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A CUT ABOVE THE REST

New York Times, Sunday, December 15, 2013

Author:
Jeff Chen
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
122-Across : Tony winner Tharp
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1577/5/201010/27/2024109
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatAcr
431017263711121
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
11411.6292255%
Jeff Chen

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 82 Missing: {Q} Grid has mirror symmetry. Grid has repeated answers. This is puzzle # 21 for Mr. Chen. Sunday freshness: 68%
Will Shortz notes:
It is no exaggeration to say that today's puzzle is on par with the discovery of fire. Traveling bards will write epic tales and sing songs about the clever theme, the sublime execution, ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
This puzzle went through several dozen revisions on two completely different theme concepts. I started with the basic idea of making giant letters out of the letters themselves, i.e. a ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
THE REAL STORY! Wanting another Sunday crossword, I summoned nefarious powers from the darkened netherworld (also known as Canada). To my horror, the dirt and clay outside my house ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

This is the 17th Shortz-era grid with repeated answer words. Manny Nowsowsky and Jeff Chen have two each. Compare with this April Fool's puzzle from 2000 where Mr. Nosowsky teased out 12 different definitions for TTT...

1
C
2
C
3
C
4
C
5
C
6
I
7
S
8
U
9
P
10
A
11
U
12
E
13
L
14
T
15
T
16
T
17
T
18
T
19
C
R
O
A
T
20
T
O
U
R
21
L
U
A
U
22
L
E
T
H
E
23
C
E
L
T
S
24
C
L
U
E
25
T
U
R
K
26
C
A
T
E
R
27
C
S
I
S
28
H
O
U
S
29
E
R
U
L
E
30
C
T
R
S
31
C
C
C
C
32
C
33
U
U
U
U
U
34
N
O
T
M
E
35
A
S
36
P
37
C
38
A
39
M
R
I
40
J
41
U
42
K
E
S
43
J
44
A
45
U
N
T
I
E
R
46
E
O
S
47
U
N
I
C
Y
48
C
49
L
50
E
51
A
L
F
52
E
L
I
53
A
S
54
M
55
S
N
B
C
56
P
A
L
57
B
I
O
58
N
59
I
C
L
E
G
60
T
O
O
K
61
A
62
T
A
X
I
63
O
N
E
A
64
A
65
G
66
A
67
I
N
68
R
E
L
O
69
T
70
O
71
P
S
C
O
R
72
E
73
A
S
S
74
E
N
D
O
R
75
S
76
E
77
D
78
I
N
L
E
A
F
79
N
80
A
S
T
I
81
E
R
82
O
H
E
N
R
Y
83
L
E
A
R
N
T
84
E
L
P
R
A
D
O
85
F
A
R
I
N
A
86
D
A
Y
S
87
H
88
E
R
B
S
89
H
I
D
90
E
F
91
O
D
E
D
92
A
L
E
93
A
E
I
O
U
94
T
E
A
T
95
S
96
E
S
S
97
D
98
I
V
A
N
99
M
100
C
101
R
102
A
E
103
C
H
I
104
R
R
105
T
H
R
I
C
E
106
T
H
I
R
D
107
H
E
R
O
E
108
S
109
M
A
O
I
S
T
110
T
R
A
G
E
D
111
Y
112
T
I
N
M
A
113
N
114
A
M
O
S
115
I
116
D
E
A
S
117
N
O
O
118
S
E
119
D
A
T
E
120
Z
E
K
E
121
O
U
N
C
E
122
T
W
Y
L
A
123
O
R
B
S
124
E
D
Y
S
125
N
O
O
K
126
N
O
R
M
127
S
K
Y
S
© 2013, The New York Times12/15/13 ( No. 23,413 )
Across
1
Oceans : CCCCC
6
Bats : ISUP
10
"The Clan of the Cave Bear" novelist : AUEL
14
Razz : TTTTT
19
Tennis's Goran Ivanisevic, e.g. : CROAT
20
A band may be on one : TOUR
21
Torch-lit event : LUAU
22
River of forgetfulness in Hades : LETHE
23
Iron Age people : CELTS
24
It has nine rooms : CLUE
25
Ottoman : TURK
26
Serve up on a platter, say : CATER
27
Collectors of DNA : CSIS
28
Game twist : HOUSERULE
30
Some basketball players: Abbr. : CTRS
31
Espies : CCCCC
33
Profit from : UUUUU
34
"I'm innocent!" : NOTME
35
Lab safety org.? : ASPCA
39
3-D pic : MRI
40
Diner fixtures, informally : JUKES
43
More rakish : JAUNTIER
46
Canon offering : EOS
47
Clown prop : UNICYCLE
51
Sitcom ET : ALF
52
Walt Disney's middle name : ELIAS
54
Cable inits. since 1996 : MSNBC
56
"Be a ___" : PAL
57
"Six Million Dollar Man" feature : BIONICLEG
60
Cabbed it : TOOKATAXI
63
