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LITERALLY SO

New York Times, Sunday, August 30, 2009

Author:
Ashish Vengsarkar and Narayan Venkatasubramanyan
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
74-Down : Isn't inert
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
193/5/20064/14/20225
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
8102512
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.6013659%
Ashish Vengsarkar
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
312/6/20084/14/20223
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1000101
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.551441%
Narayan Venkatasubramanyan

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 80 Missing: {JQ} Spans: 1 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 11 for Mr. Vengsarkar. This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Venkatasubramanyan. Sunday freshness: 2%
Jim Horne notes:

This theme is tricky. CUT removed from CIRCUMSTANCES = take out of context, GORE removed from GOVERNMENT UNREST = bloodless revolution, TIE removed from ARTICLE describes "the" (the article) missing "tie" (the link), RIMS removed from PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS = doctors without borders, FEE removed from FIFTH WHEEL means a spare (tire) but with no expense, WHAT A PANDA DOES IN LEISURELY FASHION minus PLUS means "eats shoots" (what the panda does) but "and" (that is, PLUS) leaves or is taken out, WORTHLESS ROADSTER is a lemon so with OREO cut out it's lemon, drop cookies. See blog commentary for more discussion.

1
A
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D
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A
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M
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Y
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A
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P
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A
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T
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R
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H
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O
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M
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B
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E
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G
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G
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S
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F
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N
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O
R
A
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A
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P
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A
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L
E
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K
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T
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K
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O
U
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O
F
C
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O
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X
T
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L
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A
G
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M
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D
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N
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P
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L
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B
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L
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O
O
D
L
E
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S
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S
R
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V
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O
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L
U
T
I
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O
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N
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G
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A
D
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M
E
R
C
K
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I
D
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S
T
O
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E
N
C
O
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T
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M
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G
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K
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H
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M
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W
I
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T
H
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B
O
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E
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R
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S
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R
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A
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X
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K
G
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T
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S
100
S
H
O
O
