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BRANCHING OUT

New York Times, Sunday, December 14, 2003

Author:
Elizabeth C. Gorski
Editor:
Will Shortz
Abu ___ Bay, site of Horatio Nelson's naval victory, 1798
TotalDebutLatest
2197/31/19952/23/2016
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6716363439243
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
30221.541,51456%
Elizabeth C. Gorski
sailboat

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 143, Blocks: 80 Missing: none – this is a pangram. Grid has mirror symmetry. This is puzzle # 119 for Ms. Gorski. Sunday freshness: 51%
Jim Horne notes:

I believe this is the first puzzle where solvers draw an image by connecting the dots in alphabetical order.

1
L
2
E
3
C
4
H
5
S
6
E
7
A
8
F
9
R
10
A
11
S
12
T
13
P
14
M
15
A
16
L
17
T
18
O
T
O
E
19
A
N
C
20
R
E
S
21
A
R
I
22
I
L
I
A
23
A
I
N
T
24
H
M
O
25
E
X
T
26
G
U
N
27
S
P
A
S
28
D
E
N
E
29
L
A
R
30
U
E
31
A
32
V
A
S
T
33
T
H
I
S
34
S
N
E
R
35
D
36
S
N
A
Z
37
Z
I
E
S
T
38
E
R
A
S
E
39
U
N
C
O
R
40
K
S
41
W
E
A
R
Y
42
M
43
I
R
A
B
E
L
44
P
E
T
N
A
M
E
45
S
46
U
K
E
47
M
E
A
N
N
E
S
S
48
T
O
G
S
49
A
50
P
P
51
S
52
I
N
53
N
E
S
T
54
S
55
C
H
M
O
56
B
U
C
57
S
O
58
T
59
S
L
I
60
M
61
S
62
T
I
E
O
N
63
R
C
P
64
T
65
R
E
P
R
66
T
A
C
I
T
67
U
R
D
U
68
D
U
E
69
S
70
T
E
71
Q
I
72
R
73
T
A
L
E
74
N
C
O
S
75
O
E
R
76
A
R
C
77
R
T
E
78
E
L
L
E
79
T
U
T
80
F
I
G
81
R
E
O
82
O
P
83
P
84
L
E
D
85
S
S
S
86
O
L
E
87
T
I
B
I
88
A
89
N
O
R
90
Y
R
S
91
H
A
I
L
92
O
N
E
L
S
93
A
M
A
94
N
95
S
96
C
A
L
E
S
97
R
A
K
E
S
98
L
A
Y
O
99
F
100
F
101
O
C
H
R
E
S
102
S
T
S
103
D
E
104
T
105
N
E
W
M
A
106
N
107
B
L
I
N
D
108
I
T
O
109
M
E
110
T
111
R
H
I
N
O
112
J
E
T
E
113
O
T
A
N
114
N
115
E
116
N
B
A
U
117
M
118
E
N
O
L
119
E
R
O
S
120
S
T
R
I
N
G
A
L
O
N
G
121
R
O
U
T
122
T
A
N
S
123
H
O
R
S
E
O
P
E
R
A
S
124
E
R
T
E
© 2003, The New York Times12/14/3 ( No. 19,759 )
Across
1
Creepy sort, for short : LECH
5
View from a lighthouse : SEA
8
Lobster ___ diavolo : FRA
11
Pit stop can : STP
14
Fountain treat : MALT
18
Native Nebraskan : OTOE
19
Antiapartheid org. : ANC
20
Scale notes : RES
21
Onassis, in tabloids : ARI
22
Skating star Kulik : ILIA
23
"___ it the truth!" : AINT
24
Oxford, for one: Abbr. : HMO
25
Phone no. add-on : EXT
26
Magazine article : GUN
27
Healthful retreats : SPAS
28
Sandy tract, in Britain : DENE
29
Movie cowboy Lash ___ : LARUE
31
"Halt!" to a salt : AVAST
33
What that isn't : THIS
34
Mortimer, a real dummy : SNERD
36
Maximally chi-chi : SNAZZIEST
38
Clear the slate : ERASE
39
No longer stops? : UNCORKS
41
Tuckered out : WEARY
42
Airport city near Montreal : MIRABEL
44
Rover and Tabby, e.g. : PETNAMES
46
Tiny Tim played it : UKE
47
Scrooge overcame this : MEANNESS
48
Get-up : TOGS
49
Software program, briefly : APP
51
Sermon subject : SIN
53
Cozy retreat : NEST
54
Noodlehead : SCHMO
56
N.F.C. gridder : BUC
57
Lush : SOT
59
Diets : SLIMS
62
Attach with laces : TIEON
63
Gift exchange requirement: Abbr. : RCPT
65
Not an orig. : REPR
66
Undeclared : TACIT
67
It's heard in Islamabad : URDU
68
Kind of date : DUE
69
___-Mère-Église, France : STE
71
Abu ___ Bay, site of Horatio Nelson's naval victory, 1798 : QIR
73
"The Gift of the Magi," e.g. : TALE
74
