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SHELL GAME

New York Times, Sunday, December 3, 2017

Author:
David Steinberg
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
129-Across : Professional group with a van
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1116/16/201112/21/202322
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
107891534262
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
6211.6365067%
David Steinberg

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 22 Words: 149, Blocks: 86 This is puzzle # 71 for Mr. Steinberg. Sunday freshness: 51%
David Steinberg notes:
In the Steinberg family, we keep a small notebook in each room of our house and in the car. That way, if one of us gets inspired by a crossword idea, entry, etc., it can easily be written down. My ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
The old SHELL GAME! I spent years trying to come up with a Sunday puzzle around the fascinating sleight of hand. My best attempt was to have three "shells" made out of black squares, with ... read more
1
S
2
A
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U
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T
5
E
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S
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C
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Y
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C
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L
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E
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F
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T
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S
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A
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S
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L
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E
L
N
O
R
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E
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O
S
H
E
A
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L
E
I
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M
O
O
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A
C
C
U
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A
L
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S
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A
L
O
E
S
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O
A
K
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L
A
W
N
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W
O
O
T
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T
O
N
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I
C
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S
W
E
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E
PEA
33
H
A
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D
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A
P
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P
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M
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U
R
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E
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T
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T
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R
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H
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E
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A
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P
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D
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A
D
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D
O
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G
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O
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P
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K
R
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E
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G
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D
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N
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P
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Z
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A
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I
C
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X
P
L
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C
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C
K
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G
A
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R
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E
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T
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I
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P
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A
G
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N
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C
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H
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L
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M
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A
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K
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E
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L
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G
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M
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N
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C
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K
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P
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A
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A
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B
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A
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G
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E
R
M
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L
P
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N
