53
E
54
H
S
55
R
O
56
O
T
S
57
A
R
A
58
I
59
S
I
A
H
60
A
N
D
R
E
61
O
T
T
I
62
M
E
D
A
L
63
T
M
I
64
U
S
U
A
L
65
S
A
S
S
Y
66
E
E
N
67
D
U
E
L
S
© 2012, The New York Times10/17/12 ( No. 22,989 )
Across
1
Mlles., across the border : SRTAS
6
Big bird : EMU
9
Clear up, in a way : DEFOG
14
Verb in "The Raven" : QUOTH
15
PC connection : LAN
16
Word on a lawn sign : ELECT
17
Free from bondage : UNSHACKLE
19
Send sky-high : ELATE
20
Gore and Green : ALS
21
Cinema chain : LOEWS
22
Something that's good to break : PAR
23
Handed down, as lore : RETOLD
25
Stops procrastinating : ACTS
27
Frivolous gal of song : SAL
30
Aldous Huxley's school : ETON
31
Collections of like objects : GROUPINGS
33
"Silas Marner" girl : EPPIE
36
Lapsed, as a subscription : RANOUT
37
Trademark of 1899 that's no longer protected : ASPIRIN
40
Stirs up : INCITES
41
Hit the gas : SPEDUP
42
Atlas feature : INSET
43
Expose to UV waves, say : IRRADIATE
45
Connections to the WWW : ISPS
49
S.S.S. part: Abbr. : SYS
50
Devotees: Suffix : ITES
51
Exactly right : SPOTON
53
Quizzical utterances : EHS
55
See 1-Down : ROOTS
57
Coach Parseghian : ARA
58
Hoops Hall-of-Famer Thomas : ISIAH
60
Italian P.M. nicknamed Divo Giulio : ANDREOTTI
62
Uniform decoration : MEDAL
63
Excessive detail, in a text : TMI
64
Mad magazine's "___ Gang of Idiots" : USUAL
65
Smart-alecky : SASSY
66
Yet, in verse : EEN
67
Hamilton vs. Burr and others : DUELS
Down
1
With 55-Across, what the circled letters, reading clockwise, form : SQUARE
2
Brook : RUNLET
3
Throw in the direction of : TOSSTO
4
Greek capital, to airlines : ATH
5
Intend to definitely : SHALL
6
Sommer of film : ELKE
7
Viruses, worms, etc. : MALWARE
8
Intl. peace and human rights grp. : UNESCO
9
Distant regions of the universe : DEEPSPACE
10
First name in scat : ELLA
11
Is intrepid : FEARSNOT
12
Thanksgiving mo., in Canada : OCT
13
Co. that merged into Verizon : GTE
18
Salted fish : COD
24
Five Nations tribe : ONEIDA
26
Spins, rolls or draws : TURNS
28
Malaria symptom : AGUE
29
Normandy vessels of '44 : LSTS
31
Martini base, maybe : GIN
32
Ab ___ (from the beginning) : INITIO
34
In a Victorian manner : PRUDISHLY
35
Larklike songbird : PIPIT
37
Floor model caveat : ASIS
38
Nimble for one's age : SPRY
39
August meteor shower : PERSEIDS
40
Suffix with serpent : INE
42
"My treat" : ITSONME
44
Fill with gas : AERATE
46
Center of many a plaza : STATUE
47
Way in : PORTAL
48
Slimy pests : SNAILS
51
Orch. section : STR
52
Pretentious sort : PSEUD
54
Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS
56
Asgard ruler : ODIN
58
Some AOL transmissions : IMS
59
Chantey subject : SEA
61
The Cowboys of the N.C.A.A. : OSU

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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