NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD
A TALE OF MANY CITIES By Kevin G. Der/ Edited by Will Shortz When this puzzle is completed, the circled letters will form a path (starting in the shaded circle) spelling out the puzzle’s theme. Each long Down answer contains a hidden city, reading in order from top to bottom, not necessarily consecutively. The location of the city, and its number of letters, are indicated.
ACROSS
1 Exactly 5 Obama vis-à-vis Columbia 9 Deg. from Columbia 12 Much-anticipated nights out 20 Company with a fleet 22 Prefix with watt 23 Window shopper’s cry 24 Like the roots of democracy 25 Mario’s brother, in gaming 26 Breeding ground 28 Eventually became 29 Relative of a kite 30 Proofer’s mark 32 “O, never say that I was false of heart …,” e.g. 34 “Not only that …” 35 Used a pouffe 36 Language whose own name is represented as ??????? 37 Once, old-style 38 Competitor of PetroCanada 40 Laura who wrote and sang “Wedding Bell Blues” 44 Join 46 “That’s a ____” 48 Stuck in a mess? 50 “Ain’t gonna happen” 52 Heart 54 Imminent 56 Local theater, slangily 58 Ones in an annual hunt 60 Ulan-____ (capital of a Russian republic) 61 Vehicle with a folding top 62 Suffix with stink 63 Fulda tributary 64 Jack’s partner 65 Cousins 66 Goes for the gold? 67 Not quite right 69 Alternative to metal 70 Goddess in “The Tempest” 71 Win at auction, say 72 Warrior in the “Discworld” fantasy books 73 Small force 74 Form a coalition 76 Jokesters 77 Personnel list 78 ____ chi ch’uan 79 Travelers at the speed of light 80 Former Jets coach Ewbank 81 Tavern menu heading 82 One with a stiff upper lip? 83 Speed-skating champion Kramer 85 Captain’s spot 87 Kind of adapter 89 Act the rat 91 It’s folded before a meal 93 Dodge Aries, e.g. 95 “Walk ____” (1964 hit) 97 Red Rock dweller 99 Magazine mogul, familiarly 102 “Pretty Maids All in ____” 103 The sun’s “10th planet,” once 104 Half of a Senate vote 105 “This looks bad” 106 Singer ____ Rose 107 Barber’s supply 108 Routine response? 109 Kyrgyz province 110 Trite 112 Needle holder 113 ____ Paradise of “On the Road” 114 Was bankrupt, say 115 Blue shade 117 Stupefy 118 Like some missed pitches 119 Stupefy 120 Baritone in “The Mikado” 121 Dyspepsia reliever 122 All at the start? 123 Home of the Big 12’s Cyclones 124 One who’s behind 126 Solomonic 128 ____ colada 130 Plantation machines 132 Holes in Swiss cheese 133 Grasps 135 “The Night Circus” author Morgenstern 137 Chicago mayor Emanuel 139 Yamaha Grizzly, e.g., for short 142 Trunk part 144 Pond or sand trap 146 One of the Jackson 5 147 “____-haw!” 148 Long-running event? 152 “Et voilà!” 154 One following an order 156 Countermanded 157 Verdi’s “____ tu” 158 Power-play result, often 159 Pope’s vestment 160 They’re blown at some weddings 161 Yahoo! alternative 162 Do a body scan? 163 Meanie
DOWN
1 With 141-Down, author whose work is the basis of this puzzle’s theme 2 Shipmate of Spock 3 Brooklyn Heights school [U.S.; 3,9] 4 Yank 5 En route, as a tanker 6 Relaxing [U.K.; 6] 7 Host of the first World Cup, 1930: Abbr. 8 Michael of “Reservoir Dogs” 9 Spooky sounds 10 1988 Bon Jovi hit [India; 6] 11 Words said with a sigh 12 Witchy woman 13 Others, in Oaxaca 14 1996 Geena Davis thriller [China; 4,4] 15 Mountain ____ (soft drinks) 16 What chemists find attractive? 17 Cookie holder 18 “Dig in!” 19 ____-Cat 21 Leans 27 As an example 31 PBS craft show for 21 seasons [U.S.; 3,4] 33 Sci-fi narcotic 39 Military trial for a misdemeanor [India; 8] 41 “Get it?” [Japan; 8] 42 Send off 43 Popular party feature 45 Often-illegal turns, informally 47 “Hmm, gotcha” 49 Wolfe of mystery 51 Sugar suffixes 52 Benjamin 53 Mitchell heroine 55 Firehouse catching fire, e.g. 57 “Someone Like You” singer, 2011 59 Overdo it at dinner 68 Two-masted craft 73 Dr. of hip-hop 75 Ones pressed into service in the kitchen? [Egypt; 4] 76 Spitball, e.g. 77 Mens ____ (legal term) 84 Asseverate 86 Ambulance destinations, for short 88 Anatomical sac 90 Book before Esth. 91 Event often in a front yard 92 Passage between buildings 94 Stream 96 ____ Tate, onetime English poet laureate 98 Secretariat’s org. 100 Send off 101 Pilots 108 One-liner, e.g. 109 Stable bagful 111 Gets broadcast 112 McGregor of “Big Fish” 116 Dream 125 A neighbor 127 “Kind of” ending 129 Rainbow color 131 “Ta-ta” 134 Lyric poem 136 Eager, informally 138 Overflow seating area 140 “Coffee, ____ Me?” 141 See 1-Down 143 Longfellow bell town 145 “Um, pardon …” 148 Rabble 149 A.I. woman in 2015’s “Ex Machina” 150 Std. 151 Old game console inits. 153 Dress (up) 155 1990s Indian P.M.