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SECRET SANTA?S HELPERS

New York Times, Sunday, December 9, 2007

Author:
Patrick Blindauer
Editor:
Will Shortz
87-Down : He-Man Woman-___ Club ("Little Rascals" group)
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
677/21/20059/4/201922
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
14661417118
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
261.5930243%
Patrick Blindauer

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 75 Missing: {JKQZ} This is puzzle # 12 for Mr. Blindauer. Sunday freshness: 65%
Notepad: Bonus puzzle: When this crossword has been completed, try to find the word ELF hidden in the grid 20 times, word search-style -- horizontally, vertically and diagonally in any direction.
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W
H
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P
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R
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© 2007, The New York Times12/9/7 ( No. 21,215 )
Across
1
Feed for cattle and horses : ALFALFA
8
River or city of Maine : SACO
12
E-5 in the U.S.A.F. : SSGT
16
Fourth steps : FAS
19
Bashes : SOIREES
20
Control ___ (four-wheel-drive system) : TRAC
21
Vessel lost at Pearl Harbor : UTAH
22
Piz Bernina or Eiger : ALP
23
Yuletide celebration : TWELFTHNIGHT
25
Unwavering : RESOLUTE
27
Decadent : EFFETE
28
Clearing : OPENAREA
30
Hindu queen : RANEE
31
Not fair at all : RAINY
32
Bingo call : BTEN
33
Rock group with the 12-time platinum album "Hysteria" : DEFLEPPARD
35
Some martyrs: Abbr. : STES
36
Gorge : FEAST
37
Swiss ___ : MISS
38
Music center? : ESS
39
Weena's fictional race : ELOI
40
Marc Antony's love : AMOR
42
Rolodex abbr. : TEL
44
Like Narcissus? : SELFREFLECTIVE
50
Popular Hispanic newspaper name : ELSOL
53
Reposeful : ATEASE
54
Longtime soap actress Jones : RENEE
55
"Prince ___" ("Aladdin" song) : ALI
56
Play analyzer : REF
58
Year England captured Normandy at the Battle of Tinchebray : MCVI
59
Kind of sweater : PULLON
61
Fully functional : ABLE
62
Actor Kilmer : VAL
63
Last time? : SHELFLIFE
66
1964 Beatles #1 hit : IFEELFINE
68
Museum hanging : OIL
69
Employee's move, for short : RELO
70
Words from a promising individual? : ISHALL
73
Ye follower : OLDE
74
Samoa-to-Hawaii dir. : NNE
75
Spitchcock : EEL
76
Starters : ATEAM
77
"Bald" baby : EAGLET
79
Hail : GREET
81
Classic outdoor winter toys : FLEXIBLEFLYERS
84
Uganda's ___ Amin : IDI
85
"Climb ___ Mountain" : EVRY
86
One who's gone but not forgotten : AWOL
87
Mag magnate : HEF
89
___-plié (ballet move) : DEMI
91
Personnel person : HIRER
93
"___ homo" (declaration in John 19:5) : ECCE
97
Bond's man? : IANFLEMING
100
Ltr. carriers : ENVS
101
Quasar co-discoverer Sandage : ALLAN
102
Pope of 452 who met with Attila : STLEO
103
Red-eye cause : INSOMNIA
105
Burning : ARDENT
106
Adam Sandler's "Spanglish" co-star : TEALEONI
108
Precious cargo of legend : GOLDENFLEECE
110
Mythical beast : ORC
111
Seussian villagers : WHOS
112
1988 Cy Young winner Hershiser : OREL
113
Laundry worker : PRESSER
114
Verb follower? : OSE
115
Kind : SORT
116
Ophthalmologist's concern : STYE
117
Rolls : ROSTERS
Down
1
Sources of fall color : ASTERS
2
Light, in a way : LOWFAT
3
Repetitive exclamation from Shakespeare : FIEFIE
4
Sen. Specter and others : ARLENS
5
"Waiting for ___" (Odets play) : LEFTY
6
Bash : FETE
7
Certain flake : ASH
8
Mushroom stems : STIPES
9
Silver-colored : ARGENT
10
Songwriter Sammy : CAHN
11
Santa's reindeer, traditionally : OCTAD
12
Never-failing : SUREFIRE
13
Rickey Henderson record-breaking stat : STEALS
14
Beetle juice? : GAS
15
Edward O. ___, card-counting author of "Beat the Dealer" : THORP
16
Zoological studies : FAUNAS
17
Edits : ALTERS
18
Words per minute, e.g. : SPEED
24
Manx trait : NOTAIL
26
Pin spots : LAPELS
29
Eliminate : REMOVE
32
"___ good cheer" : BEOF
34
Actress Getty : ESTELLE
36
Bolt : FLEE
39
Stumbling sounds : ERS
40
13, for Al : ATNO
41
Air : MIEN
43
Senior Saarinen : ELIEL
44
Biblical strongman : SAMSON
45
Dropping acid, say : ETCHING
46
Evening person? : LEVELER
47
Go kaput : FAIL
48
First name in court fiction : ERLE
49
Hanna-Barbera collectible : CEL
51
Redenbacher of popcorn fame : ORVILLE
52
Hero's hero : LEANDER
55
Genesis shepherd : ABEL
57
Forces in the water : FLEETS
59
Grouch : PILL
60
Craft often shown landing on three legs : UFO
61
Old sports org. : AFL
64
Let out : FREED
65
Current with the wind : LEETIDE
66
Metric foot : IAMB
67
Geezer : FOGY
70
Anatomical duct : ITER
71
Voluptuous : SEXY
72
Osaka O.K. : HAI
76
Ailey and Toffler : ALVINS
77
___ effort : EFOR
78
___ clear : ALL
80
Towering figure in French engineering : EIFFEL
81
Carrie Chapman Catt, for one : FEMINIST
82
Little wrigglers : LARVAE
83
Baa maids? : EWES
87
He-Man Woman-___ Club ("Little Rascals" group) : HATERS
88
Link, as fingers of the hands : ENLACE
90
Key of Dvorák's "New World" Symphony : EMINOR
91
"Crimes of the Heart" playwright Beth : HENLEY
92
Out of gear : INIDLE
93
Firstborn : ELDEST
94
John of "Rat Race" : CLEESE
95
Constellation between Lynx and Hydra : CANCER
96
Starts to make a scene? : ENTERS
97
"Life ___ short ..." : ISTOO
98
Brand under AMC Theatres : LOEWS
99
"We Got the Beat" group : GOGOS
101
"The Night Cafe" was painted there : ARLES
104
Comic Sahl : MORT
105
Frizzy coif : AFRO
107
"Well, what have we here?!" : OHO
109
Big inits. in news : NPR

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 5 debuted here and reused later, 5 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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