0101-12: New York Times Crossword Answers 1 Jan 12, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Berry
THEME: Addendum … all of the theme answers are phrases or terms to which the UM sound has been added, created a new and wacky phrase:

18A. Pool ball's "Watch this!" comment? : SEE IF I CAROM (SEE IF I CARE-UM)
23A. High-mounted window you can't stop looking at? : HYPNOTIC TRANSOM (HYPNOTIC TRANCE-UM)
32A. Part of a watch touching the breastbone? : STEM TO STERNUM (STEM TO STERN-UM)
46A. "You don't have to be busy to look busy," e.g.? : OFFICE MAXIM (OFFICEMAX-UM)
59A. Pill that relieves computer-related anxiety? : SILICON VALIUM (SILICON VALLEY-UM)
71A. Inhuman group of golfers? : BRUTE FOURSOME (BRUTE FORCE-UM)
81A. Sultan's wife, perhaps? : HEAD OF HAREM (HEAD OF HAIR-UM)
99A. Jungle king's jeans and overalls? : THE LION’S DENIM (THE LION’S DEN-UM)
110A. Ennui among quantum physicists? : PARTICLE BOREDOM (PARTICLE BOARD-UM)
116A. Dessert delivered over the Internet? : PIE A LA MODEM (PIE A LA MODE-UM)

COMPLETION TIME: 27m 12s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … HYPNOTIC TRANSOM (hypnotic transem), BUONO (bueno)

1231-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 31 Dec 11, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Joe Krozel
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 23m 37s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1230-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 30 Dec 11, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Mike Nothnagel
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 30m 15s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … SPAHN (SPACN!), HOSTAS (COSTAS)

1229-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 29 Dec 11, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Steinberg
THEME: PIZZAZZ … the answers grid contains a brainteaser about the game Scrabble, the answer to which is the word “PIZZAZZ” (spelled out in the circled squares in the grid). Because of the distribution of letters in the set of Scrabble tiles, the only 7-letter word in English that cannot be played is PIZZAZZ. You can get close by using the Z-tile with the two blank tiles to get to three of the required four Zs, but there’s no way to get to the fourth Z:

17A. Start of a brainteaser whose answer appears in order, from top to bottom, in this puzzle's circled squares : NAME THE ONE
27A. Part two of the brainteaser : SEVEN-LETTER WORD
32A. Part three of the brainteaser : IN ENGLISH THAT
40A. Part four of the brainteaser : CANNOT BE PUT DOWN
53A. End of the brainteaser : IN SCRABBLE

COMPLETION TIME: 14m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1228-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 28 Dec 11, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Louis Zulli
THEME: ID THEFT … each of the theme answers is a common term, but with the letters “ID” removed:

17A. Gift to an outgoing member of Congress? : LAME DUCK PRES(ID)ENT
36A. Dialect coach's slogan? : ACC(ID)ENTS HAPPEN
54A. Modern crime, briefly ... or a hint to 17-, 36- and 59-Across : ID THEFT
59A. European gin mill? : CONTINENTAL DIV(ID)E

COMPLETION TIME: 9m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … SEWANEE (SAWANEE), ELEA (ALEA)

1227-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 27 Dec 11, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: John Dunn
THEME: WATERCOLORS … each of the theme answers is two words, a body of water preceded by a color:

16A. 1954 monster film setting : BLACK LAGOON
22A. 1948 John Wayne western : RED RIVER
50A. City that's home to the winner of the first two Super Bowls : GREEN BAY
61A. Some Winslow Homer art ... or what five answers in this puzzle are? : WATERCOLORS
10D. It's between Korea and China : YELLOW SEA
32D. Linda Ronstadt hit co-written by Roy Orbison : BLUE BAYOU

COMPLETION TIME: 6m 53s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1226-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 26 Dec 11, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Gary Cee
THEME: SEASON FINALE … each of the theme answers is two words, the second being the name of a season:

17A. What a slippery sidewalk might cause : NASTY FALL
24A. "Last Dance" singer, 1978 : DONNA SUMMER
39A. With 41-Across, good time for a cliffhanger ... or what each of 17-, 24-, 50- and 63-Across has? : SEASON
41A. See 39-Across : FINALE
50A. Albino rocker with a 1973 #1 hit : EDGAR WINTER
63A. Spa locale : HOT SPRING

