This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

New York Times, Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Author:
Victor Fleming
Editor:
Will Shortz
11-Down : Title brother in a 1973 Elton John hit
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.5522358%
Victor Fleming

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JKQXZ} This is puzzle # 15 for Mr. Fleming. Wednesday freshness: 62%
Victor Fleming notes:

Submitted in June 2006, revised after acceptance in Apr. 2007, this simple puzzle came about as a whim during a late-night research session. Using onelook.com, I searched for phrases starting with "last" and listed several possibilities (BUT NOT LEAST, CLEAR CHANCE, IN FIRST OUT, a few others). At some point it hit me that THE LAST would be a nice central entry, so I culled the list accordingly.

1
L
2
E
3
T
4
E
5
M
6
C
7
E
8
L
9
E
10
B
11
D
12
A
13
D
14
I
L
O
N
A
15
E
N
V
O
Y
16
A
D
O
17
M
A
N
S
T
18
A
N
D
I
N
G
19
N
O
G
20
O
N
E
N
E
S
S
21
U
22
S
I
N
G
23
D
A
Y
S
O
24
F
25
P
26
O
M
P
E
I
I
27
B
28
E
E
R
29
T
R
O
O
P
30
E
L
S
E
31
I
T
A
L
32
O
33
O
L
E
34
I
C
35
O
A
F
36
T
37
H
38
E
L
A
S
T
39
N
40
A
41
Y
42
A
T
A
R
I
43
S
44
T
O
N
E
45
B
46
O
47
S
C
48
R
O
S
49
S
50
I
51
E
T
N
A
52
O
F
T
H
53
E
M
O
H
I
C
54
A
N
S
55
G
L
E
E
M
56
T
E
N
D
O
57
N
58
S
59
I
A
N
60
P
61
I
62
C
63
T
U
R
E
S
H
O
W
64
E
T
O
65
T
O
P
U
P
66
S
T
O
R
E
67
S
E
G
68
Y
U
L
E
S
69
T
O
T
I
E
© 2007, The New York Times12/19/7 ( No. 21,225 )
Across
1
"___ Eat Cake" (1930s musical) : LETEM
6
H'wood type : CELEB
11
Familiar sitcom figure : DAD
14
Massey of old movies : ILONA
15
Embassy figure : ENVOY
16
Stir : ADO
17
Guy ready to sing the national anthem? : MANSTANDING
19
Eggy concoction : NOG
20
Meditation goal : ONENESS
21
Making the most of : USING
23
Era ended by Vesuvius? : DAYSOFPOMPEII
27
Cold one, so to speak : BEER
29
March (through) : TROOP
30
"If all ___ fails ..." : ELSE
31
Author Calvino : ITALO
33
Kind of acid : OLEIC
35
Churl : OAF
36
What shall be first ... or words that can precede 17-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across : THELAST
39
Vote against : NAY
42
Maker of the game Combat : ATARI
43
Piece in the game go : STONE
45
Pear type : BOSC
48
Martini's partner : ROSSI
51
European erupter : ETNA
52
Belonging to a Hudson Valley tribe? : OFTHEMOHICANS
55
Colgate alternative : GLEEM
56
Sinews : TENDONS
59
Janis ___, with the 1975 hit "At Seventeen" : IAN
60
Museum exhibit? : PICTURESHOW
64
D.D.E.'s purview in W.W. II : ETO
65
Convertible driver's option : TOPUP
66
Cache : STORE
67
Div. : SEG
68
Christmases : YULES
69
Funny Fields : TOTIE
Down
1
V.I.P.'s ride : LIMO
2
Pizazz : ELAN
3
Unable to hit a pitch? : TONEDEAF
4
Tangle up : ENSNARL
5
Brit's buddy : MATEY
6
Bleep out : CENSOR
7
Football lineman : END
8
Mid first-century year : LVI
9
Years and years and years : EON
10
"Dang!" : BYGUM
11
Title brother in a 1973 Elton John hit : DANIEL
12
Mr. Gorgeous : ADONIS
13
Little canine : DOGGIE
18
Mgr.'s helper : ASST
22
Project detail, for short : SPEC
24
Daft : FOOLISH
25
Negri of silent films : POLA
26
Reveals, in verse : OPES
27
Brief life? : BIO
28
J.F.K. guess : ETA
32
Baseball's Little Giant : OTT
34
"___ a go!" : ITS
37
Detriment : HARM
38
Suffix with smack : EROO
39
Less than wonderful : NOTSOHOT
40
Former Texas governor Richards : ANN
41
Vote for : YEA
42
Liniment target : ACHE
44
Takes care of : TENDSTO
45
Unidentified planes : BOGIES
46
Recently : OFLATE
47
Court worker, for short : STENOG
49
Gym class exercises : SITUPS
50
Patisserie employee : ICER
53
Bottle ready to be recycled : EMPTY
54
"For every Bird ___": Emily Dickinson : ANEST
57
"Me neither" : NORI
58
___' Pea : SWEE
61
Payment pledge : IOU
62
Lance ___ (U.S.M.C. rank) : CPL
63
Night that "Happy Days" was on: Abbr. : TUE

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

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2024, Jim Horne
57 ms