0319-23 NY Times Crossword 19 Mar 23, Sunday

Constructed by: Robert Ryan
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Give Me a Break!

Themed answers are two-word phrases made by BREAKING a word:

  • 23A Zone out? : DEPART MENTALLY (from “departmentally”)
  • 34A Beginner’s edition? : INTRO VERSION (from “introversion”)
  • 47A Seat at the dining table? : SUP POSITION (from “supposition”)
  • 63A Beauty that runs in the family? : KIN ESTHETIC (from “kinesthetic”)
  • 84A Boys’ club? : MALE FACTION (from “malefaction”)
  • 98A Swindle by instant messaging? : CON TEXTUALLY (from “contextually”)
  • 109A Use a family crypt? : INTER RELATIONS (from “interrelations”)

Bill’s time: 18m 36s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Texas terminus of I-35 : LAREDO

Interstate 35 (I-35) runs in a north-south direction from Laredo, Texas to Duluth, Minnesota. So, I-35 almost runs all the way from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, but not quite …

14 Sport coached by Ted Lasso : SOCCER

“Ted Lasso” is a marvelous sports-comedy TV show about an American college football coach who moves to the UK to manage an English soccer team. The title character is played very admirably by Jason Sudeikas. Sudeikas first played Lasso in a series of TV commercials commissioned to promote NBC’s coverage of the British Premier League. The character became so popular that he inspired a whole TV series. Great stuff, and highly recommended …

20 Relative of a June bug : SCARAB

Scarabs were amulets in ancient Egypt. They were modeled on the dung beetle, as it was viewed as a symbol of the cycle of life.

June bugs are beetles that have a life cycle of about a year. Females lay eggs in mid-summer, which hatch in about 18 days. This appearance around June led to the name “June bug”.

29 Channel for watching N.C.A.A. games : ESPNU

ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

37 Home of Bahla Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site : OMAN

The town of Bahla in Oman is famous for its old fort, pottery and a surrounding oasis.

40 Certain vaccine target : MEASLES

Measles is a viral infection of the respiratory system. Apparently, there is no really effective treatment of measles, although there is some evidence that high doses of vitamin A can reduce the chances of mortality in the very young. Measles is also known as “rubeola”, not to be confused with “rubella”, which is an alternative name for German measles.

44 God who lent his name to a weekday : THOR

The days of the week are named for celestial bodies and gods

  • Sunday — Sun’s Day
  • Monday — Moon’s Day
  • Tuesday — Tiu’s day
  • Wednesday — Woden’s day
  • Thursday — Thor’s day
  • Friday — Freya’s day
  • Saturday — Saturn’s day

45 Bruce Wayne in the Batman comics, e.g. : ORPHAN

Bruce Wayne is the secret identity of Batman in the comic series created by DC Comics. The first name of Bruce was chosen as a homage to the Scottish king and heroic figure, Robert the Bruce. The family name was a nod to “Mad Anthony” Wayne, the US Army general and statesman who rose to prominence in the Revolutionary War.

50 Meds often come in them, for short : MGS

Milligram (mg)

54 Real name that becomes a fake one by changing its first letter : ELIAS

“Elias” becomes “alias”.

55 Tranquil state of mind : ZEN

Zen is a Buddhist school that developed its own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. “Zen” is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word “chan”, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word “dhyana” meaning “meditation”.

56 Character at the center of “Dunkirk”? : KAY

The center of the word “Dunkirk” is a letter K (kay).

62 Beverage that can be served hinata-kan (“sun-bathed”) : HOT SAKE

We refer to the Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice as “sake”. We’ve gotten things a bit mixed up in the West. “Sake” is actually the word that the Japanese use for all alcoholic drinks. What we know as sake, we sometimes refer to as rice wine. Also, the starch in the rice is first converted to sugars that are then fermented into alcohol. This is more akin to a beer-brewing process than wine production, so the end product is really a rice “beer” rather than a rice “wine”.

