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BIRD PLAY

New York Times, Sunday, August 11, 2019

Author:
Alex Eaton-Salners
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
77-Down : Loses traction
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
712/2/201711/24/20243
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
441112172120
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
4151.5624450%
Alex Eaton-Salners

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 78 Missing: {JQ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 23 for Mr. Eaton-Salners. Sunday freshness: 29%
Will Shortz notes:
Alex Eaton-Salners is an in-house attorney for Western Digital, a technology company headquartered in San Jose, Calif. When he's not creating crosswords, he enjoys escape rooms, reading ... read more
Alex Eaton-Salners notes:
Here are three other theme pairings that weren't used in the puzzle: TOOK IT EASY — BOX KITE didn't get off the ground. ROBITUSSIN — ROUND ROBIN didn't advance past the group ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Total birdbrain of an idea! In a good way. Word play -> bird play -> riffing on bird-related figures of speech. Great find in THE PLOT THICKENS = HEADLESS CHICKEN. Easy to ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

The first theme answer I got was SWAN turning a corner to fall vertically, so I thought the theme was going to be BIRD DROPPINGS. Oh well. Excellent puzzle anyway.

1
P
2
O
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S
4
T
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C
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H
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A
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R
9
S
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T
11
S
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A
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A
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K
15
A
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E
U
L
E
17
R
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T
A
I
W
A
N
19
H
I
L
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A
R
Y
S
21
K
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S
C
E
N
E
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O
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G
A
N
A
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A
M
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I
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W
A
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T
H
E
P
L
26
O
T
T
H
I
C
K
27
E
N
S
28
E
A
T
A
T
29
P
I
A
N
O
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T
H
E
Y
31
S
A
L
O
N
32
O
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P
E
N
T
O
34
S
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P
E
D
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E
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S
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S
O
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F
A
R
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I
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V
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D
I
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S
C
O
F
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F
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B
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T
A
C
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N
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E
A
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P
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P
U
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A
R
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K
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D
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E
V
A
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N
G
E
L
I
Z
54
E
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R
O
B
56
S
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E
G
E
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N
O
R
A
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L
E
G
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M
60
A
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A
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I
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A
N
D
S
O
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P
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G
E
R
M
S
66
P
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N
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V
69
E
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S
P
A
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S
72
H
O
R
T
E
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O
H
M
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E
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T
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D
77
S
78
E
X
C
I
T
79
E
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E
L
I
81
O
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F
F
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N
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A
L
A
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K
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S
P
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A
D
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E
A
G
L
86
E
