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Art Heist

New York Times, Sunday, December 15, 2024

Author:
David Kwong
Editor:
Joel Fagliano
Blog:
Plunder, archaically
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
244/1/200612/15/20245
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
5234721
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
631.5911747%
David Kwong

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 80 This is puzzle # 24 for Mr. Kwong. Sunday freshness: 70%
Notepad: Ten paintings have been stolen by a master thief! To solve this caper, locate each stolen painting in the grid. Then identify the squares in the Across answers from which they've been taken. In their place, the thief has left behind 10 pieces of evidence – letters in the Downs. Read them from top to bottom to reveal a message.
Joel Fagliano notes:
David Kwong is a magician and crossword constructor in Los Angeles. He was the head magic consultant on the 2013 heist film Now You See Me and has consulted on magic and puzzles for many ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
Across answers include names of famous painters. Down answers steal those names and replace them with single letters to match the clues. Reading those single letters from top to bottom ... read more
1
T
2
A
3
C
4
T
5
I
6
C
7
S
8
M
9
O
10
N
11
E
12
T
13
S
14
W
15
A
16
P
17
R
A
D
I
S
H
E
18
S
19
P
O
T
A
S
H
20
K
A
H
L
O
21
E
A
S
T
ERNST
A
N
D
22
A
R
D
T
I
M
E
23
O
R
I
O
N
24
I
N
F
25
S
L
O
E
26
R
E
C
27
O
G
L
E
D
28
S
29
L
A
T
E
30
S
31
E
L
L
32
S
33
GOYA
34
N
K
E
E
S
35
B
U
E
N
O
S
A
36
I
R
E
SARGENT
I
37
N
38
A
39
U
S
N
40
A
T
A
41
A
L
O
T
42
S
L
A
L
43
O
M
44
T
45
E
46
L
47
E
48
T
U
N
49
A
50
T
O
N
T
51
O
52
L
I
L
L
E
53
B
O
DEGAS
54
E
R
N
S
55
T
56
N
I
E
L
57
S
58
F
A
I
R
59
W
O
N
T
60
S
E
A
H
A
61
G
62
A
X
L
E
63
D
64
H
O
O
65
KAHLO
U
N
G
E
66
O
R
E
67
L
68
T
I
T
E
69
R
70
S
U
E
T
71
F
72
R
73
O
MONET
O
T
E
74
N
75
E
A
G
E
76
R
77
S
M
OKEEFFE
78
C
79
T
80
S
81
L
A
M
E
82
S
H
A
83
M
84
T
A
P
E
85
S
86
S
N
O
O
P
87
A
V
A
88
W
A
D
U
89
P
90
S
L
A
N
91
G
92
G
O
Y
A
93
M
I
R
94
O
95
I
R
I
S
E
96
D
97
O
V
E
R
98
K
M
S
99
K
100
O
S
101
R
E
G
I
102
S
T
E
R
E
103
D
104
D
I
E
TITIAN
105
S
106
T
E
A
MIRO
107
N
108
S
T
A
T
109
D
A
R
I
E
N
110
D
A
R
E
S
111
U
112
M
113
A
114
C
R
E
115
S
116
T
I
A
117
A
L
I
F
E
118
M
A
R
119
Y
H
A
DALI
T
120
T
L
E
L
121
A
122
M
123
B
124
L
E
A
F
S
125
B
I
T
T
E
N
126
P
O
I
S
O
N
E
R
127
I
S
L
E
128
S
L
E
D
S
129
M
E
T
G
A
L
A
© 2024, The New York Times12/15/24 ( No. 27,431 )
Across
1
Chess player's study : TACTICS
8
Painting stolen from 71-Across : MONET
13
Cashless deal : SWAP
17
Crunchy root vegetables : RADISHES
19
Fertilizer compound : POTASH
20
Painting stolen from 64-Across : KAHLO
21
Winter setting in New England : EASTERNSTANDARDTIME
23
Hunter on high : ORION
24
Like the Beatles' "Yesterday," key-wise : INF
25
Plum variety often used in spirits : SLOE
26
___ center : REC
27
Made eyes at : OGLED
28
Schedules : SLATES
31
Architectural annexes : ELLS
33
Bronx cheer : GOYANKEES
35
Capital on the Río de la Plata : BUENOSAIRESARGENTINA
39
"Anchors Aweigh" grp. : USN
40
One step ___ time : ATA
41
Oodles : ALOT
42
Downhill event : SLALOM
44
Prefix with health : TELE
48
Niçoise salad need : TUNA
50
Role for Jay Silverheels : TONTO
52
Charles de Gaulle's birthplace : LILLE
53
Neighborhood grocery stores : BODEGAS
54
Painting stolen from 21-Across : ERNST
56
Nobelist Bohr : NIELS
58
Evenhanded : FAIR
59
Customary practice : WONT
60
Popeye's witchy foe in early comics : SEAHAG
62
Like a car's wheels : AXLED
64
Bar with hashish pipes : HOOKAHLOUNGE
66
Baseball great Hershiser : OREL
68
Solution strength, in chemistry : TITER
70
Fat used in candlemaking : SUET
71
Common scale range : FROMONETOTEN
75
Champing at the bit : EAGER
77
