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TOP GEAR

New York Times, Sunday, December 16, 2018

Author:
Sam Ezersky
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
98-Down : Volunteer's declaration
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
577/28/201211/10/20249
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
8213572011
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
221.7147990%
Sam Ezersky

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 71 Missing: {JX} This is puzzle # 30 for Mr. Ezersky. Sunday freshness: 89%
Sam Ezersky notes:
Today's puzzle is hereby dedicated to my housemate, Nick. The revealer was all his idea; I just happened to flesh out the exact wordplay and build the whole thing myself instead of seeing ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Before you go sending that angry THIS F'IN PUZZLE MAKES NO SENSE! email to me, look at the fixed-up answers below. Go on; I'll wait. Get it? [Casting doubt on] isn't CALLINGINTSTION, ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Great title.

1
F
2
I
3
V
4
E
5
A
6
M
7
I
8
M
9
A
10
M
11
L
12
O
13
M
14
S
15
E
16
M
17
I
18
S
19
I
M
E
A
S
Y
20
T
O
D
O
21
A
H
A
22
T
I
A
R
A
23
S
P
A
R
T
A
24
S
U
D
S
25
R
B
I
26
A
G
L
E
T
27
C
A
L
L
I
N
28
G
I
N
T
S
29
T
I
O
N
30
G
H
A
N
A
31
A
C
E
S
32
T
O
N
T
O
33
M
A
Y
A
34
N
35
T
W
I
N
36
L
T
R
37
B
O
O
38
I
Q
39
U
I
T
40
C
Y
41
B
H
I
C
S
42
B
U
N
D
43
L
E
U
P
44
L
T
G
E
N
45
P
46
I
U
S
I
I
I
47
E
C
48
H
49
O
E
S
50
R
O
51
A
52
D
53
S
54
L
O
N
G
55
A
D
O
56
U
S
I
N
G
57
R
E
T
A
I
L
58
I
P
A
S
59
S
60
E
N
61
C
E
62
C
E
O
63
A
T
E
M
P
O
64
B
C
C
65
W
66
H
A
T
I
67
A
B
68
A
F
T
69
I
P
A
70
R
O
O
71
M
E
R
72
A
V
73
E
74
I
L
L
S
75
A
76
L
L
I
N
77
A
R
M
I
E
S
78
M
I
S
79
S
M
80
O
T
81
S
82
A
N
N
E
83
S
N
A
K
T
84
G
E
L
C
A
P
85
C
R
A
86
B
L
E
G
87
E
I
88
D
E
R
89
B
O
90
O
K
O
F
R
A
91
I
92
M
93
S
P
E
N
T
94
F
95
R
E
U
D
96
P
E
R
97
D
98
I
99
M
100
N
O
T
I
101
A
T
102
S
E
A
103
N
O
104
D
O
Z
105
L
O
C
I
106
C
O
R
A
107
L
108
A
T
T
H
109
E
D
R
O
P
O
110
F
A
H
A
T
111
A
M
A
Z
E
112
K
O
I
113
S
L
O
W
114
N
A
T
A
N
T
115
P
O
N
Z
I
116
E
M
S
117
T
O
U
R
118
E
M
E
R
G
E
119
S
O
D
A
S
120
N
A
H
121
E
T
S
Y
122
S
E
R
M
O
N
© 2018, The New York Times12/16/18 ( No. 25,240 )
Across
1
Early wake-up time : FIVEAM
7
Title for Iran's Ruhollah Khomeini : IMAM
11
Herbert of old "Pink Panther" films : LOM
14
Penultimate tourney round : SEMIS
19
"Doesn't matter to me" : IMEASY
20
Not yet completed : TODO
21
___ moment : AHA
22
Sash go-with : TIARA
23
Ancient capital of Laconia : SPARTA
24
Brew : SUDS
25
Letters before single, double or triple : RBI
26
Lace tip : AGLET
27
Casting doubt on : CALLINGINTOQUESTION
30
Lake Volta's land : GHANA
31
The best, informally : ACES
32
Radio/TV character played in film by Michael Horse (1981) and Johnny Depp (2013) : TONTO
33
Like some ruins in the Western Hemisphere : MAYAN
35
Lookalike : TWIN
36
8.5" x 11": Abbr. : LTR
37
Scare quote? : BOO
38
Words of resignation : IQUIT
40
Topic concerned with hacking and software rights : CYBERETHICS
42
Put on a few layers : BUNDLEUP
44
Three-star mil. rank : LTGEN
45
Pope who supported the House of Borgia : PIUSIII
47
Diminishing returns? : ECHOES
50
They're between shoulders : ROADS
54
Word with shot or suit : LONG
55
Rowdydow : ADO
56
Not abstaining : USING
57
Much sales : RETAIL
58
"No bid" : IPASS
60
An end to depend : ENCE
62
Head honcho : CEO
63
"Resume speed," musically : ATEMPO
64
Emailing option : BCC
65
Riddle-ending query : WHATAMI
67
Toward the stern : ABAFT
69
