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Frances Hansen
Frances Hansen

!PU SMOTTOB

New York Times, Sunday, April 1, 1984

87-Across : Peak of perfection

Author:
Frances Hansen
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 138, Blocks: 75, Avg Word Len: 5.30, Missing: { J Q Z }, Scrabble score: 552 (avg 1.51)
Open Squares: 136, Cheaters: 6, FITB: 12, XRef: 0, Spans: 4, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 8 Grid has duplicate clues.
Frances Hansen has 81 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 40 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
David Steinberg notes:

This is apparently how the puzzle ran in print but the title and theme only make sense if the long answers run Down rather than Across.

1
W
2
A
3
L
4
R
5
U
6
S
7
C
8
A
9
L
10
O
11
R
12
I
13
C
14
A
15
L
16
E
17
P
18
P
19
O
20
I
T
A
I
N
T
21
A
T
A
N
E
N
D
22
M
I
X
E
R
S
23
L
O
O
F
L
I
24
R
P
A
E
H
T
S
E
25
M
O
C
E
R
E
H
26
L
I
S
T
E
N
I
N
27
I
R
E
28
I
R
I
S
E
S
29
S
T
D
30
F
31
A
G
O
T
32
N
E
T
33
A
34
B
35
B
36
E
S
S
37
M
O
T
H
S
38
B
U
T
39
T
40
R
41
A
42
M
43
N
O
O
R
44
D
I
L
L
45
M
E
E
T
46
O
O
N
A
47
Y
A
W
Y
48
M
49
N
O
M
I
E
50
M
51
R
O
F
T
I
52
A
W
U
O
Y
53
A
S
I
54
I
O
N
I
C
55
A
E
R
O
56
M
A
S
S
E
57
S
T
E
58
T
S
O
N
59
O
D
O
R
60
S
I
S
T
E
R
61
E
R
N
E
62
S
63
T
64
O
65
O
N
E
66
A
C
A
T
67
S
68
W
69
A
N
E
E
70
H
E
X
71
A
72
L
A
B
E
73
L
74
E
75
D
76
H
I
L
D
A
77
O
N
U
P
78
S
79
T
I
L
L
80
A
M
E
81
E
L
U
R
D
82
R
83
O
W
S
S
O
84
R
C
A
K
A
E
85
R
B
O
T
86
A
L
L
I
87
A
C
M
E
88
Y
O
R
E
89
I
O
T
A
90
F
O
A
L
91
I
T
E
92
B
93
W
A
N
A
94
C
95
L
A
R
E
T
96
P
L
O
97
M
A
I
N
E
98
A
H
O
99
B
100
O
101
P
E
E
P
102
A
G
T
103
F
L
A
T
104
B
105
O
106
A
107
T
108
Y
A
D
O
T
D
I
109
R
G
E
H
110
T
111
P
U
G
N
I
O
G
M
I
112
E
N
D
O
R
A
113
E
N
L
I
V
E
N
114
C
O
L
L
I
E
115
T
E
A
P
O
T
116
D
A
S
T
A
R
D
117
E
N
D
E
A
R
© 1984, The New York TimesNo. 12,563
Across
1
Carpenter's friend : WALRUS
7
Like fattening foods : CALORIC
14
Second-largest Syrian city : ALEPPO
20
"___ Necessarily So" : ITAINT
21
Done with : ATANEND
22
Club soda, branch water, etc. : MIXERS
23
!PU SMOTTOB : HERECOMESTHEAPRILFOOL
26
Use a wiretap : LISTENIN
27
High dudgeon : IRE
28
Spring bloomers : IRISES
29
Norm: Abbr. : STD
30
Bundle of sticks : FAGOT
32
Not gross : NET
33
Cloister head : ABBESS
37
Storage problem : MOTHS
38
Save : BUT
39
Mine car : TRAM
43
King Hussein's wife : NOOR
44
Popular pickle : DILL
45
Seemly : MEET
46
Chaplin's widow : OONA
47
!PU SMOTTOB : YOUWAITFORMEIMONMYWAY
53
"___ was saying ... " : ASI
54
Architectural style : IONIC
55
Flying prefix : AERO
56
Billiards shot : MASSE
57
Hat for J. R. Ewing : STETSON
59
Repute : ODOR
60
Dreiser's Carrie : SISTER
61
Tenor role in "Don Pasquale" : ERNESTO
65
Street game : ONEACAT
67
Jolson hit : SWANEE
70
Six: Comb. form : HEXA
72
Tagged : LABELED
76
Poet H.D.'s first name : HILDA
77
Price addenda : ONUP
78
Moonshiner's device : STILL
80
Soul of St.-Cyr : AME
81
!PU SMOTTOB : TOBREAKACROSSWORDRULE
