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New York Times, Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Author:
Tom McCoy
Editor:
Will Shortz
53-Down : Gang
TotalDebutLatest
3511/14/20137/3/2022
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
19815200
RebusCircleScrabblePGramFresh
471.61241%
Tom McCoy

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 16 Words: 79, Blocks: 38 Missing: {FQVXZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 16 for Mr. McCoy. Tuesday freshness: 77%
Tom McCoy notes:
This puzzle was created roughly a year ago. Therefore, the message hidden in the twelfth row (highlighted below in green) is as seasonally ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
There's a lot I appreciate about Jim (Horne), and one aspect that continues to amaze me is how differently we see puzzles. I missed some ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
Since Jeff called me out, let me try to defend myself and this theme. English is full of amusing curiosities, and one of the curiouser is that ... read more
1
A
2
R
3
D
4
E
5
N
6
T
7
B
8
L
9
A
10
H
11
N
12
I
13
L
14
E
15
L
I
E
L
O
W
16
R
O
P
E
17
I
T
E
M
18
P
A
J
A
M
A
19
P
A
R
T
Y
20
C
H
A
T
21
S
L
A
P
22
S
E
W
N
23
C
H
I
P
S
24
S
25
U
N
G
L
A
26
S
27
S
L
E
N
S
28
D
29
I
30
G
E
S
T
31
W
H
I
S
K
E
32
Y
33
E
T
U
D
E
34
S
35
I
36
N
A
I
37
I
C
E
38
P
S
I
39
S
40
I
N
G
U
L
A
41
R
42
C
O
T
43
T
U
T
44
D
O
O
N
E
45
O
46
M
A
N
I
47
S
P
A
48
R
49
S
E
R
50
A
M
E
N
D
S
51
T
R
O
U
S
E
52
R
53
P
54
R
E
S
S
55
H
O
H
U
M
56
H
O
E
S
57
S
58
H
59
O
60
E
61
E
Y
E
S
62
S
63
C
I
S
S
O
64
R
K
I
C
K
65
L
O
R
E
66
P
A
N
S
67
P
O
I
N
T
E
68
D
U
O
S
69
A
L
O
E
70
S
E
T
T
O
S
© 2015, The New York Times12/22/15 ( No. 24,150 )
Across
1
Zealous : ARDENT
7
Meh : BLAH
11
River near the Valley of the Kings : NILE
15
Avoid attention : LIELOW
16
Weapon in Clue : ROPE
17
One of 10, say, in a supermarket's express checkout lane : ITEM
18
Kids' event that goes into the wee hours : PAJAMAPARTY
20
Convo : CHAT
21
Throw (together) : SLAP
22
In stitches : SEWN
23
Lay's product : CHIPS
24
Something in a movie star's frame? : SUNGLASSLENS
28
Condensed periodical : DIGEST
31
___ sour (drink) : WHISKEY
33
Pianist's practice piece : ETUDE
34
Mount of the Bible : SINAI
37
Water, potentially : ICE
38
Symbol for water potential : PSI
39
Atypical ... or like the first word in the answer to 18-, 24-, 51- or 62-Across : SINGULAR
42
Spare bed, often : COT
43
One of the kings in the Valley of the Kings, informally : TUT
44
See 8-Down : DOONE
45
Dweller on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula : OMANI
47
Like the population of Alaska vis-à-vis New Jersey : SPARSER
50
What the remorseful might make : AMENDS
51
Certain wrinkle remover : TROUSERPRESS
55
Meh : HOHUM
56
Weeding tools : HOES
57
Clog or pump : SHOE
61
Word with googly or goo-goo : EYES
62
Sidestroke component : SCISSORKICK
65
Mythos : LORE
66
Gives two big thumbs down : PANS
67
Ballet position on tiptoe : POINTE
68
The Black Keys and the White Stripes : DUOS
69
Relief provider for a burn : ALOE
70
Altercations : SETTOS
Down
1
Mont Blanc and Matterhorn : ALPS
2
Iranian currency : RIAL
3
___ vu : DEJA
4
Slipped by : ELAPSED
5
___ de plume : NOM
6
Quaint three-word contraction : TWASNT
7
Melee : BRAWL
8
With 44-Across, 1869 romance by R. D. Blackmore : LORNA
9
Fitting : APT
10
"Whoa there!" : HEY
11
Recesses : NICHES
12
Mantra of the Little Engine That Could : ITHINKICAN
13
Tiny time adjustment : LEAPSECOND
14
Ambulance workers, for short : EMTS
19
Identify (as) : PEG
23
Roman 151 : CLI
25
Employs : USES
26
Marshy valley : SWALE
27
LaBeouf of "Transformers" : SHIA
28
University divs. : DEPTS
29
Line of latitude : ITSUPTOYOU
30
Popular musical game beginning in 2005 : GUITARHERO
32
Fabled mountain dwellers : YETIS
34
A little night noise : SNORE
35
"Where did ___ wrong?" : IGO
36
Wimple wearer : NUN
40
Midmonth date : IDES
41
CD-___ (storage objects) : ROMS
46
Collection that, despite its name, is orderly and compact : MESSKIT
48
Awakens : ROUSES
49
n(n+1)/2, for all integers from 1 to n : SUM
50
"___ Fables" : AESOPS
52
African animal you might get a charge out of? : RHINO
53
Gang : POSSE
54
Hi-___ monitor : RES
55
Had in hand : HELD
58
When repeated, a subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) comment : HINT
59
Eight: Prefix : OCTO
60
Squeaks (by) : EKES
62
Where you might wear only a towel : SPA
63
Silent ___ (presidential nickname) : CAL
64
Caviar, e.g. : ROE

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

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