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G
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E
O
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M
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E
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A
N
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B
U
S
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T
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O
M
O
O
115
L
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N
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C
O
L
N
117
L
O
G
S
118
S
H
H
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L
O
A
N
120
S
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T
W
O
A
M
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U
K
A
S
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E
124
A
T
I
E
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A
R
T
D
E
126
C
O
127
S
W
I
128
F
T
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N
E
W
130
S
C
R
E
W
131
M
A
I
132
L
O
U
133
T
O
R
R
E
134
S
O
O
N
I
S
H
135
E
P
A
136
L
O
T
137
S
L
A
Y
S
138
K
L
E
P
T
O
© 2017, The New York Times12/3/17 ( No. 24,862 )
Across
1
Browns : SAUTES
7
Four-hit achievement, in baseball lingo : CYCLE
12
Mil. posts : FTS
15
System used at Gallaudet Univ. : ASL
18
The U.S., in Mexico : ELNORTE
20
Milo of "Romeo and Juliet," 1968 : OSHEA
21
Hawaii's ___ Day : LEI
22
Low : MOO
23
"Et tu?" and others : ACCUSALS
25
Lotion ingredients : ALOES
26
Suburb of Chicago : OAKLAWN
28
Joyful internet cry : WOOT
29
Bubbly mixer : TONIC
31
Popeye's boy : SWEEPEA
33
Harassed, in a sense : HAZED
34
Cartoon seller of Squishees : APU
35
Pyrex glass marking : PINTMEASURE
38
Jackson 5 member : TITO
39
Philip who wrote "Portnoy's Complaint" : ROTH
41
Cain and Abel's younger brother : SETH
42
Word before questions or advice : ANY
43
Do sales work, informally : REP
44
A part of : INON
45
Band with the 1989 platinum debut album "Junta" : PHISH
47
Darryl, in the comic "Baby Blues" : DAD
49
Accomplishing : DOING
51
Poke around : SNOOP
54
The "K" in Kmart : KRESGE
59
Places for plugs : DRAINS
62
Plastic dispenser producer : PEZ
65
The clue for 128-Down, if this shell game weren't a scam : ARCTICEXPLORER
68
Hardly guzzle : SIP
69
Group of pros : CRACKTEAM
71
"Rights of Man" author, 1791 : PAINE
72
Early Cuzco dweller : INCA
73
Series of mistakes? : GAGREEL
74
Vacation spot : RESORT
77
Inside dope source : TIPSTER
80
Prefix with business : AGRI
81
Chilled : ONICE
83
With 13-Down, herbal brew : CHAMOMILE
85
Cartoon seller of Duff Beer : MOE
86
The clue for 127-Across, if this shell game weren't a scam : ATTACKWITHAPAW
90
Former N.F.L.'ers Detmer and Law : TYS
91
All together : ENBLOC
93
Shapes of some Halloween cookies : GHOSTS
94
Country united in 1990 : YEMEN
96
Soft drink options : COKES
98
A peeling place? : SPA
100
Westernmost of the ABC Islands : ARUBA
103
"Bug" : GERM
105
Hosp. worker : LPN
107
Prefix with caching : GEO
109
2.5, for the set {1, 2, 3, 4} : MEAN
112
Classic sculpture : BUST
114
Novel narrated by a soon-to-be mutineer : OMOO
115
Material for small buildings? : LINCOLNLOGS
118
Proctor's warning : SHH
119
Students often take them out : LOANS
121
When some bars close : TWOAM
122
Edict : UKASE
124
End in ___ : ATIE
125
Style influenced by Cubism : ARTDECO
127
Like hand motions during a shell game : SWIFT
129
Professional group with a van : NEWSCREW
131
Month of l'année : MAI
132
Singer Reed : LOU
133
Four-time World Series-winning manager : TORRE
134
In the near future : SOONISH
135
Superfund org. : EPA
136
Something to build on : LOT
137
Looks fabulous, in slang : SLAYS
138
Pincher : KLEPTO
Down
1
England and Spain fought one in 1588 : SEAWAR
2
Smirnoff Ice, e.g. : ALCOPOP
3
Lacking polish : UNCOUTH
4
Push : TOUT
5
Verbal stumbles : ERS
6
Walks or runs, for short : STAT
7
Work together : COACT
8
Fashion inits. : YSL
9
Elected : CHOSEN
10
Degree of freedom : LEEWAY
11
Lightens : EASES
12
Like hounds and most bunny rabbits : FLOPEARED
13
See 83-Across : TEA
14
Guru, maybe : SIKH
15
"Pretty cool, huh?" : AMAZINGISNTIT
16
Johannesburg neighborhood much in the news during apartheid : SOWETO
17
Underground locale : LONDON
19
Give a ring while on the road? : ELOPE
24
Tizzy : SNIT
27
Typical Vanidades reader : LATINA
30
How many TV shows are shown : INHD
32
Port. is part of it : EUR
36
One caring for a bebé : MADRE
37
Classical poem : EPODE
40
Email openers : HIS
41
Egghead? : SHORTE
46
Deceitful sort : SNAKE
48
Grp. with lots of pointers : AKC
50
Like the verbs "eat" and "drink": Abbr. : IRR
52
Bobcat relative : OCELOT
53
Fund-raising org. : PTA
55
Fair : EXPO
56
Warm up for a bout, say : SPAR
57
Bug : GLITCH
58
Ages and ages : EON
60
With politesse : NICELY
61
They're symbolized by slashes : SPARES
62
Minecraft or StarCraft : PCGAME
63
Fantasy novel hero who rides the dragon Saphira : ERAGON
64
Capital 175 miles east of Venice, Italy : ZAGREBCROATIA
66
Lottery winner's cry : IMRICH
67
Record again : RETAPE
70
Dernier ___ : CRI
72
Philosophy class suffix : ISM
75
Marc of fashion : ECKO
76
Follows a pattern? : SEWS
78
Much-covered 1955 Bo Diddley hit : IMAMAN
79
Juice : POWER
82
Verb often said three times in a row : NAG
84
It's cut and dried : HAY
86
All right : AOK
87
Immune system component : TCELL
88
"Let's do this thing!" : ITSON
89
Amt. of seasoning : TSP
92
Loch on the border of the Highlands : LOMOND
95
Worn-down pencil : NUB
97
Say quickly : SPITOUT
99
One way to run : AMOK
101
Greyhound offering : BUSTRIP
102
Most visibly frightened : ASHIEST
103
Develop a limp : GOLAME
104
Hybrid music genre of the 2010s : EMORAP
106
Houston-to-Dallas dir. : NNW
107
Desert, in a way : GOAWOL
108
City west of Binghamton : ELMIRA
110
Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer : EGAN
111
Total jerks : ASSES
113
Group with two top 10 rock operas : THEWHO
116
Runs to : COSTS
117
They have long necks and round bodies : LUTES
120
Bear's advice : SELL
123
Bearlike creature in sci-fi : EWOK
124
Oil crisis? : ACNE
126
Murmur : COO
128
Cook in oil : FRY
130
Only three-letter scale note : SOL

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

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