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Mel Taub
Mel Taub

TOM SWIFTIES REDIVIVUS

New York Times, Sunday, December 11, 1988

93-Across : Mother Goose dieters

Author:
Mel Taub
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 142, Blocks: 72, Avg Word Len: 5.20, Missing: { J Q Z }, Scrabble score: 563 (avg 1.53)
Open Squares: 113, Cheaters: 8, FITB: 27, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 16
Mel Taub has 44 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 10 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
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© 1988, The New York TimesNo. 14,278
Across
1
John Webster's "The Duchess of ___" : MALFI
6
Ethereal ring : HALO
10
Trims away : PARES
15
Silent Lillian or Dorothy : GISH
19
First victim's namesakes : ABELS
20
Askew : ALOP
21
Rage : STORM
22
Engaged in : UPTO
23
"___?" asked Tom abstractly : BUTISITART
25
"___," said Tom divertingly : ITSOURTURN
27
Spaghetti wheat : DURUM
28
Credulous : NAIF
30
Raised strip : RIDGE
31
Falsify : LIE
32
Measures : STEPS
34
Flatter, in a way : IMITATE
36
Massive : BULKY
38
Notice : ESPY
40
"___," said Tom initially : IOWNANRCA
42
Signal flares : FUSEES
43
Eagle plus two : PAR
44
Exclusively : ONLY
45
Precise point : DOT
46
Played a shrill instrument : FIFED
47
"___," said Tom haltingly : ICANTGOON
50
"___," said Tom unsparingly : ANOPENFRAME
54
Wolf's kin : COYOTE
55
Barley beard : AWN
57
Underdone : RARE
58
___ Friday : GAL
59
Knight of TV memory : TED
60
Tire print : TREAD
62
The revenuers : IRS
63
Wall Street figure : BULL
64
Levin or Lansky : MEYER
67
"___," said Tom grandly : NICEPIANO
69
Avifauna : ORNIS
70
Cut out of the budget : AXED
71
Witticism : MOT
72
Priest, to Pedro : PADRE
73
"___ pig's eye!" : INA
74
Doughboys' successors : GIS
75
Smell ___ : ARAT
77
Creek : RIA
78
"That's a ___ on me!" said Tom freshly : NEWONE
82
"___," said Tom dramatically : ITSALLANACT
86
"___," said Tom rhetorically : BIGTALKER
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Gulf of Aqaba port : ELATH
90
Dutch airline inits. : KLM
91
Roald or Arlene : DAHL
92
Pallid : WAN
93
Mother Goose dieters : SPRATS
95
"___," said Tom ravenously : NEVERMORE
98
Adduce : CITE
99
Silent Pola : NEGRI
100
Early show : MATINEE
101
Sources of ruin : BANES
103
Exist : ARE
104
Kin of strep : STAPH
106
Acerbic : TART
108
Throwaways ever since Eve : CORES
110
"___," said Tom playfully : ISAWHAMLET
113
"___," said Tom disarmingly : DROPTHEGUN
116
Brief note : LINE
117
A Reagan Attorney General : MEESE
118
De Valera's republic : EIRE
119
Make used to : INURE
120
Glut : SATE
121
Ill-fated favorite of Elizabeth I : ESSEX
122
Hire out : RENT
123
Trifled : TOYED
Down
1
Fairy queen : MAB
2
"At once, ___, and yet a rose full-blown": Herrick : ABUD
3
"___," said Tom gracefully : LETUSPRAY
4
Coquettish : FLIRTY
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Progeny : ISSUE
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Cloche, e.g. : HAT
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King of comedy : ALAN
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Lake Erie city near Cleveland : LORAIN
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Most favorable situations : OPTIMA
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Omega's predecessor : PSI
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Magnetic one : ATTRACTOR
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___ Alverio (Rita Moreno) : ROSITA
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Run to seed : ERODE
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Complacent : SMUG
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Tennis-racquet strings : GUT
16
"___," said Tom automatically : IPULLEDAGUN
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Alley coup : STRIKE
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Sweethearts : HONEYS
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Encroached : IMPINGED
26
Blunt refusal : REBUFF
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"___," said Tom flatly : FINDANAPARTMENT
33
Sans others : SOLO
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Disney film: 1982 : TRON
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Pusher's customer : USER
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Grand in scope : EPIC
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Me. city : SACO
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A neighbor of Mont. : WYO
42
Bench penalties : FINES
44
Weasel's kin : OTTER
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Iron: Comb. form : FERRO
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Famous : NOTED
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Pusher's scourge : NARC
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Citizen Tom : PAINE
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Algerian neighbor : MALI
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Pipe elbows : ELLS
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Bewail : WEEP
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Powerful person : TITAN
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Tramp Vladimir in "Waiting for Godot" : DIDI
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Donnybrook : BRAWL
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Wise trio : MAGI
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Stairwell sign : EXIT
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"___," said Tom privately : YESSERGEANT
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Maugham's ___ Nesbit : NORAH
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Aba wearer : ARAB
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Ryan or Tatum : ONEAL
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Snack-bar drinks : MALTS
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Red-handed : INTHEACT
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"___," said Tom dolefully : TAKETHESE
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"___," said Tom sagely : OKWISEGUY
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Not on the rocks : NEAT
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River into Donegal Bay : ERNE
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Winglike : ALAR
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Somewhat tardy : LATISH
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Romans' 156 : CLVI
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Pledge of unity : IDO
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Apparel : GARB
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Symbols of sluggishness : SNAILS
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Xerxes's realm : PERSIA
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City near Vesuvius : NAPLES
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McGuffey work : READER
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___ olde England : MERRIE
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Melville's "Benito ___" : CERENO
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Russell, Ball and Lansbury : MAMES
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Kind of game for Nolan Ryan : NOHIT
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Like a pussycat : TAME
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Asunder : TORN
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Kind of bet : SURE
111
Minuscule : WEE
112
Waco nickname : TEX
114
Peevish fit : PET
115
He's often raised : NED

Answer summary:
12 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later, 6 appeared only in pre-Shortz puzzles.

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

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