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Countdown

New York Times, Sunday, September 20, 1998

Author:
Charles M. Deber
Editor:
Will Shortz
30-Across : Last-minute ticket acquirer, maybe
TotalDebutLatest
384/4/19826/11/2017
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
36000110
RebusCircleScrabDebutPre‑WSFresh
311.462521866%
Charles M. Deber

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 74 This is puzzle # 26 for Mr. Deber. Sunday freshness: 73%
1
A
2
L
3
L
4
A
5
H
6
R
7
O
8
C
9
I
10
T
11
A
12
L
13
R
14
A
15
S
16
P
17
S
18
M
U
L
T
I
19
U
S
O
20
L
U
N
A
21
B
O
C
C
I
E
22
A
M
A
L
FIVE
23
S
S
E
L
24
I
R
K
S
25
I
D
E
A
T
E
26
S
E
M
A
N
A
S
27
O
28
S
A
K
A
29
G
O
T
M
A
D
30
S
T
A
N
D
E
E
31
N
I
C
E
32
F
33
A
T
L
Y
34
T
O
N
T
35
I
N
E
36
Y
37
E
A
R
O
FOUR
L
38
O
39
R
40
D
41
T
42
A
43
P
I
R
S
44
C
A
V
45
S
46
U
S
T
E
N
47
V
I
R
48
E
R
I
C
S
49
M
O
D
E
M
50
D
C
I
51
S
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P
O
D
E
53
A
N
T
54
S
I
N
E
55
O
56
B
O
I
S
57
T
58
R
I
G
A
59
R
E
T
60
A
61
K
E
N
62
M
O
O
R
S
63
I
64
B
I
D
E
M
65
G
O
L
D
66
S
67
M
I
THREE
X
A
M
68
I
N
E
D
69
R
70
A
71
T
I
N
E
72
H
E
N
N
Y
73
G
E
N
E
74
S
75
I
76
S
77
A
W
O
L
78
S
79
T
R
A
I
T
80
A
81
D
O
S
82
O
R
A
83
K
A
R
E
84
N
85
R
I
G
86
R
87
E
L
I
T
88
C
89
R
O
O
N
90
E
S
S
91
O
92
P
I
N
E
93
Y
A
L
E
94
G
L
E
N
N
S
95
S
H
I
96
F
TWO
R
K
E
R
97
S
98
S
O
M
99
A
L
I
S
100
E
R
I
E
S
101
C
102
H
E
W
103
D
I
N
E
104
T
105
T
106
E
107
C
108
A
109
V
E
R
N
110
S
H
U
L
A
111
E
N
T
R
E
E
S
112
A
R
A
B
I
C
113
D
O
O
M
114
B
115
O
S
T
ONE
V
E
N
T
116
P
O
L
L
E
E
117
D
R
O
P
118
L
A
T
119
R
E
N
E
E
120
T
W
E
E
D
121
E
E
L
S
122
E
R
E
123
A
S
S
T
S
© 1998, The New York Times9/20/98 ( No. 17,848 )
Across
1
God "the most merciful" : ALLAH
6
Bird of myth : ROC
9
Slanted: Abbr. : ITAL
13
Blacksmith's tools : RASPS
18
Prefix with grain : MULTI
19
Show presenter, for short : USO
20
Pioneering Russian spacecraft series : LUNA
21
Lawn game : BOCCIE
22
Sight off the coast of Salerno : AMALFIVESSEL
24
Bugs : IRKS
25
Be creative : IDEATE
26
Spanish weeks : SEMANAS
27
Expo '70 host : OSAKA
29
Saw red : GOTMAD
30
Last-minute ticket acquirer, maybe : STANDEE
31
"Well done!" : NICE
32
Broadly : FATLY
34
Certain annuity plan : TONTINE
36
1998, e.g., in fancy language : YEAROFOURLORD
41
Piglike animals : TAPIRS
44
Cleveland team, for short : CAVS
46
Minneapolis-to-Fargo hwy. : USTEN
47
Man, in old Rome : VIR
48
Rock's Burdon and Carmen : ERICS
49
Transmit via computer : MODEM
50
Seventh-century date : DCI
51
Some porcelain : SPODE
53
Worker ___ : ANT
54
Math ratio : SINE
55
Orchestra member : OBOIST
58
Gulf of ___ (arm of the Baltic) : RIGA
59
No longer in enemy hands : RETAKEN
62
Heather lands : MOORS
63
Footnote word : IBIDEM
65
A new look at an 18th-century English writer : GOLDSMITHREEXAMINED
69
Fabric with nubby yarn : RATINE
72
First name in stand-up : HENNY
73
Big name in computer games : GENESIS
77
Like a wayward G.I. : AWOL
78
Nautical passageway : STRAIT
80
Bustles : ADOS
82
