PEST CONTROL
Christina Iverson, of Ames, Iowa, is a crossword constructor with two young children. She has been making puzzles for The Times since 2019. Christina says she aims to make puzzles that are fun and accessible. ‘‘I try my hardest to stay away from obscure language — and squeeze in dad jokes whenever I can.’’ This is her fourth Sunday and 10th crossword overall for the paper. — W.S.
ACROSS
1 Appoint
7 People of the
Southwest
13 Wishy-washy
response 19 Had the opportunity
to, casually
20 Entertainment with a
private audience?
21 Malice, more formally 22 One wearing chap stick, perhaps
24 Be up against 25 Poker variety similar
to Texas Hold ’em
26 Counterpart of ‘‘Thx’’
27 Saves for later, in a
way
29 Ploy
30 Lost
32 Antarctic coordinate 35 ‘‘A man has cause for ____ only when he sows and no one reaps’’: Charles Goodyear
38 Bit of tinder
41 First side to vote
42 ____ course
43 New York City transport stopping at Kennedy Airport 46 Beginning stage 47 Prefix with thermal 50 There might be a
catch with this
51 Blouse and broach, perhaps 54 Wet bar?
55 Form of nepotism,
symbolically
57 Herd member
58 Sauce
59 Place, as ceramic tiles
60 Like autumn air
62 Person helping with a
delivery
63 Word before film and
after clip
65 It has many beet and beef options
70 ‘‘____ Trois Petits Cochons’’ (French fable)
71 Sport at the Special
Olympics
73 G.I. ____
74 Calling
76 Not be able to stand
77 Ending with invent
78 War and peace, in
‘‘War and Peace’’
83 Like most dorms
nowadays
84 Tickled
87 Focus of modern
mining
88 ‘‘____ be an honor!’’
89 They can be graphic
90 Surround, as with
light 91 Considerations for
N.C.A.A. eligibility 92 ____ Wintour, longtime Vogue editor in chief
93 Spring locales
94 Takes by force
96 Pop fly
100 Some family
babysitters
102 Match
103 Sarge’s boss
105 A-number-one
106 The Venetian way? 110 Alternative to Dropbox
113 Gradually fix something. . . . or what to do to understand this puzzle’s italicized clues?
116 Briefly, e.g.
117 What’s used to catch
some waves
118 Supreme Egyptian
god
119 Bum out
120 Famous cryptid, familiarly
121 Intimates
DOWN
1 Number of sides on a
sign reading ‘‘ALTO’’
2 Space
3 ____ mater (brain
cover)
4 Politico-turned-TV-host
5 Form thoughts
6 Catch
7 Seeks a favor, say
8 ____ favor
9 Working hard
10 Java activity
11 Product from un ave
12 Boo-boo
13 Texter’s qualifier
14 One might be put
through the wringer
15 Geek Squad members,
e.g.
16 ‘‘I can thrill you more than any ____ could ever dare try’’ (‘‘Thriller’’ lyric) 17 ‘‘The Glass Bead
Game’’ author, 1943
18 Pecan or peach
20 Sch. where a live bear used to take the field during football games
23 Echo, perhaps
28 Pimple look-alikes
31 It usually works in
corners
33 ‘‘Catch!’’
34 Baker’s Joy
alternative 35 Record speeds, for
short
36 Adams of New York
City politics
37 Antelope, say
38 Parable or allegory
39 Devices with
Nunchuks
40 Business
newsmagazine
44 ‘‘For shame!’’
45 Slugging stat
46 Member of the inn
crowd?
47 Approach for directions
48 Onetime collaborator with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre
49 Some sports
tournaments
52 Big name in women’s
hair and skin care
53 Boo-boo
54 Word with story or
sister
56 Economist/author
Emily
58 Screw up
60 Relative of a club, for
short
61 Place for boarding
63 You can count on
them 64 Member of the
modern work force
66 Great Lakes natives
67 Kind of bean
68 Taiwanese
electronics giant
69 ‘‘I’m about to tell you
something shocking’’ 72 Haddock relative 75 Doesn’t put it all on
one pony
78 Suvari of ‘‘American
Beauty’’
79 Sounds heard in
93-Across 80 Destructive 2021
hurricane 81 Nouveau-Mexique,
e.g.
82 Lip or cheek
84 Put over the moon
85 One hanging around
Queen Elizabeth?
86 With it, in old slang
89 ‘‘Snowpiercer’’ airer
92 Sporting a certain
natural style 93 Avoids 95 Tortoise’s challenge to
the hare
96 Nickname for the
French Alexandre 97 No longer squeaky
(one hopes!)
98 John Wayne, by birth
99 Who ran against George Washington for president
100 ‘‘____ chance!’’
101 Letters that
complete this word: __P__ROPRIA__E 102 Snaps
104 Squeezes (out)
105 Good thing to be in
107 Letters on dreidels
108 Taj Mahal’s home
109 Exam that once required fingerprint identification, for short
111 Exercise
112 Animal house
114 Demon of Japanese folklore
115 Folklore villain