TERMINAL CONNECTIONS
Paolo Pasco is a recent Harvard graduate, now working in data science in San Diego. He’s been making puzzles for
The Times since he was 15. His job interview was partly about crosswords and included a programming problem to find words, Boggle-style, in a grid. How lucky was that? He says he thought of this puzzle’s theme during a class back in April and fleshed it out while walking back to his dorm. — W.S.
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ACROSS
“Te quiero ____” (Spanish words of endearment)
____ axis, half of an ellipse’s shorter diameter See-worthy? Volume on an iPad, say
Singer of “Fame” fame
“____: Game Over” (2014 video-game documentary) Grown-up efts Old-fashioned letter opener
Turn into confetti 12/25, e.g.
____ Lewis, singer of the 2007 No. 1 hit “Bleeding Love”
Tennis star Naomi, who was born in 29-Across
“I’m gonna tell you something huge”
Mossy growths River with a “White” counterpart
Lil ____ Howery (“Get Out” actor) Stuffs into a hole, say
F-, for one
Ritual with bamboo utensils God, in Italy Repeated word in an “Animal House” chant Pastry with the same shape as an Argentine medialuna Attorney general before Garland Online promotions, collectively
What businesses go by
Cut down “Eureka!”
Word with easy or stop
Provide change in quarters?
Long, tragic stories
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Up to this point Best supporting actress nominee for “The Power of the Dog,” 2021 Letter opener, pencil cup, inbox tray, etc. Phanerozoic ____ (what we live in) Classroom aides, for short
British term of address
Currency for the prize on “Squid Game”
Reddit Q. and A. session, in brief Most unpleasantly old and mildewy Letters before Constitution or Enterprise
Popular subcompact hatchback from Japan
Rock commonly used in asphalt Part of a hotel with décor fitting a certain motif Video-game series with settings in Liberty City and San Andreas, for short Gobsmack Scottish interjection “Everything Everywhere ____ at Once” (Michelle Yeoh movie)
R.&B. artist whose name sounds like a pronoun
99 Eats
101 Travis of country
music
105 One of 2,297 for Hank Aaron, for short
107 Annoyance for a
Twitch streamer 110 Figure with equal
angles
112 Sunday ____ (end-of-week anxiety, casually) 114 Country whose flag depicts a machete
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116 With 121-Across, company that sells scuba gear 117 Certain furniturestore purchases 120 Missing
121 See 116-Across 122 “Be My Baby”
group, 1963
123 Bygone Microsoft
media player
124 The lights in fairy
lights
125 Some travel considerations, in brief
126 Tarnish
127 Donkey Kong and
others
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DOWN
Bachelors, e.g. ____ Eats
Ninja Turtle’s catchphrase
One who’s supergood-looking Affirmative gesture
*Baseball pitching style ... or a weapon
Afore
Dining-hall offerings
About, on a 10Down
See 9-Down Volunteer’s words
Tennis’s “king of clay”
Hour, in Italy
*Big name in hotels
Access providers Within reach Actress who played “Jessica” in “Parasite” No-go ____ Something to pry or twist off Volunteer’s words [Gasp!]
Chooses
More run-down Period in ancient history
Like a defeatist’s attitude *Indentation on a chew toy Textile-making device
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*Light again “I mean ... “sounds
*Whom Holmes tells, “You do find it very hard to tackle the facts” Telegram
*Many a Viking Pulled a fast one on
College near Vassar
Where van Gogh and Gauguin briefly lived together
Dyeing method using wax
Chief ____ (rapper with a rhyming name)
Where feudal workers worked French equivalent of “Stephen”
____ van der
Poel, Olympic speedskater Academic acronym
*Grand
Hits shore unintentionally *Early French Protestants Burden
*Basic rivalry “Continuing where we left off last time ... “
*”G.I. Jane” star, 1997
Field goal avg., e.g.
Believers in Jah, informally Fatalistic sort, in slang
Place in an overhead bin No ____! (punnily named dairy-free chocolate brand) Explosive stuff U.S. ID?
Bad place to pour grease
“Have ____ make my email stop” (Destiny’s Child lyric)
Cable in the middle of a tennis court
No. 1023
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Would really rather not
“What’s up, everyone!”
98 -ish
100 *”Encore!”
102 Fidel ____, 1990s
Philippine leader 103 Tehran’s home 104 Fork prongs
106 *Actress Angela 108 How to play
solitaire
109 They have high ratings on the Beaufort scale 111 Jokester’s arsenal 112 “Leave it,” on
paper
113 Alien-seeking
org.
115 Strip near Tel Aviv 118 Beverage at un
café
119 Business-card
abbr.
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