NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Stephen McCarthy, originally from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is a Ph.D. student in Stockholm studying transportation modeling. This is his third Sunday Times crossword and his fourth Times puzzle overall. There is a little trick to this one, and your solution may not match everyone else’s. The middle part of the grid, Stephen says, was the most challenging to construct. — W.S.
ACROSS
1 Goal for many a T.A.
4 There’s a Winter one in St. Petersburg and a Summer one in Beijing
10 Confront
16 QVC alternative
19 Grande preceder
20 Many a videogame player has one
21 Hebrew name of God
22 Major N.Y.S.E. events
24 Vainglory
25 Good side in
70-Across
27 Reid of ‘‘Sharknado’’
28 Grade-school basics
30 Scoundrel
31 Points all around?
32 Celsius of the Celsius scale
33 Director Nicolas 35 Good cheer
37 People to pick from
38 Major role in
70-Across
41 Smartphone forerunners, in brief
42 ‘‘____ kingdom come...’’
43 Big stretch
44 Bluish-gray shade
46 Mobile ____
48 Time might be shown on the side of one
50 Score of 8, in golf slang
52 Events where one person’s trash may be another person’s treasure
56 Pull back (in)
59 Capital-B Belief
61 Family name on TV’s ‘‘Succession’’
62 Vote in favor
63 Prefix with futurism
64 Outback offering
65 Locale of the 2002 and 2022 World Cups
67 Long-term damage
68 Some copywriting awards
69 The volcano Emi Koussi is its highest point
70 The better of two major sci-fi film franchises?
72 Climb (up)
73 Gives a bad hand?
74 ‘‘But ____ counting?’’
75 Gentle hill
76 Grams, by another name
77 Voice heard by
500 million people
78 ____ Majesty
79 Not for moi?
80 Pump choice
82 Spot for a patch, perhaps
83 Begins to like
86 Regular at Citi Field
89 Small spot for a castaway
91 Ian McKellen, e.g.
92 Skin-care brand with an accent over its last letter
94 Mens ____
95 Sends a Telegram, in brief?
97 Not looking good
99 Major role in
70-Across
102 Stop at the liquor store?
103 Comforting phrase
106 Newton of the Black Panther Party
107 ‘‘____ Darko’’ (2001 cult film) 109 Distend
110 Who wrote ‘‘April is the cruellest month’’
113 Scratch-an-dsniff page, e.g.
114 Dramatic accusation
115 Good side in
70-Across
118 Misfortune
119 Cousin of a skimmer
120 ____ One
121 ‘‘Do you mind?’’
122 Brown of HBO Max’s ‘‘Gossip Girl’’ reboot
123 WaPo competitor
124 ‘‘There’s not much hope’’
125 Bumper
attachments
126 Sazerac cocktail ingredient
DOWN
1 Records in advance
2 Time for a shootout
3 Memorable quote from
70-Across
4 Apple device
5 Affirms 6 Some college classes
7 ‘‘Thanks, but I already ____’’
8 Diet Coke doesn’t have a single one: Abbr.
9 Wipes out
10 ‘‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’’ heroine
11 What’s raised in a ruckus
12 Waste of an election?
13 Confesses
14 Bad thing to be stuck in
15 On-line connection?
16 Arrive at, as a solution
17 Memorable quote from
70-Across
18 ‘‘Take your time’’
23 Audacious
26 A target for Target, say
29 It might be a shocker
31 ‘‘The Simpsons’’ character
33 Social media star Addison
34 Partner of one
36 French skin-care and cosmetics giant 38 ____ teeth (proverbial rarity)
39 Noble title
40 Follower of black or special
44 Slanders
45 Director Waititi
47 Ones involved in a transaction
49 Nutty confections
51 So-called Breakfast of Champions
53 They might end
on a high note
54 Sound of a jaguar
55 Let out, in a way
57 Some contents
of golf bags 58 Needing to butt out
60 Potato or pea
preparer
64 Albert who developed a polio vaccine
66 Leaves in a huff, with ‘‘off ’’
67 Body part that precedes ‘‘band’’
68 Innocent
69 One of the Prairie provinces: Abbr.
71 ‘‘It’s a ____!’’
72 Show of scorn
74 Question of confusion or disgust 79 Sound of a Jaguar
81 Reassuring words
83 ‘‘____ Hiring’’
(business sign)
84 Kind of card
85 The ‘‘quail’’ in Beethoven’s ‘‘Pastoral’’ Symphony
87 By plane, say
88 Obvious untruth
90 Q preceder?
93 Aloof
95 ‘‘Seems so’’
96 Like the inside
of a lava cake
98 Devices in
atomic clocks
100 Converse, e.g. 101 Rank
102 Common waitingroom viewing
104 Jeer
105 Shock treatment,
for short
107 Slobber
108 Noises that
come from pens
111 ‘‘Girls’’ creator Dunham
112 Carded, informally
113 Tabbouleh go-with
115 ‘‘Enough already!’’
116 Suffix in organic
chemistry
117 Quirk