The New York Times Crossword
ACROSS
1 Gardener’s item that breaks down a lot
11 Any member of the order Chiroptera
14 Plant-based protein brand
15 Mélange
16 “America’s Got Talent” precursor
17 Top
18 Actress Blanchett
19 Subject for a museum curator
21 Photo finish?
22 “Goooooooool!,” e.g.
23 Not now!
24 Points the finger at
25 “Good goin’!”
28 Plans a getaway for, perhaps
31 Beverage with an oxymoronic name
33 Stentorian
34 Something that may be hard to drink?
35 _ _ _ bag
36 Lacking bells and whistles
38 Like the smell of burned rubber
39 Got ready
40 “It’s a secret”
41 Signature items
42 Sweet ___
43 Tried to take a seat?
46 Dead-tree edition
50 It’s on the house
51 Paul who was People’s 2021 Sexiest Man Alive
52 Bad drawing?
54 Brewery stock
55 “Frankly …”
56 “You got it”
57 Extra bits and pieces
DOWN
1 Fortune 100 company whose name is the last two syllables of the city near where it was founded
2 Readily available
3 Exams for some science majors
4 One might be cleansed with a strip
5 Rap pioneers, slangily
6 Colors outside the lines?
7 Visibly emotional
8 Line along the Embarcadero, in brief
9 Yearning
10 It’s not often seen on a diamond
11 Nonkosher Wendy’s offering
12 Initialism for a pleasant tingling on the scalp or back of the neck
13 “___ say …”
15 View with disdain
20 Jazz trumpeter Woody
22 Things that were once commonly stored in towers
24 “Well, maybe …”
25 Served as a wingman
26 Number of Reyes Magos, in Spanish tradition
27 Legendary creature
28 Montana neighbor: Abbr.
29 Onetime source of toothbrush bristles
30 Greek who originated the expression “Leave no stone unturned”
31 Like some hair
32 Like the hair of 1-2% of the world’s population
34 Is made up
37 Bowed
38 “That’s it!”
40 Be steamed
42 More golden, say
43 More golden, say
44 Nautical direction
45 Cousins of sirens
46 Put your hands together, perhaps
47 “I ___!” (shout of exultation)
48 See what’s in store?
49 Buckwheat noodle
50 ___ Marathon (annual mountain bike race that’s said to be “a volcanic challenge”)
53 Saturate