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New York Times, Thursday, June 27, 2013

Author:
Sean Dobbin
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
42-Across : Fires
TotalDebutLatest
54/19/20126/8/2016
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0101201
ScrabDebutFresh
1.492055%
Sean Dobbin

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 74, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JZ} This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Dobbin. Thursday freshness: 46%
Sean Dobbin notes:

This puzzle was born from 20-Across. I noticed the alternate parsing of GIANTSQUID somewhere in my normal (non-crossword) life, and set out to make a puzzle based around it. I originally wanted to include one team from each of the four major sports, but could not for the life of me find a decent two-word term that included an NHL team's mascot with the appropriate number of letters. STARSTRUCK was close, but that's one word; DEVILSTICK was possible, but probably not well-known enough in this context. I eventually gave up that idea and concentrated on baseball teams. I was very worried that TIGERSTRIPE would be a puzzle killer, because the term seemed a little forced and not quite in the language enough, but everything worked out.

Will did ask for a revision to remove two entries: CELIAC at 22-Down and TAE GU at 48-Across. Getting rid of CELIAC was simple, but removing TAE GU meant a complete rework of the southwest corner. When I was finished, I had these entries:

DADD, ALIEN, FLAME, DAFT, DEMEAN, and NERF

…which were later edited to become:

DADA, OLINS, SLADE, DOST, ANDEAN, and SERF.

Pretty interesting stuff, if you ask me. I worked hard on the cluing for this puzzle, and am proud that a slight majority are mine (or very close to mine). However, I am not responsible for 5-Across, which is brutally brilliant.

1
B
2
R
3
A
4
N
5
B
6
E
7
A
8
T
9
L
10
E
11
A
12
D
13
D
14
R
U
T
S
15
A
R
T
H
U
R
16
L
E
O
17
A
B
B
Y
18
T
I
T
A
N
S
19
M
S
N
20
G
I
A
N
21
T
S
Q
U
I
D
22
F
A
M
E
23
S
K
Y
C
A
M
24
E
25
N
E
R
O
26
C
A
27
R
28
D
29
I
N
A
L
S
I
30
N
31
D
32
A
33
D
34
A
35
N
E
A
R
36
P
L
A
N
O
37
O
L
I
N
38
S
39
A
K
A
40
S
A
L
E
S
41
S
L
A
D
E
42
C
A
N
43
S
44
S
A
S
E
45
T
I
G
E
R
46
S
T
R
I
P
47
E
48
S
N
A
F
U
49
A
X
50
I
51
O
52
M
53
S
54
K
W
O
N
55
P
56
I
57
R
58
A
T
E
S
H
I
P
59
N
E
S
60
D
E
V
I
T
O
61
L
A
N
E
62
E
L
I
63
E
R
E
S
T
U
64
E
R
I
N
65
E
L
S
66
A
B
S
E
N
T
67
T
E
S
T
© 2013, The New York Times6/27/13 ( No. 23,242 )
Across
1
Kind of muffin : BRAN
5
Apple grower? : BEATLE
11
Interject : ADD
14
Wagon trails have them : RUTS
15
Boy who pulls the sword from the stone in "The Sword in the Stone" : ARTHUR
16
Barack Obama, for one : LEO
17
Women's soccer star Wambach : ABBY
18
Oceanus and Hyperion : TITANS
19
___ Search (former name for Bing) : MSN
20
California ballplayer's pound? : GIANTSQUID
22
"A fickle food," to Emily Dickinson : FAME
23
Stadium recorder : SKYCAM
24
Día de los Santos Reyes month : ENERO
26
Missouri ballplayer's connection? : CARDINALSIN
31
Baby's word : DADA
35
Around : NEAR
36
Texas city that's headquarters for J. C. Penney : PLANO
37
Actors Ken and Lena : OLINS
39
Rap sheet abbr. : AKA
40
Corporate department : SALES
41
Band with the 1984 hit "My Oh My" : SLADE
42
Fires : CANS
44
Junk mail encl., sometimes : SASE
45
Michigan ballplayer's rubbish : TIGERSTRIPE
48
Total mess : SNAFU
49
"Time is money" and others : AXIOMS
54
Tae ___ do : KWON
55
Pennsylvania ballplayer's joint? : PIRATESHIP
59
Gaming inits. : NES
60
The Penguin's player in "Batman Returns" : DEVITO
61
There may be one for "8 items or less" : LANE
62
"The Book of ___" (2010 film) : ELI
63
1974 foreign-language hit : ERESTU
64
Sons of ___ (ethnic pride group) : ERIN
65
Trains in Chicago : ELS
66
Out : ABSENT
67
Trial balloon : TEST
Down
1
Crows : BRAGS
2
Father of a 1980s craze : RUBIK
3
Held in check : ATBAY
4
Popular quintet that included two former Mouseketeers : NSYNC
5
Cricket player : BATSMAN
6
La Salle of "Coming to America" : ERIQ
7
Aleutian island : ATTU
8
Spicy cuisine : THAI
9
Joan who once co-hosted "Good Morning America" : LUNDEN
10
Hosp. units : ERS
11
One way to prepare pollo : ALMARSALA
12
Where Ronald Reagan worked as a sports announcer : DESMOINES
13
Ready to serve : DONE
21
Washington's Sea-___ Airport : TAC
22
Guys : FELLAS
25
Drops off, maybe : NAPS
27
Not take it lying down : REACT
28
Westernmost city on the African mainland : DAKAR
29
Hassan Rowhani, for one : IRANI
30
Bad thing to pick : NOSE
31
Biblical verb : DOST
32
"No problems here" : ALLISWELL
33
Result of an exam : DIAGNOSIS
34
Like vicuñas : ANDEAN
38
One doing the lord's work : SERF
43
Said quickly : SPATOUT
46
Top-notch : SUPERB
47
Program file suffix : EXE
50
Exposed sandbar, maybe : ISLET
51
Airport named for a naval war hero : OHARE
52
Some BMW vehicles : MINIS
53
Tuckered out : SPENT
54
Attack at close range, maybe : KNEE
56
Composer Charles : IVES
57
Knoll : RISE
58
Memo abbr. : ATTN
60
Justice Department div. : DEA

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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