The New York Times Crossword

ACROSS

1 Thrower of a reception

7 Home to the world’s largest population of Indian rhinos

12 Sweet message bearer

14 Place for bucks at the bar?

15 Lecture

16 Geometry suffix

17 Drag racer?

18 Large combo

19 ___ acid

21 “The Book of Mormon” org.

22 Turn (off)

23 Trying to get a hold of

25 Drench

26 Hunks of plastic?

27 Spoil everything

31 Screw off

33 Solving puzzles, e.g.

34 “Come on, ___!”

35 Form a connection where sparks fly

36 Commotion

37 They’re only human

39 Jumble

40 Cartoonish cry

43 One of the Minecraft protagonists

44 Animal whose singular and plural forms are the same

45 Like much of Azerbaijan’s population

47 Spanish letter with or without a tilde

48 All bent out of shape

49 Bust

52 Question asked while tapping

53 “All good here!”

54 Juno, to Jupiter

DOWN

1 A magician might use a hidden one

2 Enlightened Buddhist

3 “Don’t delay!”

4 High light?

5 Great mysteries

6 Pull back

7 I.M. innovator

8 Breaks down

9 Emoji that might be used in response to a funny text

10 Felt crummy

11 Card game combos

12 Was ready for

13 Ones who might roast you 14 Speed of sound

15 Anyone’s game

19 Informal negation 20 Tripping

23 Those who’ve gone wrong?

24 First book in the series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” familiarly

26 Contents of a drug shipment

28 Totally clear

29 Off-target remark?

30 Braced for impact

32 Typing meas.

33 Christ the Redeemer wore a facsimile of his jersey in 2023

35 Greeted someone across the room

38 Doctrines

39 Sauron’s realm

40 Computer acronym since the 1960s

41 Deep divide

42 Saint ___

44 Canine woe

46 Feel the pain

48 Fancy

50 Give a card, in a way

51 “To ___ Coy Mistress” (Andrew Marvell poem)