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New York Times, Friday, February 19, 2010

Author:
Victor Fleming
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
45-Down : Brightens
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.5522358%
Victor Fleming

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 68, Blocks: 32 Missing: {QXZ} This is puzzle # 24 for Mr. Fleming. Friday freshness: 87%
Victor Fleming notes:

This is probably my most memorable Times puzzle to date, as it came out on Friday of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I'd no idea it was slated for that date, so it was a pleasant surprise when I saw it online at 10 p.m. the night before in the hotel. Next day, what a great feeling it was to have avid puzzlers coming up to me for hours saying, "I hate you!"

This puzzle was submitted under letter to Will dated Oct. 22, 2008. My note to him read, in full, "I call this one 'Joe.' Hope you like it." Apparently he did. The puzzle was built around JOE THE PLUMBER, which had not been in a puzzle when I submitted it. Joe showed up, though, in two Monday puzzles, as a theme entry, before mine was published. See the 12/29/2008 LA Times puzzle by David Kahn & the 4/27/2009 NYT puzzle by Joe Krozel. Easy come, easy go.

1
O
2
F
3
F
4
I
5
C
6
E
7
B
8
O
9
Y
10
T
11
B
12
A
13
R
14
S
15
H
A
R
T
C
R
A
N
E
16
E
L
I
E
L
17
B
R
O
W
N
E
Y
E
S
18
C
A
R
G
O
19
A
M
W
A
Y
20
S
A
N
21
A
22
C
R
I
S
23
B
E
N
S
24
O
S
25
H
K
O
S
H
26
Y
R
S
27
W
28
A
29
G
30
S
31
S
A
L
U
T
E
32
B
A
S
T
E
33
A
G
A
T
E
S
34
J
35
O
E
T
H
E
P
36
L
U
M
B
E
R
37
R
U
P
A
U
L
38
I
S
L
A
S
39
E
D
E
S
S
A
40
A
T
T
N
41
H
42
M
43
S
44
R
I
N
S
I
N
45
G
46
F
O
A
L
47
A
C
L
U
48
D
I
49
C
50
E
51
H
I
L
D
A
52
T
I
A
R
53
A
54
L
A
D
55
I
E
S
D
A
Y
56
E
A
T
E
N
57
D
R
I
V
E
T
I
M
E
58
S
L
E
D
S
59
S
P
E
E
D
S
T
E
R
© 2010, The New York Times2/19/10 ( No. 22,018 )
Across
1
Male gopher : OFFICEBOY
10
People travel only one way on them : TBARS
15
"The Broken Tower" poet : HARTCRANE
16
The senior Saarinen : ELIEL
17
"Beautiful" things in a 1951 hit song : BROWNEYES
18
See 7-Down : CARGO
19
Orlando's ___ Arena : AMWAY
20
Capital largely surrounded by high clay walls : SANA
22
Sportscaster Collinsworth : CRIS
23
Uncle ___ : BENS
24
City at the mouth of the Fox River : OSHKOSH
26
They make cents. : YRS
27
Cards : WAGS
31
Homage : SALUTE
32
Dress down : BASTE
33
Cat's-eye relatives : AGATES
34
Metaphor for a middle-class American : JOETHEPLUMBER
37
Host of a self-titled 1990s talk show : RUPAUL
38
Las ___ Filipinas : ISLAS
39
Ancient Macedonian capital : EDESSA
40
Abbr. at the top of a memo : ATTN
41
Abbr. for the Prince of Wales : HMS
44
Hair salon activity : RINSING
46
New range rover? : FOAL
47
Freedom fighter, for short? : ACLU
48
Their faces have spots : DICE
51
Secretary on "Hogan's Heroes" : HILDA
52
Weapon for Wonder Woman : TIARA
54
When women may get in for less : LADIESDAY
56
Put through the system? : EATEN
57
Rush hour, to radio programmers : DRIVETIME
58
Some flying saucers : SLEDS
59
Fleet type : SPEEDSTER
Down
1
"Man alive!" : OHBABY
2
One with growing concerns : FARMER
3
Displays displeasure : FROWNS
4
"___ my pleasure" : ITWAS
5
Big Apple sch. : CCNY
6
Ahead of, in verse : ERE
7
Parts of planes in which to put 18-Across : BAYS
8
First to be called up : ONEA
9
Answerable with a nod or a shake : YESNO
10
Sherlock : TEC
11
They have chocolate relatives : BLACKLABS
12
Overhead corridor : AIRROUTE
13
Need for checking people out : REGISTER
14
Applies carelessly : SLOSHES
21
Blitzkrieg : ASSAULT
25
Ewing player : HAGMAN
27
Twist alternative : WATUSI
28
Oregon Shakespeare Festival locale : ASHLAND
29
Former AT&T rival : GTE
30
Crayola color in a 64-crayon box : SEPIA
32
Encouraging statement start : BEASSURED
34
Kind of appointment : JUDICIAL
35
Like most bars : OPENLATE
36
U.S.N. craft : LST
37
Downgrades, e.g. : RERATES
41
"Whoa!" : HOLDIT
42
"___ Sans-Gêne" (Sardou play) : MADAME
43
Offer? : SLAYER
45
Brightens : GILDS
46
Sock deliverers : FISTS
49
Complaint : CARP
50
Lou Grant's ex on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" : EDIE
51
Not brush off : HEED
53
FAQ part: Abbr. : ANS
55
It may be added to excess : IVE

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

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