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FOR APRIL -- NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

New York Times, Sunday, April 22, 2007

Author:
Victor Fleming
Editor:
Will Shortz
141-Across : ___ Mae
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.5522358%
Victor Fleming

This puzzle:

Rows: 23, Columns: 23 Words: 166, Blocks: 89 Missing: {QX} Spans: 2 This is puzzle # 9 for Mr. Fleming. Sunday freshness: 49%
Victor Fleming notes:

For this National Poetry Month puzzle, I wanted definitions/descriptions of poetry, as per recognized poets. I did not think there'd ever been a Times crossword with a theme consisting of several quotations from various sources. About twelve hours of research, online and at the library, produced dozens of potential entries. The key was finding items brief enough to effect a balanced array in the grid.

I began with a 21x21 grid and produced two or three drafts in that format that just did not please me. I asked Will's permission to expand to a 23x23. He okayed that. I then returned to the library and produced another ten potential entries. This is the puzzle on which I spent more time than any other in my tenure as a cruciverbalist (about 40 hours, I estimate).

My favorite quote from the puzzle is Carl Sandburg's remark: "Poetry is an echo asking a shadow to dance."

1
M
2
A
3
J
4
O
5
R
6
B
7
U
8
S
9
L
10
A
11
N
12
E
13
I
14
A
15
M
16
S
17
T
18
M
19
E
20
N
21
A
D
O
B
E
22
O
N
E
I
R
O
N
23
S
W
A
K
24
H
I
L
O
25
L
I
K
E
F
26
I
S
H
I
F
I
T
S
27
M
A
R
I
28
G
O
L
D
S
29
O
N
E
A
R
M
30
S
E
E
O
U
31
T
32
S
T
R
A
N
D
33
H
Y
A
34
T
35
T
36
F
R
E
37
S
H
I
T
S
G
O
38
O
39
D
40
A
41
L
42
E
43
T
U
R
44
K
45
I
46
C
47
E
P
A
48
O
S
A
G
E
49
L
I
L
50
A
51
C
52
R
A
I
N
E
53
S
54
I
N
55
C
56
A
57
S
H
58
T
R
E
59
T
R
U
T
H
60
I
N
I
T
S
S
U
61
N
D
A
Y
C
L
O
62
T
H
E
S
63
S
A
L
O
O
N
64
T
H
E
U
S
A
65
C
A
R
L
O
66
P
R
A
67
M
68
T
R
A
V
69
A
70
I
L
71
W
72
E
73
A
74
R
75
O
76
B
77
I
78
I
R
I
79
S
80
H
81
A
N
E
C
H
O
82
A
83
S
84
K
I
N
G
A
85
H
O
R
86
I
Z
O
N
T
A
87
L
88
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
I
O
N
89
S
H
A
D
O
W
T
O
D
A
90
N
91
C
92
E
93
P
E
E
T
E
94
D
D
T
95
O
R
E
L
96
L
A
B
E
L
E
97
R
98
E
T
E
99
S
100
E
101
R
102
N
103
I
E
104
S
A
Y
I
105
D
106
O
107
E
P
I
108
L
109
O
110
G
111
T
112
H
113
E
D
E
I
F
I
114
C
115
A
T
I
O
N
O
F
116
R
E
A
L
I
T
Y
117
W
O
N
118
E
P
I
N
A
L
119
M
R
K
I
T
E
120
D
O
N
O
R
121
O
R
R
122
I
N
123
M
L
124
I
125
E
S
S
E
N
126
E
127
D
E
O
128
A
N
A
C
T
129
O
130
F
131
P
E
A
C
132
E
133
N
E
A
134
R
135
S
136
G
A
R
B
L
E
137
N
E
W
138
B
139
I
140
E
141
S
A
L
142
L
143
I
144
E
145
O
146
N
I
N
Y
E
A
R
147
S
148
B
E
I
N
G
149
N
150
O
T
D
O
I
N
G
151
D
O
N
S
152
S
I
K
H
153
A
L
L
G
O
N
E
154
O
M
E
G
A
155
E
R
G
O
156
E
L
S
E
157
G
L
E
A
N
E
R
158
N
O
S
E
D
© 2007, The New York Times4/22/7 ( No. 20,984 )
Across
1
Student's declaration : MAJOR
6
Restricted part of a street : BUSLANE
13
Paul of pet food : IAMS
17
1947 crime drama : TMEN
21
Block in the Southwest : ADOBE
22
Golf club with a nearly vertical face : ONEIRON
23
Love letters? : SWAK
24
U.S. city in sight of two volcanoes : HILO
25
With 36-Across, "Poetry is ..." (Osbert Sitwell) : LIKEFISHIFITS
27
Orange/yellow blooms : MARIGOLDS
29
Feature of the villain in "The Fugitive" : ONEARM
30
Walk to the door : SEEOUT
32
Single thread : STRAND
33
Radisson alternative : HYATT
36
See 25-Across : FRESHITSGOOD
40
Hearty drink : ALE
43
Like the Uzbek and Kirghiz languages : TURKIC
47
Smog-watching grp. : EPA
48
Bagnell Dam river : OSAGE
49
Purplish : LILAC
52
Ella of "Phantom Lady" : RAINES
54
One way to be paid : INCASH
58
Amount past due? : TRE
59
"Poetry is ..." (Joseph Roux) : TRUTHINITSSUNDAYCLOTHES
63
Oater locale : SALOON
64
Where Springsteen was born, in song : THEUSA
65
Monte ___ : CARLO
66
Hyde Park stroller : PRAM
68
Toil : TRAVAIL
71
Have on : WEAR
75
Japanese band? : OBI
78
Like many pubs : IRISH
81
