Constructed by: Christina Iverson & Scott Hogan
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: Movin’ On Up
Themed answers are all in the down-direction. Those in the bottom half of the grid are common phrases from which “-ON” has been removed. Those incidences of “-ON” have MOVED ON UP to tack onto the ends of common phrases in the themed answers in the top of the grid:
- 3D Banana wielded by a maestro in a pinch? : FRUIT BATON (FRUIT BAT plus ON)
- 6D Animated short before a Pixar movie? : WARM UP TOON (WARM UP TO plus ON)
- 9D Give a scathing review of a major camera brand? : TRASH CANON (TRASH CAN plus ON)
- 13D Mexican street food mogul? : TACO BARON (TACO BAR plus ON)
- 16D Smaug, in “The Hobbit”? : MAIN DRAGON (MAIN DRAG plus ON)
- 74D Response to “Why art thou queasy?” : ‘TIS THE SEAS (‘TIS THE SEASON minus ON)
- 76D What Amazon retirees enjoy most? : BOXING LESS (BOXING LESSON minus ON)
- 78D Result of love at first sight? : HEART SURGE (HEART SURGEON minus ON)
- 79D What a dog greets its returning family with? : WELCOME WAG (WELCOME WAGON minus ON)
- 83D Retail takeover scheme? : STORE COUP (STORE COUPON minus ON)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 26m 05s
Bill’s errors: 2
- OTHO (Otto)
- HARD R (tardr!!!)
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 😂 : ROFL
Rolling on floor laughing (ROFL)
9 Reward for sitting, say : TREAT
Woof!
20 Rocker John whose surname sounds like a leafy vegetable : CALE
The Velvet Underground was an influential New York City rock band active in the late sixties and early seventies. The group was formed by Lou Reed and John Cale, and was managed by pop artist Andy Warhol.
21 “___ Man Chant,” song by Bob Marley and the Wailers : RASTA
The Wailers were a band, formed in Jamaica in 1963, whose most famous member was Bob Marley. The band’s name went through a few iterations, starting out as the Teenagers, then the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers, and finally the Wailers.
22 Diarist Nin : ANAIS
Anaïs Nin was a French author who was famous for the journals that she wrote for over sixty years from the age of 11 right up to her death. Nin also wrote highly regarded erotica and cited D. H. Lawrence as someone from whom she drew inspiration. Nin was married to banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in 1923. Decades later in 1955, Nin married former actor Rupert Pole, even though she was still married to Guiler. Nin and Pole had their marriage annulled in 1966, but just for legal reasons, and they continued to live together as husband and wife until Nin passed away in 1977.
23 Where some stable relationships form? : STUD FARMS
The word “stud”, meaning “male horse kept for breeding”, is derived from the Old English word “stod”, which described a whole herd of horses. The term “stud” can be used figuratively for a “ladies’ man”.
25 San Diego State athlete : AZTEC
The Aztecs are the athletic teams of San Diego State university. The team mascot is the Aztec Warrior.
29 “All the Light We Cannot ___” (2015 Pulitzer-winning novel) : SEE
American author Anthony Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his 2014 novel “All the Light We Cannot See”. The book is all about a blind French girl and a German boy who meet in occupied France during WWII.
30 Certain Chinese teas : OOLONGS
The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon” or “dark dragon”.
32 Roman emperor after Nero and Galba : OTHO
Otho was Emperor of Rome for only three months, before he committed suicide.
34 Heep of “David Copperfield” : URIAH
Uriah Heep is a sniveling and insincere character in the novel “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens. The character is such a “yes man” that today, if we know someone who behaves the same way, then we might call that person a “Uriah Heep”.
36 Drop the “Donuts” from “Dunkin’ Donuts,” e.g. : REBRAND
Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts. Now the chain has over 15,000 restaurants in almost 40 different countries. The company’s biggest competitor is actually Starbucks, as over half of Dunkin’ Donuts’ revenue comes from coffee, and not donuts.
38 Some four-year degrees: Abbr. : BAS
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
39 Kind of attack with no attacker : PANIC
In Greek mythology, Pan was a lecherous god who was part-man and part-goat, and one who fell in love with Echo the mountain nymph. Echo refused Pan’s advances so that he became very angry. Pan’s anger created a “panic” (a word derived from the name “Pan”) and a group of shepherds were driven to kill Echo.
