The New York Times Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

1 Hero of Philadelphia 7 IG-11 on “The Mandalorian,” e.g. 12 Stereotypically arcane subject 14 Wry comment on a sorry situation 15 Decline

16 One temporarily donning a cap 17 Spent 18 Decked out 19 “Between the World and Me” author, 2015 21 Frequently flooded land 22 Team that infamously blew a 28-3 Super Bowl lead they had late in the third quarter: Abbr. 23 Doctor’s office, maybe 24 Piece of the pie? 26 Standard of comparison 28 Lock holder? 29 Sharp feeling 30 Smear 31 Shell, maybe 34 Little ball of fur 38 ___ change 39 Makes clean … or less clean 40 Rigmarole 41 Buck, boomer, jack, flyer or jill, informally 42 One might carry a torch

44 Like some brows and berets

45 Longtime Sacha Baron Cohen persona

47 Was on 48 Turns over

49 Bit of encouragement for someone’s success 52 “Decision time!” 53 Spike in activity on a sports field? 54 Absolutely trounced

DOWN

1 Dog … or a type of dog

2 Dos y dos y dos y dos 3 America’s first historically Black sorority, in brief

4 Set the wheels in motion 5 Continuously improve, in tech-speak 6 Subject of a family feud, maybe 7 Lead-in to belief 8 Certain mouthpiece attachment 9 Not with “them” 10 Frosty air? 11 De-frosting? 12 Queens, e.g. 13 Lines in an application? 14 Setting of a 1945 conference 15 Natural cover 19 Holding up the line for? 20 Workers with talent 23 Angles 25 Color that comes from the Latin for “red”

27 Earth-shattering 28 Glossy alternative 30 Makes out 31 Material that artists get all fired up about? 32 Amphibian that Ogden Nash once rhymed with “bottle” 33 “Little Women” actress Ronan 34 Milan ___, author of 1984’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” 35 Openness 36 Parting word 37 Little ’uns 39 Singing style with AfricanAmerican roots

43 Say “Ta-da!,” say 44 Excited, with “up” 46 Actress Rowlands 48 Natural recess 50 Many a 31-Down piece

51 Banh ___ (sticky rice cake)