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AHEAD OF THE CURVE

New York Times, Sunday, October 18, 2009

Author:
Elizabeth C. Gorski
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
38-Down : With 43-Down, what 23-/29-Across was
TotalDebutLatest
2197/31/19952/23/2016
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RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
30221.541,51454%
Elizabeth C. Gorski

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 141, Blocks: 76 Missing: {QZ} Spans: 1 Grid is asymmetric. Featured in Will Shortz's favorite puzzlemakers. This is puzzle # 171 for Ms. Gorski. Sunday freshness: 9%
Jim Horne notes:

This is one of my favorite NYT puzzles ever.

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© 2009, The New York Times10/18/9 ( No. 21,894 )
Across
1
*"Before the Mirror" : MANET
6
Turned off : ALIENATED
15
Bête ___ : NOIRE
20
Westernmost avenue in Santa Monica, Calif. : OCEAN
21
Rewards of a political machine : PATRONAGE
22
Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR
23
With 29-Across, holder of the works named in the nine starred clues, celebrating its 50th anniversary on 10/21/09 : THESOLOMONRGUGGENHEIM
26
One at risk of excommunication : HERETIC
27
California wind : SANTAANA
28
Ready-go go-between : SET
29
See 23-Across : MUSEUM
35
Philharmonic sect. : STR
36
45 players : HIFIS
39
2000s TV family : SOPRANOS
41
Many a school fund-raiser : RAFFLE
46
"What's going ___ there?" : ONIN
47
One who works on a grand scale? : PIANOTUNER
49
Game in which players subtract from a starting score of 501 : DARTS
50
"Big" number in college athletics : TEN
51
Station : POST
52
Year Columbus died : MDVI
53
Letter-shaped construction pieces : IBARS
54
New Deal inits. : TVA
55
"___ party time!" : ITS
56
Legal org. : ABA
59
Horse and buggy : RIG
60
Needing a massage, say : TENSE
61
Be hung over, e.g. : AIL
62
Small island : CAY
63
Enchant : BEGUILE
65
Miff : IRK
66
1970s TV production co. : MTM
67
Symbols like @ : ATS
68
*"Green Violinist" : CHAGALL
69
Gazes at : OGLES
72
Like a bond you can buy with security? : AAA
73
Savor, in a way : SIP
74
"Frasier" role : DAPHNE
75
Short swim : ONELAP
76
V.P. during the Cuban missile crisis : LBJ
77
In order (to) : SOAS
79
Lo-___ : RES
80
"Today" rival, for short : GMA
81
Canadian-born hockey great : ORR
82
"Eldorado" grp. : ELO
83
Perfectly timed : ONCUE
85
Like some YouTube videos : VIRAL
87
House call? : YEA
88
Landlocked European : SERB
90
Vintage Tonka toy : SEMITRAILER
94
Water swirl : EDDY
95
In need of blusher, say : WAN
97
*"Composition 8" : KANDINSKY
98
Old credit-tracking corp. : TRW
99
Clytemnestra, to Agamemnon : SPOUSE
102
Light planes : CESSNAS
103
*"Peasant With Hoe" : SEURAT
106
Subject of the Joni Mitchell song "Amelia" : EARHART
108
Jazz standard whose title is repeatedly sung after "Honey ..." : DEEDIDO
109
"May I ___ question?" : ASKA
110
"Rebel Without a Cause" actress : NATALIEWOOD
118
Operatic prince : IGOR
119
Grand : THOU
120
Controversial form that 43-Down used for 23-/29-Across : SPIRALSHAPE
121
Like some traffic : THRU
122
Lummoxes : OAFS
123
One who gets a lot of return business? : TAXPREPARER
124
Verb with "vous" : ETES
Down
1
Lepidopterist's study : MOTH
2
Pain in the neck : ACHE
3
Poetic contraction : NEER
4
Enters leisurely : EASESIN
5
Gov't investments : TNOTES
6
Part of some Bibles: Abbr. : APOC
7
Flight : LAM
8
Midori on ice : ITO
9
North end? : ERN
10
"... ___ should I" : NOR
11
Director Lee : ANG
12
Cross shape : TAU
13
Shell food? : EGGS
14
*"Seated Woman, Wiping Her Left Side" : DEGAS
15
Like 43-Down's design for 23-/29-Across : NONTRADITIONAL
16
Org. setting workplace rules : OSHA
17
Swedish company with a catalog : IKEA
18
Drops from the sky : RAIN
19
Gospel singer Franklin : ERMA
24
Flambé, say : LIT
25
___'acte : ENTR
29
Castle security system : MOAT
30
Bygone channel : UPN
31
"No seats left" : SRO
32
Use (up), as time : EAT
33
One for the money? : UNUM
34
*"Tableau 2" : MONDRIAN
36
Good lookers : HOTTAMALES
37
Fated : INEVITABLE
38
With 43-Down, what 23-/29-Across was : FINALMAJORWORKOF
39
Player of one of the women in Robert Altman's "3 Women" : SISSYSPACEK
40
Site of Spain's Alamillo Bridge : SEVILLE
42
Jewelry firm since 1842 : FABERGE
43
See 38-Down : FRANKLLOYDWRIGHT
44
U.S.P.S. deliveries : LTRS
45
Latin 101 verb : ESSE
47
Drinks of liquor : POTATIONS
48
Sixth-brightest star in the sky : RIGEL
51
*"Mandolin and Guitar" : PICASSO
56
Start of a common run : ABCD
57
Joy of "The View" : BEHAR
58
Showing surprise : AGAPE
64
Words from Charlie Brown : UGHS
70
Dog-___ : EARED
71
Many a perfume : SPRAY
75
Epps of "House" : OMAR
78
Shrub that may cause a severe allergic reaction : SUMAC
80
Leaden, in London : GREY
84
Angela Merkel's one : EINE
85
Place for a stamp : VISA
86
Sorts : ILKS
89
School popular in the 1920s : BAUHAUS
91
Autumn ESPN highlights : TDS
92
Sue Grafton's "___ for Ricochet" : RIS
93
Common middle name for a girl : ANN
94
Scholarly : ERUDITE
96
Code-cracking grp. : NSA
98
"Time out!" signal : TEE
99
Old defense grp. : SEATO
100
Turkish bigwig : PASHA
101
*"The Antipope" : ERNST
103
Early spring feast : SEDER
104
Just love : ADORE
105
Life preserver, e.g. : TORUS
107
Spanish tidbit : TAPA
108
Skinny : DOPE
111
B.O. purchases : TIX
112
*"Head and Shell" : ARP
113
Roman household god : LAR
114
Paris's ___ Saint-Louis : ILE
115
Medium strength? : ESP
116
"Huh?" : WHA
117
Viking ship item : OAR

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

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