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NO ESCAPE

New York Times, Sunday, July 26, 2015

Author:
Ellen Leuschner and Jeff Chen
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
96-Across : "Incidentally," in a text
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
97/11/20112/7/20237
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
3220200
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.543525.547%
Ellen Leuschner
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1637/5/20106/11/2025115
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatAcr
441217293711121
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11441.6294832.854%
Jeff Chen

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 81 Missing: {JQZ} This is puzzle # 6 for Ms. Leuschner. This is puzzle # 40 for Mr. Chen. Grid flow: 11.2 Sunday freshness: 71%
Constructor notes:
Jeff is so patient with me and my crazy ideas. This puzzle was inspired by our previous "Fire in the Hole" puzzle. As I was looking back through my notes, I noticed that it was about ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
So much fun to work with Ellen. She came up with the idea to have a giant black hole in the middle of a grid; sort of a HOLE faux-rebus. I thought it was clever, so we went to work trying ... read more
1
C
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Y
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D
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E
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H
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F
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N
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M
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K
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G
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F
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B
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D
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L
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N
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L
HOLE
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R
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N
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P
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B
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W
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N
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C
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E
B
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S
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L
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H
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R
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O
P
T
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A
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D
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C
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A
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N
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A
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S
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X
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P
I
N
E
S
© 2015, The New York Times7/26/15 ( No. 24,001 )
Across
1
Drug charge? : COPAY
6
Petition : PLEA
10
War ___ : CRY
13
Govt. health org. : CDC
16
Conductor's resistance : OHMAGE
17
Mark's replacement : EURO
18
Laugh syllable : HEE
19
Scenic drapery fabric : TOILE
21
Novella that served as the basis for "Apocalypse Now" : HEARTOFDARKNESS
24
Like dough after baking : RISEN
25
Actress Suvari of "American Beauty" : MENA
26
Mercedes-Benz competitor : LEXUS
27
Panama part : BRIM
28
Remove a piece from? : UNARM
29
"The Phantom Menace" in the "Star Wars" series : EPISODEI
31
Feminist of 1970s TV : MAUDE
32
"Silas Marner" girl : EPPIE
33
Chemical ending : ANE
34
___ contendere : NOLO
37
Hooey : BUNK
39
Short lines at the checkout? : UPCS
40
To whom Dionne Warwick asked "What's it all about?" in a 1967 hit : ALFIE
43
Idol worshiper? : GROUPIE
45
From scratch : AFRESH
47
Idol worship : BAALISM
50
___ of Abraham (place of comfort) : BOSOM
51
Asian capital : LHASA
52
Canadian N.H.L. team, on scoreboards : OTT
53
Lender's security : LIEN
55
Dearie : PET
56
Loped : CANTERED
59
Long, in Lahaina : LOA
60
Damage to a wall made in hanging a picture : NAILHOLE
62
Mouth, slangily : PIEHOLE
63
Comment that might start with 96-Across : ASIDE
64
Maui or Bali: Abbr. : ISL
65
Having more liabilities than assets : INTHEHOLE
66
Secret spot : HIDEYHOLE
68
Catch : NAB
69
Milan's La ___ : SCALA
71
Primitive kind of camera : PINHOLE
72
Fracking opening : BOREHOLE
73
Atlanta sch. : GSU
74
Some written rants : HATEMAIL
76
StubHub purchase: Abbr. : TKT
79
Like fine wine : AGED
81
It may be filled in with a No. 2 pencil : ANS
82
Postpone : TABLE
83
Paris's ___-Coeur : SACRE
85
Batting positions : STANCES
87
"Aargh!" : DARNIT
89
Drinking songs? : KARAOKE
91
Go after following a hung jury, say : RETRY
92
"Casablanca" escape route city : ORAN
93
50 or more people? : AARP
95
Tour grp. since 1950 : LPGA
96
"Incidentally," in a text : BTW
97
Button material : NACRE
99
Biblical spy : CALEB
101
"Friday the 13th" movies, e.g. : SLASHERS
106
Sign up to receive email alerts, say : OPTIN
107
Like : AKIN
108
Tree spirit : DRYAD
110
Jordan's Queen ___ International Airport : ALIA
111
Hollywood director Sam : RAIMI
112
Tightrope walker's concern : CENTEROFGRAVITY
115
Unlike wild horses : SHOED
116
Multinational bank : ING
117
Cry outside an airport : TAXI
118
Glacial ridges : ARETES
119
Ending with walk or run : ONS
120
Idiot : ASS
121
River with a "dreadful shore," in Shakespeare : STYX
122
They line many ski runs : PINES
Down
1
Sound like a bird : CHEEP
2
Certain Arabian : OMANI
3
Soar above the sea, say : PARASAIL
4
Fed, e.g.: Abbr. : AGT
5
Quaint sign starter : YEOLDE
6
Caution for drivers on city streets : PEDXING
7
Party on a beach : LUAU
8
Blows it : ERRS
9
"Ready for takeoff!" : AOK
10
Pair of figures in Raphael's "Sistine Madonna" : CHERUBIM
11
Remains : RESIDUE
12
Rubber stamps : YESMEN
13
Change places : COINPURSES
14
Avoidance maneuver : DISAPPEARINGACT
15
Priests, e.g. : CLERICS
16
"Heavens!" : OHME
19
"You have a point" : TRUE
20
Tangle up : ENMESH
22
Greens ___ : FEE
23
What L.A. is represented in twice : NBA
30
Baseball's Buck : ONEIL
31
Place to set a trap : MOUSEHOLE
35
Poet's planet : ORB
36
Tax dodger's discovery : LOOPHOLE
38
Madeline of "What's Up, Doc?" : KAHN
40
Put an end to : ABOLISH
41
French play that inspired an Italian opera : LATOSCA
42
1987 Michael Douglas/Glenn Close blockbuster : FATALATTRACTION
44
Tire hazard : POTHOLE
46
Palestinian political group : FATAH
48
___ Fein (Irish political group) : SINN
49
Savory dish with a crust : MEATPIE
51
Toy poodles, e.g. : LAPDOGS
54
Nothing : NIHIL
56
Old Olds : CIERA
57
Santa Claus player in a 2003 comedy : EDASNER
58
"Clair de Lune" composer : DEBUSSY
61
"Dancing With the Stars" judge Goodman : LEN
62
Ogle : EYE
65
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?," e.g. : IAMBI
67
"Yeah, whatever you say" : IBET
70
Singer with the 1997 3x platinum single "How Do I Live" : LEANNRIMES
75
Ski area in the Wasatch Mountains : ALTA
76
Small, dirty, uncomfortable room : RATHOLE
77
The middle of this puzzle's grid, symbolically : BLACKHOLE
78
Ship window : PORTHOLE
80
Game with rings : DARTS
83
Nursery purchases : SAPLINGS
84
Heart test, for short : EKG
86
Ivy League home : NEWHAVEN
87
Certain angels : DONORS
88
Great Plains Indian : ARAPAHO
89
Mythical monsters : KRAKENS
90
Simple solution : EASYFIX
94
Mimosa, for one : ACACIA
96
Undeserved reputation : BADRAP
98
Woman of Camelot : ENID
100
"The Lord of the Rings" creature : ENT
102
Not keep up : LAG
103
Like Navy SEALs : ELITE
104
Some contents of a Masonic manual : RITES
105
"___ who?" : SAYS
108
"Darn!" : DRAT
109
Classic theater name : ROXY
113
Mork and Worf : ETS
114
Jackie's Onassis : ARI

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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