Mouths : ORA
83
"From Here to Eternity" wife : KAREN
85
Oil driller's setup : RIG
86
On again : RELIT
88
Sing like Bing : CROON
90
Non-P.C. suffix : ESS
91
Express : OPINE
93
Institution since 1701 : YALE
94
Close and Ford : GLENNS
95
Nurses and police officers, e.g. : SHIFTWORKERS
98
Neighbors of Ethiopians : SOMALIS
100
Enemies of the Iroquois : ERIES
101
Consider, with "over" : CHEW
103
Kind of set : DINETTE
107
Place to go with a flashlight : CAVERN
110
He coached 347 N.F.L. wins : SHULA
111
Menu section : ENTREES
112
Like our numbers : ARABIC
113
Apocalypse : DOOM
114
1773 Tea Party, e.g. : BOSTONEVENT
116
Survey respondent : POLLEE
117
Let go of : DROP
118
Back muscle, for short : LAT
119
TV actress Taylor : RENEE
120
Jacket choice : TWEED
121
Sushi supplies : EELS
122
Poetic preposition : ERE
123
Seconds: Abbr. : ASSTS
Down
1
Collect : AMASS
2
"12 Angry Men" director : LUMET
3
Pack animal : LLAMA
4
Monopoly avenue next to the B.&O. Railroad : ATLANTIC
5
Sellers of record players : HIFIVENDORS
6
Brownish : RUSSET
7
Sugar ending : OSE
8
Feature of classical architecture : COLONNADE
9
Kind of artery : ILIAC
10
Bomb : TURKEY
11
"Crazy Love" singer : ANKA
12
Song syllables : LAS
13
Vases of a "La Bohème" character : RODOLFOURNS
14
___ radical : ACETYL
15
Fast shuffle, so to speak : SCAM
16
Sandwich base : PITA
17
Very beginning : SEED
21
Item that's often stubbed : BIGTOE
23
Composer Saint-___ : SAENS
28
Not a good person with secrets : SIEVE
32
Democrats fight it : FASCISM
33
"___ long..." : ARTIS
35
Representation : ICON
37
Writer Welty : EUDORA
38
Roundish : OVOID
39
Forehead feature : RIDGE
40
Source of an omen, maybe : DREAM
41
Zoom : TEAR
42
Drury Lane composer of the 1700's : ARNE
43
The Panthers of the Big East Conference : PITT
45
Success for a returning space shuttle : SMOOTHREENTRY
49
"Do you ___?" : MIND
52
Target of many a wound : PRIDE
54
1991-92 U.S. Open champ : SELES
56
Not streamlined : BOXY
57
Parts of 69-Down : TINES
60
Catlike : AGILE
61
___-Tiki : KON
62
Tiny model : MINI
64
Casey of County General Hospital : BEN
66
Pilgrimage sites : SHRINES
67
Lean : MEAGER
68
Berlin's "___ Lost in His Arms" : IGOT
69
See 57-Down : RAKES
70
Soaked : AWASH
71
Sculpture subjects : TORSI
74
In a minute : SOON
75
Maker of a brand name? : IRON
76
Lacking : SANS
79
Early wheels : TRIKE
80
O.K. : ALLOWABLE
81
Per ___ : DIEM
84
Insouciant : NOTWORRIED
87
Chart holder : EASEL
88
The 1990's, politically speaking : CLINTONERA
89
Vintner's cache : RESERVES
92
William or Henry : PRINCE
94
Sparkle : GLINT
96
Weak : FEEBLE
97
Train : SCHOOL
99
Carol starter : ADESTE
102
Mountains, so to speak : HUMPS
104
"Difficult years" : TEENS
105
Position : TENET
106
Met singer Simon : ESTES
107
Kirk, e.g.: Abbr. : CAPT
108
Straight, after "in" : AROW
109
Low tract : VALE
110
Recovering from a charley horse : SORE
113
Onetime Presidential inits. : DDE
115
Dory feature : OAR

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

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