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Lester Keene
Lester Keene

With Hints from the Headlines

New York Times, Sunday, June 10, 1945

69-Across : Vary by turns.

Author:
Lester Keene
Editor:
Margaret Farrar
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 134, Blocks: 70, Avg Word Len: 5.54, Missing: { Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 552 (avg 1.49)
Open Squares: 114, Cheaters: 12, FITB: 3, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 68, Grid flow: 49.1 Grid has double diagonal symmetry.
Lester Keene has 35 known pre-Shortz puzzles in our database.
Jim Horne notes:

From Wikipedia: In printing and journalism slang, -30- is a traditional mark used to indicate the end of a story, article, or press release. It originated in the 19th-century telegraph era as a shorthand for "no more—the end" and was adopted by newspaper reporters to ensure typesetters knew the entire story had been received.

Here are the most common theories behind the origin of "30" as the end:

  • Telegraph Code ("92 Code"): The most widely accepted theory is that "30" was part of the Western Union "92 Code" (1859), a set of numeric signals used by telegraph operators to speed up communication. In this code, 30 meant "end of message" or "no more".
  • Roman Numerals (XXX): In the era of handwritten submissions, reporters used "X" to mean the end of a sentence, "XX" for the end of a paragraph, and "XXX" for the end of a story. Because "XXX" is the Roman numeral for 30, it evolved into simply writing "-30-".
  • Telegraphic Sound: In Morse code, 3 is ...- and 0 is -----. Sending 30 created a distinct, rhythmic sound signaling the end of a transmission.
  • Physical Limitations: Some legends suggest it originated from when telegraphers were restricted to 30 words per message, or that early typesetting machines used a maximum line length of 30 pica ems.
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B
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H
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R
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Y
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D
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A
D
© 1945, The New York TimesNo. 174
Across
1
Where Batavia is. : JAVA
5
Japan's feared unofficial Emperor. : TOYAMA
11
Broke diplomatic relations with Japan, April 11. : SPAIN
16
Philippine island, Tagbilaran the capital. : BOHOL
17
Of Persia. : IRANIC
18
Figure. : PERSON
20
Goat antelopes. : SEROWS
21
Somewhat crippled. : LAMISH
22
Navy task forces. : ARMADAS
24
Fighting ___. : LADY
25
Urge. : ABET
27
Measuring devices. : METERS
29
Makeshift. : RUDE
30
Mount near site of ancient Troy. : IDA
31
Looked. : STARED
33
One-sixth of the earth's land surface. : RUSSIA
35
Kindled. : LIT
36
Laws relating to physical forces. : DYNAMICS
38
Concerning. : ANENT
40
Belgian ship canal. : ALBERT
42
Bill. : BEAK
43
Parental affections, instinctive in animals. : STORGES
45
Lariat. : LASSO
46
Native of Paros. : PARIAN
49
Swarming. : ALIVE
50
Ward off. : REPEL
52
Back of the front line. : AREAR
53
Officer of Military Police. : PROVOST
55
Seines. : SAGENES
59
Detective: Slang. : TEC
60
Varieties of pyroxine, found at Sala, Sweden. : SALITES
62
Occidental: Poet. : HESPERIAN
64
French kings. : ROIS
66
Region, west central Soviet Russia. : WESTSIBERIA
