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CRACKING WISE

New York Times, Sunday, February 4, 2018

Author:
David Levinson Wilk
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
21-Across : Kind of equinox
TotalDebutLatest
2612/2/19968/2/2020
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7135271
RebusCircleScrabDebutFresh
121.5918256%
David Levinson Wilk

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 76 Missing: {QXZ} This is puzzle # 24 for Mr. Wilk. Sunday freshness: 49%
David Levinson Wilk notes:

There's always a next time, POTTYHUMOR and BELLYLAUGH. That said, hope this one helped all of you PUTONAHAPPYFACE.

Jeff Chen notes:
I enjoy puzzles that play with shapes. I'd seen "V sitting over I = Y" puzzles before, but I like David's additional layer, CRACKING WISE hinting that not only do the Ys get broken into V ... read more
1
T
2
H
3
E
4
P
5
R
6
U
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B
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A
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S
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S
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T
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U
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B
14
A
15
D
16
R
17
A
18
C
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O
20
A
A
R
O
N
S
21
A
U
T
U
M
N
A
L
22
R
I
C
A
N
23
T
H
A
T
S
H
24
Y
S
T
E
R
I
C
A
L
25
A
V
A
N
T
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S
A
S
S
27
E
N
T
I
R
E
28
E
29
A
G
E
R
T
O
30
T
R
E
E
S
31
F
32
U
33
N
N
Y
O
R
D
I
E
34
U
35
T
36
E
37
R
U
S
38
M
39
A
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D
A
M
E
41
A
N
S
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P
O
L
O
N
I
43
U
44
S
45
R
O
B
A
R
46
D
S
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A
48
L
49
P
50
D
R
Y
S
E
N
S
E
51
O
F
H
U
M
O
R
52
A
53
P
R
I
L
54
O
I
S
E
55
B
E
G
56
I
S
E
57
B
E
E
N
E
58
P
59
I
60
A
61
T
O
62
O
63
T
64
S
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A
66
D
O
R
N
E
D
67
E
68
V
E
R
Y
69
B
O
D
Y
S
A
70
C
71
O
M
E
D
I
A
N
72
L
A
C
T
O
S
E
73
D
A
C
H
A
74
M
E
N
75
E
T
H
A
N
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S
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A
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D
79
U
T
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A
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A
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C
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T
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E
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T
A
I
L
S
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T
H
E
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L
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A
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U
G
H
F
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A
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C
T
O
R
Y
92
S
T
P
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U
S
E
R
I
D
S
94
S
C
R
E
A
M
A
T
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V
96
A
R
97
R
E
R
O
O
98
F
99
G
O
L
A
M
E
100
Y
101
O
102
M
A
M
A
103
J
O
K
E
104
A
105
D
106
I
O
S
107
C
H
O
C
U
L
A
108
F
109
I
L
E
R
S
110
O
111
B
112
O
113
E
114
T
A
R
A
S
115
I
116
W
117
A
118
S
O
N
L
Y
K
I
119
D
D
I
N
G
120
O
R
A
T
E
121
L
A
B
N
O
T
E
S
122
E
N
I
G
M
A
123
R
E
N
E
S
124
S
T
A
L
L
O
N
E
125
S
A
N
D
E
D
© 2018, The New York Times2/4/18 ( No. 24,925 )
Across
1
52-story Boston skyscraper, familiarly : THEPRU
7
Brass instrument with a mellow sound : BASSTUBA
15
___ Malfoy, student at Hogwarts : DRACO
20
Sorkin and Spelling : AARONS
21
Kind of equinox : AUTUMNAL
22
Puerto ___ : RICAN
23
"Stop! You're killing me!" : THATSHYSTERICAL
25
___-garde : AVANT
26
Give some lip : SASS
27
Uncut : ENTIRE
28
More than willing : EAGERTO
30
For whom the Lorax speaks : TREES
31
Internet home to "Between Two Ferns" : FUNNYORDIE
34
Latin for "womb" : UTERUS
38
Monsieur's mate : MADAME
41
Y or N, maybe : ANS
42
Shakespeare character who says "This above all: to thine own self be true" : POLONIUS
45