40 Michael Jackson hit whose title is heard 88 times in the song : BAD
The song “Bad” was written and sung by Michael Jackson, and released in 1987. The song is about being tough on the streets, being “bad”.
41 What might accompany a grave admission? : RIP
Rest in peace (RIP)
47 Cheese with a light, nutty flavor : EDAM
Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.
49 Quite an uproar : BROUHAHA
“Brouhaha”, meaning “ado, stir”, was a French word that back in the 1550s meant “the cry of the devil disguised as clergy” . Wow!
52 Design style influenced by Cubism : ART DECO
Art Deco is a style of design and architecture of the 1920s that actually had its roots in Belgium and then spread throughout Europe before arriving in North America. Celebrated examples of Art Deco architecture are the magnificent Chrysler Building in New York City completed in 1930, and the GE Building that sits in the middle of New York City’s Rockefeller Center with the address of “30 Rock”.
In the art movement known as Cubism, objects that are the subject of a painting are broken up and reassembled in an abstract form. The pioneers of the Cubist movement were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
53 Fabric often dyed with indigo : DENIM
Denim fabric originated in Nîmes in France. The French phrase “de Nîmes” (meaning “from Nîmes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.
61 Personal ID : SSN
The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an identity number to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So starting in 1986, the IRS made it a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, seven million dependents “disappeared” in 1987. Today, a SSN is required for a child of any age in order to receive a tax exemption.
62 Like a sweater that shrank in the dryer, maybe : SNUG
Until the early 1880s, the word “sweater” applied to clothing worn specifically for weight reduction by “sweating”.
64 Its alphabet includes delta : NATO
The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.
65 Some Brothers Grimm villains : CRONES
The Brothers Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm) were two German academics noted for collecting and publishing folk tales. Among the tales in their marvelous collection are “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella”.
66 Artless nickname? : STU
The nickname “Stu” is “Stuart” less “-art”.
72 Forty winks : CATNAP
Back in the early 1800s, folks took “nine winks” when getting a few minutes of sleep during the day. Dr. William Kitchiner extended this concept in his 1821 self-help book “The Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life”. He suggested “A Forty Winks Nap”, which we seem to have been taking ever since. Mind you, I’m up to about eighty winks most days …
79 Second word of many a limerick : WAS
No one knows for sure how the limerick got its name, although there does seem to be agreement the name does indeed come from the city or county of Limerick in Ireland. Try this one for size:
There was a young lady named Bright
who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way,
and came back the previous night.
82 Sans-serif font : ARIAL
Serifs are details on the ends of characters in some typefaces. Typefaces without serifs are known as sans-serif, using the French word “sans” meaning “without” and “serif” from the Dutch “schreef” meaning “line”. Some people say that serif fonts are easier to read on paper, whereas sans-serif fonts work better on a computer screen. I’m not so sure though …
88 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic : RESPECT
I think that Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 13-years-old, and her second at 15. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one on its list of the greatest singers of all time.
93 Something filmed in Broadway’s Ed Sullivan Theater, with “The” : … LATE SHOW
The “Late Show” with David Letterman ran on CBS from 1993 until Letterman’s retirement in 2015. Letterman had produced a similar show called “Late Night with David Letterman” on NBC from 1982 to 1993. The current iteration of the show is the “Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, which first aired in September 2015.
95 Journalist Skeeter in the Harry Potter books : RITA
Rita Skeeter is a character in the “Harry Potter” series of fantasy novels written by J. K. Rowling. Skeeter is a journalist who writes for the “Daily Prophet” and the “Witch Weekly”. Skeeter is played by English actress Miranda Richardson in the “Harry Potter” movies.
101 Rapper ___ Rida : FLO
Tramar Dillard is better known as rapper Flo Rida. As you might have guessed, Flo Rida was born in the state of Florida.
102 It’s not a good look : EVIL EYE
The evil eye is a curse that is cast by giving a malicious glare.
106 Family/species go-between : GENUS
Biological classification is a method used to group organisms by biological type. The method uses a hierarchy of nested classes, with an organism being classified with reference to evolutionary traits. The major taxonomic ranks used are:
- Life
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum (plural “phyla”)
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus (plural “genera”)
- Species
109 Like the community portrayed in Netflix’s “Unorthodox” : HASIDIC
The Hasidic Jewish movement was founded in the 18th century by Baal Shem Tov, a mystical rabbi from Eastern Europe.
