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FOUR-LETTER WORDS

New York Times, Sunday, November 29, 2015

Author:
Alex Vratsanos
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
37-Down : Old TV adjustment: Abbr.
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
196/13/201110/7/20233
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
3143314
CircleScrabDebutFresh
41.658269%
Alex Vratsanos

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 69 Missing: {Q} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 12 for Mr. Vratsanos. Sunday freshness: 71%
Alex Vratsanos notes:
Of all my puzzles to date, this is probably the one on which I spent the most time. The original concept goes back to May 2012, inspired by a Mike Nothnagel Thursday that had appeared two ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Nice idea, taking four words and combining them in different pairs to form longer words. All the cross-referenced clues got tiring for me during the solve, but I did like how rigorous Alex ... read more
1
O
2
V
3
E
4
R
5
C
6
O
7
C
8
A
9
S
10
S
11
H
12
O
13
E
14
S
15
H
16
E
17
A
18
D
19
J
O
V
I
20
H
O
A
G
Y
21
M
I
X
U
P
22
O
S
L
O
23
A
L
E
C
24
E
X
P
E
N
25
S
E
T
Y
P
E
26
S
P
E
W
27
I
T
S
E
28
L
F
29
E
M
C
E
E
S
30
H
E
31
S
S
I
A
N
32
B
A
A
33
L
E
A
S
E
34
C
O
D
A
35
E
S
E
36
O
37
V
A
R
Y
38
E
S
T
39
I
40
G
O
R
41
N
42
A
S
T
Y
43
B
E
Y
O
N
44
D
T
H
E
45
T
46
I
M
E
L
I
47
M
I
T
48
I
R
O
N
E
R
S
49
S
A
R
A
N
50
A
U
T
O
51
B
52
O
53
T
54
E
T
U
I
55
A
D
56
S
57
W
A
G
O
58
N
59
D
I
N
E
R
O
60
S
C
R
U
61
B
62
S
E
M
I
63
S
64
Z
E
N
E
R
65
W
66
E
67
N
68
T
T
O
O
F
A
69
R
70
R
E
C
K
71
L
E
S
S
L
Y
72
A
L
C
O
A
73
P
I
S
A
74
N
75
S
H
E
A
R
76
R
I
A
L
T
77
O
78
S
E
D
A
79
N
80
E
L
S
81
A
82
P
83
E
84
D
85
S
E
A
D
U
C
86
K
87
D
I
R
A
88
C
89
E
S
90
O
B
E
S
O
91
Y
E
A
R
92
B
O
O
K
P
H
93
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
94
S
95
T
96
O
A
T
97
I
O
N
S
98
I
P
O
99
D
A
R
N
S
100
P
O
I
101
T
102
A
S
K
103
B
104
A
L
E
R
105
E
S
L
106
I
L
L
107
K
E
P
T
108
V
109
I
O
L
I
N
110
S
N
I
F
111
F
112
S
113
N
E
M
O
114
N
O
115
T
A
G
O
O
D
B
116
E
T
117
V
I
A
L
118
A
D
E
N
119
E
F
I
L
E
120
H
O
A
R
Y
121
E
S
S
O
122
L
O
N
G
123
A
F
T
E
R
124
A
G
R
E
E
125
S
H
O
T
© 2015, The New York Times11/29/15 ( No. 24,127 )
Across
1
Key word #1 : OVER
5
Plants with intoxicating leaves : COCAS
10
Mosque no-no : SHOES
15
Key word #2 : HEAD
19
Bon ___ : JOVI
20
Songwriter Carmichael : HOAGY
21
Minor snafu : MIXUP
22
Capital known for 300 years as Christiania : OSLO
23
Ill-fated seducer in "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" : ALEC
24
1-Across + 15-Across : EXPENSETYPE
26
Erupt : SPEW
27
What a driverless car drives : ITSELF
29
Pageant V.I.P.s : EMCEES
30
Like some soldiers in the American Revolution : HESSIAN
32
Farmyard call : BAA
33
You may leave when it's up : LEASE
34
Endnotes? : CODA
35
Portland, Ore.-to-Boise dir. : ESE
36
Egg producer : OVARY
38
The "e" of i.e. : EST
39
___ Olshansky, first Soviet-born N.F.L. player : IGOR
41
Villainous : NASTY
43
1-Across + 122-Across : BEYONDTHETIMELIMIT
48
Workers on the board : IRONERS
49
It covers everything quite clearly : SARAN
50
Decepticon's foe in "Transformers" : AUTOBOT
54
Sewing case : ETUI
55
Clio nominees : ADS
57
S.U.V. alternative : WAGON
59
Moolah : DINERO
60
Benchwarmer : SCRUB
62
Final Four round : SEMIS
64
___ cards (items used in ESP tests) : ZENER
65
1-Across + 125-Across : WENTTOOFAR
70
15-Across + 122-Across : RECKLESSLY
72
Acronym on the S&P 500 : ALCOA
73
Galileo, by birth : PISAN
75
Take off, as a heavy coat? : SHEAR