Actor Jason : ROBARDS
47
Zugspitze, e.g. : ALP
50
A person skilled at deadpan has one : DRYSENSEOFHUMOR
52
What "4" may stand for : APRIL
54
French river or department : OISE
55
Beseech : BEG
56
Advert's ending? : ISE
57
Designer Geoffrey : BEENE
58
Carrier to Karachi : PIA
61
Tugboat sounds : TOOTS
65
Decked out : ADORNED
67
Unimpressed response to someone's one-liner : EVERYBODYSACOMEDIAN
72
___ intolerance : LACTOSE
73
Novo-Ogaryovo is the official one of the Russian president : DACHA
74
Lavatory sign : MEN
75
Hawke of "Training Day" : ETHAN
76
Regrettable : SAD
79
Broadway's Hagen : UTA
81
"Roméo et Juliette" segment : ACTE
85
Coin toss call : TAILS
86
Stand-up chain started in Los Angeles : THELAUGHFACTORY
92
Big engine additive : STP
93
Log-in needs : USERIDS
94
Verbally assail : SCREAMAT
95
"Iglu," for "igloo": Abbr. : VAR
97
Cover over, in a way : REROOF
99
Start limping : GOLAME
100
It might involve someone being "so poor" or "so old" : YOMAMAJOKE
104
"___, amigo" : ADIOS
107
Count ___ : CHOCULA
108
Nail salon employees, at times : FILERS
110
Its "reeds are a pain / And the fingering's insane," per Ogden Nash : OBOE
114
Lipinski and Reid : TARAS
115
"Jeez ... lighten up!" : IWASONLYKIDDING
120
Be grandiloquent : ORATE
121
To this day, Marie Curie's are still radioactive : LABNOTES
122
Mystery : ENIGMA
123
Lacoste and Descartes : RENES
124
Star of 1976's Oscar winner for Best Picture : STALLONE
125
Smoothed in a shop : SANDED
Down
1
Some body art, for short : TATS
2
"Hilarious!" : HAHA
3
Noteworthy times : ERAS
4
Lobster traps : POTS
5
Med. professionals who take a pledge named for Florence Nightingale : RNS
6
Welcomes : USHERSIN
7
Plaster : BASTE
8
Condition for filmdom's Rain Man : AUTISM
9
Suffix with speed : STER
10
"Oh, what the hell ... I'll do it" : SURE
11
"Uh, you've told me quite enough" : TMI
12
Where Michael Jordan played coll. ball : UNC
13
Meadow call : BAA
14
Poet Ginsberg : ALLEN
15
"Game of Thrones" creature : DRAGON
16
Joan who quipped "A Peeping Tom looked in my window and pulled down the shade" : RIVERS
17
"Pick ___ ..." : ACARD
18
"Pretty please?" : CANTI
19
Doing a pirouette, say : ONTOE
24
Poison ivy, e.g. : VINE
29
Some sneakers : AVIAS
30
Something carried onstage? : TUNE
31
"Terrif!" : FABU
32
Fifth category of taste with a Japanese name : UMAMI
33
"Peter ___ Greatest Hits" (1974 album) : NEROS
34
High hairstyle : UPDO
35
Doughnut figures : TORI
36
Late '50s singing sensation : ELVIS
37
One of many scattered in a honeymoon suite, maybe : ROSEPETAL
39
Light bark : ARF
40
Cry from Homer : DOH
43
Kind of port for a flash drive : USB
44
Manage : SEETO
46
Night vision? : DREAM
47
Bowl : ARENA
48
Maid's armful : LINEN
49
Made an appeal : PLED
51
Hymn starter : OGOD
52
Habitation : ABODE
53
Around the time of birth : PERINATAL
59
Chains : IRONS
60
Car rental giant : AVIS
62
Poet who wrote "Fortune and love favor the brave" : OVID
63
Org. that offers Precheck enrollment : TSA
64
___ fly : SAC
66
One on the left?: Abbr. : DEM
67
Greatly bother : EATAT
68
TV blocking device : VCHIP
69
Tops : BESTS
70
Finish all at once, in a way : CHUG
71
Things taken by government officials : OATHS
72
"Sounds like a plan!" : LETS
77
"Don't be ___!" : AHERO
78
___ Walcott, Nobel Prize-winning poet : DEREK
80
Patriots' org. : AFC
82
Bad state to be in : COMA
83
Mine transport : TRAM
84
Modern party summons : EVITE
87
Euros replaced them : LIRE
88
Bustle : ADO
89
Grp. that puts on a show : USO
90
Fleets : ARGOSIES
91
Wall St. bigwigs : CEOS
93
Like Mount Narodnaya : URAL
95
Empty : VACATE
96
Brings a smile to : AMUSES
98
Like some angels and dominoes : FALLEN
100
Champion : VICTOR
101
Airport that J.F.K. dedicated in 1963 : OHARE
102
Erin of "Joanie Loves Chachi" : MORAN
103
Locks up : JAILS
105
Concoct : DEVISE
106
Bug : IRK
108
Jester : FOOL
109
Feeling : INTO
110
Anthony Hopkins's "Thor" role : ODIN
111
City NNE of San Antone : BIGD
112
"My treat!" : ONME
113
"My stars!" : EGAD
116
Cambodia's Angkor ___ : WAT
117
Court org. : ABA
118
Skit show, for short : SNL
119
What makes you you? : DNA

Answer summary:
8 unique to this puzzle, 2 debuted here and reused later.

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