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PLUSES AND MINUSES

New York Times, Sunday, April 22, 2018

Author:
Ross Trudeau
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
92-Down : Probably will
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
542/9/201712/6/202221
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1062012600
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
381.6231449%
Ross Trudeau

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 70 Missing: {Q} This is puzzle # 5 for Mr. Trudeau. Sunday freshness: 66%
Ross Trudeau notes:
Successful addition/subtraction puzzles rely on legitimately fun themers, so it bears noting that HAD LESS HORSE MANE was David Steinberg's lol-worthy contribution to this puzz. My ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
PLUS E'S and MINUS E'S! Perfect way to describe the theme, where an E is removed from one word and added into another. STARES AND STRIPS didn't give me a great first impression of the ... read more
1
P
2
E
3
S
4
T
5
T
6
A
7
P
8
E
9
P
10
A
11
R
12
E
13
E
14
B
15
P
16
L
17
U
18
S
19
T
A
C
H
20
E
V
E
N
21
O
C
A
L
A
22
A
B
A
S
E
23
S
T
A
R
24
E
S
A
N
D
25
S
T
R
I
P
S
26
P
A
C
E
R
27
D
E
P
O
R
T
28
N
A
I
F
29
S
A
Y
30
S
T
31
U
S
A
32
N
E
W
M
O
33
M
34
S
T
A
35
S
I
S
36
H
I
37
C
C
U
P
38
C
I
G
S
39
F
A
40
T
H
E
R
I
N
O
41
N
E
S
C
A
P
E
42
A
N
O
43
S
T
A
R
44
D
M
X
45
E
L
M
E
R
46
P
T
A
47
M
I
C
A
48
H
49
R
50
E
A
L
51
D
A
52
D
53
S
54
N
O
T
55
E
A
M
O
M
E
56
N
57
T
58
T
O
S
P
A
59
R
60
C
I
O
61
A
L
E
62
S
E
A
O
O
Z
E
63
C
A
64
T
H
E
R
65
C
66
H
67
U
R
L
68
D
R
T
69
G
R
A
Z
E
70
H
Y
P
N
O
71
S
72
P
73
R
E
S
U
74
M
75
E
76
W
E
I
77
O
P
S
78
J
E
79
T
E
P
R
O
P
E
L
80
L
E
D
P
81
L
82
A
83
N
84
W
E
A
85
R
86
X
I
N
G
87
D
E
L
T
A
88
E
M
O
89
N
U
90
D
I
E
91
A
92
I
93
D
94
N
A
S
T
95
G
E
M
96
H
97
A
D
L
E
S
S
98
H
99
O
R
S
E
100
M
A
N
E
101
K
I
T
E
102
E
L
D
E
S
T
103
U
R
B
A
N
A
104
O
A
105
F
I
S
H
106
A
G
O
107
A
S
108
A
M
I
109
P
E
T
110
S
111
S
A
L
L
Y
112
S
113
V
O
W
114
E
L
115
L
E
A
116
S
T
B
U
T
117
N
O
T
L
A
S
T
118
E
R
N
S
T
119
O
R
N
O
T
120
R
Y
A
N
121
E
T
T
A
122
N
E
S
T
S
123
P
I
A
N
O
124
E
X
E
S
125
R
E
S
T
© 2018, The New York Times4/22/18 ( No. 25,002 )
Across
1
Bedbug, e.g. : PEST
5
"Police Line - Do Not Cross" material : TAPE
9
Gay ___ : PAREE
14
Blemish for a straight-A student : BPLUS
19
R.p.m. indicator : TACH
20
Having gone tit for tat : EVEN
21
Florida city whose name ends with two state postal abbreviations : OCALA
22
Humiliate : ABASE
23
Makes eye contact before undressing? : STARESANDSTRIPS
26
Hoosier hoopster : PACER
27
Expatriate : DEPORT
28
Wide-eyed type : NAIF
29
"What ___ thou?" : SAYST
31
One of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council : USA
32
One reading up on infant care, maybe : NEWMOM
34
Equilibrium : STASIS
36
Minor setback : HICCUP
38
Butts : CIGS
39
Parent wearing your Superman costume? : FATHERINONESCAPE
42
Year abroad : ANO
43
The sun, for one : STAR
44
"Party Up (Up in Here)" rapper, 2000 : DMX
45
Bugs's cartoon pursuer : ELMER
46
Org. with evening meetings : PTA
47
Book after Jonah : MICAH
49
"Get ___" : REAL
51
Root beer brand since 1937 : DADS
54
Script suggestion about starting the fight scene? : NOTEAMOMENTTOSPAR
60
A.F.L. partner : CIO
61
The "A" of I.P.A. : ALE
62
Ocean buildup : SEAOOZE
63
Willa who wrote "My Ántonia" : CATHER
65
Mean-spirited sort : CHURL
68
Richard Gere title role : DRT
69
