The New York Times Crossword

Peter A. Collins is the chairman of the math department at Huron High School, in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he has been teaching for 39 years. This is his 108th crossword for The Times. When he can, Peter likes to incorporate some of the black squares into his puzzle themes, as he ingeniously does here.

ACROSS

1 It might end up in a sack 9 E neighbor

15 Nada

20 Robots

21 “Not exactly, but close ...” 22 Filmmaker Coen 23 Checkout devices 24 Tired tale 26 Seriously annoy

27 Roll out, as a flag 29 Stuff in a muffin, say? 30 Neighbor of Okla. 31 Exciting, in modern lingo 32 Rock, maybe 36 Danson’s “Cheers” role 38 End of some hybrid dog breed names

39 N.Y.C. dance company 40 Hounds

42 Tidbits for aardvarks 43 Bearded beast

44 They go with potatoes in soup

46 Sting operator 49 Regarding 51 Vitamin stat

52 Hosts, in brief 55 Italian cheese

59 Peel place

61 Out at a library, say 63 “Yeah, why not” 64 Cyrus who sang the 2013 No. 1 hit “Wrecking Ball” 66 Once did

67 States, informally 68 Be prone 69 Radiated

70 Leafy salad ingredient 72 Didn’t delay 74 Inexperienced

75 Fool 76 Something frequently found in pink lipstick 77 Pupil’s location 78 Stabilizes with a heavy load

81 Lump in the throat 82 Geologic period

83 Get upset over 84 Lincoln-to-Madison dir. 85 Sunrise direction, in Stuttgart

87 River in a 1914 battle 90 Skim

92 Not a science, but ____ 94 & 95 What often seems to disappear in a dryer 98 N.C. military installation 102 “____ Trois Mousquetaires”

103 Big do 104 Appealed to a higher authority? 107 Religious time in spring 109 Critical message that’s a hint to the six longest entries in this puzzle 110 Circular components? 111 Cave dweller 113 Caruso and Pavarotti 114 It makes for a boring job 115 1973 Beach Boys song 119 “Three Stooges” insult 123 Sal of “Rebel Without a Cause”

124 Course of action 125 Stretched tight 126 Caribbean game fish 127 Changes back to 0000 128 Swollen

DOWN

1 Ballet step

2 They have lots for sale 3 Not exactly hit the ground running 4 PlayStation company 5 L.B.J. follower 6 Home of the Burj Khalifa: Abbr.

7 Showed ‘em what we’ve got

8 “It ____ hit me yet” 9 State of abandonment 10 Traffic troubles 11 Where the phrase “To thine own self be true” comes from

12 What shocked people stand in

13 Raja ____, Indian author of “The Serpent and the Rope”

14 Ernie ____, Pulitzerwinning journalist of W.W. II

15 Keebler cracker brand 16 Member of TV’s Addams Family 17 Something scientists make light of?

18 Rear

19 Some cameo stones 25 Obstacle for a fish 28 Dandies

31 Tour grp.

32 Bro

33 Cab alternative 34 Common Market org. 35 Starting point in logic 37 Swimmers’ assignments 41 Slippery vendor

45 The Wildcats of the N.C.A.A. 47 Jason with the 2008 hit “I’m Yours”

48 Poet Lowell

50 Store window sign 52 Dress seller

53 Take root

54 Sweet summer treat 56 1978 Dire Straits hit 57 The Ram 58 Doesn’t just want 60 Word said in passing? 62 Headed up 64 “Morning Joe” airer 65 Rumor starter 71 Timecard abbr. 72 Prized pitcher 73 Please too much 75 “Unto us ____ is given” 79 Like a string bean 80 Blood-typing letters 86 Word with bay or family 88 Course registrant 89 Cars that disappeared during the Depression 91 “Don’t know yet,” on a schedule

92 Prefix with industry 93 Bit of shaming 95 Involuntary actions 96 Make official 97 House of cards? 99 “Wheel of Fortune” sextet 100 Eschewed home cooking 101 Mystery and romance, for two 105 Download for a tablet 106 Skilled judoist

108 Draft

112 Nicholas II was the last one

114 Big name in laptops 116 The Lion

117 “____, Imperator!” 118 “-y” pluralizer

120 Irk

121 W.W. II arena: Abbr. 122 Baseball Hall-of-Famer Roush