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New York Times, Saturday, August 31, 2019

Author:
Brian Thomas
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
23-Across : Strain
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1411/21/20177/12/20235
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0421115
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.695855%
Brian Thomas

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 66, Blocks: 34 Missing: {JQZ} Spans: 2 This is puzzle # 7 for Mr. Thomas. Saturday freshness: 24%
Brian Thomas notes:
Howdy! Excited to make my themeless debut and especially for a few debut entries — HOME REMEDY, BITE MARK, TANIKA, and MISSILE ENVY ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Solid 66-worder, I'd give it my STAMP OF APPROVAL. I enjoyed the twist on the typical stair stack, Brian working in two 15-letter ... read more
1
P
2
O
3
S
4
H
5
B
6
O
7
S
8
C
9
L
10
I
11
S
12
P
13
O
C
H
O
14
I
O
W
A
15
T
O
N
T
O
16
S
T
A
M
17
P
O
F
A
P
18
P
R
O
V
A
L
19
T
A
K
E
I
T
20
B
I
T
E
M
A
R
K
21
O
V
E
R
E
A
22
T
23
T
A
X
24
S
K
A
25
P
E
R
E
C
26
E
27
P
A
28
O
I
L
S
29
M
I
30
S
S
I
L
31
E
32
E
N
V
Y
33
R
E
N
E
L
A
C
O
S
T
E
34
B
U
D
G
E
A
N
I
N
C
H
35
E
E
N
Y
36
M
O
T
37
A
E
38
T
39
N
40
A
41
N
E
T
42
M
43
A
O
44
Y
45
O
P
L
A
I
T
46
T
R
I
47
F
E
C
T
48
A
49
K
E
E
N
E
R
50
I
N
E
E
D
S
O
M
51
E
A
D
V
I
C
E
52
R
U
S
T
S
53
R
O
P
Y
54
E
K
E
S
55
E
T
T
A
56
S
K
I
S
57
L
A
S
T
© 2019, The New York Times8/31/19 ( No. 25,498 )
Across
1
Fancy-schmancy : POSH
5
Brownish pear : BOSC
9
Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon : LISP
13
Dos and dos and dos and dos : OCHO
14
Locale of Drake University : IOWA
15
Classic TV character whose name is Spanish for "fool" : TONTO
16
Plus sign? : STAMPOFAPPROVAL
19
"Here!" : TAKEIT
20
Impression that's only skin-deep? : BITEMARK
21
What many Americans do on Thanksgiving : OVEREAT
23
Strain : TAX
24
___ punk (music hybrid) : SKA
25
French author Georges : PEREC
26
Cleanup grp. : EPA
28
Some skin care products : OILS
29
1980s feminist coinage regarding nuclear proliferation : MISSILEENVY
33
French tennis player and fashion icon : RENELACOSTE
34
Give a little bit : BUDGEANINCH
35
Wee, informally : EENY
36
Bon ___ : MOT
37
Big name in insurance since 1853 : AETNA
41
ABC, e.g., in Variety-speak : NET
42
Leader of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, 1927 : MAO
44
Brand in the dairy aisle : YOPLAIT
46
Winning an Oscar, Emmy and Tony, for an actor : TRIFECTA
49
More sharp : KEENER
50
"Help me with this problem" : INEEDSOMEADVICE
52
Gets creaky, say : RUSTS
53
Viscous : ROPY
54
Squeezes (by) : EKES
55
James in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : ETTA
56
What Denver's airport has a special carousel for : SKIS
57
Like Leo XIII among all popes named Leo : LAST
Down
1
Recovery period : POSTOP
2
Stretch between two pitches, say : OCTAVE
3
One of a pair at a dinner table : SHAKER
4
Putting duct tape on a wart, e.g. : HOMEREMEDY
5
What a rain forest is rich in : BIOTA
6
[Wow, that's bad] : OOF
7
Clear the decks? : SWAB
8
What a star may represent : CAPITALCITY
9
Impend : LOOM
10
Like some exotic plants and prying questions : INVASIVE
11
With lots of contrast : STARKLY
12
Many Weird Al Yankovic medleys : POLKAS
15
Apex predator of old, informally : TREX
17
___ together (figuring out) : PIECING
18
Org. in which Marge becomes involved in a classic 1995 episode of "The Simpsons" : PTA
22
Company founded in Palo Alto, Calif., in 2003 : TESLAMOTORS
27
Softly : PIANO
28
Honest : ONTHELEVEL
30
Spot : SEE
31
Time between ordering and food arriving, seemingly : EON
32
Flew : ESCAPED
33
Most undersized : RUNTIEST
34
One of a handful at a bar : BEERNUT
35
Complete : ENTIRE
38
___ Ray, co-host of TV's "Extra" : TANIKA
39
Relatives not in direct line for royal succession : NIECES
40
Still : ATREST
42
Cabinetful, informally : MEDS
43
Coolers, for short : ACS
45
Gives a 16-Across : OKAYS
47
Ingredient in a spanakopita pastry : FETA
48
Wildly : AMOK
51
Prefix with dermis : EPI

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

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