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CLOSING THE DEAL

New York Times, Sunday, March 22, 2009

Author:
Joon Pahk and Matt Matera
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
81-Across : Singular praise?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
268/5/20081/8/20207
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
41234291
ScrabDebutFresh
1.6214572%
joon pahk
TotalDebutCollabs
13/22/20091
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1000000
DebutFresh
777%
Matt Matera

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 74 Missing: {Q} This is puzzle # 3 for Mr. pahk. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Matera. Sunday freshness: 80%
1
S
2
T
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Y
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E
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P
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R
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I
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M
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L
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I
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V
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E
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D
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A
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C
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T
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U
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P
19
E
A
U
X
20
R
O
D
E
21
O
B
E
L
I
22
P
R
A
T
E
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E
X
M
A
24
R
I
N
E
S
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R
E
D
H
O
26
T
P
O
K
E
R
27
D
I
A
M
O
N
D
S
O
28
L
I
T
A
I
R
E
29
W
E
P
T
30
M
T
E
T
N
A
31
M
32
O
B
S
33
M
34
A
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C
36
H
E
37
S
C
38
R
39
E
40
E
41
N
42
S
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P
A
A
44
V
45
O
46
A
L
L
A
47
J
48
F
49
K
50
Y
O
M
K
I
P
51
P
U
R
W
A
R
52
Z
O
O
T
53
S
U
I
T
54
S
55
S
P
E
C
I
E
S
56
A
L
D
57
D
I
N
E
T
T
E
S
E
58
T
59
S
O
R
T
60
B
L
U
E
61
A
S
K
M
E
62
T
H
63
I
64
S
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L
E
E
66
A
A
K
E
R
67
A
R
68
T
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I
70
C
H
O
K
E
71
H
E
A
R
T
S
72
D
73
O
74
M
I
N
A
T
E
75
M
E
R
E
76
R
E
77
E
78
S
79
E
80
U
R
A
L
81
K
U
D
82
O
83
B
A
84
T
85
H
86
T
U
B
G
I
N
87
E
N
G
88
M
I
R
A
B
89
E
90
L
91
T
O
W
H
E
A
D
E
D
92
L
O
N
93
D
O
N
B
R
I
D
G
94
E
95
P
Y
E
96
L
O
N
E
97
S
T
E
A
M
98
I
S
S
U
A
N
99
T
100
U
L
N
A
R
101
T
M
A
102
N
103
V
I
104
O
105
L
106
I
N
107
C
108
L
I
O
109
C
110
E
111
N
112
T
113
U
114
R
Y
T
W
E
N
T
115
Y
116
O
117
N
118
E
119
P
I
Z
Z
120
E
R
I
A
U
N
O
121
A
N
A
L
O
G
O
U
S
122
A
R
E
E
L
123
N
O
T
I
T
124
N
U
D
E
125
O
Z
M
A
126
S
A
D
L
Y
127
S
H
U
T
E
128
S
P
A
T
129
R
E
B
S
© 2009, The New York Times3/22/9 ( No. 21,684 )
Across
1
Eye affliction : STYE
5
Wearing a long dress and a collar buttoned to the top, maybe : PRIM
9
Was : LIVED
14
Raise hell : ACTUP
19
Évian and others : EAUX
20
Harried : RODE
21
Manuscript marks noting possible errors : OBELI
22
Go on and on : PRATE
23
Corps veterans : EXMARINES
25
Painful prod : REDHOTPOKER
27
Engagement gift : DIAMONDSOLITAIRE
29
Turned on the waterworks : WEPT
30
In Sicily it's about 10,920 ft. high : MTETNA
31
After-Christmas sale shoppers, e.g. : MOBS
33
Papier-___ : MACHE
37
Shows in a theater : SCREENS
43
___ Nurmi, the Flying Finn : PAAVO
46
Penne ___ vodka : ALLA
47
Traveler's alternative to 90-Down : JFK
50
Conflict of 1973 : YOMKIPPURWAR
52
Bygone party attire : ZOOTSUITS
55
Part of a family : SPECIES
56
Munic. official : ALD
57
Showcase Showdown prize, perhaps : DINETTESET
59
Stripe : SORT
60
Down : BLUE
61
Help desk sign : ASKME
62
See 84-Down : THIS
65
Star of 1950s TV's "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" : LEEAAKER
67
