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TAKING HALF-STEPS

New York Times, Sunday, December 11, 2011

Author:
Timothy Polin
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Spanish conquistador who searched for the Seven Cities of Gold
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
5512/11/20111/9/20222
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
86962402
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
6161.6226334.257%
Timothy Polin

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 72 Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Polin. Grid flow: 10.8 Sunday freshness: 99%
1
FLAT
2
W
3
A
4
R
5
E
6
J
7
A
8
N
9
E
10
T
11
S
12
NATURAL
13
H
14
A
15
B
16
I
17
T
18
A
19
T
20
T
I
M
O
N
21
E
R
A
S
E
S
22
C
O
R
O
N
A
D
O
23
O
D
I
N
G
24
W
I
N
K
A
T
25
A
R
T
L
O
V
E
R
26
P
E
N
C
I
27
L
SHARP
E
N
E
R
S
28
U
N
I
O
N
I
S
T
29
O
N
A
30
T
I
R
E
31
O
S
S
E
32
O
33
FLAT
34
E
35
E
N
36
A
T
E
37
R
38
I
S
E
39
R
40
A
41
Z
42
O
43
R
44
SHARP
45
L
T
R
46
E
C
L
A
S
47
S
48
H
A
S
49
H
50
V
O
L
E
S
51
D
E
N
52
R
E
L
S
53
T
54
H
O
M
55
A
56
S
I
N
I
N
E
57
P
R
E
58
T
E
R
NATURAL
59
K
E
E
P
A
60
SHARP
L
O
O
K
O
U
T
61
R
E
S
O
D
62
A
U
E
L
63
E
L
O
N
64
O
R
T
S
65
H
66
Y
P
E
R
I
67
N
68
FLAT
I
O
N
69
S
70
C
71
O
72
T
73
C
E
O
S
74
C
O
L
S
75
NATURAL
L
A
K
E
76
FLAT
77
E
78
A
79
R
T
H
S
O
80
C
81
I
E
T
Y
82
A
83
L
S
O
R
A
N
84
C
A
P
E
E
S
H
85
E
L
S
A
86
FLAT
F
E
E
87
D
P
S
88
A
V
I
L
A
89
I
90
S
L
E
91
R
92
E
T
O
O
L
93
SHARP
I
E
94
R
E
A
L
M
95
S
96
C
T
R
97
L
98
V
E
R
V
E
99
S
S
S
100
I
101
S
I
S
102
A
103
C
E
D
104
I
C
105
C
106
SHARP
107
O
108
B
109
J
110
E
C
T
S
111
NATURAL
B
O
R
N
112
C
I
T
I
113
Z
114
E
115
N
116
T
R
U
E
L
I
E
S
117
G
I
D
E
O
N
118
I
R
A
N
I
119
O
C
O
T
I
L
L
O
120
A
L
E
T
T
E
121
O
R
N
O
T
122
N
A
Y
S
A
Y
E
R
123
S
E
X
T
E
T
124
N
I
E
L
S
© 2011, The New York Times12/11/11 ( No. 22,678 )
Across
1
Knives, forks and spoons : FLATWARE
6
Jackson and Reno : JANETS
12
Where a plant or animal thrives : NATURALHABITAT
20
Shakespearean nobleman : TIMON
21
Wipes out : ERASES
22
Spanish conquistador who searched for the Seven Cities of Gold : CORONADO
23
Taking too much : ODING
24
Reassure that one's joking, in a way : WINKAT
25
Aesthete : ARTLOVER
26
Little shavers at school? : PENCILSHARPENERS
28
Northern sympathizer : UNIONIST
29
___ moment's notice : ONA
30
Tucker out : TIRE
31
Bone: Prefix : OSSE
32
Just recently : OFLATE
35
Maternally related : ENATE
37
Knoll : RISE
39
Like trenchant wit : RAZORSHARP
45
Paper tray size: Abbr. : LTR
46
Mercedes sedan : ECLASS
48
Potpourri : HASH
50
Burrowing rodents : VOLES
51
Home in the woods : DEN
52
Kin: Abbr. : RELS
53
Radiohead frontman Yorke : THOM
55
Cockamamie : ASININE
57
Extraordinary and unexplainable : PRETERNATURAL
59
Play sentinel : KEEPASHARPLOOKOUT
61
Fix, as a fairway : RESOD
62
"The Clan of the Cave Bear" author : AUEL
63
Southern university whose campus is a botanical garden : ELON
64
Table scraps : ORTS
65
Economic woe : HYPERINFLATION
69
Burns, e.g. : SCOT
73
Ones pictured in corp. reports : CEOS
74
Newspaper units: Abbr. : COLS
75
Body of water in a volcanic crater, for one : NATURALLAKE
76
Group that doesn't believe in revolution? : FLATEARTHSOCIETY
82
#2 or #3 : ALSORAN
84
"Get it?" : CAPEESH
85
"Lohengrin" soprano : ELSA
