0115-23 NY Times Crossword 15 Jan 23, Sunday

Constructed by: Michael Schlossberg
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Abridged Too Far

Themed answers are book/play titles, with the title of another book/play spelled out using the circled letters within. The corresponding clue matches the storylines of both books/plays:

  • 121A “In a nutshell” … or an alternative title for this puzzle? : TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT
  • 23A Play about love and heartbreak in ancient Greece [1605, 431 B.C.] : A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (with “MEDEA” within)
  • 37A Timeless children’s classic about country dwellers’ friendships [1908, 1881] : THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (with “HEIDI” within)
  • 64A Magnum opus about a young man, family and the concept of free will [1866, 1965] : CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (with “DUNE” within)
  • 76A Coming-of-age novel about a teenage boy and his isolation [1951, 1986] : THE CATCHER IN THE RYE (with “HATCHET” within)
  • 102A Tale about soldiers and treachery in southern Europe [1940, 1603] : FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (with “OTHELLO” within)

Bill’s time: 16m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

My wife and I are in Ireland right now, starting off the New Year with family. I just managed to slip away to solve the puzzle, and write up this abbreviated post. I will get to the full post just as soon as I can.

Thank you for your understanding.

Bill

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Deets, say : INFO
5 Like pangolins and armadillos : SCALY
10 Pacific weather phenomenon : EL NINO
16 000-00-0002, for Mr. Burns on “The Simpsons”: Abbr. : SSN
19 Apt name for a protestor? : NEAL
20 Shire of “The Godfather” : TALIA
21 “What’s the ___?” : MATTER
22 Job listing letters : EEO
23 Play about love and heartbreak in ancient Greece [1605, 431 B.C.] : A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (with “MEDEA” within)
27 Danger : PERIL
28 Cater (to) : PANDER
29 Where people might come to a happy medium? : SEANCE
30 Is worth it : PAYS OFF
32 “The Taming of the Shrew” sister : BIANCA
36 Wheels : AUTOS
37 Timeless children’s classic about country dwellers’ friendships [1908, 1881] : THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (with “HEIDI” within)
41 Farm cry : BAA!
43 Vented appliance : DRYER
44 Comedy talk show from 2003 to 2022, familiarly : ELLEN
45 Superlative score : A-PLUS
48 “Great Caesar’s ghost!” : EGADS!
50 Eat, baby-style : SUCKLE
56 Timid : TREPID
58 It’s symbolized by a crescent moon and star : ISLAM
63 Jewish folklore creature : GOLEM
64 Magnum opus about a young man, family and the concept of free will [1866, 1965] : CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (with “DUNE” within)
70 Not according to plan : AWRY
73 Celebrity chef DiSpirito : ROCCO
74 “Go ahead, shoot!” : ASK ME!
75 Major and Commander, to Biden : PETS
76 Coming-of-age novel about a teenage boy and his isolation [1951, 1986] : THE CATCHER IN THE RYE (with “HATCHET” within)
80 Like an old apple : MEALY
81 Chicken ___ (South Asian dish) : KORMA
82 Phenomenon also known as data decay : BIT ROT
86 Placid : SERENE
88 Rapper ___ Thee Stallion : MEGAN
93 Drudges : PEONS
94 Celebratory smoke : CIGAR
99 Veered, as an airplane : YAWED
101 Just peachy : A-OK
102 Tale about soldiers and treachery in southern Europe [1940, 1603] : FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (with “OTHELLO” within)
110 Polynesian greeting : ALOHA
111 Kleenex : tissue :: ___ : sticky note : POST-IT
112 Yellow-brown shade : WHEATEN
115 Mercury and Mars, for two : TENORS
117 Grp. promoting world peace : UNESCO
120 College athletics channel : ESPNU
121 “In a nutshell” … or an alternative title for this puzzle? : TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT
126 Wallach of “Baby Doll” : ELI
127 Stoat in its white winter coat : ERMINE
128 Lawyer’s favorite dessert? : TORTE
129 Asteroid discovered in 1898 : EROS
130 Name that means “king” : REX
131 City that lends its name to a variety of ice cream : NAPLES
132 Warren in the Baseball Hall of Fame : SPAHN
133 Fashion letters : DKNY