Fancy salad ingredients : ARTICHOKEHEARTS
72
Easily beat all the competition : DOMINATE
75
Petty : MERE
76
Man with cups and pieces : REESE
80
River separating continents : URAL
81
Singular praise? : KUDO
83
Speakeasy supply : BATHTUBGIN
87
H.S. class : ENG
88
Montréal-___ International Airport : MIRABEL
91
Fair-haired : TOWHEADED
92
Subject of a nursery rhyme that has only eight different words : LONDONBRIDGE
95
English poet laureate Henry : PYE
96
Singular : LONE
97
Energy source : STEAM
98
Having only the forepart visible, as a beast in heraldry : ISSUANT
100
___ nerve (funny bone tingler) : ULNAR
101
Untouchable, say : TMAN
103
"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a ___; what else does a man need to be happy?": Albert Einstein : VIOLIN
107
Historian's Muse : CLIO
109
Big name in real estate : CENTURYTWENTYONE
119
Classic name in chain restaurants : PIZZERIAUNO
121
Like, with "to" : ANALOGOUS
122
Spinning : AREEL
123
Untagged, in tag : NOTIT
124
Michelangelo's David, e.g. : NUDE
125
Princess of literature : OZMA
126
"Alas ..." : SADLY
127
"On the Beach" author : SHUTE
128
Showed disdain, in a way : SPAT
129
Gray side : REBS
Down
1
Origin : SEED
2
Get ready to take off : TAXI
3
Desert in the Southwest : YUMA
4
This is a test : EXAM
5
It may be fine or fine art : PRINT
6
Typeface imitative of handwriting : RONDE
7
Words of explanation : IDEST
8
Quark/antiquark pairs : MESONS
9
"Full House" actress Loughlin : LORI
10
"Su-u-ure" : IBET
11
Sacred Hindu text : VEDA
12
K-12 : ELHI
13
Christian of the cloth? : DIOR
14
Killer ___ : APP
15
One with prier engagements? : CROWBAR
16
Leaves : TAKESAWALK
17
Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP
18
Cheeky : PERT
24
Where 51-Down was martyred : ROME
26
Pro ___ : TEM
28
Like some petticoats : LACY
32
Symphony, e.g. : OPUS
33
"Zoom-zoom" sloganeer : MAZDA
34
Eponymous Dr. Alzheimer : ALOIS
35
Dull, hollow sound : CLONK
36
Often-anonymous intimidation technique : HATEMAIL
38
Author Asquith of children's books : ROS
39
Hirohito's title: Abbr. : EMP
40
Scratches (out) : EKES
41
Designer Miller : NICOLE
42
Flowering shrub : SPIREA
44
"x" in an equation : VALUE
45
"At-ten-SHUN!," e.g. : ORDER
47
Protrude : JUT
48
"Bah!" : FIE
49
24 of them = 100%: Abbr. : KTS
51
"Quo vadis?" speaker : PETER
53
Rear of a galley : STERN
54
Rogen of "Knocked Up" : SETH
58
___ Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead : THOM
60
Brave activity : BASEBALL
63
Alibi ___ (Ring Lardner character) : IKE
64
Balkan native : SERB
66
Based on ___ story : ATRUE
68
"___ Care of Business" (1974 hit) : TAKIN
69
Pianist José : ITURBI
70
Los Angeles's ___-Sinai Medical Center : CEDARS
71
Basic cooking instruction : HEAT
72
They're often scheduled at noon : DUELS
73
"... then again, I could be wrong" : ORNOT
74
Made more attractive? : MAGNETIZED
77
Thomas Hardy's ___ Heath : EGDON
78
Home of St. Catherine : SIENA
79
Rear-___ : ENDER
82
Sometimes-satin items of apparel : OBIS
84
With 62-Across, comic's challenge : TOP
85
Certain m.p.g. rating: Abbr. : HWY
86
French beverage : THE
88
Home of Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie" : MOMA
89
Part of an academic address : EDU
90
Traveler's alternative to 47-Across : LGA
93
Young woman, old-style : DAMOZEL
94
Green-eyed monster : ENVY
99
Nashville 11 : TITANS
100
"___ the Sons" (Gay Talese best seller) : UNTO
102
Big A.T.M. maker : NCR
104
Accept responsibility : OWNUP
105
___ double life : LEADA
106
Fjord, for example : INLET
107
Ones working on columns, for short : CPAS
108
Old Italian bread : LIRA
110
Fünf minus vier : EINS
111
Sodium hydroxide, chemically : NAOH
112
Peace Nobelist from South Africa : TUTU
113
Second, e.g. : UNIT
114
Mechanical : ROTE
115
"Son of Frankenstein" role : YGOR
116
Squishy stuff : OOZE
117
Feeling no pain : NUMB
118
Juan's "those" : ESAS
120
Ron of "Tarzan" : ELY

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 4 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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