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New York Times, Saturday, December 24, 2016

Author:
David Steinberg
Editor:
Will Shortz
4-Down : Firm backing?
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1116/16/201112/21/202322
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
107891534262
RebusCircleScrabblePGramFresh
6211.63366%
David Steinberg

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 72, Blocks: 33 Missing: {Z} Grid has both 90- and 180-degree symmetry. Scrabble average: 1.94 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 58 for Mr. Steinberg. Saturday freshness: 62%
David Steinberg notes:
I constructed this puzzle two years ago. At the time, I was building a lot of themelesses with stacks of 9s, 10s, and 11s, so I went ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
What an awesome lower right corner! David makes such great use of all his limited slots, with 1.) vivid, colorful answers in JURY BOX, ... read more
1
S
2
H
3
A
4
L
5
E
6
M
7
A
8
L
9
W
10
A
11
R
12
E
13
S
H
A
W
T
Y
14
E
H
A
R
M
O
N
15
Y
16
P
O
M
A
D
E
17
S
E
X
Y
B
A
C
K
18
E
W
O
K
19
S
20
O
S
A
21
L
I
M
O
N
22
A
G
N
E
23
S
24
V
E
D
25
A
Y
26
E
D
O
27
K
I
R
28
E
29
D
I
S
O
N
30
C
R
E
W
31
T
R
Y
32
H
A
R
D
33
F
I
34
C
A
35
O
L
E
E
L
O
36
M
A
R
37
B
38
L
39
E
40
R
S
V
41
P
42
J
U
R
Y
B
O
X
43
E
44
C
45
C
O
46
E
L
47
D
E
S
T
48
Q
V
C
49
A
H
I
50
B
R
A
H
E
51
E
52
D
S
E
L
53
S
O
N
54
A
R
55
Y
A
R
56
D
57
C
A
R
A
58
E
L
E
V
A
59
T
O
R
60
I
61
N
C
U
B
I
62
D
E
M
O
N
R
U
M
63
V
I
A
C
O
M
64
R
A
W
D
A
T
A
65
A
B
B
E
Y
© 2016, The New York Times12/24/16 ( No. 24,518 )
Across
1
Something fracked in fracking : SHALE
6
Worms and such : MALWARE
13
Attractive young woman, in rap slang : SHAWTY
14
Connection site? : EHARMONY
16
Fragrant dressing : POMADE
17
2006 Justin Timberlake #1 hit : SEXYBACK
18
Arboreal sci-fi creature : EWOK
19
Fifth player to hit 600 homers : SOSA
21
Fruta that's sour : LIMON
22
Saint often depicted with a lamb : AGNES
24
Celebration that coincided with Truman turning 61 : VEDAY
26
Japan's ___ Castle : EDO
27
Cassis cocktail : KIR
28
Tesla competitor : EDISON
30
Mission group : CREW
31
Slacker's opposite, in modern lingo : TRYHARD
33
Form W-2 abbr. : FICA
35
Palindromic 1976 greatest hits album : OLEELO
36
Harmless shooter : MARBLE
40
Say yes or no, say : RSVP
42
What's usually about 12 people? : JURYBOX
43
Danish shoe maker with more than 1,000 global stores : ECCO
46
Senior : ELDEST
48
HSN competitor : QVC
49
Sushi bar selection : AHI
50
Astronomer who coined the term "nova" : BRAHE
51
Bomb with wheels : EDSEL
53
Capability of whales and dolphins : SONAR
55
Navy ___ : YARD
57
Italian "dear" : CARA
58
Kind of car commonly seen in cities : ELEVATOR
60
Evil spirits : INCUBI
62
Prohibitionists' target : DEMONRUM
63
Company that owns Paramount : VIACOM
64
Stuff to mine : RAWDATA
65
Order setting : ABBEY
Down
1
Many a cabaret performer : SHOWGIRL
2
Sandwich often served with Dijon mustard : HAMONRYE
3
Not out : AWAKE
4
Firm backing? : LTD
5
Observation satellites, so to speak : EYES
6
Fixes : MESSES
7
Leading : AHEADOF
8
Starting point of many a red-eye : LAX
9
How Stephen Colbert sometimes speaks : WRYLY
10
Prefix whose last two letters are a prefix meaning the same thing : AMBI
11
Nomad : ROAMER
12
Make tough to make out : ENCODE
13
Address : SPEAKTO
15
"Like" relative : YKNOW
20
He wrote "Venus favors the bold" : OVID
23
Navy ___ : SEALS
25
Ill will : ANIMUS
29
Cattle herder : DROVER
30
City of 150,000+ between Raleigh and Durham : CARY
32
"My ___!" : HERO
34
___ d'identité : CARTE
37
Wing covering : BBQSAUCE
38
Beau : LOVERBOY
39
Say LIKE THIS! : EXCLAIM
41
Develop : PLAYOUT
42
Heckle : JEER
43
Let up : EASED
44
Ire : CHOLER
45
Date night choice : CINEMA
47
Essential principle of Hinduism : DHARMA
50
Strike while the iron is hot? : BRAND
52
Mr. T vehicle : DCCAB
54
State publicly : AVOW
56
Temperamental type : DIVA
59
Chorus syllable : TRA
61
Projecting point : NIB

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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