The New York Times Crossword
TODAY: GIVE ME A BREAK!(0326)
Robert Ryan of London is an economist for Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority. He grew up in Ireland, where he used to sit on his father’s knee and ‘‘help’’ him solve the cryptic crossword in the back of a television guide. He subscribed to The New York Times in 2020 for its election coverage and soon got hooked on the crossword, which he now does every day. This is Robert’s first puzzle for the paper. — W. S.
ACROSS
1 Texas terminus of
I-35 7 Place for a plug 14 Sport coached by
Ted Lasso 20 Relative of a June
bug 21 Animal farm facility 22 Shining intensely
23 Zone out?
25 Milton who designed the ‘‘I ❤ NY’’ logo 26 Off 27 A handful 29 Channel for watching N.C.A.A. games
30 Aid for a novice
guitarist
33 Fool, from the
Yiddish
34 Beginner’s edition? 37 Home of Bahla
Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 39 German article 40 Certain vaccine
target
41 Big mouths
42 Fairy look-alike
44 God who lent his name to a weekday
45 Bruce Wayne in the Batman comics, e.g. 47 Seat at the dining
table?
50 Meds often come
in them, for short 51 Identifying
statement
54 Real name that becomes a fake one by changing its first letter 55 Tranquil state of
mind
56 Character at the center of ‘‘Dunkirk’’? 57 Without holding
back
58 Kicked out of
school, say
60 Atop
62 Beverage that can be served hinata-kan (‘‘sunbathed’’) 63 Beauty that runs in the family? 66 Family member
71 Brazilian currency 72 Price of ignorance,
so to speak
78 Like much baby
food
79 U.S. agcy. originally set up to fund war expenses
80 Words of praise 81 ‘‘Psycho’’ mother 82 Search blindly (for) 83 Some significant
others, for short 84 Boys’ club? 87 Shape of a certain
bean
89 Expose
90 Bounded
91 Result of some
bargaining 93 Words to a pet at
the door
95 Dollop
97 Greasy garage job 98 Swindle by instant
messaging? 100 Reproductive cell 102 Something to aim for on a golf course
103 Irish name meaning ‘‘lover of hounds’’
104 Toronado or
Cutlass, informally 105 Pointed at, say 107 Tone deafness,
medically
109 Use a family crypt? 115 Like Halley’s comet every 75 or so years
116 Not tell a soul 117 House floor
manager?
118 Formal
119 Adventure-seeking travelers, in old usage
120 Polynesian
language
DOWN
1 Supposed
influence on Pink Floyd’s ‘‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’’
2 One in the hand? 3 Knock
4 The ____ Tour (2023 Taylor Swift concert series that broke Ticketmaster) 5 ‘‘Pride and Prejudice’’ surname 6 Becomes unduly
prominent
7 Forty winks
8 When said three times, mantra for some accused 9 Completed
collection 10 Conspicuous kissing, e.g., for short
11 Like some casts 12 Orange and peach,
for example 13 Word has it! 14 Droop
15 One giving creepy
looks
16 Yearbook signers 17 World’s largest inland body of water
18 Thus far, poetically 19 You might see them now and again
24 Fortune 500 company whose logo is a blue infinity symbol 28 Wisconsin politico
Tony
30 Cornhole attempts 31 Lab vial
32 Long, narrow piece
of jewelry
34 ‘‘If u ask me . . . ’’ 35 He can be found
above it 36 Particularly: Abbr.
38 Pester with little
bites 43 ‘‘Rubbish!’’ 44 Food container 46 Jazz great Al 48 Third-largest city of
Turkey
49 It comes after nine
but not after 10 50 Flowing tresses 52 Subject of D.C.’s Stone of Hope memorial
53 Word before tooth
or candy 56 Chancellor who oversaw Germany’s reunification 57 Centers of
attention
59 Gave a thumbs-up 60 Exploits 61 Organizer of a
school field day, for short 62 Extra-crisp,
informally
64 Goofs up
65 Sea change? 66 Dealership stat 67 The ‘‘Noster’’ in
‘‘Pater Noster’’ 68 Rhinoplasty target,
maybe
69 Some vintage
photo tints
70 Got started, with
‘‘off’’
73 At some point 74 Come to
75 Cause to stumble 76 It divides and
multiplies
77 Friend of Buffy on ‘‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’
79 ‘‘So to speak’’ 80 Shout heard in the
Plaza México 83 ____ box (lunch
option) 84 Long-handled
hammer 85 Affectedly creative 86 Pink Floyd’s lightrefracting prism, for one iconic example
88 Cancel
89 Reinforce 91 Predecessor of a
USB drive
92 Like a screw after being turned counterclockwise 94 Gilda of the original
‘‘S.N.L.’’ cast 95 Clay figures in
Jewish lore 96 Like the Toyota
logo
99 People of western
New York
101 ‘‘Same’’
105 More than just a
sec?
106 One-named singer with the 1961 No. 1 hit ‘‘Runaround Sue’’
108 Word with where and how, but not usually why 110 Org. established by
111-Down 111 Prez who established the 110-Down 112 Initial shock? 113 Suns setting, for
short
114 Japanese honorific