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New York Times, Thursday, December 2, 2010

Author:
Joe Krozel
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
12-Down : Pit-___
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
877/7/20066/14/201815
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
4147242621
CircleScrabDebutFresh
51.4849785%
Joe Krozel

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 37 Missing: {JKQXZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 40 for Mr. Krozel. Thursday freshness: 25%
Joe Krozel notes:

It's hard for me to pick out a favorite puzzle, but this one is probably in my top five. This is the puzzle one should pull out when challenging anyone who claims he/she can solve a puzzle with only the Across clues.

This puzzle exists thanks to the clue database which Matt Ginsberg provided to the crossword community. The database has a nice feature of displaying all other entries — of the same length as the word being queried — having an identical clue. So, for instance, if I type TABLE into the database I find that it and two other words — DEFER and DELAY — have been clued as [Put on hold]. So, when I saw this feature for the first time, I immediately conceived of the current puzzle concept. From there I just frantically hunted down all the 7-letter entries which shared a common clue.

Jim Horne notes:

Nine pairs of side-by-side seven-letter answers share common clues.

1
F
2
A
3
R
4
E
5
A
6
S
7
T
8
S
9
I
10
T
11
U
12
A
13
T
14
E
15
A
V
I
A
T
O
R
16
O
N
E
S
P
O
T
17
D
E
G
R
A
D
E
18
B
E
N
E
A
T
H
19
E
R
A
20
L
O
S
21
E
S
22
U
T
E
S
23
A
L
I
S
T
24
S
25
T
P
26
S
27
E
28
W
S
29
D
30
O
P
E
31
A
32
B
33
C
34
P
R
O
N
35
O
36
U
37
N
38
N
U
M
39
E
R
A
L
40
E
N
T
E
N
T
E
41
E
M
P
A
T
H
Y
42
W
E
A
R
O
U
T
43
R
E
T
R
E
A
D
44
S
S
N
45
U
R
S
46
A
47
P
L
I
E
48
E
R
N
49
S
50
N
51
A
52
G
S
53
S
54
L
55
A
W
56
S
A
Y
S
O
57
B
58
A
59
H
60
L
I
B
E
61
R
62
A
L
63
A
T
L
64
A
R
G
E
65
A
V
E
R
A
G
E
66
S
I
G
N
I
F
Y
67
G
E
T
S
M
A
D
68
A
R
I
S
T
A
S
© 2010, The New York Times12/2/10 ( No. 22,304 )
Across
1
Orient : FAREAST
8
Orient : SITUATE
15
Ace : AVIATOR
16
Ace : ONESPOT
17
Lower in stature : DEGRADE
18
Lower in stature : BENEATH
19
Part of B.C.E. : ERA
20
Shakes : LOSES
22
Runnin' ___, 1944 N.C.A.A. basketball champs : UTES
23
Party favorites? : ALIST
24
Onetime sponsor of Richard Petty and Mario Andretti : STP
26
Uses a needle : SEWS
29
Dummy : DOPE
31
Epitome of simplicity : ABC
34
I, for one : PRONOUN
38
I, for one : NUMERAL
40
Understanding : ENTENTE
41
Understanding : EMPATHY
42
Tire : WEAROUT
43
Tire : RETREAD
44
Tax form datum: Abbr. : SSN
45
Major sight in the sky? : URSA
47
Ballet bend : PLIE
48
East end? : ERN
49
Sweater woes : SNAGS
53
Raw side? : SLAW
56
Sway : SAYSO
57
"Nonsense!" : BAH
60
Loose : LIBERAL
63
Loose : ATLARGE
65
Mean : AVERAGE
66
Mean : SIGNIFY
67
Bristles : GETSMAD
68
Bristles : ARISTAS
Down
1
What some things do in the sun : FADE
2
Profess : AVER
3
Latvian capital : RIGA
4
Elephant's-___ (plant) : EAR
5
Whatever : ATALL
6
"Me too!" : SODOI
7
Lock : TRESS
8
They're good for crying out loud : SOBS
9
Serpent tail? : INE
10
Good companion for an ace in Vegas : TEN
11
Burn through : USEUP
12
Pit-___ : APAT
13
Lug : TOTE
14
Old English letters : ETHS
21
J.F.K. posting : ETD
23
Ed of Hollywood : ASNER
24
Froth : SPUME
25
Lure : TEMPT
26
Gushes : SPEWS
27
Coastal fliers : ERNES
28
Odin, to the Germans : WOTAN
30
Lulu : ONER
31
Old Russian co-op : ARTEL
32
Religion with an apostrophe in its name : BAHAI
33
River through Glasgow : CLYDE
35
"___ Own," 1989 #2 hit by Bobby Brown : ONOUR
36
Possible response to a driving mistake : UTURN
37
Trawlers' gear : NETS
39
Brothers of the Wild West : EARPS
46
___ result : ASA
48
Vessels by basins : EWERS
50
Lake bordered by Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania : NYASA
51
Moving : ASTIR
52
___ body (cell part) : GOLGI
53
Denigrate, in English slang, with "off" : SLAG
54
In the flesh : LIVE
55
Aid's partner : ABET
56
Something that's fun on the coast? : SLED
57
Person under the Union Jack : BRIT
58
Fuji rival : AGFA
59
Startled cries : HEYS
61
Winning Super Bowl XXXIV player : RAM
62
Turkish title : AGA
64
Response: Abbr. : ANS

Answer summary:

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