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Nauru's capital / TUE 11-13-18 / President Herbert's wife mother / di pietro...
Constructor: John CiolfiRelative difficulty: Challenging (4:53) (slowest Tuesday time this year by half a minute)THEME: ANDES (69A: Mountain chain about 5,000 miles long ... or a hint to 17-, 25-, 31-,...
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German rapid transit system / WED 11-14-18 / Mag for docs / Muse featured in...
Constructor: Sam TrabuccoRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (3:45)THEME: GROW A BEARD (57A: Do the opposite of shave ... as suggested by the circled letters)— first words of themers (in circled squares)...
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Noted artist on Bad Boy Records / THU 11-15-18 / Catchphrase for Moe Howard /...
Constructor: Mary Lou Guizzo and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty: Medium (5:45)THEME: MICROLOANS (60A: Money to start small businesses ... or a hint to five squares in this puzzle) — a rebus puzzle with...
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Older brother of Malcolm on Malcom in Middle / FRI 11-16-18 / Von Trapp...
Constructor: Kyle DolanRelative difficulty: Easy (4:34, and I was only half-awake)THEME: noneWord of the Day: Elizabeth ARDEN (40A: Who said "There's only one Elizabeth like me, and that's the queen")...
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Player of mother on Black-ish / SAT 11-17-18 / Band since 1922 / Gem that's...
Constructor: Doug Peterson and Erik AgardRelative difficulty: Medium (8:08) (a.m. solve)THEME: noneWord of the Day: CABOCHON (29D: Gem that's been polished but not faceted) — A cabochon (/ˈkæbəˌʃɒn/,...
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Kingdom in Prisoner of Zenda / SUN 11-18-18 / Nagy of Hungarian history /...
Constructor: Byron Walden and Joel FaglianoRelative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (11:31)THEME:"Portmanfaux"— wacky phrases that reimagine the basis for common portmanteau words:Theme answers:MURDER...
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Percussion in pagoda / MON 11-19-18 / Streamer of Game of Thrones / Noted...
Constructor: Jim HilgerRelative difficulty: Medium (3:09)THEME: the blank of blank — movie titles that follow that pattern, each of them 15 letters longTheme answers:"THE COLOR OF MONEY" (20A: "Green"...
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Bob of Full House / TUE 11-20-18 / Basic monetary unit of Egypt Sudan Syria /...
Constructor: Zhouqin BurnikelRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (3:18)THEME: [Turkey's place]— same clue for four theme answers (so ... *kind* of a Thanksgiving puzzle...)[Turkey's place] answers:POULTRY...
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Popular battle royale video game / WED 11-21-18 / Ninth month of Hebrew...
Constructor: Brandon KoppyRelative difficulty: Medium (3:58)THEME: FLIP-FLOPS (63A: Questionable political moves suggested by the answers to the nine starred clues) — phrases or compound words where...
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Home planet of TV's ALF / THU 11-22-18 / Jewish holiday with costumes /...
Constructor: Randolph RossRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (5:29 ... but felt like the kind of puzzle I should've solved in 3)THEME: ___-LESS words — clues are words with letters missing; answers are...
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Old World blackbird / FRI 11-23-18 / Relative of malt shop / Important item...
Constructor: Temple BrownRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (4:48)THEME: noneWord of the Day: MERL (58A: Old World blackbird) — The common blackbird was described by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his...
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Japanese room divider / SAT 11-23-18 / Dora the Explorer catchphrase / Drink...
Constructor: David SteinbergRelative difficulty: Easy (5:10, fastest Saturday time since I started recording in April)THEME: noneWord of the Day: BOFA (55A: U.S. financial giant, for short) — So,...
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Big female role on HBO's Westworld / SUN 11-25-18 / 1994 tripartite treaty /...
Constructor: Joooooooooooon PahkRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium to Medium (10:10)THEME: "Silent Finales" — actually "Silent Final 'E's": familiar phrases where one word in the phrase has a silent "E"...
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Idris Sexiest Man Alive / MON 11-26-18 / Social Contract philosopher John /...
Constructor: Evan KalishRelative difficulty: 4:10 (Monday average 4:56; Monday best 3:16)THEME: INNER NERD— The word NERD is hidden in five across entries.Word of the Day: Able was I, ere I saw ELBA...
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Solar deity / TUES 11-27-18 / Kindergarten instruction / 2018's "A Star Is...
Hello! It's Clare, back for another Tuesday. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had my first "friendsgiving" this year, because I didn't get enough time off law school in DC to head home to...
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Noted Hungarian puzzle / WED 11-28-18 / Govt watchdog until 1996 /...
Constructor: David J. KahnRelative difficulty: Challenging (6:10, which is LOL slow ... it's an oversized grid, but still)THEME: FRENCH REVOLUTION (7D: Historical event suggested by each of the six...
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Seaonal migrant worker from Mexico / THU 11-29-18 / Fourth US state capital...
Constructor: Herre SchouwerwouRelative difficulty: Challenging (well, for me, because I use AcrossLite, so there was a "Note" with mine, and I never ever read "Notes" because I think it's cheating, but...
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Resort in Salt Lake County / THU 11-20-18 / Title character of Dora Explorer...
Constructor: Robyn WeintraubRelative difficulty: Easyish (5:02)THEME: noneWord of the Day: RAISA Smetanina, first woman to win 10 Winter Olympic medals (45A) — Raisa Petrovna Smetanina (Russian: Раиса...
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Ibizan inn / SAT 12-1-18 / Girl saved by Don Juan / Sorceress exiled on Aeaea...
Constructor: Ryan McCartyRelative difficulty: Challenging (four minutes slower than my slowest Saturday; just a disaster) (yeah, it's oversized, but that was hardly the issue)THEME: noneWord of the...
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Sandra Denton in hip-hop's whatta man trio / SUN 12-2-18 / Invincibility...
Constructor: Paul CoulterRelative difficulty: Challenging (13:24, though at least a minute of that was me a. reading the NOTE (ugh, again with the notes in AcrossLite) and b. trying to shut off text...
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