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Choices, Choices

New York Times, Sunday, May 5, 1996

Author:
D. J. Kahn
Editor:
Will Shortz
34-Across : Highest stage
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1893/15/19944/22/20245
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
4461426601326
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
16241.551,23753%
David J. Kahn

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 78 Missing: {JQXZ} This is puzzle # 14 for Mr. Kahn. Sunday freshness: 87%
Jim Horne notes:

This Schrödinger puzzle is the earliest known Shortz Era example. When letters alternate in the grid, the clues match either way.

The published puzzle (PDF) had diagonal lines through each ambiguous square to clue you in.

1
W
2
E
3
I
4
G
5
H
6
T
7
C
8
U
9
T
10
O
11
F
12
F
13
S
14
B
15
R
16
E
17
T
18
T
19
S
20
A
S
T
R
A
Y
21
O
N
A
D
A
R
E
22
A
E
R
I
A
L
23
N
A
B
O
R
S
24
C
A
N
D
L
E
S
25
S
U
R
E
L
Y
26
D
I
E
S
T
O
27
C
K
28
G
E
L
D
S
29
S
P
A
R
K
S
30
S
E
N
A
T
31
O
R
S
32
I
33
D
E
S
T
34
A
35
C
36
M
E
37
R
A
B
A
T
38
L
O
T
39
A
40
C
41
R
42
E
43
G
R
A
D
44
U
45
A
L
I
S
M
46
A
47
P
E
G
48
H
U
M
49
E
E
L
50
P
R
O
L
E
51
C
U
I
52
W
53
I
54
M
55
A
L
I
56
R
A
T
57
A
T
A
T
58
S
59
N
O
R
E
60
O
D
A
61
R
E
L
62
S
M
A
S
H
63
A
S
O
N
E
64
T
O
Y
S
65
T
O
R
Y
66
C
R
67
A
68
P
E
69
T
V
A
70
I
D
L
E
R
71
D
72
R
73
Y
H
U
M
O
R
74
N
O
T
75
A
L
76
R
A
77
N
78
G
79
E
80
I
O
U
81
S
O
S
82
B
I
K
E
S
83
S
84
H
A
P
E
L
Y
85
N
U
M
86
T
N
T
87
A
C
E
88
T
89
H
E
I
T
90
R
U
E
91
E
T
A
92
E
93
D
G
E
94
F
R
E
E
S
I
95
L
V
E
R
96
D
E
N
97
T
98
T
R
I
99
C
R
O
C
K
100
O
E
D
S
101
R
102
U
I
N
S
103
H
O
S
T
E
104
L
105
E
R
106
S
107
T
108
R
I
N
G
109
A
110
L
111
C
A
N
112
O
R
I
G
I
113
N
114
A
115
L
116
T
O
U
S
L
E
117
R
O
A
S
T
118
E
R
119
M
R
M
O
T
O
120
U
L
S
T
E
R
121
M
O
N
T
A
N
E
122
B
E
A
T
T
O
123
B
L
E
E
D
S
124
S
T
E
E
L
E
D
125
S
T
R
E
A
M
© 1996, The New York Times5/5/96 ( No. 16,980 )
Across
1
Medical chart info : WEIGHT
7
Jeans, restyled : CUTOFFS
14
Baseball's George and Ken : BRETTS
20
In error : ASTRAY
21
Adventurously : ONADARE
22
Kind of photo : AERIAL
23
Pyle portrayer : NABORS
24
Birthday party items : CANDLES
25
Without question : SURELY
26
Screw-cutting apparatus : DIESTOCK
28
Neuters : GELDS
29
Auto repair shop inventory : SPARKS
30
Ottawa hockey team : SENATORS
32
Clarifying words : IDEST
34
Highest stage : ACME
37
Place to wear a fez : RABAT
38
Fortune : LOT
39
"God's Little___" : ACRE
43
Policy of achieving a goal in steps : GRADUALISM
46
Take down___ : APEG
48
Be busily active : HUM
49
Elusive one : EEL
50
Common worker : PROLE
51
___bono (for whose benefit?): Lat. : CUI
52
Director Wenders : WIM
55
Onetime butterfly-bee analogist : ALI
56
Machine gun noise : RATATAT
58
Nasal sound : SNORE
60
Seraglio room : ODA
61
Tree member: Abbr. : REL
62
Tennis overhand : SMASH
63
Pay___goes : ASONE
64
Child's delight : TOYSTORY
66
Symbol of mourning : CRAPE
69
New Deal proj. : TVA
70
Inactive one : IDLER
71
Will Rogers trait : DRYHUMOR
74