COMPLETION TIME: 06m 21s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1225-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 25 Dec 11, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Elizabeth C. Gorski
THEME: Ain’t He Sweet … the circled letters when joined A-Z outline a gingerbread man, who is referenced in various clues throughout the puzzle:

76A. Decoration on a 91-/100-Across : ICING
91A. With 100-Across, image revealed by connecting the circled letters alphabetically : GINGERBREAD
100A. See 91-Across : MAN
102A. 2001 film in which 91-/100-Across is a character : SHREK
4D. 91-/100-Across, often : TREE ORNAMENT
16D. Aid for making a 91-/100-Across : COOKIE CUTTER
105D. 16th-century monarch credited with presenting 91-/100-Acrosses to guests : ELIZABETH
110D. "The 91-/100-Across," for one : FAIRY TALE

COMPLETION TIME: 32m 16s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1224-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 24 Dec 11, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Ned White
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 48m 18s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1223-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 23 Dec 11, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Berry
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 18m 34s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1222-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Dec 11, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Kristian House
THEME: SHAPE SHIFTER … each of the theme answers contains a shape, but the shapes in the collection of answers have been shifted around:

20A. Uncool Eskimo? : ARCTIC SQUARE (from ARCTIC CIRCLE)
34A. Percussion instrument owned by a New York newspaper? : TIMES TRIANGLE (from TIMES SQUARE)
41A. Close-knit group at a popular island destination? : BERMUDA CIRCLE (from BERMUDA TRIANGLE)
55A. Werewolf, e.g. ... or the one responsible for 20-, 34- and 41-Across? : SHAPESHIFTER

COMPLETION TIME: 19m 13s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … ALY (ALI), NYET (NIET!)

1221-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 21 Dec 11, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Nancy J. Byron, Ronald J. Byron
THEME: NOEL … each of the theme answers is a movie, with the letter “L” removed:

18A. Movie about La Brea Tar Pits' formation? : THE BIG SEEP (from “The Big Sleep”)
23A. Movie about a Nobel-winning chemist? : THE ION KING (from “The Lion King”)
37A. Movie about Wall Streeters' excesses? : CASH OF THE TITANS (from “Clash of the Titans”)
52A. Movie about the early life of Lassie? : PUP FICTION (from “Pulp Fiction”)
59A. Movie about the memoirs of the Duke? : WAYNE’S WORD (from “Wayne’s Word”)
69A. Seasonal song ... or a phonetic hint to 18-, 23-, 37-, 52- and 59-Across : NOEL

COMPLETION TIME: 15m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … SCRIM (SCRIR!), MHO (RHO)

1220-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 20 Dec 11, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Julian Lim
THEME: SPLIT PEA … all of the theme answers are multiple words, the letters PEA being shared between the end of one word and the start of the next:

20A. *Wish desperately : HO(PE A)GAINST HOPE
28A. *Be worry-free : SLEE(P EA)SY
43A. *Muhammad Ali ring tactic : RO(PE-A)-DOPE
53A. *John Constable or Camille Pissarro : LANDSCA(PE A)RTIST
4D. *Like some bunnies and puppies : LO(P-EA)RED
36D. Kind of soup ... or a hint to the answers to the five starred clues : SPLIT PEA

COMPLETION TIME: 9m 56s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1219-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 19 Dec 11, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Richard Chisholm
THEME: We Started … all the theme answers begin with homophones of the word “WE”:

18A. Young girls in Glasgow : WEE LASSIES
26A. First words of the Constitution : WE THE PEOPLE
43A. Polite assent in Paris : OUI, MONSIEUR
54A. Piece of Nintendo game equipment : WII CONSOLE

COMPLETION TIME: 5m 6s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1218-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 18 Dec 11, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Merrell
THEME: Again? … all of the theme answers are common expressions, but with the “gain” of a “A”:

22D. Dislike of the son of Mary, Queen of Scots? : KING JAMES (A)VERSION
31D. Catwalk no-show? : RUN(A)WAY MODEL
45D. Soft-spoken prayer ending? : GENTLE (A)MEN
48D. Build a publishing empire? : (A)MASS MEDIA
66D. Practical joke used on squirrels? : PEPPER (A)CORN
87D. What sweaty dancers create at an annual awards show? : TONY (A)ROMAS
90D. Rush to get on the train? : DART (A)BOARD
103D. Where worms don't last long? : (A)ROUND ROBINS
116D. What black holes swallow to bulk up? : ANABOLIC (A)STEROIDS

COMPLETION TIME: 31m 52s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1217-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 17 Dec 11, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Tom Heilman
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 26m 16s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1216-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 16 Dec 11, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Doug Peterson & Barry C. Silk
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 27m 16s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 4 … PIN ON, (AIN ON!) A HEAP (A DEAL), PHAIR (ADAIR), COTOPAXI (COTOLAXI)

1215-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 15 Dec 11, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jim Hilger
THEME: There’s a note with today’s puzzle!

