NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD ANSWERS

Lisa Bunker, of Exeter, N.H., is the author of two novels for young readers — “Zenobia July,” about a trans girl with a troubled past starting over with a new family and school, while tackling a cybermystery; and “Felix Yz,” about a boy fused with an alien facing a risky procedure to separate them. Both were published by Viking. She also represents Exeter in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. This is Lisa’s sixth puzzle for The Times and her first Sunday. — W.S. NOTE: The gray squares in the puzzle grid contain letters.

ACROSS

1 Percussion instrument in a marching band 7 Prefix with sexual 10 Prefix with sexual 14 Animals in a pod 19 Start of a playground taunt 20 Kitchen brand with a palindromic name 21 What an article may come with? 22 Drain, as from soil

23 Fatsis who wrote ‘‘Word Freak’’ 24 Most feathery, as clouds 26 ‘‘Thong Song’’ singer, 2000 27 Sharp, in a way 28 Early tie 30 The ones over here

32 In the capacity of 33 Some Ivy Leaguers 34 Born yesterday, so to speak 36 Calm 38 Comfy slip-on, in brief 39 What an outstretched arm with an open palm can mean

41 Fleet org. 42 It means business

43 Stakes 44 Narrow 46 Group tour vehicle 49 Playground comeback 52 Build up 53 Sci-fi publisher of ‘‘Ender’s Game’’ and ‘‘The Wheel of Time’’ 54 Popular beer brand, briefly 57 With 3-Down, one of the Avengers 59 ____ smear 61 Reduced 63 Opposite of a standing order? 64 ‘‘Do me this one favor . . . ’’ 67 French vineyards 68 Prats 69 Contrariwise 71 North African capital 72 Nongendered, as language: Abbr.

73 Sui ____ 74 Kind of dash 76 Best Supporting Actor winner for ‘‘Dallas Buyer’s Club’’ 78 Prefix with friendly 79 Rules out? 80 West Coast beer brand, in brief 81 ‘‘____ ruled the world . . . ’’

83 :

86 Capital of Yemen 87 Kind of modern office plan 89 Smell of a rose 92 Smell of a rosé 95 ____ Fridays 96 Barrister’s deg. 97 Bench tool 99 Quibble 101 Student’s bonus points 103 Drawn-out campaigns 105 When doubled, another name for dorado 106 Call ____ night 107 Eighth letter 109 British tennis champ who invented the sweatband 111 ____ impasse 112 Guardian spirits 114 Especially 116 Soubise sauce is made from them 118 Greenish-brown 119 ____ cake (dim sum dish) 120 Suffix with social 121 ‘‘Wheel of Fortune’’ freebies 122 Sharp 123 Label for Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes 124 Latin king 125 Sea lion, for one

DOWN

1 Word with

sound or solar

2 Few

3 See 57-Across 4 Subsequent versions 5 Thurman of ‘‘Kill Bill’’ 6 Word before and after ‘‘a’’ 7 Turned on 8 Kind of symmetry 9 A pretty capable sort 10 Singer DiFranco

11 Big name in bubbly 12 Small woodland songbird 13 ‘‘Town square for the global village of tomorrow,’’ per Bill Gates 14 Jimmy of the Daily Planet

15 L. L. Bean competitor 16 Medieval helmet 17 Exonerate 18 Prime snorkeling spots 25 Like many stuffed animals 29 PX shopper 31 The Quran, for one 35 Mango Madness and Go Bananas, for two

37 Ones initiating handoffs, for short 39 Some mattresses

40 Indulgence 45 Capital of French Polynesia 47 Show again 48 Caterer’s container

50 A fine mesh this is! 51 Debussy prelude inspired by a water sprite 54 Outcast

55 Out of focus 56 Surface anew, say

57 Post production 58 Without a doubt

60 Turkish officers 62 Timid sort 63 Instrument in ‘‘O! Susannah’’ 64 They’ll be mist 65 Super Bowl of 2022

66 Place with robes and sweaters 70 Seasick sea serpent of old cartoons 71 Bank posting 73 Words after throwing a ball 75 Grams 77 Unbalance 82 Packaging list 84 ‘‘L’chaim!’’

85 (a, b), e.g. 87 Anthem contraction 88 Suit perfectly 90 France from France 91 Singer who founded Fenty Beauty 92 What ponies express? 93 Field-plowing duo

94 Poem piece 97 Notable point in geometry

98 U.N. member since 1949: Abbr. 100 Glittery decoration 102 Listing 104 Beau ____ 105 Ones with plenty of reservations 108 Blade brand 110 Days of old 113 Suffix with court or cash 115 Deli supply 117 Surveillance org.