NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Christina Iverson, of Ames, Iowa, is a crossword constructor with two young children. She has been making puzzles for The Times since 2019. Christina says she aims to make puzzles that are fun and accessible. ‘‘I try my hardest to stay away from obscure language — and squeeze in dad jokes whenever I can.’’ This is her fourth Sunday and 10th crossword overall for the paper. — W.S.

ACROSS

1 Appoint 7 People of the

Southwest 13 Wishy-washy

response

19 Had the opportunity

to, casually 20 Entertainment with a

private audience? 21 Malice, more formally 22 One wearing chap

stick, perhaps 24 Be up against 25 Poker variety similar

to Texas Hold ’em 26 Counterpart of ‘‘Thx’’ 27 Saves for later, in a way

29 Ploy

30 Lost 32 Antarctic coordinate 35 ‘‘A man has cause for ____ only when he sows and no one reaps’’: Charles Goodyear

38 Bit of tinder

41 First side to vote

42 ____ course

43 New York City transport stopping at Kennedy Airport 46 Beginning stage 47 Prefix with thermal 50 There might be a

catch with this

51 Blouse and broach,

perhaps

54 Wet bar? 55 Form of nepotism,

symbolically

57 Herd member

58 Sauce

59 Place, as ceramic tiles 60 Like autumn air 62 Person helping with a

delivery

63 Word before film and

after clip

65 It has many beet and

beef options 70 ‘‘____ Trois Petits Cochons’’ (French fable)

71 Sport at the Special

Olympics

73 G.I. ____

74 Calling

76 Not be able to stand 77 Ending with invent 78 War and peace, in

‘‘War and Peace’’ 83 Like most dorms nowadays 84 Tickled 87 Focus of modern mining

88 ‘‘____ be an honor!’’ 89 They can be graphic 90 Surround, as with

light 91 Considerations for

N.C.A.A. eligibility 92 ____ Wintour, longtime Vogue editor in chief 93 Spring locales

94 Takes by force 96 Pop fly 100 Some family babysitters 102 Match

103 Sarge’s boss 105 A-number-one 106 The Venetian way? 110 Alternative to Dropbox

113 Gradually fix something. . . . or what to do to understand this puzzle’s italicized clues? 116 Briefly, e.g. 117 What’s used to catch some waves 118 Supreme Egyptian god

119 Bum out

120 Famous cryptid, familiarly

121 Intimates

DOWN

1 Number of sides on a

sign reading ‘‘ALTO’’ 2 Space

3 ____ mater (brain

cover) 4 Politico-turned-TV-host 5 Form thoughts

6 Catch

7 Seeks a favor, say

8 ____ favor

9 Working hard

10 Java activity

11 Product from un ave 12 Boo-boo

13 Texter’s qualifier

14 One might be put

through the wringer 15 Geek Squad members,

e.g.

16 ‘‘I can thrill you more than any ____ could ever dare try’’ (‘‘Thriller’’ lyric) 17 ‘‘The Glass Bead

Game’’ author, 1943 18 Pecan or peach 20 Sch. where a live bear used to take the field during football games

23 Echo, perhaps

28 Pimple look-alikes 31 It usually works in

corners

33 ‘‘Catch!’’

34 Baker’s Joy

alternative

35 Record speeds, for

short

36 Adams of New York

City politics 37 Antelope, say 38 Parable or allegory 39 Devices with Nunchuks 40 Business newsmagazine 44 ‘‘For shame!’’ 45 Slugging stat 46 Member of the inn crowd?

47 Approach for

directions 48 Onetime collaborator with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre

49 Some sports tournaments

52 Big name in women’s

hair and skin care 53 Boo-boo

54 Word with story or

sister 56 Economist/author Emily

58 Screw up

60 Relative of a club, for short

61 Place for boarding 63 You can count on them 64 Member of the modern work force 66 Great Lakes natives 67 Kind of bean 68 Taiwanese

electronics giant 69 ‘‘I’m about to tell you something shocking’’ 72 Haddock relative 75 Doesn’t put it all on

one pony

78 Suvari of ‘‘American

Beauty’’

79 Sounds heard in

93-Across 80 Destructive 2021 hurricane 81 Nouveau-Mexique,

e.g.

82 Lip or cheek

84 Put over the moon 85 One hanging around Queen Elizabeth? 86 With it, in old slang 89 ‘‘Snowpiercer’’ airer 92 Sporting a certain

natural style 93 Avoids 95 Tortoise’s challenge to the hare

96 Nickname for the French Alexandre 97 No longer squeaky (one hopes!)

98 John Wayne, by birth 99 Who ran against George Washington for president

100 ‘‘____ chance!’’ 101 Letters that complete this word:

__P__ROPRIA__E 102 Snaps

104 Squeezes (out) 105 Good thing to be in 107 Letters on dreidels 108 Taj Mahal’s home 109 Exam that once required fingerprint identification, for short

111 Exercise

112 Animal house 114 Demon of Japanese folklore

115 Folklore villain