78 Like much baby food : PUREED

A purée is a food that has been made smooth by straining or blending. “Purée” is a French term, which I believe is now used to mean “pea soup” (more completely written as “purée de pois”). The French verb “purer” means “to strain, clean”, from the Latin “purare” meaning “to purify, clean”.

79 U.S. agcy. originally set up to fund war expenses : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

81 “Psycho” mother : NORMA

The classic Alfred Hitchcock suspense film “Psycho” released in 1960 is based on a 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The Bloch novel in turn is loosely based on actual crimes committed by murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. When “Psycho” was making its initial run in theaters, latecomers were not granted admission, abiding by a policy instigated by Hitchcock himself. He felt that anyone missing the opening scenes would not enjoy the film.

83 Some significant others, for short : BFS

Boyfriend (bf)

100 Reproductive cell : OVUM

“Ovum” (plural “ova”) is Latin for “egg”.

104 Toronado or Cutlass, informally : OLDS

The Oldsmobile Toronado was a luxury car produced by GM from 1966 to 1992.

Oldsmobile introduced the Cutlass in 1961, and used the name on a succession of models right up to 1999.

115 Like Halley’s comet every 75 or so years : RESEEN

Edmond Halley was an English astronomer who lived at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1705 he declared that comet sightings recorded in 1456, 1531, 1607 and 1682 were in fact observations of the same comet returning to fly by Earth at regular intervals. He predicted that this comet would return in 1758. Hally was right, and so the comet was named after him. Sadly, Halley didn’t live long enough to see that his prediction came true.

116 Not tell a soul : KEEP MUM

The phrase “mum’s the word” has been around since the early 1700s. “Mum” has been used to mean “silent” for centuries, the idea being that “mum” is the sound made when the lips are tightly sealed.

117 House floor manager? : ROOMBA

The Roomba vacuum cleaner is a cool-looking device that navigates its way around a room by itself, picking up dirt as it goes. Like I said, it’s cool-looking, but I am not sure how effective it is …

119 Adventure-seeking travelers, in old usage : ERRANTS

Someone described as errant is roving around, especially in search of adventure, as in “knight-errant”.The term “errant” has come to mean “behaving wrongly” and “straying outside the bounds”.

120 Polynesian language : TONGAN

The Kingdom of Tonga is made up of 176 islands in the South Pacific, 52 of which are inhabited and scattered over an area of 270,000 square miles. Tonga was given the name Friendly Islands in 1773 when Captain James Cook first landed there, a reference to the warm reception given to the visitors. The nation’s capital is the city of Nukuʻalofa on the island of Tongatapu.

Down

1 Supposed influence on Pink Floyd’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” : LSD

Pink Floyd was an English rock band founded in 1965. The band’s most famous albums are probably “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”.

5 “Pride and Prejudice” surname : DARCY

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy has to be one of the great romantic leads in English literature. He of course appears opposite Miss Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. There have been many (terrible) “sequels” written for “Pride and Prejudice”, but I have read one “spin off” that I heartily recommend if you’d like to explore the story of Elizabeth and Darcy some more. There is a three-part novel called “Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman” written by Pamela Aidan and published in 2003-2005. Ms. Aiden does a great job retelling the story of “Pride and Prejudice”, but from Darcy’s perspective. It really is a great read, even for die-hard Austen fans …

7 Forty winks : A FEW ZS

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 …

10 Conspicuous kissing, e.g., for short : PDA

Public display of affection (PDA)

17 World’s largest inland body of water : CASPIAN SEA

The Caspian Sea is a landlocked body of water lying between Asia and Europe. By some definitions, the Caspian is the largest lake on the planet. The name “Caspian” comes from the Caspi people who lived to the southwest of the sea in the South Caucasus.

24 Fortune 500 company whose logo is a blue infinity symbol : META

Facebook, Inc. changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021 as part of a rebranding exercise.

