0213-19 NY Times Crossword 13 Feb 19, Wednesday

Constructed by: Ross Trudeau
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answers: Planetary … Alignment

Themed answers include the names of the SUN and five PLANETS as hidden words. The SUN and the five PLANETS ALIGN in the middle of the grid:

  • 2D With 36-Down, astronomical rarity … or a hint to the circled letters : PLANETARY …
  • 36D See 2-Down : … ALIGNMENT
  • 15A Common blessing : GESUNDHEIT (hiding the “Sun”)
  • 19A Safety warning for some kitchenware : NO OVEN USE (hiding “Venus”)
  • 39A Warm and cozy spots : HEARTHS (hiding the “Earth”)
  • 56A Kangaroo’s pouch : MARSUPIUM (hiding “Mars”)
  • 64A Rolls the dice and moves one’s token : TAKES A TURN (hiding “Saturn”)

Bill’s time: 7m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

I’m afraid that I had to fly to Ireland unexpectedly today, and just had time to solve today’s puzzle and write up this abbreviated post in between flights. I will catch up just as soon I can when I land in the Auld Sod. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Bill

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Bridge : SPAN
5 “I’ll take care of that” : ON IT
9 American Girl products : DOLLS
14 Jai ___ : ALAI
15 Common blessing : GESUNDHEIT
17 Undercover buster : NARC
18 Rhyming description for IHOP’s “Fresh ‘N Fruity” pancakes : ROOTY TOOTY
19 Safety warning for some kitchenware : NO OVEN USE
21 Born : NEE
22 ___ Park, Calif. : MENLO
23 Jots : TITTLES
26 Outer thigh stabilizers, in brief : IT BANDS
29 See in court, say : SUE
30 Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer-winning graphic novel : MAUS
31 Craze : RAGE
34 Road Runner cartoon sights : MESAS
38 Goof : ERR
39 Warm and cozy spots : HEARTHS
41 Manning with two Super Bowl M.V.P. awards : ELI
42 Homeland of many 2010s refugees : SYRIA
44 What bugs are found in : BETA
45 Bug on a hook, maybe : BAIT
46 Ctrl-___-Del : ALT
48 On the loose : AT LARGE
50 Big news involving extraterrestrials : CONTACT
54 Caddies’ suggestions : IRONS
55 Some four-year degrees, for short : BAS
56 Kangaroo’s pouch : MARSUPIUM
59 Loudly angry, as a group : IN AN UPROAR
62 Flight part : STEP
64 Rolls the dice and moves one’s token : TAKES A TURN
65 Perfect dives : TENS
66 Parts of porch chairs : SLATS
67 Airport postings, in brief : ETAS
68 Italian wine region : ASTI

Down

1 Lead-in to Francisco or Pedro : SAN …
2 With 36-Down, astronomical rarity … or a hint to the circled letters : PLANETARY …
3 Alexander Hamilton’s nemesis : AARON BURR
4 ___ Maduro, successor to Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez : NICOLAS
5 Fairy tale baddie : OGRE
6 Sign gas : NEON
7 Gets tagged, say : IS OUT
8 Rwandan minority : TUTSI
9 Banned insecticide : DDT
10 “Well, well, well!” : OHO!
11 Sierra ___ : LEONE
12 Some Millers : LITES
13 Bad eye sight? : STYE
16 Nabokov’s nos : NYETS
20 Part of many German names : VON
22 They act in silence : MIMES
24 Big name in antacids : TUMS
25 Meade’s opponent at Gettysburg : LEE
27 “Dr.” of hip-hop : DRE
28 Onetime Volvo alternative : SAAB
32 Master’s seeker’s hurdle, for short : GRE
33 Suffix with oper- : -ETTA
35 Shipping lanes : SEA ROUTES
36 See 2-Down : … ALIGNMENT
37 Browser history contents : SITES
39 “Freeze!” : HALT!
40 Fedora, for one : HAT
43 McKellen who played Gandalf : IAN
45 One who won’t serve the average joe : BARISTA
47 Florida city on a bay : TAMPA
49 Back talk : LIP
50 Ear passage : CANAL
51 Japanese city on a bay : OSAKA
52 ___ blanche : CARTE
53 Prey for a brown bear : TROUT
55 Smithereens : BITS
57 Actress Ramirez of “Grey’s Anatomy” : SARA
58 Cremation containers : URNS
60 Pull in : NET
61 ___ Intrepid (New York City tourist attraction) : USS
63 Letter after “X” : PSI