Parts of 15 answers in this puzzle are missing, in a manner for you to discover.

TOP is missing from the three answers in the TOP row, SIDE from the six answers at either SIDE of the grid, BOTTOM is missing from the three answers at the BOTTOM and MIDDLE is missing from the three answers across the MIDDLE of the grid:

1A. Company's numero uno : (TOP) BANANA
7A. Bit of dance attire for Fred Astaire : (TOP) HAT
10A. Elite : (TOP) TIER
38A. Oil source : (MIDDLE) EAST
39A. Midnight to 4 a.m., at sea : (MIDDLE) WATCH
41A. In the 40s? : (MIDDLE)-AGED
67A. Often-flooded locale : (BOTTOM)LAND
68A. Hit a low point : (BOTTOM) OUT
69A. Starfish or sea cucumber, e.g. : (BOTTOM) FEEDER
1D. Writing in a box : (SIDE)BAR
13D. Way less traveled : (SIDE)ROAD
23D. Drug drawback : (SIDE) EFFECT
33D. One way to ride a horse : (SIDE)SADDLE
53D. Tire part : (SIDE)WALL
63D. Brandy cocktail : (SIDE)CAR

COMPLETION TIME: 11m 58s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1214-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 14 Dec 11, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Tim Croce
THEME: Add a Q … all of the theme answers are common terms with the letter “Q” inserted somewhere:

20A. Mesopotamia? : TRADITIONAL IRA(Q)
28A. Inconsistent root beer brand? : UNEVEN BAR(Q)S
45A. Local ascetic? : COUNTY FA(Q)IR
53A. Some Mideast laptops? : (Q)ATARI COMPUTERS

COMPLETION TIME: 11m 47s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 4 … POOR (PASS!!), ARNO (ARNA), TORO (TORS), JOHN MAYER (JOHN MAYES)

1213-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 13 Dec 11, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jonathan Gersch
THEME: SESAME STREET … all of the theme answers are people, whose first name is the same as a character on SESAME STREET:

17A. Cowardly Lion portrayer : BERT LAHR
19A. With 63-Across, where to find all the characters at the starts of 17-, 24-, 40-, 52- and 66-Across : SESAME
63A. See 19-Across : STREET
24A. "The Odd Couple" slob : OSCAR MADISON
40A. President who was once New York's governor : GROVER CLEVELAND
52A. Kojak portrayer : TELLY SAVALAS
66A. 2011 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame : ERNIE ELS
61D. Pal of the starts of 17-, 24-, 40-, 52- and 66-Across : ELMO

COMPLETION TIME: 7m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1212-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 12 Dec 11, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Gary Cee
THEME: ERs … in each of the themed answers is composed of two words, each ending with the letter sequence “ER”:

17A. *One who's an empty threat : PAPER TIGER
26A. *Willie Mays, positionally : CENTER FIELDER
37A. Hosp. parts ... or what the answers to the six starred clues each have twice : ERS
45A. *What a waiter might be holding when he says "Say when" : PEPPER GRINDER
59A. *Lawn-Boy or Toro product : POWER MOWER
10D. *Enclosure with a manuscript or résumé : COVER LETTER
23D. *Spider-Man's alter ego : PETER PARKER

COMPLETION TIME: 5m 56s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1211-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 11 Dec 2011, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Timothy Polin
THEME: Taking Half-Steps … this is a rebus puzzle, with the words “sharp”, “flat” and “natural” written in some squares (represent by SH, FL and NA in the grid shown)
COMPLETION TIME: 38m 10s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … CAPEESH (CAPIESH!), RELL (RILL)

