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GOING HEAD TO HEAD

New York Times, Sunday, September 2, 2018

Author:
Tom McCoy
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
69-Across : Showdown in the funnies
TotalDebutLatest
3511/14/20137/3/2022
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
19815200
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
471.6125342%
Tom McCoy

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 77 Missing: none – this is a pangram. This is puzzle # 31 for Mr. McCoy. Sunday freshness: 18%
Tom McCoy notes:
Since starting grad school a year ago, I haven't had too much time to construct crosswords, but I was happy to find some time during a break a few months ago. This puzzle was inspired by ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Famous showdowns, the opponents going HEAD TO HEAD, i.e., the first participant flipped around so that their head touches the second's. When I got to ????? BOWSER, this Super Mario Bros. ... read more
1
S
2
T
3
A
4
N
5
D
6
P
7
A
8
W
9
N
10
S
11
B
12
E
13
D
14
N
15
E
16
R
17
F
18
A
R
M
O
R
19
U
H
H
U
H
20
E
C
O
21
S
O
L
A
R
22
S
U
E
S
E
23
H
T
M
I
N
O
24
T
A
U
R
25
T
W
I
C
E
26
S
E
N
T
27
I
T
E
M
28
O
I
R
A
M
29
B
O
W
S
E
R
30
T
R
31
O
T
S
32
S
T
O
O
D
33
S
P
H
E
R
E
34
L
O
I
R
E
35
W
36
I
N
37
N
O
38
W
I
S
E
39
N
O
T
L
I
M
40
A
H
B
U
41
R
42
R
43
R
O
D
44
R
45
B
46
I
47
S
C
H
S
48
L
I
M
B
O
E
49
D
50
R
E
51
L
E
A
S
52
E
53
A
A
A
54
C
55
E
L
T
56
I
D
R
57
I
S
58
O
W
N
E
R
59
L
T
60
C
O
L
61
E
62
K
63
U
L
D
A
R
T
64
H
V
A
D
E
R
65
O
R
K
66
S
U
N
67
E
N
O
68
Y
E
S
69
Y
70
P
71
O
O
N
S
72
R
E
D
B
73
A
R
O
N
74
P
R
I
75
N
76
T
77
D
R
A
K
E
78
H
A
Z
E
L
79
L
80
A
O
S
81
O
A
82
R
83
S
A
T
I
A
84
T
E
85
U
N
I
86
D
87
E
A
L
88
O
C
T
A
89
T
H
E
90
Y
A
91
K
92
D
I
V
A
D
G
93
O
94
L
I
A
T
H
95
C
96
A
P
S
I
97
D
98
D
R
Y
99
H
O
L
L
Y
100
A
101
S
102
S
U
M
E
103
L
A
104
M
105
B
S
106
S
M
A
L
L
107
N
A
M
T
A
B
108
J
O
K
E
R
109
A
110
T
T
A
111
A
L
112
G
113
A
114
G
L
I
T
Z
115
E
T
O
X
I
116
U
Q
W
I
N
117
D
M
I
L
L
118
E
S
T
E
E
119
D
O
T
120
B
R
U
I
N
121
U
P
S
E
T
122
L
A
H
R
123
I
N
A
124
E
L
A
T
E
125
O
S
T
E
O
© 2018, The New York Times9/2/18 ( No. 25,135 )
Across
1
Group of trees : STAND
6
Potential queens : PAWNS
11
Word that looks like its meaning when written in lowercase : BED
14
Harmless weapons maker : NERF
18
Strong suit? : ARMOR
19
"Continue" : UHHUH
20
"Foucault's Pendulum" author, 1988 : ECO
21
Like the Gregorian calendar : SOLAR
22
Showdown in Greek mythology : SUESEHTMINOTAUR
25
A couple of times : TWICE
26
Word of confirmation on a messaging app : SENT
27
Couple : ITEM
28
Showdown in classic video games : OIRAMBOWSER
30
Quickened paces : TROTS
32
Wasn't struck down : STOOD
33
Realm : SPHERE
34
Tours can be seen on it : LOIRE
35
Triumph : WIN
37
Not in any way : NOWISE
39
Showdown in American history : NOTLIMAHBURR
43
Hot ___ : ROD
44
One of four in a grand slam : RBI
47
Univs., e.g. : SCHS
48
Bent over backward, in a way : LIMBOED
50
Bit of P.R. : RELEASE
53
Like baseball's Durham Bulls : AAA
54
Speaker of Welsh or Breton : CELT
56
Actor Elba : IDRIS
58
One of the o's in "o/o" : OWNER
59
Rank above maj. : LTCOL
61
Showdown in cinema : EKULDARTHVADER
65
Mork's planet : ORK
66
Brightly colored blazer : SUN
67
Obie-winning playwright Will : ENO
68
"What is it?" : YES
69
Showdown in the funnies : YPOONSREDBARON
74
Not use cursive : PRINT
77
University in Des Moines : DRAKE
78