30 Cornhole attempts : TOSSES

Cornhole is a game in which contestants throw bean bags towards a tilted-up platform with a hole in it. Bags that land in the hole score 3 points, and bags that land on the board score 1 point.

31 Lab vial : AMPULE

An ampule is a sealed vial that is commonly used to hold pharmaceuticals. Ampoules are usually made from glass, and are opened by snapping off the neck of the container.

34 “If u ask me …” : IMHO …

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

35 He can be found above it : NEON

Neon (Ne) was discovered in 1898 by two British chemists, Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. They chilled a sample of air, turning it into a liquid. They then warmed that liquid and separated out the gases that boiled off. Along with nitrogen, oxygen and argon (already known), the pair of scientists discovered two new gases. The first they called “krypton” and the second “neon”. “Krypton” is Greek for “the hidden one” and “neon” is Greek for “new”.

Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and the element symbol “He”. Helium is a gas, and lighter than air. It is the second-most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen). Helium was first detected in 1868 as an unknown yellow spectral line during a solar eclipse. As such, the gas was named for “Helios”, the Greek god of the Sun.

46 Jazz great Al : HIRT

Al Hirt was a trumpeter and bandleader. Hirt’s most famous recordings were the song “Java” and the album “Honey in the Horn”, as well the theme song used “The Green Hornet” TV series in the sixties.

48 Third-largest city of Turkey : IZMIR

Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and used to be known as Smyrna, up until 1930. It is also Turkey’s second largest port, after Istanbul.

52 Subject of D.C.’s Stone of Hope memorial : MLK

Martin Luther King, Jr’s father was born Michael King. On a trip to Germany in 1934, Michael came to admire Protestant leader Martin Luther and changed his name to Martin Luther King on his return to the United States. Famously, he passed on his new name to his son, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK).

53 Word before tooth or candy : EYE …

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eyeteeth or cuspids. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The prefix “eye-” is used because in humans the eyeteeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

56 Chancellor who oversaw Germany’s reunification : KOHL

Helmut Kohl was Chancellor of West Germany when the Berlin Wall came down leading to German reunification. Kohl was Chancellor of West Germany from 1982 to 1990, and Chancellor of Germany from 1990 to 1998. That made Kohl the longest serving Chancellor since Otto von Bismarck.

65 Sea change? : TIDE

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

66 Dealership stat : MPG

Miles per gallon (mpg)

67 The “Noster” in “Pater Noster” : OUR

Our Father … (“Pater noster” in Latin) are the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, which is probably the best-known prayer in the Christian tradition.

68 Rhinoplasty target, maybe : BROKEN NOSE

A nose job is more correctly called rhinoplasty. The term comes from the Greek combining form “rhino-” meaning “nose”, and “plastos” meaning “act of forming”.

69 Some vintage photo tints : SEPIA TONES

Sepia is that rich, brown-gray color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as ancient Rome and ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

76 It divides and multiplies : AMOEBA

An ameba (also “amoeba”) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

77 Friend of Buffy on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” : XANDER

Before the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” launched in 1997, there was a 1992 “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie. The film starred Kristy Swanson as Buffy Summers. Joss Whedon wrote the movie’s screenplay, before creating the TV show.

83 ___ box (lunch option) : BENTO

A bento is a single-person meal that is eaten quite commonly in Japan. A bento can be purchased as a take-out meal, or it may be packed at home. A bento is usually sold as a “bento box”.

84 Long-handled hammer : MAUL

A maul is a large, heavy hammer, one often used for driving stakes into the ground. The term comes from the Old French “mail” and ultimately from the Latin “malleus”, with both meaning “hammer”.

89 Reinforce : BOLSTER

Back in Ireland I often slept in beds that had a bolster as well as pillows. The bolster was usually a long, bed-wide, stuffed cushion, harder than a pillow. It served the purpose of raising the pillows, perhaps as an aid for sitting up in bed. Our modern usage of the verb “bolster”, meaning to give a metaphoric shot in the arm, derives from this “bolster” that we used to sit up against.