Fog and haze generated for a theatrical production : SMOKEEFFECTS
81
Flimsy, as an excuse : LAME
82
Pillow cover : SHAM
84
Fastens, in a way : TAPES
86
Nose around : SNOOP
87
Director DuVernay : AVA
88
Crumple into a ball : WADUP
90
Informal speech : SLANG
92
Painting stolen from 33-Across : GOYA
93
Painting stolen from 105-Across : MIRO
95
Opened or closed like an eye, in film lingo : IRISED
97
No longer interested in : OVER
98
Tour de France units: Abbr. : KMS
99
Bout enders, for short : KOS
101
Health professional focused on nutrition : REGISTEREDDIETITIAN
105
Household appliance that makes a hissing sound : STEAMIRON
108
"Right now!" : STAT
109
Connecticut coastal town near Stamford : DARIEN
110
Has the gumption : DARES
111
Actress Thurman : UMA
114
Abbr. on a music score : CRES
116
Member of la familia : TIA
117
"Get ___!" : ALIFE
118
Classic nursery rhyme : MARYHADALITTLELAMB
124
Toronto team, for short : LEAFS
125
Attacked by mosquitoes, say : BITTEN
126
Claudius, vis-à-vis King Hamlet : POISONER
127
Land in the sea : ISLE
128
Iditarod entries : SLEDS
129
Annual star-studded fashion event : METGALA
Down
1
Three, in Torino : TRE
2
Letters associated with baseball and batteries : AAA
3
Many '90s music purchases : CDS
4
Painting stolen from 101-Across : TITIAN
5
Enjoys as a hobby : ISINTO
6
Gets irritated by : CHAFESAT
7
Title for Manchin or Murkowski: Abbr. : SEN
8
First cars made by Ford : MODELAS
9
See 122-Down : OTT
10
Hair removal brand : NAIR
11
Salinger's "For ___ – With Love and Squalor" : ESME
12
"Penn & Teller: Fool Us" airer : THECW
13
Painting stolen from 35-Across : SARGENT
14
"___ we're waiting …" : WHILE
15
Cactuslike plants : ALOES
16
Duffer's obstacle : POND
18
'60s campus activist grp. : SDS
19
"1984" drudge : PROLE
20
Eccentric types : KOOKS
22
Certain emergency message : ALERTTEXT
28
Surgeon's stitch : SUTURE
29
Actress Creel of "Saved by the Bell" : LEANNA
30
Beauty spot? : SALON
32
Place to keep plants : SILL
34
Abundant : NUMEROUS
35
Motel proprietor in "Psycho" : BATES
36
Ancient Greek region for which part of the Mediterranean is named : IONIA
37
Innocent sort : NAIF
38
God of the Qu'ran : ALLAH
43
Hodgepodges : OLIOS
45
Dark, in poesy : EBON
46
Like some vowels and memories : LONG
47
90° from norte : ESTE
49
On dry ground : ASHORE
51
Basic skateboard trick : OLLIE
55
Root in some speckled chips : TARO
57
Adjust to, as a thermostat : SETAT
59
___ Clan, iconic hip-hop group of the 1990s : WUTANG
61
Catches on : GETSWISE
63
Painting stolen from 53-Across : DEGAS
65
Some partners in lesbian couples : FEMS
67
Franz who composed "The Merry Widow" : LEHAR
69
Mapped out again : REPLOTTED
71
Deception : FLAM
72
Shankar at Woodstock : RAVI
73
Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan : OMAR
74
Acme's antonym : NADIR
76
Plunder, archaically : REAVE
78
Online tracker : COOKIE
79
Old-fashioned trinket shop vendors : TOYMEN
80
Twitch : SPASM
83
Think aloud : MUSE
85
Bergen's dummy Mortimer : SNERD
89
Identifies : PEGS
91
"Half a truth is often a ___": Benjamin Franklin : GREATLIE
94
Painting stolen from 77-Across : OKEEFFE
96
Abandons : DITCHES
100
Places of refuge : OASES
102
Xerox : copy machine :: ___ : kitchen wrap : SARAN
103
Most boring : DRIEST
104
Lines at the theater? : DIALOG
105
Corporate department : SALES
106
Culmination of many a "Law & Order" episode : TRIAL
107
Desensitizes : NUMBS
110
Painting stolen from 118-Across : DALI
112
It might be held during vacation : MAIL
113
Comedian Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE
115
Big inits. in fuel additives : STP
119
From Jan. 1 until now : YTD
120
Male turkey : TOM
121
Actress de Armas of "Knives Out" : ANA
122
With 9-Down, legendary Giant : MEL
123
A nursing one has snaps : BRA

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

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