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SOUNDS LIKE SOMEBODY I KNOW

New York Times, Sunday, November 16, 2008

Author:
Merl Reagle
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
56-Across : Laying-on of hands?
TotalDebutLatest
102/11/19679/3/2015
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
4011211
ScrabDebutPre‑WSFresh
1.4975355%
Merl Reagle

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 144, Blocks: 88 Missing: {QX} This is puzzle # 9 for Mr. Reagle. Sunday freshness: 31%
Jim Horne notes:

This amazing puzzle has a direct tie-in to the episode of The Simpsons that aired the same day. Both the show and the crossword are self-contained but key plot elements are hidden in this puzzle. See the Wordplay blog post.

The message from the first letter of each clue reads: "Dear Lisa. You make me so happy. Really, really, really happy. Sorry, he told me I needed a hundred-forty-four letters. What was my point again? Oh right. Bouvier or Simpson, I cherish you."

1
D
2
R
3
E
4
W
5
H
6
A
7
R
8
U
9
M
10
T
11
O
12
R
13
T
14
E
15
S
16
R
U
L
E
17
M
A
R
I
S
A
18
P
19
T
O
M
A
I
N
E
20
A
I
M
E
21
R
A
Y
M
O
N
D
C
H
A
N
N
E
L
E
22
R
23
K
N
O
B
24
A
R
E
A
S
25
J
E
D
I
26
A
R
I
27
E
E
R
28
D
M
A
S
S
29
V
30
C
R
31
S
32
E
I
S
M
33
R
E
34
S
E
A
U
35
D
O
H
36
E
37
M
38
O
T
E
39
L
A
D
D
40
A
R
N
O
41
L
D
P
O
L
Y
42
M
43
E
44
R
45
R
46
O
47
M
A
N
A
48
S
M
U
49
I
B
E
A
M
50
O
O
N
A
51
I
R
O
N
S
52
F
O
O
53
R
O
N
A
P
54
A
R
R
O
T
55
G
A
T
T
56
B
A
C
K
57
R
58
U
B
59
A
D
E
A
R
60
G
T
O
61
K
O
O
K
62
O
R
O
63
A
64
C
H
E
65
S
M
66
L
67
O
R
68
S
O
N
69
S
N
Y
70
D
E
R
S
71
A
S
I
A
72
E
R
I
K
S
E
73
T
74
T
75
E
E
76
F
R
Y
77
D
I
E
T
S
78
L
I
N
E
79
M
A
R
T
S
80
N
C
O
81
J
E
S
S
Y
E
82
M
O
N
I
83
C
A
Z
E
A
L
84
O
U
S
85
R
O
L
L
86
N
O
N
O
S
87
U
R
L
88
O
H
H
E
89
L
90
L
91
P
92
R
93
O
S
E
94
S
G
T
95
L
96
E
O
N
I
97
A
I
98
M
99
A
A
A
100
P
101
I
102
T
A
103
S
O
T
T
O
104
S
M
E
E
105
N
I
K
106
I
107
T
A
C
R
U
108
I
109
S
E
C
H
E
F
110
A
B
B
A
111
L
I
N
D
S
A
Y
L
O
W
H
A
N
D
112
A
D
E
N
113
S
E
A
S
O
N
114
C
A
R
L
O
115
B
A
R
T
© 2008, The New York Times11/16/8 ( No. 21,558 )
Across
1
Doodled, e.g. : DREW
5
Elvis film "___ Scarum" : HARUM
10
Attorney's favorite sweets? : TORTES
16
Reign : RULE
17
"Loverboy" actress who made the cast sick? : MARISAPTOMAINE
20
It's love, in Lille : AIME
21
Séance-loving crime writer? : RAYMONDCHANNELER
23
Adjustment means on a radio : KNOB
24
Yards, e.g. : AREAS
25
Obi-Wan Kenobi, for one : JEDI
26
Uris hero ___ Ben Canaan : ARI
27
Market closing? : EER
28
Abbr. after Ted Kennedy's name : DMASS
29
Kind of tape : VCR
31
Earthquake : SEISM
33
Meshed foundation in lace : RESEAU
35
Exclamation from a blockhead : DOH
36
Show too much feeling? : EMOTE
39
"O.S.S." star, 1946 : LADD
40
Hall of Fame golfer who invented the all-plastic club? : ARNOLDPOLYMER
45
Alla ___ (pasta style) : ROMANA
48
Planned site of the Geo. W. Bush Presidential Library : SMU
49
Piece that gets riveted : IBEAM
50
Young wife (age 18) of Charlie Chaplin (age 54) : OONA
51
Restraints : IRONS
52
Egg ___ yung : FOO
53
All-telling gossip queen who repeats everything she hears? : RONAPARROT
55
Letters of commerce : GATT
56
Laying-on of hands? : BACKRUB
59
"You're such ___ for helping" : ADEAR
60
Ronny & the Daytonas hit : GTO
61
Eccentric : KOOK
62
Acapulco gold : ORO
63
Long (for) : ACHE
65
Letters of sizes : SML
67
Yul Brynner died the same day as ___ Welles (odd fact) : ORSON
69
Relatives of TV host Tom : SNYDERS
