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Cheap Thrills

New York Times, Sunday, February 12, 2023

Author:
Christina Iverson and Samuel A. Donaldson
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
12-Across : Catchy tunes, informally
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
317/30/20199/14/202423
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
113512441
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
331.5918752%
Christina Iverson
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
4110/2/20088/14/202411
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
102597161
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
241.6324669%
Samuel A. Donaldson

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 142, Blocks: 83 This is puzzle # 16 for Ms. Iverson. This is puzzle # 37 for Mr. Donaldson. Sunday freshness: 43%
Will Shortz notes:
Christina Iverson, of Ames, Iowa, is an assistant crossword editor for The New York Times. Sam Donaldson is a law professor at Georgia State University. They met at last year's American ... read more
Constructor notes:
CHRISTINA: Sam and I met at ACPT in April of 2022. We quickly discovered we have complementary constructing styles — we both enjoy developing themes, but I prefer laying out a grid, and ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Fun to get more cheap thrills after we had a CHEAP THRILL two days ago. Like all good Asians, I love little more than getting a great deal. One of my most memorable days of 2022 was when I ... read more
Jim Horne notes:

This is the ninth puzzle in our non-rectangular grids list.

And it's Christina Iverson's birthday today.

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CENT
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B
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CENT
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D
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P
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A
© 2023, The New York Times2/12/23 ( No. 26,759 )
Across
1
Become hysterical, with "out" : WIG
4
Elided title : MAAM
8
Restaurant competitor of Pinkberry and Sweet Frog : TCBY
12
Catchy tunes, informally : BOPS
16
Sigh of lament : AHME
17
Where dancers have a ball? : DISCO
18
McFlurry mix-in : OREO
19
Furniture giant : IKEA
20
Bad flight forecast : SLEET
21
Reason : INFER
22
Hierarchy level : RUNG
23
Certain U.S. time zone : CENTRAL
24
Economizing, as represented by the circled squares? : CUTTINGCORNERS
27
"The bad news is …" : IFEAR
29
WhatsApp transmissions, briefly : IMS
30
Navy nay : NOSIR
31
Seizes eagerly, as an opportunity : LEAPSON
33
Sean of "Stranger Things" : ASTIN
34
Part of an M.C.'s intro, often : BIO
36
Prohibition target : DEMONRUM
40
Economizing, as represented twice in 12-Down? : PINCHINGPENNIES
45
"The Crown" role : DIANA
46
Colorful kind of shirt : ALOHA
47
Offering from Dr. Mom, in brief : TLC
48
Senior partners? : PROMDATES
50
___ Hill, neighborhood of San Francisco : NOB
51
Bussing on a bus, for short : PDA
54
Memorable mission : ALAMO
56
"You've made your point," slangily : SAYLESS
57
Lead-in to an opinion : ASISEEIT
60
Zip : NADA
62
From not so long ago : RECENT
63
Parts of a gig : MEGS
64
Scrapbooker's project : ALBUM
67
Honesty, resilience or a sense of humor, perhaps : ASSET
69
Shield of ancient Greece: Var. : EGIS
73
Manhattan is one: Abbr. : ISL
75
Attempt : STAB
77
Work that hasn't yet entered publication : PREPRINT
79
Little squealer : MINIPIG
83
Fencer's score : TOUCH
86
Hebrew version of the English pronoun "I" : ANI
87
Confidentiality contract, for short : NDA