1210-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Dec 11, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Corey Rubin
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 30m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1209-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 9 Dec 11, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Berry
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 46m 06s!!
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1208-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 8 Dec 11, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Daniel A. Finan
THEME: Sounds Like … each of the theme answer is clued by two circled letters with in the answer, with the clue being a homophone of those letters:

7A. [See circled letters] : EVEN O(NE) (NE sounds like “any”)
18A. [See circled letters] : ITE(M T)O RECYCLE (MT sounds like “empty”)
35A. [See circled letters] : GREE(N V)ICE (NV sounds like “envy”)
52A. [See circled letters] : COMMERCIA(L C)OW (LC sounds like “Elsie”)
62A. [See circled letters] : A BRE(EZ)E (EZ sounds like “a breeze”)

COMPLETION TIME: 37m 53s!!
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1207-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 7 Dec 11, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Julian Lim
THEME: ZENER CARDS … all of the theme answers end with one of the fiver ZENER CARDS:

16A. *What an EEG reads : BRAINWAVES
28A. *Back to the beginning : FULL CIRCLE
38A. *Up-and-comer : RISING STAR
53A. Tools for ESP researchers (whose symbols are found at the ends of the answers to the five asterisked clues) : ZENER CARDS
10D. *Act of betrayal : DOUBLE-CROSS
23D. *Scene of an annual ball-dropping : TIMES SQUARE

COMPLETION TIME: 9m 51s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … ZENER CARDS (ZINER CARDS), CENO- (CINO-)

1206-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 6 Dec 11, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Steven E. Atwood
THEME: -Ish Words … all of the theme clues refer to a noun, and then to an adjective. The answer is the adjective made from the noun by adding the letters “ISH”:

18A. Be healthy, like a type of meal? : FLOURISH (like a FLOUR)
20A. Disappear, like a moving vehicle? : VANISH (like a van)
24A. Obtrusively bright, like a needlefish? : GARISH (like a GAR)
39A. Love, like a popular singer? : CHERISH (like CHER)
49A. Touch up, like a candidate for office? : POLISH (like a POL)
56A. Hurt, like a groan-inducing joke? : PUNISH (like a PUN)
60A. Wave menacingly, like a red-hot iron? : BRANDISH (like a BRAND)
4D. Extravagant, like a W.C.? : LAVISH (like a LAV)
48D. Do away with, like a 1950s car feature? : FINISH (like a FIN)

COMPLETION TIME: 11m 20s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1205-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Dec 11, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Kenneth J. Berniker
THEME: NAT, NET, NIT, NOT, NUT … all of the theme answers start with a 3-letter word beginning with N and ending in the T. The middle letter of the word is a different vowel, supplied in alphabetical order i.e. A, E, I, O and U:

18A. "Ramblin' Rose" singer, 1962 : NAT KING COLE
23A. Earnings after expenses : NET PROFITS
38A. Knuckleheads : NITWITS
49A. "Fuhgeddaboudit!" : NOT ON A DARE
56A. Christmastime productions : NUTCRACKERS

COMPLETION TIME: 6m 56s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1204-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 4 Dec 11, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Kelsey Blakley
THEME: Swapping Partners … each of the theme answers is a common expression or term, but with a pair of neighboring letters (“partners”) that have been “swapped”:

23A. Anaïs Nin, e.g.? : DIARY QUEEN (Dairy Queen)
25A. Seizure at Sing Sing? : PRISON GRAB (prison garb)
39A. Heavenly voice of conscience? : INTERNAL ANGEL (internal angle)
59A. Specialty of a couples therapist? : MARITAL ARTS (martial arts)
76A. Courtroom jacket? : TRIAL BLAZER (trail blazer)
94A. Circus performer in makeup? : ROUGE ELEPHANT (rogue elephant)
113A. Storyteller for Satan? : DEVIL’S LIAR (devil’s lair)
116A. Improvement of a Standardbred's gait? : TROT REFORM (tort reform)
3D. One starting a stampede, maybe? : SCARED COW (sacred cow)
80D. Troops' harvest? : ARMY CROPS (army corps)

COMPLETION TIME: 39m 24s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

1203-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 3 Dec 11, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Quarfoot
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: Did not finish!
ANSWERS I MISSED: Too many, all on the left side of the grid

1202-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 2 Dec 11, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Ed Sessa
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 42m 33s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … ANGLIC (ANGLIA), SNCC (SNCA)