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New York Times, Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Author:
Mike Shenk
Editor:
Will Shortz
23-Down : Pesto base
TotalDebutLatest
88/10/198112/13/2009
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2101103
CircleScrabDebutPre‑WSFresh
11.5455165%
Mike Shenk

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 80, Blocks: 36 Missing: {QVX} Featured in Will Shortz's favorite puzzles. Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 6 for Mr. Shenk. Wednesday freshness: 23%
Notepad: As a demonstration of speed puzzle construction at the 28th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, on March 11 in Stamford, Conn., Mike Shenk took a theme proposed by the audience and created this puzzle, start to finish, without computer-assisted fill, in 60 minutes. Later, in a race to solve it, Trip Payne, of Boca Raton, Fla., finished first, in 3 minutes. About two-thirds of the audience completed the puzzle correctly within the 15-minute time limit.
1
C
2
A
3
C
4
T
5
I
6
M
7
A
8
N
9
D
10
M
11
G
12
A
13
P
14
U
B
O
A
T
15
A
L
O
N
E
16
E
M
U
17
B
E
E
T
S
18
A
M
P
R
A
S
19
N
E
T
20
S
O
L
E
S
21
S
22
P
E
N
T
23
B
24
O
25
O
26
P
A
T
27
M
28
A
K
E
S
D
O
29
A
N
K
30
L
E
S
31
Z
E
N
I
T
H
32
S
I
R
E
N
33
M
O
T
E
T
34
A
35
M
36
A
37
I
C
A
N
38
S
I
N
E
W
39
S
L
A
B
40
L
E
W
41
H
A
T
E
R
42
J
U
L
I
A
43
I
44
M
A
G
E
S
45
C
A
N
O
N
S
46
F
47
U
N
N
I
E
S
48
M
A
Y
49
T
E
E
50
I
N
F
O
R
51
F
A
I
L
52
S
53
F
I
R
54
P
55
A
56
U
L
I
N
E
K
57
A
58
L
59
E
60
E
T
E
61
I
R
K
E
D
62
N
I
G
E
L
63
R
E
Y
64
N
E
E
D
S
65
O
N
E
A
L
© 2005, The New York Times3/23/5 ( No. 20,224 )
Across
1
Desert flora : CACTI
6
Coated candy : MANDM
11
Interstice : GAP
14
Wolf pack member : UBOAT
15
Without company : ALONE
16
Outback runner : EMU
17
Vegetarian tennis star? : BEETSAMPRAS
19
Surfing site : NET
20
They're underfoot : SOLES
21
All in : SPENT
23
Greet the opposing team : BOO
26
Vanna's partner : PAT
27
Gets along : MAKESDO
29
Tibias' ends : ANKLES
31
Culminating point : ZENITH
32
Femme fatale : SIREN
33
Choral work : MOTET
34
Doc bloc, for short : AMA
37
Volunteer's words : ICAN
38
Bone connector : SINEW
39
Thick cut : SLAB
40
Kareem, once : LEW
41
Misanthrope : HATER
42
Roberts of "Mystic Pizza" : JULIA
43
Camera card contents : IMAGES
45
Mass parts : CANONS
46
Sunday paper section : FUNNIES
48
Memorial Day setting : MAY
49
Course start : TEE
50
Bound to experience : INFOR
51
Goes belly-up : FAILS
53
Rockies tree : FIR
54
Vegetarian film critic? : PAULINEKALE
60
Popular season on the Riviera : ETE
61
Drove to distraction : IRKED
62
Austin Powers's father : NIGEL
63
Curious George creator H. A. ___ : REY
64
Demands : NEEDS
65
Sharpshooting Shaq : ONEAL
Down
1
New reporter : CUB
2
Penny portrait : ABE
3
Runner Sebastian : COE
4
Does a doily : TATS
5
Answer to a knock : ITSOPEN
6
"American Buffalo" playwright : MAMET
7
Yodelers' milieu : ALPS
8
Hide-hair link : NOR
9
Modern evidence : DNA
10
Camper's gear : MESSKIT
11
Vegetarian film critic? : GENESHALLOT
12
Change the Constitution : AMEND
13
Tie up a boat : PUTTO
18
Sighed cry : ALAS
22
Sulky state : PET
23
Pesto base : BASIL
24
In reserve : ONICE
25
Vegetarian talk show star? : OKRAWINFREY
27
Poet's concern : METER
28
Fresh : ANEW
30
Cariou of "Sweeney Todd" : LEN
31
Shipping areas : ZONES
33
Itty-bitty bugs : MITES
35
L.L. Bean's home : MAINE
36
Lower : ABASE
38
Wise fellow : SAGE
39
Catch some rays : SUN
41
Kind of turn : HAIRPIN
42
"Leading With My Chin" author : JAYLENO
44
6 on a phone : MNO
45
First born? : CAIN
46
Drummer's partner : FIFER
47
Bring together : UNITE
48
Hotel staffers : MAIDS
51
Hightailed it : FLED
52
It's got you covered : SKIN
55
Beatitudes verb : ARE
56
Island strings : UKE
57
Epoch : AGE
58
Salonga of "Miss Saigon" : LEA
59
Wing : ELL

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later.

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