The New York Times Crossword Puzzle: Some Light Reading

ACROSS

1 “In a word ... awful!” 7 Range of light that’s invisible to the human eye

12 —

20 Brand in the frozenfoods 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 muchpublicized 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