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Joseph LaFauci
Joseph LaFauci

THE PLAY'S THE THING

New York Times, Sunday, December 29, 1968

18-Down : Buff

Author:
Joseph LaFauci
Editor:
Margaret Farrar
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 138, Blocks: 69, Avg Word Len: 5.39, Missing: { J Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 557 (avg 1.50)
Open Squares: 132, Cheaters: 8, FITB: 4, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 9 Grid has duplicate clues.
Joseph LaFauci has 70 known pre-Shortz puzzles in our database.
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S
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A
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L
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B
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L
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E
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G
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Y
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L
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R
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P
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O
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D
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A
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B
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N
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H
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D
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G
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A
V
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Y
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E
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C
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A
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D
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S
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T
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T
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E
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I
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W
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Y
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M
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S
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D
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L
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D
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B
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K
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D
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M
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M
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C
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H
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N
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A
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R
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D
M
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N
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A
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L
L
108
R
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A
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S
© 1968, The New York TimesNo. 7,078
Across
1
Fit for marketing : SALABLE
8
Indian ox : GAYAL
13
Camera prop : TRIPOD
19
Swift horse : ARABIAN
20
Custom : USAGE
21
Lived up to : HONORED
23
Missouri city : SEDALIA
24
Belgian town : YPRES
25
Practice an art : ENGRAVE
26
Sauce : SOY
27
Boxed : ENCASED
29
Tea cake : SCONE
31
Wee drop : TOT
32
Where Olympus was : ELIS
34
Compared to : THAN
35
Lanky : WEEDY
36
Little one : MITE
37
Tooth: Fr. : DENT
38
Celtic name : SEAN
39
Bastinadoed : CANED
40
Eatery : DINER
41
Subdued : TAMED
43
Bird of a kind : DRAKE
45
Fawn : CRINGE
47
Light coverlet : THROW
48
Venerated : ADORED
49
Pledge : OATH
50
Armorican : BRETON
51
"Laugh-In" star : ROWAN
52
Buyer : CUSTOMER
56
Lured : LEDON
57
Fillet of a column : ORLET
58
"Fra Diavolo" role : BEPPO
59
Salutation : AVE
60
Alaska's first Governor : EGAN
61
Type of boat : SHELL
62
Seasonal symbol : HOLLY
63
Bit : SNIP
64
Big ___, California : SUR
65
Spanish ladies : DAMAS
66
Stendhal's real name : BEYLE
67
Octavia's garment : STOLA
68
Coup d'état : TAKEOVER
70
Balearic city : PALMA
71
Without heed : DEAFLY
72
Hibernia : ERIN
73
Lifework : CAREER
74
Gen. Jubal : EARLY
75
Wool : MERINO
77
In accord : ATONE
78
Gozo's neighbor : MALTA
79
Of a geometric shape : CONIC
80
Asylum : HAVEN
82
Unsubstantial : THIN
84
Caliph : IMAM
87
Subterfuge : RUSE
88
Give one's word : SWEAR
89
Hebrew lyre : ASOR
90
Appoint to office : NAME
91
Massachusetts cape : ANN
92
Abbreviated : SHORT
93
Implant: Var. : INGRAFT
96
Macadamia : NUT
97
Sports setting : STADIUM
99
Man of Meshed : IRANI
101
Wonder : MIRACLE
103
Arranged in succession : SERIATE
104
Belgian province : NAMUR
105
One more : ANOTHER
106
Indians : REDMEN
107
In the least : ATALL
108
Certain TV offerings : REPEATS
Down
1
Spoke, in a way : SASSED
2
Small area : AREOLE
3
Kurt Weill musical : LADYINTHEDARK
4
Booksellers' group : ABA
5
Anger : BILE
6
Reclined : LAIN
7
Legislated : ENACTED
8
Burrows and Loesser show : GUYSANDDOLLS
9
Quivering : ASPEN
10
Court : YARD
11
Ripen : AGE
12
Decreased : LESSENED
13
Neil Simon success : THEODDCOUPLE
14
Man's nickname : RONNY
15
"Picnic" playwright : INGE
16
For: Sp. : POR
17
Speaking, in a way : ORATING
18
Buff : DEVOTEE
22
Discourage : DETER
28
Eureka! : AHA
30
Letter : CEE
33
Begin : STARTON
35
Stir up : WAKEN
36
Iberian river : MINHO
38
Stitched : SEWN
39
Weight unit : CARAT
40
Likewise: Colloq. : DITTO
42
NASA objective : MOON
44
Spur piece : ROWEL
46
Grating : RASPY
47
Truce: Sp. : TREGUA
48
In ___, tardy in a way : ARREAR
50
Hallowed : BLEST
52
Stock of vins : CELLAR
53
Current musical : MANOFLAMANCHA
54
Badly : EVILLY
55
Compensate : REPAY
57
Chodorov comedy : OHMENOHWOMEN
58
Spewack comedy, 1935 : BOYMEETSGIRL
61
Juniper tree : SAVIN
62
First name on Broadway : HELEN
63
Begin : STARTIN
65
Architectural style : DORIC
66
Ochs or Scarpia : BARON
67
Sigil : SEAL
69
Strange : EERIE
70
Dad to an Etonian : PATER
71
Doyen : DEAN
73
Operatic solo : CAVATINA
75
Ascender : MOUNTER
76
Catch : ENSNARE
78
Famous palace in Spain : MIRAMAR
79
Insensitive : CRASS
81
Gas: Prefix : AER
83
Jordanian mountain : HOR
85
Phylactery : AMULET
86
Rhythms : METERS
88
"On the Beach" novelist : SHUTE
89
Declare void : ANNUL
92
Musical setting : SIAM
93
Van Druten's "___ Camera" : IAMA
94
The end: Mus. : FINE
95
De ___ : TROP
98
Solved : DID
100
Bandicoot : RAT
102
Consumed : ATE

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 6 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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