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New York Times, Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Author:
Victor Fleming
Editor:
Will Shortz
23-Across : Era ended by Vesuvius?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.5522358%
Victor Fleming

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JKQXZ} This is puzzle # 15 for Mr. Fleming. Wednesday freshness: 62%
Victor Fleming notes:

Submitted in June 2006, revised after acceptance in Apr. 2007, this simple puzzle came about as a whim during a late-night research session. Using onelook.com, I searched for phrases starting with "last" and listed several possibilities (BUT NOT LEAST, CLEAR CHANCE, IN FIRST OUT, a few others). At some point it hit me that THE LAST would be a nice central entry, so I culled the list accordingly.

1
L
2
E
3
T
4
E
5
M
6
C
7
E
8
L
9
E
10
B
11
D
12
A
13
D
14
I
L
O
N
A
15
E
N
V
O
Y
16
A
D
O
17
M
A
N
S
T
18
A
N
D
I
N
G
19
N
O
G
20
O
N
E
N
E
S
S
21
U
22
S
I
N
G
23
D
A
Y
S
O
24
F
25
P
26
O
M
P
E
I
I
27
B
28
E
E
R
29
T
R
O
O
P
30
E
L
S
E
31
I
T
A
L
32
O
33
O
L
E
34
I
C
35
O
A
F
36
T
37
H
38
E
L
A
S
T
39
N
40
A
41
Y
42
A
T
A
R
I
43
S
44
T
O
N
E
45
B
46
O
47
S
C
48
R
O
S
49
S
50
I
51
E
T
N
A
52
O
F
T
H
53
E
M
O
H
I
C
54
A
N
S
55
G
L
E
E
M
56
T
E
N
D
O
57
N
58
S
59
I
A
N
60
P
61
I
62
C
63
T
U
R
E
S
H
O
W
64
E
T
O
65
T
O
P
U
P
66
S
T
O
R
E
67
S
E
G
68
Y
U
L
E
S
69
T
O
T
I
E
© 2007, The New York Times12/19/7 ( No. 21,225 )
Across
1
"___ Eat Cake" (1930s musical) : LETEM
6
H'wood type : CELEB
11
Familiar sitcom figure : DAD
14
Massey of old movies : ILONA
15
Embassy figure : ENVOY
16
Stir : ADO
17
Guy ready to sing the national anthem? : MANSTANDING
19
Eggy concoction : NOG
20
Meditation goal : ONENESS
21
Making the most of : USING
23
Era ended by Vesuvius? : DAYSOFPOMPEII
27
Cold one, so to speak : BEER
29
March (through) : TROOP
30
"If all ___ fails ..." : ELSE
31
Author Calvino : ITALO
33
Kind of acid : OLEIC
35
Churl : OAF
36
What shall be first ... or words that can precede 17-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across : THELAST
39
Vote against : NAY
42
Maker of the game Combat : ATARI
43
Piece in the game go : STONE
45
Pear type : BOSC
48
Martini's partner : ROSSI
51
European erupter : ETNA
52
Belonging to a Hudson Valley tribe? : OFTHEMOHICANS
55
Colgate alternative : GLEEM
56
Sinews : TENDONS
59
Janis ___, with the 1975 hit "At Seventeen" : IAN
60
Museum exhibit? : PICTURESHOW
64
D.D.E.'s purview in W.W. II : ETO
65
Convertible driver's option : TOPUP
66
Cache : STORE
67
Div. : SEG
68
Christmases : YULES
69
Funny Fields : TOTIE
Down
1
V.I.P.'s ride : LIMO
2
Pizazz : ELAN
3
Unable to hit a pitch? : TONEDEAF
4
Tangle up : ENSNARL
5
Brit's buddy : MATEY
6
Bleep out : CENSOR
7
Football lineman : END
8
Mid first-century year : LVI
9
Years and years and years : EON
10
"Dang!" : BYGUM
11
Title brother in a 1973 Elton John hit : DANIEL
12
Mr. Gorgeous : ADONIS
13
Little canine : DOGGIE
18
Mgr.'s helper : ASST
22
Project detail, for short : SPEC
24
Daft : FOOLISH
25
Negri of silent films : POLA
26
Reveals, in verse : OPES
27
Brief life? : BIO
28
J.F.K. guess : ETA
32
Baseball's Little Giant : OTT
34
"___ a go!" : ITS
37
Detriment : HARM
38
Suffix with smack : EROO
39
Less than wonderful : NOTSOHOT
40
Former Texas governor Richards : ANN
41
Vote for : YEA
42
Liniment target : ACHE
44
Takes care of : TENDSTO
45
Unidentified planes : BOGIES
46
Recently : OFLATE
47
Court worker, for short : STENOG
49
Gym class exercises : SITUPS
50
Patisserie employee : ICER
53
Bottle ready to be recycled : EMPTY
54
"For every Bird ___": Emily Dickinson : ANEST
57
"Me neither" : NORI
58
___' Pea : SWEE
61
Payment pledge : IOU
62
Lance ___ (U.S.M.C. rank) : CPL
63
Night that "Happy Days" was on: Abbr. : TUE

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

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