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New York Times, Saturday, May 12, 2018

Author:
Alex Eylar
Editor:
Will Shortz
52-Across : Pattern breaker
TotalDebutLatest
311/16/201712/10/2018
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0100101
ScrabbleFresh
1.5962%
Alex Eylar

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 66, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JQX} Grid has both 90- and 180-degree symmetry. This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Eylar. Saturday freshness: 64%
Alex Eylar notes:
This puzzle was my Mount Everest. That enormous swath of whitespace in the center was the ultimate challenge — I can't even count the ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Few constructors would have the guts to tackle something like the middle of this grid. (I've tried and gone down in flames.) ... read more
1
A
2
K
3
I
4
T
5
A
6
S
7
C
8
H
9
A
10
S
11
T
12
E
13
V
E
R
O
N
A
14
H
O
E
D
O
W
N
15
A
R
O
U
N
D
16
L
O
W
L
I
F
E
S
17
L
O
N
G
S
18
F
O
R
19
M
O
T
E
L
20
O
U
C
H
21
F
R
O
S
22
T
23
S
I
Z
E
24
N
A
H
25
B
E
A
K
E
R
26
S
27
E
E
R
28
C
E
29
M
E
N
T
S
H
O
E
30
S
31
F
A
L
S
E
B
O
T
T
O
32
M
33
R
E
T
R
A
C
T
I
O
N
34
S
35
G
36
O
37
T
38
M
E
N
C
K
E
N
39
E
A
40
U
41
A
C
E
42
S
43
R
A
K
E
D
44
A
M
I
N
45
S
E
A
L
46
E
47
L
O
Y
48
C
L
O
D
S
49
C
A
P
I
T
50
A
L
N
51
M
O
O
N
I
E
52
A
N
O
M
A
L
Y
53
O
R
O
I
D
E
54
N
O
T
E
L
L
55
D
E
F
C
O
N
© 2018, The New York Times5/12/18 ( No. 25,022 )
Across
1
Husky relatives : AKITAS
7
Like a virgin : CHASTE
13
Title setting for Shakespeare : VERONA
14
Event with fiddling : HOEDOWN
15
Here and there : AROUND
16
Riffraff : LOWLIFES
17
With 18-Across, desires : LONGS
18
See 17-Across : FOR
19
See 54-Across : MOTEL
20
Response to a burn or a pun : OUCH
21
Jack ___ : FROST
23
Girth : SIZE
24
Dismissive turndown : NAH
25
They may hold the solution : BEAKERS
27
Profit chaser? : EER
28
The last pair you'll ever wear? : CEMENTSHOES
31
Where the magician hides the rabbit : FALSEBOTTOM
33
Embarrassments for news agencies : RETRACTIONS
35
Attained : GOT
38
Who once described puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy" : MENCKEN
39
Contents of une fontaine : EAU
41
Not just passes : ACES
43
Piled leaves : RAKED
44
Despot exiled in 1979 : AMIN
45
Bobby who co-founded the Black Panthers : SEALE
47
Co-star of the "Thin Man" films : LOY
48
Idiots : CLODS
49
Something the Netherlands has but Belgium doesn't? : CAPITALN
51
Certain religious proselytizer, informally : MOONIE
52
Pattern breaker : ANOMALY
53
Faux gold : OROIDE
54
With 19-Across, spot for a tryst : NOTELL
55
Measure of military alertness : DEFCON
Down
1
Place of eternal happiness : AVALON
2
Beat someone? : KEROUAC
3
Cooking title : IRONCHEF
4
"Too bad!" : TOUGH
5
Jamaica's St. ___ Bay : ANNS
6
Bummed : SAD
7
Image on every carton of Ben & Jerry's ice cream : COW
8
Lead : HELM
9
"Ciao" : ADIOS
10
Pushover : SOFTIE
11
Pull one's hair out? : TWEEZE
12
Eve who wrote "The Vagina Monologues" : ENSLER
14
"Balderdash!" : HORSEHOCKEY
16
Recalls : LOOKSBACKON
18
Letter closing from one brother to another : FRATERNALLY
21
Window: Ger. : FENSTER
22
Brought (out) : TROTTED
25
Brazilian city at the mouth of the Amazon : BELEM
26
Take root : SETIN
29
Nick, e.g. : MAR
30
___ Canals : SOO
32
"Thirty days hath September ...," e.g. : MNEMONIC
34
Tied the knot : SAIDIDO
35
Container that's almost always red : GASCAN
36
About 71% of la Tierra : OCEANO
37
What "I" am, in a kid's song : TEAPOT
40
Invisible : UNSEEN
42
Say nasty things about : SLIME
44
How shy people may stand : ALOOF
46
Bibliography abbr. : ETAL
48
Common ___ : CORE
50
Word before and after "in" : ALL
51
Reddit V.I.P., for short : MOD

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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