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New York Times, Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Author:
Bill Thompson
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
World hot spot ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues
TotalDebutLatest
1011/25/20104/10/2024
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0142300
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.614260%
Bill Thompson

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 37 Missing: {BQVX} This is puzzle # 9 for Mr. Thompson. Tuesday freshness: 62%
Bill Thompson notes:
The idea for this theme came to me when I was solving another crossword and noticed that the word "east" was hidden in the center of ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
MIDDLE EAST interpreted as "phrases with EAST smack dab in their middles." Bill's elegantly chose themers which are both colorful and ... read more
1
Y
2
A
3
W
4
P
5
P
6
A
7
P
8
A
9
S
10
S
11
A
12
S
13
S
14
O
P
A
L
15
A
L
E
T
A
16
U
T
N
E
17
G
O
N
E
18
A
S
T
R
A
Y
19
G
A
E
A
20
A
P
G
A
R
21
S
H
E
22
A
R
A
L
23
S
T
24
A
25
G
E
A
S
26
T
R
I
K
E
27
J
28
O
29
S
E
30
F
O
U
L
T
I
P
31
A
R
C
32
I
L
O
S
T
33
R
E
34
E
35
S
36
E
37
Y
E
A
38
S
T
Y
39
F
E
A
S
T
S
40
Z
O
N
K
S
41
H
42
E
43
A
R
D
44
P
A
T
45
I
M
46
P
A
S
S
E
47
A
N
T
E
48
A
49
D
50
E
L
E
A
S
T
A
I
51
R
E
52
L
O
L
L
53
C
T
A
54
U
N
55
T
56
I
57
E
58
U
R
I
S
59
M
I
D
60
D
61
L
E
E
A
S
T
62
M
A
Z
E
63
A
M
O
R
E
64
I
K
E
A
65
S
L
A
T
66
N
E
S
T
S
67
D
E
E
S
© 2015, The New York Times8/18/15 ( No. 24,024 )
Across
1
Complain loudly : YAWP
5
"Proud" ones with cigars : PAPAS
10
Cheek : SASS
14
Iridescent stone : OPAL
15
Prince Valiant's love : ALETA
16
___ Reader : UTNE
17
*Left the flock : GONEASTRAY
19
Greek earth goddess : GAEA
20
Kind of test for newborns : APGAR
21
"___ Bangs" (Ricky Martin hit) : SHE
22
___ Sea, victim of Soviet irrigation projects : ARAL
23
*Walk out : STAGEASTRIKE
27
Tenor Carreras : JOSE
30
Catcher's catch off a batter's bat : FOULTIP
31
Part of an oval : ARC
32
Competitor's lament : ILOST
33
Kyle ___, "The Terminator" hero : REESE
37
*Like baking dough : YEASTY
39
*Sumptuous spreads : FEASTS
40
Crashes, with "out" : ZONKS
41
Got by word of mouth : HEARD
44
Word that, spelled backward, can be a clue for itself : PAT
45
Stalemate : IMPASSE
47
Prefix with diluvian : ANTE
48
*Half of a brother/sister dance duo : ADELEASTAIRE
52
Laze : LOLL
53
Inits. for Windy City commuters : CTA
54
Loosen, as a knot : UNTIE
58
Leon who wrote "The Haj" : URIS
59
World hot spot ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : MIDDLEEAST
62
Labyrinth : MAZE
63
"That's ___" : AMORE
64
Mass-market furniture company : IKEA
65
Furniture strip : SLAT
66
Homes for warblers and wasps : NESTS
67
Two of diamonds? : DEES
Down
1
Exercise discipline : YOGA
2
Individually : APOP
3
First computer company to run an ad during the Super Bowl : WANG
4
Entreaty that may follow "pretty" : PLEASE
5
Faux ___ : PAS
6
PC key : ALT
7
Slayer of Medusa : PERSEUS
8
Stopped : ATAHALT
9
Speak, in the Bible : SAYEST
10
Legume with an edible pod : SUGARPEA
11
Game company with a Japanese name : ATARI
12
Weasel : SNEAK
13
Bobby who co-founded the Black Panther Party : SEALE
18
The "A" of MoMA : ART
24
Wouldn't hurt ___ : AFLY
25
Wet gunk : GOO
26
Hackneyed : TIRED
27
Rapper born Shawn Corey Carter : JAYZ
28
Product first released by the National Biscuit Company in 1912 : OREO
29
Survey with binoculars, say : SCAN
32
Informal identification : ITSME
34
Sister company of ABC : ESPN
35
Runs, hits or errors, for short : STAT
36
Villa d'___ : ESTE
38
Everything one can do : SKILLSET
39
Without cost: Ger. : FREI
41
Isn't at the deadline yet : HASTIME
42
Tabasco and Chihuahua, in México : ESTADOS
43
Cool ___ cucumber : ASA
46
Game with a "perfect score" of 3,333,360 : PACMAN
47
Source of the Trojan horse story : AENEID
48
Grads : ALUMS
49
Miami golf resort : DORAL
50
Slave woman in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" : ELIZA
51
"The Murders in the ___ Morgue" : RUE
55
Grab : TAKE
56
"Mm-hmm" : ISEE
57
Data for airport chauffeurs, for short : ETAS
60
Richard Gere title role : DRT
61
French article : LES

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

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