Of the back, anatomically : NOTAL
76
Gamut : RANGE
80
Last poker bet, sometimes : IOU
81
Brillo rival : SOS
82
Exercises outdoors : BIKES
83
Well-formed : SHAPELY
85
O.T. book : NUM
86
Cable network : TNT
87
Sampras objective : ACE
88
___Girl (Clara Bow) : THEIT
90
Sorrow : RUE
91
Seventh in a series : ETA
92
On___ (anxious) : EDGE
94
Political cause of the late 1800's : FREESILVER
96
1978 Yankee hero : DENT
98
___Star Pictures : TRI
99
Thick jar : CROCK
100
English refs. : OEDS
101
Bankrupts : RUINS
103
Innkeeper : HOSTELER
106
Part of a Rube Goldberg contraption : STRING
109
Northern highway, formerly : ALCAN
112
Not imitative : ORIGINAL
116
Mess up : TOUSLE
117
Domestic fowl : ROASTER
119
Longtime Peter Lorre role : MRMOTO
120
Woolen overcoat : ULSTER
121
Inhabiting elevated regions : MONTANE
122
Reach before : BEATTO
123
Extorts from : BLEEDS
124
Made hard : STEELED
125
Ray of light : STREAM
Down
1
What a magician may wave : WAND
2
Actor Morales : ESAI
3
Beatles' "Let___" : ITBE
4
Brought in : GROSSED
5
"The Luck of Roaring Camp" writer : HARTE
6
Ring leader? : TYSON
7
1988 Tom Cruise movie : COCKTAIL
8
___de gato (Western shrub) : UNA
9
Chinese geometric puzzle : TANGRAM
10
Most peculiar : ODDEST
11
Suffer defeat : FALL
12
Baretta's cockatoo : FRED
13
Attached by the base, botanically : SESSILE
14
Long-eared breed : BASSET
15
Enlists again : REUPS
16
Editor's compilation : ERRATA
17
Category : TIER
18
Report : TALK
19
Stallone and Stone : SLYS
27
Mustang corral? : CARLOT
31
Haunt : OBSESS
33
Missouri's state tree : DOGWOOD
34
Certain paint processors : AGERS
35
Word with puff or soda : CREAM
36
It became independent on 9/21/64 : MALTA
40
One-named actress : CHARO
41
School tool : RULER
42
Noted first name in literature : EMILY
44
Rocket motion : UPTHRUST
45
Blue-and-yellow macaw : ARA
46
Golden : AUREATE
47
Cherry___ : PIE
51
Call together : CONVOKE
53
Pastoral poem : IDYL
54
Stylish Italian auto : MASERATI
57
Yiddish writer Sholem : ASCH
59
Unpleasant : NOTNICE
63
___Lingus : AER
64
Pop group___Tuesday : TIL
65
Golf impediment : TRAP
67
___Goeth of "Schindler's List" : AMON
68
Private entrance : POSTERN
71
Treated to a night out : DINED
72
Divert, in a way : ROUTE
73
Arizona native : YUMAN
75
Houston pros : ASTROS
77
Chutzpah : NERVE
78
Fixed on, with "to" : GLUED
79
Intent watchers : EYERS
82
Slovenly woman : BAG
83
Jason, e.g. : SEEKER
84
Greetings : HIS
89
Bullied : HECTORED
93
Wins over : DISARMS
94
Direct : FRONTAL
95
Big name in TV production : LORIMAR
97
Melancholy : TRISTE
98
1984 World Series champs : TIGERS
99
Pure : CHASTE
102
Lacking guidance : UNLED
104
Extensions : LIMBS
105
White-plumed heron : EGRET
106
Part to keep : STUB
107
It's collected at a booth : TOLL
108
Subterfuge : RUSE
110
1966 Joe Orton play : LOOT
111
Word with sugar : CANE
113
Observe : NOTE
114
Start of a cry of encouragement : ATTA
115
Appear : LOOM
118
Chemical suffix : ENE

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

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78 ms