Eat a little here, a little there : GRAZE
70
Greek god of sleep : HYPNOS
72
Take for granted : PRESUME
76
Early Chinese dynasty : WEI
77
Black ___ : OPS
78
Ballet choreography? : JETEPROPELLEDPLAN
84
Sport : WEAR
86
RR ___ : XING
87
Widening of the mouth? : DELTA
88
Broody genre : EMO
89
Racy film : NUDIE
91
FEMA offering : AID
94
Cartoonist Thomas : NAST
95
Beaut : GEM
96
Was harder for the bronco buster to hold on to? : HADLESSHORSEMANE
101
High flier : KITE
102
Firstborn : ELDEST
103
University of Illinois city : URBANA
104
Lumbering, say : OAFISH
106
In days of yore : AGO
107
"Same with me" : ASAMI
109
Subjects of an apartment restriction : PETS
111
Actresses Field and Hawkins : SALLYS
113
Rarity in a Polish name? : VOWEL
115
Like the digit "0" in 2018? : LEASTBUTNOTLAST
118
Iowa senator elected in 2014 : ERNST
119
"... but I could be wrong" : ORNOT
120
Reynolds of "Deadpool" : RYAN
121
James who was nominated for a 1967 Grammy for "Tell Mama" : ETTA
122
Hives, e.g. : NESTS
123
Forte's opposite : PIANO
124
Old flames : EXES
125
Balance : REST
Down
1
All-too-common V.A. diagnosis : PTSD
2
Corroded : EATENINTO
3
Fall guy : SCAPEGOAT
4
Loses intentionally : THROWS
5
What the classics stand : TESTOFTIME
6
"Selma" director DuVernay : AVA
7
Southernmost Ivy : PENN
8
Hyphen's longer cousin : ENDASH
9
Agricultural locale that's weed-friendly? : POTFARM
10
Down's counterpart: Abbr. : ACR
11
Trail mix bit : RAISIN
12
Title city in a 1960 #1 song : ELPASO
13
"Don't panic" : EASY
14
Event for Jesus described in Matthew 3:13-17 : BAPTISM
15
Kegler's org. : PBA
16
Popular Mexican folk song : LACUCARACHA
17
Depletes : USESUP
18
It's a wrap : SERAPE
24
"Uhh ..." : ERM
25
Positioned : SITED
30
Lambaste : SHELLAC
33
Auto repair chain : MAACO
35
Boxcars half : SIX
37
Looped in, in a way : CCED
38
Skipper, informally : CAPN
40
Places for conductors : TRAMS
41
Kind of tide : NEAP
43
Breakfast order at a diner : SMALLOJ
48
Giggle syllable : HEE
49
The New Yorker cartoonist Chast : ROZ
50
Tip of the tongue? : ESE
52
Number between nueve and once : DIEZ
53
Put out : SORE
55
Make : EARN
56
Politician inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame : NADER
57
Trunk : TORSO
58
Tally, in Britain : TOTUP
59
Vituperated : RAGEDAT
64
Orbitz booking : TRIP
65
Grub : CHOW
66
Build up : HYPE
67
Fickleness of life : UPSANDDOWNS
71
Demeaners of the #MeToo movement, say : SEXISTS
72
Part of a stockyard : PEN
73
Dungeons & Dragons, e.g., for short : RPG
74
T-shirt size: Abbr. : MED
75
First name on the Supreme Court : ELENA
76
Monsoons : WETSEASONS
79
Draws : TIES
80
Treeless plain : LLANO
81
Put on an act? : LEGISLATE
82
February birthstones : AMETHYSTS
83
1899 gold rush destination : NOME
85
Be absolutely awesome : RULE
90
Makes potable, in a way : DESALTS
91
Wall St. worker : ARB
92
Probably will : ISAPTTO
93
Supergiant in Cygnus : DENEB
96
A state of rapture : HEAVEN
97
Notable whose name is an anagram of GALORE : ALGORE
98
Some arm bones : HUMERI
99
Journalist Fallaci : ORIANA
100
Emotionally developed : MATURE
101
___ whale : KILLER
105
Bacon runoff : FAT
108
Cockeyed : ALOP
110
Boundary between the earth and the underworld, in myth : STYX
112
R.B.I.s or H.R.s : STAT
114
The "e" of i.e. : EST
116
III or IV, maybe : SON
117
When doubled, a 2010s dance craze : NAE

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

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