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FLAG DAY

New York Times, Sunday, June 13, 2010

Author:
Francis Heaney
Editor:
Will Shortz
8-Down : Mythical birds
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
114/17/19968/16/20203
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
30142001
RebusCircleScrabbleFresh
111.5460%
Francis Heaney

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 80 This is puzzle # 7 for Mr. Heaney. Sunday freshness: 99%
Jim Horne notes:

In this ingenious puzzle, we need to read the names of the colors for the Down answers as in a normal rebus, but the Across answers work differently. Consecutive color bars combine to form flags of six different countries. Substitute the associated country names for the blocks of colors, and it all makes sense. See Wordplay for the full story including an interview with the constructor.

In my year-end wrap up Notable Puzzles of 2010 on Wordplay, I named this crossword my Puzzle of the Year.

1
M
2
E
3
T
4
A
5
L
6
S
7
E
8
R
9
E
10
N
11
O
12
W
13
L
14
A
15
L
16
A
17
W
18
R
B
I
M
A
N
19
R
O
M
A
N
I
20
A
21
M
O
B
I
L
E
22
S
B
E
23
A
N
C
O
B
A
I
N
24
A
G
A
M
A
S
25
S
E
L
E
S
26
G
Y
27
M
S
28
C
E
N
T
29
M
30
E
31
S
32
T
I
Z
O
S
33
H
34
E
35
P
36
A
C
37
Q
U
38
I
N
C
I
T
E
S
39
C
A
L
A
40
M
41
I
T
O
U
S
42
S
T
A
L
E
S
T
43
A
T
A
R
U
N
44
T
I
E
45
S
46
T
47
O
48
S
A
R
49
I
R
E
L
A
N
D
50
P
S
H
A
W
51
M
I
N
52
I
53
54
55
S
T
S
56
S
C
O
57
W
58
L
59
E
L
I
60
E
L
E
C
T
R
U
M
61
D
O
H
62
H
E
63
W
64
A
B
L
E
65
E
E
O
C
66
I
67
T
A
L
Y
68
I
S
A
T
69
M
70
A
71
L
T
A
S
E
72
N
H
L
73
A
R
S
L
O
74
N
75
G
76
A
77
A
V
E
78
E
R
79
A
S
E
80
S
81
A
N
B
O
U
T
82
L
O
E
83
B
84
S
85
R
E
B
86
U
I
L
T
87
K
I
T
88
I
N
K
I
N
89
D
90
F
R
A
N
C
E
91
S
92
I
93
S
94
T
I
N
E
95
G
O
O
96
N
S
T
R
I
K
E
97
E
N
C
O
D
E
S
98
P
99
Y
100
C
S
101
D
S
O
102
S
N
A
R
L
S
A
T
103
E
A
S
T
104
K
A
105
P
106
P
107
D
E
N
T
I
108
O
H
M
A
109
G
E
110
D
I
111
G
112
113
E
A
R
B
114
O
115
O
116
K
117
S
118
N
O
E
X
I
T
119
F
E
R
E
N
G
I
120
A
E
R
I
A
L
121
S
O
N
I
A
122
D
O
R
S
E
T
123
P
R
E
S
T
O
© 2010, The New York Times6/13/10 ( No. 22,132 )
Across
1
What the majority of elements are : METALS
7
Before this moment : ERENOW
13
Show whose title was seen on a license plate : LALAW
18
One specializing in slugging : RBIMAN
19
Country with a blue, yellow and red flag : ROMANIA
21
Not fixed : MOBILE
22
Daughter of rocker Kurt and Courtney Love : FRANCESBEANCOBAIN
24
Brilliantly colored lizards : AGAMAS
25
Tennis's Monica : SELES
26
Reps' places? : GYMS
28
Rap's 50 ___ : CENT
29
Mixed-ancestry Latin Americans : MESTIZOS
33
Lead-in for cat : HEP
36
Buy real estate : ACQUIRELAND
38
Provokes : INCITES
39
Devastating : CALAMITOUS
42
Most old-hat : STALEST
43
Galloping : ATARUN
44
Connects with : TIESTO
48
Isl. near Corsica : SAR
49
Country with a green, white and orange flag : IRELAND
50
"It is to laugh!" : PSHAW
51
Composer Philip Glass and others : MINIMALISTS
56
Knit one's brow : SCOWL
59
Horror director Roth : ELI
60
Alloy of gold and silver : ELECTRUM
61
Cry from Homer : DOH
62
Within a lumberjack's ability to cut down : HEWABLE
65
Fair-hiring org. : EEOC
66
Country with a green, white and red flag : ITALY
68
"Our quest ___ an end!" : ISAT
69
Digestive enzyme : MALTASE
72
Penguins' org. : NHL
73
Half of an old Latin aphorism : ARSLONGA
77
One of 17 on a Monopoly board: Abbr. : AVE
78
Take off the board : ERASE
80
Not troubled by : SANGUINEABOUT
82
Singer Lisa and newspaper publisher William : LOEBS
85
Put back up : REBUILT