68
Watery fluids. : SERA
69
Vary by turns. : ALTERNATE
71
Pushcarts. : BARROWS
73
151. : CLI
74
Kelp, dulse, etc. : SEAWEED
75
Brakemen. : RAILMEN
77
Clay covering for mouth of glass furnace. : TWEEL
79
Where Mt. Sorata is. : ANDES
81
Gold ___. : BRAID
82
Passes off for genuine. : FOISTS
83
Skivvy. : SHIRT
86
Dutch poet (1798–1860). : DACOSTA
88
On paper. : DOWN
89
More difficult. : HARDER
91
Ottoman: Comb. form. : TURKO
92
City W. of Paris. : SURESNES
96
Egg: Comb. form. : OVI
97
Thin corded fabric: It. : DIMITI
99
Notched. : NICKED
101
Satan's offspring. : IMP
102
Nonplus. : POSE
104
Immaturity. : NONAGE
106
English letters. : DEES
107
Agitate. : STIR
108
The End—in German. : SCHLUSS
110
Westphalian city near Arnsberg, taken by 9th Army. : WITTEN
112
The End: Printer's slang. : THIRTY
114
Fishing nets. : SEINES
115
Partisan of Queen Anne. : ANNIST
116
Roof edges. : EAVES
117
Prompt. : READY
118
Leavens. : YEASTS
119
Group of two. : DYAD
Down
1
River in Palestine. : JORDAN
2
Navy hail. : AHOY
3
Asseverate. : VOW
4
Native of Strasbourg. : ALSATIAN
5
Lodge doorkeepers. : TILERS
6
Make speech. : ORATE
7
Sweet potato. : YAM
8
Mountainous town: Josh. XV, 50. : ANIM
9
Penitential Psalms. : MISERERES
10
Attention! Watch your step—in Germany. : ACHTUNG
11
Sea girls. : SPARS
12
Where the Elburz Mts. are. : PERSIA
13
Branch. : ARM
14
Munich's river. : ISAR
15
Little lumps. : NODULES
16
Small, round and glistening. : BEADY
19
Lowest points. : NADIRS
20
Passed quietly. : SLID
23
Boxing bout: Colloq. : SETTO
26
Support. : BACK
28
Ether compound. : ESTER
31
Bedaubs. : SMEARS
32
Grammatical cases. : DATIVES
34
Affirm. : ALLEGE
37
Asa's father (Mat. 1-7). : ABIA
39
Capital of W. Siberia. : NOVOSIBIRSK
41
Compressing devices. : BALERS
43
A shackler. : SLOTTER
44
Court sitting. : SESSION
46
Seaport W. of Corinth. : PATRAS
47
Interstice between leaf veins. : AREOLE
48
Strategic city, Caras prov., Rumania. : RECITA
49
Best: Comb. form. : ARIST
51
Bananalike fruit. : PAPAW
53
Implored. : PLEADED
54
Island, Cyclades dept., Greece. : THERMIA
56
Female relatives. : NIECES
57
Small aural appendage. : EARLET
58
Drones. : SNAILS
61
Bearded. : AWNED
63
Was wrong. : ERRED
65
Peninsula, NW Alaska, named for Lincoln's Secretary of State. : SEWARD
67
Strategic lake, SW of Budapest. : BALATON
70
Leased. : RENTED
72
Packed. : STOWED
76
One of the native race. : ABORIGINE
78
Gains victory. : WINS
80
Silk fabric. : SATIN
82
Wooded. : FORESTED
83
Looks for bargains. : SHOPS
84
RAF fighter-bombers. : HAVOCS
85
Dubliner. : IRISHER
87
Groom's favorite garment. : CUTAWAY
88
Edward Windsor. : DUKE
90
Washed out. : RINSED
92
Detects the existence of. : SCENTS
93
Treated with an acid. : NITRED
94
Sends forth. : EMITS
95
Nimble. : SPRY
98
Overgrown with lichens. : MOSSY
100
i.e. : IDEST
103
___ de Beaumont, mountain, N. Z. : ELIE
105
Active volcano. : ETNA
107
Hindu deity. : SIVA
109
River, Yugoslavia, 110 miles to Sava. : UNA
111
It is. : TIS
113
McKinley's Secy. of State (1838–1905). : HAY

Answer summary:
11 unique to this puzzle, 57 debuted here and reused later, 9 appeared only in pre-Shortz puzzles.

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Crosswords published prior to Nov. 21, 1993 are provided by David Steinberg and The Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project.

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