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New York Times, Saturday, January 22, 2022

Author:
Daniel Okulitch
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
39-Across : Speed of sound
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
49/21/202110/29/20221
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1010002
ScrabDebutFresh
1.562473%
Daniel Okulitch

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 16 Words: 71, Blocks: 38 Missing: {JQZ} Spans: 1 This is puzzle # 3 for Mr. Okulitch. Jeff Chen's Puzzle of the Week pick. Saturday freshness: 77%
Daniel Okulitch notes:
I was still early in my constructing apprenticeship when this one sprung to life. I wanted a grid with flow and a sense of movement, and ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
MENTAL GYMNASTICS has such a wow factor, anchoring this puzzle solidly in POW! territory all by itself. The fact that it's also 16 letters, ... read more
1
B
2
A
3
S
4
A
5
L
6
A
7
D
8
D
9
L
10
E
11
D
12
P
A
R
A
D
E
13
F
R
E
E
G
A
14
N
15
H
O
R
C
R
U
X
16
L
O
N
G
O
R
I
17
A
18
O
U
C
H
I
E
19
M
O
L
T
O
B
E
N
E
20
T
R
E
E
S
21
M
E
A
L
22
H
O
D
O
R
23
C
O
L
D
24
P
A
S
T
25
S
O
O
26
O
V
O
27
V
I
N
S
28
S
L
U
S
29
H
30
I
31
E
32
M
E
N
33
T
A
L
G
Y
34
M
N
A
S
T
I
C
S
35
B
R
A
I
L
L
E
36
E
A
S
E
37
R
E
P
38
M
E
S
39
M
A
C
H
40
S
E
C
T
41
S
42
A
43
L
O
N
44
K
I
N
K
45
P
A
D
R
E
46
P
L
O
T
T
47
W
I
S
T
48
S
I
N
G
E
S
49
F
A
S
H
I
O
N
S
50
T
H
E
G
O
A
T
51
S
E
E
N
O
T
E
52
B
O
T
T
O
M
53
R
E
E
L
E
D
54
S
P
Y
O
N
© 2022, The New York Times1/22/22 ( No. 26,373 )
Across
1
Underlying : BASAL
6
Foggy : ADDLED
12
Thanksgiving and Pride both have one : PARADE
13
Person who lives on discarded food : FREEGAN
15
Dark-magic device with which to achieve immortality, in Harry Potter : HORCRUX
16
"Desperate Housewives" co-star : LONGORIA
18
Boo-boo : OUCHIE
19
Well done, in Italy : MOLTOBENE
20
Makeup of some canopies : TREES
21
Coarse flour : MEAL
22
Gentle giant on "Game of Thrones" : HODOR
23
Heartless : COLD
24
Over and done with : PAST
25
Actress Phillipa of Broadway's "Hamilton" : SOO
26
Lacto-___ vegetarian : OVO
27
Bordeaux et Bourgogne, par exemple : VINS
28
Icy drink : SLUSHIE
32
Cognitive contortions : MENTALGYMNASTICS
35
Words read with feeling : BRAILLE
36
Relieve : EASE
37
Abraham Lincoln, for one: Abbr. : REP
38
Enero o febrero, por ejemplo : MES
39
Speed of sound : MACH
40
Smallish branch : SECT
41
Scissors Palace, Anita Haircut or Do or Dye (all real places!) : SALON
44
Hose problem : KINK
45
Man of the cloth : PADRE
46
Familiar soap opera device : PLOTTWIST
48
Scorches : SINGES
49
Creates : FASHIONS
50
An unrivaled champion, in slang : THEGOAT
51
[More details below] : SEENOTE
52
Comical character in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" : BOTTOM
53
Brought (in) : REELED
54
Secretly watch : SPYON
Down
1
Home to the largest football stadium in Europe : BARCELONA
2
Like eyebrows : ARCHED
3
Mumbai wraps : SARIS
4
Together, musically : ADUE
5
Justinian law : LEX
6
Solvent : AFLOAT
7
Like some "Monty Python" humor : DROLL
8
Depression : DENT
9
Danish tourist attraction with multiple play areas : LEGOHOUSE
10
Result of a compliment, typically : EGOBOOST
11
Ventured : DARED
12
Kind of coffee made with a flask and a filter : POUROVER
14
Young hombre : NINO
15
Hair-straightening tool : HOTCOMB
17
Atmospheric prefix : AER
19
Like a breakup gone bad : MESSY
21
Animal skin ailment : MANGE
24
Tablets : PILLS
25
/ or \ : SLASH
27
One with a big heart? : VALENTINE
28
Chips, e.g. : SNACK
29
Gorilla with a job to do : HIREDGOON
30
Kind of sandwich : ICECREAM
31
Exercise with Zener cards : ESPTEST
33
Chalamet of "Dune" : TIMOTHEE
34
Fated : MEANT
39
Shot an airball, say : MISSED
40
Serenaded : SANGTO
41
Screen rating, in brief? : SPF
42
Regrettably : ALAS
43
Schlump : LOSER
44
Kunta ___ ("Roots" role) : KINTE
45
One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, in Catholicism : PIETY
47
Warm covering : WOOL
48
Factory : SHOP
50
Venue for many TV reruns : TBS

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle, 5 debuted here and reused later, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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