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William S. McIlrath
William S. McIlrath

BIRD BOTCHING

New York Times, Sunday, March 1, 1987

76-Across : Muffle

Author:
William S. McIlrath
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 140, Blocks: 86, Avg Word Len: 5.07, Missing: { Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 536 (avg 1.51)
Open Squares: 120, Cheaters: 15, FITB: 8, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 5
William S. McIlrath has 19 known pre-Shortz puzzles in our database.
1
C
2
R
3
A
4
T
5
E
6
J
7
U
8
M
9
P
10
S
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C
12
H
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D
14
O
15
F
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F
17
E
18
R
19
A
E
R
I
E
20
E
N
E
R
O
21
R
E
O
22
P
R
O
V
E
23
S
W
A
L
L
24
O
W
T
A
I
L
25
E
A
G
26
L
E
E
Y
E
D
27
T
I
R
E
28
R
E
I
N
29
G
E
R
M
A
N
Y
30
E
R
A
31
I
D
L
E
S
32
H
E
P
T
A
D
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A
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J
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A
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R
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R
E
T
38
I
N
U
E
39
F
O
S
S
E
S
40
A
L
E
41
C
A
R
D
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I
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N
A
L
S
I
N
44
T
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O
Y
E
D
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S
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C
E
N
E
48
T
Y
C
O
O
N
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B
R
E
W
E
D
50
S
P
O
D
E
51
T
H
A
I
52
M
O
I
R
A
53
T
I
L
54
O
R
A
C
L
55
E
56
S
A
I
N
57
L
58
T
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D
60
O
L
D
61
C
H
I
C
K
E
N
62
L
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I
T
T
L
E
64
K
O
A
65
W
E
T
66
H
I
L
A
67
D
E
B
R
I
S
68
E
B
B
69
U
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R
I
A
L
71
A
S
O
N
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L
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I
R
A
S
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M
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A
R
T
E
N
76
D
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E
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A
D
E
N
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B
U
R
S
T
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O
A
K
E
N
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S
I
T
T
I
N
G
82
D
U
C
K
83
O
R
E
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L
I
S
T
O
N
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A
R
I
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T
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A
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E
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D
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Y
90
S
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F
E
N
C
E
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A
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M
P
L
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I
R
V
95
M
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U
R
M
U
R
S
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P
A
P
A
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A
M
I
E
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G
100
O
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N
E
G
O
O
S
E
102
S
103
T
O
O
L
P
104
I
G
E
O
N
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I
D
E
A
L
106
N
E
T
107
S
W
O
R
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108
A
R
I
S
E
109
L
E
E
R
Y
110
S
S
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111
S
O
L
I
D
112
L
A
S
E
R
© 1987, The New York TimesNo. 13,627
Across
1
Jalopy : CRATE