88
Welcome event : OPENHOUSE
90
___ drag (hockey maneuver) : TOE
91
Cellist's need : ROSIN
93
In concert : ASONE
94
Economizing, as represented in 58-Down? : STRETCHINGABUCK
99
Unwelcome, so to speak : NONGRATA
101
Vote in favor : YEA
102
Trading places : MARTS
103
Like some modern maps : GENOMIC
105
Golfer Palmer, to fans : ARNIE
106
A/C meas. : BTU
109
"The Planets" composer : HOLST
111
Economizing, as represented by the shaded squares? : MAKINGENDSMEET
115
Bad-sounding creatures? : FOWL
116
Ditto, in legal footnotes : IDEM
118
Word that means "ocean" in a religious title : DALAI
119
Large crowd : HORDE
120
It's cried on a slide : WHEE
121
Check : CURB
122
Classical poem : EPODE
123
Beast with recurved horns : IBEX
124
Triumphant shout at a crossword tournament : DONE
125
Freshness : SASS
126
Like some morning lawns : DEWY
127
Smokey spot, for short : PSA
Down
1
Sharpens : WHETS
2
"How ___ Your Mother" : IMET
3
Work out : GETINSHAPE
4
Some garlic prep : MINCING
5
Regarding : ASFOR
6
Maker of the Nitro 5 gaming laptop : ACER
7
"The year's at the spring / And day's at the ___": Robert Browning : MORN
8
Yankees manager before Girardi : TORRE
9
Zealous activist : CRUSADER
10
C-note : BEN
11
Tranquil discipline : YOGISM
12
Former name of a Kansas arena that commemorated a 1976 U.S. anniversary : BICENTENNIALCENTER
13
It helps make a stew a goo : OKRA
14
Poached fruit : PEAR
15
Garnish for una margarita : SAL
16
Source of many a name on a campus building, informally : ALUM
17
Starts eating : DIGSIN
20
Poli ___ : SCI
25
Reply to the Little Red Hen : NOTI
26
Name hidden in "before long" : ELON
28
It makes a red velvet cake red : FOODDYE
32
Cancún cash : PESOS
33
Hamburger's beef? : ACH
34
Word with pepper or tower : BELL
35
Like some ancient pyramids : INCAN
37
Acceleration, e.g. : RATE
38
Quelques-___ (some, in French) : UNES
39
Quantity multiplied by acceleration in Newton's second law : MASS
40
Pioneer in global aviation : PANAM
41
Words of defeat : ILOSE
42
"Don't sweat it," informally : NOBIG
43
Educ. supporter : PTA
44
Once-popular devices discontinued in 2022 : IPODS
49
Cousin of a weasel : MARTEN
52
"What's the ___?" ("'Sup with that?") : DEALIO
53
Suffer : AIL
55
Farmyard cry : MAA
58
Not in a relationship : SSIINNGGLLEE
59
"The Last O.G." network : TBS
61
Vile Nile reptile : ASP
65
Out-and-out : UTTER
66
Foreign leader whom Nixon met in 1972 : MAO
68
That's history! : ERA
70
Kind of knife of infomercial fame : GINSU
71
Like Urdu or Hindi : INDIC
72
Was very ripe : STANK
74
Round figures : SPHERES
76
Montana city SW of Helena : BUTTE
78
The main antagonist? : PIRATESHIP
79
[Ugh, this is horrible!] : MOAN
80
___ facto : IPSO
81
Like some highlighter colors : NEON
82
Relish : GUSTO
84
Plant whose name derives from Quechua : COCA
85
Devious snicker : HEH
89
Barely gets the words out : STAMMERS
92
Pros with deliveries, in brief : OBS
95
Painter Jan van ___ : EYCK
96
"Let's do this!" : IMREADY
97
Civil rights icon ___ Helen Burroughs : NANNIE
98
Power structure? : GRID
100
Capers : ANTICS
104
Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" has five of them : IAMBS
105
Beaming, as with joy : AGLOW
106
Liberal arts college in Kentucky : BEREA
107
Locally focused lecture franchise : TEDX
108
Pac-12 player : UTE
109
Santa's favorite Hostess dessert? : HOHO
110
Wilson of film : OWEN
112
Carded at a bar, informally : IDED
113
Common spot for a sunburn : NAPE
114
Gaggles : MOBS
115
Chain email abbr. : FWD
117
Grammy winner ___ Lipa : DUA

Answer summary:
10 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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