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New York Times, Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Author:
Harry Smith and Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
45-Across : Giant in health plans
TotalDebutCollabs
112/5/20171
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0010000
ScrabDebutFresh
1.59710%
Harry Smith
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
8011/13/201210/4/202424
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
6272275103
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
281.5636338%
Zhouqin Burnikel

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 40 Missing: {FJQVXZ} Spans: 2 Grid has mirror symmetry. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Smith. This is puzzle # 50 for Ms. Burnikel. See all the celebrity crosswords. Tuesday freshness: 17%
Notepad: CELEBRITY CROSSWORD
To mark the 75th anniversary of the New York Times crossword, which debuted in 1942, we are publishing a series of puzzles co-created by famous people who solve the Times crossword, working together with regular Times puzzle contributors.
This collaboration is by the television journalist Harry Smith, a correspondent for NBC News, and previously a host of CBS's "The Early Show," working together with Zhouqin Burnikel, of Brooklyn Park, Minn. This is Zhouqin's 50th crossword for The Times.
More information about the making of today's puzzle appears in the Times's daily crossword column (nytimes.com/column/wordplay).
Constructor notes:
C.C.: This puzzle was made last April. Immediately after Will introduced us, Harry sent me a few ideas. We eventually settled on ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
It's so much fun when the Celeb Constructor series puts out a theme related to that celeb! Today, Harry Smith, a journalist, gives us ... read more
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
S
5
S
6
A
7
U
8
N
9
A
10
C
11
H
12
I
13
P
14
P
L
O
T
15
U
R
G
E
S
16
H
A
R
E
17
P
O
P
E
18
Y
E
T
H
E
S
19
A
I
L
O
R
20
S
C
A
R
A
B
21
A
C
C
E
N
T
22
O
R
E
23
O
24
R
I
T
A
25
M
26
A
27
R
I
N
E
B
28
I
O
L
O
G
29
I
30
S
31
T
32
I
P
O
D
S
33
O
R
B
34
R
O
M
E
O
35
C
I
A
36
L
E
A
S
37
T
38
N
E
T
39
S
A
D
40
D
41
A
Y
42
A
43
L
44
G
O
R
E
45
C
I
G
N
46
A
47
A
B
O
R
T
48
A
L
L
E
N
G
49
I
N
S
B
E
R
50
G
51
A
W
O
L
52
A
N
O
53
Y
E
O
54
W
55
H
A
S
56
H
57
A
T
T
I
58
P
59
S
60
A
T
E
61
A
R
E
62
O
H
H
E
N
R
Y
63
D
Y
E
64
B
E
D
65
W
H
A
R
T
O
N
66
Y
A
K
© 2017, The New York Times12/5/17 ( No. 24,864 )
Across
1
Kindergarten learning : ABCS
5
Place with hot rocks : SAUNA
10
Golf shot near a green : CHIP
14
Cemetery purchase : PLOT
15
Tells to "Do it!" : URGES
16
Long-eared hopper : HARE
17
Anchor man? : POPEYETHESAILOR
20
Sacred Egyptian bug : SCARAB
21
Southern drawl, e.g. : ACCENT
22
Snack you might bite or lick : OREO
24
"Lovely ___" (Beatles song) : RITA
25
Sound technician? : MARINEBIOLOGIST
32
They come with buds : IPODS
33
Space ball : ORB
34
Star-crossed lover of literature : ROMEO
35
Secretive org. : CIA
36
Bare minimum : LEAST
38
Tennis barrier : NET
39
What dropping off a last child at college is, to many parents : SADDAY
42
Star of "An Inconvenient Truth" : ALGORE
45
Giant in health plans : CIGNA
47
Cancel, as a rocket launch : ABORT
48
Beat reporter? : ALLENGINSBERG
51
One not reporting for duty, maybe : AWOL
52
2017, por ejemplo : ANO
53
Cartoon "Ouch!" : YEOW
55
Suffers from : HAS
56
Quaint gestures of gratitude : HATTIPS
60
Noshed : ATE
61
"Right you ___!" : ARE
62
Sister brand of Baby Ruth : OHHENRY
63
It stains : DYE
64
Resting place : BED
65
Executive producer? : WHARTON
66
Blab : YAK
Down
1
Smartphone downloads : APPS
2
Congress's Freedom Caucus, e.g. : BLOC
3
Nightclub in a Manilow song : COPA
4
Olympics no-no : STEROID
5
Honey brand since 1921 : SUEBEE
6
"The creation of beauty," per Ralph Waldo Emerson : ART
7
"Yuck!" : UGH
8
Maiden name intro : NEE
9
Batter, e.g. : ASSAIL
10
City said to have big shoulders : CHICAGO
11
In great shape : HALE
12
Resource in the Mesabi Range : IRON
13
Cheeky : PERT
18
Hard-to-believe stories : YARNS
19
One in a cast : ACTOR
23
Instrument with cane blades : OBOE
24
Steals : ROBS
25
Hot ones can cause trouble : MICS
26
Capital of Samoa : APIA
27
Sign akin to "Bridge Out" : ROADCLOSED
28
One of the Gershwins : IRA
29
"Hold on, give me a second" : IMNOTREADY
30
Future predictor : SEER
31
Many a pledge drive gift : TOTE
36
Loretta who was the subject of "Coal Miner's Daughter" : LYNN
37
Word document settings : TABS
40
___ pickle : DILL
41
5 or 6, for a kindergartner, typically : AGE
43
High toss : LOB
44
___ Goose (vodka brand) : GREY
46
Dame of mystery : AGATHA
47
Consecrate : ANOINT
48
Cognizant : AWARE
49
Bury : INTER
50
Successful prankster's cry : GOTYA
51
Melville monomaniac : AHAB
54
Span for The New Yorker : WEEK
56
Know-___ : HOW
57
Appropriate rhyme for "spa" : AHH
58
For : PRO
59
Roget's entry: Abbr. : SYN

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later.

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