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CONDENSATION

New York Times, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Author:
Finn Vigeland
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
107-Across : ___ Islands
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
2110/20/20106/26/20225
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
10134012
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
231.6518766%
Finn Vigeland

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 78 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 3 for Mr. Vigeland. Sunday freshness: 86%
Finn Vigeland notes:

This one was a long time in the making, largely because each theme answer actually consisted of two interlocking grid entries. Fourteen across theme answers is one thing to deal with, but having half across and half down was another. And while the across answers are symmetrically placed, the WATER/H2O square is not, which led to tough corners like the NE, where you have ELEVENTH HOUR and MOUTHHOLE separated by just one entry. Discovering that the "Snow White" song was spelled "HEIGH HO" was a real boon — that answer kept moving around to wherever I needed it the most.

This puzzle was published on the last day of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, and Will and co. were kind enough to have hard copies of it lying around, since so many solvers, quarantined in the ballroom at the Brooklyn Marriott, were without their laptops or a copy of the dead-tree paper. It was sort of always a fantasy I had when I started constructing crosswords that I'd be on the subway on a day I had a puzzle in the Times, I'd see someone solving it, and, unable to control my excitement, I'd lean over to provide a hint (trying not to sound like a complete tool, of course). Well, that dream more than came true as I witnessed dozens of people solving it during tournament down time. Many came over to pay their compliments in person. A real boost to my ego!

Jim Horne notes:

Rebus squares are read WATER across and HHO (i.e., H2O) down.

