The New York Times Crossword

ACROSS

1 Fella

4 Digits carried in long division 8 Lightens up?

13 A, as in Avignon 14 Baby’s first word, maybe

15 Lacking pigment 16 Frequent object of doting attention 18 Stunk

19 Gift for a budding architect, maybe 20 _ _ _ of the Union 21 Shocking fish in the Amazon

22 Dental concern 24 “Here’s a short summary,” in internet lingo 27 What Santa doesn’t get much of on Christmas Eve

29 UPS competitor 30 Alto or soprano 31 Union of Hollywood performers, for short

33 Begin, as an adventure

35 Govt. prosecutors 38 Material for an interior renovation 40 Quash

41 Best-case scenarios

43 Blouse or tee 45 Fashion designer Kamali

46 “That’s my ___!” (“I’m up!”)

48 Of the kidneys 52 Health resorts 53 Attired like Batman or Superman

55 Hand (out)

56 Extinct birds of Mauritius

58 Words that start a game of tag 60 Volcanic peak ruled by Sauron in “The Lord of the Rings”

62 Places for playthings, with a hint to this puzzle’s shaded squares

63 “I’ll wait to hear from you”

64 ___ Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason 65 Gerund suffix

66 Soft leather

67 _ _ _-do-well 68 General on a Chinese menu

DOWN

1 Some military brass?

2 Pull off a spool 3 Long-eared hound 4 3:1 or 5:2, e.g. 5 Unadorned 6 Readied for publication 7 Disconsolate

8 “Not guilty,” e.g. 9 Partner in crime 10 Have a crush on, cutesily

11 Suffix with benz12 Turf

15 Showily bohemian 17 Middles of Mr. Potato Head faces 20 Actress Hayek 23 Destroys, as a dog might a stuffed animal

25 Pest control brand 26 Tear up

28 Lakshmi who wrote the memoir “Love, Loss, and What We Ate” 30 Bravery 32 “Despicable Me” protagonist 34 Classic sandwich order, in brief

35 Puts on

36 Each

37 Sit on, as a seesaw 39 Some recreation ctrs.

42 Over-the-hill lament

44 Three-time Cy Young winner Martinez 47 Long-eared pal of Pooh

49 “You can’t leave this way” sign 50 U.F.O. crew

51 “Move it, already!” 53 Arrive

54 Arthur Conan ___ 57 Part of a mosque, typically 59 Transportation company headquartered in San Francisco 60 Hosts, for short 61 Letter after sigma 62 What’s rolled to get from Free Parking to Go to Jail, in Monopoly