Greenish-brown hue : HAZEL
79
Neighbor of China : LAOS
81
What's used to row, row, row your boat : OAR
83
Leave fulfilled : SATIATE
85
Less than perfect : UNIDEAL
88
Geometric prefix : OCTA
89
Italian "il" or French "le" : THE
90
Prattle : YAK
92
Showdown in the Bible : DIVADGOLIATH
95
Protein shell of a virus : CAPSID
98
Like sauvignon blanc : DRY
99
Traditional Christmas decoration : HOLLY
100
Jump to conclusions : ASSUME
103
Some petting zoo animals : LAMBS
106
Word with wonder or world : SMALL
107
Showdown in comic books : NAMTABJOKER
109
Lead-in to boy or girl : ATTA
111
Simple plant : ALGA
114
Ostentation : GLITZ
115
Showdown in literature : ETOXIUQWINDMILL
118
Businesswoman Lauder : ESTEE
119
Apt name for a Braille instructor : DOT
120
TD Garden athlete : BRUIN
121
Knock over : UPSET
122
Cowardly Lion portrayer : LAHR
123
___ bit : INA
124
Overjoy : ELATE
125
Bone: Prefix : OSTEO
Down
1
What "Talk to the hand!" is an example of : SASS
2
Unswerving : TRUE
3
"I couldn't agree more!" : AMENTOTHAT
4
They're found under a bridge : NOSTRILS
5
Beats by ___ (headphones brand) : DRE
6
Short strokes : PUTTS
7
"Alas!" : AHME
8
Sudden impulse : WHIM
9
Sister : NUN
10
"Try me" : SHOOT
11
Be relevant to : BEARON
12
Country named for its latitude : ECUADOR
13
College student's assignment : DORM
14
Words after an interruption : NOWWHEREWASI
15
Stefanik who is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress : ELISE
16
Fast one : RACER
17
"___ Jacques" : FRERE
21
Conductors' announcements : STOPS
23
"___ where it hurts!" : HITEM
24
Uncle, in Argentina : TIO
29
Under half of 45? : BSIDE
31
Brother of Dori and Nori in "The Hobbit" : ORI
32
Surprising lack of Oscar recognition : SNUB
34
Suitable for a dieter, informally : LOCAL
35
Body of water connected by canal to the Baltic : WHITESEA
36
Watson's company : IBM
38
Defeat : WORST
39
Govt. org. based in Ft. Meade, Md. : NSA
40
Word before right or rise : ALL
41
Move turbulently : ROIL
42
Increasingly ripe, say : REDDER
45
Wedding need ... or booking : BAND
46
Stereotypical therapist's response : ISEE
49
Pipe cleaner : DRANO
51
Enthusiasts : LOVERS
52
Go wrong : ERR
54
Part of the eye : CORNEA
55
Wapitis : ELKS
57
British Bulldog : Churchill :: ___ : Thatcher : IRONLADY
60
Undistinguished, as many a subdivision house : COOKIECUTTER
62
Rapidly spreading vine : KUDZU
63
Get straight : UNBEND
64
Prefix with allergenic : HYPO
69
Football units: Abbr. : YDS
70
Idiot, in Britspeak : PRAT
71
Vow : OATH
72
Relatives of emus : RHEAS
73
Et ___ : ALII
75
Numbers to avoid : NOCALLLIST
76
Ragged : TATTY
80
North African land: Abbr. : ALG
82
Cry of school spirit : RAH
84
Laid-back : TYPEB
86
Data storage items on the decline : DVDS
87
Organ in the leg of a katydid, bizarrely : EAR
88
Frontier lights : OILLAMPS
91
Unit of explosive power : KILOTON
93
"That sounds awful" : OHMAN
94
Mauna ___ : LOA
96
Wow : AMAZE
97
Territory name until 1889 : DAKOTA
100
Brat's opposite : ANGEL
101
Popular dip : SALSA
102
Skilled laborer : SMITH
104
Tex-___ : MEX
105
Bit of corruption : BRIBE
106
Author of the "Fear Street" series for young readers : STINE
108
Some saber wielders : JEDI
109
Bluish-green : AQUA
110
Ninny : TWIT
112
TV show set in William McKinley High School : GLEE
113
Prefix with stratus : ALTO
116
It's used to cite a site : URL
117
Bonnie and Clyde, e.g. : DUO

Answer summary:
11 unique to this puzzle.

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