94 Gilda of the original “S.N.L.” cast : RADNER

Gilda Radner was a comedian and actress, and one of the original cast members of the hit television show “Saturday Night Live”. Radner left her first husband to marry comedic actor Gene Wilder, whom she met while they were both filming the Sidney Poitier movie “Hanky Panky”.

95 Clay figures in Jewish lore : GOLEMS

“Golem” is Yiddish slang for “dimwit”. In Jewish folklore, a golem is an anthropomorphic being made out of inanimate matter, and is somewhat like an unintelligent robot.

105 More than just a sec? : BRUT

Sparkling wines can be classified according to sweetness. These classifications are, from driest to sweetest:

  • Brut Nature
  • Extra Brut
  • Brut
  • Extra Dry
  • Dry
  • Semi-Dry
  • Sweet

106 One-named singer with the 1961 #1 hit “Runaround Sue” : DION

The singer and songwriter Dion DiMucci went by the stage name of just “Dion”. Dion’s most successful year was 1961, when he released his big hits “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer”.

110 Org. established by 111-Down : EPA
111 Prez who established the 110-Down : RMN

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.

President Richard Milhous Nixon (RMN) used “Milhous” in his name in honor of his mother Hannah Milhous. Richard was born in a house in Yorba Linda, California. You can visit that house today as it is on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. It’s a really interesting way to spend a few hours if you ever get to Yorba Linda …

112 Initial shock? : OMG

“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …

113 Suns setting, for short : NBA

The Phoenix Suns NBA team are in the Pacific Division, and are the only team in that division not based in California.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Texas terminus of I-35 : LAREDO
7 Place for a plug : AD SPACE
14 Sport coached by Ted Lasso : SOCCER
20 Relative of a June bug : SCARAB
21 Animal farm facility : FEEDLOT
22 Shining intensely : AGLARE
23 Zone out? : DEPART MENTALLY (from “departmentally”)
25 Milton who designed the “I ❤️ NY” logo : GLASER
26 Off : SCREWY
27 A handful : SOME
29 Channel for watching N.C.A.A. games : ESPNU
30 Aid for a novice guitarist : TAB
33 Fool, from the Yiddish : YUTZ
34 Beginner’s edition? : INTRO VERSION (from “introversion”)
37 Home of Bahla Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site : OMAN
39 German article : DAS
40 Certain vaccine target : MEASLES
41 Big mouths : MAWS
42 Fairy lookalike : SPRITE
44 God who lent his name to a weekday : THOR
45 Bruce Wayne in the Batman comics, e.g. : ORPHAN
47 Seat at the dining table? : SUP POSITION (from “supposition”)
50 Meds often come in them, for short : MGS
51 Identifying statement : IT’S ME
54 Real name that becomes a fake one by changing its first letter : ELIAS
55 Tranquil state of mind : ZEN
56 Character at the center of “Dunkirk”? : KAY
57 Without holding back : FREELY
58 Kicked out of school, say : SENT HOME
60 Atop : UPON
62 Beverage that can be served hinata-kan (“sun-bathed”) : HOT SAKE
63 Beauty that runs in the family? : KIN ESTHETIC (from “kinesthetic”)
66 Family member : MOBSTER
71 Brazilian currency : REAL
72 Price of ignorance, so to speak : IDIOT TAX
78 Like much baby food : PUREED
79 U.S. agcy. originally set up to fund war expenses : IRS
80 Words of praise : ODE
81 “Psycho” mother : NORMA
82 Search blindly (for) : GROPE
83 Some significant others, for short : BFS
84 Boys’ club? : MALE FACTION (from “malefaction”)
87 Shape of a certain bean : KIDNEY
89 Expose : BARE
90 Bounded : LEAPED
91 Result of some bargaining : PLEA
93 Words to a pet at the door : IN OR OUT
95 Dollop : GOB
97 Greasy garage job : LUBE
98 Swindle by instant messaging? : CON TEXTUALLY (from “contextually”)
100 Reproductive cell : OVUM
102 Something to aim for on a golf course : PAR
103 Irish name meaning “lover of hounds” : CONOR
104 Toronado or Cutlass, informally : OLDS
105 Pointed at, say : BLAMED
107 Tone deafness, medically : ASONIA
109 Use a family crypt? : INTER RELATIONS (from “interrelations”)
115 Like Halley’s comet every 75 or so years : RESEEN
116 Not tell a soul : KEEP MUM
117 House floor manager? : ROOMBA
118 Formal : DRESSY
119 Adventure-seeking travelers, in old usage : ERRANTS
120 Polynesian language : TONGAN

