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New York Times, Saturday, December 31, 2011

Author:
Joe Krozel
Editor:
Will Shortz
55-Across : Excuse-interrupting comment
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
877/7/20066/14/201815
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
4147242621
CircleScrabblePGramFresh
51.48785%
Joe Krozel

This puzzle:

Rows: 16, Columns: 15 Words: 71, Blocks: 34 Missing: {FJQZ} Spans: 4, (1 quad stack) This is puzzle # 50 for Mr. Krozel. Saturday freshness: 15%
Jim Horne notes:

Mr. Krozel made two versions of this puzzle. The companion triple-stack grid contains 3/4 of the same quad-stack plus black squares in all the same places. You can see the two grids together here.

1
S
2
M
3
O
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K
5
E
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M
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I
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S
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O
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P
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U
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S
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C
I
V
I
L
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I
T
S
A
16
B
L
A
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T
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I
C
O
N
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N
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W
G
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A
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M
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A
D
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N
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O
M
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A
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R
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G
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O
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H
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D
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N
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R
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E
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A
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T
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T
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A
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X
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S
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P
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P
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M
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S
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A
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H
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E
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T
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B
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A
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R
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O
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R
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P
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A
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R
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Y
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L
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X
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B
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A
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S
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N
D
S
© 2011, The New York Times12/31/11 ( No. 22,698 )
Across
1
Sign of engine trouble : SMOKE
6
What a 61-Across will be called for only a little while longer : MISS
10
One on a Liszt list : OPUS
14
Like some suits : CIVIL
15
"This shindig rocks!" : ITSABLAST
17
Computer screenful : ICONS
18
Part of Melanesia : NEWGUINEA
19
Subject for a folder : ORIGAMI
21
Always or sometimes, say : ADVERB
22
Approvals : NODS
23
"The thoughtful soul to solitude retires" poet : OMAR
26
Gets set : GELS
27
"___ dunno ..." : OHI
29
Sandy tract by the sea, to a Brit : DENE
31
They're often placed on parcels : REALESTATETAXES
39
Lawyer's setup? : PRIVATEPRACTICE
40
Righted wrongs : MADERESTITUTION
41
Picks a fight : STARTSSOMETHING
42
Rustle : STIR
43
Wiretapping grp. : NSA
44
Accessory that may have a state name on it : SASH
47
Old Testament "man of the field" : ESAU
49
Lift, of a sort : TBAR
53
Like many garages : ONECAR
55
Excuse-interrupting comment : SPAREME
57
Occasion to put on sheets : TOGAPARTY
60
Primer option : LATEX
61
Shower head? : BRIDETOBE
62
Right wrongs : ATONE
63
Psychiatrist's appt. : SESS
64
Turnovers, e.g. : STAT
65
Posts : SENDS
Down
1
Offshoot : SCION
2
Start that conveys very little? : MICRO
3
Like prickly pears : OVOID
4
Novelist whose character Adah speaks in palindromes : KINGSOLVER
5
Four-footed orphan of literature : ELSA
6
Half note, in Britain : MINIM
7
-nik kin : ITE
8
Yemen-to-Zimbabwe dir. : SSW
9
Continuing drama : SAGA
10
Food item often cut into rings : OLIVE
11
Setting for instruments : PANEL
12
___ manual : USERS
13
Skewer : STAB
16
Belt tightenings : BUDGETCUTS
20
Like the best chicken or turkey, say : MOISTEST
24
Electrical accessories : ADAPTORS
25
Crop further : RETRIM
28
Feature of many a box of chocolates : HEARTSHAPE
30
Unclutter : NEATENUP
31
CD rate? : RPMS
32
"Hoc ___ in votis" : ERAT
33
Slave singing several solos : AIDA
34
Red Sox anthem : TESSIE
35
"If things were to continue thus ..." : ATTHATRATE
36
Number of one of the Olympics canceled due to W.W. II : XIII
37
Study of some bubbles?: Abbr. : ECON
38
Hong Kong's Hang ___ index : SENG
44
Large bore : SNORE
45
Umbrella : AEGIS
46
Oodles : SCADS
48
Heretofore : ASYET
50
Back with bread : BETON
51
Improve : AMEND
52
Curly-furred cats : REXES
53
Parlors with TV screens: Abbr. : OTBS
54
Experiment runners? : RATS
56
"Oh, cruel world ..." : ALAS
58
Bushwa : ROT
59
Sched. letters : TBA

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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