The New York Times crossword puzzle

Across 1 Dystopian backdrop

10 Icy 15 Self-evident 16 Give takes 17 Director/costar of “The Bigamist,” 1953 18 Second-oldest national park in North America 19 Pre-moving day events 21 Snarler 22 Knock off 23 Weapon swung by a gaucho 24 Unslurred speech? 30 Form a 44-Across 31 Song on the soundtracks of “Lilo & Stitch” and “Surf’s Up” 32 Hungers 34 Champagne grapes

35 Line of clothing 37 Princess Fiona, for one 39 Basic Italian bistro 40 Corvine calls 41 1989 Queen hit 43 Baby’s cut 44 Entente

45 ___ Britton, mistress of Warren Harding who had a sensational 1927 tell-all book 46 Form of therapy in which patients act out events from their past 53 Rapper with the 1992 3x platinum debut album “The Chronic” 55 2005 film starring Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche 56 Literally, “singing place” 57 Offering to an idol 58 Windows forerunner 59 News pieces

Down 1 “Caveat: Realism, Reagan and Foreign Policy” memoirist 2 Rudy Giuliani or Chris Christie, for short 3 Fabulous speaker? 4 1970 hit with a spelled-out title 5 Self-satisfied 6 Hurricaneprone area, maybe

7 Up for debate 8 Candy ass? 9 Green field? 10 A host

11 Org. concerned with 9-Down 12 The early ’60s, in U.S. politics 13 Rigged for cruising 14 Bear, somewhat 20 One who tries to avoid being touched 23 Combo with strainers and jiggers 24 Insubstantial fare

25 They go to all the best spots 26 Going on and on 27 Mounted 28 ___ the Great, detective of children’s stories 29 Dish transmitters 33 Prefix with thesis

36 ___ du pays (homesickness: Fr.) 38 Stabilizer in suspensions 39 Improving, in Britspeak 40 Item in a health class demonstration 42 Consent 46 Stock holders 47 2017 Tonywinning play about 1990s diplomacy 48 Letter opener 49 Heavy-metal band with the hit albums “Out of the Cellar” and “Infestation” 50 The East 51 Keyboard instrument 52 Grandmother of Jesus 54 Down Under critter