Down

1 Supposed influence on Pink Floyd’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” : LSD
2 One in the hand? : ACE
3 Knock : RAP
4 The ___ Tour (2023 Taylor Swift concert series that broke Ticketmaster) : ERAS
5 “Pride and Prejudice” surname : DARCY
6 Becomes unduly prominent : OBTRUDES
7 Forty winks : A FEW ZS
8 When said three times, mantra for some accused : DENY
9 Completed collection : SET
10 Conspicuous kissing, e.g., for short : PDA
11 Like some casts : ALL-STAR
12 Orange and peach, for example : COLORS
13 Word has it! : ETYMOLOGY
14 Droop : SAG
15 One giving creepy looks : OGLER
16 Yearbook signers : CLASSMATES
17 World’s largest inland body of water : CASPIAN SEA
18 Thus far, poetically : ERE NOW
19 You might see them now and again : RERUNS
24 Fortune 500 company whose logo is a blue infinity symbol : META
28 Wisconsin politico Tony : EVERS
30 Cornhole attempts : TOSSES
31 Lab vial : AMPULE
32 Long, narrow piece of jewelry : BAR PIN
34 “If u ask me …” : IMHO …
35 He can be found above it : NEON
36 Particularly: Abbr. : ESP
38 Pester with little bites : NIP AT
43 “Rubbish!” : TOSH
44 Food container : TIN
46 Jazz great Al : HIRT
48 Third-largest city of Turkey : IZMIR
49 It comes after nine but not after ten : -TEEN
50 Flowing tresses : MANE
52 Subject of D.C.’s Stone of Hope memorial : MLK
53 Word before tooth or candy : EYE …
56 Chancellor who oversaw Germany’s reunification : KOHL
57 Centers of attention : FOCI
59 Gave a thumbs-up : OK’ED
60 Exploits : USES
61 Organizer of a school field day, for short : PTA
62 Extra-crisp, informally : HI-DEF
64 Goofs up : ERRS
65 Sea change? : TIDE
66 Dealership stat : MPG
67 The “Noster” in “Pater Noster” : OUR
68 Rhinoplasty target, maybe : BROKEN NOSE
69 Some vintage photo tints : SEPIA TONES
70 Got started, with “off” : TEED …
73 At some point : ONCE
74 Come to : TOTAL
75 Cause to stumble : TRIP UP
76 It divides and multiplies : AMOEBA
77 Friend of Buffy on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” : XANDER
79 “So to speak” : IF YOU LIKE
80 Shout heard in the Plaza México : OLE!
83 ___ box (lunch option) : BENTO
84 Long-handled hammer : MAUL
85 Affectedly creative : ARTY
86 Pink Floyd’s light-refracting prism, for one iconic example : ALBUM ART
88 Cancel : NIX
89 Reinforce : BOLSTER
91 Predecessor of a USB drive : PC CARD
92 Like a screw after being turned counterclockwise : LOOSER
94 Gilda of the original “S.N.L.” cast : RADNER
95 Clay figures in Jewish lore : GOLEMS
96 Like the Toyota logo : OVAL
99 People of western New York : ERIES
101 “Same” : ME TOO
105 More than just a sec? : BRUT
106 One-named singer with the 1961 #1 hit “Runaround Sue” : DION
108 Word with where and how, but not usually why : ANY-
110 Org. established by 111-Down : EPA
111 Prez who established the 110-Down : RMN
112 Initial shock? : OMG
113 Suns setting, for short : NBA
114 Japanese honorific : SAN

