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Jim Page
Jim Page

PLAYING WITH MATCHES

New York Times, Sunday, July 3, 1983

20-Down : Rid of grit

Author:
Jim Page
Editor:
Eugene T. Maleska
Rows: 21, Columns: 21, Words: 140, Blocks: 80, Avg Word Len: 5.16, Missing: { Q X Z }, Scrabble score: 523 (avg 1.45)
Open Squares: 98, Cheaters: 14, FITB: 11, XRef: 0, Words that never appeared in a previous NYT crossword: 8
Jim Page has 84 known pre-Shortz puzzles, and 70 Modern Era crosswords in our database.
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© 1983, The New York TimesNo. 12,290
Across
1
Sailors' saint : ELMO
5
Warp yarn : ABB
8
Part of R.S.V.P. : SIL
11
Draw out : EDUCE
16
Foreign : ALIEN
17
$5 bill : VEE
18
Chemical suffix : ENE
19
Shadowboxed : SPARRED
21
Tuskincisor : CLENCHEDTEETH
24
Presidential hopeful : MONDALE
25
Sesame : TIL
26
Vega's constellation : LYRA
27
RaymondKelly : SPLICEDGENES
29
Throwshag : HOOKEDRUGS
32
Inspires wonder : AWES
33
A Gershwin : IRA
34
Brace : TWO
35
Midianite king : REBA
36
Loam deposit : LOESS
39
___ Shams University, in Cairo : AIN
40
Fill the bases : LOAD
42
London insurance company : LLOYDS
44
Used a dory : BOATED
47
British statesman and family : BEVANS
50
Clare Boothe and Henry : LUCES
51
Beats : PULSES
52
Rub clean : ERASE
53
Platterdisk : STUCKRECORDS
56
Ho of Hawaii : DON
57
Shallow-draft vessel : SHARPIE
59
Profit's opposite : LOSS
60
Blind as ___ : ABAT
64
Same, to Seneca : IDEM
66
Three-time champ : ALI
67
Rickover was one: Abbr. : ADM
69
Book by Dos Passos : USA
70
Korean border river : YALU
71
___ Verde National Park : MESA
72
Cornea irritant : MOTE
74
Barrel-binding group : HOOPERS
77
Sohrab, to Rustum : SON
78
Dynegravity : JOINEDFORCES
81
Straighten ranks : ALINE
83
Aaron specialties : CLOUTS
85
"___ Chan," T. N. Page book : MARSE
86
"___ Restaurant" : ALICES
87
Hilliard-Mann song: 1950 : DEARIE
88
Weedy rye grass : DARNEL
89
Feds : GMEN
90
Blotter target : INK
91
Siberian holes : MINES
92
Grim Grimm character : OGRE
94
Rheine's river : EMS
97
Memphis-to-Mobile dir. : SSE
98
Mil. units : RGTS
100
Carboniron : STEELUNION
103
Beannoodle : BUMPINGHEADS
108
Diamond from Brooklyn : NEIL
109
One of a comic trio : MOE
110
Small spaces : AREOLAE
111
CarrySenecas : UNITEDNATIONS
114
Pipe smokers' devices : REAMERS
115
___ Tin Tin : RIN
116
Cat has one to cross : TEE
117
Makes an incised mark : RASES
118
Dates set for attacks : DDAYS
119
Bullring shout : OLE
120
Slip up : ERR
121
Pteroid : ALAR
Down
1
Win ___, former radio emcee : ELLIOT
2
Stay in hiding : LIELOW
3
Kingsley's "___ in White" : MEN
4
"Mon ___," Tati film : ONCLE
5
Declared : AVERRED
6
Smear : BEDAUB
7
Big A venture : BET
8
Trickle through : SEEP
9
Worldwide: Abbr. : INTL
10
City near Utah Lake : LEHI
11
Pindar's last stanza, e.g. : EPODE
12
Euphemistic expletives : DANGS
13
Like some heraldic crosses : URDE
14
Having a skull : CRANIATE
15
Where congers congregate : EELERIES
16
Pituitary-gland hormone : ACTH
19
Mergansers : SMEWS
20
Rid of grit : DESAND
22
Freshwater polyps : HYDRAS
23
Hairpin turn : ESS
28
Squire in "Silas Marner" : CASS
30
Trees bearing valuable nuts : KOLAS
31
Pollster of note : GALLUP
36
Saxantler : LOCKEDHORNS
37
___ and terminer : OYER
38
Ford's lemon : EDSEL
41
A sawbuck has 10 : ONES
43
St. ___ (Windward island) : LUCIA
44
College treasurer : BURSAR
45
Outworn : OLD
46
Ore analysis : ASSAY
47
Obscure : BEDIM
48
Wear away : ERODE
49
Roosters on spires : VANES
51
Peace officers, oater style : POSSES
53
Arty parties : SALONS
54
Like a cliché : TRITE
55
Creamy dessert : COUPE
58
Tuareg or Berber : HAMITE
61
Fundamental : BASIC
62
Byrd book : ALONE
63
Cahn-Styne products : TUNES
65
Barbara or Hoople : MAJOR
68
Common code : MORSE
73
He wrote "Philosopher's Holiday" : EDMAN
75
Black-spotted cat : OCELOT
76
Event on G.W.'s birthday : SALE
79
Quebec affirmative : OUI
80
Diet : FARE
82
Material from flax : LINEN
83
Showed disapproval : CENSURED
84
Hoover Dam formation : LAKEMEAD
86
Novel by Fielding : AMELIA
87
Expel a lawyer : DISBAR
88
Spode piece : DISH
89
Like some pastures : GREENER
91
F.H.A. concerns : MTGES
93
Neuter, for one : GENDER
95
The sensitive plant : MIMOSA
96
Squatter in 1889 : SOONER
98
The Hoosier poet : RILEY
99
Growls from Fido : GNARS
100
J.F.K. sight : SST
101
Excessive : ULTRA
102
Stack TV role : NESS
104
Fruits for Virgil : POMA
105
Kind of dollar : EURO
106
Indigo : ANIL
107
Eat in style : DINE
112
Juin, juillet et août : ETE
113
Suffix with baron or manor : IAL

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle, 4 debuted here and reused later, 15 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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