The New York Times Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

1 Game pieces in Othello and Connect Four 6 Provocative … like this answer’s position in the grid?

10 Q: What happens when the ___ clears over Los Angeles? A: UCLA! 14 Beer brand whose name translates to “morning sun” 15 Looney Tunes

bunny

16 Cézanne or

Gauguin

17 “You cooked this? It’s disgusting!” said Tom ___ 20 Gumbo, e.g.

21 One foot in “the grave,” poetically speaking 22 Festoon

23 Bugle call at lights

out

25 Support group associated with the Twelve Steps 26 “What do you mean there are no PlayStations left in stock?” asked Tom ___

31 “Peace out” 32 “Well, ___ be!” 33 Lip

37 Spot for a sojourn 38 Charge for

tardiness 42 Grief-stricken

state

43 Scorch on a

stovetop 45 Brewery vessel 46 Pastry dough used in crullers and beignets

48 “I’m worried I may have anemia,” said Tom ___ 52 Had an inclination 55 Kind of column 56 Specialty of clerics, druids and paladins, in Dungeons & Dragons

57 Flat, for short 59 Assistant

63 “You guys are supposed to be ‘Wise Men’ and these are the gifts you bring a newborn?!” asked Tom, ___

66 With 54-Down,

back to fighting 67 Gumbo

ingredient

68 Het (up) 69 “That’s terrible!” 70 Hammer’s end 71 ___ of the state

DOWN

1 Spot for a speech 2 “Who ___?!” (“That’s true of everyone!”) 3 Relief pitcher’s

success

4 Target of a canine’s canines, maybe

5 Ben Kingsley or

Ian McKellen, e.g. 6 “West Texas town” in a classic country song 7 Gloom’s partner 8 Formless mass 9 Common word in

pirate-speak 10 Outings devoted to relaxation and self-care 11 Employee at a brick-and-mortar business 12 Musical bit that

slowly fades 13 Close in many

close-ups 18 Coyote calls 19 Seven-foot, say 24 Particularly

particular 25 Competent 26 Goddess with a reduplicative name 27 Bird with a

reduplicative name 28 John of “The

Suicide Squad” 29 Not be straight

with

30 TV ET

34 Nowhere to be

found, say

35 Genre for Luther

Vandross

36 “___ and I Know It” (2012 #1 hit for 52-Down) 39 Fervent

40 Sailor, in slang 41 Behold: Lat. 44 Encounter

unexpectedly

47 Is connected 49 Prominent part of

an apatosaurus 50 Pulitzer-winning

columnist Peggy 51 Visiting the Natl. Museum of African American History and Culture, say 52 Electronic dance music duo that performed at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show 53 Home to over seven billion people

54 See 66-Across 57 Rug rat

58 ___ transfer 60 Man, for one 61 Consider

62 Swirl in a stream 64 Hack (off) 65 Before, to Byron