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New York Times, Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Author:
Victor Fleming
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
4-Across : Opposite of alta
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.5522358%
Victor Fleming

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 36 Missing: {QXZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 29 for Mr. Fleming. Tuesday freshness: 90%
Victor Fleming notes:

This puzzle demonstrates how using 100% of available theme units can overcome a theme's low-excitement factor. I wanted to come up with seven ILSAs (in-the-language stand-alones), preferably all phrases (vs. hyphenated or compound words), each having as its first unit a different subject pronoun. I wanted to cross theme answers in each of two corners. The one iffy entry was SHE DEVILS, which seems to have etymologically evolved into a hyphenated word. However, if you glance through IMDb, you can find this word going both ways in movie titles over a 50-year period.

I submitted the puzzle to Will by mail in April or May of 2010. I had a cross-country road trip planned for late June, with stops in Williamsburg VA and Southbridge MA, en route to a golf weekend in Killington VT. I routed myself through Will's home town and invited him to dinner. He accepted. Before dinner, he gave me a tour of his puzzle factory, showing me his collection of old puzzles, and then pulled out an envelope with this puzzle in it. He critiqued it on the spot, accepting the puzzle, but asking for revisions in a few places. It's the only puzzle as to which I can claim an acceptance in person. (He also rejected three puzzles that afternoon, but let's not go there!) We had dinner at the Pleasantville Diner. I dropped him back at his house and then drove on to Southbridge.

1
B
2
O
3
P
4
B
5
A
6
J
7
A
8
S
9
P
10
A
11
S
12
M
13
S
14
O
N
O
15
A
L
O
T
16
O
L
D
H
A
T
17
W
E
M
18
A
D
E
I
T
19
R
E
M
E
D
Y
20
I
A
M
B
21
S
N
I
22
P
23
A
I
D
24
E
L
E
C
25
T
26
I
C
A
27
N
D
R
E
28
A
29
M
30
T
W
31
I
N
32
R
E
S
A
V
E
S
33
C
34
I
V
I
C
35
L
E
W
36
L
I
R
R
37
B
L
T
38
T
H
39
E
Y
S
A
40
Y
41
L
I
P
42
U
O
F
43
A
44
I
D
E
45
G
O
46
O
S
E
47
S
N
I
P
48
I
N
G
49
K
E
R
R
50
H
E
G
O
T
G
A
51
M
E
52
K
I
53
S
54
S
55
Y
56
U
S
C
57
R
A
N
58
D
59
N
O
P
E
60
M
61
A
R
T
H
62
A
63
Y
O
U
64
A
G
A
I
N
65
F
U
E
L
E
D
66
O
B
E
Y
67
P
C
T
68
A
S
S
E
S
S
69
R
I
T
E
70
Y
E
A
© 2011, The New York Times11/22/11 ( No. 22,659 )
Across
1
Some jazz : BOP
4
Opposite of alta : BAJA
8
Involuntary jerks : SPASMS
14
Singer with a negative-sounding name : ONO
15
Bunches : ALOT
16
Been-there-done-that : OLDHAT
17
Shout upon reaching a destination : WEMADEIT
19
Fix : REMEDY
20
Foot of verse : IAMB
21
Salon sound : SNIP
23
Give a hand : AID
24
Vote in : ELECT
26
"Wouldn't that be nice" : ICANDREAM
30
Exact look-alike : TWIN
32
Backs up another time, as computer data : RESAVES
33
Kind of duty or center : CIVIC
35
Basketball's Alcindor : LEW
36
Line to Penn Sta. : LIRR
37
Sandwich shop staple, in brief : BLT
38
Intro to many an adage : THEYSAY
41
"Don't gimme no ___!" : LIP
42
Fayetteville campus, briefly : UOFA
44
Suffix with brom- : IDE
45
"Duck, duck" follower : GOOSE
47
Taking potshots (at) : SNIPING
49
"The King and I" actress : KERR
50
1998 Spike Lee joint : HEGOTGAME
52
When doubled, displaying affection, informally : KISSY
56
Trojan's sch. : USC
57
South African money : RAND
59
"Can't help ya!" : NOPE
60
Popular daytime talk show : MARTHA
63
"Well, look who's back!" : YOUAGAIN
65
Powered : FUELED
66
Follow : OBEY
67
Election Day no. : PCT
68
Size up : ASSESS
69
Baby naming, e.g. : RITE
70
"___, though I walk ..." : YEA
Down
1
David who sang "Let's Dance" : BOWIE
2
Either "Paper Moon" co-star : ONEAL
3
French apple : POMME
4
Scolding word to a dog : BAD
5
Drinks for Chaucer's Miller : ALES
6
Add one's voice to others : JOININ
7
Dusty room, often : ATTIC
8
Frat. counterpart : SOR
9
Files a complaint, say : PLEADS
10
Four- or five-star officer : ADMIRAL
11
Wicked women : SHEDEVILS
12
Foaming at the mouth : MAD
13
Pig's place : STY
18
"Dancing With the Stars" airer : ABCTV
22
Whittles (down) : PARES
25
Knucklehead : TWIT
27
Like Enya's music : NEWAGE
28
Where eagles dare? : AERIE
29
Sticker inits. : MSRP
31
Ancient Chinese divination book : ICHING
33
Exact look-alike : CLONE
34
"Just my luck" : ITFIGURES
35
Caustic substance : LYE
37
Outback : BUSH
39
"J. ___," 2011 film : EDGAR
40
Part of N.Y.S.E. : YORK
43
One of 12 in the New Testament : APOSTLE
46
Circular gasket : ORING
48
Yens : ITCHES
49
Obi-Wan ___ : KENOBI
51
One called "hizzoner" : MAYOR
53
Covered with suds : SOAPY
54
Flavor enhancer : SPICE
55
Dirt spreader : YENTA
58
Piece played by a pair : DUET
60
Painter's deg. : MFA
61
Switz. neighbor : AUS
62
Side jobs for actors : ADS
64
Agreement with the captain : AYE

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

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