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WAIT, WHAT?

New York Times, Sunday, November 8, 2020

Author:
Evan Kalish and Caitlin Reid
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
28-Across : ___ Slam (tennis feat)
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
227/2/201811/5/20242
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
15511513
CircleScrabDebutFresh
31.6011440%
Evan Kalish
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
165/10/20181/20/20247
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
3110254
RebusScrabDebutFresh
11.569158%
Caitlin Reid

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 76 Missing: {JQXZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is puzzle # 13 for Mr. Kalish. This is puzzle # 8 for Ms. Reid. Sunday freshness: 26%
Will Shortz notes:
Evan Kalish, 33, of Bayside, N.Y., is a writer and crossword constructor. His hobby is visiting and photographing post offices around the country — more than 10,000 to date. Many photos ... read more
Constructor notes:
EVAN: This puzzle started with the title. My first idea for a theme entry was "ALL ABOUT THAT BUS" — which would be quite the Meghan Trainor song — though for at least two years this idea ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
This isn't your father's sound change puzzle! Evan and Caitlin play on "Wait … what?", going from long A sounds to … short U? It's much harder to wrap one's brain around than a ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

Rudders of the Lost Ark is especially brilliant because it flips the meaning of Ark between "boat" and "box."

1
M
2
I
3
C
4
R
5
O
6
L
7
O
8
A
9
N
10
P
11
A
12
T
13
E
14
L
15
S
16
I
17
L
18
O
19
A
D
H
E
R
E
N
C
E
20
E
L
U
D
E
21
I
K
N
O
W
22
Y
O
U
G
O
T
T
H
A
23
T
S
T
R
U
T
24
D
E
U
C
E
25
A
L
M
S
26
H
A
Y
27
R
O
O
K
28
S
29
E
R
E
N
A
30
S
A
P
31
C
U
S
S
S
32
E
N
S
I
T
I
V
33
E
34
M
35
O
36
R
A
L
37
W
O
E
38
R
O
T
S
39
S
O
L
40
F
O
L
E
Y
41
C
H
I
42
M
43
I
A
T
A
44
D
O
R
M
45
W
H
Y
T
H
46
E
L
O
N
47
G
48
F
U
S
S
49
T
50
B
O
N
E
S
51
I
A
M
52
I
D
E
E
53
R
E
D
S
54
H
E
R
O
55
W
I
P
56
E
57
G
A
L
58
P
A
L
59
U
60
F
O
61
A
D
62
D
63
R
U
D
64
D
E
R
S
O
F
T
65
H
E
L
O
66
S
T
A
R
67
K
68
S
U
E
69
L
E
I
70
S
E
D
A
K
A
71
D
O
E
72
S
73
C
A
74
R
Y
75
S
76
P
A
R
77
T
A
M
78
E
79
P
G
A
80
A
81
C
82
C
E
D
E
83
L
O
A
D
E
84
D
T
H
E
B
85
U
S
E
S
86
H
A
H
S
87
C
88
S
I
N
Y
89
I
O
S
90
B
A
I
L
S
91
E
P
A
92
L
I
M
A
93
I
M
P
94
B
E
E
T
S
95
M
U
C
96
K
U
P
A
R
97
T
98
I
99
S
T
S
100
R
O
D
101
C
H
A
S
E
R
102
H
O
P
E
103
L
E
O
104
L
105
A
106
D
107
E
108
S
H
I
F
T
109
T
110
H
E
N
U
M
111
B
O
F
T
112
H
E
G
U
M
113
K
I
N
K
S
114
T
U
R
I
N
115
F
R
E
E
A
G
E
N
T
116
I
N
G
A
117
V
N
E
C
K
118
F
I
R
E
W
O
R
K
S
© 2020, The New York Times11/8/20 ( No. 25,933 )
Across
1
Aid for a small business : MICROLOAN
10
Dev of "Slumdog Millionaire" : PATEL
15
Part of a prairie skyline : SILO
19
Strict commitment : ADHERENCE
20
Sidestep : ELUDE
21
"Way ahead of you" : IKNOW
22
Compliment to a runway model? : YOUGOTTHATSTRUT
24
Low card in Texas hold'em : DEUCE
25
Some donations : ALMS
26
Stable supply : HAY
27
Starting piece on a1 or h8, say : ROOK
28
___ Slam (tennis feat) : SERENA
30
Drain : SAP
31
Easily offended by foul language? : CUSSSENSITIVE
34
Kind of high ground : MORAL
37
Trial : WOE
38
Breaks down : ROTS
39
Spanish "sun" : SOL
40
Axel ___, protagonist of "Beverly Hills Cop" : FOLEY
41
X : CHI
42
Japanese roadster since 1989 : MIATA
44
Residence that might be named for a donor : DORM
45
Question to a tantrum thrower? : WHYTHELONGFUSS
49
Costly cuts : TBONES
51
First two words of "Green Eggs and Ham" : IAM
52
___ fixe : IDEE
53
Malbec and syrah, e.g. : REDS
54
Role model : HERO
55
Wet-Nap, for one : WIPE
57
Friend with a rhyming description : GALPAL
59
Sighting aptly found in "Are you for real?" : UFO
61
"Anything you'd like to ___?" : ADD
63
Relics proving how Noah steered his boat? : RUDDERSOFTHELOSTARK
68
Something to do for recovery? : SUE
