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CREATURE FEATURE

New York Times, Sunday, June 24, 2018

Author:
Timothy Polin
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
88-Down : Thugs
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
5512/11/20111/9/20222
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
86962402
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
6161.6226334.257%
Timothy Polin

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 80 Grid has mirror symmetry. This is puzzle # 46 for Mr. Polin. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Grid flow: 19.1 Sunday freshness: 89%
Notepad: After completing this puzzle, draw a line starting at the middle square of 59-Across and connect five appropriate squares in roughly clockwise order to reveal an image suggested by this puzzle's theme.
Jeff Chen notes:
Duuuh-duh. Duuuh-duh. Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh AAAA! Something lost in translation there, the theme song to JAWS not quite as catchy on paper. However, I thought Tim did an excellent job of ... read more
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© 2018, The New York Times6/24/18 ( No. 25,065 )
Across
1
"Friendly" cartoon character : CASPER
7
Pro : OLDHAND
14
Symbols in calculus : SIGMAS
20
Simple kind of antenna : DIPOLE
21
Expenditures' counterpart : REVENUE
22
Lacking a break : ONEACT
23
Add surreptitiously : SLIPIN
24
Worrisome sight for a swimmer : DORSALFIN
25
With spite : MEANLY
26
Some Houdini feats : ESCAPES
28
John of spy fiction : LECARRE
30
Something extraordinary that won't soon be forgotten : ALLTIMER
32
Some northern Europeans : FINNS
35
Bit of hydrotherapy : SALTBATH
38
Caffeinated drink with tapioca balls : BOBATEA
39
Doled (out) : METED
41
Opposite of colorblindness? : BIGOTRY
42
"___ Jacques" : FRERE
43
Ones eligible for marathon prizes : FINISHERS
45
"Don't bite the hand that feeds you," e.g. : AXIOM
46
Flight board abbr. : ARR
47
Sinking feelings : DREADS
50
Mistrusts : DOUBTS
53
Mother or sister : NUN
54
Does more than ask : BEGS
56
Dr. ___ Sattler, "Jurassic Park" paleobotanist : ELLIE
57
Energy giant that fell into ignominy in 2002 : ENRON
58
Elevs. : HGTS
59
Peevish quality : HUFFINESS
61
Get a new mortgage : REFINANCE
63
[Kiss] : MWAH
65
Powerful D.C. lobby : AARP
68
Scylla or Charybdis : SEAMONSTER
74
Speedy wide receiver, perhaps : DEEPTHREAT
80
Skill : ART
81
[Fingers crossed] : HOPESO
82
Buzz out in space : ALDRIN
83
And so on: Abbr. : ETC
84
Staff leader? : CLEF
86
With 87-Across, what might cost you an arm and a leg? : GREAT
87
See 86-Across : WHITE
88
Silver-tongued : GLIB
89
2004 also-ran : KERRY
91
Martin who wrote "The Pregnant Widow" : AMIS
92
Evening, in ads : NITE
93
Southern sandwich : POBOY
94
Is there in spirit? : HAUNTS
96
Zen Buddhist goal : SATORI
98
Makes fun of : RAZZES
99
Menace in 106-Down : SHARK
104
Bad-mouth : MALIGN
106
Add spice to : JAZZUP
107
Metaphor for deliberate ignorance : DEAFEAR
109
Gobbled (down) : WOLFED
111
Seriously uptight : ANAL
112
Fictional setting for 106-Down : AMITYISLAND
115
"A ___ believes no one" (old saying) : LIAR
116
Pottery : WARE
117
Caffè ___ : LATTE
118
Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake : TENOR
119
Concerning : ASTO
120
Conventions: Abbr. : STDS
121
"There, there" : ITSOK
122
Disgustingly obsequious : SLIMY
123
Class with drills : SHOP
Down
1
Things investors take an interest in? : CDS
2
Suffer : AIL
3
106-Down director : SPIELBERG
4
Pink, e.g. : POPSTAR
5
Brought out : ELICITED
6
Christen anew : RENAME
7
Tidiness : ORDER
8
Proud, fiery types, they say : LEOS
9
Save for later, in a way : DVR
10
Fathers or brothers : HES
11
Santa ___ : ANA
12
No longer in force : NULL
13
Gives meaning to : DEFINES
14
Horn of Africa native : SOMALI
15
Neon, e.g. : INERTGAS
16
Transmission : GEARBOX
17
Like the menace in 106-Down : MANEATING
18
Common knee injury site, briefly : ACL
19
Locale for a trough : STY
27
Fairy tale "lump" : PEA
29
Hack : CAB
30
Hit BBC comedy, briefly : ABFAB
31
Peter of "The Maltese Falcon" : LORRE
32
Handles deftly : FINESSES
33
Utmost degree : NTH
34
Farm machine : SEEDER
36
Something to angle for : TROUT
37
"In Dulci Jubilo" and others : HYMNS
39
Modest skirts : MIDIS
40
Modern subject of F.A.A. regulation : DRONE
43
TV show with the season's highest rating, often : FINALE
44
"___ U.S.A." (1963 hit) : SURFIN
48
Sports arbiter : REF
49
Pixielike : ELFIN
51
Cabaret accessory : BOA
52
Country music channel, once : TNN
55
Decorative pillowcase : SHAM
58
Adjudicate, as a case : HEAR
60
"This is looking bad" : UHOH
62
Lyricist Sammy : CAHN
63
Singer Haggard : MERLE
64
Golfer's obstacle : WATERHAZARD
66
Ska-punk band with the 1997 song "Sell Out" : REELBIGFISH
67
Sunning area : PATIO
68
Ax : SACK
69
Seasonal quaff : NOG
70
Small herrings : SPRATS
71
Is a crowd : TEEMS
72
Actor Morales : ESAI
73
Deteriorates : ROTS
74
Beginning : DAWN
75
Precollege, for short : ELHI
76
Text tweaks : EDITS
77
Mid-crisis hire, perhaps : PRTEAM
78
Word with black or blood : TIE
79
Frozen dessert chain : TCBY
85
Leaves nervously exhausted : FRAZZLES
88
Thugs : GORILLAS
90
Aromatic yellow citrus : YUZU
93
Preppy wear : POLO
95
Himalayan native : NEPALI
97
Cheap and gaudy : TAWDRY
98
Charged : RANAT
99
Scrap : SETTO
100
Actress Salma : HAYEK
101
Movie org. whose "100 Years ... 100 Thrills" list has 106-Down at #2 : AFI
102
Takes a load off : RESTS
103
Superman, by birth : KALEL
105
"Coo-oo-ool!" : NEATO
106
1975 summer blockbuster : JAWS
107
Morse clicks : DITS
108
Indian blueblood : RANI
110
Teensy amount : DROP
113
Yogi's accessory : MAT
114
Oscar ___ (Hollywood honor, informally) : NOM

Answer summary:
7 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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