10 thoughts on “0319-23 NY Times Crossword 19 Mar 23, Sunday”

  1. 48:44(!), no errors. I spent more than half that time in the upper left corner. I immediately got the ACE at 2-Down and then confidently filled in DALLAS for 1-Across. Oops. Then, I had a heck of a time with LSD, ERAS, DARCY, AFEWZS, OBTRUDES, and META, not to mention YUTZ instead of PUTZ (which I should have remembered from a few weeks ago). So, a painful lesson regarding the virtues of patience and humility … 😜. But … in the end … slowly and painfully … I got ‘er done. And I learned how far south I-35 goes! And I learned exactly where Laredo is! (Now, if I ever find myself approaching a sign that says “Laredo, 2 miles”, I’ll know that I probably missed the exit I was looking for … 😜.)

  2. Threw in the towel at 54:17, with 2 errors: DEP(O)RTMENTALLY/ER(O)S. Originally entered an A but had an error somewhere else. ‘Corrected’ the A to an O, fixed the other error, but did not return to the scene of the crime. Other than that, I could just Cut and Paste Dave’s post, including PUTZ before YUTZ.

    92D assumes all threads are right-handed, left-handed threads are uncommon, but they exist.

  3. 48:38 but with a lot of lookups. Would not have finished without them even with the theme giving a lot of aid. Can’t remember struggling on a Sunday puzzle like this anytime recently.

    I used to take I-35 to LAREDO often. That was back when crossing the border was safe and fun. A lot of underage kids went there to drink legally….uhhh…so I hear. That was many many years ago. It hasn’t been safe to cross that border in 20-25 years. A shame.

    Best –

  4. This is about the worse puzzle I can remember seeing…what are some setters trying to prove?👎👎
    Stay safe😀

  5. Estimated completion time: 52 hours and change… In my defense, Sunday was day 3 of the worst cold I’ve had in ten years or so and I could barely make out the clue numbers in the grid after two sleepless nights. I’m a troglodyte that prefers solving on paper with (gasp!) a pencil so no fancy-schmancy digital enlarging to help. The fog started to clear today and I liked this one a lot. Very clever construction although 23A hit a little close to home. My wife’s go-to meal at most Japanese restaurants is a bento box so that one was a “gimme” after having paid for a few hundred of them over the years.

    The Gilda Radner clue was sad – made me think of her, Belushi and Kaufman and all of the phenomenal talent that made SNL so funny. Nowadays, not so much…

  6. All I have to say is Bill did incredibly extremely well on this one to get this in the time claimed.

    (And yes my Sunday puzzle weaknesses showed up and I brought up the rear today.)

  7. Yes, this took a long time.. if I’m not done in an hour, I start looking up… but not this time . . I stuck it out for 2 hours!!!

    32D and 30A. BARPIN and TAB got me. Didn’t know either so went with TAP and TARPIN.

    I mentally avoided accepting that there was no trick to “breaking” the word. It was a real word! I don’t know how many times I questioned the answer with “that can’t be right”.

    Oh well.

    I also got distracted with the clue “character in Dunkirk”… saw KIRK and was trying to force a 4 letter word in a 3 letter square. Maybe if I put a vertical line in there???
    KAY eventually showed up with the other crosses.

  8. I found this tougher as Sunday puzzles go. I tackled it late Sat. then plugged away Sun. AM. I went astray with inter relatives rather than inter relations in SE corner. 97.5% correct squares (by calculating the number of squares on the grid, including black ones which I give myself up front as a handicap if you like, then dividing the no. correct by the total no.) which I’m good with considering I was stymied in multiple corners for awhile.

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