With 89-Across, "Poetry is ..." (Carl Sandburg) : ANECHOASKINGA
85
Flat : HORIZONTAL
88
Struggle : CONTENTION
89
See 81-Across : SHADOWTODANCE
93
QB Rodney : PEETE
94
Banned spray : DDT
95
Russian city or oblast : OREL
96
Office gizmo : LABELER
98
Soissons seasons : ETES
100
Baseball Hall-of-Famer Banks : ERNIE
104
Make an inauguration affirmation : SAYIDO
107
Literary ending : EPILOG
111
"Poetry is ..." (Edith Sitwell) : THEDEIFICATIONOFREALITY
117
Took top honors : WON
118
French city in W.W. II fighting : EPINAL
119
Title character in a "Sgt. Pepper" song : MRKITE
120
Grant maker : DONOR
121
Hatch from Utah : ORRIN
123
15 years before the Battle of Hastings : MLI
125
Dead Sea Scrolls scribe : ESSENE
127
"___ gratias" : DEO
128
"Poetry is ..." (Pablo Neruda) : ANACTOFPEACE
133
Verges on : NEARS
136
Sing "Gladly the cross-eyed bear," say : GARBLE
137
Tyro : NEWBIE
141
___ Mae : SALLIE
145
Elderly : ONINYEARS
148
"Poetry is ..." (E. E. Cummings) : BEINGNOTDOING
151
English university V.I.P.s : DONS
152
Punjabi believer : SIKH
153
No more : ALLGONE
154
#24 of 24 : OMEGA
155
As a result : ERGO
156
Besides : ELSE
157
Fall field worker : GLEANER
158
Snooped (around) : NOSED
Down
1
Bueno's opposite : MALO
2
Tennis edge : ADIN
3
It may start with someone entering a bar : JOKE
4
West Indian sorcery : OBEAH
5
Prepare, as a side of beans : REFRY
6
Beantown, on scoreboards : BOS
7
Durham sch. : UNH
8
Half of doce : SEIS
9
Energy : LIFE
10
Singer India.___ : ARIE
11
___ this world : NOTOF
12
Nutrition drink brand : ENSURE
13
Belief : ISM
14
Up to one's ears (in) : AWASH
15
Cuban patriot José : MARTI
16
Go around : SKIRT
17
Beachwear : THONGS
18
"Zounds," e.g. : MILDOATH
19
Antiquity, quaintly : ELD
20
Denials : NOS
26
"This is where ___" : IMAT
28
Alternative fuel : GASOHOL
31
Halfhearted : TEPID
34
Go bad : TURN
35
Red hair, e.g. : TRAIT
37
Arabian capital : SANA
38
Fairy-tale menace : OGRE
39
G.P.A. spoilers : DEES
40
Mtn. stats : ALTS
41
Trevi coin, once : LIRA
42
Month after Ab : ELUL
44
Friends : KITH
45
Not on the border : INSET
46
Poetic break: Var. : CESURA
50
Sitting on : ATOP
51
Tapas bar offering : CHORIZO
53
Writer Sontag : SUSAN
55
Big spinner : CYCLONE
56
Here, in Juárez : ACA
57
Camera inits. : SLR
60
Aligned : INAROW
61
Main seating area : NAVE
62
Namely : TOWIT
67
Perfect : MINT
69
N.C. State plays in it : ACC
70
Denny's alternative : IHOP
72
Oklahoma city : ENID
73
Steinbeck's "To ___ Unknown" : AGOD
74
Angry talk : RANT
75
Really, really : OHSO
76
Physicist Niels : BOHR
77
"Dies ___" : IRAE
79
Arrived quietly : STOLEIN
80
"... ___ great fall" : HADA
82
Exactly, after "to" : ATEE
83
Parlor piece : SETTEE
84
Gridiron protection : KNEEPAD
86
Wasted gas : IDLED
87
Inventor's place : LAB
90
Group of spies : NEST
91
Kind of check : CLAIM
92
Hundred Acre Wood donkey : EEYORE
97
Winter Olympics venues : RINKS
99
It's raised on a farm : SILO
101
NASA homecoming : REENTRY
102
Tiny bite : NIP
103
"See ___ care!" : IFI
105
Two, in Lisbon : DOIS
106
In many cases : OFTEN
108
Operatic Jenny : LIND
109
Early Nebraskan : OTOE
110
Deli order : GYRO
111
Old deferment classification : TWOA
112
Beeper : HORN
113
Ticking off : ENRAGING
114
Pulled in : CAME
115
Poe's middle name : ALLAN
116
Surrealist Magritte : RENE
122
Reply to "No way!" : ICANSO
124
Old-style hangover remedy : ICEBAG
126
League division : EAST
129
Mighty big : OBESE
130
Swing wildly : FLAIL
131
Corner office and others : PERKS
132
Gettysburg general under Lee : EWELL
134
Household health hazard : RADON
135
Sportscast feature : SLOMO
138
Peevishness : BILE
139
TV's Swenson : INGA
140
Fashion's ___ von Furstenberg : EGON
142
"Here ___ ..." : LIES
143
"Bus Stop" playwright : INGE
144
"Yikes!" : EGAD
145
"___ on Melancholy" : ODE
146
Swe. abutter : NOR
147
Ma'am or dam : SHE
149
K.C.-to-Duluth dir. : NNE
150
"___ the fields ..." : OER

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

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