86
"___ Do Is Dream ... " : ALLI
87
Peak of perfection : ACME
88
Auld lang syne : YORE
89
Minute amount : IOTA
90
Stable pet : FOAL
91
Jersey or Manhattan trailer : ITE
92
Boss, in darkest Africa : BWANA
94
Dry table wine : CLARET
96
Arafat's org. : PLO
97
Ship to remember : MAINE
98
Writer Brofeldt's pseudonym : AHO
99
Lax little shepherdess : BOPEEP
102
007, e.g. : AGT
103
Shallow-water transport : FLATBOAT
108
!PU SMOTTOB : IMGOINGUPTHEGRIDTODAY
112
Samantha's mother on "Bewitched" : ENDORA
113
Pep up : ENLIVEN
114
Lassie, for one : COLLIE
115
Tempest container : TEAPOT
116
Mean, cowardly cad : DASTARD
117
Make beloved : ENDEAR
Down
1
Heir's concern : WILL
2
Thine, in Noisy-le-Sec : ATOI
3
Prince Souphanouvong's land : LAOS
4
Schism : RIFT
5
Provided : UNLESS
6
Is frugal : STINTS
7
___ Andy of "Show Boat" : CAPN
8
One ___ time (singly) : ATA
9
New Guinea seaport : LAE
10
In heaven : ONHIGH
11
Certain rockets : RETROS
12
Map feature : INSET
13
B-F connection : CDE
14
Little cherubs : AMORETTI
15
On the up and up : LICIT
16
They've been "Reno-vated" : EXES
17
Marquette, e.g. : PERE
18
Corp. head : PRES
19
Kirghizian oblast : OSH
24
Disencumber : RID
25
Stately court dance : MINUET
30
Kind of acid : FOLIC
31
Tamarisk salt tree : ATLE
33
Writer Seton et al. : ANYAS
34
Blow one's own horn : BOAST
35
Alamo name or knife : BOWIE
36
Suffix for trick or witch : ERY
37
Rodolfo's love : MIMI
38
In front : BEFORE
39
Go ___ (become worthless) : TOWASTE
40
Shake out of bed : ROUST
41
By ___ (barely) : ANOSE
42
Louis B., the "star-maker" : MAYER
44
"Go and catch a falling star" poet : DONNE
45
City in Argentina : MORON
48
Interpret wrongly : MISREAD
49
Not a soul : NOONE
50
Leader of the Long March : MAO
51
Go back to the drawing board : REDO
52
Good-natured : AMIABLE
58
Plant's clinging part : TENDRIL
60
Milan's La ___ : SCALA
62
Doubting Thomas's demand : SHOWME
63
Up-tight : TENSE
64
Former name of the Amu Darya : OXUS
66
Like peas in a pod : ALIKE
67
Bundle of stalks : SHEAF
68
___-the-wisp : WILLO
69
Spurious wing : ALULA
71
G.I.'s address : APO
73
One of the Days : LABOR
74
Ham it up : EMOTE
75
Coup ___ : DETAT
78
Tea accompaniment : SCONE
79
Neighbor of Twelve Oaks : TARA
82
Reviled : RAILEDAT
83
Denizens of the deep : OCTOPI
84
Tatum's father : RYAN
85
Inlet : RIA
92
They're locked in with lox : BAGELS
93
Hip : WITHIT
94
Risk : CHANCE
95
Relief for dishpan hands : LOTION
96
Rock: Comb. form : PETRO
97
___ Carta : MAGNA
98
High-school math : ALG
99
Cause of distress : BANE
100
Strange-sounding Norwegian canton : ODDA
101
A deck : POOP
103
Part of UNICEF : FUND
104
Forward : BOLD
105
Make eyes at : OGLE
106
Author Lieblich : AMIA
107
Stadium feature : TIER
108
As ___ (until now) : YET
109
Buttons : RED
110
Tenn. power project : TVA
111
For each : PER

Answer summary:
7 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 5 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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