69
Pacific island ring : LEI
70
Neil with the hit "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" : SEDAKA
71
Carries out : DOES
73
Actor Elwes of "The Princess Bride" : CARY
75
Trade blows : SPAR
77
Mild : TAME
79
Driver's org., no matter how you slice it? : PGA
80
Relent : ACCEDE
83
Prepared for a field trip? : LOADEDTHEBUSES
86
Interjections akin to "Yeah, su-u-ure!" : HAHS
87
Bygone forensic spinoff : CSINY
89
Android alternative : IOS
90
Quits at the last minute : BAILS
91
Org. that awards the Safer Choice label : EPA
92
World capital established in 1535 : LIMA
93
Jackanapes : IMP
94
Rap producers' favorite vegetables? : BEETS
95
Masters of slapstick? : MUCKUPARTISTS
100
Retinal receptor : ROD
101
Drink after drink? : CHASER
102
"To live without ___ is to cease to live": Dostoyevsky : HOPE
103
Sign of summer : LEO
104
Stow cargo : LADE
108
Get into gear : SHIFT
109
Title for an oral surgeon's handbook? : THENUMBOFTHEGUM
113
Certain sexual preferences : KINKS
114
Italian automotive hub : TURIN
115
Subject of many an off-season rumor : FREEAGENT
116
"Young Frankenstein" character played by Teri Garr : INGA
117
Tee type : VNECK
118
4th order? : FIREWORKS
Down
1
___ Rudolph, portrayer of Kamala Harris on "S.N.L." : MAYA
2
Role model : IDOL
3
Amigo : CHUM
4
Rules' partner, for short : REGS
5
El Dorado treasure : ORO
6
Like apple seeds, if eaten in huge quantities : LETHAL
7
Fresh from a keg : ONTAP
8
Sore : ACHY
9
Org. that sponsored the design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial : NEA
10
MXN, on a currency chart : PESOS
11
Adele and Cher, e.g. : ALTOS
12
___ and Caicos : TURKS
13
Part of a dean's address : EDU
14
"I'd rather pass" : LETSNOT
15
Shooting sport : SKEET
16
All together now : INUNISON
17
Farm-to-table consumer : LOCAVORE
18
Word that sounds like its first letter : OWE
21
Elba who played Macavity in 2019's "Cats" : IDRIS
23
One end of the PolitiFact meter : TRUE
29
Willing subject : ESTATE
30
"Don't be rude ... greet our guests!" : SAYHI
31
Loonie or toonie : COIN
32
Some are named for kings and queens : ERAS
33
Stately street liners : ELMS
34
Coat from a goat : MOHAIR
35
High point of Greek civilization? : OLYMPUS
36
Emeritus: Abbr. : RET
37
"It's me ... duh!" : WHOELSE
40
"Just sayin'," in shorthand : FWIW
41
Needless to say : CLEARLY
42
Mississippi ___ pie : MUD
43
Released : ISSUED
44
Thingamabob : DOODAD
46
Brink : EDGE
47
World No. 1 tennis player between Navratilova and Seles : GRAF
48
Lived in a blue state? : FELTSAD
50
One might be hard to sit for : BRAT
54
Pipes at some bars : HOOKAHS
56
Brings out : EDUCES
58
Downfall in many an Agatha Christie novel : POISON
60
Buzzed hairstyle : FLATTOP
62
Stops harping on something : DROPSIT
64
Like a sparsely attended party : DEAD
65
See 66-Down : HERE
66
With 65-Down, "Ditto" : SAME
67
Pelvic exercises : KEGELS
72
Give attitude : SASS
74
Instruction for a course? : RECIPE
76
Earnings : PAY
78
Drew back : EBBED
80
"Sorry to intrude ..." : AHEM
81
Certain monkey ... or monk : CAPUCHIN
82
"Jackpot!" : CHACHING
83
One needing new, unburned pants? : LIAR
84
De-lights? : DIMS
85
Oil-rich state, for short : UAE
88
Appliance with apps : SMARTTV
92
Yearns (for) : LUSTS
93
Fashionable pair : ITEM
94
Cover for "little piggies" : BOOTEE
96
"Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" is the last short story he wrote : KAFKA
97
"Take that!" : THERE
98
Kind of chemical bond in salts : IONIC
99
Vivacious quality : SPUNK
100
What a meta clue might do to itself : REFER
103
Chicago mayor Lightfoot : LORI
104
Brick made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene : LEGO
105
New ___ : AGER
106
Showy basket : DUNK
107
Lifesavers, for short : EMTS
108
Piece of equipment for gold medalist Lindsey Vonn : SKI
110
Marauder of old : HUN
111
Lifelong bud, slangily : BFF
112
Partner of hem : HAW

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

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