This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.
John M. Samson
John M. Samson

LETTERMEN UNCOVERED

New York Times, Sunday, April 5, 1981

106-Across : Firmness

Author:
John McCarthy Samson
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 140, Blocks: 80, Avg Word Len: 5.16, Missing: { Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 551 (avg 1.53)
Open Squares: 136, Cheaters: 10, FITB: 5, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 12
John M. Samson has 49 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 1 Modern Era crossword in our database.
John McCarthy Samson is an alias for John M. Samson.
1
L
2
E
3
A
4
D
5
E
6
N
7
A
8
L
9
A
10
B
11
A
12
M
13
A
14
R
15
A
16
J
17
A
18
H
19
B
R
I
D
L
E
20
S
21
W
I
S
E
M
E
N
22
T
R
O
P
E
23
J
A
M
E
S
E
W
24
E
L
L
B
R
O
W
N
25
E
T
H
I
C
26
A
D
A
R
27
L
U
L
U
28
I
N
C
A
29
P
30
A
31
P
32
A
33
S
T
I
34
P
35
P
E
R
I
L
36
S
37
S
P
A
T
38
L
I
A
R
39
H
E
I
40
G
H
41
N
A
P
42
S
43
I
L
E
44
E
D
W
A
45
R
46
D
E
S
T
L
I
47
N
48
G
R
I
E
49
V
E
50
B
A
L
B
O
A
51
H
O
N
O
52
R
53
T
E
A
R
54
E
55
D
56
S
A
R
57
A
58
H
59
B
E
H
I
60
N
61
D
62
P
I
P
E
R
63
P
64
B
65
S
66
S
T
R
U
67
M
68
A
I
M
E
E
69
N
O
R
A
70
A
L
I
71
T
H
O
M
A
72
S
S
T
E
A
R
73
N
74
S
75
N
I
M
76
R
E
D
77
D
78
M
A
R
A
T
79
D
R
A
I
N
80
T
E
A
81
M
A
N
O
82
R
83
A
N
I
M
A
84
L
85
S
T
E
E
86
D
87
A
R
E
N
A
88
S
89
N
O
Y
E
90
S
91
C
R
E
92
P
93
E
94
S
95
Y
A
N
K
96
E
97
E
98
A
L
F
R
99
E
100
D
E
D
W
A
R
D
101
M
102
A
J
103
D
U
L
L
104
O
T
T
E
R
105
A
N
N
A
106
I
R
O
107
N
108
A
L
E
109
G
110
A
R
111
A
L
A
112
R
113
R
E
E
K
114
S
O
S
O
115
I
M
A
S
116
E
P
E
117
E
118
S
U
E
R
119
S
120
P
E
L
H
121
A
122
M
123
G
R
E
N
V
124
I
125
L
126
L
127
E
128
A
S
P
I
C
129
S
N
E
E
R
E
R
130
S
E
E
D
I
E
R
131
L
E
H
A
R
132
E
T
A
T
I
S
M
133
W
R
I
T
E
R
© 1981, The New York TimesNo. 11,471
Across
1
Sluggish : LEADEN
7
"Heart of Dixie" : ALABAMA
14
Indian ruler : RAJAH
19
Restrains : BRIDLES
21
They made a star trek : WISEMEN
22
Figure of speech : TROPE
23
General Stuart : JAMESEWELLBROWN
25
Principle of right : ETHIC
26
Sixth Hebrew month : ADAR
27
Doozy : LULU
28
Quechuan : INCA
29
Dada : PAPA
33
Town in Yugoslavia : STIP
35
Serial material : PERILS
37
Young oyster : SPAT
38
Mythomaniac : LIAR
39
Ho predecessor : HEIGH
41
Piles : NAPS
43
O'Neill play : ILE
44
Poet cummings : EDWARDESTLIN
48
Lament : GRIEVE
50
Canal Zone district : BALBOA
51
Esteem : HONOR
53
Like Alice's pool : TEARED
56
Mrs. Polk : SARAH
59
Hidden by : BEHIND
62
A famous picker : PIPER
63
ETV purveyor : PBS
66
Play, in a way : STRUM
68
Actress Anouk ___ : AIMEE
69
Writer Ephron : NORA
70
Holmes called him "The Oldest" : ALI
71
Poet Eliot : THOMASSTEARNS
75
___ tree (margosa) : NIM
76
Foxx : REDD
78
Corday's victim : MARAT
79
Exhaust : DRAIN
80
Cachar, e.g. : TEA
81
Landed estate : MANOR
83
Muppet drummer : ANIMAL
85
Grani or Sleipnir : STEED
87
Punta ___, Chilean port : ARENAS
89
