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Frances Hansen
Frances Hansen

MASTER KEYS

New York Times, Sunday, May 6, 1973

9-Down : Probe for water

Author:
Frances Hansen
Editor:
Will Weng
Rows: 23, Columns: 23, Words: 162, Blocks: 92, Avg Word Len: 5.70, Missing: { none — this is a pangram }
Open Squares: 150, Cheaters: 10, FITB: 18, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 33 Grid has duplicate clues.
Frances Hansen has 81 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 40 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
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SHARP
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C
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O
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B
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E
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N
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A
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A
© 1973, The New York TimesNo. 8,667
Across
1
Tentative efforts : STABS
6
African lake : CHAD
10
Upright : ERECT
15
Enigmatic one : SPHINX
21
Ancient: Prefix : PALEO
22
Flute: Prefix : AULO
23
Pit man : MINER
24
Taiwan city : TAIPEI
25
"If I were ___ man ... " : ARICH
26
Writer C. P. : SNOW
27
"___ far, far better ... " : ITISA
28
Bedecks, as Solomon : ARRAYS
29
Start of old hymn : ROCKOFAGESCLEFTFORME
33
Ox yoke bar : SKEY
34
Maltreater : ABUSER
35
Washroom: Abbr. : LAV
36
Bring into harmony : ADAPT
40
Sudden burst of thunder : SHARPCLAP
42
Adjective suffix : IAL
45
Guinness : ALEC
47
Pacific god : ATEO
48
Play a fiddle, in a way : SAW
51
Literary monogram : RLS
52
Bordered : RIMMED
55
Scottish particle: Var. : GRU
56
___ than a pancake : FLATTER
57
Slightly off-key : AMITEFLAT
59
Gets bawled out : RECEIVESASHARPREBUKE
62
___ love (flighty one) : LIGHTO
63
Harem room : ODA
64
"Dwelt a miner, forty-___" : NINER
65
Dazes : STUNS
66
Hidden : UNSEEN
67
Bach or Bacharach : COMPOSER
69
"When ___ a word, it means ... " : IUSE
70
Like some cheddar : TOOSHARP
71
Pirates' gold : ORO
73
Slip : ERR
74
"Don't ___" (no sure thing) : BETONIT
77
Sea birds : ERNS
78
Night: Prefix : NOCT
80
Relative of Mr. : ESQ
82
Put out the wash : HANG
83
River of Spain : EBRO
87
Hillbilly party : HOEDOWN
90
Gracious in Peru : GUA
92
Penn Station builder : REA
93
Per ___ : DIEM
94
Soothing sounds : SOHS
95
Jewelry items : EARRINGS
98
Kind of switch : TOGGLE
100
Parody : SPOOF
101
Italian poet Ugo : BETTI
102
Water: Fr. : EAU
103
Mexican historian : ALAMAN
104
"How ___ tooth ... " : SHARPERTHANASERPENTS
107
Kind of keel : FLATPLATE
108
Together, in music : ADUE
109
Elevator cage : CAR
110
Appear : SEEMTO
111
Depot, for short : STA
112
Little Edward : NED
113
Holy: Prefix : SACR
114
Millay : EDNA
116
Perceptible: Abbr. : VSB
117
In a piggery : STIED
119
"___ of robins ... " : ANEST
121
Freud's concerns : IDS
122
Church reader : LECTOR
125
Oral, for one : EXAM
129
What song doctors do : OPERATEONALARGESCALE
135
Mount in a way : JUMPON
138
Half an old refrain word : NONNY
139
Roman 1,003 : MIII
140
Burdened : TAXED
141
Away from home : AFIELD
142
Fad : CRAZE
143
"Rule Britannia" composer : ARNE
144
Cat ___ tails : ONINE
145
Java's neighbor : BORNEO
146
Mr. Kelly : EMMET
147
Egg drinks : NOGS
148
Confused : ATSEA
Down
1
Boxes : SPARS
2
Old card game : TAROK
3
Toklas or blue : ALICE
4
"Vanity Fair" girl : BECKYSHARP
5
Dryden's address, once : SOHO
6
Melons : CASABAS
7
Ended a phone call : HUNGUP
8
Lily plants : ALOES
9
Probe for water : DOWSE
10
Ludwig : EMIL
11
Stravinsky's spring thing : RITE
12
Star in Pegasus : ENIF
13
"___ vie" : CESTLA
14
Well-known square : TRAFALGAR
15
Kind of dust : STAR
16
City for Correggios and cheese : PARMA
17
Employed a penniless lady : HIREDAFLATBUSTEDGAL
18
Vilela people : IPA
19
French marshal : NEY
20
Greek letters : XIS
30
Take a spill : FALLFLATONONESFACE
31
Arson, e.g. : CRIME
32
Excessively tart : OVERSHARP
37
Bring into harmony : ATTUNE
38
Cheats at solitaire : PEEKS
39
Sped : TORE
41
Minoan island : CRETE
43
What an adult has to listen to : AMINORSGRIPES
44
Blue jeans : LEVIS
46
What avails a motorist naught : CURSINGATAFLATTIRE
48
Twenty-one gun affair : SALUTE
49
Musical key : AMINOR
50
___ the green (fracas) : WIGSON
52
Fix over : REDO
53
What veni means : ICAME
54
Star in Cygnus : DENEB
58
Contest for riflemen, maybe : THESHARPSHOOTERSOPEN
59
Baroque music : ROCOCO
60
Citronella grass : SEREH
61
Needle case : ETUI
68
Grand ___ : PRE
72
Baton : ROD
75
Anklebone : TARSUS
76
Washington bill : ONE
79
Piping notes : TWEES
81
On the ___ vive : QUI
84
Narcotic-ring V.I.P. : BIGMAN
85
Tell : RELATE
86
Presaged : OMENED
88
Words of surprise : OHOH
89
Hale et al., to friends : NATES
91
Concerning : ANENT
94
Trim : SPRUCE
96
Cleric's title: Abbr. : RTREV
97
Cat, in Spain : GATO
99
Greek pitchers : OLPAE
100
Car style : SEDAN
101
Country gala : BARNDANCE
104
___ tack : SHARPASA
105
Rock-bottom : NADIR
106
Eve, in Norse myth : EMBLA
111
Thin cigars : STOGIES
115
"Any port in ___" : ASTORM
117
Kind of quartet : STRING
118
Pour, as wine : DECANT
120
Cousin of an I-beam : TPOLE
123
Mischa : ELMAN
124
Where "Aida" debuted : CAIRO
126
Abscissa line : XAXIS
127
Coeur d'___ : ALENE
128
Judith Anderson role : MEDEA
130
Inner: Prefix : ENDO
131
Hindu land grant : ENAM
132
Eleven: Fr. : ONZE
133
Certain U. N. vote : NYET
134
Portico : STOA
135
Poke : JAB
136
Myst. aircraft : UFO
137
Russian village : MIR

Answer summary:
20 unique to this puzzle, 13 debuted here and reused later, 16 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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