71
Everest setting : ASIA
72
Avant-garde composer who sat around a lot? : ERIKSETTEE
76
Linger in the hot sun : FRY
77
Loses on purpose? : DIETS
78
Y-axis, for one : LINE
79
Handy places to shop : MARTS
80
Army type, for short : NCO
81
Prima donna Norman : JESSYE
82
Passionate tennis star? : MONICAZEALOUS
85
Yaw relative, on an aircraft : ROLL
86
Some etiquette rules : NONOS
87
Online address : URL
88
"Rats!" : OHHELL
91
Regular writing : PROSE
94
York, e.g.: Abbr. : SGT
95
Hollywood's Téa : LEONI
97
Eye the bull's-eye : AIM
99
Trip-planning org. : AAA
100
Option for a sandwich : PITA
103
Lower than: It. : SOTTO
104
Disney pirate, 1953 : SMEE
105
Moscow V.I.P. who liked to cook on a ship? : NIKITACRUISECHEF
110
Eban of Israel : ABBA
111
"I have no face cards" actress? : LINDSAYLOWHAND
112
Near Eastern port : ADEN
113
Easter ___ (period up to Pentecost Sunday) : SEASON
114
European resort Monte ___ : CARLO
115
Driving alternative in S.F. : BART
Down
1
Explorer Francis : DRAKE
2
Destroyer : RUINER
3
Author Leonard : ELMORE
4
Hall of Fame coach Ewbank : WEEB
5
U.S. president after Grant : HAYES
6
Noriega's weapons : ARMAS
7
Delgado's rivers : RIOS
8
Rear admiral's org. : USN
9
Extremely upset : MAD
10
Detestable one : TOAD
11
Former Dodge : OMNI
12
Operated : RAN
13
Reason for overtime : TIE
14
Top Chinese Zhou : ENLAI
15
Your future is their business : SEERS
17
Freeboot : MARAUD
18
Old IBM offering : PCJR
19
Useful article : THE
21
Red Roof rival : RAMADA
22
Lip : RIM
28
Entertainer Martin and others : DEANS
29
Teutonic name part : VON
30
Tenor, perhaps : CHOIRBOY
31
Enos Slaughter's team for 13 yrs. : STL
32
Roo's donkey friend : EEYORE
34
Slope : SLANT
35
"Wagon Master" actress Joanne : DRU
36
Heaven on earth : EDEN
37
Assigner of G's and R's: Abbr. : MPAA
38
Tuba sounds : OOMPAHS
40
Wild : AMOK
41
Action on Wall St. : LBO
42
Swamps : MORASSES
43
Monstrousness : ENORMITY
44
"You dirty ___!" : RAT
45
Patrick Macnee's 1960s TV co-star Diana : RIGG
46
Opus with singing : ORATORIO
47
Interstate sight : MOTORINN
48
Nonmatching item, maybe : SOCK
52
Toy store ___ Schwarz : FAO
54
Add-on for Gator : ADE
56
Guy who digs fossils, slangily : BONEMAN
57
American Beauty pest : ROSESLUG
58
Inspiration for Keats : URN
61
Nails but good : KOS
63
Old aviation magazine ___ Digest : AERO
64
Have a bawl : CRY
66
Reshape a cornea, say : LASE
68
Items for knitters : SKEINS
70
Gallantry-in-war medals: Abbr. : DFCS
71
House of Representatives divider : AISLE
72
Tree with serrate leaves : ELM
73
Big name in tea : TAZO
74
Ocho minus cinco : TRES
75
US Airways datum: Abbr. : ETA
77
Vacation destination for sandwich lovers? : DELHI
80
It's void in Vichy : NUL
81
English duke ___ Gaunt : JOHNOF
83
Runner Sebastian : COE
84
Odd morsel : ORT
85
Rummaged : ROOTED
89
Sorority letter : LAMBDA
90
Iron Man co-creator Larry : LIEBER
91
Mythical piper : PAN
92
Pullman supports : RAILS
93
"Song of the Islands" co-star Jack : OAKIE
94
Old Testament king : SAUL
95
Not express : LOCAL
96
Intro with centric : ETHNO
98
Connoted : MEANT
100
Hit by Marty Robbins, "El ___" : PASO
101
Eager beaver's assertion : ICAN
102
Really test : TRY
103
Ilse's "very" : SEHR
104
Swedish import : SAAB
106
Hell ___ handbasket : INA
107
Y. A. Tittle scores : TDS
108
Org. with a five-ring logo : IOC
109
United competitor: Abbr. : SWA

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

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