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Bring Your A Game

New York Times, Sunday, April 16, 2023

Author:
Mike Hobin
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
109-Across : Looking blue
TotalDebut
14/16/2023
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1000000
DebutFresh
753%
Mike Hobin

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 75 Missing: {JQVZ} Puzzle has duplicate clues. This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Hobin. Sunday freshness: 22%
Will Shortz notes:
Mike Hobin is a real estate agent and property developer in Chicago. While at home during the pandemic, he watched the 2006 documentary "Wordplay," about crosswords, and was inspired to ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
Perfect puzzle for the Fonz. If only he were Canadian. Ayyyyy, eh? The game is AFOOT today … or is that ABREAST, given that the themers are divided left/right? I appreciated that ... read more
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© 2023, The New York Times4/16/23 ( No. 26,822 )
Across
1
Inundates with messages : SPAMS
6
Starting from : ASOF
10
Farm male : BOAR
14
Slip : LAPSE
19
Word spelled starting with an alif in Arabic : ALLAH
20
Style of Chicago's NBC Tower, informally : DECO
21
Traditional wisdom : LORE
22
Fine woodworking detail : INLAY
23
Blender button : PULSE
24
Lottery prize? : AWARDOFTHESTATE
27
Deception, metaphorically : SMOKE
28
Cambridgeshire's historic ___ Hall : ELTON
29
They were once advertised with the slogan "Polly wants a cracker?" : SALTINES
30
Painted 25% of the house? : BRUSHEDASIDE
34
"Eww, yuck!" : BLEH
35
It's a snap : PHOTO
36
768 parts of a gal. : TSPS
38
Lacking in vitality : ANEMIC
42
Heavy cookware item : WOK
45
Dancer's boss : SANTA
48
Cruet contents : OIL
50
Hogwash : TRIPE
51
Obama's first chief of staff : EMANUEL
54
Make one's long story overly short? : ABRIDGETOOFAR
58
Canner's purchase : LABELS
59
Dog owner's hope … or a cat owner's pipe dream? : OBEDIENCE
60
Regulator of e-cigarettes, for short : FDA
61
Butter maker : CHURN
62
Trees whose wood is used for model airplanes : BALSAS
63
One of Randall's daughters on "This Is Us" : TESS
66
Just the refreshments, not the viewing? : HALFAWAKE
68
Ode to reparation for sin? : ATONEPOEM
73
Hunt out : SEEK
74
Really into : HOTFOR
77
Tic-tac-toe sides : XANDO
78
Went unused : SAT
81
Make easier to tear, in a way : PERFORATE
84
One of twenty-five in this clue : LETTER
85
One darling percussion instrument? : ACUTETRIANGLE
88
Sage : WISEONE
89
Work with a pick and an ax? : STRUM
90
Apt name for a worrywart : STU
91
Off-white shade : CREAM
93
"Gangnam Style" rapper : PSY
94
Track star? : SINGER
96
Giant things in the 1954 sci-fi film "Them!" : ANTS
99
Taunts : GIBES
102
Kind of exam : ORAL
104
Where stealth is found in the dictionary? : AHEADOFSTEAM
109
Looking blue : SADFACED
113
Shoelace tip : AGLET
114
Goes to town on : HASAT
116
Successfully used Rogaine? : SLOWLYGREWAPART
119
Legendary figures : ICONS
120
2020 movie lead-in to "land" : NOMAD
121
The "a" of a.m. : ANTE
122
The "E" of HOMES : ERIE
123
Drum also known as a tumbadora : CONGA
124
Lawsuit filers : SUERS
125
Get into a computer's memory : LOAD
126
"___ Blue" : NYPD
127
Word with word or jar : SWEAR
Down
1
Drains : SAPS
2
Vertically level : PLUMB
3
"It's ___ nothing" : ALLOR
4
Protect oneself against Covid, say : MASKUP
5
Expression of exasperation : SHEESH
6
___ Limón, first Latina poet laureate of the U.S. : ADA
7
Like clothing patches : SEWEDON
8
City west of Daytona Beach : OCALA
9
Kids' creations from sofa cushions : FORTS
10
Lightheaded sorts? : BLONDS
11
[Man, that hurts!] : OOF
12
Creative writing and industrial design, for two : ARTS
13
Restorative process : REHAB
14
Hear : LISTENTO
15
Flawed but relatable protagonist : ANTIHERO
16
"___ ahead" (redundant advice) : PLAN
17
Fill : SATE
18
Most spiders have eight of them : EYES
25
Egging-on phrase : DOIT
26
"First Lady of Song," familiarly : ELLA
31
Pulls a fast one on : HOSES
32
And others: Abbr. : ETAL
33
Classical form of poetry : EPODE
37
Symptom : SIGN
39
Tee off : MIFF
40
Product used with a stylus : IPAD
41
Actor Michael : CERA
42
Raquel of "Fantastic Voyage" : WELCH
43
Hold 'em variation : OMAHA
44
World capital located more than a mile above sea level : KABUL
46
Reserve for later … or something to reserve : TABLE
47
Fivers : ABES
49
Class speaker : LECTOR
52
Weakens, in video game lingo : NERFS
53
Arm bones : ULNAE
55
Nutrition fig. : RDA
56
"___ for Innocent" (Sue Grafton novel) : IIS
57
Many an Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics : TEEN
59
Sturdy flooring material : OAK
62
The Keebler elves, e.g. : BAKERS
64
Makes more attractive, with "up" : SEXES
65
Flood : SPATE
67
Shed some tears : WEPT
68
Fairy tale ending? : AFTER
69
Hoof, in part : TOE
70
Ranked #1 : ONTOP
71
Utopias : EDENS
72
Amsterdam of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : MOREY
74
Affectionate sobriquet : HON
75
Many a URL ending : ORG
76
Common deodorant ingredient : TALC
78
Freshness : SASS
79
When the curtains open : ACTI
80
Time to go : TURN
82
The Beatles' "Lovely ___" : RITA
83
Animal life : FAUNA
84
An arm and a leg : LIMBS
86
Back-and-forth struggle : TUGOFWAR
87
Rare finds in Minecraft : EMERALDS
88
Ragamuffin : WAIF
92
Narcissist's indulgence : EGOTRIP
95
Salacious : RACY
97
Unfrozen : THAWED
98
Genesis creator : SEGA
100
Branch of philosophy : ETHICS
101
Manatee : SEACOW
103
Rightful : LEGAL
105
Muesli brand : ALPEN
106
Affectionate sobriquet : DEARY
107
In sync : ASONE
108
Japanese graphic novel style : MANGA
109
Nine-digit IDs : SSNS
110
M.L.B. family name : ALOU
111
Cupola relative : DOME
112
Early Bond villain : DRNO
115
Old imperial title : TSAR
117
Itinerary initials : ETA
118
Excellent adventurer of film : TED

Answer summary:
7 unique to this puzzle.

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