The New York Times Crossword

ACROSS

1 The challengers

5 Sailor’s quaff

9 Presidential perk until 1977

14 Speck

15 Roof feature

16 Jibe

17 Roald who wrote “James and the Giant Peach”

18 Sea nymphs, in Greek mythology

20 Like Edward Snowden

22 Tear in two

23 Rank for Jay Landsman on “The Wire”: abbr.

24 Munch Museum city

25 Gives comfort

27 Generation ___

29 Had by heart

32 1,000 in a metric ton

33 Certain operating system

35 Check closely

37 Gobble down

39 Muckraker Tarbell

40 An American abroad

44 Like Brutalist architecture

47 Top-notch

48 Utah’s ___ Canyon

50 Annual Austin festival, for short

52 Prince George, to Prince William

53 Like a dog on a walk, usually

55 Haul

57 Tuna type 58 Nonhumanities subjects, for short

60 Immature

63 Vain queen who boasted that she was more beautiful than 18-Across

66 Object of worship

67 “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” musical

68 Actor Epps

69 Chasers in many a chase scene

70 Mails

71 Upscale

72 Place to play musical spoons

DOWN

1 It ebbs and flows

2 Hoodwink

3 Where 63-Across ruled prior to her banishment

4 Locales for many food courts

5 Finish

6 “Go, team!” 7 Finished

8 Big factor in longevity

9 Football field marking

10 Mature

11 Shortening brand

12 Garden dividers

13 Lab work

19 Long, thin mushroom

21 Herd at Yellowstone

26 “She” responds to voice commands

27 Director Van Sant

28 Writer Beattie

30 One end of a maze

31 Moves like a heron

34 Checks for a fracture, perhaps

36 “Das Kapital” author

38 Purplish-red flowers

41 God who banished 63-Across to the sky, as depicted by the constellation formed by the X’s in this puzzle’s finished grid

42 Year abroad

43 Base ___

45 Handle

46 Where a river meets the sea

48 Sit quietly, perhaps 49 Cereal fruit

51 Took gold

53 Gets ready to play hockey, with “up”

54 Train stop

56 Guessing a number an audience member has thought of, e.g.

59 Office note

61 Alexander who wrote “The Dunciad”

62 Besides

64 Norm: abbr.

65 English novelist McEwan