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David J. Pohl
David J. Pohl
John M. Samson
John M. Samson

LETTER-PERFECT

New York Times, Sunday, October 21, 1979

123-Across : Minus

Author:
David J. Pohl and John M. Samson
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 23, Columns: 23, Words: 170, Blocks: 92, Avg Word Len: 5.14, Missing: { Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 679 (avg 1.55)
Open Squares: 129, Cheaters: 12, FITB: 17, XRef: 1, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 5 Grid has duplicate clues.
David J. Pohl and John M. Samson have 3 known pre-Shortz puzzles in our database.
1
D
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S
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C
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H
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E
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L
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E
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N
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T
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M
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P
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M
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I
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L
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A
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N
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B
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H
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E
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S
K
A
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H
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M
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O
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E
Y
E
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F
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T
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H
U
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R
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C
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N
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A
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S
A
M
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T
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F
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D
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V
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L
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R
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E
N
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T
R
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F
A
C
E
U
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P
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E
N
O
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S
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C
I
A
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B
O
A
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E
C
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B
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E
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H
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V
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S
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F
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F
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H
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O
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A
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R
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T
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P
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O
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N
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L
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E
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S
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T
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N
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L
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D
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M
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F
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H
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E
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D
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C
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E
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L
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B
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T
O
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N
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E
D
Y
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A
R
K
I
N
66
A
D
V
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D
A
R
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D
A
U
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B
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T
M
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N
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T
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E
R
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A
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V
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E
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B
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C
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O
N
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F
L
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R
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P
R
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S
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H
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C
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L
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A
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G
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P
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N
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P
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P