76
Venice tourist attraction : RIALTO
78
S.U.V. alternative : SEDAN
80
Golfer Ernie : ELS
81
Acted like : APED
85
Goldeneye or harlequin : SEADUCK
87
Paul who won a Nobel in Physics : DIRAC
89
1962 Paul Anka hit : ESOBESO
91
15-Across + 125-Across : YEARBOOKPHOTOGRAPH
94
Coat fur : STOAT
97
Ammonium and others : IONS
98
Subj. for Bloomberg News : IPO
99
Puts in stitches, say : DARNS
100
Food that's an anagram of 98-Across : POI
101
Washing the dishes, e.g. : TASK
103
Plantation device : BALER
105
Subj. with many irregularities : ESL
106
Shabby : ILLKEPT
108
Sound in "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday" : VIOLIN
110
Disdainful sounds : SNIFFS
113
"Little" visitor to Slumberland, in old comics : NEMO
114
122-Across + 125-Across : NOTAGOODBET
117
Holder of small doses : VIAL
118
Former British crown colony in the Mideast : ADEN
119
TurboTax option : EFILE
120
As old as the hills : HOARY
121
Petro-Canada competitor : ESSO
122
Key word #3 : LONG
123
Looking for : AFTER
124
Go well together : AGREE
125
Key word #4 : SHOT
Down
1
California resort town : OJAI
2
V, in physics : VOLT
3
1997 Samuel L. Jackson film : EVESBAYOU
4
Pilaf-like product : RICEARONI
5
Pot user? : CHEF
6
Tic-tac-toe failure : OOX
7
"Understand?" : CAPEESH
8
Fellow students, generally : AGEMATES
9
Brings together : SYNCS
10
"Hook" role : SMEE
11
Successes in the game Battleship : HITS
12
Sister brand of Phisoderm : OXY
13
Elation : EUPHORIA
14
It helps you get ahead : SPEED
15
Pardner's mount : HOSS
16
Glimpses : ESPIES
17
Orioles' div. : ALEAST
18
He played Chaplin in "Chaplin" : DOWNEY
25
Date : SEE
28
QB Bobby who purportedly put a curse on the Detroit Lions : LAYNE
31
Germophobe's need : SANITIZER
33
Doesn't pursue : LETSDROP
34
Mustard, but not ketchup: Abbr. : COL
36
Stage prize : OBIE
37
Old TV adjustment: Abbr. : VERT
39
Radiologist, e.g. : IMAGER
40
Biological blueprints : GENOMES
42
Makes up (for) : ATONES
44
Lucius's son, in Harry Potter : DRACO
45
Fancy marble : TAW
46
Fidelity offerings, for short : IRAS
47
Political insults, so to speak : MUD
51
Uncle ___ : BENS
52
Hershiser who was Sports Illustrated's 1988 Sportsman of the Year : OREL
53
Major ally? : TORY
56
Islamic mystics : SUFIS
58
Place for a bust : NICHE
60
Figurine : STATUETTE
61
Stemming from : BASEDON
63
Archenemy of Mattel's He-Man : SKELETOR
65
General interests? : WARS
66
Author Wiesel : ELIE
67
Tournament organizer since '39 : NCAA
68
"Ha! I was right!" : TOLDYA
69
Says "Read you loud and clear ... over," say : RADIOS
71
Rope in : LASSO
74
Informer, informally : NARK
77
South American tuber : OCA
79
Recharge midday : NAP
81
Sandpaper and such : ABRASIVES
82
Creatures that may live inside oysters - hence the name : PEARLFISH
83
Cable's ___ Classic : ESPN
84
Springfield exclamations : DOHS
86
Male lead in Disney's "Frozen" : KRISTOFF
88
Messy food order at a carnival : CHILIDOG
90
Witty Nash : OGDEN
92
___ choy : BOK
93
Common wedding reception feature : OPENBAR
94
Kind of column : SPINAL
95
"Holy ___!" : TOLEDO
96
J. Paul Getty and others : OILMEN
102
Literally, "breathless" : APNEA
103
[You stink!] : BOO
104
Ho hi : ALOHA
107
Beast on Skull Island, informally : KONG
108
Low-lying area : VALE
109
Robert who oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm : IGER
110
Ophthalmologist's concern : STYE
111
Burkina ___ (African land) : FASO
112
Vending machine feature : SLOT
115
Small songbird : TIT
116
Burns's "before" : ERE

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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