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New York Times, Saturday, July 28, 2012

Author:
Victor Fleming and Sam Ezersky
Editor:
Will Shortz
33-Across : They may be empty in a vending machine
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabblePGramFresh
21.55358%
Victor Fleming
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
557/28/20123/23/20249
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
7213571911
RebusCircleScrabblePGramFresh
221.71190%
Sam Ezersky

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 70, Blocks: 29 Missing: {JQVX} This is puzzle # 32 for Mr. Fleming. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Ezersky. Saturday freshness: 53%
Constructor notes:

SAM: There wasn't really much that "inspired" this puzzle, except for the fact that I wanted to be accepted by the Times. I also wanted to learn how to make a good themeless. Vic, who'd been mentoring me for some time, said we needed to come up with two backbone entries to build a grid around. He chose PHOTOBUCKET, as it was fresh and modern. I came up with GOOGLE EARTH. He designed the grid.

VIC: We split the task of filling the grid, almost literally, down the middle. As always, I was pushing for multiple ILSAs (in-the-language-standalones), and Sam delivered in spades, pushing our count to over 20.

SAM: I clued it all up. Vic tweaked my cluing. Will asked for a slight revision. Vic revised it. I revised his revision. We got accepted. And boom!

VIC: As we write this note (Dec. 2013), Sam has now had eight more puzzles accepted by the Times, including a terrific rebus that was published on 12/13/2012!

1
S
2
T
3
A
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R
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D
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A
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T
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E
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T
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A
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P
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P
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A
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N
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P
I
L
E
I
T
O
N
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A
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H
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M
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I
D
I
T
A
R
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D
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M
T
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S
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A
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F
A
T
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M
A
K
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M
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T
T
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P
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F
L
O
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G
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H
A
R
D
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W
O
N
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O
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A
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T
E
R
S
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A
B
A
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S
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H
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C
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A
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L
O
R
I
E
S
36
C
R
U
S
O
E
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A
L
I
G
N
E
D
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S
E
A
C
A
L
F
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S
E
L
L
E
R
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C
H
I
C
K
L
I
T
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A
S
Y
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T
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L
E
E
L
E
E
43
W
E
T
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B
A
R
S
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T
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O
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K
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E
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O
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S
H
A
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I
M
A
G
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E
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D
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B
E
L
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S
H
I
R
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A
Z
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M
O
N
O
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G
A
M
Y
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L
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C
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© 2012, The New York Times7/28/12 ( No. 22,908 )
Across
1
Part of a certain log : STARDATE
9
Appliance maker that produced the first microwave oven for household use (1955) : TAPPAN
15
Give lots of work ... or criticism : PILEITON
16
In : ATHOME
17
Dashing through the snow? : IDITAROD
18
Landmark also known as Kissavos : MTOSSA
19
Thick : FAT
20
Defiant retort : MAKEME
22
Mustang option : TTOP
23
Beat : FLOG
25
Like a game ending in double overtime, say : HARDWON
27
"Copper Canyon" and "Coroner Creek" : OATERS
30
Discompose : ABASH
33
They may be empty in a vending machine : CALORIES
36
Journal keeper of fiction : CRUSOE
37
Straight : ALIGNED
38
Certain seal : SEACALF
39
Listing agent's principal : SELLER
40
Genre of Lauren Weisberger's "The Devil Wears Prada" : CHICKLIT
41
So far : ASYET
42
Actress Sobieski : LEELEE
43
Aids for home parties : WETBARS
45
Draw, in a way : TOKE
49
Federal org. with compliance officers : OSHA
51
Like Jesus on the Shroud of Turin, many believe : IMAGED
54
___ esprit : BEL
55
Capital of Iran's Fars province : SHIRAZ
57
Faithful practice : MONOGAMY
59
Peewee : LITTLE
60
How hair might fall out : INCLUMPS
61
Almost perfect, as a game : ONEHIT
62
Pen pal? : CELLMATE
Down
1
Neaten (up) : SPIFF
2
Start of a big wave? : TIDAL
3
O'Connor's successor : ALITO
4
No longer serving: Abbr. : RET
5
Geometry meas. : DIAM
6
___ Plus (pharmacy purchase) : ATRA
7
Really listened : TOOKHEED
8
Charms : ENDEARS
9
Under control : TAMED
10
Bygone N.Y.S.E. ticker symbol : ATT
11
Picture-hosting Web site : PHOTOBUCKET
12
Kind of drip : POSTNASAL
13
"Are not!" elicitor : AMSO
14
Spring's counterpart : NEAP
21
Title box choice : MRS
24
Reference program launched in 2005 : GOOGLEEARTH
26
Top gun : WARACE
28
Actor Will of "Up All Night" : ARNETT
29
Second-___ : TIER
31
Cadenzas, e.g. : SOLI
32
Weight : HEFT
33
Sight along una calle : CASA
34
They may be pint-size with big heads : ALES
35
100% pure : LILYWHITE
36
Put a cover on : CEIL
38
1976 Hall & Oates hit : SHESGONE
40
Like many cookie jars : CERAMIC
42
Flight : LAM
44
"Les Pêcheurs de Perles" composer : BIZET
46
Start to care? : OBAMA
47
Combed, as hair : KEMPT
48
___ Knox, co-star of Lon Chaney in "The Mummy's Tomb" : ELYSE
49
Olympics locale where the first figure-skating triple jump was landed : OSLO
50
It's just over a foot : SHIN
52
Check within, say?: Abbr. : ENCL
53
Sweetums : DOLL
56
Fourth caliph in Sunni Islam : ALI
58
Jam (up) : GUM

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 3 debuted here and reused later.

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