NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Alex Bajcz, of Morris Plains, N.J., is an assistant professor of biology and environmental science at Drew University. He studies how and why plants produce fruits — he says he’s one of the few biologists who get to eat his research. The name Bajcz is Hungarian. Since that’s difficult for American tongues, his family pronounces it ‘‘badges.’’ This is Alex’s sixth Times crossword and second Sunday. — W.S.

ACROSS

1 What a deadline increases 9 Dental brand 14 Neaten (up) 19 Jet routes 20 First name in flying history 21 ‘‘____ the Doughnut,’’ children’s book series 22 Classic saying originated by John Donne 24 Like oxfords, but not slippers 25 Really put one’s foot down 26 Shaded

27 ____ O’s (breakfast cereal) 28 Love, love, love 29 Population grouping, informally 31 Aid for making a tiki-bar cocktail 34 Isn’t attending solo, say 38 Bouncer’s requests, for short 39 Beethoven title woman (whose identity is unknown) 40 Supreme Egyptian deity 41 Standing on the street 44 Carpenter ____ 45 Pin number? 48 ‘‘Glad to have you back, dear!’’ 52 Actor/TV host Joel

55 To take this, paradoxically, might signify taking a stand 56 Wedding exchange 57 The D-backs, on scoreboards 58 Quack doctor’s offering 59 London neighborhood west of Covent Garden 62 Most expensive block 64 Kirghizia or Byelorussia: Abbr. 67 Quick hit 69 Word in the Declaration of Independence but not the Constitution 70 ____ Rachel Wood of ‘‘Westworld’’ 71 ‘‘Can’t you ____?’’ 72 Post-interruption question 75 Plant used in making biofuel 77 ____ Schomburg, Harlem Renaissance figure 78 Haiti’s ____ de la Tortue 79 Like some coffee and sprains 82 Heedless 86 ‘‘Fantabulous!’’ 87 First ruler of a united Hawaii 91 Boot attachment 92 ____ Pre√ 94 Loan option, briefly

95 Like a narrow baseball win 96 Fixture whose name translates to ‘‘small horse’’ 99 Result of the ’64 Clay/Liston fight 101 Hitting the ground heavily 103 Relatively light foundry product 108 Wash. neighbor 109 Lavishes affection (on) 110 Super-quality 111 ‘‘This one’s all mine!’’

113 Like about 97 percent of U.S. land

117 Oscar ____, 1987 Peace Nobelist from Costa Rica 118 Potful in some Italian kitchens 121 Given (to) 122 Stock-exchange worker 123 Makes Don nod? 124 Things that can be closed with a zip

125 Brains 126 Least spicy

DOWN

1 Trashes

2 ____ shield

3 Bombeck who wrote ‘‘At Wit’s End’’ 4 Participates in a mosh pit

5 Los Angeles port district 6 Sea urchin, at a sushi bar

7 Took another take 8 Isaac’s firstborn 9 Meditation sounds 10 Click the circular arrow button, say 11 Aids for sleepyheads 12 Top part of an I.R.S. form 13 Red morning sky, to sailors 14 Part of an Italian sub 15 Some pricey handbags 16 Things Wyoming and Nevada lack 17 Guy who hosts ‘‘Diners, DriveIns and Dives’’ 18 Overnighting option

20 It’s been performed more than 1,000 times at the Met 23 Kan. neighbor 30 Title for a lady 32 Be outta sight? 33 Alice in Chains genre 34 Atlanta hoopster 35 Repeated word in Hozier’s 2014 hit ‘‘Take Me to Church’’ 36 Base of an arch 37 Video call annoyance 42 Falling-out 43 Mammal’s head and heart? 44 ‘‘Pokémon’’ cartoon genre 46 High-ranking

47 Chutzpah 49 Call to mind 50 Like Parmesan and pecorino 51 ‘‘You do it ____ will’’

53 Stick (to) 54 That guy 60 Cheriofold ‘‘S.N.L.’’ 61 ‘‘With what frequency?’’ 62 ‘‘The Masque of the Red Death’’ writer 63 Duck

64 Tries for a fly 65 Film character who says ‘‘That’ll do, Donkey. That’ll do’’

66 Payback 68 Christensen of ‘‘Parenthood’’ 69 Grammy winner Stefani 73 Classic work by Karel Capek 74 Whitney for whom a Connecticut museum is named 76 Certain security officer

79 Prez No. 34 80 Quick pick-me-up? 81 Send forth 83 Atmospheric prefix 84 Ostracize

85 Be left undecided

88 Watered-down rum 89 Common lecture length 90 Giant in fairy tales? 93 Queen Anne’s royal family 97 ‘‘Let me clarify . . . ’’ 98 Trashes 99 Yellow-brick- road traveler 100 Folds and stretches 102 Backpacker’s lodging 103 Make lemonade from lemons, so to speak

104 Peter of ‘‘Casablanca’’ 105 ‘‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’’ co-star 106 Wood stain has a strong one 107 Tiny ____ 112 Hurtful remark 114 Ploy 115 Pocket rockets, in poker

116 In the event that 119 Symbol on a Junction Ahead sign 120 Future zygotes