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Tap Osborn
Tap Osborn

PHONY FINALES

New York Times, Sunday, July 12, 1981

58-Across : Vacillate

Author:
Tap Osborn
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 23, Columns: 23, Words: 170, Blocks: 90, Avg Word Len: 5.16, Missing: { J Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 670 (avg 1.53)
Open Squares: 153, Cheaters: 4, FITB: 7, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 10
Tap Osborn has 111 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 1 Modern Era crossword in our database.
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R
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Y
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M
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C
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P
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U
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B
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G
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C
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F
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C
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F
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C
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F
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W
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A
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B
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P
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P
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A
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P
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T
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O
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K
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H
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I
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L
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A
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D
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L
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T
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Y
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N
A
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Y
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O
D
Y
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E
Y
© 1981, The New York TimesNo. 11,569
Across
1
Huge : TITANIC
8
Maman's man : PERE
12
"Horse designed by a committee" : CAMEL
17
Loggia's cousin : STOA
21
Muscle Shoals' state : ALABAMA
22
Cassini : OLEG
23
Overhead : ABOVE
24
Overdo the toast : CHAR
25
Napoleon's last words? : MAKEMINEASHORTBIER
28
Tibet's "monster" : YETI
29
Shoelace receiver : EYELET
30
Bot. or biol. : SCI
31
Spices from nutmeg : MACES
32
Boat chains : TYES
33
Cenozoic, e.g. : ERA
34
Composer's last words? : THEBACHSTOPSHERE
39
New London sight : SUB
42
Word with total : TEE
44
Like early press proofs : INKY
45
Wire: Abbr. : TELEG
46
Soup or salad item : CROUTON
49
___ green : PARIS
51
Chum, in Croydon : MATEY
53
Joke : GAG
56
Caustic critics : RAILERS
57
Quechuan : INCA
58
Vacillate : WAVER
59
Dwarf: Comb. form : NANO
60
Lacking guidance : UNLED
61
Insipid : BLAH
62
Doomed one : GONER
63
Family name of Pope Innocent XIII : CONTI
64
For shame! : FIE
65
Ta-ta, in Tivoli : CIAO
67
Furnace tender : FIRER
68
Ornamental braid : CORDON
69
"Hobo king" Livingstone's last words? : FAREWELLTOALMS
74
Bailsman's activity : BONDING
75
Drew water : LADED
76
Springtime of life : PRIME
77
Veranda : LANAI
78
In harmony : ATTUNED
81
Trotsky's last words? : THEENDISINCITE
86
Type of pigeon : POUTER
87
Tuck, e.g. : FRIAR
89
A Waugh : ALEC
90
Blanc or Brooks : MEL
91
Proprietor : OWNER
92
In turmoil : ARIOT
93
Throb : PANT
95
Spot for a service pin : LAPEL
97
Ogden or Wallace : REID
98
Decline with disdain : SPURN
99
Impudent : BOLD
100
War vessel : FRIGATE
102
Corp. officials : TRS
103
Wander about : RANGE
104
Like fruits : PULPY
105
Celebrant : REVELER
106
Unisonally : ASONE
108
Java's neighbor : BALI
109
Feel out of sorts : AIL
110
Ending for arch or witch : ERY
111
Epitaph for Icarus? : DONTBEASOARLOSER
117
Fountain order : ADE
120
Comedienne from Butte : RAYE
121
Vichyssoise, e.g. : PUREE
122
Hoary: Abbr. : ANC
123
Irish Cobbler : POTATO
127
Religious statue: Var. : IKON
128
Final tribute to Pavlova? : SHESOUTOFTHISWHIRL
132
Printer's mach. : LINO
133
Writer Michael : ARLEN
134
Bakery worker : ICER
135
Pointed out : DENOTED
136
Grant and Cobb : LEES
137
Boob-tube, in Brighton : TELLY
138
Not one, country style : NARY
139
Peregrination : ODYSSEY
Down
1
Domesticate : TAME
2
"Now ___ me ... " : ILAY
3
Track handle : TAKE
4
White poplar : ABELE
5
Identifier : NAMER
6
Copycat : IMITATOR
7
Preserve : CAN
8
Trespass : POACH
9
Janis or Ferguson : ELSIE
10
Indian salt mixture : REH
11
Extreme self-conceit : EGOMANIA
12
Like some tunes : CATCHY
13
Caen clerics : ABBES
14
Dewy : MOIST
15
Second person : EVE
16
Irish sea god : LER
17
This cuts a swath : SCYTHE
18
Posthumous book by Bonnie? : THEYEGGANDI
19
"B" western : OATER
20
Coup command : ARISE
26
Villa d'___ : ESTE
27
Dress-shop fixtures : RACKS
35
Tree that Frost swung on : BIRCH
36
Aquatic fish-eater : OTTER
37
___ pressure : PEER
38
Not to be trusted : SLY
39
Nape : SCRUFF
40
Muse for Hipparchus : URANIA
41
Tank for heating water : BOILER
43
Conceptual being : ENS
47
Latex yielder : ULE
48
Do a farm job : TED
49
Test film : PILOT
50
Memorabilia : ANA
51
Ponytail : MANE
52
Claim : AVER
54
Chekhov : ANTON
55
On the way out : GOING
58
Deteriorate : WORSEN
59
Adjective for a Swede : NORDIC
61
Acomous : BALD
62
Conceded putt : GIMME
63
Name before Doyle : CONAN
65
One yielding : CEDER
66
"___ Three Lives" : ILED
67
Handbill : FLIER
68
Shaped like some shells : CONIC
70
Cleansed : ELUTED
71
Baseball's "Big Poison" : WANER
72
Choice : OPTION
73
Buddhist monk : ARHAT
74
Ignoble : BASE
77
Cadence : LILT
78
Left of the helm : APORT
79
Sears ___, Chicago : TOWER
80
Rommel's last words? : TUNISANYONE
82
Fine's partner : DANDY
83
Pin with a stake : IMPALE
84
Seesaw : TEETER
85
Queen : ELLERY
87
Kin of the twist : FRUG
88
To laugh: Fr. : RIRE
92
Loss of breath : APNEA
93
Former scourge : POLIO
94
Ski spot for Killy : ALP
95
Ullmann : LIV
96
Census question : AGE
98
Sound : SANE
99
Communiqué : BULLETIN
100
Pt. of "T.G.I.F." : FRI
101
Backslid : RELAPSED
103
Ape Sutton : ROB
104
Polynesian skirt : PAREU
107
Ct. group : STENOS
108
Nobleman's domain : BARONY
109
Shoe part : ARCH
111
U.S.M.A. workout : DRILL
112
Early comic actor : OAKIE
113
Incantation : SPELL
114
European blackbird : OUSEL
115
Newsman Morley : SAFER
116
Ingress : ENTRY
118
Soft and fluffy : DOWNY
119
Moral code : ETHOS
124
Islets : AITS
125
Family ___ : TREE
126
Song hit of yesteryear : OLDY
128
Convened : SAT
129
Charlemagne's dom. : HRE
130
Edible root : OCA
131
Oft-heard vow : IDO

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