NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Prefix with directional 5 Border

9 Sort who refuses to

answer

13 A sumo wrestler's is

called a mawashi 15 Catherine of “Schitt's

Creek”

16 Spot remover? 17 Candle holders,

sometimes

18 Close

19 Prophetic

21 ___-jongg

23 U.S. locale that, when said quickly, sounds like a cheer 24 Highway exit sign 25 As seen in chemistry

class? 29 Velvet-voiced Mel 31 Word with happy or

rush

32 Causing a boom,

maybe

36 Pokémon that ultimately evolves into Alakazam

37 Digital alternative 38 ___ of Citium, philosopher who founded Stoicism 39 Vulnerable area

41 Keen

42 Monster's opposite 43 Doctrines

45 ___-term test for divergence (calculus concept) 47 Improvise on stage 49 San Francisco's ___ Hill 50 Grammy winner for 1983's “Flashdance ... What a Feeling” 53 Small flaw 56 Ambulatory aids

57 Manet called him “the painter of painters” 60 Cousin of an aardwolf 61 Unlikely match

62 ___ noche (tonight: Sp.)

63 Source

64 Its website has a “Fantasy” page

DOWN

1 Up there, you might say

2 Stock exchange? 3 Close

4 Unable to perform operations 5 Weisshorn, e.g. 6 Astronomer Thomas for whom a comet is named

7 Not yet delivered, after “in”

8 Status on a conservationist's “Red List”

9 Non-coffee Starbucks order

10 Germans call it Genfersee

11 Political ___

12 They're rigged 14 Board game set on an

island

15 “It ___ to me ...”

20 Unit equal to 907.2

kilograms

22 Like only one member of the Supreme Court in its history (Sonia Sotomayor)

25 Solvers'

reactions

26 Lead-in to call

27 Browse, say

28 Seek advancement

through flattery 30 Only one-word country that contains all five vowels

33 Literature's Napoleon,

e.g.

34 Contending

35 Best Picture winner in

2022

40 W.N.B.A. great

Weatherspoon 44 Highly exaggerated and subjective, as journalism 45 Specialization 46 High-chair features 48 Italian nickname that

omits Al

51 “99 Luftballons” singer 52 Big name in fashion

footwear

54 Holds gingerly,

maybe

55 Underwater forest 58 Charade

59 Kind of garden