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New York Times, Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Author:
Ed Stein
Editor:
Will Shortz
53-Across : ID for the I.R.S.
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
87/28/19802/20/20174
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
12220001
ScrabblePre‑WSFresh
1.51138%
Ed Stein

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 38 Missing: {JKQVX} Spans: 1 Featured in Will Shortz's favorite puzzles. This is puzzle # 3 for Mr. Stein. Tuesday freshness: 81%
1
H
2
B
3
O
4
M
5
B
6
G
7
U
8
A
9
R
10
D
11
T
12
H
13
E
14
M
O
T
E
L
15
E
N
L
A
I
16
R
A
T
17
M
A
C
A
U
18
S
P
A
N
G
19
L
I
S
H
20
D
E
21
S
T
E
22
R
E
N
T
A
23
S
24
O
25
W
26
S
T
A
G
27
F
28
L
A
T
I
O
N
29
C
H
O
30
R
T
L
E
31
R
I
M
32
A
G
R
E
E
33
S
E
Z
34
S
35
H
36
O
37
O
38
P
O
R
T
M
39
A
40
N
T
E
A
41
U
W
O
R
D
42
E
D
Y
S
43
B
O
Y
44
N
A
N
A
S
45
F
I
T
46
T
47
A
N
G
E
L
O
48
G
49
U
50
E
51
S
S
T
I
52
M
A
T
E
53
S
S
N
54
U
N
L
I
T
55
E
R
M
A
56
S
57
C
A
M
C
O
58
R
59
D
E
R
60
T
H
61
A
62
W
63
S
64
C
P
O
65
P
A
U
S
E
66
L
I
G
E
R
67
I
T
S
68
S
P
E
E
D
69
Y
P
R
E
S
© 2006, The New York Times10/3/6 ( No. 20,783 )
Across
1
Blast maker, informally : HBOMB
6
Basketball position : GUARD
11
Opening word usually skipped in alphabetizing : THE
14
Interstate interchange establishment : MOTEL
15
Zhou ___ : ENLAI
16
Squeal (on) : RAT
17
Former Portuguese territory in China : MACAU
18
"Hasta la vista, baby!," e.g. : SPANGLISH
20
Tivoli's Villa ___ : DESTE
22
___-car : RENTA
23
Boar's mate : SOW
26
Bad economic situation : STAGFLATION
29
Gleeful laugh : CHORTLE
31
Cup part : RIM
32
Jibe : AGREE
33
"Oh yeah? ___ who?" : SEZ
34
"Get outta here!" : SHOO
38
Description of 14-, 18-, 26-, 29-, 46-, 48-, 57- or 66-Across : PORTMANTEAUWORD
42
Ice cream brand : EDYS
43
Lad : BOY
44
Grandmothers, affectionately : NANAS
45
Strong and healthy : FIT
46
Citrus fruit : TANGELO
48
Seat-of-the-pants figure : GUESSTIMATE
53
ID for the I.R.S. : SSN
54
Dark : UNLIT
55
"Aunt ___ Cope Book" : ERMAS
57
Home movie maker : CAMCORDER
60
Unfreezes : THAWS
64
U.S.N. noncom : CPO
65
Stop for a second : PAUSE
66
Big, tough cat : LIGER
67
"For what ___ worth ..." : ITS
68
Amphetamines, slangily : SPEED
69
Belgian city in W.W. I fighting : YPRES
Down
1
"Well, let me think ..." : HMM
2
Wrapper that's hard to remove? : BOA
3
Like some stocks, briefly : OTC
4
Honeyed drink : MEAD
5
Prairie grass used for forage : BLUESTEM
6
Res ___ (deeds) : GESTAE
7
Release to float, as a currency price : UNPEG
8
Pie ___ mode : ALA
9
Did a marathon : RAN
10
Two-letter combination : DIGRAM
11
Singer Lopez : TRINI
12
Must : HASTO
13
Actor Hawke : ETHAN
19
Tennis official's call : LET
21
The Cardinals, on a scoreboard : STL
23
Outdoor scene in a painting : SCAPE
24
George Burns film : OHGOD
25
Fret : WORRY
27
Gratis : FREE
28
Oscar winner Minnelli : LIZA
30
Soaks, as flax : RETS
33
Place to wallow in mud : STY
34
Loot : SWAG
35
Sharpens, as a knife : HONES
36
Tests for Ph.D. candidates : ORALS
37
Takes way too much, briefly : ODSON
39
Somewhat : ABIT
40
Answer to the Little Red Hen : NOTI
41
Sloppily : UNNEATLY
45
Lens settings : FSTOPS
46
Blackened : TARRED
47
Place to enter a PIN : ATM
48
Haute couture name : GUCCI
49
Not suitable : UNAPT
50
St. ___ fire : ELMOS
51
[Not my mistake] : SIC
52
Reagan cabinet member Edwin : MEESE
56
She, at sea : SHIP
58
Popular music category : RAP
59
Owed : DUE
61
Cabinet post: Abbr. : AGR
62
"___ Willie Winkie" : WEE
63
H.S. prom attendees : SRS

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

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