The New York Times Crossword
Celeste Watts of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. is a retired elementary school teacher. She collaborated with Jeff Chen, a writer and professional crossword constructor, whom she calls “a gifted, patient mentor.”
ACROSS
1 After the fact, as a justification
8 Co-star of “The Golden Girls’’
17 Knock over, so to speak
20 Quaker fare
21 Go poof
22 Drop the ball
23 ILLUS_ _RA_ _ORS
25 What a third wheel might see, in brief
26 Setting for most of “Life of Pi’’
27 Tests the weight of
28 One of the Greats?
30 Oscars of the sporting world
33 Good sign for an angel
34 Intl. org. headquartered in Geneva
37 Some bad sentences
39 ACC__L__RATOR
44 Grapple, in dialect
47 Exercise too much, say
48 A as in Arles
49 LUXUR__ __ACHT
54 “____ Agnus Dei’’ (Mass phrase)
55 Peak in Turkey mentioned in both the “Iliad’’ and the “Aeneid’’
56 Runner Sebastian who once held the world record for the mile
57 What you might get from a trailer
59 Sport played at British boarding schools
60 Post production?
64 ____ mater, membrane surrounding the brain
65 Popular 90-min. show
66 ENDANGER_ _EN_ _
70 Man’s name that coincidentally is Latin for “honey’’
73 Word with small or fish
74 Weak
75 What may result in a handshake
76 Help to one’s destination
82 The Blue Jays, on scoreboards
83 Comeback to a challenge of authority
84 Bitter
85 CONFIG__ __ATION
90 Actor Somerhalder
91 Most in the style of comedian Steven Wright
92 Unfocused
93 POI__T OF __IEW
100 Go all out
101 French fashion inits.
102 “Kinda sorta’’
103 Pan-cook, in a way
107 Supermodel Bündchen
109 Pepá ____ (cartoon skunk)
111 Drop off
112 Admit (to)
113 _ _OTIC_ _
120 Hit the weed?
121 Have guests over
122 Guest, e.g.
123 Place full of guests
124 Start of a seasonal request
125 Some kitchen utensils
DOWN
1 Entourage
2 Hall’s partner in pop
3 Part of a thong
4 “OK, you can stop the story right there’’
5 Old-fashioned “cool’’
6 One might speak under it
7 Co-star of Kline in “A Fish Called Wanda’’
8 Start of a compilation heading
9 Times for some vigils
10 Letters on many towers
11 Busy mo. for C.P.A.S
12 Go bad
13 Three-sport event, for short
14 A chest often has a large one
15 States
16 Recharge
17 Photocopy, e.g.
18 It’s the law!
19 Item said to have been burned in protest, once
24 Musical prefix with beat
29 Memphis-to-nashville dir.
31 Emphatic assent
32 Lively dance genre
34 Hone
35 Contract details
36 Beehive State city
38 Aerodynamic
40 Bishop’s jurisdiction
41 Antagonist
42 Hotel-room staples
43 Top-notch
44 Booties
45 Playwright Chekhov
46 Garbage
50 Drink similar to a slushie
51 About 460 inches of rain per year, on Kauai’s Mt. Waialeale
52 HBO satire starring Julia Louis-dreyfus
53 ____ bar
54 Org. that takes the lead on lead?
58 Baby fox
60 How a flirt may act
61 Football stat: Abbr.
62 NAOH
63 Radio broadcaster: Abbr.
66 Legislation that was part of F.D.R.’S New Deal
67 Ethnic group of Rwanda and Burundi
68 Two, for four
69 Coin with
12 stars
70 “Zoom-zoom’’ sloganeer
71 Hollywood composer Bernstein with
14 Oscar nominations
72 Guarded
73 Like pets and parking meters
75 _ _ _ _ Slam (tennis feat)
76 Julius Caesar’s first name
77 Words of hopelessness
78 Mature naturally, in a way
79 ____ Writers’ Workshop
80 Electronic Hasbro toy
81 One side of the coin
83 Arias, typically
86 Scottish folk dance
87 Alternative explanation for a lucky guess, in brief
88 Ear: Prefix
89 Letters on some badges
94 “Stillmatic’’ rapper
95 Seen
96 Kind of skate
97 Brown shade
98 Kids’ observation game
99 Hit musical with an “Emerald City Sequence’’
104 Yoke
105 HP product
106 Narrowly beats (out)
108 Singer James
109 Drink for un bábá
110 A full moon will do this
112 Life force, in China
114 ____ Majesty
115 Hosp. areas
116 The Jazz, on scoreboards
117 Brown shade
118 Things for happy campers?
119 Picky person’s pick?