1
W
2
A
3
S
4
P
5
T
6
B
7
A
8
R
9
T
10
U
11
L
12
I
13
P
14
E
15
R
16
M
17
A
18
I
D
A
H
19
O
20
R
O
M
O
21
A
M
I
S
H
22
L
E
O
N
23
T
A
L
O
N
24
A
R
I
A
25
M
A
C
H
I
26
N
E
G
U
N
27
HHO
G
A
T
E
28
S
C
A
N
D
29
A
L
30
O
V
A
T
E
31
L
I
D
O
32
T
E
X
33
S
W
A
34
P
35
E
36
T
H
E
L
HHO
S
37
D
O
E
S
38
F
O
R
39
P
T
L
40
R
41
A
M
A
42
N
I
L
43
H
O
L
Y
44
S
E
E
45
M
I
M
I
C
46
T
A
E
47
S
48
A
49
V
O
R
50
C
A
R
51
B
O
N
A
T
E
52
D
HHO
53
T
R
I
P
T
54
Y
55
C
H
S
56
A
T
T
57
S
T
E
U
58
B
59
E
60
N
61
E
M
O
62
S
A
N
O
63
S
T
I
E
64
S
65
B
R
I
N
E
66
P
A
L
67
O
N
T
68
H
E
HHO
F
R
O
69
N
70
T
71
G
T
S
72
I
D
E
73
S
74
T
75
T
I
T
U
S
76
M
E
L
77
S
78
W
I
T
79
N
A
T
A
S
80
H
81
A
82
G
U
S
83
C
A
T
C
H
84
F
I
R
E
85
F
R
E
S
86
H
HHO
P
E
87
A
R
L
88
U
R
G
E
D
89
T
90
I
E
91
I
H
O
P
S
92
Q
U
I
93
B
94
B
L
E
95
A
H
H
96
G
E
N
E
97
L
U
X
98
L
O
A
N
99
E
100
R
101
S
102
B
R
E
A
103
K
HHO
S
104
S
105
A
G
A
106
C
U
Z
107
C
O
O
K
108
A
T
A
R
I
109
B
A
T
110
T
L
E
O
111
F
HHO
L
O
O
112
A
I
R
B
R
113
U
114
S
115
H
116
E
D
117
I
R
A
S
118
E
R
I
K
A
119
E
N
Y
O
120
S
H
A
M
U
121
C
O
R
K
122
U
N
T
I
L
123
D
E
A
R
124
B
A
S
I
L
125
S
U
E
Y
126
S
H
E
S
© 2013, The New York Times3/10/13 ( No. 23,133 )
Across
1
Direct descendant of the Mayflower Pilgrims, e.g. : WASP
5
Way up a mountain : TBAR
9
Dutch flower : TULIP
14
Humorist Bombeck : ERMA
18
Sun Valley locale : IDAHO
20
Tony of the Dallas Cowboys : ROMO
21
Lancaster County folk : AMISH
22
Kings of ___ ("Use Somebody" band) : LEON
23
Claw : TALON
24
Puccini piece : ARIA
25
Prop in many an action film : MACHINEGUN
27
Subject of big 1970s headlines : WATERGATESCANDAL
30
Elliptical : OVATE
31
Adriatic resort : LIDO
32
Western nickname : TEX
33
Exchange : SWAP
35
The second African-American, after Hattie McDaniel, to be nominated for an Oscar : ETHELWATERS
37
Completes at the request of : DOESFOR
39
Old TV's ___ Club : PTL
40
Hero of a Hindu epic : RAMA
42
Zip : NIL
43
Papal court : HOLYSEE
45
Ape : MIMIC
46
___ Bo : TAE
47
Enjoy : SAVOR
50
Seltzer : CARBONATEDWATER
53
Many altar paintings of the Middle Ages : TRIPTYCHS
56
Long-distance letters : ATT
57
Onetime art glass manufacturer : STEUBEN
61
Rock subgenre : EMO
62
Not loco : SANO
63
Some college dorm rooms : STIES
65
Pickle juice : BRINE
66
Bud : PAL
67
Best Picture inspired by a Pulitzer-winning series of newspaper articles : ONTHEWATERFRONT
71
Sporty cars : GTS
72
In other words : IDEST
75
Book after II Timothy : TITUS
76
Sitcom diner : MELS
78
Quipster : WIT
79
Femme fatale of cartoons : NATASHA
82
Director Van Sant : GUS
83
Ignite : CATCHFIRE
85
Necklace decoration that's not from the sea : FRESHWATERPEARL
88
Pressed upon : URGED
89
20-20, e.g. : TIE
91
Places to eat a late breakfast, maybe : IHOPS
92
Nitpick : QUIBBLE
95
Sound at a checkup : AHH
96
Means of inheritance : GENE
97
Unilever soap brand : LUX
98
Auto shop offerings : LOANERS
102
Coastal structures countering erosion : BREAKWATERS
104
Tale written in runes, perhaps : SAGA
106
Unconvincing reason, informally : CUZ
107
___ Islands : COOK
108
Pong maker : ATARI
109
Historic event on June 18, 1815 : BATTLEOFWATERLOO
112
Like many Playboy Playmate photos : AIRBRUSHED
117
Certain nest eggs, for short : IRAS
118
Actress Eleniak : ERIKA
119
Greek war goddess : ENYO
120
SeaWorld resident : SHAMU
121
Irish county : CORK
122
Up to : UNTIL
123
Snookums : DEAR
124
Leaves used in Mediterranean cuisine : BASIL
125
Chop ___ : SUEY
126
Hens and vixens : SHES
Down
1
Refuse to hand over : WITHHOLD
2
Slowly : ADAGIO
3
___ niçoise : SALADE
4
Software for touch-up artists : PHOTOSHOP
5
Gothic window ornamentation : TRACERY
6
Cleansing agent : BORAX
7
Bygone Ugandan tyrant : AMIN
8
MG, e.g. : ROADSTER
9
Marvin Gaye's record label : TAMLA
10
Actress Thurman : UMA
11
D.M.V. issue : LIC
12
Relative of -esque : ISH
13
Symbol of the golden ratio : PHI
14
Last possible moment : ELEVENTHHOUR
15
Robes, scepters and such : REGALIA
16
Ski mask feature : MOUTHHOLE
17
Queen ___ lace : ANNES
19
20/20 : ONE
26
Japanese drama : NOH
28
Adaptable aircraft, for short : STOL
29
Cobbler's tool : AWL
34
HP product : PRINTER
35
Gives off : EMITS
36
"Be quiet," on scores : TACET
38
Line of defense? : FORTS
39
Pasta primavera ingredients : PEAS
41
Doc grp. : AMA
44
Marge who owned the Cincinnati Reds : SCHOTT
45
Recurring ideas : MOTIFS
47
Intervene : STEPIN
48
Fleet : ARMADA
49
N.Y.U. athlete : VIOLET
51
Where people are always changing? : BATHHOUSE
52
One coming out : DEB
54
N.B.A. star Ming : YAO
55
"AC360" channel : CNN
58
Nabob : BIGWIG
59
Unabridged : ENTIRE
60
Like matryoshka dolls : NESTED
63
Frame jobs : SETUPS
64
Horn of Africa resident : SOMALI
68
What an optimist has : HIGHHOPES
69
Kind of income : NET
70
Antique restorer's "touch," in brief : TLC
73
Sanctuary : SAFEHARBOR
74
Old Dungeons & Dragons co. : TSR
77
Coach Don with two Super Bowl victories : SHULA
80
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" song : HEIGHHO
81
Word on either side of "to" : ASHES
83
Pivotal point : CRUX
84
Prominent features of the theme from "Star Wars" : FRENCHHORNS
86
Cupcake : HON
87
Swimming, diving, etc. : AQUATICS
89
Open-faced sandwich topped with a fancy spread : TARTINE
90
"Amen to that!" : IHEARYA
93
It's clear : BLUESKY
94
Dolt : BOZO
97
N.Y.C. airport : LGA
99
Early stone tool : EOLITH
100
First-year : ROOKIE
101
Toasts : SKOALS
102
Responded sheepishly? : BAAED
103
Wine aperitif : KIR
105
Former "American Idol" judge : ABDUL
106
Irish county : CLARE
110
Drop ___ : TROU
111
Coup de ___ (gunshot: Fr.) : FEU
113
Kind of connection from a mobile device to a PC : USB
114
Doo-wop syllable : SHA
115
Suffers from : HAS
116
U.K. record co. : EMI

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

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