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Frances Hansen
Frances Hansen

VACANCIES

New York Times, Sunday, December 30, 1973

86-Across : Recondite matters

Author:
Frances Hansen
Editor:
Will Weng
Rows: 23, Columns: 23, Words: 162, Blocks: 100, Avg Word Len: 5.79, Missing: { none — this is a pangram }
Open Squares: 156, Cheaters: 16, FITB: 19, XRef: 1, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 32
Frances Hansen has 81 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 40 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
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C
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L
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Y
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D
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G
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BLANK
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O
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P
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A
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S
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P
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BLANK
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F
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BLANK
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P
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J
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D
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A
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E
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N
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T
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A
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Z
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R
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K
L
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L
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A
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T
© 1973, The New York TimesNo. 8,905
Across
1
Caesar's enemy : CASCA
6
Red, in Samoa : MUMU
10
" ... as ugly, ay, ___" : ASSIN
15
Charon's river : STYX
19
Wilde : OSCAR
20
"Without ___" : ASONG
22
"Close, ___ cigar" : BUTNO
23
Plea to tea hostess : POUR
24
Flemish artist Peter Paul : RUBENS
25
Beautiful young woman : HOURI
26
Eastern faith : ISLAM
27
Ms. Mater : ALMA
28
Tristan's lady : ISOLDE
29
Broadway play : LUV
30
Attention-getting call : YOHO
31
June 6, 1944 : DDAY
32
Crossword-puzzle activity : FILLINGINTHEBLANKSQUARES
39
Over : ENDED
40
Egg: Prefix : OVO
41
Fire bomb: Abbr. : HEI
42
News squib : ITEM
43
Banjo's relative, for short : UKE
46
Ammo for TV Westerns : BLANKCARTRIDGES
50
Writer's start : BLANKPAPER
52
"Pain has an Element ___" : OFBLANK
55
Abba : EBAN
56
Girl of song : RAMONA
57
One in the social whirl : SWINGER
58
Nonclerical : SECULAR
60
Andes grass : ICHU
61
Coconut cookies : MACAROONS
63
Take ___ (care) : TOHEART
64
Sumatran raft : RAKIT
65
Vault or cat : POLE
66
Writer Leon and family : EDELS
67
French measures : AUNES
68
Bobbins : SPOOLS
70
Drop bait lightly : DIB
73
Friction: Sp. : ROCE
74
Bank concerns : BLANKENDORSEMENTS
77
Trieste wine measure : ORNA
78
Grampus: Var. : ORK
79
Mr. Waugh : EVELYN
80
Gray's churchyard opus : ELEGY
81
Muscular strength : BRAWN
82
Florida beach : VERO
83
Jazz frills : SCATS
84
Peruke : PERIWIG
86
Recondite matters : ESOTERICA
91
Food fish : TUNA
92
Spaghetti spice : OREGANO
93
Contrition : REMORSE
94
Unproductive : BARREN
96
Discover : FIND
97
Sheet-metal cutter : BLANKER
98
Nod : DROWSE
99
What I did with my puzzle : MADEITABLANKONE
101
Turku, in Sweden : ABO
102
___-day (vaudeville stint) : TWOA
104
"Iz ___ so!" : ZAT
105
Second phone: Abbr. : EXT
106
Give a leg up : BOOST
111
Apology for 99 Across : FORGIVEMYBLANKETYBLANKPUZZLE
116
Flapper's song : JADA
119
That: Lat. : ILLA
120
In a vacant way : BLANKLY
121
___ shrdlu : ETAOIN
122
___ for one's money : ARUN
123
Florida cigar city : TAMPA
125
Red dye : EOSIN
128
Like the barefoot boy : TANNED
129
___ oxide : ZINC
130
Daughter of Anius : ELAIS
131
___ line (conformed) : TOEDA
132
Two of Henry VIII's wives : ANNES
133
Harpo Marx, for one : ZANY
134
Ayn and Sally : RANDS
135
Part of K.K.K. : KLAN
136
"That's the ___ I can do" : LEAST
Down
1
Kissing kin : COUSIN
2
___ as a lion (brave) : ASBOLD
3
Official seal: Fr. : SCELLE
4
Frank : CANDID
5
Prefix for a poison : ARSEN
6
___-jongg : MAH
7
Service org. : USO
8
Shed feathers: Var. : MOULT
9
Reagan's opponent, 1970 : UNRUH
10
___-Diz, river of Iran : ABI
11
Big Apple step : SUSYQ
12
Cards' home : STLOUIS
13
Where raffle tickets belong : INAHAT
14
Upshot of muralist's work : NOMOREBLANKWALLS
15
Mining nails : SPADS
16
"I ___ you so" : TOLD
17
Arizona city : YUMA
18
Candid camera shot : XRAY
21
How to soothe Linus : GIVEHIMHISSECURITYBLANKET
24
Prevalent : RIFE
33
Pram : GOCART
34
"Terrible" one : IVAN
35
Neither's partner : NOR
36
Faded away : BLANKEDOUT
37
Omen : SIGN
38
Realms : EMPIRES
43
Ascent : UPGO
44
Acute : KEEN
45
Slips : ERRS
46
Legal stop : BLANKBAR
47
Grand or Petit : TRIANON
48
Poolhall worker : RACKER
49
Greek group of W. W. II : EAM
51
Upward: Prefix : ANO
52
Faeroe island : OSTERO
53
Dostoevsky : FEODOR
54
Carte blanche : BLANKCHECK
55
High notes : ELAS
57
Vamoose! : SCOOT
59
Congo river : UELE
62
"Riding on ___" : APONY
64
Mr. Vallee : RUDY
67
South Vietnam town : ANLOC
68
"Bartered Bride" composer : SMETANA
69
Cribbage pieces : PEGS
70
Come up with nothing : DRAWABLANK
71
"___ is truth" (In vino veritas) : INWINE
72
Maine port : BANGOR
74
Shakespeare, notably : BLANKVERSEWRITER
75
Spooky : EERIE
76
Old World kite : ELANET
77
Not a copy: Abbr. : ORIG
79
"Tinker to ___ Chance" : EVERSTO
81
Begot : BRED
83
Flow steadily : STREAM
84
Right on target : POINTBLANK
85
Sea bird : ERNE
86
Earth goddess : ERDA
87
Slav : SERB
88
Melville book : OMOO
89
Kind of truck or head : TOW
90
Sheik's garment : ABA
95
Carpenter's tool : ADZE
96
Like Reynard : FOXY
99
He's letter-perfect : MAILMAN
100
Kind of insurance : BLANKET
103
Dakota tribe : OGLALA
106
Flammable gas : BUTANE
107
Antelope genus : OZANNA
108
Oxygens : OZONES
109
Most tricky : SLIEST
110
See to : TEND
111
Dan or work : FANCY
112
Empty-headed : VAPID
113
Empty stare : BLANKLOOK
114
Vinegar, in old England : EYSEL
115
Flower part : PETAL
116
Paul Whiteman's kingdom : JAZZ
117
Solo : ARIA
118
Former actor James : DUNN
124
Dolt : ASS
126
Miss Lupino : IDA
127
Miss Tucket : NAN

Answer summary:
20 unique to this puzzle, 12 debuted here and reused later, 22 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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