115 Evian, in its native land : EAU
Évian-les-Bains (or simply “Évian”) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …
117 Cruciverbalist’s favorite cookies? : OREOS
“Cruciverbalist” is a term developed in the 1990s to describe crossword enthusiasts. The word comes from the Latin for cross (crux) and word (verbum). “Cruciverbalist” is sometimes limited to those who actually construct the puzzles. Over on the other side of the Atlantic, we often call such people “setters”.
122 Teatro alla ___ : SCALA
La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its Italian name “Teatro alla Scala”.
123 Takes a car, in a way : UBERS
The rideshare service Uber takes its name from the English colloquial word “uber” meaning “super, topmost”, which in turn comes from the German “über” meaning “above”.
124 Lab assistant in “Young Frankenstein” : INGA
I am not really a big fan of movies by Mel Brooks, but “Young Frankenstein” is the exception. I think the cast has a lot to do with me liking the film, as it includes Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein), Teri Garr (Inga), Marty Feldman (Igor) and Gene Hackman (Harold, the blind man).
126 Blue book filler : ESSAY
“Blue book exam” is a term used for a test given at many colleges in the US. Blue book exams usually involve the writing of essays. The first blue book exams were administered by Butler University in Indianapolis, and the “blue” was chosen because Butler’s school colors are blue and white. The color blue is still commonly used regardless of which school is giving the test, although other colors can be used.
Down
1 Santa ___, Calif. : ROSA
Santa Rosa is the largest city in California’s Wine Country, and the county seat of Sonoma County. The epicenter of the so-called 1906 San Francisco Earthquake was located near Santa Rosa. There was actually more damage in Santa Rosa, for the size of the city, than there was in San Francisco.
2 Closing section : OUTRO
In the world of pop music, an outro is the opposite to an intro. An outro might perhaps be the concluding track of an album, for example.
3 Banana wielded by a maestro in a pinch? : FRUIT BATON (FRUIT BAT plus ON)
“Maestro” is often used to address a musical conductor. “Maestro” (plural “maestri”) is the Italian word for “master, teacher”. The plural in English is usually “maestros”.
4 Drug that can be microdosed : LSD
Psychedelic microdosing is the practice of taking extremely low doses of psychedelic drugs in order to promote creativity and well-being. Drugs commonly used are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin (found in “magic mushrooms”). Hmm …
5 Berry in a bowl : ACAI
Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.
7 New York resting place for Mark Twain : ELMIRA
Elmira is a city in the southern tier of New York State located close to the border with Pennsylvania. Elmira was also the family home of Olivia Langdon, wife of Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain). Mark Twain and family are buried in Elmira’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
11 Compound with a fruity smell : ESTER
Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol known as glycerides.
14 Pair of small hand drums : TABLA
A tabla is a percussion instrument used mainly in the Indian subcontinent. The tabla consists of a pair of hand drums and is similar to bongos.
15 Defunct company of accounting fraud fame : ENRON
After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow’s wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).
16 Smaug, in “The Hobbit”? : MAIN DRAGON (MAIN DRAG plus ON)
The dragon named Smaug is the principal antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.
17 Send an e-message to : PING
In the world of computer science, a “ping” is a test message sent over a network between computers to check for a response and to measure the time of that response. We now use the verb “to ping” more generally, meaning to send someone a message, usually a reminder.
45 God whose name sounds almost like the ammunition he uses : EROS
“Eros” sounds almost like “arrows”.
46 Starts to go haywire : ACTS UP
Haywire is wire used to bind bales of hay. Haywire is very springy, and coils of the wire are difficult to keep under control. That characteristic gives us the informal meaning of “haywire”, namely “erratic, crazy”.
50 Places for placentas : UTERI
“Uterus” (plural “uteri”) is the Latin word for “womb”.
54 Movement championed by the Silence Breakers : ME TOO
The use of the #MeToo hashtag initially was encouraged by actress Alyssa Milano in 2017 to draw attention to sexual assault and sexual harassment. Milano was acting in response to the growing number of allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. The use of the phrase “Me Too” in the context of sexual misconduct dates back to 2006. Social activist Tarana Burke started to use the phrase on the Myspace social network after a 13-year-old girl told her that she had been sexually assaulted. Apparently, Burke had no response at the time the girl confided in her, but later wished she had responded, “Me too”.