Down

1 Modern kind of purchase : IN-APP
2 Locale for many Panhellenic Games : NEMEA
3 “Rapunzel” or “Rumpelstiltskin” : FAIRY TALE
4 Kinda getting up there : OLDISH
5 Poker great Ungar : STU
6 Burner on a range? : CAMPFIRE
7 Michigan liberal arts college : ALMA
8 Certain collateral : LIEN
9 Convict, in old slang : YARDBIRD
10 Persian Gulf territory : EMIRATE
11 Gamer’s headache : LAG
12 Degree in mathematics? : NTH
13 Voice role for Snoop Dogg in 2019’s “The Addams Family” : ITT
14 Federal agent who was the inspiration for Dick Tracy : NESS
15 Nightmare : ORDEAL
16 Addressed : SEEN TO
17 Manatee : SEA COW
18 Adspeak claim of convenience : NO MESS
24 Gin add-in : SLOE
25 German refusal : NEIN
26 One of Cuba’s Castros : RAUL
31 Subject line abbreviation : FWD
33 Wild group, for short : NHL
34 One of many in the “Disney Morgue” : CEL
35 Leave gobsmacked : AWE
38 Scoreboard letters at MetLife Stadium : NYG
39 D.O.J. branch : DEA
40 Helpful connections : INS
41 Halloween symbol : BAT
42 Busy month for a C.P.A. : APR
46 Turn from an old pallet into a bookcase, for example : UPCYCLE
47 Title for Charlie Chaplin : SIR
49 “Toy Story” toy torturer : SID
51 “I can’t believe this!” : UGH!
52 Go head-to-head (with) : COMPETE
53 Paul who painted “Cat and Bird” : KLEE
54 Advanced : LENT
55 Some F.D.N.Y. pros : EMTS
57 Juicy gossip : DIRT
59 Time measurement : SPAN
60 One of a classic septet : LUST
61 “Key of the Nile” : ANKH
62 Act out? : MIME
65 Imitation : MOCK
66 Amazon device : ECHO
67 Laptop brand : ACER
68 It’s just what you’d expect : NORM
69 Bosnian’s neighbor : SERB
70 After-hours conveniences : ATMS
71 Cry at an amusement park : WHEE!
72 Parent : REAR
77 Philosopher Rand who rejected altruism : AYN
78 “___ What ___” (song from “La Cage aux Folles”) : I AM
79 Doggy’s sound : YIP
83 Carving station option : ROAST PORK
84 Hawaiian fish also called a wahoo : ONO
85 “Shame!” : TSK!
87 Prefix with hotel : ECO-
89 Exams that are essentially impossible to study for : EYE TESTS
90 ___ Gadot of “Wonder Woman” : GAL
91 Piercing tool : AWL
92 Basis for an annual Forbes list : NET WORTH
95 Hobgoblin : IMP
96 V8 debut of 1964 : GTO
97 Music to a masseur’s ears : AHS
98 Optimizes, as an engine : RETUNES
100 Play-___ : DOH
102 More loaded, as a wallet : FATTER
103 Stadium chant : OLE! OLE!
104 A.F.L. All-Time Team member with a law degree : RON MIX
105 “No. Way!” : WHOA!
106 Old-timey “listen” : HARKEN
107 Default search engine for Microsoft Edge : BING
108 Some classic jeans : LEES
109 Tethered : LASHED
113 “___: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (2005 documentary) : ENRON
114 Wackadoo : NUTSY
116 Protein-rich blood components : SERA
118 “Uncle!” : STOP!
119 “Downton Abbey” role : CORA
122 Zhuzh (up) : AMP
123 Small word for small : LI’L
124 Hydrogen’s atomic number : ONE
125 Itch : YEN

9 thoughts on “0115-23 NY Times Crossword 15 Jan 23, Sunday”

  1. 33:55. Another typical Sunday for me. Got the long answers pretty easily and finished up in the upper left corner.

  2. 38:31, no errors. My problem with the long answers, is my tendency to drop the article from a title. So “MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM”; “CATCHER IN THE RYE” and “WIND IN THE WILLOWS” didn’t seem to fit their respective slots. Kept looking for a gimmick to make them fit.

  3. 36:11. Clever theme. Aside from the theme answers, I never felt comfortable doing this puzzle. The fill gave me fits.

    ZHUZH rears its ugly head again. We had it in a puzzle recently, but I’d already forgotten what it meant. Got AMP via crosses.

    Saying that AYN Rand rejected altruism is, at best, misleading. What she thought was that serving your own interests (not necessarily being overly concerned with your self as we would use that term today ) would make you the best person you could be, and that in turn would help others. It’s not like she thought that helping others was a bad thing as this clue implies. Typical NYT, however.

    Best –

  4. 13:36, one of my faster Sundays. Nice theme. Not a lot to say on this one. I’ve never read Ayn Rand, never intend to. Her value to me is solely as an occasional crossword answer, up there with Brian Eno and Erté.

  5. 1:09:07 and I had Rey for Rex…to get that far and make one dump mistake is very discouraging 😥
    Stay safe😀

  7. Boy, Bill hit the nail on the head.
    “A BRIDGED TOO FAR”, love it.

    Made the same mistake on REX. Had REY. but I also didn’t remember RON MIX from the old 70s football days.
    I read a WIKI on him. Says he was disbarred in 2019.

    I would never know how close these themes match each other in story. I relied on what “sounded” right.

    BITROT? !!!!

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