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John M. Samson
John M. Samson

YULETIDE NINE

New York Times, Sunday, December 23, 1990

83-Down : I.R.S. inquiries

Author:
John M. Samson
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 138, Blocks: 78, Avg Word Len: 5.26, Missing: { Q Z }, Scrabble score: 535 (avg 1.47)
Open Squares: 102, Cheaters: 12, FITB: 1, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 7
John M. Samson has 49 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 1 Modern Era crossword in our database.
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M
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H
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R
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R
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P
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H
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O
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T
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N
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R
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G
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E
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A
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T
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M
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D
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B
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G
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M
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I
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J
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L
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G
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P
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A
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U
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A
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P
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A
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F
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C
H
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S
A
L
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N
T
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O
F
F
E
R
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S
H
A
P
E
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N
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P
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116
S
T
A
R
S
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H
U
B
S
© 1990, The New York TimesNo. 15,020
Across
1
Castile : SOAP
5
Ontario tribesmen : CREES
10
N.Y.C. river : HARLEM
16
Piece of cake : CINCH
17
Novelist Troyat : HENRI
18
Birdman : AVIATOR
20
CUPID : SAMCOOKESONG
22
Hurdle : LEAPOVER
24
Farrell's knee bend : PLIE
25
Peter and a Wolfe : NEROS
26
"The Perfect Fool" composer : HOLST
28
Prime-time time : NINE
29
Small "small" : LIL
30
Canary's cousin : SERIN
31
Label anew : RETAG
33
Athenian vowel : ETA
34
Asunder : APART
36
Spruce : NEAT
38
TV bee : MAYA
39
Poor surfer : HODAD
41
Voice : THROAT
43
"Santa Claus Is Watching You" singer : STEVENS
45
Indeed : VERILY
46
Rats! : DRAT
48
They were: Lat. : ERANT
49
Tower of Bombay : MINAR
50
Alluded : REFERRED
54
Old age, of old : ELD
55
VIXEN : BATTLEAX
58
European capital : OSLO
59
Oder tributary : NEISSE
61
In holiday spirits : GALA
62
Behold, to Brutus : ECCE
63
Western lizard : UTA
64
DANCER : TARANTIST
66
Jacky : TAR
67
Mild oath : GOSH
69
Boston catcher : PENA
70
Shelved : TABLED
72
Convex moldings : TORI
73
Transient things : EPHEMERA
75
Marble : MIB
76
Abstruse : ESOTERIC
78
Ferric : IRONY
79
Dr. Salk : JONAS
81
John, in Cardiff : EVAN
82
William Conrad role : CANNON
84
Zingers : RETORTS
86
Ham : EMOTER
90
Swiss sledder : LUGER
91
Bastes : SEWS
92
Hang behind : DRAG
94
Likely : PRONE
95
"Artie" author : ADE
96
Tape over : ERASE
98
Soft-palate projection : UVULA
100
Divinity deg. : STD
101
Letter opener : SIRS
103
White poplar : ABELE
105
Useful : UTILE
106
A sister of Europa : ASIA
107
Nov. 11 honoree : STMARTIN
109
DASHER : PARTOFACHURN
112
Conspicuous : SALIENT
113
Propose : OFFER
114
Mold : SHAPE
115
Where Virgil wrote the "Georgics" : NAPLES
116
Rating symbols : STARS
117
Focal points : HUBS
Down
1
Suchlike : SIMILAR
2
Third of thrice : ONCE
3
French explorer in Colonial America : ACO
4
Modern medium : PHONE
5
Dijon darlings : CHERIES
6
Resound : RESONATE
7
One of Eve's grandsons : ENOS
8
White-tailed bird : ERN
9
Deep breath : SIGH
10
COMET : HALLEYS
11
Parsees' sacred writings : AVESTA
12
Cowboy's rope : RIATA
13
Pomeranian's place : LAP
14
Lord Wimsey's alma mater : ETON
15
DONNER (popular variant of Donder) : MOVIEDIRECTOR
16
Islamic leader : CALIPH
19
Charter car : RENTAL
20
Panel strip : SPLAT
21
"Sunny" composer : KERN
23
Psyched up : READY
27
Praying figure : ORANT
30
Brenda of comics : STARR
32
Belgian port : GHENT
35
Copland ballet : RODEO
37
Missionaries of Charity founder : TERESA
38
Remedy : MEND
40
Pontifical cape : ORALE
42
Lake in a cirque : TARN
44
RUDOLPH : VALENTINO
45
Biography : VITA
47
Wobbling : TEETERY
49
Kind of cross : MALTESE
50
Roulette bet : ROUGE
51
Bar, to a barrister : ESTOP
52
BLITZEN : FLASHINGERMAN
53
An aunt of Princess Beatrice : DIANA
55
Swiss canton (former spelling) : BASLE
56
Mites : ACARI
57
Adapted to the desert : XERIC
60
Mme., in Madrid : SRA
61
Male cat : GIB
65
Garment for Geraint : TABARD
68
City in the Ruhr region : HERNE
69
Keystone State's eponym : PENN
71
"Pacific" bird : DOVE
72
Substance : TENOR
74
"Santa Claus" star : MOORE
75
Epigrams : MOTS
77
Super Bowl XVIII site : TAMPA
79
Pink Panther, e.g. : JEWEL
80
PRANCER : STRUTTER
82
Caliber : CLASS
83
I.R.S. inquiries : AUDITS
84
Bristles : RESENTS
85
Deliverers : SAVIORS
87
Even choices : TOSSUPS
88
Plenary : ENTIRE
89
Fortification : REDAN
91
E Texas river : SABINE
93
Abyss : GULF
97
Badgerlike mammal : RATEL
99
Trammel of a sort : LEASH
102
Reception room : SALA
104
Heroic verse : EPOS
105
City in SE Turkey : URFA
106
Husband of Jezebel : AHAB
108
Torn or Taylor : RIP
110
Sternward : AFT
111
Philosopher ___ Hsi : CHU

Answer summary:
6 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 12 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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