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New York Times, Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Author:
Roy Leban
Editor:
Will Shortz
4-Down : Offensive football position
TotalDebutLatest
139/16/20026/9/2015
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2243200
RebusScrabDebutFresh
11.606935%
Roy Leban

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 74, Blocks: 36 Missing: {QX} Spans: 1 This is puzzle # 10 for Mr. Leban. Wednesday freshness: 73%
Roy Leban notes:

I was working on a different puzzle when I happened to notice that EDWIN ALDRIN JR was the same length as NEIL ARMSTRONG. Of course, that meant I had a nice theme. I toyed with a bunch of connectors but WALKED ON THE MOON was the most natural phrase that was good for cluing, and it was a 15 to boot. I tried hard to get MICHAEL and COLLINS in there as well (both 7's) but I just couldn't without screwing up the grid.

One of the down entries was I-EIGHTY ONE. I had other choices, but I liked it because of the improbable beginning of IEIG. Will agreed, writing "the entry I EIGHTY-ONE is really 'out there,' since the highway name would never be spelled out this way. But it's amusing and sort of fun as a novelty." Fortunately, it didn't start a trend of long spelled-out highway numbers.

Will accepted this puzzle about nine months before it ran and we discussed a specific date for it to run, the following July 20th. About three weeks before it ran, I dropped Will an email about it. Good thing as he had inadvertently filed it with the regular puzzles. Had it been missed, I would have had to wait another year.

1
M
2
I
3
N
4
T
5
S
6
F
7
I
8
C
9
A
10
K
11
I
12
L
13
N
14
A
S
E
A
T
15
A
D
A
M
16
W
E
A
R
17
I
M
H
I
P
18
R
O
S
A
19
A
I
W
A
20
N
E
I
L
A
21
R
M
S
T
R
22
O
N
G
23
B
U
Y
S
24
A
A
R
25
H
26
S
27
T
28
R
29
E
30
S
A
L
E
31
A
N
N
A
32
T
H
E
33
E
R
I
C
34
B
R
E
T
T
35
Y
O
N
36
W
A
L
K
37
E
38
D
O
N
T
H
E
39
M
O
O
N
40
A
S
H
41
L
I
S
A
S
42
A
N
T
I
43
R
E
O
44
B
E
T
Z
45
C
46
A
R
E
S
S
47
D
R
U
48
O
S
O
49
B
A
E
Z
50
E
51
D
W
I
N
52
A
L
D
R
I
53
N
54
J
55
R
56
S
57
A
T
O
58
R
I
L
E
59
A
P
I
A
N
60
O
C
T
O
61
A
V
O
N
62
T
A
N
I
A
63
B
E
E
R
64
E
Y
E
D
65
E
N
O
L
S
© 2005, The New York Times7/20/5 ( No. 20,343 )
Across
1
Pillow toppers, in hotels : MINTS
6
Paycheck deduction : FICA
10
Place for a firing : KILN
14
"Save me ___" : ASEAT
15
Rodin sculpture at the Met : ADAM
16
Become tiresome : WEAR
17
Cool cat's acknowledgment : IMHIP
18
Parks of Montgomery : ROSA
19
Audio equipment brand : AIWA
20
He was first : NEILARMSTRONG
23
Acquires : BUYS
24
Swiss stream : AAR
25
Presidential inits. from Missouri : HST
28
Many a car transaction : RESALE
31
"___ and the King of Siam" : ANNA
32
Café alternative : THE
33
Children's author Carle : ERIC
34
Baseball Hall-of-Famer George : BRETT
35
Over there : YON
36
What 20- and 50-Across did on July 20, 1969 : WALKEDONTHEMOON
40
Tree with a winged seed : ASH
41
Actress Kudrow and others : LISAS
42
Prefix with trust : ANTI
43
Early touring car : REO
44
1946 Wimbledon champion Pauline : BETZ
45
Sign of affection : CARESS
47
Joanne of "All the King's Men" : DRU
48
Spanish bear : OSO
49
Female singer at the original Woodstock : BAEZ
50
He was second : EDWINALDRINJR
56
1974 Peace Nobelist : SATO
58
Vex : RILE
59
Bee-related : APIAN
60
Twice tetra- : OCTO
61
Major paperback publisher : AVON
62
Patty Hearst's name in the S.L.A. : TANIA
63
Many a stadium concession : BEER
64
Looked over : EYED
65
Organic compounds : ENOLS
Down
1
Primary : MAIN
2
"Woe ___!" : ISME
3
Classic soft drink brand : NEHI
4
Offensive football position : TAILBACK
5
State capital originally known as Pig's Eye : STPAUL
6
Works the land : FARMS
7
Wedding exchange : IDOS
8
Clickers : CASTANETS
9
Imaginary undying flower : AMARANTH
10
Olympian Michelle : KWAN
11
Major New York-to-Tennessee route : IEIGHTYONE
12
Bar topic : LAW
13
Big D.C. lobby : NRA
21
Whiskey grain : RYE
22
Sound off, perhaps : ORATE
26
Bamboo pieces : SHOOTS
27
See 57-Down : TENNIS
28
Poster heading : REWARD
29
Chalk remover : ERASER
30
Figure on a window shade : SILHOUETTE
31
Desilu co-founder : ARNAZ
34
Fenway Park climber : BOSTONIVY
37
Pasta shape : ELBOW
38
Requiem Mass hymn : DIESIRAE
39
Almond confection : MARZIPAN
45
Heel : CAD
46
Fill with bubbles : AERATE
49
Many a gourmet coffee : BLEND
51
One can be shown it : DOOR
52
Plant with lance-shaped leaves : ALOE
53
El ___ : NINO
54
Lockup : JAIL
55
Genetic strands : RNAS
56
Weep : SOB
57
Excellent service, in 27-Down : ACE

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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