Oneida Community founder : NOYES
91
Thin pancakes : CREPES
95
"Mr. October" is one : YANKEE
98
Poet Housman : ALFREDEDWARD
101
Type of gen. : MAJ
103
Blunt : DULL
104
Badger's kin : OTTER
105
Empress Ivanovna : ANNA
106
Firmness : IRON
108
Sour drink : ALEGAR
111
Pteroid : ALAR
113
Fume : REEK
114
Comme ci, comme ça : SOSO
115
"___ corny ... " : IMAS
116
Olympic fencing game : EPEE
118
Court petitioners : SUERS
120
Novelist Wodehouse : PELHAMGRENVILLE
128
Molded entree : ASPIC
129
Scrooge, at first : SNEERER
130
More unkempt : SEEDIER
131
"Clo-Clo" composer : LEHAR
132
State socialism : ETATISM
133
Edward Morgan Forster, e.g. : WRITER
Down
1
J.F.K.'s successor : LBJ
2
Epoch : ERA
3
Purpose : AIM
4
R.M.N. was his V.P. : DDE
5
"Lohengrin" heroine : ELSA
6
Requisites : NEEDS
7
This can be boring : AWL
8
A Gish, for short : LIL
9
Fireproofing: Abbr. : ASB
10
Uncle Miltie : BERLE
11
Love affair : AMOUR
12
Like the infant in Jaques' speech : MEWLING
13
Ring-shaped : ANNULAR
14
Abbr. for 1 or 81 : RTE
15
Gilmore, of hoop fame : ARTIS
16
Financier Morgan : JOHNPIERPONT
17
At the summit : APICAL
18
Queen of Hades : HECATE
20
Bandage : SWATHE
24
Iroquoian tribe : ERIES
29
Frosh at the U.S.M.A. : PLEB
30
Ghislanzoni libretto : AIDA
31
Detent : PAWL
32
Wahabis, e.g. : ARABS
34
Inside stuff : PITH
35
American showman Barnum : PHINEASTAYLOR
36
Polish foregoer : SPIT
40
Lumpish mass : GLOB
42
Ooze : SEEP
45
Meat treat : ROAST
46
___ Vader, film villain : DARTH
47
Type of pitcher's dream game : NOHIT
49
Conceited : VAIN
52
Frosted : RIMED
54
Like Poe's prose : EERIE
55
A work by Samuel Nathaniel Behrman : DRAMA
57
Bouquet : AROMA
58
Not quite angelic : HUMAN
60
Comes close : NEARS
61
Rid of rodents : DERAT
63
Toscanini's birthplace : PARMA
64
Dim; cloudy : BLEAR
65
Humorist Perelman : SIDNEYJOSEPH
67
U.S. watercolorist: 1870-1953 : MARIN
72
Island group north of Tonga : SAMOA
73
Caroline, to Ted : NIECE
74
Wooden comedian : SNERD
77
Lady from Lisbon : DONA
82
Strip of shoe leather : RAND
84
Jim Rice's field : LEFT
86
Chemist's flask : DEWAR
88
Gull-like sea bird : SKUA
90
Muchacha's title: Abbr. : SRTA
92
Counter follower : PANE
93
Haliaeetus albicella : ERNE
94
Pierre's loc. : SDAK
96
Elongated circle : ELLIPSE
97
Gold or silver : ELEMENT
99
Conger catcher : EELER
100
Part of the décor : DRAPES
101
Prayer book : MISSAL
102
Excite : AROUSE
107
Water wheel : NORIA
109
Casque : GALEA
110
Scottish platter : ASHET
112
Start over : RENEW
117
Constantly : EVER
119
Text for a dir. : SCR
121
Onassis : ARI
122
Enero or febrero : MES
123
Metric unit of wt. : GRM
124
Homophone for Eydie : IDI
125
Kindled : LIT
126
Grant of films : LEE
127
Bungle : ERR

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 3 debuted here and reused later, 4 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.

Previous puzzle | Next puzzle
XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2024, Jim Horne
31 ms