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New York Times, Monday, September 16, 2002

Author:
Roy Leban
Editor:
Will Shortz
50-Down : Way up a slope
TotalDebutLatest
139/16/20026/9/2015
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
2243200
RebusScrabDebutFresh
11.606935%
Roy Leban

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JQXYZ} Spans: 2 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Leban. Monday freshness: 17%
Roy Leban notes:

Although this wasn't my first published, puzzle, it was my first NYT crossword. It was also the my first submission to the Times, so it was pretty nice to get an email from Will saying he liked it but wanted a change. Would I do that? Of course I would!

In the process, Will asked for Monday cluing, so I kept the clues pretty easy. Still, Will changed almost half the clues. I later learned that wasn't bad for a debut puzzle and I got much better at both the NYT style and difficulty.

My favorite entry: MSRP, which had not appeared before, and has since appeared 16 times. MSRP wasn't in any of my databases and the only M??P words were the weak MNOP and the awful MUMP. (Later, I learned Merl Reagle had used MSRP earlier, and ME UP, as in ["Beam __, Scottie!"] is another option.)

1
S
2
A
3
L
4
S
5
A
6
I
7
R
8
I
9
S
10
S
11
W
12
A
13
P
14
A
V
A
I
L
15
S
I
L
K
16
L
A
C
E
17
D
O
U
B
L
18
E
S
O
L
I
19
T
A
I
R
E
20
E
N
D
21
T
A
U
T
22
P
U
T
T
E
R
23
L
O
S
E
24
F
O
R
E
25
S
26
M
27
A
L
L
E
R
28
H
A
L
F
29
P
30
T
31
A
32
N
O
M
A
D
33
O
D
E
34
W
O
E
S
35
A
T
O
M
36
G
37
A
P
E
S
38
H
U
R
T
39
K
O
N
A
40
R
O
E
41
R
I
N
S
E
42
E
R
G
43
R
A
N
D
44
O
45
M
O
R
D
E
R
46
B
O
N
E
47
T
S
A
R
48
R
49
O
50
T
U
N
D
51
N
O
R
M
52
R
53
C
54
A
55
U
N
B
I
A
S
56
E
D
O
P
I
57
N
I
O
N
58
I
C
A
L
59
O
P
A
L
60
N
I
T
R
O
61
N
E
R
D
62
N
I
K
E
63
G
L
E
N
N
© 2002, The New York Times9/16/2 ( No. 19,305 )
Across
1
Hot sauce : SALSA
6
Van Gogh flower : IRIS
10
This for that : SWAP
14
To no ___ (fruitlessly) : AVAIL
15
Scarf material : SILK
16
Scarf material : LACE
17
Cardplayer's oxymoron : DOUBLESOLITAIRE
20
Place to stop : END
21
Stretched : TAUT
22
Miniature golf club : PUTTER
23
Misplace : LOSE
24
Golfer's cry : FORE
25
Pie cutter's oxymoron : SMALLERHALF
29
School org. : PTA
32
Wanderer : NOMAD
33
Poem on an urn : ODE
34
Miseries : WOES
35
Unit of a molecule : ATOM
36
Stares : GAPES
38
Sprained, as an ankle : HURT
39
Hawaii's ___ Coast : KONA
40
Fish eggs : ROE
41
Shampoo step : RINSE
42
Work unit : ERG
43
Shuffler's oxymoron : RANDOMORDER
46
Dog's favorite part of a steak : BONE
47
Customer of Fabergé eggs : TSAR
48
Portly : ROTUND
51
Standard : NORM
52
"His Master's Voice" co. : RCA
55
Polltaker's oxymoron : UNBIASEDOPINION
58
Suffix with poet : ICAL
59
Iridescent gem : OPAL
60
Big bang maker : NITRO
61
Socially challenged person : NERD
62
Greek goddess of victory : NIKE
63
First American in orbit : GLENN
Down
1
She won a 2002 Grammy for "Lovers Rock" : SADE
2
Shakespearean stream : AVON
3
Extol : LAUD
4
Bro or sis : SIB
5
With everything : ALLTOLD
6
Bank, to a credit card : ISSUER
7
Laughfest : RIOT
8
Poorly : ILL
9
Sticks on a slope? : SKIPOLES
10
Political ticket : SLATE
11
Word repeated before "Don't tell me!" : WAIT
12
1/640 of a square mile : ACRE
13
Nobleman : PEER
18
Slacken : EASE
19
Territory : TURF
23
Relative of a camel : LLAMA
24
Lose brilliance : FADE
25
Viper, for one : SNAKE
26
Machine powerer : MOTOR
27
Shirley Jackson's "Life ___ the Savages" : AMONG
28
Wished (for) : HOPED
29
Feared destination in "Lady and the Tramp" : POUND
30
Not wordy : TERSE
31
Daisylike flower : ASTER
34
Helicopter sound : WHIRR
36
Henry Ford II, to Henry Ford : GRANDSON
37
Top-notch : AONE
41
Like some charges on a cell phone : ROAMING
43
Gossipy Barrett : RONA
44
"Lawrence of Arabia" star : OTOOLE
45
Abbr. after an asterisk in a car ad : MSRP
46
Erect : BUILD
48
Tear down : RUIN
49
"___ upon a time" : ONCE
50
Way up a slope : TBAR
51
Fargo's state: Abbr. : NDAK
52
Baptism, for one : RITE
53
Common syrup source : CORN
54
Auth. unknown : ANON
56
Prefix with gram or center : EPI
57
Zilch : NIL

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later.

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