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HOLDUP MAN

New York Times, Sunday, December 7, 2014

Author:
Jeff Chen
Editor:
Will Shortz
Mythological figure hinted at by the answers to the eight starred clues as well as this puzzle's design
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
1487/5/201010/15/2023101
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatAcr
391015253611111
RebusCircleScrabbleFresh
10381.6256%
Jeff Chen

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 76 Missing: {JQZ} This is puzzle # 34 for Mr. Chen. Sunday freshness: 31%
Jeff Chen notes:
My love affair with robotics came on suddenly, like a transistor activating. I hadn't had much exposure to electronics during undergrad, so I was apprehensive when a friend of mine goaded ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
(Will is in D.C. for the North American Teams Table Tennis Championships, so I (Jeff) thought I'd relate Will's acceptance letter:) "The MacArthur Foundation missed yet again this year in ... read more
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C
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M
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H
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B
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M
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B
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E
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B
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D
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M
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V
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G
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P
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U
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L
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H
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U
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B
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A
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A
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Y
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A
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L
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T
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A
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C
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S
H
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U
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H
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O
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D
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A
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R
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R
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B
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M
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P
E
D
R
O
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O
G
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G
N
A
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123
O
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© 2014, The New York Times12/7/14 ( No. 23,770 )
Across
1
Mariner's array : MAPS
5
Bubs : MACS
9
"Take ___" (exec's request) : AMEMO
14
Get cracking on : HOPTO
19
"Superfood" used in smoothies : ACAIBERRY
21
Devilfish : MANTA
22
Like some college halls : IVIED
23
*One who's not leading : SUPPORTINGACTOR
25
Broad valleys : DALES
26
Group of jerks : SPASM
27
Excoriates : SCATHES
28
Goes like hotcakes : SELLS
29
*"I have some bad news ..." : BRACEYOURSELF
33
Fish on many a sashimi platter : AHI
35
Bryn ___ : MAWR
39
Yankees teammate of Captain Clutch : AROD
40
Compos mentis : SANE
41
Relieved (of) : RID
42
Bread at a restaurant, typically : FREEBIE
44
ID provider : DMV
47
Conk out : DIE
49
Unrefined material : ORE
50
Muttered commentary : ASIDES
51
Get a cut of : SHAREIN
55
Transplants : GRAFTS
57
Jubilance : GLEE
58
Middle line of many an address: Abbr. : POBOXNO
59
Google statistic : HITS
60
Part of OTOH : OTHER
62
Java holder : URN
63
Two will get you turned around : LEFTS
65
Cereal box abbr. : NETWT
68
Paws : MITTS
69
*Very durable : HEAVYDUTY
71
Bartiromo of Fox Business : MARIA
72
Charmin competitor : SCOTT
73
City in which "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is set : SALEM
74
Bald spot coverer : SOD
75
Have a loan from : OWETO
76
Charges : FEES
78
Content that's hard for a search engine to access : DEEPWEB
80
All-___ : BRAN
81
Standard of measurement : METRIC
83
F.D.R. purchased the first one of these bonds : SERIESE
84
Sci-fi shooter : RAYGUN
87
Result of a firing : ASH
88
Not pay attention at all : NAP
90
Was idle : SAT
91
Paid at the end, say : RANATAB
92
Big pitcher : ACE
93
U.S. city that becomes another U.S. city if you move the last letter to the front : MESA
96
An eternity : EONS
98
Mother of Eos and Helios : THEA
99
Animal's mouth : MAW
100
*What a massage may relieve : UPPERBACKPAIN
105
Ones with muses : POETS
107
Breather? : AIRTUBE
108
Big Three conference site : YALTA
113
Create, as a canyon : CARVE
114
*Not shirk a difficult task : SHOULDERTHELOAD
117
Warren who wrote "The War of the Roses" : ADLER
118
One with dreads : RASTA
119
Engineers' competition set in a ring : ROBOTSUMO
120
Director Almodóvar : PEDRO
121
Arches in Gothic architecture : OGEES
122
Be a busy beaver? : GNAW
123
Written paeans : ODES
Down
1
Force/acceleration : MASS
2
Small bra specification : ACUP
3
Smurf in red : PAPA
4
Nurses : SIPS
5
French sea : MER
6
It's often left hanging : ART
7
It's been shortening since 1911 : CRISCO
8
Matched up : SYNCED
9
Operatic baritone Pasquale : AMATO
10
___ Picchu (Peruvian high spot) : MACHU
11
Crosses a threshold : ENTERS
12
Greek high spot : MTOSSA
13
Sculling implement : OAR
14
Like some TVs, informally : HIDEF
15
Track, often : OVAL
16
*Comfort provider during difficult times : PILLAROFSTRENGTH
17
Concert souvenir : TEESHIRT
18
Has way too much, briefly : ODS
20
Flame out : BOMB
24
Jocund : GAY
28
Christmas gift holder : SLEIGH
30
Rear : RAISE
31
Is for two? : ARE
32
Armageddon : END
34
Day to beware : IDES
35
Juilliard deg. : MFA
36
MGM motto opener : ARS
37
*Crushing burden : WEIGHTOFTHEWORLD
38
Having special significance : REDLETTER
43
Something handled in a bar : BEERSTEIN
44
Dollop : DAB
45
*Arnold Schwarzenegger, once : MROLYMPIA
46
Perturbed : VEXED
48
She played Joanie on "Joanie Loves Chachi" : ERINMORAN
51
Goes viral, say : SPREADS
52
Puff the Magic Dragon's land : HONALEE
53
Imbues, as with flavor : INFUSES
54
Option in "Hamlet" : NOTTOBE
56
Corroded : ATEAWAYAT
60
Mantra sounds : OMS
61
Idiosyncrasy : TIC
62
Sounds edited out of some audio : UHS
64
Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD
66
Native ___ : WIT
67
Chinese "way" : TAO
70
Zigs or zags : VEERS
77
April foolers, e.g. : SCAMPS
79
Like some bars and blankets : WET
80
"The Godfather" enforcer who "sleeps with the fishes" : BRASI
81
The "m" of "yes'm" : MAAM
82
Deed of derring-do : ESCAPADE
85
Mideast inits. : UAE
86
Org. with the Larry O'Brien Trophy : NBA
89
Vim : PEP
91
It contains uracil : RNA
94
"The Little Mermaid" villainess, for one : SEAHAG
95
Melodious : ARIOSE
96
"La Dolce Vita" actress : EKBERG
97
Coordinated gene cluster : OPERON
100
Gestating, after "in" : UTERO
101
Nasty sort : BRUTE
102
Mythological figure hinted at by the answers to the eight starred clues as well as this puzzle's design : ATLAS
103
Something to chew on : CUD
104
Da's opposite : NYET
106
Eternally : EVER
109
"Not to mention ..." : ALSO
110
Forte : LOUD
111
Break : TAME
112
Kerfuffles : ADOS
113
Ceiling : CAP
114
Sign of success? : SRO
115
Scheduling placeholder : TBA
116
"And ___!" : HOW

Answer summary: 9 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Shortz Era but used previously.

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