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T
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A
N
D
L
E
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A
V
E
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A
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X
O
O
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S
P
A
R
107
L
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O
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M
I
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O
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M
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E
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A
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L
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O
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P
C
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K
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D
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E
R
A
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O
S
C
A
R
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I
N
R
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S
L
E
D
129
N
E
X
U
S
130
S
A
S
S
Y
131
N
A
N
A
© 2009, The New York Times8/30/9 ( No. 21,845 )
Across
1
Singer Lambert, runner-up on the 2009 "American Idol" : ADAM
5
Talk to shrilly : YAPAT
10
Four-sided figure : RHOMB
15
Halloween purchase : EGGS
19
"___ by me" : FINE
20
Slangy commercial suffix : ORAMA
21
Shelter org. : ASPCA
22
Scuba diver's worry : LEAK
23
-IRC-MS-ANCES : TAKEOUTOFCONTEXT
26
Be a couch potato : LAZE
27
Mystery writers' awards : AGATHAS
28
Person with few possessions : MONK
29
Hymn whose second line is "Solvet saeclum in favilla" : DIESIRAE
31
Breeze : SNAP
33
Pay stub? : OLA
35
Ninny : ASS
36
ANTI--VERNMENT UN--ST : BLOODLESSREVOLUTION
45
Urge : GOAD
46
Maker of Fosamax and Zocor : MERCK
47
Moscow's home: Abbr. : IDA
48
Covered walkway : STOA
50
It's music to a musician's ears : ENCORE
52
AR--CL- : THEMISSINGLINK
57
Size unit of an English soda bottle : LITRE
58
Like 11-Down: Abbr. : DEM
59
Soon : INASEC
60
"Is ___?" : ITI
61
Underground network : ROOTS
66
Shoe brand reputedly named after a Scottish golfer : THOMMCAN
70
P---ARY CARE PHY-ICIANS : DOCTORSWITHOUTBORDERS
76
Currency union since 1999 : EUROAREA
77
Together : INALL
78
PBS benefactor : NEA
79
Low clouds : STRATI
82
Stranded messenger? : RNA
84
1991 Tony winner Daisy : EAGAN
86
FI-TH WH--L : SPARENOEXPENSE
92
Tips, e.g. : ADVICE
93
Heart lines: Abbr. : EKGS
94
Where some people get tips: Abbr. : OTB
95
Like the Vietnamese language : TONAL
97
Like some verbs: Abbr. : INTR
98
WHAT A -ANDA DOES IN -EIS-RELY FA-HION : EATSSHOOTSANDLEAVES
104
Tiny tunneler : ANT
105
Tic-tac-toe loser : XOO
106
Box lightly : SPAR
107
Hawaiian massage : LOMILOMI
112
Met, for one : NLER
115
Home of the N.H.L.'s Thrashers : ATLANTA
120
Modern home of the biblical Elam : IRAN
121
W--THL-SS R-AD-TER : LEMONDROPCOOKIES
124
Stun : DAZE
125
Take out : ERASE
126
8 1/2-pound statue : OSCAR
127
Regarding : INRE
128
Bob in the Olympics : SLED
129
Connection : NEXUS
130
Fresh : SASSY
131
Favorite baby sitter, maybe : NANA
Down
1
Brut rival : AFTA
2
TV screen meas. : DIAG
3
"It's Time to Cry" singer, 1959 : ANKA
4
Hook up : MEET
5
6
Gallery event : ARTSALE
7
Kung ___ chicken : PAO
8
Alternative to satellite : AMFM
9
Kind of shell : TACO
10
Stick in one's craw : RANKLE
11
Pres. when the C.I.A. was created : HST
12
Piece of a newspaper? : OPED
13
1,111 : MCXI
14
French river craft : BATEAU
15
National monument site since 1965 : ELLISISLAND
16
Skis, boots, masks, etc. : GEAR
17
Mideast tinderbox : GAZA
18
___-Ball : SKEE
24
Very : OHSO
25
"___ off?" : ONOR
30
Bygone flier : SST
32
Fresh : PERT
34
Company name that becomes another company name if you move its first letter to the end : AVIS
36
Mackerellike fish : BONITO
37
Kind of acid : LACTIC
38
Effluvium : ODOR
39
Principal location?: Abbr. : SCH
40
TV exec's concern : SKED
41
Some E.R. cases : ODS
42
Chou En-___ : LAI
43
___ Chandler, longtime publisher of the Los Angeles Times : OTIS
44
All's opposite : NONE
45
Icy : GELID
49
Dog breeders' org. : AKC
51
Send another way : REROUTE
53
Dangerous buildup in a mine : METHANE
54
Preface online : IMHO
55
"Excalibur" star Williamson : NICOL
56
Knotted up : GNARLED
62
Senator Hatch : ORRIN
63
Spanish bear : OSO
64
Bygone flier : TWA
65
Word often following yes or no : SIR
67
Agreement abroad : OUI
68
Atlas abbr. : MTN
69
Wharton deg. : MBA
71
Like the face after a good bawl : TEARSTAINED
72
A.C.C. athlete : TERP
73
It typically has lots of horses : ENGINE
74
Isn't inert : REACTS
75
Less bananas : SANER
79
Toledo-to-Columbus dir. : SSE
80
N.J. or Pa. route : TPKE
81
Music in Mysore : RAGA
83
Architectural pier : ANTA
85
Tel ___ : AVIV
87
Cry at a circus : OOH
88
W.W. II arena : ETO
89
Wii alternative : XBOX
90
Male delivery : SON
91
Some receivers : ENDS
92
Dependent on chance : ALEATORY
96
Sources of fleece : ALPACAS
99
NBC inits. since 1975 : SNL
100
Pirated : STOLEN
101
British weights : TONNES
102
Cry after the rap of a hammer : SOLD
103
Man's name that's an anagram of 108-Down : ARLO
107
Caps : LIDS
108
Exam format : ORAL
109
Something to be threaded : MAZE
110
Pure : MERE
111
Kind of screen : IMAX
113
Psyche's love : EROS
114
Sub ___ (confidentially) : ROSA
116
Similar : AKIN
117
Ship that sailed "the ocean blue" : NINA
118
Shore flier : TERN
119
On the ocean : ASEA
122
The Cowboys of the Big 12 Conference : OSU
123
They may be cloned : PCS

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

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