Most likely to be called up : ONEA
64
From the top : AGAIN
68
Move, informally : RELO
69
2400, on the SAT : TOPSCORE
73
Dolt : ASS
74
Like most checks and political candidates : ENDORSED
78
Green : INLEAF
79
Not so nice : NASTIER
82
Annual literary prize : OHENRY
83
Picked up, in Britain : LEARNT
84
Home of Velázquez's "Las Meninas" : ELPRADO
85
Breakfast dish : FARINA
86
They break at dawn : DAYS
87
Angelica and others : HERBS
89
Like some resolution, for short : HIDEF
91
Showed no restraint, in brief : ODED
92
Cask filler : ALE
93
Linguistic quintet : AEIOU
94
Parts of sows and cows : TEATS
96
Head of steam? : ESS
97
Place to lounge : DIVAN
99
Jazz great Carmen : MCRAE
103
Cricket's sound : CHIRR
105
Triply : THRICE
106
Like New Jersey among states admitted to the Union : THIRD
107
Subway fare : HEROES
109
Chinese hard-liner : MAOIST
110
"Antigone" or "Elektra" : TRAGEDY
112
One famed for heartlessness : TINMAN
114
Last name in cookies : AMOS
115
Some notepad jottings : IDEAS
117
It may be left hanging : NOOSE
119
Take out : DATE
120
Farmworker in "The Wizard of Oz" : ZEKE
121
Scale unit : OUNCE
122
Tony winner Tharp : TWYLA
123
Spheres : ORBS
124
Ice cream brand : EDYS
125
Recess : NOOK
126
It's what's to be expected : NORM
127
"The ___ the limit" : SKYS
Down
1
Grab : CCCCC
2
Abbr. on a musical score : CRESC
3
Cause of a crybaby? : COLIC
4
Provider of an inside look? : CATSCAN
5
Nos. after a period, maybe : CTS
6
Yen : ITCH
7
Last name in "Star Wars" : SOLO
8
Farm females : UUUUU
9
Takes for granted : PRESUMES
10
Charitable giving, e.g. : ALTRUISM
11
Trees with poisonous seeds : UUUUU
12
Marquis's inferior : EARL
13
First name in "Star Wars" : LUKE
14
Girl group with four #1 hits in the 1990s : TLC
15
Often-decorative kitchen item, in Britain : TEACOSY
16
Aids for long drives : TTTTT
17
Gas bill unit : THERM
18
Crisp : TERSE
29
Lead-in to pop or pass : EURO
32
Chicago setting: Abbr. : CST
34
Japanese computer giant : NEC
36
[See above] : PIECEOFTHEACTION
37
Last place, with "the" : CELLAR
38
Indy 500 winner Luyendyk : ARIE
40
2007 title role for Ellen Page : JUNO
41
In utero : UNBORN
42
[See above] : KICKEDOFFTHETEAM
43
Sharp putdown : JAB
44
1974 Fassbinder film subtitled "Fear Eats the Soul" : ALI
45
Subj. of some 911 calls : UFO
48
Figurehead, for short? : CPA
49
Like some parenting : LAX
50
QB Manning : ELI
53
Ottoman V.I.P. : AGA
55
RR stop : STN
58
Brown-___ (sycophants) : NOSERS
59
Like one pre-Columbian civilization : INCAN
61
Parting word : ALOHA
62
Taunting figure : TORERO
65
Running pants? : GASPS
66
Subj. for Galileo : ASTR
67
N.B.A. Hall-of-Famer Thomas : ISIAH
69
Oscar winner Swinton : TILDA
70
Oscar winner Tatum : ONEAL
71
[See above] : PLAYEDHOOKY
72
Winter month in Spain : ENERO
74
Withdraw from the bank? : ERODE
75
[See above] : SNIDEREMARK
76
Seashore fliers : ERNES
77
Twosomes : DYADS
80
[See above] : ALBUMTRACK
81
[See above] : EDITEDDOWN
88
"___ kleine Nachtmusik" : EINE
90
Per : EACH
93
National rival : AVIS
95
Her name is Norwegian for "beautiful woman who leads you to victory" : SIRI
98
Van Gogh painting that once sold for a record $53.9 million : IRISES
100
Highlight of many a western : CHASE
101
Fix : RIG
102
Ain't right? : ARENT
104
Concerto movements : RONDOS
105
Broke : TAMED
108
Didn't get involved : SATBY
109
Pac-Man screen, e.g. : MAZE
110
___'clock scholar : TENO
111
Numbskull : YOYO
113
Loch ___ : NESS
116
Twosome : DUO
118
Canon offering, briefly : SLR

Answer summary:
8 unique to this puzzle, 7 debuted here and reused later, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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