Its first letter stands for "India" : IPA
70
Certain tenant : ROOMER
72
Lex, e.g., in N.Y.C. : AVE
74
Misfortunes : ILLS
75
Going for broke : ALLIN
77
Sides in Risk : ARMIES
78
Bette Midler's "Divine" nickname : MISSM
80
Tense periods, for short : OTS
82
Archer of film : ANNE
83
Dangerous environment : SNAKEPIT
84
Easy-to-swallow pill : GELCAP
85
Food item cracked open before eating : CRABLEG
87
Prized duck : EIDER
89
It comes after II Chronicles : BOOKOFEZRA
91
"Today was just brutal!" : IMSPENT
94
Coiner of the term "Oedipus complex" : FREUD
96
/ : PER
97
Thickheaded : DIM
100
Words of denial : NOTI
101
Lost : ATSEA
103
All-nighter aid : NODOZ
105
Sets of plotted points : LOCI
106
Shade of pink : CORAL
108
Immediately ... or where this puzzle's five shaded squares appear? : ATTHEDROPOFAHAT
111
Floor : AMAZE
112
Japanese symbol of luck : KOI
113
Largo or lento : SLOW
114
Swimming : NATANT
115
Notable schemer : PONZI
116
Some dash lengths : EMS
117
Rock stars are frequently on this : TOUR
118
Come out : EMERGE
119
Standard parts of combo meals : SODAS
120
"I'm good, thanks" : NAH
121
E-tail site since 2005 : ETSY
122
King's speech? : SERMON
Down
1
Kind of year : FISCAL
2
Collision : IMPACT
3
Calf raised for its meat : VEALER
4
Gloucester and Kent in "King Lear" : EARLS
5
Certain bubbly, informally : ASTI
6
Final work of Willa Cather's "Prairie Trilogy" : MYANTONIA
7
Tennis commentator's cry : ITSIN
8
Police officer who's not necessarily on horseback : MOUNTIE
9
"Play next" command on a music app : ADDTOQUEUE
10
Shade of green : MOSS
11
Cowboy's rope : LARIAT
12
"Here we go again ..." : OHBOY
13
Followers of openers : MAINACTS
14
By oneself, in a way : STAG
15
It's played for half a beat in 4/4 time : EIGHTHNOTE
16
Country whose name consists of three consecutive state postal abbreviations : MALAWI
17
Peaceful : IRENIC
18
___ spawn (hellions) : SATANS
28
"Ooh, let's do that!" : GOODIDEA
29
"Eww, that's enough!" : TMI
34
MetLife Stadium team, on scoreboards : NYG
37
Clear and set, as tables : BUS
39
Scanned IDs : UPCS
41
Italian pistol : BERETTA
42
Gets to : BUGS
43
One who cracks the whip? : LIONTAMER
44
Plastic construction piece : LEGOBLOCK
45
Serving in a red-and-white striped box : POPCORN
46
Totally out : INACOMA
48
Juice brand : HIC
49
Longtime N.B.A. on TNT analyst : ONEAL
51
Who wrote "Some people talk to animals. Not many listen, though. That's the problem." : AAMILNE
52
Action of a ladle : DIPPING
53
"Miss ___" (2016 political thriller) : SLOANE
54
Some fall births : LIBRAS
57
Heroes of the Battle of Britain, for short : RAF
59
Babe : SWEETIE
61
Mannerly : CIVIL
66
Freelancers' units: Abbr. : HRS
68
Colorful treat that resembles a rocket : ASTROPOP
71
All-Star Mets catcher of the 1990s-2000s : MIKEPIAZZA
73
Corner PC key : ESC
74
Tow destination : IMPOUNDLOT
76
Scat snippet : LALA
79
"Quién ___?" : SABE
81
Sanctuaries : SAFEZONES
84
Be conned : GETTAKEN
86
[Shiver] : BRR
88
With 93-Down, half of a double helix : DNA
90
Skunklike, say : ODOROUS
91
Like TV but not radio? : INCAPS
92
"Old MacDonald" farm sounds : MOOMOO
93
See 88-Down : STRAND
94
Purchase at an African market : FETISH
95
"Yay, team!" : RAH
97
Cause damage : DOHARM
98
Volunteer's declaration : ICANGO
99
Snowball fighter's protection : MITTEN
102
Botanical opening : STOMA
104
Marriage money : DOWRY
105
"Ciao!" : LATER
107
Gifts that one usually bows when receiving : LEIS
109
Certain dirección : ESTE
110
What stars have : FAME

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

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