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Nancy S. Ross
Nancy S. Ross

CONTRARY CREATIONS

New York Times, Sunday, October 19, 1986

81-Down : Like ___ knife through butter

Author:
Nancy Scandrett Ross
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 140, Blocks: 76, Avg Word Len: 5.21, Missing: { J Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 519 (avg 1.42)
Open Squares: 120, Cheaters: 8, FITB: 11, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 13
Nancy S. Ross has 34 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 22 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
Nancy Scandrett Ross is an alias for Nancy S. Ross.
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© 1986, The New York TimesNo. 13,494
Across
1
Costa ___ : RICA
5
Diversion : SPORT
10
Purpose : AIM
13
Walk or trot : GAIT
17
Harem rooms : ODAS
18
City in Crete : CANEA
19
Start of Iago's aria : CREDO
22
Artifice : RUSE
23
Optimistic Miller? : BIRTHOFACUSTOMER
26
Scope : AREA
27
Use the public library : BORROW
28
Locale : SITE
29
Parts of footballs : BLADDERS
31
Kettle emission : STEAM
32
In ___ (having difficulties) : ASPOT
33
Meshed native : IRANI
34
Winner's sign : VEE
35
Knight's dismissal? : LADDIEGOAWAY
38
"Pace, pace, mio ___," Verdi aria : DIO
40
J.F.K. sight : SST
43
Roves : GADS
44
Offends : SINS
45
Stage comment : ASIDE
48
Notebooks : CAHIERS
50
A.L. triple-crown winner: 1956 : MANTLE
53
Alarms : SCARES
54
Reluctant : AVERSE
55
Kind of shop : RETAIL
56
Fit to imbibe : POTABLE
57
Tennis score : LOVE
58
Doctrinaires : ISTS
59
Containing a nonmetallic element: Comb. form : SILICO
60
Lincoln's "Cap'n ___" : ERI
61
Locale of misplaced Michener tales? : NORTHATLANTIC
66
Teutonic lang. : NHG
69
Elite get-together : SOIREE
71
Rhine tributary : AARE
72
Chinese dynasty : CHOU
73
Used a certain trammel : ALIGNED
75
Hit with a blackjack : COSHED
77
Entreat : OBTEST
79
Pitched-roof features : GABLES
80
Kitchen tools : PARERS
81
Parade routes, often : AVENUES
82
Baby boobook : OWLET
83
One-time, once : ERST
84
Eschew : SHUN
85
Bob's partner : RAY
86
Poet's word : ERE
87
Writer's block à la Cole Porter? : NOTHINGCOMES
92
Adage : SAW
94
Public storehouse : ETAPE
96
Fortuneteller's card : TAROT
97
Bone hollow : FOSSA
101
Thrush's song : WOODNOTE
103
Author Hunter : EVAN
104
Shakespeare's Sly, e.g. : TINKER
105
Marie Wilson role: 1949 : IRMA
106
Capote moves along? : DINNERATCARTIERS
110
Photo finish : STAT
111
Huge amount : OCEAN
112
Sacred: Comb. form : HIERO
113
Baltic island : AERO
114
Reasonable : SANE
115
Ensign: Abbr. : STD
116
Caucasian : OSSET
117
Weir of the N.H.L. : STAN
Down
1
L.B.J. in-laws : ROBBS
2
Dostoyevsky protagonist : IDIOT
3
Tennessee Williams's "Vieux ___" : CARRE
4
Like the Milky Way : ASTRAL
5
Flat-bottomed boat : SCOW
6
Pif-___ (card game) : PAF
7
Memorable magnate : ONASSIS
8
Child's offering : RECIPE
9
Wrasse's cousin : TAUTOG
10
Emulate Duse : ACT
11
U.N.R.R.A. successor : IRO
12
Eardrum, e.g. : MEMBRANE
13
Alum : GRAD
14
A departure for Sagan? : AUREVOIRBONHEUR
15
Rhone feeder : ISERE
16
Chivy or chevy : TEASE
20
Timetable troubles : DELAYS
21
Camus setting : ORAN
24
Allegiances : HOMAGES
25
Honshu city : SETO
30
Pompously dull and erudite : DIDACTIC
32
Does arithmetic : ADDS
33
"___ Wait for You," 1965 song : IWILL
36
Colonial Virginia : DARE
37
___ spumante : ASTI
39
Author Singer : ISAAC
40
Garden pest : SCALE
41
Relish : SAVOR
42
H. G. Wells sequel? : THEVISIBLEWOMAN
46
Gato ___ Sol, 1982 Derby winner : DEL
47
Genoa-to-Rapallo dir. : ESE
49
Choler : IRE
50
Net : MESH
51
"___ Troll," Heine poem : ATTA
52
U.S.T.A. singles champ: 1972 : NASTASE
53
Unaccompanied performances : SOLI
55
Bas mitzvah, e.g. : RITE
56
Stone : PIT
59
Prune, in Perth : SNED
61
Score minus one : NINETEEN
62
Placer materials : ORES
63
Smith or Barber : RED
64
"Waiting for Godot" actor : LAHR
65
Father of Diomedes : ARES
67
Biblical prophet : HOSEA
68
Spunky : GUTSY
70
Girl watcher : OGLER
72
Cigarette pkg. : CTN
73
Past : AGO
74
Cardinal at Boston : LAW
75
Hereditary class : CASTE
76
Former Met tenor : ORTH
77
Egg, to Cato : OVUM
78
Gala, frequently : BENEFIT
80
Flammable hydrocarbons : PROPENES
81
Like ___ knife through butter : AHOT
83
Related on the mother's side : ENATIC
84
Brackets for candles : SCONCES
88
Caesar's way : ITER
89
Kind of blanket : NAVAHO
90
Free : GRATIS
91
Actress Braga et al. : SONIAS
92
Sculptor Giacometti was one : SWISS
93
Way to a man's heart : AORTA
95
Commotion : TODO
98
Trapshooting variety : SKEET
99
Famed Franciscan missionary : SERRA
100
Fire marshal's concern : ARSON
102
Originate : DATE
104
Pony : TROT
107
Actor Pendleton : NAT
108
Last word : END
109
Exist : ARE

Answer summary:
11 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later, 10 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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