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WHAT THE PROFESSOR MEANT TO SAY

New York Times, Sunday, December 18, 2005

Author:
Ethan Cooper and Michael Shteyman
Editor:
Will Shortz
54-Down : Index fingers, in a children's hand game
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
155/17/19999/10/20192
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1442400
RebusScrabDebutFresh
11.568632%
Ethan Cooper
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
552/13/200111/11/20176
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
336717694
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
521.6225255%
Michael Shteyman

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 68 Missing: none – this is a pangram. Spans: 2 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 8 for Mr. Cooper. This is puzzle # 36 for Mr. Shteyman. Sunday freshness: 1%
1
S
2
O
3
A
4
R
5
S
6
S
7
P
8
A
9
T
10
T
11
R
12
A
13
M
14
L
15
I
16
S
17
A
18
S
19
A
T
R
I
A
20
T
O
U
R
21
H
A
L
E
22
E
V
E
R
T
23
S
O
A
P
Y
24
A
L
D
A
25
O
R
C
A
26
M
A
N
I
A
27
H
O
M
E
W
28
O
R
K
I
S
29
D
U
E
O
N
30
M
O
N
D
A
Y
31
A
L
I
32
H
O
T
33
T
H
O
34
A
S
I
N
35
I
N
E
36
Y
E
S
37
E
Z
R
38
A
39
T
Y
40
R
41
A
42
I
N
T
43
O
N
E
D
44
I
N
E
E
D
45
A
V
O
L
U
46
N
T
E
E
R
47
A
48
J
49
A
R
50
K
I
N
51
U
S
D
A
52
A
T
53
E
54
S
55
T
56
C
O
B
A
57
L
58
T
59
E
T
60
T
U
61
I
B
62
M
63
S
64
O
A
T
H
65
A
N
Y
Q
U
E
66
S
T
I
O
N
67
S
68
S
A
L
69
E
70
R
E
E
71
D
E
S
I
R
E
D
72
C
O
D
A
73
S
74
Y
O
D
75
E
L
E
R
76
E
S
S
77
E
M
A
78
G
79
N
E
X
T
80
T
I
M
E
T
Y
P
E
81
M
E
E
82
T
83
S
K
I
84
P
85
R
E
A
R
86
O
N
H
O
L
D
87
E
S
S
E
88
N
89
B
E
90
N
S
91
R
I
92
A
93
O
N
E
S
94
S
E
95
E
96
M
E
A
F
T
97
E
R
C
L
98
A
99
S
S
100
B
101
E
102
A
S
T
L
Y
103
S
L
A
B
104
K
I
T
H
105
T
106
O
107
M
108
A
T
M
109
C
A
S
110
K
111
N
B
112
C
113
E
N
O
114
E
P
A
115
Y
O
U
116
D
O
N
T
N
117
E
118
E
D
T
O
119
K
N
O
W
120
T
H
I
S
121
S
I
L
A
S
122
E
E
N
Y
123
I
D
E
A
124
B
A
R
A
K
125
A
L
E
R
T
126
R
E
N
E
127
D
E
N
T
128
I
R
A
T
E
129
T
E
T
E
S
130
Y
S
E
R
131
E
R
T
E
132
Z
O
N
E
D
© 2005, The New York Times12/18/5 ( No. 20,494 )
Across
1
Takes off : SOARS
6
Blurted (out) : SPAT
10
Track runner? : TRAM
14
Mona ___ smile : LISAS
19
Parts of hearts : ATRIA
20
Docent's offering : TOUR
21
Sarah Josepha ___, who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb" : HALE
22
Seven-time French Open winner : EVERT
23
Melodramatic : SOAPY
24
"The Aviator" actor, 2004 : ALDA
25
Marine killer : ORCA
26
The Beatles, once : MANIA
27
"Have a nice weekend ... heh-heh" : HOMEWORKISDUEONMONDAY
31
Cousin of Muhammad : ALI
32
Babealicious : HOT
33
E'en if : THO
34
Part of a speller's clarification : ASIN
35
Having four sharps : INE
36
Cry of success : YES
37
Pound with a metric system? : EZRA
39
First name in modeling : TYRA
42
Cantillated : INTONED
44
"You, in the front row!" : INEEDAVOLUNTEER
47
Cracked : AJAR
50
Family : KIN
51
Stamp letters : USDA
52
Controversial 50's event : ATEST
56
Element in magnetic alloys : COBALT
59
Caesarean delivery? : ETTU
61
Apples can be compared to them : IBMS
64
Quadrennial White House administration : OATH
65
"My lecture's done, but we still have five minutes" : ANYQUESTIONS
68
Crowd attractor : SALE
70
Riddle-me-___ : REE
71
Like some effects : DESIRED
72
Last lines : CODAS
74
The lonely goatherd, in a "Sound of Music" song : YODELER
76
Feminine suffix : ESS
77