86
Fixed price : FLATFEE
87
Quick inning enders, for short : DPS
88
Walled city of Spain : AVILA
89
Key : ISLE
91
Modernize the plant : RETOOL
93
Trademarked marker : SHARPIE
94
Spheres : REALMS
96
___-Alt-Del : CTRL
98
Gusto : VERVE
99
Draft inits. : SSS
100
Goddess with a headdress depicting a throne : ISIS
102
Killed, as a test : ACED
104
Former transportation regulation agcy. : ICC
106
Dangers for children and klutzes : SHARPOBJECTS
111
Immigrant's opposite : NATURALBORNCITIZEN
116
1994 Schwarzenegger film : TRUELIES
117
Judge in Judges : GIDEON
118
Neighbor of a Turkmen : IRANI
119
Cactuslike plant of the Southwest : OCOTILLO
120
Doorway jamb : ALETTE
121
Remark after an awkward silence : ORNOT
122
Vocal skeptic : NAYSAYER
123
Hockey team, say : SEXTET
124
Nobelist Bohr : NIELS
Down
1
Aircraft carrier : FLATTOP
2
"Open ___" : WIDE
3
Cruel Ugandan : AMIN
4
Veg-O-Matic company : RONCO
5
Planned : ENGINEERED
6
Instrument played in the mouth : JEWSHARP
7
Short operatic solos : ARIETTAS
8
Kid minders : NANNIES
9
Glacial ridge : ESKER
10
Render : TEARER
11
Retired boomers : SSTS
12
There's no foul play when one passes by these : NATURALCAUSES
13
Brass : HORNS
14
More pretentious : ARTIER
15
Vaquero's neckwear : BOLO
16
___ a secret : INON
17
Rikki-tikki-___ : TAVI
18
Some punches : ADES
19
Slander or libel : TORT
27
Cavalry member : LANCER
31
2005 biography subtitled "The Making of a Terrorist" : OSAMA
32
Seasoned hand : OLDPRO
33
Sycophant : FLATTERER
34
Repeated film title role for Jim Varney : ERNEST
36
Organic food label : ALLNATURAL
38
Links chain : IHOP
40
Orly bird? : AVION
41
Pass (out) : ZONK
42
Potpourri : OLIO
43
Lens solution brand : RENU
44
Fixed at an acute angle : SHARPSET
47
Guide : STEER
49
Fox hunter's cry : HALLO
54
Shapes studied by Dr. Watson and his partner : HELICES
56
Frequent answer to "When?" : SOON
58
Set-___ : TOS
59
Letter after pee : KUE
60
Wrinkly-faced dogs : SHARPEIS
62
Lhasa ___ : APSO
65
Dastardly laughs : HEHS
66
Mario's dinosaur sidekick : YOSHI
67
Like some cigarettes : NOTAR
68
Way to refuse : FLATLY
69
Pavement caution : SLO
70
Bottom dealers, perhaps : CARDSHARPS
71
Cousins of giraffes : OKAPIS
72
Tightens (up) : TENSES
73
Backups for backups : CTEAM
75
"The Origin of Species" concept : NATURALSELECTION
76
Part of a freight train : FLATCAR
77
Something a dome lacks : EAVE
78
Samoan port : APIA
79
Former Connecticut governor Jodi : RELL
80
Welsh, e.g. : CELTS
81
Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER
82
"___ Andromeda" (British sci-fi series) : AFOR
83
10th-century pope : LEOVII
86
F major has just one : FLATTEDNOTE
90
Kind of kick : SCISSOR
92
Former surgeon general C. ___ Koop : EVERETT
95
It's found near the toe of a boot : SICILY
97
Apt to change : LABILE
101
Inscribed marker : STELE
103
Ancient volume : CODEX
105
Wispy clouds : CIRRI
106
Al who sought the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination : SHARPTON
107
Water hazard? : ORCA
108
Give a lift : BUOY
109
They leave trails : JETS
110
Director Kazan : ELIA
111
Piped fuel : NATURALGAS
112
Site for techies : CNET
113
Writer Grey : ZANE
114
Organic compound : ENOL
115
Tiny criticisms : NITS

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

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