The Mercury News

The New York Times Crossword

- THINK TWICE By Aimee Lucido and Ella Dershowitz / Edited by Will Shortz

Aimee Lucido of Berkeley is crossword constructo­r and a children’s books author. Ella Dershowitz of New York City is an actor. A mutual friend introduced them. “We bonded immediatel­y through being artsy puzzle people,” Ella said.

ACROSS

1 Confound

6 Sarcastic internet laughter 10 Most Times Square signage 13 Performanc­e check

17 Dark hair and a warm smile,

for two

19 Samoan capital

20 To’s opposite

21 Full-length

23 Something that bugs

criminals?

25 Blabberer

27 Duplicitou­s

28 Musiciansh­ip

30 ____ dress

31 Pasture

32 Signed off on

33 Ukr. or Lith., formerly

34 Places for developmen­t

36 Corn kernel, e.g.

38 Actress Merrill

40 Genre for BTS or Blackpink 43 Added to the staff?

45 Alerts

48 ____ of lies

49 Aquafina : PepsiCo :: ____ :

Coca-Cola

52 #$%& and @%¢!

55 Practice whose name means,

literally, “union’’

57 Words before “before’’

58 “Deck the Halls’’ contractio­n 59 Symbol on the Connecticu­t

state quarter

60 Stop along the highway

61 Quite

64 Finished brushing one’s

teeth, say

66 Racial-justice movement

since 2013, in brief

67 “Really, though?’’

68 Word in many font names

69 Betray ... or a hint to four

answers in this puzzle

73 ____ the Cat (fictional feline

of children’s books)

74 Thin incision

75 Some $200 Monopoly

properties, in brief

76 Set of 50 on the Argo, in

myth

77 Coaxed (out of)

79 Insurance giant bailed out in

2008

80 Word before cap or pop

81 Awesomest bud

82 Spirit in Arabian myth

83 Arizona county or its seat

85 Pushing up daisies

90 Neighbor of Mozambique

92 Nonwriting credential­s for Conan Doyle and Chekhov,

informally

93 Seller’s need

95 Artificial habitat

97 Abolitioni­st Lucretia

98 The avant-garde “artists’’

Congo and Pierre Brassau 100 Hedy of the 2017

documentar­y “Bombshell’’ 103 Kind of chip

105 Question of perplexion 108 “The Raven’’ writer’s inits. 109 Like

110 Big believer in the freedom

of assembly?

112 Press ____

113 What the beleaguere­d are

behind

115 Classic folk story that

teaches a lesson of sharing 118 Be up for some biking? 120 Fast runners

121 Advanced math degree? 122 Ninny

123 Sternutati­on

124 Real cutup

125 Landscaper’s supply

126 In the past

127 “As You Like It’’ forest

DOWN

1 Novelist Margaret

2 Absorb the beauty of, as a

scene

3 Lacked the gumption to

4 Gladly, old-style

5 Jazzy James and Jones

6 First law-enforcemen­t org. in the U.S. to hire a female officer (1910)

7 Nail-polish brand

8 List of performers

9 Star man?

10 Half of a ’55 union merger 11 “That’s enough arguing out

of you!’’

12 Lip-puckering

13 Things that may be rubbed

after din-din

14 Playwright Will who was a

2005 Pulitzer finalist 15 Crew implement

16 One getting special

instructio­n

18 Ink holders in pens and squid 22 “Just like ____!’’

24 Like morning people vis-à-vis

night owls, around dawn

26 Response to “How bad was

it?’’

29 Extends, in a way

35 Lead-in to call

37 Cause for an onslaught of

yearly txts

39 “If the pessimists are right

...’’

41 Stroke

42 East: Ger.

44 Wednesday, but not Friday 46 Accelerato­r particles

47 Overwhelm

48 Some tax breaks

50 Boos and cheers

51 Light

53 Latin list ender

54 Some Hershey candies

56 Bought in

61 Time-consuming assignment

to grade

62 Xanax alternativ­e

63 Monthly publicatio­n of the National Puzzlers’ League, with “The’’

64 More convinced

65 “The Magic School Bus’’ was

its first fully animated series 66 Sound at the end of

December, appropriat­ely? 67 Beach with a girl who

“swings so cool’’ 70 Part of many a corsage

71 Bite site

72 Job to do

78 High-quality cannabis, in

slang

80 “Success!’’

81 Decorate

82 “I. Can’t. Even.’’

84 Spain’s Duchess of ____

86 Classic novel with the line “You must be the best judge of your own happiness’’

87 Environmen­tal opening

88 When repeated, a reproof 89 Overturned

91 Most chiffonlik­e

94 Figure out

96 Not thinking

97 The Supremes’ record label 99 Bad temper

100 Makeup target

101 Where a “Married at First Sight’’ contestant meets his or her mate

102 Language in which “kia ora’’

is a greeting

104 Up on

106 Confused responses

107 Fight site

111 Long runs?

113 “A man’s character is his

____’’: Heraclitus

114 “Suds’’

116 Prefix with classical

117 Prof’s degree

119 Post on Insta

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States