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F
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I
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Y
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P
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S
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T
Y
R
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N
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V
A
J
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O
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S
N
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P
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R
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N
E
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O
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L
114
E
W
E
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U
N
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E
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S
A
O
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S
119
E
C
O
N
D
120
I
N
C
O
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M
122
M
A
N
D
123
L
E
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S
125
W
R
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N
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A
C
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127
N
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E
R
128
Y
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P
P
129
E
130
D
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A
N
N
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A
N
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T
133
O
134
D
E
M
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O
136
T
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E
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L
I
L
L
I
139
E
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M
E
T
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E
R
142
C
I
V
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I
L
R
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G
H
T
144
S
L
E
A
D
E
R
145
I
S
E
R
E
146
A
M
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N
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147
S
L
A
N
T
148
S
T
E
T
S
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S
T
R
I
A
150
P
E
S
K
Y
151
S
E
T
A
E
152
S
R
S
© 1979, The New York TimesNo. 10,939
Across
1
Mil. award : DSC
4
Menelaus' wife : HELEN
9
Savoy dance : STOMP
14
Lombard city : MILAN
19
Wash : BATHE
21
Glide along : SKATE
22
Marine painter : HOMER
23
"Pal Joey" author : OHARA
24
27
Where Shillong is : ASSAM
28
Bring ___ (animate) : TOLIFE
29
Twaddle : DRIVEL
30
Lustrous black : RAVEN
32
___-la-la : TRA
33
Card position : FACEUP
35
Slaughter : ENOS
37
Turner's org. : CIA
38
PT or U- : BOAT
39
Prefix with plasm : ECTO
40
44
Crew member : OAR
47
Acme : TOP
48
Particular : OWN
49
___ Palmas : LAS
50
Cardinal point : EAST
51
Locale : SPOT
53
Invalidated : NULLED
55
Swab : MOP
56
Excited : FLUSHED
59
___ Coeur, Parisian landmark : SACRE
61
Den : LAIR
62
Skipjack : BONITO
64
Impoverished : NEEDY
65
Actor Alan : ARKIN
66
Pt. of speech : ADV
67
___ es Salaam : DAR
68
Smear : DAUB
70
Govt. agents : TMEN
71
Adman's come-on : TEASER
73
Antipathetic : AVERSE
76
Bric-a-___ : BRAC
78
Undivided : ONE
79
Blunder : FLUFF
80
Quell : REPRESS
82
Refuse : TRASH
84
Primate : APE
86
Being, in Brest : ETRE
88
Grooming : TOILET
89
Tumultuous : HECTIC
91
Quiet : LULL
93
Alone : SOLO
95
Its: Fr. : SES
96
Past : AGO
98
Implicit : TACIT
100
Deck : ORLOP
102
Crab's claw : NIPPER
104
Campus V.I.P. : PROF
105
Austrian neighbor : ITALY
106
Practice quiz : PRETEST
108
Son of Odin : TYR
109
Arizona native : NAVAJO
111
Scissors sound : SNIP
112
Russian hemp : RINE
113
Painting : OIL
114
Ram's dam : EWE
115
___ affaire flambée : UNE
117
___ Paulo : SAO
118
123
Minus : LESS
125
Small songbird : WREN
126
Red Baron, e.g. : ACE
127
At no time: Poet. : NEER
128
Barked, in a way : YIPPED
131
Mass. cape : ANN
132
Pico de ___ : ANETO
134
Take down a peg : DEMOTE
138
Memorable actress from Canada : LILLIE
140
Type of maid : METER
142
145
Grenoble's river : ISERE
146
Organic compound : AMINE
147
Bias : SLANT
148
Words on proofs : STETS
149
Narrow groove : STRIA
150
Annoying : PESKY
151
Bristles : SETAE
152
June grads : SRS
Down
1
___ Judgment : DAYOF
2
Stone monument : STELA
3
Selection : CHOICE
4
Royal letters : HSH
5
___ out (got by) : EKED
6
City in Germany : LAHR
7
Sewing case : ETUI
8
9
Civil War battle site: 1862 : SHILOH
10
Couperin's "Tic-___-choc" : TOC
11
Jerusalem's Mosque of ___ : OMAR
12
Imperils : MENACES
13
Conductor/composer : PREVIN
14
Lament : MOAN
15
Letters on a chasuble : IHS
16
17
Turkey's highest point : ARARAT
18
Athlete/actor : NAMATH
19
Stake : BET
20
Result : EFFECT
25
Münster man : TEUTON
26
Tear : RENT
31
Canvas support : EASEL
34
36
Lawgiver : SOLON
38
Actress Jacqueline : BISSET
40
"El Libertador" : BOLIVAR
41
Oenochoe : EWER
42
Tasteless : VAPID
43
Rural Roman god : FAUN
44
Greek peak : OSSA
45
Aside : APART
46
52
Examination : TRIAL
54
Youth : LAD
55
Tasty tidbits : MORSELS
56
57
First place : EDEN
58
Unit of force : DYNE
60
Result : ENSUE
62
Fence : BARRIER
63
Flap : TAB
67
Trial witness, of a sort : DEPOSER
69
Expose : BARE
72
Tritons : EFTS
74
Legionnaire, e.g. : VET
75
Stengel follower : ESE
77
Cholla and opuntia : CACTI
81
Famished : STARVED
83
Photocopies : STATS
84
Askew : ALOP
85
Engine sound : PURR
87
Hebrew judge : ELI
90
Eyelashes : CILIA
92
Emollient : LOTION
94
Of vision : OPTIC
97
Tibetan gazelle : GOA
99
Steno's slip : TYPO
101
Robert ___ Warren : PENN
103
Power tower : PYLON
104
Pledge or risk : PAWN
107
Portable chair : SEDAN
109
Almost a direct hit : NEARMISS
110
"Anna Christie" playwright : ONEILL
113
Former : ONETIME
116
Discerns : ESPIES
118
Pundits : SWAMIS
119
Composer Bloch : ERNEST
120
Glacial mass : ICECAP
121
Jumble : MEDLEY
122
Seemann's milieu : MEER
124
Slapping sounds : SPLATS
129
Doyen : ELDER
130
Fares : DIETS
132
Range : AREA
133
Genus of 114 Across : OVIS
135
Stare amorously : OGLE
136
"Take ___!" : THAT
137
"Vulcan's chimney" : ETNA
139
Forage plant : ERS
141
"___ tu," Verdi aria : ERI
143
Squid's defense : INK
144
___ Anne de Beaupré : STE

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 6 appeared only in pre-Shortz puzzles.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Crosswords published prior to Nov. 21, 1993 are provided by David Steinberg and The Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project.

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