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PARDON ZE INTERRUPTION

New York Times, Sunday, September 2, 2012

Author:
Joel Fagliano
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
96-Across : Rhythm band instrument
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
7210/22/200910/26/20258
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
18912911337
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
351.6447034.361%
Joel Fagliano

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 72 Missing: {Q} Scrabble average: 1.73 Featured in Will Shortz's favorite puzzlemakers. Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 12 for Mr. Fagliano. Grid flow: 27.8 Sunday freshness: 55%
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A
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J
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X
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L
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X
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D
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H
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D
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F
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D
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K
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B
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D
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T
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N
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M
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A
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D
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O
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A
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G
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E
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D
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O
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N
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Y
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H
T
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E
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C
L
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B
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S
C
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B
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J
A
Y
Z
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O
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T
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O
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E
N
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A
K
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N
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A
G
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N
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S
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P
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A
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M
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S
© 2012, The New York Times9/2/12 ( No. 22,944 )
Across
1
"Iliad" character : AJAX
5
Cracked a bit : AJAR
9
1986 U.S.S.R. launch : MIR
12
Comedian who was the only man on Maxim's 2012 Hot 100 list of most beautiful women : COLBERT
19
2004 Best Actor winner for "Ray" : FOXX
20
Sir Galahad, e.g. : HERO
21
Foofaraw : ADO
22
Rhododendron relatives : AZALEAS
23
Chihuahua that eats only the best dog food? : CHOOSYTOY
25
What Jennifer Grey does in "Dirty Dancing"? : HOLDSSWAYZE
27
Photo blowup: Abbr. : ENL
28
Position of authority : HELM
29
Book of legends : ATLAS
30
___-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 : SMOOT
31
2012, por ejemplo : ANO
32
Promiscuous woman of the Far East? : ASIANFLOOZIE
36
Lets a ground ball go through one's legs, say : ERRS
37
Opposite of rises : SITS
39
Multitude : SEA
40
Announcement early in an inning, maybe : ONEOUT
42
Suffix with legal : ESE
43
Sprint's business : TELECOM
47
Part of w.p.m.: Abbr. : WDS
49
Like some kisses : WET
51
Fey of "30 Rock" : TINA
52
Begin a game of "She loves me, she loves me not ..."? : SEIZETHEDAISY
60
Blissful : HEAVENLY
63
Prefix with sexual : METRO
64
Diploma word : SUMMA
65
"The Addams Family" matriarch : MORTICIA
66
Salad bar bowlful : SPROUTS
68
Mark : SPOT
69
Unveil, in poems : OPE
70
First-class piece of infant's wear? : CAPITALONESIE
73
Word often shortened to one letter in text messages : ARE
74
Anchor's place : DESK
76
Two-day trips, sometimes : REDEYES
77
Bargain hunters' destinations : TAGSALES
79
Form of Spanish "to be" : ESTAS
81
Verb for thou : DOEST
82
Northern force : MOUNTIES
83
Everest? : MOUNTAINDOOZY
86
Like many a forgetful actor : CUED
87
___ Aviv : TEL
88
Nietzsche's "never" : NIE
89
Pentathlete, at times : EPEEIST
93
MI6 : Britain :: ___ : U.S. : CIA
96
Rhythm band instrument : MARACA
101
Scepter go-with : ORB
103
Start of a tournament ... or the end of a match? : DRAW
104
"Laugher" : ROUT
106
Where busybodies live? : NOSYMANSLAND
111
Poetic praise : ODE
112
Tank top? : ALGAE
114
Ambience factor : DECOR
115
Midwest native : OTOE
116
At birth : NEE
117
Group that regularly plays a classic dice game? : YAHTZEECLUB
119
Drop a hip-hop star from the festival lineup? : SCRUBJAYZ
121
Lake at one end of the Welland Canal : ONTARIO
122
"Small Craft on a Milk Sea" musician : ENO
123
Related : AKIN
124
Pulitzer-winning James : AGEE
125
Pathfinders, e.g. : NISSANS
126
Orch. section : STR
127
Ad Council output, for short : PSAS
128
Child's room, often : MESS
Down
1
Patriots' group : AFCEAST
2
Cochran who defended O. J. : JOHNNIE
3
Mexican salamander : AXOLOTL
4
Losing tic-tac-toe line : XXO
5
"Now I see" : AHYES
6
"Kiss of the Dragon" star : JETLI
7
They might make your mouth water : AROMAS
8
Booker Prize winner Arundhati ___ : ROY
9
Taj ___ : MAHAL
10
"Likewise" : IDOTOO
11
Spray alternative : ROLLON
12
He said "My reputation, Iago, my reputation!" : CASSIO
13
Soda bottle meas. : OZS
14
House work? : LAWS
15
Scapegoat's onus : BLAME
16
"It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it" speaker : EEYORE
17
Shower items, maybe : RAZORS
18
African danger : TSETSE
24
Doo-wop syllable : SHA
26
Flabbergast : DAZE
33
Informative : NEWSY
34
Scene-ending film technique : FADE
35
1930s world chess champion Max : EUWE
38
Attack : SETAT
41
"Bill & ___ Excellent Adventure" : TEDS
44
Palindromic auto model : CIVIC
45
Like some garages : ONECAR
46
Salon treatment, informally : MANIPEDI
48
Fool : SIMPLETON
50
Torque symbols : TAUS
53
Losers : ZEROS
54
Ian Fleming's alma mater : ETON
55
Not cheating on : TRUETO
56
Burrito topper : HOTSAUCE
57
Spear : IMPALE
58
Gooey treats : SMORES
59
"Revolutionary Road" novelist Richard : YATES
60
"God willing" : HOPESO
61
1974 hit with a Spanish title : ERESTU
62
Applied, as paint : LAIDON
65
It may have a blinking light : MODEM
66
Authority : SAYSO
67
Register : SIGNUP
71
Ticked (off) : TEED
72
First name in cosmetics : ESTEE
75
"The Metaphysics of Morals" author : KANT
78
Gave a leg up : AIDED
80
Musical note part : STEM
82
Powers player : MYERS
84
Moore who wrote "Watchmen" : ALAN
85
National park through which the Virgin River runs : ZION
90
It started around 1100 B.C. : IRONAGE
91
1979 #1 hit for Robert John : SADEYES
92
Plucks : TWEEZES
93
Wax cylinder : CRAYON
94
Honolulu's ___ Palace : IOLANI
95
Period of George W. Bush's presidency : AUGHTS
97
Events for those who know the ropes? : RODEOS
98
"Hang on ___" : ASEC
99
Rinse and dry : CYCLES
100
Come (to) : AMOUNT
102
Town squares? : BLOCKS
105
Cheerios : TATAS
107
___ Day : ARBOR
108
Fancy hotel features : ATRIA
109
Rock and roll, e.g. : NOUNS
110
Ball girl : DEB
113
Book before Nehemiah : EZRA
118
Essen article : EIN
119
Fool : SAP
120
Basketball highlight, slangily : JAM

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

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