The New York Times Crossword

Katie Hale, originally from Houston, is a stay-at-home mom in London. She and a friend run the Reading Network, which finds homes for used children’s books. A lifelong devotee of crosswords and sports, she set out to make a sports-themed puzzle that would be accessible to non-sports fans.

ACROSS

1 One known as “the Alive, the Eternal’’ 6 Checkout option 11 Org. featured in 2011’s “Contagion’’ 14 Tiff 18 ____ Rose, Catherine O’Hara’s character on “Schitt’s Creek’’ 19 Chevron subsidiary 20 Language in the Tai family 21 Kind of skirt 22 Your ex’s new date whom you just can’t stand? 25 Tabloid twosome 26 Lose sleep (over) 27 Off 28 “Su-u-ure’’ 29 Half of a legal warning 30 There are 24 in a cuboctahedron 32 Make a big stink 34 Kegels, e.g.? 39 Getting up there 42 Poet Rainer Maria ____ 43 “____ yourself’’ 44 First winner of the Nebula Award for best science fiction novel (1965) 46 It’s just passing 47 Therapists’ org. 48 Director Craven 51 First square of a crossword? 55 Walking the dog, for instance 58 One might bend over backward 59 Who actually lives in Lapland, some say 60 Accord maker 61 Author of 29 Federalist Papers 64 Laugh and a half 65 Playwright who wrote, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything’’ 68 “I’ll be your waiter tonight,’’ e.g.? 70 Raison d’____ 71 Do a certain developer’s job 72 Something a mover or a movie might have 73 Threesome 75 The “B’’ in its name stands for “brush’’ 77 Oldest independent state in the Arab world 78 Genre for “Booksmart’’ and “Clueless’’ 82 Conspiracy theory so wild that it can’t be aired? 86 Trident look-alike 87 ____ jam 88 Small bird 89 “I did it!’’ 90 Southern cooking staple 92 Things you can crack without damaging them 94 Affix with a click 96 Plan to leave at a very specific evening time? 100 Orangish shade 103 Fill with joy 104 Stirs up 106 Doctor Zhivago 107 Where subs are standard 109 Semiaquatic creature 113 Missing 114 Blackjack dealer? 117 Niche mag 118 Stick (out) 119 Product that increases volume 120 “Moonlight’’ actress Janelle 121 Joie de vivre 122 One doing inside work 123 Chain whose name derives from its founders, the Raffel brothers 124 Orchard products

DOWN

1 Book before Obadiah 2 Converted apartment, perhaps 3 “That’s ____’’ 4 Question after an argument has died down 5 Solo traveling in space 6 Crafts 7 Frequent subjects of Taylor Swift songs 8 Measures, in music 9 Word that can precede or follow pack 10 Actor Menzies who won an Emmy for “The Crown’’ 11 Fills (in) 12 One hell of a writer? 13 One way for packages to arrive, in brief 14 Protect 15 “Quiet!’’ rudely 16 Lager alternatives 17 Subdued 19 “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking’’ brand 23 Herb used in smudging rites 24 Theater award 29 Stars 31 Approached 32 Actress Moreno 33 ____ Kong 34 Melee 35 Abdominal procedure, for short 36 Skin-care brand 37 Dry biscuit used as baby food 38 Op. ____ (footnote abbr.) 40 Any slice of pizza, geometrically 41 Greek goddess associated with witchcraft 44 Archaeologist’s workplace 45 Workers’ advocate, informally 49 Young partner? 50 Back way, often 52 Winona of “Stranger Things’’ 53 Work, work, work 54 Texas border city 56 “C’est la vie’’ 57 “Ay’’ follower 61 “Now We Are Six’’ author 62 Crush, as a test 63 German denials 65 Members of a certain den 66 Enter without permission 67 A wood frog’s ability to freeze itself in winter and an octopus’s ability to change color, for two 69 Vaccine holder 74 In with 76 Props for majorettes 78 Bird with an annual 18,000mile round-trip migration 79 Instrument that’s a homophone of 69-Down 80 Crucifix inscription inits. 81 ____ New York (Brooklyn neighborhood) 83 2020 Democratic also-ran 84 It’s nada to Nadal 85 Actor/comedian Barinholtz 91 Dieted 93 Summer shoe style 95 Bed of straw 96 Who’s talking on the phone? 97 Personality that’s hard to read 98 Pass over, in a way 99 Mathematician John Forbes _ _ _ _ Jr. 101 Visually evaluate 102 Out of practice 104 Boo-oo-oo, say 105 Boo-boo 107 Smear 108 Site for some creative entrepreneurs 110 What Vulcan’s forge lay underneath, in myth 111 Sport 112 “____ chic!’’ 114 Party people, for short? 115 Repeated word in the U.S. postal creed 116 Rapscallion