NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Jessie Trudeau, of Cambridge, Mass., recently graduated with a Ph.D. from Harvard’s department of government. Next fall she’ll start as an assistant professor of political science at Syracuse University. Ross Trudeau is in his final year of a creative writing M.F.A. at Emerson College. His thesis project is a memoir of his life in puzzles. The couple were married on July 23, during the weekend of their last Sunday crossword collaboration. — W.S.

ACROSS

1 Like the protagonist at the start of ‘‘28 Days Later’’

8 –

14 Lady Macduff, e.g.

18 Group of fighters

19 One way to recoil

21 Male deer

22 ‘‘My ____’’ (No. 1 hit for the Knack)

23 One of the two main branches of Buddhism

24 N.B.A. All-Star Gobert

25 *Worker with a brush [three rungs]

27 Fuel option

29 ‘‘Ciao!’’

32 Completely pooped

33 –

38 A.C.C. school

39 Place with counselors

40 Maker of Pilots and Passports

41 Team ____

42 ‘‘____ Canto’’ (2001 Ann Patchett novel)

43 Structure resembling a pergola

45 –

47 Airport with a BART station

50 Mail, e.g.

52 Otis who founded the Otis Elevator Company

54 Expelled from the body

56 *Captain with a periscope [four rungs]

58 Some military wear, informally

60 Carpet specification

61 Former make of Ford

62 [I’m frustrated!]

63 Lab eggs

64 Animation and sculpting, for two

65 Advances through corporate ranks . . . and what the answer to each starred clue

in this puzzle does

71 ‘‘Mon ____!’’

74 Singer Grande, to fans

75 Center

76 Celebrity gossip show with an exclamation point in its title

79 Map inits. until 1991

80 Pest control brand

81 –

84 ‘‘Really good work!’’

86 Sung by a group

87 Writer known for his anthropomorphic animal characters

89 ‘‘When r u coming?’’

90 *Seasonal orchard worker [eight rungs]

93 Staple of Dutch Golden Age art

95 Feeling while watching a volcanic eruption, perhaps

96 According to

98 Narwhal’s tusk, actually

99 Pleasant speech cadence

100 Pen that aptly rhymes with ‘‘click’’

101 *Worker for AT&T or Verizon [four rungs]

103 Common wall mirror shape

104 Sound on Old MacDonald’s farm

105 Chicken scratch

106 –

109 Worker who probably isn’t paid enough

110 Really, really spicy

115 1/100 of a franc

119 Dirt clump

120 Googles, e.g.

121 Like people in crowds, whether intentionally or not

122 Donations for the needy

123 *One putting a coat on outside [three rungs]

124 Surreptitious assents

DOWN

1 Communications on

Slack, e.g.

2 Org. funding Covid-19

research

3 In the manner of

4 Roughly

5 ‘‘Then again . . . ,’’ in a

tweet 6 Upscale-hotel-room

fixture

7 One calling for a tow, maybe

8 Visual depiction of the apparatus used by the starred professionals

9 ‘‘____ wise guy, eh?’’

10 Like some humor

11 Important stretch

12 Stretch longer than an

11-Across

13 Mario who founded a fashion empire

14 Snowboards well, informally

15 Rabble-rouse

16 Something taken by a waiter

17 ‘‘Cya!’’

19 ‘‘How ____ Your Mother’’

20 Con’s vote

26 Mafia : Sicilia :: Camorra : ____

28 Harden

29 Latin for ‘‘trumpet’’

30 Disinclined

31 Temple text

34 Beach in Rio de Janeiro, informally

35 ‘‘From now ____ won’t be hanging around’’ (bluegrass lyric)

36 1600, in ancient Rome

37 Tick off

39 ____-by-the-Sea, Calif.

44 Welcomes, as the new year

46 Narcissist’s treasure

48 Perceived

49 Output from Sappho

51 Cloud

53 Adjustable bike part

55 ‘‘I don’t wanna hear it’’

57 Boxer Laila 58 Stephen who said: ‘‘Think books aren’t scary? Well, think about this: You can’t

spell ‘Book’ without

‘Boo!’’’ 59 Director DuVernay 66 Play title that superstitious actors avoid saying aloud in theaters 67 Certain sib 68 Currency the Maltese to which scudo is

pegged

69 Opus ____

70 Hypnotized, say 71 Sci-fi films novel in 1984 made and into 2021 72 Skeptical reply to ‘‘That’s true’’ 73 Activity one tries to get out of ? 77 Sushi condiment 78 Strand, perhaps 80 ‘‘Silly me!’’

82 Pope of 1963-78

83 Government bonds?

85 Preppy clothing brand

86 Ending with leuko- or oo

88 Quick kiss

91 One with a marsupium, affectionately

92 Bacardi, e.g., in México

94 Threat from a squealer

97 Antelopes with twisty horns

101 Immune system agent

102 Like luxurious pillows

103 Breakfast that may be prepared overnight

104 Former N.F.L. QB Kyle

105 Pet rescue org.

107 ‘‘The Black Cat’’ author

108 Genderqueer identity

111 Soccer star Messi, familiarly

112 Delta ____ Chi, house in ‘‘Animal House’’

113 B&O and Reading: Abbr.

114 Either half of pocket rockets, in poker slang

116 ____ Jima

117 Rx from a doc, e.g.

118 Newsroom heads, for short