59 Light-headed sorts? : MOTHS
It isn’t really understood why moths are attracted to artificial lights. There is one theory that sounds plausible to me though. It is suggested that moths navigate at night by maintaining the moon (the brightest celestial object) at a fixed angle. When a moth finds a brighter light source, like an artificial light, it gets confused.
63 Word after gas or ice, in astronomy : … GIANT
The eight planets of our solar system can be sorted into two categories. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are “terrestrials” as they are largely composed of rock. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are “gas giants”, as they are largely composed of gaseous material. Uranus and Neptune can be called “ice giants”, a subcategory of gas giants. Ice giants have a lower mass than other gas giants, with very little hydrogen and helium in their atmospheres and a higher proportion of rock and ice.
65 Novelist Achebe : CHINUA
Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe was born in the Ibo region in the south of the country. His first novel was “Things Fall Apart”, a book that has the distinction of being the most widely read in the whole of African literature.
66 Wizard’s name in books and movies : SNAPE
Severus Snape is a character in the “Harry Potter” novels by J. K. Rowling. He is the Potions Professor at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape was played by the wonderful Alan Rickman on the big screen.
69 Kind of patch that may create holes instead of repairing them : BRIAR
“Briar” (sometimes “brier”) is a generic name describing several plants that have thorns or prickles, including the rose. Famously, Br’er Rabbit lives in a briar patch.
74 Response to “Why art thou queasy?” : ‘TIS THE SEAS (‘TIS THE SEASON minus ON)
The music for the Christmas song “Deck the Halls” is a traditional Welsh tune that dates back to the 16th century. The same tune was used by Mozart for a violin and piano duet. The lyrics with which we are familiar (other than the “f-la-la”) are American in origin, and were recorded in the 19th century.
“’Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la la!”
79 What a dog greets its returning family with? : WELCOME WAG (WELCOME WAGON minus ON)
Welcome Wagon is a company that was founded in 1928 in Memphis. The company contacts new homeowners with coupons and advertisements from local businesses. Up until 1998, new homeowners would be contacted by Welcome Wagon “hostesses” who provided the coupons and advertisements in gift baskets, along with free product samples.
80 Inter ___ : ALIA
“Inter alia” is Latin for “among other things”.
89 Tailgating dish : CHILI
The full name of the dish that is often called simply “chili” is “chili con carne”, Spanish for “peppers with meat”. The dish was created by immigrants from the Spanish Canary Islands in the city of San Antonio, Texas (a city which the islanders founded). The San Antonio Chili Stand was a popular attraction at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and that stand introduced the dish to the rest of America and to the world.
103 Actress Davis who was the first African American to win the Triple Crown of Acting : VIOLA
Actress Viola Davis is probably best known on the small screen for playing the lead in the drama “How to Get Away with Murder”. On the big screen, I’d say that her most famous role is the starring role in the 2011 film “The Help”.
108 Model material : BALSA
Balsa is a very fast-growing tree that is native to parts of South America. Even though balsa wood is very soft, it is actually classified as a hardwood, the softest of all the hardwoods (go figure!). Balsa is light and strong, so is commonly used in making model airplanes. In WWII, a full-size British plane, the de Havilland Mosquito, was built largely from balsa and plywood. No wonder they called it “The Wooden Wonder” and “The Timber Terror”.
109 Place for a run? : HOSE
The word “hose” meaning “covering for the leg” has the same roots as the contemporary German word “Hose” meaning “trousers, pants”.
110 Rainbows, e.g. : ARCS
Sunlight reflected by airborne water droplets can produce rainbows. The water droplets act as little prisms, dispersing the white light into its constituent colors. Sometimes we see double rainbows. If we look carefully, we can see that the order of the colors in the first and second arcs is reversed.
119 “Euphoria” airer : HBO
“Euphoria” is an HBO teen drama show that is loosely based on a miniseries of the same name from Israel. Lead actress in the show is Zendaya, who plays a recovering teenage drug addict.
