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A. J. Santora
A. J. Santora

LOCUS-POCUS

New York Times, Sunday, December 4, 1977

27-Across : Sponge spicule

Author:
A. J. Santora
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 23, Columns: 23, Words: 170, Blocks: 94, Avg Word Len: 5.12, Missing: { J K Q Z }, Scrabble score: 644 (avg 1.48)
Open Squares: 137, Cheaters: 6, FITB: 10, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 14 Grid has duplicate clues.
A. J. Santora has 185 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 68 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
David Steinberg notes:

In 81-Down clue, reference is likely to Kiri Te Kanawa, not another soprano Natalia Kawana — this is probably an error; left as in original.

1
R
2
O
3
A
4
S
5
T
6
S
7
S
8
C
9
U
10
F
11
F
12
S
13
H
14
I
15
F
16
T
17
N
18
U
19
B
20
I
N
B
L
U
E
21
M
O
T
E
L
22
T
A
N
E
Y
23
N
E
V
E
24
A
C
U
A
T
E
25
O
V
E
R
A
26
B
A
R
R
E
L
27
O
X
E
A
28
L
E
T
29
U
N
30
I
T
E
S
31
B
A
R
R
E
L
32
A
T
T
A
R
33
S
U
S
34
U
35
O
D
E
36
L
E
I
37
F
38
I
G
H
T
39
P
U
P
40
A
T
E
41
S
42
A
43
W
44
Y
E
R
S
45
A
P
R
I
O
46
R
47
I
48
S
O
P
O
R
49
S
50
A
P
P
I
E
R
51
D
I
S
A
N
N
U
L
52
I
N
O
N
E
53
W
R
E
S
T
54
S
55
W
I
N
E
56
G
O
N
E
57
T
A
N
58
A
59
S
60
T
A
I
R
E
61
S
C
E
N
T
62
T
E
X
63
S
H
I
R
T
64
S
H
A
L
E
65
S
66
O
67
P
H
68
C
69
O
70
B
71
B
72
U
N
D
E
73
R
74
S
H
I
R
T
75
N
U
T
T
I
76
E
77
R
78
O
P
E
R
79
A
N
T
S
80
O
H
A
R
A
81
M
O
N
T
A
N
A
N
82
D
E
S
E
R
T
S
83
A
B
O
V
E
B
84
O
A
R
D
85
S
G
T
S
86
I
R
I
S
87
P
R
U
N
E
88
B
O
A
R
89
D
90
N
91
A
D
92
P
U
L
S
E
93
H
94
A
I
R
D
Y
E
95
B
96
A
97
G
98
O
L
E
99
O
100
L
E
R
O
T
101
H
A
I
T
I
102
P
103
H
Y
L
E
104
E
L
O
N
105
G
A
T
E
106
H
A
R
D
E
S
107
T
108
T
O
T
A
L
109
L
I
N
E
A
T
E
110
A
111
D
O
P
T
E
R
112
U
113
H
H
U
H
S
114
E
S
T
E
R
115
E
I
N
116
G
N
U
117
R
E
U
118
S
119
D
120
O
S
E
S
121
N
122
O
R
M
A
123
L
124
O
125
S
I
E
R
126
S
127
H
I
P
128
A
B
E
L
129
B
E
L
O
W
N
O
130
R
M
A
L
131
O
T
132
I
O
S
E
133
W
O
L
F
134
O
R
I
B
I
135
B
E
A
R
D
136
N
O
N
U
S
E
137
N
E
F
138
G
O
D
E
T
139
S
Y
R
I
A
140
S
P
A
R
E
D
© 1977, The New York TimesNo. 10,340
Across
1
Spoofs, in a way : ROASTS
7
Rough spot : SCUFF
12
Loose dress : SHIFT
17
Gist : NUB
20
"Rhapsody ___" : INBLUE
21
Sort of court : MOTEL
22
Famed jurist : TANEY
23
Granular snow : NEVE
24
Sharpened : ACUATE
25
Where most of this is : OVERABARREL
27
Sponge spicule : OXEA
28
Tennis call : LET
29
Fuses : UNITES
31
Oil drum : BARREL
32
Perfume oil : ATTAR
33
Dolphin's blind cousin : SUSU
35
Poetic work : ODE
36
Don Ho prop : LEI
37
Melee : FIGHT
39
What larvae do : PUPATE
41
Lumbermen or beetles : SAWYERS
45
Presumptively : APRIORI
48
Deep sleep : SOPOR
49
Less desiccated : SAPPIER
51
Cancel : DISANNUL
52
Hole-___ : INONE
53
Gain by force : WREST
54
Poland China : SWINE
56
Used up : GONE
57
Pongee color : TAN
58
Partner of Rogers and Powell : ASTAIRE
61
Bouquet : SCENT
62
Man from Big D : TEX
63
Camise : SHIRT
64
Fissile rock : SHALE
65
One of last year's frosh : SOPH
68
Cooperstown name : COBB
72
Where part of this is : UNDERSHIRT
75
More pixilated : NUTTIER
78
Agents : OPERANTS
80
Author of "BUtterfield 8" : OHARA
81
Butte native : MONTANAN
82
Negev and Nefud : DESERTS
83
Where the end of this is : ABOVEBOARD
85
N.C.O.'s : SGTS
86
Yellow flag : IRIS
87
Kind of Danish : PRUNE
88
Enplane : BOARD
90
Usti ___ Labem, Czechoslovak city : NAD
92
