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SPLITS AND MERGERS

New York Times, Sunday, March 9, 2008

Author:
Patrick Berry
Editor:
Will Shortz
113-Across : Commentator
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
2297/11/199911/4/20182
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
741241679512
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
981.541,84281%
Patrick Berry

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 142, Blocks: 75 Missing: {QWX} Featured in Will Shortz's favorite puzzlemakers. This is puzzle # 109 for Mr. Berry. Sunday freshness: 76%
Jim Horne notes:

I have highlighted squares to show where the splits and mergers happen. The second clue in each theme entry requires a right-angle turn at the highlight so, for example, 31 Down is KILLER BEE and 59 Across can be read as EVEN THOUGH.

1
H
2
I
3
G
4
H
5
C
6
B
7
I
8
O
9
F
10
O
11
R
12
D
13
I
14
O
15
C
16
E
17
S
18
E
19
O
N
E
A
L
20
A
S
C
21
R
I
B
E
22
E
N
R
O
L
L
S
23
I
N
N
I
E
24
N
O
T
I
F
I
C
25
A
N
H
E
L
P
I
T
26
T
R
A
27
N
S
L
A
T
E
28
T
I
A
29
T
A
P
E
30
U
31
K
E
32
I
H
A
V
E
33
S
I
M
B
34
A
35
S
I
R
36
T
I
E
37
D
38
M
E
T
E
39
I
40
M
P
O
S
I
T
41
I
O
N
S
42
E
L
L
E
43
R
B
E
E
44
A
M
A
I
N
45
T
O
V
46
B
O
Y
S
47
S
T
A
R
K
48
N
E
49
S
50
T
51
S
52
T
53
A
54
B
O
O
55
B
O
O
G
I
E
56
H
57
O
E
58
T
I
P
59
E
V
E
N
T
60
H
61
O
R
I
Z
O
N
62
D
I
A
S
63
P
O
R
A
64
M
A
L
E
65
A
U
E
L
66
M
O
T
T
67
E
G
A
D
68
P
L
U
S
69
S
I
G
N
70
D
71
I
72
S
A
C
C
H
73
A
R
I
D
E
74
T
O
G
75
U
G
H
76
B
O
R
E
R
S
77
F
L
E
E
S
78
S
N
A
79
R
E
80
O
N
I
C
E
81
S
82
P
A
M
83
I
D
84
A
85
F
E
A
S
T
86
C
A
R
R
A
87
D
88
I
89
O
90
D
91
R
92
Y
V
E
R
93
M
O
U
T
H
94
L
O
N
I
95
N
I
N
A
96
E
A
U
97
S
M
U
R
F
98
J
I
N
G
O
99
N
E
T
100
O
M
N
101
I
102
R
T
E
103
H
U
N
G
A
R
104
I
105
A
N
106
D
O
N
T
107
B
E
A
S
108
T
109
R
A
N
G
E
R
110
G
R
E
111
T
112
A
113
A
N
A
L
Y
S
T
114
I
N
H
O
U
S
E
115
H
E
R
O
N
116
R
A
N
L
A
T
E
117
M
A
N
118
A
T
E
119
T
A
S
T
Y
© 2008, The New York Times3/9/8 ( No. 21,306 )
Across
1
Upper end of a soprano's range : HIGHC
6
Life work? : BIO
9
In support of : FOR
12
Bishopric : DIOCESE
19
Basketballer nicknamed the Diesel : ONEAL
20
Attribute (to) : ASCRIBE
22
Joins up : ENROLLS
23
Concave button : INNIE
24
"Over my dead body!" / Alert [split] : NOTIFICANHELPIT
26
Exchange words? / New beginning [merger] : TRANSLATE
28
___ Maria (coffee liqueur) : TIA
29
Gift-wrapper's need : TAPE
30
Strummed instrument : UKE
32
"___ my doubts" : IHAVE
33
Animated film character voiced by Matthew Broderick : SIMBA
35
Fine fellow : SIR
36
Undecided, you might say : TIED
38
Deal (out) : METE
39
Annoying obligations / "No need to check" [split] : IMPOSITIONS
42
1980s "NBC News Overnight" anchor / Feared insect [merger] : ELLERBEE
44
At full speed : AMAIN
45
"Mazel ___!" : TOV
46
"The History ___" (Tony-winning play) : BOYS
47
Harsh : STARK
48
Return flight destinations? : NESTS
52
Off-limits : TABOO
55
Get down : BOOGIE
56
Plant manager? : HOE
58
Figure just above the total : TIP
59
Black hole's boundary / Despite the fact that [split] : EVENTHORIZON
62
Group migration : DIASPORA
64
Like Eton attendees : MALE
65
Author of the "Earth's Children" series : AUEL
66
Social reformer Lucretia : MOTT
67
"Great Scott!" : EGAD
68
A little cross? : PLUSSIGN
70
Double sugar / Travel freely? [merger] : DISACCHARIDE
74
Get dressed (up) : TOG
75
"Feh!" : UGH
76
Insects found in trunks : BORERS
77
Takes off : FLEES
78
