NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

Across

1 Start of a “recuperative” word ladder ending at 73- Across 5 Pres. Jefferson 9 1000 or 2000, but not 0 13 Cookies with a Double Stuf variety 15 Part 2 of the word ladder 16 Singer Fitzgerald 17 Socially unacceptable 18 Cleveland’s lake 19 Part 3 of the word ladder 20 Morsel for an aardvark 21 Seeking victory 24 Blue Jays, on scoreboards 25 Switch ups? 26 Place to get outta, in a saying 30 How to avoid becoming 1- Across, so they say 35 60 minuti 36 ___- majesté 37 Wires for thrillseekers 39 Palindromic band name 41 “Are not!” retort 43 No. on a periodic table 44 Come together 46 ___- ho 48 Quaint lodging 49 Aid for getting 73- Across, so they say 53 Capital of Senegal 55 ___ Lingus 56 General ___ ( name on a Chinese menu) 57 Dunk 61 ___ Pinafore 62 Part 4 of the word ladder 65 Football coach Jim 66 Really bothered 68 Taiwan- based computer maker 69 Part 5 of the word ladder 70 Andrea ___ ( ill- fated ship) 71 Alien: Prefix 72 Fr. honorees 73 End of the word ladder

Down

1 Hyundai model 2 Attach, as a patch 3 The Fed, for example 4 Keystone ___ 5 Fly over sub-Saharan Africa? 6 Trumpeter Al 7 Mélange 8 Slant 9 Answerable with a head nod or shake 10 Inventor Whitney 11 The whole enchilada 12 Subway station sighting 14 Reporters’ coups 22 Let loose 23 Tranquil scene 27 “Can we not talk about that!” 28 Ballooned 29 Heading for Marco Polo 31 Church bell sound 32 The Mexica people ruled over them 33 God, in Roma 34 Orbital high points 38 Writer Fleming and others 39 If you drop this you’ll trip 40 ___ fide 42 Former telecom giant 45 Hosiery shade 47 Not book- smart 50 Gold standards 51 Service symbolized by a blue- and- white eagle 52 Relating to 51- Down 54 Houston ballplayer 58 German autos 59 Brand of bubbly, familiarly 60 Writer ___ Stanley Gardner 62 Madame Tussaud material 63 Rocks or diamonds 64 Judge Goodman of “Dancing With the Stars” 67 A busy mom might keep a child in this