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STATE ANNEXATION

New York Times, Sunday, February 5, 2012

Author:
Charles M. Deber
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
86-Down : Still to be sampled
TotalDebutLatest
384/4/19826/11/2017
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
36000110
RebusCircleScrabDebutPre‑WSFresh
311.462521866%
Charles M. Deber

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 142, Blocks: 80 Missing: {JQZ} This is puzzle # 36 for Mr. Deber. Sunday freshness: 56%
Jim Horne notes:

This puzzle has a wonderfully creative angle I've never seen before. State abbreviations are added to certain answers to provide information for other clues.

So, for example, at 6-Across, "Posed (for)" is SAT. Then, at 33-Down, we see "6-Across near Indianapolis?" Add IN (the abbreviation for Indiana) to SAT to get SATIN, making the answer for 33-Down SMOOTH FABRIC.

Correction: Errors in NYT puzzles are extremely rare but this crossword has one. The clue for 30 Across reads "New Jersey town bordering Rahway" and the answer is ISELIN. It turns out they're very close together but they don't actually touch. You can see for yourself in these closeup maps of Iselin and Rahway.

1
E
2
X
3
T
4
R
5
A
6
S
7
A
8
T
9
D
10
O
11
G
12
A
13
M
14
O
15
E
16
B
17
A
18
W
I
L
E
S
19
I
V
E
20
I
K
E
21
M
A
U
L
E
D
22
E
X
C
I
T
23
E
M
E
N
24
T
25
G
A
R
26
D
E
N
T
O
O
L
27
N
O
L
O
28
D
A
29
I
S
Y
30
I
S
E
L
I
N
31
O
32
P
33
S
34
C
O
N
35
S
R
I
36
C
O
S
T
A
37
R
O
M
38
O
P
E
39
R
40
A
S
I
N
41
G
E
R
42
Y
43
E
44
A
45
H
46
G
R
O
47
U
S
E
48
E
T
E
S
49
A
D
A
50
M
51
S
A
G
O
52
C
O
N
T
R
53
A
S
T
54
A
S
A
M
A
55
N
56
S
R
O
57
B
I
T
S
58
C
O
N
59
C
60
E
N
T
R
A
T
E
61
T
O
P
62
U
N
H
E
63
A
64
L
E
D
65
A
V
E
R
S
66
R
I
67
M
E
68
D
E
F
A
M
E
D
69
P
R
I
M
O
70
S
O
L
A
R
71
I
72
A
73
A
L
I
A
74
P
O
E
T
I
75
G
U
N
S
T
A
N
D
76
L
77
O
B
78
S
P
79
L
I
T
S
E
C
80
O
N
D
81
A
N
A
S
82
E
R
R
83
S
T
E
N
T
S
84
R
A
S
85
P
86
U
T
I
N
87
N
C
I
88
S
89
O
D
I
E
90
H
91
O
U
R
92
E
N
A
M
E
93
L
94
T
A
C
T
95
P
O
D
96
D
E
D
P
L
97
A
N
T
98
A
L
E
99
A
100
I
101
D
A
N
102
E
R
E
103
R
C
A
104
L
Y
E
105
V
106
E
R
S
U
S
107
S
C
O
U
108
T
109
M
I
S
110
C
111
B
I
R
T
H
S
T
112
O
N
E
113
M
O
114
R
A
L
T
E
115
N
116
E
117
T
118
O
C
E
L
O
T
119
B
U
N
120
W
A
D
121
E
D
U
C
E
122
B
E
S
E
T
S
123
S
G
T
124
S
P
A
125
D
E
M
O
N
© 2012, The New York Times2/5/12 ( No. 22,734 )
Across
1
Superfluous : EXTRA
6
Posed (for) : SAT
9
Follow persistently : DOG
12
Tiny blob : AMOEBA
18
Charms : WILES
19
The Beatles' "All ___ Got to Do" : IVE
20
Old White House nickname : IKE
21
Badly beaten up : MAULED
22
45-Down near Baton Rouge? : EXCITEMENT
25
124-Across near Dover? : GARDENTOOL
27
___ contendere : NOLO
28
Flower girl? : DAISY
30
New Jersey town bordering Rahway : ISELIN
31
Photo ___ : OPS
34
Swindle : CON
35
Hindu title : SRI
36
___ Brava : COSTA
37
CD-___ : ROM
38
117-Down near Salem? : OPERASINGER
42
When sung three times, part of a Beatles refrain : YEAH
46
Bellyache : GROUSE
48
Seine summers : ETES
49
First name? : ADAM
51
Starch-yielding palm : SAGO
52
Old TV knob : CONTRAST
54
How Shakespeare's Rosalind dresses : ASAMAN
56
Sign by a theater ticket booth : SRO
57
Smithereens : BITS
58
1-Across near Hartford? : CONCENTRATE
61