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R
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K
O
I
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T
O
Y
90
N
E
W
T
O
91
S
92
P
O
S
E
93
E
94
M
E
N
D
95
N
E
S
T
96
C
A
G
E
97
D
A
I
S
E
S
98
P
99
L
100
E
101
B
S
102
H
103
E
A
L
104
S
A
L
S
A
105
P
R
O
B
E
106
H
107
E
A
D
L
E
108
S
109
S
C
H
I
C
K
110
E
111
N
112
C
O
C
O
A
113
M
I
X
114
G
A
T
E
A
U
115
V
A
N
D
Y
116
S
W
A
N
D
I
V
E
117
A
T
T
E
N
D
118
E
L
E
N
A
119
S
L
Y
120
R
E
C
121
R
E
E
D
S
122
L
E
A
D
© 2019, The New York Times8/11/19 ( No. 25,478 )
Across
1
Share on social media : POST
5
Blackens : CHARS
10
Screen org.? : TSA
13
William H. Bonney ___ Billy the Kid : AKA
16
Mathematician taught by Bernoulli : EULER
18
Most populous nation not in the U.N. : TAIWAN
19
Best Actress winner of 1999 and 2004 : HILARYSWANK
22
It's just part of the act : SCENE
23
Surname of Princess Leia : ORGANA
24
Midwest college town : AMESIOWA
25
"Curiouser and curiouser ..." : THEPLOTTHICKENS
28
Bother : EATAT
29
Grand onstage : PIANO
30
Place to swim or work out, informally : THEY
31
Business that has cut prices : SALON
32
Entertaining : OPENTO
34
Went over the limit, say : SPED
36
Major name in petrol : ESSO
39
Language from which "jackal" and "jasmine" come : FARSI
40
"La Traviata" composer : VERDI
41
Jeer : SCOFF
43
Bit on a book jacket : BIO
46
Part of a three-in-a-row : TAC
47
Greasy in the Pro Football Hall of Fame : NEALE
49
In-group at school : POPULARKIDS
52
Preach the gospel : EVANGELIZE
55
Rip off : ROB
56
Longtime "All Things Considered" host Robert : SIEGEL
57
Screenwriter Ephron : NORA
58
Anchor, e.g. : LEG
59
Chinese liquor made from sorghum : MAOTAI
62
"Consequently ..." : ANDSO
63
Verbal alternative to a shoulder tap : PSST
65
Beginnings of ideas : GERMS
66
Internet content typically viewed alone : PORN
68
Italian scooter brand : VESPA
71
What 1-Down has that 1-Across lacks : SHORTE
73
Part of the resistance? : OHM
74
Some pickup info on rideshare apps: Abbr. : ETDS
78
Stir : EXCITE
80
Man's name that means "my God" : ELI
81
What's depicted by the circled letters in 41-/49-Across : OFFONALARK
84
... in 52-Across : SPREADEAGLE
87
Rehearse a play from start to finish, in theater lingo : RUNIT
88
Swimmer in a Himeji Castle moat : KOI
89
Nursery floor hazard : TOY
90
Unfamiliar with : NEWTO
91
Informal "What if ...?" : SPOSE
93
Alter, as a manuscript : EMEND
95
Bird's home : NEST
96
Bird's home : CAGE
97
Places for speakers : DAISES
98
Common people : PLEBS
102
Close up, say : HEAL
104
Stylish ballroom dance : SALSA
105
Investigation : PROBE
106
... in 25-Across : HEADLESSCHICKEN
112
Brown powder : COCOAMIX
114
French cake : GATEAU
115
Nashville university, familiarly : VANDY
116
... and in 19-Across : SWANDIVE
117
Go to : ATTEND
118
Princess of Avalor, in children's TV : ELENA
119
Machiavellian : SLY
120
Tape deck button : REC
121
Oboes and saxes, e.g. : REEDS
122
Aid for a detective : LEAD
Down
1
Real pain : PEST
2
Reaction to pain : OUCH
3
Berth place : SLEEPERCAR
4
Bowling : TENPINS
5
Cause of a supermarket parking mishap : CART
6
Tripping : HIGH
7
Expected : AWAITED
8
Serving with carrots and celery, maybe : RANCHDIP
9
Meander : SNAKE
10
Lighter-air link : THAN
11
Virtual people : SIMS
12
Bitter, e.g. : ALE
13
Alternative to Times New Roman : ARIAL
14
Noncapital city whose name means "capital city" : KYOTO
15
City on the Nile : ASWAN
17
As (to) : RELATING
18
Band with the 1983 #1 hit "Africa" : TOTO
20
Far offshore : ASEA
21
Kit ___ : KAT
26
Dedicator of Iceland's Imagine Peace Tower : ONO
27
Ocelli : EYESPOTS
31
Challenges for movers : SOFAS
32
Habitually : OFTEN
33
___ Nurmi, 1920s Olympic runner nicknamed the "Flying Finn" : PAAVO
34
Bud of baseball : SELIG
35
Veep's boss : PREZ
37
Subject of lessons at an island resort : SCUBA
38
Roman sun god : SOL
40
Team at an upscale restaurant : VALETS
42
Brother : FRIAR
43
Cowboy's home, informally : BIGD
44
Middle of the month : IDES
45
Best Play Tony winner with a geographical name : OSLO
48
Jellied delicacies : EELS
50
Cry from Juliet : OROMEO
51
___ club (annual show presenter) : KENNEL
53
Diaper, in Britspeak : NAPPIE
54
Chef Lagasse : EMERIL
60
Crossword constructing, e.g. (no, really!) : ART
61
AirPod pairing target : IPHONE
64
"Paradise Lost" tempter : SATAN
65
Site of Jesus' crucifixion : GOLGOTHA
67
Prefix with directional : OMNI
68
Word with life or flak : VEST
69
Brand of markers : EXPO
70
See the future with a crystal ball : SCRY
72
Track meet divisions : HEATS
73
Worth keeping around : OFUSE
75
Peacefully protests, as during the national anthem : TAKESAKNEE
76
Flier on a mission : DRONE
77
Loses traction : SKIDS
79
Pristine places : EDENS
82
Fairy tale alter ego : FROG
83
Crushed in competition : ATEALIVE
85
Pronoun in a picture rebus : EWE
86
Increase quickly : ESCALATE
92
Mixing board : PALETTE
94
Wrongly predict, as an election : MISCALL
97
Dit's partner : DAH
98
Places for figureheads : PROWS
99
Not express : LOCAL
100
Magazine that named Barack Obama its first-ever Person of the Year (2009) : EBONY
101
Bit of sweat : BEAD
103
"J. ___" (2011 Clint Eastwood biopic) : EDGAR
104
Missile first used in the Yom Kippur War : SCUD
105
Non-Macs : PCS
106
Kind of mind : HIVE
107
Suit : EXEC
108
Number in brackets? : SEED
109
Without : SANS
110
Poet ___ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA
111
Diana who was the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of shark protection (2013) : NYAD
113
Russian for "peace" : MIR

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

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