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PUZZLE ENVY

New York Times, Sunday, January 6, 2013

Author:
Dan Feyer and Andrea Carla Michaels
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
24-Down : Qualifiers
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
410/4/20113/15/20151
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2020000
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.644563%
Dan Feyer
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
866/12/20007/8/202455
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
762122300
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
241.6430623%
Andrea Carla Michaels

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 68 Missing: {Q} This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Feyer. This is puzzle # 37 for Ms. Michaels. Sunday freshness: 87%
Constructor notes:

ANDREA:

This collaboration came about because in the summer of 2012 Dan Feyer and his lovely girlfriend Gretchen organized a fundraiser up in Napa Valley (where Gretchen grew up). In between rounds, Dan entertained up with a trivia game where all the answers had the initials NV, for Napa Valley. I thought that might make a good basis for a crossword.

To me, it would be funny and risque to have a puzzle called "Puzzle NV" so I suggested to Dan that we expand his list into a Sunday-sized puzzle. Never mind that although he is the five time ACPT solving champion, he had only constructed one puzzle and was reluctant to risk his one for one perfect creation/acceptance rate. (It pays to enlist geniuses as collaborators.) So I talked him into expanding the list he had, we found a half dozen nice solid pairs. Lucky for me, Dan wanted the challenge of constructing a Sunday-sized grid, which I've still not yet been able to do on my own. (My three solo Sunday attempts have not been accepted by any major publication.)

Before I knew it, Dan had created a fabulous grid with a crowning touch of stacking three of the theme answers. The hardest part was getting him to not be such a perfectionist and keep creating grid after grid. We settled on one and THEN tried to perfect it.