Blouse, e.g. : TOP
62
Still broken, say : UNHEALED
65
Confirms : AVERS
66
"Ancient Mariner" verse : RIME
68
Bad-mouthed : DEFAMED
69
Bitchin' : PRIMO
70
Sun spots : SOLARIA
73
Inter ___ : ALIA
74
Dante e Boccaccio : POETI
75
Rack for a rifle : GUNSTAND
76
Toss-up? : LOB
78
114-Down near Boise? : SPLITSECOND
81
Santa ___ (desert winds) : ANAS
82
Get it wrong : ERR
83
Certain implants : STENTS
84
Role in "Nicholas and Alexandra" : RASPUTIN
87
TV police drama : NCIS
89
Comics canine : ODIE
90
11 or 12, but not 13 : HOUR
92
Paint choice : ENAMEL
94
"___ teaches you when to be silent": Disraeli : TACT
95
76-Down near Springfield? : PODDEDPLANT
98
Mugful, maybe : ALE
99
Actor Quinn : AIDAN
102
Before, in verse : ERE
103
Pioneer in quadraphonic music : RCA
104
Caustic soda : LYE
105
Against : VERSUS
107
Badge earner : SCOUT
109
This and that: Abbr. : MISC
111
61-Across near Phoenix? : BIRTHSTONE
113
9-Across near Boston? : MORALTENET
118
Critter whose name comes from Nahuatl : OCELOT
119
Cookout item : BUN
120
Roll of bills : WAD
121
Bring out : EDUCE
122
Assails : BESETS
123
Staff ___: Abbr. : SGT
124
Whirlpool : SPA
125
Exorcism target : DEMON
Down
1
Farm mother : EWE
2
Women's suffrage Amendment : XIX
3
Pampering, for short : TLC
4
Pull (in) : REIN
5
Regarding the price : ASTOCOST
6
Jazzy Nina : SIMONE
7
Boston's Mass ___ : AVE
8
Lean : TEND
9
Doesn't budge : DIGSIN
10
"Sure!" : OKAY
11
E.U. member : GER
12
"What ___!" : AMESS
13
"Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" artist : MANET
14
Expenditures : OUTLAYS
15
"The Time Machine" people : ELOI
16
"___ your toes!" : BEON
17
B'nai B'rith grp. : ADL
23
Romeo or Juliet : ELOPER
24
French cup : TASSE
26
Many a museum display : DIORAMA
29
It might be blue, green or brown : IRIS
31
Assn. : ORG
32
Like a sty denizen : PORCINE
33
6-Across near Indianapolis? : SMOOTHFABRIC
36
Some conifers : CEDARS
39
Do over, as a lawn : RESOD
40
Abbr. before a colon : ATTN
41
Prefix with -pod : GASTRO
43
119-Across near Albany? : EASTERANIMAL
44
Prefix with business : AGRO
45
Basketball rim : HOOP
47
Open : UNSEAL
50
Housemother, e.g. : MATRON
53
Passed easily : ACED
54
Weak : ANEMIC
55
Armstrong and Sedaka : NEILS
57
Pal : BUD
59
Light touch : CARESS
60
Certain online request : EVITE
63
Not quite right : AMISS
64
Arrive at too quickly, in a way : LEAPTO
67
"Hakuna ___" : MATATA
69
In one's cups : POTTED
70
Brewskis : SUDS
71
How a fool acts : INANELY
72
Spots : ADS
74
Bird wing : PINION
75
Knot : GNARL
76
Spring time : LENT
77
Large-toothed whale : ORCA
79
Paraded by : LEDPAST
80
"Is she not down so late, ___ so early?": "Romeo and Juliet" : ORUP
85
Number 2, e.g. : PENCIL
86
Still to be sampled : UNTASTED
88
Shock : STARTLE
90
Sub : HERO
91
Site of a Greek tragedy : ODEUM
93
Big name in jeans : LEE
96
Respectable : DECENT
97
Naval force : ARMADA
100
"___ the Sheriff" : ISHOT
101
Tidies up a bit : DUSTS
105
Number two : VICE
106
"Tu ___ mi amor" : ERES
107
Cozy : SNUG
108
Drags : TOWS
110
Give up : CEDE
111
Weave's partner : BOB
112
Maternity ward workers, for short : OBS
114
Hip-hop : RAP
115
Deut.'s preceder : NUM
116
Environmental prefix : ECO
117
Perfect rating : TEN

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

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