EDIT
Set to 121 different clues across 166 published puzzles, most often “Blue-pencil” — The New York Times, Monday, 13 July 2009.
4 letters
Every clue on record, most used first
- Blue-pencil13 times
The New York Times — Monday, 13 July 2009
- Revise5 times
The New York Times — Sunday, 15 November 2009
- Cut and paste5 times
The New York Times — Tuesday, 27 June 2006
- Rewrite4 times
The New York Times — Monday, 15 May 2006
- Rephrase4 times
The New York Times — Wednesday, 26 July 2000
- Cut and paste, say3 times
The New York Times — Tuesday, 7 December 2010
- Trim to fit, maybe3 times
The New York Times — Tuesday, 29 August 2006
- Tinker with, in a way3 times
The New York Times — Sunday, 21 September 2003
- Touch up3 times
The New York Times — Thursday, 28 February 2002
- Make a long story short?2 times
The New York Times — Sunday, 27 December 2009
- Cut, maybe2 times
The New York Times — Wednesday, 26 March 2008
- Touch up, as text2 times
The New York Times — Thursday, 29 November 2007