121 Excellent service? : ACE
That might be tennis, for example.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 😂 : ROFL
5 Left speechless : AWED
9 Reward for sitting, say : TREAT
14 Entice : TEMPT
19 Something we share : OURS
20 Rocker John whose surname sounds like a leafy vegetable : CALE
21 “___ Man Chant,” song by Bob Marley and the Wailers : RASTA
22 Diarist Nin : ANAIS
23 Where some stable relationships form? : STUD FARMS
25 San Diego State athlete : AZTEC
26 Verge : BRINK
27 Name that’s 98-Across backward : ARI
28 The sky, they say : LIMIT
29 “All the Light We Cannot ___” (2015 Pulitzer-winning novel) : SEE
30 Certain Chinese teas : OOLONGS
32 Roman emperor after Nero and Galba : OTHO
34 Heep of “David Copperfield” : URIAH
36 Drop the “Donuts” from “Dunkin’ Donuts,” e.g. : REBRAND
38 Some four-year degrees: Abbr. : BAS
39 Kind of attack with no attacker : PANIC
40 Michael Jackson hit whose title is heard 88 times in the song : BAD
41 What might accompany a grave admission? : RIP
44 Claws : TEARS AT
47 Cheese with a light, nutty flavor : EDAM
49 Quite an uproar : BROUHAHA
52 Design style influenced by Cubism : ART DECO
53 Fabric often dyed with indigo : DENIM
55 Each of its interior angles measures 135° : OCTAGON
56 Swing preventer, of a sort : DOORSTOP
58 Like some vows : SOLEMN
60 Run off together : ELOPE
61 Personal ID : SSN
62 Like a sweater that shrank in the dryer, maybe : SNUG
64 Its alphabet includes delta : NATO
65 Some Brothers Grimm villains : CRONES
66 Artless nickname? : STU
68 Tease : RIB
70 Sarcastic punch line : … NOT!
71 That guy’s : HIS
72 Forty winks : CATNAP
75 Threads : GARB
77 Tepid greeting : OH HI
79 Second word of many a limerick : WAS
82 Sans-serif font : ARIAL
83 Thesis writer : SENIOR
85 Meaning of a signal flare : SEND HELP
88 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic : RESPECT
90 Strained : TAXED
92 Greek name meaning “golden one” : AURELIA
93 Something filmed in Broadway’s Ed Sullivan Theater, with “The” : … LATE SHOW
95 Journalist Skeeter in the Harry Potter books : RITA
96 Train segment : RAILCAR
97 Butt end : ASH
98 Name that’s 27-Across backward : IRA
99 “Sweet dreams!” : NIGHT!
101 Rapper ___ Rida : FLO
102 It’s not a good look : EVIL EYE
106 Family/species go-between : GENUS
107 The last thing you need? : TOMB
109 Like the community portrayed in Netflix’s “Unorthodox” : HASIDIC
111 Piercing tool : AWL
113 Tickle : AMUSE
115 Evian, in its native land : EAU
117 Cruciverbalist’s favorite cookies? : OREOS
118 “Well, gosh!” : OH, GEE!
120 Tipsy trips : BAR CRAWLS
122 Teatro alla ___ : SCALA
123 Takes a car, in a way : UBERS
124 Lab assistant in “Young Frankenstein” : INGA
125 It may be upper or lower : CASE
126 Blue book filler : ESSAY
127 Much of a sponge : PORES
128 Mad, with “off” : TEED …
129 Word of surprise : EGAD!
Down
1 Santa ___, Calif. : ROSA
2 Closing section : OUTRO
3 Banana wielded by a maestro in a pinch? : FRUIT BATON (FRUIT BAT plus ON)
4 Drug that can be microdosed : LSD
5 Berry in a bowl : ACAI
6 Animated short before a Pixar movie? : WARM UP TOON (WARM UP TO plus ON)
7 New York resting place for Mark Twain : ELMIRA
8 In the stars : DESTINED
9 Give a scathing review of a major camera brand? : TRASH CANON (TRASH CAN plus ON)
10 Demolish : RAZE
11 Compound with a fruity smell : ESTER
12 Had a hero, say : ATE
13 Mexican street food mogul? : TACO BARON (TACO BAR plus ON)
14 Pair of small hand drums : TABLA
15 Defunct company of accounting fraud fame : ENRON
16 Smaug, in “The Hobbit”? : MAIN DRAGON (MAIN DRAG plus ON)
17 Send an e-message to : PING
18 Makes shame-y noises : TSKS
24 Does a fad 2010s dance : FLOSSES
31 Pro using cutting-edge technology? : OR DOC
33 Movie rating that’s practically NC-17 : HARD R
35 Political staffers : AIDES
37 Retreat : EBB
42 “Fingers crossed!” : I HOPE!