6
Chess moves : JUMPS
11
Comb. of tones : CHD
14
Bid : OFFER
19
Home for an eyas : AERIE
20
Don's January : ENERO
21
Hudson contemporary : REO
22
Try out : PROVE
23
Capistrano copper? : SWALLOWTAIL
25
Good Scout became an ogler? : EAGLEEYED
27
Flag : TIRE
28
Check : REIN
29
Divided land : GERMANY
30
Cenozoic, e.g. : ERA
31
Lallygags : IDLES
32
Jazzy septet? : HEPTAD
33
Discordant : AJAR
37
Cortege : RETINUE
39
Moats : FOSSES
40
Stout : ALE
41
Newman slip? : CARDINALSIN
44
Dallied : TOYED
46
Prospect : SCENE
48
Title a shogun had : TYCOON
49
Fomented : BREWED
50
Stoke-on-Trent product : SPODE
51
Neighbor of a Laotian : THAI
52
Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA
53
"___ Tomorrow," 1959 song : TIL
54
Diviner : ORACLE
56
World Series pitcher: 1948 : SAIN
57
Business abbr. : LTD
60
Ancient : OLD
61
Sobriquet for a mimic suffering stage fright? : CHICKENLITTLE
64
Hawaiian timber tree : KOA
65
Volsteader's opponent : WET
66
Seed scars : HILA
67
Eluvium : DEBRIS
68
Decline : EBB
69
Asian wild sheep : URIAL
71
Coffin's "Poems for ___ With Wings" : ASON
72
Money in Ankara : LIRAS
74
Valuable fur : MARTEN
76
Muffle : DEADEN
79
Salvo : BURST
80
Holmlike : OAKEN
81
Model widgeon? : SITTINGDUCK
83
Jacutinga, e.g. : ORE
84
Heavyweight champ: 1962-64 : LISTON
85
Awns : ARISTAE
89
Former Algerian rulers : DEYS
91
Athos, at times : FENCER
92
Liberal : AMPLE
94
Columnist Kupcinet : IRV
95
Soughs : MURMURS
97
Nickname for Haydn : PAPA
98
Grenoble girlfriend : AMIE
99
Anser's away, my boys! : GONEGOOSE
102
Dupe at the bar? : STOOLPIGEON
105
Visionary : IDEAL
106
Toils : NET
107
Pledged sacredly : SWORE
108
Rebel : ARISE
109
Distrustful : LEERY
110
Compass dir. : SSE
111
Reliable : SOLID
112
Electromagnetic-wave amplifier : LASER
Down
1
Bottle for vinegar, salt, etc. : CASTER
2
Play the electrician : REWIRE
3
Biblical docking site : ARARAT
4
Favus : TILE
5
Grig : EEL
6
Bespangled, in a way : JEWELED
7
Loosen : UNTIE
8
Wherewithal : MEANS
9
Sawlike: Prefix : PRI
10
Helios : SOL
11
"___ this petty pace ... ": Macbeth : CREEPSIN
12
Inspirit : HEARTEN
13
Tenets : DOGMAS
14
Airy : OPEN
15
Valkyries' leader : FREYA
16
Actor in "The Pajama Game" : FOY
17
Conductor Queler : EVE
18
Ryder of comics : RED
24
Cleanup matter for Hercules : ORDURE
26
Young man : LAD
29
Plaster of paris : GESSO
31
Fatuous : INANE
32
Completely: Comb. form : HOLO
34
Baby Gould's nannies? : JAYWALKERS
35
Nautical term : ALEE
36
Foxx from St. Louis : REDD
38
Frosted : ICED
39
Easy : FACILE
42
It's above Cayuga's waters : ITHACA
43
Helen Hayes's home : NYACK
44
Threefold : TRINE
45
Above, to Key : OER
46
Barrel spigot : SPILE
47
Winter Garden flop? : COLDTURKEY
49
Seethes : BOILS
50
Lay in : STOW
51
Quaver : TRILL
52
Of morning : MATIN
54
Buckeye : OHIAN
55
Kind of play : END
56
Like Samson : STRONG
58
Go ___ for (support) : TOBAT
59
Small flounder : DABS
61
___ Lung, Chinese emperor: 18th century : CHIEN
62
Adman's attention-getter : LEADIN
63
"Brand" playwright : IBSEN
70
Map abbr. : RTE
72
Singer-actress Arnaz : LUCIE
73
Nettles : IRKS
74
Humor : MOOD
75
Swiss waterway : AARE
76
Separate : DISCRETE
77
Diminutive suffixes : ETTES
78
Suffix with comment : ATOR
79
Coarse fabric : BURLAP
81
Cavities : SINUSES
82
Spotted : DAPPLED
84
Detroit recalls : LEMONS
86
"His ___ forever ... ": Cowley : TIMEIS
87
Melodic : ARIOSE
88
Shim, e.g. : EVENER
90
Calumniate : SMEAR
91
To's opposite : FRO
92
" ... rusting in ___ of tears": F. Thompson : APOOL
93
Soprano Te Kanawa is one : MAORI
96
Frightful : UGLY
98
Pearl Mosque site : AGRA
99
"___ Blas" : GIL
100
Parabasis : ODE
101
Formerly named : NEE
102
Draft initials : SSS
103
Brace : TWO
104
Suffix with deferent : IAL

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 3 debuted here and reused later, 7 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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