New York Times Crossword
Christina Iverson, of Ames, Iowa, is an assistant crossword editor for The New York Times. Sam Donaldson is a law professor at Georgia State University. They met at last year’s American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and started brainstorming theme ideas. This one started as a Thursday puzzle and grew into a Sunday when they had too many ideas to fit into a 15 x 15-square grid. — W.S. ACROSS
1 Become hysterical, with ‘‘out’’
4 Elided title
8 Restaurant competitor of Pinkberry and Sweet Frog
12 Catchy tunes, informally
16 Sigh of lament
17 Where dancers have a ball?
18 McFlurry mix-in
19 Furniture giant
20 Bad flight forecast
21 Reason
22 Hierarchy level
23 Certain U.S. time zone
24 Economizing, as represented by the circled squares?
27 ‘‘The bad news is . . . ’’
29 WhatsApp transmissions, briefly
30 Navy nay
31 Seizes eagerly, as an opportunity
33 Sean of ‘‘Stranger Things’’
34 Part of an M.C.’s intro, often
36 Prohibition target
40 Economizing, as represented twice in 12-Down?
45 ‘‘The Crown’’ role
46 Colorful kind of shirt
47 Offering from Dr. Mom, in brief
48 Senior partners?
50 ____ Hill, neighborhood of San Francisco
51 Bussing on a bus, for short
54 Memorable mission
56 ‘‘You’ve made your point,’’ slangily
57 Lead-in to an opinion
60 Zip
62 From not so long ago
63 Parts of a gig
64 Scrapbooker’s project
67 Honesty, resilience or a sense of humor, perhaps
69 Shield of ancient Greece: Var.
73 Manhattan is one: Abbr.
75 Attempt
77 Work that hasn’t yet entered publication
79 Little squealer
83 Fencer’s score
86 Hebrew version of the English pronoun ‘‘I’’
87 Confidentiality contract, for short
88 Welcome event
90 ____ drag (hockey maneuver)
91 Cellist’s need
93 In concert
94 Economizing, as represented in 58-Down?
99 Unwelcome, so to speak
101 Vote in favor
102 Trading places
103 Like some modern maps
105 Golfer Palmer, to fans
106 A/C meas.
109 ‘‘The Planets’’ composer
111 Economizing, as represented by the shaded squares?
115 Bad-sounding creatures?
116 Ditto, in legal footnotes
118 Word that means ‘‘ocean’’ in a religious title
119 Large crowd
120 It’s cried on a slide
121 Check
122 Classical poem
123 Beast with recurved horns
124 Triumphant shout at a crossword tournament
125 Freshness
126 Like some morning lawns
127 Smokey spot, for short
DOWN
1 Sharpens
2 ‘‘How ____ Your Mother’’
3 Work out
4 Some garlic prep
5 Regarding
6 Maker of the Nitro 5 gaming laptop
7 ‘‘The year’s at the spring/
And day’s at the ____’’: Robert Browning
8 Yankees manager before Girardi
9 Zealous activist
10 C-note
11 Tranquil discipline
12 Former name of a Kansas arena that commemorated a 1976 U.S. anniversary
13 It helps make a stew a goo
14 Poached fruit
15 Garnish for una margarita
16 Source of many a name on a campus building, informally
17 Starts eating
20 Poli ____
25 Reply to the Little Red Hen
26 Name hidden in ‘‘before long’’
28 It makes a red velvet cake red
32 Cancún cash
33 Hamburger’s beef?
34 Word with pepper or tower
35 Like some ancient pyramids
37 Acceleration, e.g.
38 Quelques-____ (some, in French)
39 Quantity multiplied by acceleration in Newton’s second law
40 Pioneer in global aviation
41 Words of defeat
42 ‘‘Don’t sweat it,’’ informally
43 Educ. supporter
44 Once-popular devices discontinued in 2022
49 Cousin of a weasel
52 ‘‘What’s the ____?’’ (‘‘’Sup with that?’’) 53 Suffer
55 Farmyard cry
58 Not in a relationship
59 ‘‘The Last O.G.’’ network
61 Vile Nile reptile
65 Out-and-out
66 Foreign leader whom Nixon met in 1972
68 That’s history!
70 Kind of knife of infomercial fame
71 Like Urdu or Hindi
72 Was very ripe
74 Round figures
76 Montana city SW of Helena
78 The main antagonist?
79 [Ugh, this is horrible!]
80 ____ facto
81 Like some highlighter colors
82 Relish
84 Plant whose name derives from Quechua
85 Devious snicker
89 Barely gets the words out
92 Pros with deliveries, in brief
95 Painter Jan van ____
96 ‘‘Let’s do this!’’
97 Civil rights icon ____ Helen Burroughs
98 Power structure?
100 Capers
104 Shakespeare’s ‘‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’’ has five of them
105 Beaming, as with joy
106 Liberal arts college in Kentucky
107 Locally focused lecture franchise
108 Pac-12 player
109 Santa’s favorite Hostess dessert?
110 Wilson of film
112 Carded at a bar, informally
113 Common spot for a sunburn
114 Gaggles
115 Chain email abbr.
117 Grammy winner ____ Lipa