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New York Times, Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Author:
Finn Vigeland
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
53-Down : Lightsaber wielder
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
2110/20/20106/26/20225
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
10134012
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
231.6518766%
Finn Vigeland

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 34 Missing: {QXZ} This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Vigeland. Wednesday freshness: 89%
Finn Vigeland notes:

Will accepted this puzzle in July 2010 — my first acceptance! — under the condition I get rid of four entries he didn't care for. I eagerly sent off a new version of the grid the next day, and then ... crickets. I knew to expect less-than-speedy responses from Will, but I was hoping an update to a conditional acceptance would merit a quick turnaround time.

Fast forward to October 1, still no response, and the night of the Westchester Crossword Puzzle Tournament, which Will hosts in his hometown of Pleasantville, NY. I went up to him to say hi, and he immediately went, "Finn! I still owe you a response, don't I?" At the tournament after-party, which he holds at his house, he took me up to his office, where I saw my puzzle sitting at the top of his pile. He accepted it the next day and it ran in print a mere 18 days later!

As Jim notes below, I was a student at Horace Mann School (58-Across) in Riverdale, NY, when I constructed this puzzle, so that was the seed entry here. And HI MOM was sort of an accidental bonus theme entry.

Jim Horne notes:

This is another debut from a teenage constructor. Mr. Vigeland constructed this puzzle while a student at Horace Mann School in Bronx, NY (hence 58 Across.) At publication time, he was an 18-year-old freshman at Columbia University.

There are 15 M's tying the record for most in the Shortz era.

1
O
2
C
3
A
4
L
5
A
6
E
7
R
8
G
9
S
10
T
11
H
12
E
13
N
14
C
I
V
I
L
15
R
I
L
E
16
E
A
S
Y
17
H
E
A
V
Y
18
M
E
T
A
L
19
A
S
A
P
20
E
R
S
E
21
E
S
T
D
22
A
P
H
I
D
23
R
A
T
C
24
H
E
T
25
H
26
I
M
O
M
27
H
A
K
U
28
N
A
M
A
T
A
29
T
30
A
31
A
32
R
33
H
A
T
34
I
N
A
T
35
R
O
M
36
S
E
A
T
37
H
38
A
N
D
M
39
W
K
R
P
40
C
P
U
41
B
A
N
O
42
B
O
S
O
M
43
H
O
T
44
E
L
M
A
N
45
A
46
G
E
R
47
M
N
E
M
E
48
S
M
E
L
49
L
50
E
51
D
52
F
53
J
O
R
D
54
R
55
O
T
A
56
D
O
N
E
57
L
E
N
O
58
H
O
R
A
C
59
E
M
A
N
N
60
A
D
D
L
61
U
B
E
R
62
R
A
D
I
I
63
K
I
E
L
64
M
E
M
E
65
E
P
S
O
M
© 2010, The New York Times10/20/10 ( No. 22,261 )
Across
1
City SSW of Jacksonville : OCALA
6
Physics units : ERGS
10
First of two before-and-after pictures : THEN
14
Mannerly : CIVIL
15
Stir (up) : RILE
16
"No prob" : EASY
17
Megadeth's music genre : HEAVYMETAL
19
"Now!" : ASAP
20
European tongue : ERSE
21
Cornerstone abbr. : ESTD
22
Green bug : APHID
23
Increase in increments, with "up" : RATCHET
25
Sign in the bleachers : HIMOM
27
"The Lion King" song : HAKUNAMATATA
31
Enlightened Buddhist : ARHAT
34
___ the beginning : INAT
35
Neighbor of Hung. : ROM
36
You may take one before dinner : SEAT
37
Swedish-based international clothing giant ... or a hint to the answers to the six italicized clues : HANDM
39
Dr. Johnny Fever's station, in 1970s-'80s TV : WKRP
40
Hi-tech heart : CPU
41
Spanish bath : BANO
42
Kind of buddy : BOSOM
43
Hilton head, e.g. : HOTELMANAGER
47
One of the three original Muses : MNEME
48
Knocked someone out, say : SMELLED
52
Viking training camp? : FJORD
54
"The Godfather" composer Nino : ROTA
56
"I finished" : DONE
57
Who once remarked "You can't stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh" : LENO
58
The Father of American Public Education : HORACEMANN
60
Extra: Abbr. : ADDL
61
German word slangily used to mean "extremely" : UBER
62
Circle measures : RADII
63
Germany's ___ Canal : KIEL
64
Internet ___ (viral phenomenon) : MEME
65
English race site : EPSOM
Down
1
Autumn hue : OCHER
2
Old Olds : CIERA
3
"Stop, matey!" : AVAST
4
Real-time online conversation : LIVECHAT
5
Prince ___ Khan : ALY
6
1974 Mocedades hit : ERESTU
7
Film director Martin : RITT
8
Politician's greeting : GLADHAND
9
Partner of poivre, in French seasoning : SEL
10
It's "short and stout" in a children's song : TEAPOT
11
Lines on a football field : HASHMARKS
12
Morales who played a 13-Down officer on TV : ESAI
13
See 12-Down : NYPD
18
Docile : MEEK
22
Part of a Latin 101 trio : AMAT
24
Symbol of a position : HAT
26
Shiite leader : IMAM
28
Sheer fabric : NINON
29
One seeing red? : TORO
30
Like 12-hour clocks : AMPM
31
"The Nazarene" author Sholem : ASCH
32
"___ Man" : REPO
33
Society : HAUTMONDE
37
2004 Olympics gymnastics star Paul or Morgan : HAMM
38
Organism that doesn't require oxygen : ANAEROBE
39
Colorful almanac feature : WORLDMAP
41
Ran : BLED
42
Busy type : BEE
44
Sign up : ENROLL
45
Rubbernecking : ASTARE
46
Auto financing co. : GMAC
49
A lot : LOADS
50
Film composer Morricone : ENNIO
51
Material in a "Canadian tuxedo" : DENIM
52
Criticism : FLAK
53
Lightsaber wielder : JEDI
55
Utah city : OREM
58
What fans do : HUM
59
Poetic preposition : ERE

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 3 debuted here and reused later.

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