43 Window units : PANES
44 Small amounts : TADS
45 God whose name sounds almost like the ammunition he uses : EROS
46 Starts to go haywire : ACTS UP
48 Where 122-Across can be found : MILAN
50 Places for placentas : UTERI
51 Surrounding lights : HALOS
54 Movement championed by the Silence Breakers : ME TOO
57 Get rid of : PURGE
59 Light-headed sorts? : MOTHS
63 Word after gas or ice, in astronomy : … GIANT
65 Novelist Achebe : CHINUA
66 Wizard’s name in books and movies : SNAPE
67 Spun things : TALES
69 Kind of patch that may create holes instead of repairing them : BRIAR
72 Otis and ___ (1960s R&B duo) : CARLA
73 Disciplines : AREAS
74 Response to “Why art thou queasy?” : ‘TIS THE SEAS (‘TIS THE SEASON minus ON)
76 What Amazon retirees enjoy most? : BOXING LESS (BOXING LESSON minus ON)
78 Result of love at first sight? : HEART SURGE (HEART SURGEON minus ON)
79 What a dog greets its returning family with? : WELCOME WAG (WELCOME WAGON minus ON)
80 Inter ___ : ALIA
81 Trade jabs : SPAR
83 Retail takeover scheme? : STORE COUP (STORE COUPON minus ON)
84 Fix, as laces : RETIE
86 Nomad : DRIFTER
87 Annyeonghaseyo : Korean :: ___ : English : HELLO
89 Tailgating dish : CHILI
91 “Tarnation!” : DAGNABIT!
94 Very, colloquially : WAY
100 Compassionate : HUMANE
103 Actress Davis who was the first African American to win the Triple Crown of Acting : VIOLA
104 Start of a guesstimate : I’D SAY …
105 Like a proverbial beaver : EAGER
108 Model material : BALSA
109 Place for a run? : HOSE
110 Rainbows, e.g. : ARCS
112 “___ saved!” : WE’RE
114 Large amount : SCAD
116 Bookstore sticker : USED
119 “Euphoria” airer : HBO
121 Excellent service? : ACE
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9 thoughts on “0710-22 NY Times Crossword 10 Jul 22, Sunday”
Comments are closed.
16:47. Happy for something straightforward after yesterday.
I’d gone ahead and put ON at the ends of a couple of the bottom theme clues before realizing that the theme was inverted in the bottom half. Oops.
Well, after patting myself the back yesterday, it’s only fair that I reveal today’s results: 36:42 (!) … and with one last-minute fat-fingering fix. So this old man really is losing it, after all … sic transit gloria mundi … 😜.
44:43. Glad these weekend puzzles are over. I had a tough time with all 3 of them. Same error as Bill and made the same mistake as Tom – ie putting “TO” at the ends of the lower clues before I realized what was going on.
Amazing that 50% of Dunkin Donuts revenues come from its coffee. I like their coffee, but I like mine a little stronger. I’d say the same for Krispy Kreme. Maybe I should spend less time in donut shops…..
I enjoyed the self-deprecating clue for OREOS in this one. Clever.
What is self deprecating about it?
57:55, no errors. Fortunately for me, understanding the theme is not a criteria for ‘finishing’. My streak is now at 1.
Not to worry Bruce, I gotcha covered, although it’s Monday and you may never see this, 1:03:43. Once again my habit of not checking the Sunday puzzle title/hint has added at least an hour to my solving time, I’m sure that’s what it is!!
1:30:26 but no errors…It seems to me that the theme should be “movin on down”because when “on” is moved down it makes sense for both clues☝️
Stay safe😀
29:58, no errors.
No errors. But I didn’t get the theme until about halfway through this. I was struggling with the answers.
I was moving left to right. Had the left hand side all filled in. Hit BOXING LESS?… How about a Boxing Lesson? ….. wait, wait, … then right above it was a TACO BAR!!!!! wait wait… TACO BARON ! AHA!
The right side of the page went twice as fast.
@mckinleyDan – thanks for the tip.
(Head slap)