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New York Times, Thursday, February 23, 2012

Author:
Jeff Chen
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
20-Across : Subject with force
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1577/5/201010/27/2024109
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatAcr
431017263711121
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
11411.6292255%
Jeff Chen

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 39 Missing: {QVZ} This is puzzle # 6 for Mr. Chen. Thursday freshness: 33%
Jeff Chen notes:

This puzzle was two years in the making, with umpteen thousand versions and three back-and-forths with Will. My first version didn't have the perimeter words interlocked, which Will thought inelegant. I'm really glad he pointed this out. Even though it took me ages to figure out a set of words which did interlock in all four corners, I like the elegance of it.

Now that I've had some time to review the puzzle with fresh eyes, I would have loved to incorporate AROUND in a symmetrical way. See how it sticks out, no symmetrical theme answer balancing it? If I were to do it all over again, I might place the letters A R O U N D in a tight circle around the center of the puzzle, with each letter circled. A notepad note could explain things, or better yet, it would be devilish to make the solver connect the dots, figuring out that the circled letters were a subtle hint to those perimeter answers.

Fun to see how one can learn and take away lessons for the future.

Jim Horne notes:

AROUND must be added to the answers around the outside edge for the clues to make sense.

1
S
2
H
3
O
4
O
5
T
6
R
7
O
8
O
9
T
10
J
11
E
12
R
13
K
14
H
I
N
D
U
15
A
U
T
H
16
O
X
E
N
17
O
G
L
E
R
18
P
I
T
A
19
K
I
L
O
20
P
H
Y
S
I
21
C
S
22
A
N
23
G
E
L
I
C
24
N
O
H
25
O
W
26
O
R
E
C
K
27
C
28
O
29
K
30
E
31
R
E
H
A
32
B
S
33
O
W
E
S
34
N
E
O
35
R
E
36
L
37
I
38
E
39
F
40
M
E
G
A
41
B
I
T
42
K
E
E
P
S
T
O
43
E
N
S
U
R
E
44
D
I
E
45
N
A
T
O
46
A
R
47
O
U
N
D
48
S
O
U
L
49
S
50
L
51
O
52
P
S
53
R
O
G
E
54
T
55
T
E
L
L
S
56
O
N
57
P
R
O
58
P
59
S
60
U
61
P
62
I
R
M
A
63
R
A
64
N
I
65
R
E
T
R
O
66
C
O
E
N
67
E
T
O
N
68
C
R
A
N
K
69
K
I
C
K
70
M
E
S
S
71
H
O
R
S
E
© 2012, The New York Times2/23/12 ( No. 22,752 )
Across
1
Pass quickly, as on a highway : SHOOT
6
Rummage : ROOT
10
Treat badly : JERK
14
Karma believer : HINDU
15
Title accompanier: Abbr. : AUTH
16
Team members : OXEN
17
Many a nude beach visitor : OGLER
18
___ bread : PITA
19
Narc's find, perhaps : KILO
20
Subject with force : PHYSICS
22
Perfectly behaved : ANGELIC
24
Not under any circumstances : NOHOW
26
Big name in vacuums : ORECK
27
Furnace fuel : COKE
31
Heals, in a way : REHABS
33
Has a tab : OWES
34
The One, in "The Matrix" : NEO
35
Kind of pitcher : RELIEF
40
Storage unit : MEGABIT
42
Maintains, as an itinerary : KEEPSTO
43
Double-check, e.g. : ENSURE
44
One of two in Monopoly : DIE
45
Port. is part of it : NATO
46
Word needed to be added to 12 appropriately placed answers in this puzzle for their clues to make sense : AROUND
48
Music genre : SOUL
49
Spills : SLOPS
53
Synonym source : ROGET
55
Gives away, in a way : TELLSON
57
Braces : PROPSUP
62
"___ la Douce" : IRMA
63
14-Across V.I.P. : RANI
65
Back in : RETRO
66
"The Big Lebowski" director : COEN
67
George Orwell's alma mater : ETON
68
Part of many a generator : CRANK
69
Bandy, as ideas : KICK
70
Waste time : MESS
71
Act rowdily : HORSE
Down
1
Get many price quotes : SHOP
2
Drugged out : HIGH
3
One's partner : ONLY
4
Works of Horace : ODES
5
Famous cloth locale : TURIN
6
List of criminals? : RAPSHEET
7
Magazine once published by Playboy : OUI
8
Senator's home : OTTAWA
9
Comparison connector : THAN
10
Wild card : JOKER
11
Banish : EXILE
12
Vestige : RELIC
13
Wander aimlessly : KNOCK
21
Less sophisticated, in a way : CORNIER
23
"Check it out!" : GOSEE
25
Exclamation of surprise : OHO
27
Change one's opinion : COME
28
Meany of story : OWEN
29
Items sometimes tossed in strongman contests : KEGS
30
Biblical twin : ESAU
32
Rancher, typically : BREEDER
36
Hosp. employees : LPNS
37
Golfer Aoki : ISAO
38
Cry of shocked hurt : ETTU
39
Not be serious : FOOL
41
Military leaders : BRASS
42
Group leaders : KINGPINS
44
The Smothers Brothers, e.g. : DUO
47
Showy : ORNATE
49
Linger : STICK
50
"Vive ___!" : LEROI
51
Ancient Mexican : OLMEC
52
Party principle : PLANK
54
Johnny Storm a k a the Human ___ : TORCH
56
City near Provo : OREM
58
But, in Bolivia : PERO
59
Standout : STAR
60
Still-life subjects : URNS
61
Search here and there : POKE
64
Digits, e.g.: Abbr. : NOS

Answer summary:
1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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