Sgt. and sgt. maj. : NCOS
75
Done, to Donne : OER
76
Rainbow : ARC
77
Itinerary abbr. : RTE
78
Allure competitor : ELLE
79
King in a 1978 pop hit : TUT
80
Pudding ingredient : FIG
81
Antique auto : REO
82
Directly across from: Abbr. : OPP
84
Spearheaded : LED
85
Sound from a wok : SSS
86
Hurrah for El Farruco : OLE
87
Leg bone : TIBIA
89
Hide-hair link : NOR
90
Timeline info: Abbr. : YRS
91
Salute : HAIL
92
Starting Harvard law students : ONELS
93
Without exception, after "to" : AMAN
95
Choir practice : SCALES
97
Croupiers' tools : RAKES
98
"Leave me alone!" : LAYOFF
101
Colors in cave paintings : OCHRES
102
Bourbon and others: Abbr. : STS
103
"Law & Order" type: Abbr. : DET
105
"Nobody's Fool" star Paul : NEWMAN
107
Window item : BLIND
108
Skater Midori : ITO
109
Satisfied : MET
111
One with a thick skin : RHINO
112
Ballet leap : JETE
113
Seasonal air that celebrates this puzzle's theme : OTANNENBAUM
118
Carbon compound : ENOL
119
Love symbol : EROS
120
Not give a definite answer : STRINGALONG
121
Huge win : ROUT
122
Beach shades : TANS
123
Western-themed films : HORSEOPERAS
124
Art Deco designer : ERTE
Down
1
Fills : LOADSUP
2
Stephen, in France : ETIENNE
3
With 15-Down, what to do to reveal this puzzle's theme : CONNECTTHEDOTS
4
Subject to external controls : HETERONOMOUS
5
Satirist Mort : SAHL
6
How lemmings move : ENMASSE
7
It's often squirreled away : ACORN
8
Succumb to stage fright : FREEZEUP
9
Name fit for a king? : REX
10
Dancing siblings : ASTAIRES
11
Big stories : SAGAS
12
"Would I lie?!" : TRUSTME
13
Amount of eggnog : PINT
14
Botch the subtitles, maybe : MISTRANSLATE
15
See 3-Down : ALPHABETICALLY
16
Is a go-between : LIAISES
17
Fringe material : TASSELS
30
Motor City org. : UAW
32
"Oy ___!" : VEY
35
Chinese zodiac sign : DRAGON
37
Drummer Starkey, Ringo's son : ZAK
38
English poet Dowson : ERNEST
40
Tour de France units: Abbr. : KMS
43
"At Seventeen" singer Janis : IAN
45
It holds one cup : SAUCER
47
Alphabet sextet : MNOPQR
50
Narc's find, for short : PCP
52
British verb ending : ISE
54
Evel doings? : STUNTS
55
Ring setting : CIRCUS
56
Noted family of Flemish painters : BRUEGELS
58
Like some chords : TRITONAL
60
One whose job is a grind? : MILLER
61
War horses : STEEDS
64
Winter Palace residents : TSARINAS
65
Sprang back : RECOILED
68
Linen closet stack : DOILIES
70
Game show host who was once a CBC newsman : TREBEK
72
Car tower : REPOMAN
80
Gave birth, as on a ranch : FOALED
83
"God bless us every one," e.g. : PRAYER
87
Trattoria desserts : TORTONIS
88
Rally : ASSEMBLE
91
It will hold your horses : HARNESS
94
The boonies : NOWHERE
95
White of the eye : SCLERA
96
Ancient Greek tunic : CHITON
99
Key of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 : FMINOR
100
Disperse : FANOUT
101
Antiquaire's item : OBJET
102
Brenda of the comics : STARR
104
"Coffee, ___ Me?" : TEAOR
106
Nick of "Lorenzo's Oil" : NOLTE
108
Stick ___ : ITTO
110
___ sandwich : TUNA
113
Kyrgyz city : OSH
114
Phoenix-to-Flagstaff dir. : NNE
115
Mania subject? : EGO
116
Brief time out? : NAP
117
Some old roadsters : MGS

Answer summary:
8 unique to this puzzle, 5 debuted here and reused later, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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