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ADVICE TO WRITERS

New York Times, Sunday, June 4, 2017

Author:
Tom McCoy
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
5-Down : Bring in
TotalDebutLatest
3511/14/20137/3/2022
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19815200
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471.6125342%
Tom McCoy

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 136, Blocks: 78 Missing: {JQX} Spans: 1 Grid has repeated answers. This is puzzle # 26 for Mr. McCoy. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Sunday freshness: 5%
Tom McCoy notes:
Many of my favorite crosswords are ones that break the rules in some way, whether they use one-letter answers, answers that extend off the grid, asymmetrical grids, or other crazy ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
As a writer (I recently landed a two-book deal with HarperCollins, woo hoo!), I enjoyed the "rules" Tom featured today. Something so amusing about the image of a professor lecturing to ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

The PDF shows that this grid was hand-drawn in print. Garson Hampfield would be proud.

1
C
2
O
3
M
4
P
5
A
6
S
7
S
8
C
9
O
10
S
11
T
12
A
13
R
14
O
15
M
16
E
17
G
18
A
19
A
D
M
I
R
A
L
20
R
E
T
I
N
A
21
L
22
C
A
N
O
N
23
N
E
V
E
R
G
E
24
N
E
R
A
L
I
Z
E
25
A
D
D
O
N
26
R
E
S
E
E
D
27
M
E
I
28
N
29
E
R
G
O
30
S
31
P
32
E
C
S
33
P
O
O
34
F
35
R
36
E
A
D
C
A
37
R
F
U
L
Y
38
C
O
V
E
T
39
S
E
E
N
40
A
N
Y
O
N
E
S
41
A
G
E
D
42
S
43
P
44
A
45
T
E
T
46
R
47
A
48
C
A
R
49
N
O
S
E
50
N
T
E
N
51
C
E
F
R
A
G
52
M
E
N
T
53
S
54
A
O
R
T
A
L
55
U
T
A
H
56
V
O
57
I
58
D
59
S
60
B
61
A
R
R
O
62
A
63
M
64
P
S
65
P
O
66
T
67
U
S
A
68
P
A
S
S
I
V
69
E
70
S
M
U
S
T
71
B
E
S
H
72
U
73
N
N
E
D
74
R
D
S
75
E
S
O
76
S
A
S
E
77
A
N
O
D
E
S
78
Y
E
A
79
H
80
A
U
81
D
I
82
L
83
O
84
S
T
I
T
85
D
O
86
N
87
T
U
S
E
C
88
O
89
N
T
R
A
C
T
I
90
O
91
N
92
S
93
L
E
O
94
A
M
I
N
O
95
E
T
H
96
C
H
A
T
97
P
98
O
99
W
E
R
U
100
P
101
A
C
R
102
E
103
P
E
N
N
E
104
A
V
O
I
D
R
E
105
D
106
U
N
D
A
N
107
C
108
Y
109
A
B
O
U
T
110
C
E
R
N
111
S
N
O
B
112
T
O
O
113
K
T
O
114
M
R
M
O
115
M
116
A
V
O
117
I
118
D
119
R
E
D
U
N
D
A
120
N
121
C
122
Y
123
A
G
E
N
T
124
L
E
A
K
I
E
R
125
T
E
R
R
I
E
R
126
N
O
D
E
S
127
S
T
E
E
D
S
128
H
E
Y
D
A
Y
S
© 2017, The New York Times6/4/17 ( No. 24,680 )
Across
1
Drawing tool : COMPASS
8
One not acting alone : COSTAR
14
Literally, "great O" : OMEGA
19
Ackbar's rank, in "Star Wars" films : ADMIRAL
20
Relating to an eye layer : RETINAL
22
What fan fiction is not : CANON
23
Writing tip #1 : NEVERGENERALIZE
25
Accessory : ADDON
26
Plant anew : RESEED
27
Lo ___ : MEIN
29
So : ERGO
30
Contractor's guidelines : SPECS
33
Writing tip #2 : POOFREADCARFULY
38
Yearn for : COVET
39
Unlike the wind : SEEN
40
Lead-in to guess or game : ANYONES
41
Got up there : AGED
42
Balneotherapy site : SPA
45
Bi- and bi-? : TETRA
48
Train part : CAR
49
Writing tip #3 : NOSENTENCEFRAGMENTS
54
Relating to a major vessel : AORTAL
55
Hexagonal state : UTAH
56
Invalidate : VOID
59
Restaurant chain with a flag in its logo : SBARRO
62
Band aids : AMPS
65
Make suitable for indoors, as a plant : POT
67
Home of Ithaca, Athens and Olympia : USA
68
Writing tip #4 : PASSIVESMUSTBESHUNNED
74
They go from town to town: Abbr. : RDS
75
That, in Tijuana : ESO
76