Bag : SNARE
80
In the cooler : ONICE
81
Unread messages, usually : SPAM
83
Mountain SE of ancient Troy : IDA
85
It has many sides : FEAST
86
Commuter's source of entertainment / Actor John or David [split] : CARRADIO
90
Martini ingredient / Delta site [merger] : DRYVERMOUTH
94
Burt's "Stroker Ace" co-star : LONI
95
"The Seagull" ingenue : NINA
96
Water, to Watteau : EAU
97
Fictional blue humanoid : SMURF
98
Aggressive patriot : JINGO
99
Fishtank accessory : NET
100
Prefix with potent : OMNI
102
MapQuest suggestion: Abbr. : RTE
103
Franz Liszt, e.g. / Didn't go straight, maybe [split] : HUNGARIAN
106
"Come back now, y'hear?" / Park employee [merger] : DONTBEASTRANGER
110
TV journalist Van Susteren : GRETA
113
Commentator : ANALYST
114
Using company resources : INHOUSE
115
Great white ___ : HERON
116
Took too long, as a meeting : RANLATE
117
Superhero name ender : MAN
118
Broke bread : ATE
119
Finger-lickin' good : TASTY
Down
1
___ polloi : HOI
2
Overnight site : INN
3
Patrician : GENTEEL
4
Della sells hers in "The Gift of the Magi" : HAIR
5
See 26-Across : CLEANSLATE
6
Keen producers : BANSHEES
7
Quarantine : ISOLATE
8
Scale's range : OCTAVE
9
Taylor's deputy on TV : FIFE
10
Kimono securer : OBI
11
___ room : REC
12
Gap filler? : DENIMS
13
Occupy : INHABIT
14
Blast furnace input : ORE
15
Peacemaker maker : COLT
16
#1 hit for Marty Robbins : ELPASO
17
Add surreptitiously : SLIPIN
18
Some phosphates, e.g. : ESTERS
21
Observance : RITE
25
See 24-Across : NOTIFICATION
27
Modern political acronym : NIMBY
30
Navajo enemy : UTE
31
See 42-Across : KILLERBEE
33
Abrupt increase on a graph : SPIKE
34
Assuages one's guilt : ATONES
37
Prepares, in a way, as chicken : DEBONES
39
Adult insect : IMAGO
40
California county with Point Reyes National Seashore : MARIN
41
See 39-Across : IMPOSITIVE
43
Origin : ROOT
44
Complete : ATOZ
47
It's not needed in hydroponics : SOIL
49
It's clipped at both ends : STOGIE
50
Philippic : TIRADE
51
Game similar to bridge : SPADES
52
Really appeals to : TEMPTS
53
Earthly paradise of Celtic legend : AVALON
54
Caviar source : BELUGA
55
W.W. II light machine gun : BREN
56
See 70-Across : HITCHARIDE
57
Bleeped word : OATH
60
Reagan's first secretary of state : HAIG
61
See 59-Across : EVENTHOUGH
62
Pros who practice : DOCS
63
Violinist Itzhak : PERLMAN
66
Four-legged female : MARE
69
Napped fabrics : SUEDES
70
"Goodbye, Mr. Chips" star : DONAT
71
___ Sea, connected to St. George's Channel : IRISH
72
It's split : SECT
73
At a distance : AFAR
76
___ bourguignon : BOEUF
79
See 90-Across : RIVERMOUTH
81
1953 3-D film starring Fernando Lamas : SANGAREE
82
Earlier : PRIOR
84
Seat separator : ARMREST
85
See 106-Across : FORESTRANGER
86
Stop up : CONGEST
87
Some campaign fund-raisers : DINNERS
88
See 86-Across : CARRADINE
89
Cereal grass : OAT
90
Himalayan cedar : DEODAR
91
___ Quimby, girl of children's lit : RAMONA
92
Chinese province bordering Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar : YUNNAN
93
Change genetically : MUTATE
94
___ franca : LINGUA
98
2007 title role for Ellen Page : JUNO
101
"___ be O.K." : ITLL
103
Chemistry Nobelist Otto : HAHN
104
See 103-Across : HUNGARIGHT
105
Precinct : AREA
107
___ landslide : BYA
108
Country singer McGraw : TIM
109
What retroviruses contain : RNA
111
Preschooler : TOT
112
To some extent : ANY

Answer summary:
7 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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