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New York Times, Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Author:
Mike Buckley
Editor:
Will Shortz
19-Across : Potting material
TotalDebutLatest
138/17/200910/5/2015
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0433300
ScrabblePGramFresh
1.60142%
Mike Buckley

This puzzle:

Rows: 16, Columns: 15 Words: 69, Blocks: 60 Missing: {FJQV} Spans: 2 Grid is asymmetric. There are unchecked squares Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 4 for Mr. Buckley. Wednesday freshness: 66%
Jim Horne notes:

A set of five squares can be connected along their edges to form 12 unique shapes. You can see each of them here. This gimmick necessarily breaks some of the standard construction rules — symmetry is not possible and, because of the so-called U pentomino in the bottom left, there's an unchecked square. The 12 pentominoes can be interlocked to form rectangles of various sizes.

1
M
2
A
3
R
4
S
5
H
6
Y
7
S
8
T
9
O
10
R
11
M
I
N
A
T
E
A
12
C
13
U
14
P
15
L
A
C
K
I
N
G
S
Y
M
M
E
T
R
16
Y
17
A
L
C
O
A
18
O
H
M
19
L
O
A
M
20
Y
O
U
21
R
A
I
22
D
23
P
I
C
24
S
N
L
25
L
26
O
A
D
E
R
27
S
28
I
R
A
29
S
T
30
A
S
H
31
S
I
32
N
A
I
33
C
A
R
34
E
35
T
36
Z
A
N
E
37
P
38
E
N
T
O
M
I
39
N
40
O
E
S
41
T
I
L
E
42
B
I
G
O
X
43
A
44
I
45
R
46
S
47
O
N
S
48
T
E
R
I
49
M
O
O
50
O
T
I
51
S
52
E
T
R
E
53
S
P
U
N
54
N
O
N
I
55
N
T
E
R
L
56
O
57
C
K
I
N
G
58
O
N
E
T
R
A
C
K
M
I
N
D
59
A
R
E
N
A
60
G
O
L
O
N
G
61
E
W
E
62
A
N
T
E
© 2012, The New York Times6/27/12 ( No. 22,877 )
Across
1
Like areas where cattails thrive : MARSHY
7
Much ado about nothing : STORMINATEACUP
15
Descriptive of this puzzle's grid : LACKINGSYMMETRY
17
Its symbol is AA on the New York Stock Exchange : ALCOA
18
Volt/ampere : OHM
19
Potting material : LOAM
20
Whom Uncle Sam wants : YOU
21
Go commando? : RAID
23
Jack Kerouac's last novel : PIC
24
Long-running NBC staple, for short : SNL
25
Stevedores, say : LOADERS
28
Good name for an investment adviser? : IRA
29
Secret supply : STASH
31
Mount in Exodus : SINAI
33
"Put it there" indicator : CARET
36
Novelist Grey : ZANE
37
Complete set of 12 shapes formed by this puzzle's black squares : PENTOMINOES
41
Game piece : TILE
42
Oaf : BIGOX
43
Runs : AIRS
47
Run-___ : ONS
48
Hatcher of a "desperate" plot? : TERI
49
Call to a calf : MOO
50
2011 Grammy-winning song by Jay-Z and Kanye West : OTIS
52
To be in France? : ETRE
53
Twirled : SPUN
54
Like this puzzle's 37-Across : NONINTERLOCKING
58
A monomaniac has it : ONETRACKMIND
59
Sports venue : ARENA
60
What a wide receiver or an Oscar broadcast might do : GOLONG
61
Milk source : EWE
62
Gambler's stake : ANTE
Down
1
One sweep of a hand: Abbr. : MIN
2
Breed of cat, goat or rabbit : ANGORA
3
Phylicia of "The Cosby Show" : RASHAD
4
Block : STYMIE
5
Haw's partner : HEM
6
Verb from Popeye : YAM
7
Dispatches : SLAYS
8
Bird claws : TALONS
9
Like arts taught at Hogwarts : OCCULT
10
Studio that made nine Astaire/Rogers films : RKO
11
Soccer great Hamm : MIA
12
What framed Roger Rabbit? : CEL
13
Pie-in-the-sky : UTOPIAN
14
Flat land : PRAIRIE
16
Many a gym locale : YMCA
22
J and No : DRS
25
Future D.A.'s hurdle : LSAT
26
Repeated Laura Petrie line on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : OHROB
27
Economy-___ : SIZE
30
Neutrogena target : ACNE
32
Mariner's org. : NASA
34
Radio tower, for one : EMITTER
35
Pioneering jazz standard of 1917 : TIGERRAG
37
Former Ford subcompact : PINTO
38
"Hamlet" castle : ELSINORE
39
Electric shaver brand : NORELCO
40
Commercial prefix with Clean : OXI
41
Donald or Daffy Duck : TOON
44
Encroach : IMPINGE
45
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat," e.g. : ROUND
46
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat," e.g. : SONG
51
Bone-muscle connector : SINEW
52
Singer James : ETTA
53
Penniless, in Pennington : SKINT
55
Hawaiian goose : NENE
56
It's between Kan. and Tex. : OKLA
57
"Let's get goin'!" : CMON

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

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