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New York Times, Thursday, October 24, 2002

Author:
Patrick Merrell
Editor:
Will Shortz
With 38- and 56-Across, what's hidden in this puzzle
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
917/10/20014/1/20202
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22105133452
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551.615
Patrick Merrell

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 38 Missing: {BJQW} Spans: 1 Featured in Will Shortz's favorite puzzles. This is puzzle # 7 for Mr. Merrell.
Jim Horne notes:

Solving this puzzle reveals Patrick Merrell's sense of humor too:

"The good news is you've spotted the hidden message. The bad news is that this is all it has to say."

1
M
2
E
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T
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A
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L
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H
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A
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M
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A
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M
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E
X
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T
O
D
O
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G
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L
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R
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A
M
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A
G
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N
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P
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K
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R
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N
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K
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N
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T
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I
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S
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L
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N
D
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R
Y
A
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O
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O
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L
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S
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Z
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E
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S
38
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F
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E
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Y
O
K
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L
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T
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L
L
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R
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U
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N
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H
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A
R
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O
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L
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F
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U
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D
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N
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H
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P
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A
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T
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© 2002, The New York Times10/24/02 ( No. 19,343 )
Across
1
Tungsten, e.g. : METAL
6
Hickory-smoked items : HAMS
10
Ensnaring scheme : SCAM
14
Goner? : EXILE
15
Overseas carrier : ELAL
16
Opening words on an agenda : TODO
17
Dos : GALAS
18
Nude dancer St. Cyr : LILI
19
Extended periods : ERAS
20
With 38- and 56-Across, what's hidden in this puzzle : AMESSAGEIN
22
St. Peter was the first : POPE
23
Islamic text : KORAN
24
Stubborn, as a problem : KNOTTY
26
Yap, for one, in the western Pacific : ISLAND
29
O'Neal of "Love Story" : RYAN
30
Unit smaller than a foot : TOE
31
Varied group : OLIO
34
Extra-large and others : SIZES
38
Second part of what's hidden : THEFIRSTLETTERS
42
Provincial one : YOKEL
43
Orally convey : TELL
44
Trio after Q : RST
45
"Too bad" : ALAS
47
Erases : UNDOES
50
Diversified publishing giant : HEARST
53
Tune from the past : OLDIE
55
Husk : ARIL
56
End of what's hidden : OFTHECLUES
61
Half of it is a nickel : DIME
62
Italian-American film vamp Naldi : NITA
63
Dumb film brother : HARPO
64
Decorated pilots : ACES
65
Expectant times : EVES
66
Necromancer's home, in the Bible : ENDOR
67
Mariners : TARS
68
Evening in Venezia : SERA
69
Swillpot : SOUSE
Down
1
Super: Prefix : MEGA
2
Academic challenge : EXAM
3
Glazed square : TILE
4
Eskimo's home : ALASKA
5
Teacher's instruction : LESSON
6
Hägar the Horrible's wife : HELGA
7
Extraterrestrial : ALIEN
8
Bamako is its capital : MALI
9
American toy introduced in 1945 : SLINKY
10
"Don't go so slow!" : STEPONIT
11
Noted French landscapist : COROT
12
Establish new habits for : ADAPT
13
Walk slowly : MOSEY
21
Strong liking : ARDOR
25
Illustrator who lampooned Tweed : NAST
26
Small word : ITTY
27
Tribeca is next to it : SOHO
28
Hot or cold soup ingredient : LEEK
29
Air maneuver : ROLL
32
Transports in W.W. II: Abbr. : LSTS
33
Tail on social or graph : ITE
35
Horrible grade on a test : ZERO
36
Irish relative : ERSE
37
Speedy fliers : SSTS
39
Intrepid : FEARLESS
40
Societal woes : ILLS
41
Avoid : ELUDE
46
Lives as a penitent : ATONES
48
Little markets : NICHES
49
It's the "D" in a presidential monogram : DELANO
50
Took on vigorously : HADAT
51
Heath plant : ERICA
52
Archer, at times : AIMER
53
Sea ___ : OTTER
54
Tibet's capital : LHASA
57
One in ___ (20%) : FIVE
58
South Asians speak it : URDU
59
"Aeneid," e.g. : EPOS
60
Your throat might be this from yelling : SORE

Answer summary: 2 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later.

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