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New York Times, Saturday, November 24, 2007

Author:
Victor Fleming
Editor:
Will Shortz
37-Down : Tropical reptiles
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
473/29/200512/29/202125
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
75107666
CircleScrabDebutFresh
21.5522358%
Victor Fleming

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 70, Blocks: 28 Missing: {FQXZ} This is puzzle # 14 for Mr. Fleming. Saturday freshness: 53%
Victor Fleming notes:

This crossword was submitted 53 weeks before its publication and became my third Times themeless. The clue that I submitted for 29A was [Source of support]. As you can see, Will added a word to that. If I can count that one, then, as unchanged, then one of twelve of my clues to long answers survived the edit. The point (to new constructors, perhaps) is that three years into this new hobby, I still couldn't write clues worth a darn. Yet, it's my favorite part of the game. It is also important to note that Will's job as editor is to make puzzles better, and he does an amazing job of this!

By this time, I'd begun to realize that the keys to gaining an acceptance with a themeless puzzle were (a) having a couple of backbone ILSAs (in-the-language stand-alones) functioning pretty much the same as theme answers and (b) getting as many ILSAs as possible into the rest of the puzzle. I began with LEADER BOARD and TOURING PROS, neither of which had been in a puzzle before, according to my research. By my count, there are 15 ILSAs in this puzzle.

1
N
2
E
3
C
4
E
5
S
6
S
7
A
8
R
9
Y
10
C
11
L
12
A
13
S
14
H
15
O
P
O
S
I
T
I
V
E
16
L
E
N
T
O
17
M
E
L
S
D
I
N
E
R
18
E
A
G
E
R
19
O
E
D
20
E
N
G
R
21
W
A
D
E
I
N
22
S
23
T
O
K
E
24
T
A
V
E
R
N
S
25
C
26
R
O
O
N
S
27
R
O
V
E
R
28
L
A
R
U
E
29
P
O
W
E
R
B
30
A
31
S
32
E
33
A
G
E
R
34
S
E
L
E
S
35
O
R
E
N
36
M
U
S
I
37
C
H
A
L
L
38
J
A
R
E
D
39
N
A
I
L
S
40
C
A
R
O
M
S
41
O
42
R
43
I
G
I
N
S
44
A
A
N
D
W
45
H
E
L
P
M
E
46
S
L
R
S
47
H
48
B
49
O
50
A
G
O
R
A
51
G
O
T
O
S
52
L
E
E
P
53
R
A
N
O
N
54
I
N
E
L
E
G
A
N
T
55
A
N
A
S
S
56
S
E
R
E
N
A
D
E
S
© 2007, The New York Times11/24/7 ( No. 21,200 )
Across
1
Called for : NECESSARY
10
Not get along : CLASH
15
Common bank deposit? : OPOSITIVE
16
Slow in scoring : LENTO
17
1976-85 sitcom setting : MELSDINER
18
Zealous : EAGER
19
Philologists' work, for short : OED
20
Rd. designer, e.g. : ENGR
21
Begin energetically : WADEIN
22
Feed : STOKE
24
Where things may be neatly ordered? : TAVERNS
25
Doesn't belt it out : CROONS
27
Unsettled sort : ROVER
28
Lash with a whip : LARUE
29
Source of political support : POWERBASE
33
"Happy Days Are Here Again" composer : AGER
34
Three-time 1990s French Open winner : SELES
35
Israeli opera conductor Daniel : OREN
36
Encore setting : MUSICHALL
38
___ Diamond, author of the 1998 Pulitzer-winning book "Guns, Germs, and Steel" : JARED
39
They may be done in a salon : NAILS
40
Results of some glances : CAROMS
41
Onsets : ORIGINS
44
Fast-food chain known for its floats : AANDW
45
Distress call : HELPME
46
Some shooters, briefly : SLRS
47
Where to find "Rome" : HBO
50
Lead-in to phobia : AGORA
51
Drop off : GOTOSLEEP
53
Filibustered, say : RANON
54
Clumsy : INELEGANT
55
"Why, what ___ am I!" (Hamlet soliloquy line) : ANASS
56
Some Mozart works : SERENADES
Down
1
Pitcher who was the 1995 N.L. Rookie of the Year : NOMO
2
Guarded weapon : EPEE
3
They may accompany fevers : COLDSORES
4
Part of a long and winding road? : ESS
5
It's usually spun first : SIDEONE
6
Performs awfully : STINKS
7
1980s-'90s N.B.A. star Danny : AINGE
8
Many a camper, informally : RVER
9
"___ out!" : YER
10
Butcher's need : CLEAVER
11
Display at a golf tournament : LEADERBOARD
12
Provocation result : ANGER
13
Draft holder : STEIN
14
They frequently become locked : HORNS
21
Shock aftermath : WAVES
23
Open competitors, often : TOURINGPROS
24
Kind of rack : TOWEL
25
Good secret-keeper : CLAM
26
Unilever brand : RAGU
27
7 and 11, in a casino : ROLLS
29
Storm sounds : PEALS
30
Game sticker? : ARROWHEAD
31
Look : SEEM
32
Far left and far right : ENDS
34
Perform superbly : SHINE
37
Tropical reptiles : CAIMANS
38
Star of TV's "The Fugitive" : JANSSEN
40
King of pop : CAROLE
41
"Ten North Frederick" novelist : OHARA
42
Duke of Cornwall's wife : REGAN
43
Massey of film : ILONA
44
Take in, e.g. : ALTER
46
Loudness unit : SONE
48
Well around Trevi Fountain? : BENE
49
Goes (for) : OPTS
51
They're found in a mess : GIS
52
Big Apple-bound luggage tag code : LGA

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

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