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New York Times, Saturday, December 29, 2007

Author:
Bob Klahn
Editor:
Will Shortz
39-Down : Rug rat
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
601/29/19945/22/201110
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1313121426
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.5746577%
Bob Klahn

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 66, Blocks: 24 Missing: {JKQZ} This is puzzle # 54 for Mr. Klahn. Saturday freshness: 92%
Jim Horne notes:

This is generally considered to be the most difficult puzzle of 2007.

1
B
2
U
3
B
4
B
5
L
6
E
7
B
8
A
9
T
10
H
11
T
12
W
13
A
14
S
15
O
P
E
R
A
S
E
R
I
A
16
A
I
N
T
17
A
D
V
A
N
C
E
M
E
N
18
I
N
D
O
19
T
O
Y
S
T
O
R
Y
20
D
21
A
C
T
Y
L
22
S
E
R
S
23
N
O
W
H
E
R
E
24
H
25
O
26
B
A
R
T
27
F
O
U
R
I
R
O
N
28
A
C
O
R
N
29
W
I
T
T
Y
30
T
O
C
31
S
H
O
D
32
X
E
R
E
S
33
M
I
N
A
34
A
L
T
35
P
A
L
M
S
36
C
I
D
E
R
37
G
O
L
38
C
O
N
D
A
39
M
O
S
E
Y
S
40
O
C
E
L
O
T
S
41
F
O
R
T
42
A
R
G
A
L
I
43
B
A
P
T
I
44
S
45
M
46
S
47
T
A
G
S
48
P
49
E
R
I
P
E
T
E
I
A
50
I
C
E
S
51
P
L
A
T
E
G
L
A
S
S
52
T
Y
R
A
53
E
I
G
H
T
E
E
N
T
H
© 2007, The New York Times12/29/7 ( No. 21,235 )
Across
1
Modesty preserver, in some films : BUBBLEBATH
11
"___ wondrous pitiful": "Othello" : TWAS
15
Old form of Italian musical drama : OPERASERIA
16
"___ Nobody" (1983 Chaka Khan hit) : AINT
17
Public appearance preparers : ADVANCEMEN
18
Introduction to Chinese? : INDO
19
Pixar's first feature-length film : TOYSTORY
20
Finger or toe : DACTYL
22
Mass appeals: Abbr. : SERS
23
You may be lost in the middle of it : NOWHERE
24
McKinley's first vice president : HOBART
27
It has a smaller degree of loft than a mashie : FOURIRON
28
Cupule's contents : ACORN
29
Sparkling : WITTY
30
List in a book's front: Abbr. : TOC
31
Like racehorses : SHOD
32
Spanish city that gave sherry its name : XERES
33
___ Harker, heroine of "Bram Stoker's Dracula" : MINA
34
Rocket datum: Abbr. : ALT
35
Where to pick up dates? : PALMS
36
Fall production : CIDER
37
Rich mine or other source of great wealth : GOLCONDA
39
Shuffles : MOSEYS
40
Margay cousins : OCELOTS
41
Siege site : FORT
42
Mountain sheep : ARGALI
43
Initiations : BAPTISMS
47
Graffitists' scrawls : TAGS
48
Unexpected turn of events, as in a literary work : PERIPETEIA
50
Puts away : ICES
51
See-through sheets : PLATEGLASS
52
Banks of note : TYRA
53
Grant's position in presidential history : EIGHTEENTH
Down
1
Shell, e.g. : BOAT
2
Hair-raiser? : UPDO
3
Bunch : BEVY
4
Uniform armband : BRASSARD
5
You can make light of it : LANTERN
6
Squire : ESCORT
7
Draft picks : BEERS
8
Private group : ARMY
9
Even numbers : TIE
10
Fliers, e.g. : HANDOUTS
11
Meditative exercise : TAICHI
12
End-of-year festival : WINTERTIDE
13
"Common Nonsense" author, 2002 : ANDYROONEY
14
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concern : STOLENCARS
21
Catawampus : AWRY
23
Scoring units : NOTES
24
Tries something : HASAGOATIT
25
Mob rule : OCHLOCRACY
26
One running for work? : BOOTLEGGER
27
Latin land descriptor : FIRMA
29
Joins : WELDS
32
Scolding wife: Var. : XANTIPPE
33
Handle incorrectly? : MISTITLE
35
Price-manipulating group : POOL
36
Retinue : CORTEGE
38
Top-of-the-line : CLASSA
39
Rug rat : MOPPET
41
It may be blind : FAITH
43
Gasconade : BRAG
44
Name equivalent to Hans or Ivan : SEAN
45
Tear up : MIST
46
Military band : SASH
49
Father of Hophni and Phinehas, in the Bible : ELI

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 4 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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