1
D
2
A
3
D
4
A
5
S
6
S
7
I
8
S
9
T
10
S
11
J
12
A
13
C
14
K
15
S
16
N
17
A
18
N
19
A
R
A
20
T
U
R
N
P
R
O
21
E
B
O
A
T
22
U
Z
I
23
N
I
G
24
H
T
V
I
S
I
O
N
25
J
O
U
L
E
26
M
E
X
27
C
O
M
E
A
S
28
A
N
Y
29
B
U
R
N
E
R
30
E
R
E
31
I
S
A
A
C
32
K
N
E
E
33
P
A
N
T
S
34
L
35
U
R
I
D
36
N
O
R
T
H
37
V
I
E
T
N
A
M
E
S
E
38
I
N
I
39
S
E
E
N
40
S
S
R
41
L
42
E
N
S
C
43
A
44
P
45
A
46
N
47
N
48
S
L
E
49
D
50
T
51
R
52
I
53
P
54
I
G
U
A
N
A
55
B
I
A
56
S
57
D
R
O
58
S
59
S
60
A
N
I
61
O
N
62
B
L
E
W
63
E
X
T
O
64
R
T
65
N
A
P
66
A
V
A
L
L
E
67
Y
68
V
W
S
69
O
I
L
Y
70
N
O
V
A
C
A
N
C
Y
71
U
72
T
A
H
73
A
N
O
74
N
75
O
W
V
O
Y
A
G
E
R
76
S
L
A
L
O
77
M
78
M
E
N
79
S
80
S
T
A
R
E
81
E
R
O
82
D
E
83
D
U
P
E
84
P
R
A
I
85
S
E
86
N
Y
R
87
O
88
W
E
N
89
D
90
E
E
L
91
M
A
L
T
E
S
92
E
93
D
94
P
95
S
96
C
O
O
97
K
98
V
A
N
99
N
100
O
101
R
102
F
O
L
K
103
V
I
R
G
I
104
N
105
I
106
A
107
T
108
H
E
R
E
109
L
O
R
D
M
A
Y
O
R
110
O
N
E
N
D
111
A
O
L
112
S
113
C
A
L
A
R
114
X
F
L
115
T
O
D
A
T
E
116
G
U
V
117
C
A
R
A
T
118
N
I
A
V
119
A
R
D
A
L
O
S
120
U
S
E
121
E
A
G
L
E
122
E
C
L
O
G
U
E
123
O
N
T
124
P
E
T
125
S
N
E
A
D
126
B
O
L
S
T
E
R
127
N
E
E
© 2013, The New York Times1/6/13 ( No. 23,070 )
Across
1
Pop : DAD
4
Court statistic : ASSISTS
11
Kid's game with a ball : JACKS
16
A Bobbsey twin : NAN
19
Constellation near Scorpius : ARA
20
Start to make a living from something : TURNPRO
21
W.W. II marine threat : EBOAT
22
Israeli weapon : UZI
23
What some goggles provide : NIGHTVISION
25
10,000,000 ergs : JOULE
26
U.S.A. neighbor : MEX
27
Represent at a costume party : COMEAS
28
___ minute : ANY
29
It may be tightly coiled : BURNER
30
"Let us part, ___ the season of passion forget us": Yeats : ERE
31
Designer Mizrahi : ISAAC
32
Old lad's wear : KNEEPANTS
34
Like pulp fiction : LURID
36
Onetime enemy : NORTHVIETNAMESE
38
Reggae's ___ Kamoze : INI
39
Exposed : SEEN
40
Kazakhstan, once: Abbr. : SSR
41
Shot blocker : LENSCAP
45
Mrs. Mitt Romney : ANN
48
Place for runners : SLED
50
Far-out experience : TRIP
54
Greenish creature : IGUANA
55
Diagonal : BIAS
57
Wastage : DROSS
60
Bit of negativity? : ANION
62
Flubbed : BLEW
63
Squeeze for dough : EXTORT
65
Wine taster's destination : NAPAVALLEY
68
Beetles, briefly : VWS
69
Slick : OILY
70
Bad sign for a traveler? : NOVACANCY
71
Land of Zion? : UTAH
73
"That's ___-brainer" : ANO
74
1942 Bette Davis film : NOWVOYAGER
76
Go downhill, in a way : SLALOM
78
Department store department : MENS
80
Fix one's eyes : STARE
81
Chip away at : ERODE
83
Hornswoggle : DUPE
84
Huzzahs : PRAISE
86
Singer/songwriter Laura : NYRO
88
Make, as one's way : WEND
90
Northern California's ___ River : EEL
91
Breed of cat or dog : MALTESE
93
Baseball "twin killings," for short : DPS
96
Chicago's county : COOK
98
Alternative to a bus : VAN
99
Home of the world's largest naval base : NORFOLKVIRGINIA
107
"Done, O.K.?!" : THERE
109
Head of London : LORDMAYOR
110
Seemingly forever : ONEND
111
NetZero competitor : AOL
112
Ladderlike in arrangement : SCALAR
114
Sports org. of the early 2000s : XFL
115
Until now : TODATE
116
Statehouse resident, informally : GUV
117
Solitaire unit : CARAT
118
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" writer and star : NIAVARDALOS
120
Purpose : USE
121
Quarter back? : EAGLE
122
Pastoral poem : ECLOGUE
123
Mich. neighbor : ONT
124
Stroke : PET
125
Slammin' Sammy : SNEAD
126
Prop up : BOLSTER
127
Miss identification? : NEE
Down
1
1978 Bob Fosse Broadway revue : DANCIN
2
Melodious : ARIOSO
3
Blond bombshell of '50s TV : DAGMAR
4
Lawyers' cases, maybe : ATTACHES
5
Yukon and Tahoe, for short : SUVS
6
Mumbai title : SRI
7
Moonstruck : INSANE
8
Downsized uprights : SPINETS
9
"Les ___" (Berlioz opera based on the "Aeneid") : TROYENS
10
Heir, maybe, but not an heiress : SON
11
Immature : JEJUNE
12
Cancels : ABORTS
13
One at a sidebar : COUNSEL
14
Moolah : KALE
15
Unblemished : STERLING
16
3.14159..., for pi : NUMERICALVALUE
17
Baku resident : AZERI
18
Gave the thumbs-down : NIXED
24
Qualifiers : HEATS
29
"Just like that!" : BAM
32
Ralph in the Baseball Hall of Fame : KINER
33
Cameo, for one : PART
35
Remove from a mailing list, informally : UNSUB
37
Where springboks graze : VELDT
42
One of Mozart's? : EINE
43
Subtitle of "Star Wars Episode IV" : ANEWHOPE
44
Cat's dogs? : PAWS
45
'60s prez : ABE
46
Late '60s and early '70s, politically : NIXONERA
47
Hit 1944 film starring a 12-year-old actress : NATIONALVELVET
49
One-named pop singer : DONOVAN
51
Wreak havoc on : RAVAGE
52
More ridiculous : INANER
53
Paragraph symbol : PILCROW
56
Fifth tone : SOL
58
Mouth-watering : SAVORY
59
Vet, at times : SPAYER
61
West Coast beer, familiarly : OLY
64
Rembrandt van ___ : RYN
66
Here, in Juárez : ACA
67
Brynner of "Taras Bulba" : YUL
70
Its capital is Yellowknife: Abbr. : NWT
72
Smidgen : TAD
73
Choices of time : AMPM
75
Ending with psych- : OSES
76
Sir abroad : SENOR
77
Gibson of "The Beaver" : MEL
79
"Norwegian Wood" strings : SITAR
82
To say, in Spanish : DECIR
85
Grows old : SENESCES
87
Kardashian spouse Lamar ___ : ODOM
89
Well-intentioned activist : DOGOODER
92
Supersize, say : ENLARGE
94
The N.F.L.'s ___ Burress : PLAXICO
95
James Bond's childhood home : SKYFALL
97
Somewhat, informally : KINDA
100
"Bee-you-tiful!" : OOLALA
101
Like "Knocked Up" and "The Hangover" : RRATED
102
Subj. of the 2008 biography "Traitor to His Class" : FDR
103
Some Swedish models : VOLVOS
104
Kevin of "Weeds" : NEALON
105
Cantillate : INTONE
106
Carol starter : ADESTE
107
Advice to a base runner : TAGUP
108
Provide a place to stay : HOUSE
113
Scott of "Hawaii Five-0" : CAAN
115
"How ___!" : TRUE
118
It's S. of S. Dak. : NEB
119
15%-er: Abbr. : AGT

Answer summary:
7 unique to this puzzle, 5 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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