Answers too similar?

[cranberry44]

Is it acceptable to have the answers "get one today" and "oners" in the same 21 X 21 puzzle? One is in the upper left corner block
and the other in the lower right corner block.

[mmcbs]

I'd say it's a dupe.

ONERS is really crosswordese and not accepted by many editors (it's implied meaning is one of a kind, so how could there be ONERS?) - so that's the ONE to get rid of IMO.

 

[cranberry44]

Thanks, Mark. I'll see what I can do.

[mmcbs]

I did a little more looking, and I found that ONER is movie-making slang for an unusually long take. I'd never heard it used in that context, and other than that it's not found at all in any news article. In any case, that doesn't change the fact that it's a dupe. The general rule is that for most editors you can duplicate "little" words (generally those that aren't capitalize in titles): Articles - a, an, the, coordinating Conjunctions (fewer than five letters) - and, but, or, for, nor, prepositions (fewer than five letters) - on, at, to, from, by. Also you can usually get away with a couple of I's (ISEE, SODOI, etc.)

[cranberry44]

Hi Mark--

Hope you're still there. Thanks for another "look-see" on "oners." I see what you're saying about the "impossibility"
of oners being plural. But I did a little more poking around too. And believe it or not, I found a Oct 19, 1980, NYT
puzzle with "oners" as the answer and the clue being "peaches":


https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=10/19/1980

Surprising, isn't it? Anyway, that doesn't solve my dup problem. Do you think I can use "oneto" [Vanina Oneto
won the 2002 Women's Hockey World Cup (as well as other medals). But she was part of the hockey team; so I
don't know.]


Also, thanks for the list of OK dups. I'm keeping those in mind for future puzzles. What about the use of no, nor,
not in the same puzzle. Any thoughts on that?

[mmcbs]

Oh, ONERS has appeared occasionally, most recently 2014 (NYT). I rather imagine that was its last appearance, ever.

ONETO is an Italian and/or Spanish name that is shared by quite a few people, but none famous enough to be in an American crossword puzzle, IMO.

I don't recall seeing dupes of NO in a puzzle; you might get away with that, but I'd avoid it if possible. It is capitalized in titles, and unlike those other words, it's not an auxiliary word but has a specific meaning that is lost if it's left out.

I wouldn't try duping NOR unless it was theme related FISH NOR FOUL, HIDE NOR HAIR.

[cranberry44]

Thanks, Mark--

My problem is the cross for the "o" in "ppop" (music genre). I'm wondering if I can, instead cross "PPAP" (a music single that
went viral with 200 million hits and the shortest single to make the Billboard Hot 100; it has its own Wikipedia entry) with
"Aneta" for "Aneta Corsaut" (Helen Crump from "The Andy Griffith Show). This is a 21 X 21 with nothing else "too weird about it."