87
With 116-Down, club in "Cabaret" : KIT
88
One way to be repaid : INKIND
90
Country with a blue, white and red flag : FRANCE
91
___ Chapel : SISTINE
95
Stage a walkout : GOONSTRIKE
97
Keeps from prying eyes, in a way : ENCODES
98
Lighting enthusiasts? : PYROMANIACS
101
British mil. award : DSO
102
Responds to angrily : SNARLSAT
103
Toward the dawn : EAST
104
British science fiction author Colin ___ : KAPP
107
Tooth: Prefix : DENTI
108
Amount of electrical resistance : OHMAGE
110
Modern school keepsakes : DIGITALYEARBOOKS
118
Sartre play : NOEXIT
119
Greedy race in the "Star Trek" universe : FERENGI
120
Like some Google Maps views : AERIAL
121
Actress Braga : SONIA
122
County on the English Channel : DORSET
123
Rapidly : PRESTO
Down
1
1959 #1 hit for the Fleetwoods : MRBLUE
2
"The Trumpet of the Swan" author : EBWHITE
3
Bushed : TIRED
4
They include the wee hrs. : AMS
5
Experiment place : LABSITE
6
They cause your eyes to close : SNEEZES
7
Maritime birds : ERNES
8
Mythical birds : ROCS
9
Alt-rock genre : EMO
10
Snag : NAB
11
Hot dog ___ stick : ONA
12
Actress Kristen of "S.N.L." : WIIG
13
Journal : LOG
14
You can count on them : ABACUSES
15
Shade lighter than emerald : LIMEGREEN
16
Longtime Yes drummer : ALANWHITE
17
New Jersey community next to Montclair : WESTORANGE
20
Whatever : ANY
21
Costumed animal, maybe : MASCOT
23
"It's ___ cause" : ALOST
27
Place for a hammerlock : MAT
29
Lover's question on a long-distance call : MISSME
30
Involve : ENTAIL
31
Card game expert John : SCARNE
32
Fox TV's "___ Death" : TIL
33
Can't abide : HATES
34
Mideast carrier : ELAL
35
Sunshade : PARASOL
37
Bon mot : QUIP
39
It rolls in the aisles : CART
40
Good for snacking : MUNCHY
41
___-European : INDO
45
Wooley with the 1958 #1 hit "The Purple People Eater" : SHEB
46
Like a difficult order : TALL
47
Boo-boo : OWIE
49
Belief: Suffix : ISM
52
Rapper on "Law & Order: SVU" : ICET
53
Drink with dim sum : GREENTEA
54
Texas has one, in song : YELLOWROSE
55
One on a diet : REDUCER
57
Sounded like a fan : WHIRRED
58
Braver : LESSYELLOW
61
Lentil dish at an Indian restaurant : DAL
63
Drugstore eponym : WALGREEN
64
First volume of an encyclopedia, perhaps : ATOB
66
Magazine extra : INSERT
67
Shakespeare sobriquet : THEBARD
69
Country with a green, yellow and red flag : MALI
70
Company calling? : AVON
71
Garlic relative : LEEK
73
Fire ___ : ANT
74
Dating service specification : NOKIDS
75
Country with a red, yellow and green flag : GUINEA
76
Swear : ATTEST
79
Basset sounds : ARFS
80
Michael Moore documentary : SICKO
81
Not windward : ALEE
83
1975 Joni Mitchell hit : BIGYELLOWTAXI
84
Had an unquiet sleep : SNORED
86
Les États-___ : UNIS
89
Courtroom schedule : DOCKET
91
Medicinal plant : SENNA
92
Snared : INATRAP
93
Wood-marking tool : SCRIBER
94
"My mama done ___ me ..." : TOL
96
Cryptologist's org. : NSA
98
Lowly workers : PEONS
99
"Gulliver's Travels" creature : YAHOO
100
Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon and others : BLUESMEN
102
"___ Now" (Murrow series) : SEEIT
105
Sharable PC file : PDF
106
Motley-colored : PIED
107
Bring (up) from the past : DREDGE
109
Actress ___ Scala : GIA
111
Miracle-___ : GRO
112
Not as experienced : GREENER
113
Bleaches : WHITENS
114
Mine find : ORE
115
Sue Grafton's "___ for Outlaw" : OIS
116
See 87-Across : KAT
117
___-mo : SLO

Answer summary:
16 unique to this puzzle, 7 debuted here and reused later, 6 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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