The New York Times Crossword
SOME LIGHT READING By Jeremy Newton / Edited by Will Shortz
Jeremy Newton of Austin, Texas, is a software engineer who makes mobile games. The idea for this puzzle occurred to him last fall while he was stopped at a traffic light.
ACROSS
1 “In a word ... awful!’’ 7 Range of light that’s invisible to the human eye 12 —
20 Brand in the frozen-foods aisle
21 Called to Bo-Peep
22 “You and me both’’ 23 Strong breath fresheners 24 —
25 Like one of Michael Jackson’s hands when performing
26 Exams for top H.S. students 28 Alternative to J.F.K. 29 Skedaddles 30 Reviews negatively 31 Usual
32 Stage set?
35 Nathan who said, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country’’ 36 Locks that have been changed 39 Inapplicable stat for electric cars
40 Mark Twain, religiously 41 Some art supplies 42 Label on some jars
44 Hon
45 John Hancock, famously 48 Reef predators
49 Beast slain by Hercules in his fourth labor 50 Three-pronged letter 53 Boatloads
54 Jessica of TV’s “Candy’’ 55 Treacherous places to land for eagles?
57 “Mazel ____!’’ 58 Moolah
60 Cocktail with an energy boost
61 —
62 Seedy bar
63 Listed, obsolescently
64 —
65 Tennis pro Nastase, the first athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Nike 66 Washington, with “the’’
67 —
68 Hunts, with “on’’
69 Hot ____ (speaker’s worry)
70 Brushes are dipped in them 72 Small knocks 73 See-through piece
74 It’s observed at LAX during part of the year
75 Cross one’s fingers 76 Nickname for Chloe 77 Portland native, e.g. 79 What a raised hand might mean 80 Avid war campaigner 81 [What a snoozefest!] 82 Car in the Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun’’ 84 Sweater fuzz, e.g.
85 It can be detected using the “bite test’’ or “vinegar test’’
89 Noted slacking speedster 90 Not stay undefeated 93 Certain spa treatment 95 Trim
96 1988 No. 1 country album named for its singer 97 Roman god often depicted with a radiant crown 98 Zenned out 101 Two-player board game with spies and bombs 103 Bust midcrime
105 —
106 Lover of psychedelics, informally
107 Words to a silly goose 108 Putting on the heat? 109 Mascot who made his Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 2017
110 —
111 Cinq x six
DOWN
1 Hawkeye
2 Stand for a photograph 3 Guard
4 “Oh, shove it!’’
5 Fruity refreshments 6 What nervous eyes might do
7 Big name in cloud computing
8 Roofer’s power tool 9 Gargoyles are often depicted with them 10 Draw upon again 11 Sponsored content, essentially 12 Twisting on an axis 13 Some ice cream purchases 14 Heart charts, in brief 15 Cartoon frame 16 There’s a 4.75 percent chance of getting this in poker
17 Tesla and Edison, famously 18 Early online discussion forum
19 Pharma supplies
27 Lose its spark, as a relationship 29 Temporary solutions 33 Opening words?
34 Little troublemakers 35 Thrilling
37 “That’s a touchy subject’’ 38 Move hurriedly 40 Utterly, in slang 42 Giggle
43 “It’s my turn’’ [or] Comment after rambling on 44 Equus africanus asinus, more familiarly 45 Marijuana strains said to be more invigorating 46 “How marvelous!’’ 47 Wield authority 48 Lucky numbers in Chinese culture
49 Stars of the Wild West 50 Film critic Kael 51 Someone sequencing DNA, e.g.
52 Vacation getaway 54 Lighter fluid
55 Reach, as new heights 56 Baseball slugger, informally
58 Lack of harmony 59 Ready to watch later 60 Major political announcement before a convention, informally 62 Actor in a much-publicized 2022 defamation case
71 —
72 —
73 —
76 Place for a lighthouse 77 Pull off the road for gas or snacks, say
78 Blow away 79 Book some wedding entertainment
80 Tries
81 Starchy vegetable
82 Kind of roof for a tiki bar 83 Peter Pan’s creator 84 Opposite of a superstar 85 Avenger who stepped into the role of Captain America 86 Invitation on a wrapped gift
87 Preamble
88 Clothed, so to speak 90 Paper size 91 Japanese brew 92 Prankster’s smug shout 94 One might be right outside your window 95 Junior’s hurdle 96 Stagger about
99 “Copy ____’’ 100 Surname of the “Incredibles’’ superhero family 102 Nonetheless, poetically 103 Lowly worker, so to speak 104 Yell before a snap