NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD
READY, SET ... GETS LOW!
Nancy Stark of New York City is a writer, lyricist and former editor for the Literary Guild book club. Will Nediger of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor. They met through a notice that a friend posted for Nancy on Facebook seeking a collaborator. Nancy came up with this puzzle’s theme and wrote most of the clues. Will did the grid. This is their third collaboration for The Times but their first Sunday together. — W.S.
ACROSS
1 Palindromic band with the palindromic song title “SOS” 5 Place for an oxygen tent, for short 8 A whole bunch 13 High-level H.S. math class 19 Exploit 20 Dandy 21 Like many barrels 22 “Yay!” 23 Cheer for beer on campus? 26 Milan-based fashion brand 27 Skate effortlessly 28 Put down in print 29 Part of a strip 31 West of Chicago 32 Discerning judgment 33 Author Calvino 35 Played the fall guy? 37 Half-____ (rhyming order) 38 Hoot at an outof-focus nature photograph? 43 Chicago university 46 Small three-legged table 47 Two-time best actor, 1954 and 1972 48 “____ Old Cowhand” (Bing Crosby hit) 49 Put away 52 “If you ask me,” briefly 53 Something populists revile 54 Antsy feeling when one is out of cellphone range? 59 Sport ____ 60 One of the dames in 2018’s “Tea With the Dames” 61 Like the lion slain by Hercules 62 Cans 66 “Tilted Arc” sculptor Richard 68 Jackie on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 70 Places to sleep 71 Spanish-omelet ingredient 72 Isaac’s firstborn 73 Fought 75 Bête ____ 77 Counterpart of frost 78 Where a demanding dockworker gets supplies? 82 Snack item with a salient anagram? 85 Word that’s its own synonym in reverse 86 Symbol of danger or anger 87 Boot 88 Discriminating against elders 89 They’ve got talent 92 “Ditto!” 94 Landing in Rotterdam? 98 Curry or Rice 99 Snack items with their name on the top and bottom 100 Result of union negotiations, often 101 Lotion-bottle abbr. 104 Native seal hunter 107 Part of a college application, informally 108 Unfeeling 110 Roaster or toaster 112 It’s not legal 114 Piano that plays only a certain three notes? 117 Slips 118 “Fingers crossed!” 119 Wrath 120 A long time ago 121 Willie Mays phrase 122 A little tight 123 Pseudoscientific subj. 124 Charon’s river
DOWN
1 “Waste not, want not,” e.g. 2 It has a button in the middle 3 Show to be untrue 4 Reason that some students struggle in school, for short 5 “____ were you …” 6 Joint effort, slangily 7 Requiring difficult pedaling, say 8 Exclusive 9 Phone 10 Pseudonymously 11 Manny’s last name on “Modern Family” 12 Slip through 13 “Of course!” 14 Bill padding 15 Time out? 16 Stuffed and deep-fried rice balls, in Italian cuisine 17 Name-tag holders 18 Political system with a paramount leader 24 Vocal quintet? 25 More or less 30 Work well together 34 Translation of the French “vivre” or German “leben” 35 Rested 36 World capital settled by Vikings circa the ninth century 38 Scourge 39 Apt rhyme for “constrain” 40 Martin Sheen’s real first name 41 Name of seven Danish kings 42 “Le ____,” Matisse work that hung upside down at the Museum of Modern Art for 47 days 43 Neglect 44 Acts dramatically 45 Bakery/cafe chain 50 Like a bowl 51 Cheat, informally 53 Refusing to answer directly 55 Suggested intake level, for short 56 Glass fragment 57 Correct 58 “Two Sisters” or “Two Young Girls at the Piano” 63 Struck 64 Exceedingly 65 Site of a 1976 South African uprising 67 Quaintly countrified 69 Virtual animals in an early 2000s fad 71 “____ Got the Whole World in His Hands” 73 Attended 74 Alternative to a snake 76 They catch waves 79 Nickname on “The Addams Family” 80 Shakespeare’s “You, too?” 81 Bugs Bunny, e.g. 82 Sob stories 83 Christina of pop 84 “Here, move over” 89 Not much at all 90 Trattoria dumplings 91 New England fish 93 Dork 95 “Catch-22” pilot 96 Cloth that may get a lot of tears 97 Handy types 101 Meager 102 Walker National ____, Book 1962 Award winner 103 Shipping option 105 Sundance state 106 Place for un béret 108 Concessions 109 It beats a deuce 111 Stock sounds 113 Bit of sun 115 Short flight 116 Informal affirmative