Slate, e.g., for short : EMAG
79
"I can't read your handwriting!" : NEXTTIMETYPE
81
Track event : MEET
83
Record problem : SKIP
85
Behind : REAR
86
Listening to Muzak, maybe : ONHOLD
87
German coal city : ESSEN
89
Uncle ___ rice : BENS
91
Inlet : RIA
93
Some bills : ONES
94
"Your grades aren't what they should be" : SEEMEAFTERCLASS
100
Inhuman : BEASTLY
103
Meatloaf serving : SLAB
104
50-Across's partner : KITH
105
Father or son Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath" : TOM
108
It lacks 93-Across : ATM
109
Port container : CASK
111
Its musical ID is just the notes G, E and C : NBC
113
Brian of rock : ENO
114
Govt. org. with a flower in its logo : EPA
115
"If I could digress for a moment ..." : YOUDONTNEEDTOKNOWTHIS
121
Diplomat Deane of early America : SILAS
122
Start of a decision-making process : EENY
123
"Good ___!" : IDEA
124
Netanyahu's successor : BARAK
125
Sharp : ALERT
126
Philosopher Descartes : RENE
127
Ending of many toothpaste names : DENT
128
Steamed : IRATE
129
Heads of états : TETES
130
River of W.W. I : YSER
131
Ziegfeld Follies costume designer : ERTE
132
Spaced (out) : ZONED
Down
1
Proceed nonchalantly : SASHAY
2
"High Spirits" star, 1988 : OTOOLE
3
Literary dueler : ARAMIS
4
Opportune : RIPE
5
Pourer's request : SAYWHEN
6
Successful film franchise starting in 1979 : STARTREK
7
San Francisco street named for a president : POLK
8
Not take for credit : AUDIT
9
Certain guilty pleasure : TRASHTV
10
Ten Commandments word : THOU
11
"For the ___ and radiant maiden": Poe : RARE
12
Reynolds Wrap maker : ALCOA
13
Isn't joking : MEANSIT
14
Sore throat remedy : LEMONTEA
15
One of six Russian rulers : IVAN
16
Submit : SENDIN
17
French satellite-launching rocket : ARIANE
18
Was a good dog, perhaps : STAYED
28
Go through slowly : OOZE
29
30
Dig : MINE
38
Cutting down, after "on" : ADIET
40
Old literary inits. : RLS
41
Car maker whose name is Latin : AUDI
43
"___ take arms against a sea of troubles": Hamlet : ORTO
44
Like some Bedouins : IRAQI
45
Like Charlie Chaplin : ANTIC
46
Gets : NABS
47
Professors' environs : ACADEME
48
Objects of envy : JONESES
49
Black holes, e.g. : ABYSSES
53
In the initial phases : EARLYON
54
Index fingers, in a children's hand game : STEEPLE
55
Great American Ballpark team : THEREDS
57
Siren : LURE
58
Is multitudinous : TEEMS
60
Any of TV's Simpsons : TOON
62
Polite question : MAYI
63
Technique for viewing some slides? : SLOMO
66
Neb. neighbor : SDAK
67
Old German duchy name : SAXE
69
Fall locale : EDEN
73
Best replacement : STARR
75
Set of values : ETHOS
78
Ridicule : GIBE
80
Trojan horse : TRICK
82
Hardy girl : TESS
84
Some have black eyes : PEAS
88
Bottom lines : NETCOSTS
90
Vikings' org. : NFL
92
Turn off : ALIENATE
95
Verve : ELAN
96
Open case : MYSTERY
97
Good time to collect seashells : EBBTIDE
98
27 for 56-Across, e.g.: Abbr. : ATNO
99
"That's ___!" : SHOWBIZ
100
Serenades, as the moon : BAYSAT
101
Le soleil, par exemple : ETOILE
102
It works like a charm : AMULET
105
W.W. II conference site : TEHRAN
106
Endorphin, e.g. : OPIATE
107
Like raccoons : MASKED
110
Cap sites : KNEES
112
Spy's gizmo : CODER
116
Beard : DARE
117
Feminine suffix : ENNE
118
Appraiser : EYER
119
County of Dover, Delaware ... or Dover, England : KENT
120
Relative of a potato : TARO

Answer summary:
5 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later.

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