Ed.'s request : SASE
77
Cell parts : ANODES
78
"Uh-huh" : YEAH
80
German auto co. : AUDI
82
Flew off the handle : LOSTIT
85
Writing tip #5 : DONTUSECONTRACTIONS
93
Bill Clinton or Barack Obama : LEO
94
___ group (structure found in proteins) : AMINO
95
Old English letter : ETH
96
Shoot the breeze : CHAT
97
Turn on : POWERUP
101
4,840 square yards : ACRE
103
Cylinder-shaped pasta : PENNE
104
Writing tip #6 : AVOIDREDUNDANCY
109
Regarding : ABOUT
110
Large Hadron Collider org. : CERN
111
Hoity-toity sort : SNOB
112
Became adept in : TOOKTO
114
1983 Michael Keaton title role : MRMOM
116
Writing tip #7 : AVOIDREDUNDANCY
123
Operative : AGENT
124
Less watertight : LEAKIER
125
Energetic pooch : TERRIER
126
Graph parts : NODES
127
Knights' needs : STEEDS
128
Primes : HEYDAYS
Down
1
Give the ax : CAN
2
Poem of homage : ODE
3
2005, to Cato : MMV
4
Ring bearers, maybe : PIERCEDEARS
5
Bring in : ARREST
6
Droops : SAGS
7
It "knits up the ravell'd sleave of care," per Macbeth : SLEEP
8
Doctrines : CREDOS
9
Atop, poetically : OER
10
RR stop : STA
11
Up to : TIL
12
Jungian inner self : ANIMA
13
Knocked to the ground : RAZED
14
Andean tuber : OCA
15
Like the movies "Brian's Song" and "Sharknado" : MADEFORTV
16
Circumvention : ENDRUN
17
It uses the PageRank algorithm : GOOGLE
18
Irritates : ANNOYS
21
Classic camera brand : LEICA
24
Prefix with liberal : NEO
28
Vice President John ___ Garner : NANCE
30
Digitize, in a way : SCAN
31
Bounce along, in a way : POGO
32
Anticipatory days : EVES
34
Gala : FETE
35
Where to find some very wet sponges : REEF
36
Gives in confidence : ENTRUSTS
37
Gosling of "La La Land" : RYAN
42
Tried : STROVE
43
Favorite : PET
44
Santa ___, Calif. : ANA
46
Templeton from "Charlotte's Web," e.g. : RAT
47
Visibly awed : AGAPE
50
"Me neither," formally : NORI
51
Refuse to talk, with "up" : CLAM
52
Conductance quantities : MHOS
53
Like a good proof : SOUND
57
"Makes sense" : ISEE
58
___ Day (June event, informally) : DADS
59
Not needing a cane, say : SPRY
60
Commanded : BADE
61
Syria's Bashar al-___ : ASSAD
63
Person of note? : MUSICIAN
64
Fee-free spot, briefly : PSA
66
Unruly hair, metaphorically : THATCH
69
Jacob's twin : ESAU
70
Composer of many patriotic tunes : SOUSA
71
Conveyor part : BELT
72
Course part : UNIT
73
Something tacky to hang on the wall? : NOTICEBOARD
79
Stroke of luck? : HOLEINONE
81
Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, informally : DEM
83
It's mined, all mined! : ORE
84
Stayed on the shelf : SAT
86
Homework lover, maybe : NERD
87
Military stints : TOURS
88
Like some audiobooks : ONCD
89
Romance writer Roberts : NORA
90
"Yikes!" : OHNO
91
When repeated, an old sitcom catchphrase : NANU
92
Leave in : STET
97
Character that goes "waka, waka, waka ..." : PACMAN
98
Exceed : OVERGO
99
Wriggled : WORMED
100
Punitive : PENAL
102
Goes in : ENTERS
103
Gently towel : PATDRY
105
Peace signs : DOVES
106
W.W. II danger : UBOAT
107
Cape ___ : COD
108
Early days : YOUTH
113
Patella site : KNEE
115
Much of W.Va. : MTS
117
Mike's confectionery partner : IKE
118
Dungeons & Dragons piece : DIE
119
Like William Carlos Williams's wheelbarrow : RED
120
Actress Peeples : NIA
121
Ron of the Dodgers : CEY
122
'17 and '18 : YRS

Answer summary:
8 unique to this puzzle, 3 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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