Vitality : PULSE
93
Henna : HAIRDYE
95
Catch : BAG
98
Bread spread : OLEO
100
Dormouse : LEROT
101
Christophe's homeland : HAITI
102
Athenian political subdivision : PHYLE
104
Lengthen : ELONGATE
106
Adjective for diamond : HARDEST
108
Demolish : TOTAL
109
Marked with stripes : LINEATE
110
Orphan's new parent : ADOPTER
112
Assenting sounds : UHHUHS
114
Glyceride : ESTER
115
One, in Berlin : EIN
116
Wildebeest : GNU
117
Defendant, in law : REUS
119
Medicinal amounts : DOSES
121
Kind of school : NORMAL
124
American dogwoods : OSIERS
127
Huckle : HIP
128
Co-inventor of cordite : ABEL
129
Where most of this is : BELOWNORMAL
131
Unemployed : OTIOSE
133
Nursery villain : WOLF
134
African antelope : ORIBI
135
Vandyke, e.g. : BEARD
136
Why some products fail : NONUSE
137
Ship-shaped clock : NEF
138
Skirt insert : GODET
139
Arab land : SYRIA
140
Exempted : SPARED
Down
1
Shah's pelf : RIALS
2
Start of "The Raven" : ONCEUPONA
3
What this does twice : ABUTSUPON
4
Suburb of Rabat : SLA
5
Short skirt : TUTU
6
"Eyes have they, but they ___" : SEENOT
7
Hit, Biblical style : SMOTE
8
Where vessels nestle : COVE
9
Salt Lake City team : UTES
10
Acier ingredient : FER
11
"Front porch" : FLAB
12
Wide-eyed tourist : STARER
13
Political pollster : HARRIS
14
Dictator's phrase : INRE
15
Become lightheaded : FEELFAINT
16
Father ___, in Wolff's "The Bluebird" : TYL
17
Where to find this : NEXTTONOTHING
18
Eye area : UVEA
19
Silvertip : BEAR
23
Zilch : NOTHING
26
Haying machine : BALER
30
Kin of calends : IDES
32
Pearl Mosque site : AGRA
34
In the know : UPON
38
___ dixit : IPSE
40
Sectors : AREAS
41
Ariel, for one : SPRITE
42
Little or Frye : APER
43
Sapient : WISE
44
Thus far : YET
46
Magic incantation : RUNE
47
Holly : ILEX
48
Take a chair : SIT
50
Oscar and Tony : AWARDS
51
Banquet : DINE
54
Pharaoh's talisman : SCARAB
55
Strip : WELT
59
Switches tracks : SHUNTS
60
Colors : TINTS
61
Worcester or York : SHIRE
64
Thin slice : SHAVE
65
Diverse : SUNDRY
66
Giant at 16 : OTT
67
School orgs. : PTAS
68
Torsk : COD
69
Poetic verb : OPE
70
Where most of this is : BESIDEONESELF
71
___ Rabbit : BRER
73
Hale : ROBUST
74
Glistened : SHONE
75
U.S.-Can. defense org. : NORAD
76
Snack : EAT
77
Important hosp. group : RNS
79
"Exodus" hero : ARI
81
Soprano Kawana et al. : MAORIS
83
Guthrie : ARLO
84
Kind of dictum : OBITER
87
Sinless : PURE
89
Profundity : DEPTH
90
Coward : NOEL
91
"___ Want for Christmas ... " : ALLI
92
Pianist from N.Y.C. : PETERNERO
93
Cardinals' QB : HART
94
Deputy : AIDE
95
Locale of this phrase : BYTHEHOUR
96
Like eggs baked with Gruyère cheese : ALASUISSE
97
Semisolid : GEL
99
Make ___ scarce : ONESELF
100
Like Apley : LATE
101
Fortune : HAP
103
Cuckoo's announcement : HOUR
105
Roscoes : GATS
106
Lustrous fabric : HONAN
107
Porter product : TUNE
110
Bacterium : AEROBE
111
Blockhead : DIMWIT
113
Iroquoian group : HURONS
116
Hayworth role : GILDA
118
Radar reading : SPEED
119
Sunup : DAWN
120
Musette : OBOE
122
Far from fragrant : OLID
123
Soft throws : LOBS
124
Actor Sharif : OMAR
125
Patola : SARI
126
Road sign : STOP
129
Quagmire : BOG
130
Ferdinand was one : REY
132
Manet's "___ Boat" : INA

Answer summary:
9 unique to this puzzle, 5 debuted here and reused later, 8 appeared only in pre-Shortz puzzles.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

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

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