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PITCH IMPERFECT

New York Times, Sunday, March 27, 2016

Author:
Patrick Blindauer
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
108-Down : Letters of invitation?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
677/21/20059/4/201922
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
14661417118
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
261.5930243%
Patrick Blindauer

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 68 Missing: none – this is a pangram. Spans: 2 This is puzzle # 62 for Mr. Blindauer. Sunday freshness: 23%
Patrick Blindauer notes:
Out of the 60+ puzzles I've done for the NYT since 2005, it looks like this is only my 4th solo Sunday: "Overcharged" was constructed under the tutelage of Nancy Salomon; "Secret Santa's ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
PITCH IMPERFECT an apt title, hinting at advertising pitches with one word anagrammed. Some really fun results, DON'T SQUEEZE THE RICH MAN (Charmin) bringing up an image of a protesting ... read more
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P
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G
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B
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© 2016, The New York Times3/27/16 ( No. 24,246 )
Across
1
Comment after a bull's-eye : NICESHOT
9
Distress : TORMENT
16
When Hamlet says "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio" : ACTV
20
Sponsor of classic radio's "Little Orphan Annie" : OVALTINE
21
Lindbergh, e.g. : AVIATOR
22
Japanese noodle : SOBA
23
Warren Buffett's rule about hugging? : DONTSQUEEZETHERICHMAN
26
Toymaker Rubik : ERNO
27
Cone head? : SNO
28
Actor Stephen : REA
29
Like some prose : PURPLE
30
You are, in español : ERES
33
Math ordinal : NTH
35
Tiger Stadium sch. : LSU
38
Skyscraping : TALL
39
Encouraging words from slug enthusiasts? : WELOVETOSEEYOUSLIME
45
Word said with right or rise : ALL
46
Nothing: Fr. : RIEN
47
Grp. that gets the lead out? : NRA
48
Bust supporter : PEDESTAL
51
Fifth-to-last word in the Lord's Prayer : GLORY
53
"Sharp" fashion : SPIKEHEELS
56
Creature on the Australian coat of arms : EMU
57
Mozart's "___ kleine Nachtmusik" : EINE
58
Tiny powerhouse : ATOM
59
Rap's Dr. ___ : DRE
60
Hayek of "Frida" : SALMA
62
Longtime soap actress Hall : DEIDRE
64
Shout to one about to be knighted? : THISDUBSFORYOU
69
One side of a quad, say : DORM
71
Milo of stage and screen : OSHEA
72
Voice from a phone : SIRI
73
Take a clothing slogan too seriously? : OBEYYOURTSHIRT
78
Like Loyola and Xavier universities : JESUIT
82
Clobbers : WAXES
83
Fish eggs : ROE
84
1 + 2, in Germany : DREI
86
Prefix with -scope : ENDO
87
Investment sometimes pronounced as a name : IRA
88
Risky : JEOPARDOUS
92
Surmise : INFER
93
Video game playing, e.g. : ESCAPISM
96
___ Day (Hawaiian holiday) : LEI
97
SEAL Team 6 mission : RAID
99
Chinese calendar animal : RAT
100
Tulle, to brides? : THEFABRICOFOURVEILS
104
Carriage : MIEN
105
Dundee turndown : NAE
106
Messenger of biochemistry : RNA
107
French film director Clair : RENE
108
Gray matter? : BOTANY
110
Have in view : EYE
112
___-d'Oise (French department) : VAL
115
"American Greed" channel : CNBC
118
"After all that hard work, I'll order some cake"? : YOUDESERVEABAKERTODAY
124
Latin word on the back of a dollar bill : ORDO
125
Compact : ENTENTE
126
People holding things up : IMPEDERS
127
Bellyache : BEEF
128
Antarctic waters : ROSSSEA
129
"Perfecto!" : NAILEDIT
Down
1
Terminal in a computer network : NODE
2
Composer Novello : IVOR
3
Cylindrical pasta : CANNELLONI
4
The matador's foe : ELTORO
5
Peter and Francis: Abbr. : STS
6
Peg solitaire puzzle brand : HIQ
7
Burden : ONUS
8
Member of Generation Z : TEEN
9
Looney Tunes devil, for short : TAZ
10
Possible reply to "Where are you?" : OVERHERE
11
Confirmation, e.g. : RITE
12
Thanks, in Hawaii : MAHALO
13
Juillet et août : ETE
14
Ibsen's homeland: Abbr. : NOR
15
Hit the ground running? : TRIP
16
Indian retreats : ASHRAMS
17
Hook, line and sinker : COMPLETELY
18
Game for little sluggers : TBALL
19
Fan part : VANE
24
Huge spans : EONS
25
Little darling : CUTIE
31
"Climb ___ Mountain" : EVRY
32
Sicilian six : SEI
34
Long race, in brief : TENK
36
Top-notch : SUPERB
37
Like most trivia, in the real world : USELESS
39
Carried on : WAGED
40
Kemper of "The Office" : ELLIE
41
Try : TEST
42
Stoned : ONPOT
43
Derisive cry : YAH
44
Mormons, for short : LDS
49
What a bandoleer holds : AMMO
50
Party with pu pu platters : LUAU
52
Cotton candy additive : REDDYE
54
Mummy in "The Mummy" : IMHOTEP
55
Saverin who co-founded Facebook : EDUARDO
58
Musical lead-in to -smith : AERO
60
Like some losers : SORE
61
Up : ARISEN
63
Rogers, Orbison and Yamaguchi : ROYS
65
Magazine edition: Abbr. : ISS
66
"Hey, I want to listen here!" : SHH
67
Roman gods : DEI
68
Country whose name is one letter different from a mountain : FIJI
70
Gheorghe ___, former 7'7" N.B.A. player : MURESAN
73
"Ooh, dat hurt!" : OWIE
74
1-5 on a cellphone screen : BARS
75
Precision : EXACTITUDE
76
iRobot vacuum : ROOMBA
77
Cape Cod town : TRURO
79
Cut ties with, in a way : UNFRIENDED
80
Best : IDEAL
81
Law school class : TORTS
85
Whom "I saw" on a seesaw, in a tongue twister : ESAU
88
Peter Pan rival : JIF
89
Ring master : ALI
90
Play : RECREATE
91
One-named hitmaker of the 1950s-'60s : DION
92
Word with two apostrophes : IDVE
94
Leading : AHEADOF
95
Pasta whose name is Italian for "feathers" : PENNE
98
Sale tag abbr. : IRR
101
"Speed" star : REEVES
102
___ bean : FAVA
103
Make secret : ENCODE
104
"Where to Invade Next" filmmaker : MOORE
108
Letters of invitation? : BYOB
109
1914 battle site : YSER
111
Desires : YENS
113
Comparable (to) : AKIN
114
Golf's Champagne Tony : LEMA
116
City and province of southern Italy : BARI
117
Anatomical sac : CYST
119
Composer of the Windows 95 start-up sound : ENO
120
Some offensive linemen: Abbr. : RTS
121
"___ sport!" : BEA
122
New York engineering sch. : RPI
123
___ Aviv : TEL

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

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